With each step that Shanks took away from his sons Memorial the harder it felt to breathe. It felt like the weight of the world pressed down upon his shoulders, it was a familiar weight, one that he hadn't had to bear since the death of his – father – Captain.

But this seemed worse, much worse, so much worse.

The weight he felt wearing the crown of his father was like the weight of the world was upon him, but this? Walking step by step away from his son felt like he was suffocating like the weight of his guilt stole everything from him.

Bile rose and the ache in his arm tripled, throbbing with each step that he took. If he listened close enough, over the crashing waves and the idle chatter he could hear his heart breaking, pieces dropping with each step he took like bloody shards of glass.

How did this happen? How could he let this happen?

His son was gone… gonegonegone…

Regret bubbled up within him as he came to a stop instinctively at the bottom of the trail, his eyes flicking up the way to his and Luffy's secret spot.

"Go Uncle," Ace murmured. "Go say goodbye in your own way, Sabo and I are going with Gramps to Dadan's and the treehouse."

Shanks could only nod, turning his gaze to Benn imploringly. He couldn't go alone, even though he desperately wanted to, but Shanks knew that if he went up there alone, he would break, and he wouldn't even care for those who were waiting for him. At least if Beck came with him, then, Shanks could rely on the strength of his husband to keep him standing.

Could share the shared moments he had with Luffy with Benn, moments that Shanks had hoarded to himself as Benn and Luffy had their own bonding moments when Shanks had to catch up with paperwork and deal with the rest of his crew and the small disturbances, they had in the village that Benn refused to deal with.

"Go Shanks," Sabo murmured, giving the red-haired pirate a shove, and turned away himself.

"Go Captain, we'll get the ship ready while you and Benn say goodbye to Luffy in your own way. We'll say goodbye our own." Lucky Roux murmured while the rest of the crew that joined them agreed.

Shanks felt the weight press down on him more as he took in the melancholy of his crew. Their tears, their little habits that he knew they did to sooth themselves. Yasopp fingering the bandanna wrapped around his wrist that was given to him by his wife, Bonk Punch tapping his fingers in a familiar beat of Binks Sake and Monster who was drooped over his shoulder.

Limejuice was tapping the axe at his hip while Hongo was fiddling with the braided cord Luffy had made for all of them long ago. Lucky Roux was walking back with Building Snake but both were keeping close to one another.

Luffy was their Anchor, Shanks and Benn's son but their kid, the kid who followed everyone around with stars in his eyes, who laughed and played with them, who never looked upon them with fear or disgust and loved them unconditionally.

And they too loved him in return.

Shanks knew they were hurting just as much as he.

Turning from his men with a dip of his head he began his trek up the mountain in silence, remembering the time that Luffy had dragged him up here.

Shanks laughed as he staggered through the trees, Luffy excitedly chattering at him as he pulled Shanks along.

"Slow down Anchor! What's the rush?" Shanks asked with a laugh as he staggered once more.

Luffy's little shishishi escaped his lips, pulling a smile to Shanks's own as he turned his head back. "It's a surprise, Shanks! I found it long ago and I want t' share my special place with you! Come on slowpoke hurry up!"

"Slowpoke!" Shanks gasped in mock outrage, picking up speed and scooping the kid he was beginning to love so much into his arms and tickling him. Earning a squeal and uncontrollable laughter in return.

"Shanks! No! Stop! SHISHISHI!" Luffy yelled while squirming. "Big meanie!"

Shanks couldn't help but pull the kid closer, holding him comfortably on his hip as he began to walk forward. He buried his face into Luffy's hair as the kid snuggled into him once more, tucking his head under Shanks's chin with all the trust and comfort a kid could give.

Trust that Shanks couldn't believe he had earned. Trust that Shanks would never, ever take for granted.

"Where am I going, Anchor?" He asked after a moment.

"Straight, we're nearly there!" Luffy replied excitedly, pointing to the small little path that Shanks could only see with his Observation Haki.

He followed the little path, holding Luffy close to him and only tickled his side briefly before stepping out into a little cleared spot, a gasp escaping his lips as he took in the view with awe. He could see the Red Force docked near Foosha, speckled with windmills and the open seas. Luffy squirmed and Shanks put him down with ease as he continued to look out at the view.

"Surprise! See you can see the Red Force and Foosha and this is where I come when you're away! Do ya like it? Do ya?" Luffy exclaimed excitedly as he pointed out everything.

"Anchor this is amazing!" Shanks replied while taking a seat against a boulder that was in a great spot to see it all. "Thank you for showing it to me, I appreciate it."

"Why wouldn't I show it to you?" Anchor asked with a curious gaze while he leapt after a butterfly.

Shanks blinked and laughed softly. "Cause it's your special spot silly."

"Yeah! But it can be ours… right?" Anchor asked with a frown and Shanks felt the warmth in his chest bloom.

Pulling the kid into his arms Shanks couldn't help but smile. "Right, ours."

Shanks staggered as he tripped over the jagged piece of rock that used to be part of the boulder they used as a backrest. Benn's hands instantly steadied him with a murmur.

"No…" The word slipped from his lips was a strangled thing as he finally took in the cliff space. Scorched and broken, not as bad as the place that they held and created Luffy's memorial, but Shanks felt like the location reflected the barren wasteland of his heart.

Gone were the trees, the village a crumbling mess and everything that he and Luffy admired about the view was gone. The only thing that remained the same was the sea, ever immortal, ever vast and unrelenting.

"I knew that it was gone… I knew but… I hoped anyway." He murmured, choking on the sob or the scream that threatened to escape him. So many memories in this place, so many nights where he and Luffy cuddled under his cloak as Shanks taught him about the stars.

Memories where he held Luffy as he cried after Shanks told him he was leaving for another trip, or after every scrape and nightmare when Luffy didn't come down to the Red Force on bright early mornings. This is where Shanks told Luffy stories about the sea, the same stories that his Captain told him and Blue when they were young, the location where Shanks realised that Luffy was his before the Ocean bound them together.

So many memories now burnt to ash…

"Beck," he choked out as he staggered over to the spot where they always sat. "What do we do Beck? Our son is gone, why… why? We should have taken him with us, he would have hated us eventually, but he would have been alive to do so."

Beckman swallowed harshly as he fell to his husband's side and pulled him close, his own heart aching fiercely. He tucked Shanks's head under his chin and clenched his own eyes shut and buried his face into the red locks, letting them fall as he held and listened to Shanks break.

"I don't know love," Beckman murmured softly, brokenly. "All we can do now is keep going, keep Anchor's memory alive and burn down every marine base and ship we come across with extreme prejudice. We make them feel every ounce of pain they have caused, make them remember why the Red-Haired Pirates are to be feared."

A brittle hiccupped laugh escaped Shanks's lips. "We already do that."

"Tell me some stories about this place," Benn asked after a beat.

"I can't tell you how many times I had to catch Anchor before he stepped off the cliff edge chasing a beetle." Shanks replied with a wet laugh. "I don't know how many heart attacks he gave me when we were out at sea just thinking about him being up here alone."

A huff escaped Benn. "Luffy only did that cause he knew you'd catch him, Captain."

Shanks pulled back and stared at Beckman with wide eyes. "What?"

"Luffy told me he knew you'd always catch him after what happened with the Sea King," Benn explained. "He had a nightmare and I found him curled near the docks, we talked. He said he wasn't afraid 'cause he trusted you to always get him."

Beckman watched Shanks's face flicker from wonder to devastation in the blink of an eye, he knew it was a risk to tell him… but he did anyway knowing that it was something that Shanks needed to know. He cupped his husband's face gently with one hand. "That kid loved you so damn much that everyone could see it, I know he loved me too but you were his idol, his Shanks, the Kid used Haki to call for you and the Ocean bound you."

"I love—loved that kid," Shanks choked out and got to his feet, pacing. "He was the one my Captain was waiting for, Luffy was going to change the world and now… because of those bastards he's dead!"

The roar of Shank's Haki crackled around them both, sweeping the debris around them and cracking the rock they had cracked off into pieces. The scream that followed with it was interrupted by a soft shishishi stilling both men. Red and Grey eyes locked onto the pile of rubble near the base of the main rock, neither hesitated digging through the rubble till they came across a slightly cracked tone dial and several bits, bobs, and shiny things.

"Is this… is this Luffy's treasure stash?" Benn asked in disbelief as he pulled out the random things while Shanks grabbed the tone dial.

"How… how did he get this?" Shanks asked stunned, trembling fingers running gently over the shell and pressing the button.

'Shishishi! Shanks, Shanks, SHANKS! King brought me this mystery dial and told me it could remcode… record! My voice so you can carry it with you always isn't that neat!' Shanks and Benn blinked as Luffy's voice filtered out of the shell, both of them sharing a glance.

King? Who was King?

He sounded so grown… yet so much like their Luffy.

'He said it's a mystery shell from the Grand Line! Not sure how it works but who cares! I get to tell you things and maybe you can send me one back so I can hear everyone too! I know we have the snails but this way I could play it when I feel lonely since Ace is gone and it's too late to call. I miss you and Benn and the others, maybe… maybe… this will help you miss me less too?'

"Anchor…" Shanks choked out and placed the shell down to yank at his hair. "I missed you every day… you could have called me at any time and I would have answered."

'Maybe King can get me another one and I can send one to Ace! Shishishishi oh King says it's nearly finished time. Love you Dad! Tell the others I love them too! Shishishis—"

Ragged breaths escaped Shanks as he pressed the dial again, listening to the recording again and again. Benn gently took the shell from Shanks's hand as he went to listen to it again, carefully placing it on the ground between them and cupping his cheeks, thumbs wiping away the tears.

"It'll be okay love." He tried to soothe.

Shanks closed his eyes and slumped forward, hand pulling the tone dial to his chest with reverence. "We… he… Whoever this King is, we owe them a debt I don't think we could ever repay."

For now, that's what they will think about, the gift that they were able to obtain because this King brought forth a Tone Dial that Luffy recorded a recording on. They will worry about someone from the Grand Line being around their kid without them knowing about it because neither could recall Luffy telling them about this King.

"We can find him later," Benn replied before pulling the rest of the stuff over. "I think these were presents for us and the crew that he stashed here. More woven bracelets and look there's even some twisted bits of metal I think he was making animals out of. Looks like he nearly had enough saved to send it to us when he was done."

"Of course, he was still robbing people and scavenging in the terminal after Ace left." Shanks chuckled and fingered the bright red cord that would have matched his old one that broke and now rested safely in a lock box back in their cabin.

Benn chuckled as he placed everything they found in the bag at his hip. "He wouldn't be our kid if he didn't."

They sat in silence for a moment, Shanks pressing the button once again to hear Luffy's voice as they laid back on the scorched earth, watching the sky darken and the stars begin to twinkle. Both listening to the soft shishishi of their son's laughter in the wind.

"Tell me about the stars," Benn asked after a while, knowing it was a fond memory of Luffy for Shanks and something Benn could listen to with a soft ache as he pictured two of his favourite people laying with him. Shanks snuggled into his side and their son who would have been wedged between them both.

"… well…"

Author Note: Okay so this was unexpected and not how I wanted it to be but there we go more shanks angst and some benn!