A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back and happy to be here! Thank you for being patient with me and I hope you'll keep sticking around for more updates. Please let me know what you think of this chapter, and happy reading! :3

Chapter 28: To Hell and Back

As Luffy watched the ocean with Jinbe and Rayleigh by his side, he found himself reflecting on what had happened to him since the painful separation from his crew. It felt like a lifetime had passed – but not in time, in experience. He had made some stupid decisions, and done some stupid things, but he was confident that he was making the right decision now.

After getting sent flying by the paw-guy, Luffy crash-landed on the Island of Women, Amazon Lily, with only thoughts of getting back to his crew and his boyfriend. His lifeline had been the Vivre Card that Rayleigh had given to him that would lead him and his friends back to wherever Rayleigh was on the Sabaody Archipelago. His sheer determination to find a ship to take him back had led the rubber man to cause havoc on the island and be the target of the warrior women, who despite being very interested in men, could not allow one to stay alive. On that same course, Luffy helped partially destroy a town, put a hole in the roof of the palace, saw a very beautiful naked woman, and got to fight a panther and two snake ladies in an arena. Several women also got turned into stone, but in usual Luffy fashion, he'd somehow saved both the snake ladies from exposing their secret, saved the women who had been turned to stone, and managed to make the most beautiful woman in the world fall in love with him. Luffy really didn't care about that because he already had the best boyfriend in the world, but that beautiful woman, Hammock, had something he really wanted: a ship and a promise to take him back to Sabaody to reunite with his crew! He had been so excited and happy, his heart longing to see Zoro and all of his friends and knowing that he was one boat ride away from doing so.

But a wrench had been thrown into that plan. While the short lady everyone called Granny Nyon had been reading the paper, Luffy had learned that his brother Ace had been captured by the Navy and was going to be executed, which would start a war with the Whitebeard Pirates! Shock and horror had put Luffy in a difficult position: His desire to help his brother overwhelming any other want was putting his reunion with his friends and Zoro in jeopardy. As much as Luffy wanted to immediately return to his friends, Ace was the one who needed him most at that moment. This became especially clear when Luffy pulled out his brother's Vivre Card and found it shrinking and burning in his hand. He'd then made the heartbreaking decision to leave his friends for a while longer and go save his brother.

That decision propelled Luffy into several situations that he could not handle on his own, though he stanchly rolled with every punch that came at him. Hammock helped him sneak into the world's worst prison, Impel Down and had had to leave him on his own to fulfill her own Warlord duties. Luffy had traversed deeper and deeper into the prison while gathering old enemies and friends like Buggy, Mr. 3, and Bon Clay while enduring wild beasts, armed guards, freakish monsters, a desert of starvation, and a molten hell before their little group had been confronted by the Warden Magellan.

Luffy, still determined to find his brother, had faced the poison man and had lost horribly. He'd been dying, thrown into a frozen hellscape and Bon had loyally fought for his life, finding an ally in an odd place. The fabulous Ivankov had taken them in and promised to give Luffy a chance to save himself. He'd been injected with the revolutionary's special hormones which had the chance of saving him and taking years off of his life, or killing him if he wasn't strong enough. Bon had stood outside of the chamber he'd been locked into and yelled for him to keep fighting and not give up, and though Luffy hadn't been fully conscious of his friend's efforts, he nevertheless felt them.

Once he was miraculously up again – and after eating a literal mountain of food – Luffy then traveled down to the lowest level of Impel down to save Ace with Iva and his posse of Okama, only to find that his brother had already been taken away. Devastated, but not beaten, they began the mad dash up through the entirety of Impel down, gaining even more allies, including a fishman named Jinbe, a bitter Crocodile, and his right-hand man Daz Bones. He had even faced Blackbeard, the despicable man who had turned his brother over to the government for execution, for a moment. However, the need to leave the prison didn't allow them to fight each other, for better or worse. Though everything was a bit volatile and chaotic, and there was a mad dash to the exit with Magellan's poisonous death hydra behind them, they all managed to make it outside and then to a navy ship with Jinbe's help and a whole bunch of whale sharks. They'd even escaped through the gate that only the Navy could use thanks to Bon's heartfelt sacrifice of staying behind and Luffy would never forget his heroic deed for as long as he lived. It was heartbreaking to leave his friend behind, but the situation would've been unsalvageable without his bravery.

Then through many strange circumstances and a whole lot of luck, Luffy and the whole Impel Down escapee crew had fallen straight into the battle at Marineford and gotten themselves into lots of trouble. Luffy met and made an alliance with Whitebeard, Crocodile was ready to kill the old man, and Buggy was acknowledged by the Emperor, much to everyone's surprise. The Whitebeard pirates fought the navy with all their strength and Luffy had to make his way to the execution platform while fighting everyone from a lowly cadet to a Warlord of the Sea to a Navy admiral.

But the hardest part had been to face his grandfather. The man had terrified him since he was little, his Fist of Love having knocked him down each and every time he'd come up against it. But Garp was still his grandfather and Luffy didn't want to punch him if he had to. As the two generations faced each other, Luffy had seen his grandpa crumble inside, grieving the entire situation he was in. Ace was his grandson too, and his duty as a Marine was to let one grandson die and beat another one up for the sake of Justice. But instead, Luffy saw his grandfather miss his punch, allowing him to punch instead. As the Hero of the Navy fell, Luffy's heart broke a little more. What a mess everything had become, and the only way to make it worth it was to save Ace and get out of there. He'd managed to do it too, with the help of Mr. 3 and a wax key he'd made to free Ace. Luffy's heart had soared at knowing that he was going to save his brother, escape, and then be back on his way to his crew and boyfriend. They were going to be unstoppable working together, brother with brother.

But somehow, it had gone wrong, so horribly wrong.

Ace had protected him, shielded him from the magma fist of Admiral Akainu, the hole in his body mirroring the hole that had just ripped itself open in Luffy's heart. His brother had fallen into his arms, Ace's blood soaking into his clothes, smearing onto his skin, and there was nothing that he could've done. The hand he pulled away from Ace's body was covered in blood, the hand that would haunt his nightmares for as long as he lived. He tried to cover up the hole, to hold his brother's blood inside, to hide the wound from the world, but it didn't matter – Ace was dying.

Ace's strained voice was quiet in his ear as Luffy trembled in fear, disbelief, and pain. He'd thanked his idiot little brother for trying so hard, for coming so far, but Luffy knew that it hadn't been enough – he hadn't been strong enough, smart enough, or fast enough to stop this from happening. Ace had been talking about his dream too, the one where Luffy wanted to be the King of the Pirates, knowing that he wouldn't be able to see it fulfilled. He hadn't wavered in his desire to see it come true, saying, I have faith that you can do it because you're my brother. But if he had been so great, why couldn't he even save one life? Even as the chaos around them continued, he'd clung to Ace, trying to hold him, to keep him from slipping away, and pleading with him to stay, but Luffy's big brother had known that he'd gone as far as he was able. Ace's life had slipped away in his arms, and Luffy couldn't do anything about it. The last words Ace ever uttered rang in Luffy's head as his body fell to the ground.

Thank you for loving me.

Luffy loved him, he loved him so much, so why couldn't do anything? Why was he so useless?! They had been so close to being free! But it was all gone in an instant. Luffy's entire being had shattered, leaving him a wailing mess until his mind had shut down – shutting out the horror, the loss, the pain, and the anguish, all of it. Blessed blackness had enveloped him, shielding him from the world and all the misery that came with it, the image of his brother's lifeless body etched into his heart forever.

The next time he opened his eyes, he was somewhere far away, somewhere where he couldn't reach Ace and the pain of remembering his failure was too painful to keep inside. Luffy had raged like a deranged beast, terrorizing both Trafalgar Law's crew and the forests of Amazon Lily until Jinbe had been able to stop him. His chest had hurt terribly, both from the new X-shaped burn that Akainu had seared into his flesh and from the unbearable grief at having come so far and failing his brother. Luffy's mind shattered, disregarding everyone's pleas for him to stop moving, even when they told him he could die if he reopened his wounds. He took his rage and grief out of the trees and rocks, trying to find an outside outlet for the hurt he was feeling on the inside, leaving a path of destruction behind him.

Bruised, bleeding, and out of breath, he eventually ran out of strength, finally coming back into a semi-logical state of mind. He looked up at the sky; everything seemed so normal that he wondered if he'd dreamt the whole thing. But then his chest sent stabs of pain into his heart, his ears started to ring, and his head felt like it was being spit open. He screamed, memories of his brother's lifeless body flashed before him, and Ace's apologies haunted his mind. He'd fallen back on the ground and wailed, clutching at his head, trying to stop the memories. He looked at his bandaged right hand, now covered in his own blood, and could only remember Ace's blood covering it. Without thinking, he smashed his head into a huge rock, moving at a tremendous speed, screaming that it couldn't be true, that Ace couldn't be gone. Throwing boulders didn't help, punching trees didn't help, and the hurt was still there. Luffy finally collapsed for the last time, falling to his hands and knees.

Then quiet footsteps and a friend stood near him. Jinbe watched the young man with sad eyes and confirmed the terrible truth that he already knew: Ace was dead.

Luffy wailed, fat tears rolling down his cheeks as his heart broke all over again. He'd felt like nothing would ever fill up the void in his core that had been left by his brother's loss. He'd lost so much already, and this was too much. Who could ever get up again? Who could ever move forward again after having everything ripped away from them? Luffy called himself useless, and in a singular moment, he wanted to give up on everything.

Damnt it! I couldn't save my crew or my brother! Why?! Why?! WHY?! Why am I so weak?! Damn it! Damn it! I'm USELESS!

He'd wanted to be alone, he'd wanted to fall on the ground and never get up again. He was bruised and bleeding, and it wouldn't take much to reopen his chest wound, so why couldn't he just lie down and never get up again?

Well, because Jinbe was there, that was why. Even when he picked a fight with the fishman, Jinbe didn't let him give up. Even being held up against a boulder, Luffy had struggled against him, clawing at the man's arm, trying to fight some more. But the Jinbe had pierced through his storm of hurt.

Luffy, your pain may be great, but it mustn't devour you! There is yet joy beyond your sorrow! What's gone may be gone, but you still have something left in this world to treasure, don't you!?

He'd stopped fighting then, been released, and a moment of quiet descended. Luffy looked at his hands and thought of Zoro, counting down one of his fingers. A memory of climbing up the Sunny's ladder and seeing his shirtless boyfriend working out flashed in his mind – Zoro had gotten sulky about being interrupted, but then he hadn't protested when Luffy knocked the weights out of his hands and tackled him for a kiss. He remembered Nami looking out to the horizon and calling for him to prepare the ship for a rough ride and counted down another finger. He remembered Usopp telling him that he'd almost caught a huge fish on his line when it was clearly a lie, and promising that the next one would be even bigger, a another finger counted down. He remembered Sanji scolding him for being impatient to eat while he bugged him in the kitchen, but then tossing him a snack anyway, another finger down. He remembered Chopper in his office, promising to help whenever he got hurt with a smile before giving him a shot and bandaging him up, another finger down. He remembered Robin reading on the deck, excited to tell him about treasure and all the fantastic things she was learning from all of her books, another finger counted down. He remembered Franky doing maintenance on the cola engine in the Sunny and telling him that everything was great, and if the rubber man was checking in on him, then he was SUPER too! Another finger counted down, and then another, as he remembered Brook coming in to wake him up in the morning with a song to get his bones moving. He could hear their voices in his head, calling his name, smiling brightly at him. Something inside him fixed itself, fitting a broken piece back into place in his chest.

Luffy's eyes had filled with tears again, and he wept for his friends, knowing that they still had his back, even when they were apart. He wanted to see his crew again, he still had them, and could still live for them. He was openly crying again, telling Jinbe that he still had his crew and that they were still out there, waiting for him. The fishman smiled, thankful that his little friend had found the means and the resolve to go on.

Luffy's heart was not whole, it would never be again, and there would always be a space where Ace's absence could be felt. But remembering his friends had started a process that could bridge the hurt and sorrow and lead him to joys in the future. His friends' places in his heart held Ace's there, hugging a hurt that could heal, with time. Ace had even trusted his crew to look after him, and Luffy knew that maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but with his friends by his side, he would be fine. He could carry the loss with a smile when the time came, and he could make his brother proud if he just kept moving forward. And in Luffy fashion, once he'd decided something, he did it.

He, Rayleigh, and Jinbe came up with a plan to get a message out to Luffy's crew and raided Marineford again once the rubber man was healed up enough not to get caught. They'd written 2D3Y on his arm, a message to his friends that they would meet not in the three days they'd planned on, but after two years. They weren't ready for the New World and Luffy's adventures and losses since they'd been separated were proof of that. He hoped that with a few years of training under his belt he'd be able to handle everything that was thrown at him. He had to get stronger, to protect the people he loved and cared about. He thought about all of his friends and Zoro, and how he'd be destroyed if he lost any of them in the same way he lost Ace. They were his reason to keep on living now, the reason that he kept fighting, just like Jinbe had helped him see. He would trust that they would be safe until they met again.

The three men had just left Marineford on a whale shark and were now on their way back to the Kuja ship which was waiting for them. Luffy was sitting cross-legged on the fish, resting with his eyes closed. The sea breeze ruffled through his hair playfully and whisked away a solitary tear. Luffy put his hand to his chest, feeling the rough bandages over the wound that would leave a scar there forever. It would forever be a reminder of his helplessness, but it would also be a reminder of how he could survive, get stronger, and keep moving forward for those he loved. He and Ace had shared the pain of failure, and Luffy would wear it proudly for the rest of his life and do his best to fulfill his dream, just like his brother had wanted.

"Are you still doing alright, Luffy?" Jinbe asked, noticing the movement and worried that his young friend's wounds were hurting.

"Yeah, I'm good. Healing up," he replied. The young man looked at the sky, his straw hat slipping off of his head and hanging from its string. "I'm glad we got away!"

"Of course, we got away!" Rayleigh chuckled. "They were terrified of you, Luffy!"

"I'd say they were more terrified of you," Jinbe laughed, remembering the looks on the Marines' faces when Luffy did his little tribute.

"I think they were actually terrified of you, Jinbe!" Luffy added, smiling hugely. "I'm just glad that the message got out."

"I'm sure they'll get your message," Rayleigh said, taking a sip from his flask. "We made it as blatant as possible after all!"

"I just hope Zoro figures it out," Luffy chuckled, hiding the pinch in his heart with a smile. Being separated from his love was tough enough on its own, let alone all of his other crewmates. "He can be pretty stupid!"

Jinbe rolled his eyes. "Says the guy who broke into the worst prison on the planet."

"Hey! You shouldn't talk! You were in that prison!" he argued back, jumping to his feet to get into the fishman's face.

"I wasn't being stupid! I was refusing to fight so they threw me in there!"

"Big whoop! You were still in prison and would still be in there if I hadn't gotten you out!"

"You almost got us killed several times!"

"Did not!"

"Did too! Look at the state you're in!"

Rayleigh decided to interrupt the pair before they got into a fistfight. "Now, now, you two, cool it." The pair deflated under those words. "All of us have almost gotten killed several times, but we all made it out, so it doesn't really matter."

Jinbe looked at the old man with suspicion. "I highly doubt you were ever on the brink of death," he stated.

"You're right, but I can't say the same for my old crew!" the Dark King laughed again. "But we should all relax for now, because once we get back to Amazon Lily, Luffy and I have to take off."

"Fine," the pair agreed, sitting back down on the whale shark.

"I will have to get going as well once we reach a good spot to close enough to Fishman Island," Jinbe said. "Now that old man Whitebeard is gone, things are going to be chaotic without his protection. I'm going to have to do whatever I can to keep my people safe."

"I guess I'll see you again in two years then," Luffy started, his heart pinching again at being separated from someone else he'd come to care about. "Damn, I'm going to miss you too."

The fishman smiled at his friend. "We'll be together again before you know it."

"I'm not going to make those two years easy for you, Luffy," Rayleigh admitted teasingly.

"I don't want to you," the rubber man replied. "I've got to get as strong as possible." He'd hang up his hat for now, along with his crew. If he was going to be better for them, he'd better do a good job of it. They had a whole world to see after all, and he needed to be ready to see if all with them. Luffy smiled widely again, thinking of all the things he was going to do with his crew when he got back to them and how happy he was going to be to see everyone. "Let's get to work as soon as we get there, Rayleigh!"

The old man smiled at those words. "You got it, Luffy."

It would be a long two years, but it would all be worth it in the end.

To be Continued...

A/N: And there you go! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time! :3