Chapter 30: Desert Hallucinations
With the Merry heading toward its newest destination, Luffy looked happily over the railing as he watched for Ace.
"Are you sure we shouldn't have waited for him?" Vivi asked worriedly as the crew gathered around Luffy, curious about their Captain's brother.
"Nah, Ace is strong," Luffy said without a hint of hesitation, his smile big and wide as he turned to look at his crew.
"I don't doubt it. I've heard some crazy things about you guys." Nami said, thinking back to the articles she'd read about the brothers in their time with the Whitebeards. Luffy only laughed at that, not gracing them with a response to the navigator's words.
"First Sabo and now Ace. I hope Thatch comes next!" Luffy said with a laugh, his haki telling him that Ace was jumping onto the railing behind him.
"Am I not good enough?" Ace asked with a grin as Luffy spun around.
"Ace! Think of all the food that Thatch and Sanji could make! There'd be so much!" Luffy said with another laugh, stretching his arms at his sides at the thought.
"Good point." Ace conceded with a grin as he stepped off the railing and stood beside his brother. He may not know who Sanji was yet, but Luffy's words suggested it was his chef, and if that were the case then they must be able to make a lot of food in short periods of time if they had Luffy to cook for.
"You all must be Luffys crew. Thank you for taking care of my little brother." Ace said to them with a bow.
"Huh? Oh, not at all." They said back, bowing as well.
"He might be a bit much for you to handle, but..." He said next, trailing off as the crew watched him.
"No, not at all." They responded.
"Take good care of 'im." Ace finished with another smile and nod.
"You probably have lots of catching up to do. Why don't you come in? I'll make some tea." Sanji suggested.
"No, that's alright, don't do it on account of me." Ace said, using his fire to light Sanjis newest cigarette.
"Talk about unexpected!" Sanji said.
"That's for sure..." Zoro agreed.
"I would've expected him to be as reckless as Luffy..." Usopp said next.
"No, this sensible man can't possibly be Luffy's brother!" Nami said, her hands over her chest in disbelief.
"He's a nice guy who cares about his brother!" Zoro said in shock.
"Brothers can be so wonderful..." Chopper cried.
"The sea is just full of surprises..." Sanji said.
"Come now, guys!" Vivi said with a nervous smile seeing as they were saying all of this right in front of both Ace and Luffy.
"See! Aren't these guys neat?!" Luffy asked his brother with a laugh. Before Ace could respond they noticed that there were ships in front of them, stopping the conversation.
"Baroque Works! Those are the Billions ships!" Vivi exclaimed as they turned to look at them.
"Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat Luffy! Don't think you can get away!" A voice shouted over to them.
"Those guys?" Luffy asked as he stretched over the railing to get a better look.
"Luffy. I'll clean them up." Ace said before jumping off the Merry and into the Striker that was tied to the Merry.
"What's he gonna do? Especially in that little boat..." Usopp asked as they watched.
"Let's just see how strong the second division commander of the Whitebeards is," Zoro said, his arms crossed as they all continued watching.
Fire ignited out of Ace's feet, starting the ship as it zoomed towards the row of ships. Jumping off of the Striker when he was close enough, Ace built up his fire, landing safely in the Striker when it appeared on the other end of the row.
"Fire Fist!" Ace shouted, punching forward and sending a blast of fire that took out every single ship. The crew's jaws dropped at the sight while Luffy only started laughing, looking at Ace's red wave, strong and healthy.
When Ace returned, Sanji went and made some food for everyone and brought out drinks which Chopper, Luffy, and Usopp eagerly took. The rest of the crew was lounging around the deck, eager to know more about Luffy's brother and why he was here all of a sudden.
"Cheers! To Ace becoming one of us!" Usopp cheered as they all hit their mugs together.
"Who said I was joining you?" Ace asked with a drink of his own.
"Don't worry. They're always looking for an excuse to drink to!" Nami said with a smile from where she sat nearby.
"Anyway, why are you here, Ace?" Luffy asked, remembering that Ace had said they needed to talk.
"Ah, right. About that..." Ace said, rubbing the back of his head as he glanced at the crew. Luffys cheer left and his smile fell at the turmoil in his brother, reminding him of when Sabo visited.
"Right. Well, you wanna talk about it here?" Ace asked, having noticed that his emotions had tipped Luffy off to the topic. Luffy looked to his crew as well, still frowning as he shook his head.
"Let's go to the men's room," Luffy said, tilting his head in its direction. The crew was immediately reminded of when Sabo had visited, and while they wanted to ask, they only watched as the brothers headed to the hatch that would lead to the room where the men on the ship slept.
When Ace and Luffy were inside and settled, Ace took his hat off, running his fingers through his hair.
"I heard Sabo told you. About Haru." Ace said grimly, the frown on his face looking as displeased about the topic as they both felt.
"Mm. He told me he was probably gonna be in the Grand Line and he was still working in facilities." Luffy said, wondering where this was going.
"Right. I decided to go looking for him. I'm not gonna just let that bastard get away after everything he did." Ace said with a growl, the anger rising in him.
"While I was looking, I got a tip though. That he's in the area." Ace said, his voice lowering dangerously as Luffy listened carefully. Hearing this, Luffy's blood ran cold, his heart nearly stopping at the idea that not only was Haru in Paradise, but he was also extremely close.
"I don't know if it's true, but that why I went looking for you too. If the tip is a bust, then that alright, but if not..." Ace trailed off, eyes going distant as his emotions fought with each other over which wanted to be the strongest.
Luffy swallowed as he glanced to the exit of the room, wondering if he was going to be seeing Haru much sooner than he'd anticipated.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
While the crew waited for the brothers to finish talking, they started a conversation of their own.
"This is the second time one of Luffys brothers showed up for some weird talk," Sanji said as they all looked to the hatch, practically feeling the tension coming from it.
"Second time?" Chopper asked in confusion.
"That's right, you weren't there. We met Luffy's other brother right before we came to the Grand Line. Sabo came and said they had to talk and they went to the kitchen." Usopp explained.
"11085? I heard he'd left the Whitebeards like Luffy, but I don't know much about him." Vivi admitted with a frown.
"He seemed rather polite, like Ace. Makes me wonder how Luffy ended up the way he is." Nami said with a sigh, holding her hands up and shaking her head.
"They talked for a while though, and when Luffy came out he looked so... serious," Usopp said, finger on his chin as he remembered back.
"And Sabo was saying he should think about whatever they talked about. He even offered to take us over Reverse Mountain so Luffy could rest." Nami added, remembering how odd the offer had been. What kind of news had he told Luffy that the teen would need to go rest?
"It had to have been something serious..." Vivi said worriedly as she glanced again to the hatch.
"I think it's got something to do with that facility," Zoro said with a frown, his arms crossed over his chest.
"The facility? What makes you say that?" Nami asked, surprised by the suggestion.
"Well think about it. All three of them escaped from that place, which Luffy calls a bad place. If they were here for anything else, wouldn't they be happier?" Zoro asked.
"Maybe the Whitebeards are in trouble?" Usopp countered though he was seeing the logic behind the swordsman's suggestion.
"I don't think so. Sabo came first, and he's not even with the Whitebeards anymore. Besides, if it was and Sabo told him whatever the news was, why would Ace be here to tell him again?" Zoro asked. Everyone was silent at this as they mulled over the idea.
"Hey Chopper, you know about the facility now, right? Wasn't it in those notes?" Sanji asked, hoping they could get some answers that way.
"A little. I know what they did in there, but I don't have specifics." Chopper admitted.
"Really? It's more than we know. Can you tell us about it?" Nami asked hopefully, but the doctor shook his head.
"I can't. It's Luffys medical history, and doctor-patient confidentiality means I can't tell you guys anything about it." Chopper said, not wanting to betray Luffys trust like that, especially when Whiskey had told him how untrusting of doctors Luffy was. The reindeer wasn't going to do anything that could jeopardize his relationship with Luffy.
"It does make me think though..." Vivi said, eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"What is it, Vivi-chan?" Sanji asked, everyone now looking at her.
"If the facility is as bad a place as it seems, why are the brothers wanted alive only?" She asked, having wondered about that since she'd heard from Luffy how bad the place was.
"I heard it was because they don't want them telling anyone what happened in there," Zoro answered.
"But if that's the case, wouldn't they want them dead or alive? Or even dead only?" Vivi pointed out, making the crew frown as well.
"That's a good point. The dead can't talk, but the living certainly can." Usopp said, his mind working a mile a minute as he tried figuring out the mystery of the facility.
"At first I thought it was because they were just mentally unstable escapees, and children at that, but now that we know that isn't the case..." Vivi trailed off, trying to figure it out herself.
"Not only that, but Miss All Sunday seemed to know more about this facility than us." Vivi continued. That still irked her as well, because not only was the woman her enemy, someone who was trying to destroy her kingdom, but they were Luffys friends and they knew next to nothing about the place.
"What was it she said? 'Little Garden would be peaceful compared to the facility?'" Nami paraphrased.
"She also said that Luffy and his brothers were the first to ever escape from one," Usopp added.
"That implies that there's more than one of them." Sanji realized, blowing out a cloud of smoke.
"But why would they be talking about it now?" Chopper asked in confusion, not understanding why they would be talking about the facility if they were free from it.
"That would be the big question," Sanji replied.
"So you're coming with us then?" Luffy voice brought a halt to their conversation as they turned to see the hatch opening, the two brothers reappearing on the Merrys deck.
"Assuming you're also going to Yuba." Ace answered. Nami and Vivi perked up at the name.
"Actually, we are. The leader of the rebel army is in Yuba. That's where we were headed next." Vivi piped in, the two brothers looking to her at this. She started to sweat nervously at the attention, but when Luffy smiled the tension released.
"Great! Ne, Ace, you still have to meet everyone!" Luffy said, clearly not as affected by whatever talk he'd had with Ace like he had been with Sabo.
At least, not that they could see.
As Luffy introduced them all to Ace one by one, the man smiled politely and nodded to them. When they got to Chopper, Ace couldn't help but give the reindeer a curious look.
"A reindeer doctor, huh? Good choice." Ace said, nodding in approval as he eyed the newest member of the crew. Chopper started blushing and wiggling, spewing expletives while Luffy laughed.
"Choppers a good guy! He helped Nami get better, and Sanji and me too!" Luffy said happily. Ace raised an eyebrow at that, wondering what Luffy had needed help with that involved a doctor, but didn't question it.
As the crew got acquainted with Ace, Vivi asked Nami to stop the ship for a moment so that she could send Karoo on a special quest. When the duck was headed to the palace with the letter from Vivi, they began their journey again, all of them changing into more appropriate clothing for the desert which devastated Sanji seeing as the women changed out of their dancer girl outfits.
When they reached their newest landing spot, they were met with Kung Fu Dugongs which Luffy promptly beat up and became their teacher. Seeing as they were on a time limit though, they had to cut the lesson short so they could get a move on to Yuba.
Not before giving them a lot of their food first.
It didn't take them long at all to reach Emeralu. Vivi explained that the city used to be known as the City of Green and that for three years now it had been the desolate ghost town they were walking through at the moment. She told them about the dance powder that was found in Alubarna, Alabastas capital, and how the rain that the powder caused meant there was no rain for this city, meaning they were left in a perpetual drought.
They came across a skeleton during their walk through the abandoned city which brought so much sadness and despair to the princess, Luffy couldn't help but feel that way as well. Trying to block it out only meant that he started to notice the righteous anger in Sanji and Usopp as they listened to her explain how Crocodile planted Dance Powder in the capitol, causing everyone in this city to either die or leave in search of water.
Their anger, coupled with his own anger that was starting to take form, only ended up influencing him once more despite his best efforts to stop it.
"Oi, Luffy." At the sound of Ace's voice, Luffy spun a glare at the man, his body buzzing with the pent-up rage.
"What?" He practically spat out, surprising the crew and Vivi who were all watching him with wide eyes.
"Go calm down." The calming tone didn't do anything to calm the fiery anger, but Luffy went to do as told, stomping off into the deserted town.
"W-what was that about?" Nami asked, trying to blink away her shock at how angry Luffy had both looked and sounded- at Ace no less. The fire user looked at them carefully for a moment, as if debating answering.
"Do you uh... know? About his abilities?" Ace asked almost nervously. A crash from the town clued them into the fact that Luffy seemed to be knocking down entire buildings, but they tried not to focus on that.
"His abilities? You mean like his devil fruit or the other stuff?" Zoro asked. This seemed to be all the answer Ace needed as he sighed in relief and nodded.
"The other stuff. I don't know how much he's told you all, but Luffy can feel emotions, and sometimes he can't distinguish what emotions are his and what emotions are coming from other people. If a lot of people around him feel one specific emotion, in this case anger, it can influence him into feeling the same way and he can get a little... out of control." Ace said as another crash sounded from further in the city.
"Oh yeah, like with Kuro!" Usopp said, remembering now that Luffy had told them this before.
"Kuro?" Vivi asked, still crouched beside the skeleton.
"He was this pirate on Usopps island that Luffy fought. Luffy told us that Kuro was so angry, it made him angry too which explained how- well, angry he was." Nami told them as she glanced over to where Luffy was starting to walk back.
"Exactly. Sometimes it's best to let him go and get the emotion out. If he has sudden outbursts like that, don't take it personally. He's come a long way, but he still has trouble with it sometimes." Ace told them, his tone fond as he knelt down beside Vivi and started digging a hole in the sand. Realizing what he was doing, Vivi placed the skeleton inside the hole as Luffy reached them again, a frown still on his face but seeming much calmer now. He had a stick in his hand which he promptly placed over the makeshift grave that Ace had filled in.
"I'm gonna kick that Croc's ass," Luffy said firmly before turning back around and walking in the direction they needed to go. Ace was the first to get up and follow after his brother, the rest of the crew quick to do the same.
Starting their walk through the desert once more, whatever anger was left in Luffy slowly fizzled out with the heat as he started panting, using a large stick to pull himself along. Occasionally there would be a small conversation, but for the most part, they all stayed silent to conserve what little energy they could in the draining heat.
By the time night was starting to fall and it was beginning to cool off, they decided to set up camp near some rocks that they'd stumbled upon. Of course, camp meant food which Luffy was excited about as he tried nabbing the still raw meat off the campfire they had. Sanji was quick to stop him, reprimanding him for trying to steal the dinner before it was even cooked, and while Luffy was bummed that he couldn't eat right away he was quickly distracted by Chopper whose fur Zoro and Usopp were using for heat now that it was beginning to get freezing.
Ace sat off to the side, observing without saying anything. From what he'd seen so far, Luffy had gathered quite an interesting crew, not that there were any doubts that he wouldn't. When it came to Luffy, he was good at attracting a large variety of people.
"You must be surprised. Luffy-san isn't very captain-like." Vivi said as she walked over with a smile.
"He's always been that way. He hasn't changed all that much since he was a kid." Ace said with a fond smile. While that was mostly true, Ace did know that the facility had definitely changed Luffy a lot. Still, Luffy had put in a lot of effort to try reversing the effects that the facility had on him. Ace and Sabo too.
"I guess you would know that," Vivi said with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of her head.
"It's alright. You thought I would be worried, right?" Ace asked her, seeing her good intentions for what they were. The princess nodded at that, her features smoothing out at Ace's understanding.
"So he was always like this then?" Vivi asked as she sat beside the Whitebeard pirate. Turning to look at Luffy- who was now arguing with Usopp over what was cooler; robots or zombies- Ace's smile became softer.
"For the most part, yes." He told her. Vivi looked at him, confused by the tone he was using but unable to pinpoint just what about it that felt off.
"For the most part?" She asked instead, wondering what Ace meant by that. By the slight surprise on his face, Vivi guessed he either hadn't meant to say that or he hadn't expected her to question it.
"Ah, well..." He trailed off, tapping his fingers on his leg as he continued watching Luffy who Vivi turned to look at now as well. She was startled to see that Luffy was watching them as well, his argument with Usopp seemingly put on hold. Looking back to Ace, she realized that the two brothers were watching each other and the princess was reminded of when Mr. 2 was on the Merry and Luffy had suddenly watched her when she'd seen her father's face.
Had Ace's emotions alerted Luffy? Or was it a coincidence? And what about this conversation would make Ace feel strongly enough for Luffy to stop what he was doing anyway? There were too many questions to ask, but Vivi didn't want to be rude by asking and instead waited for Ace to say something or even nothing at all.
After a few minutes passed, Luffy nodded and turned back to Usopp who had been watching curiously as well seeing as Luffy had stopped arguing abruptly to stare at Vivi and Ace.
"Sorry about that. Anyway, while Luffy hasn't changed much since he was a kid there was a point where he was... different to put it lightly." Ace admitted with a heavy sigh. Hearing this Vivi couldn't help but frown.
"I heard he hasn't told you much about the facility except that it was a bad place. Honestly, that's putting it lightly." Ace said with a scowl as he turned his gaze to the stars. Vivi blinked in surprise at the sudden mention of the facility, nearly forgetting that Ace had been in that place as well.
"After everything we went through it was inevitable that it would take a toll on our personalities. So while Luffy seems to not have changed much, that's only because we all put a lot of effort into trying to go back to the way we were before everything that happened to us, if that makes sense." Ace said, giving Vivi a small smile.
"If I'm being truthful, I didn't think Luffy would ever act like this again. When the Whitebeards saved us he was so... different. He didn't smile as much, didn't talk a lot, and didn't laugh at all. He could barely stand being around anyone new, but I guess that was the same for all of us." Ace continued, sighing as he said this.
"We all worked hard- really hard- to try and put everything about the facility behind us. It hasn't been easy, especially not with the marines chasing us down all the time, or now the fact that Har- ah. I'm getting ahead of myself." Vivi blinked as the anger that was seeping into Ace's voice suddenly disappeared. The glare that had formed during his talking was gone as well, instead replaced with an almost sheepish look as he sighed once more.
"Anyway, all of this is to say that, while Luffy may not seem like he's changed, I know that it's only because he's worked- and is still working- hard to be the way he is." He finished, turning to Vivi.
"Did any of that make sense?" The fire user asked.
"I think so, yes. Thank you for telling me." Vivi said, knowing it must have been hard for him to bring up the facility. After how she'd seen Luffy react to its mention multiple times now, she could only imagine that Ace would have similar feelings on the subject.
The two drifted into a more normal conversation after that as they told different stories to each other of memories they found funny. When dinner was ready they joined the others, and this time Vivi noticed right away when Luffy started giving Ace a strange look. The eldest either didn't notice himself or was ignoring the rubber teen in favor of food.
Dinner went by normally with animated conversation filling the air, and when the food was gone the conversation continued, though slightly less animated now as they settled down for the night. Tents were made and one by one they went to bed with a goodnight. Soon enough, only Luffy and Ace were left by the fire that Ace was feeding to keep them- mostly Luffy- warm.
"What did you tell Vivi?" Luffy asked. When he'd felt Ace's emotions take a dip into the more troubled ones, he'd known exactly what Ace had been thinking- or even talking- about. The two had had a silent conversation through tapping as Luffy explained what he'd told Vivi and his crew of the facility and Ace responded that Vivi was asking questions, but he wouldn't tell her anything that would give away what happened in that place.
"Not much. We were talking about you." Ace replied smoothly. Luffy looked baffled at this, wondering what about him they would need to talk about. Seeing this, Ace smiled and laughed quietly.
"I may have let slip that there was a... time when you weren't so, you know, you." Ace said, gesturing vaguely to the teen. Luffys face evened out at this as he nodded in understanding, knowing exactly what his brother was talking about.
"Do you plan on telling them about the facility?" Ace asked eventually as the two watched the flames in front of them. Luffy frowned now, fingers sifting through the sand surrounding them as he fidgeted.
"Eventually. Not right now." The captain finally decided on saying. While he knew he wanted to tell them, he wasn't quite sure when he wanted to. Not now, not with everything that was going on, but maybe sometime after this was all calmed down. Or maybe before they went into the New World. While he didn't have an exact day in mind for telling them everything, Luffy knew for a fact that he wasn't going to keep it hidden from them forever.
"If you need help telling them, you know you can call Sabo or I, right? You don't have to tell them alone if you don't want to." Ace said reassuringly, placing a hand on his brother's knee for comfort. Luffy had never had to tell the story himself, that had always been something Sabo had done for them, and even then Luffy was barely able to sit through the whole thing. To think that Luffy would have to tell that whole painstaking story on his own worried Ace.
"I know. But it's my crew. I should be the one to tell them." Luffy answered, voice filled with conviction as he frowned at the flickering flames. Ace sighed at that, knowing that there was no way Luffy would back down, even if it was painful for him to go through.
"Just... be careful Luffy. We may not all be together like we used to, but all you have to do is call. Remember that." Ace said with a small smile. Thankfully, Luffy smiled back, the bad emotions slowly draining out of him as he nodded to his brother.
"Anyway, tell me how you've been since you left. Any nightmares?" Ace asked, and while it seemed that this conversation would only bring back bad memories and emotions, it was actually the opposite. It was cathartic for the brothers to share these things with each other, to let go of the pain they were holding and lean on each other.
"A few. I got stuck once, but I gave Zoro the smelly stuff before that happened and told him what to do if I didn't wake up." Luffy said, still grateful that since the incident Zoro hadn't told anyone about it as he'd requested.
"That's good. He seems like a good guy." Ace said, remembering his observations of Luffys crew throughout the day. As he said, Zoro had seemed like a good guy, much like everyone else Luffy was traveling with. It only made sense, Luffy would know best about which people were good or not, but that didn't mean those people always stayed good.
"Mm! Zoro's the best! All of my crew are. Choppers still new, we met him on the island just before this one, but I think he's going to stay good." Luffy said hopefully, glancing towards the tent he knew held the furry reindeer.
"Oh yeah? I'd hope so. You gave him that file right? The one Whiskey said to give your doctor?" Ace asked, also looking to the tent skeptically. While the reindeer hadn't done anything to rub him the wrong way yet, the fact that he was a doctor at all- reindeer or not- put Ace on edge around him.
"Yup. He even talked to Whiskey and everything. I made sure to pay attention to his feelings while he talked to her and read the papers and stuff. He got the normal emotions, like anger and sadness, and worry, but there was nothing bad. Not once." Luffy said, a smile forming at the thought. While he hoped it stayed that way, there was still no way for Luffy to know for sure, but he wasn't going to dwell on those thoughts.
"That's a good sign at least." Ace conceded, trying to get his mind to recognize that Chopper was probably not going to become a mad doctor that would try hurting Luffy.
"What about you Ace? Have you had nightmares?" Luffy asked next, turning to look at his brother as he said this. The fire user blinked in surprise, the question pulling him from his musings of the doctor.
"Me? Like you, I've had a few. I got stuck right before I left the Moby but I haven't gotten stuck again since then." He replied with a shrug as if it were no big deal. Luffy didn't see it this way though as he frowned.
"But you're alone now, right? What happens if you get stuck and there's no one there to wake you up?" The youngest asked nervously. While he could feel a similar worry simmering low in Ace, he also felt that the eldest was trying not to let those feelings get any stronger as he shrugged again.
"I guess we'll find out what happens if it happens." He said nonchalantly, and while Luffy still didn't like it he knew there was nothing he could really do about it. Ace wasn't going to join his crew, Luffy knew that for a fact, and there was no one that was around to travel with Ace so the only option was for the eldest to continue tracking Haru down alone.
"Be careful." Luffy finally said, his voice quiet and tone filled with worry. Pulses of warmth spread from Ace to Luffy as his brother nudged his elbow into Luffys, smiling gently.
"Come on, you think I can't handle myself?" Ace teased, causing Luffys frown slipped away into a small smile as he laughed quietly.
"Ace is strong." Luffy agreed with a nod.
"And don't you forget it."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The next morning they all slowly dragged themselves from their tents, the sun beating down on them once again and the heat sweltering. As the more responsible members of the crew started packing their belongings up, Luffy had gotten bored and went off to explore the area around them.
It didn't take him long to find something interesting as he showed Chopper and Usopp the 'desert shrimp' that he'd found, and once Vivi heard of their discovery she'd immediately started freaking out, confusing Luffy.
"Luffy-san! Put that down!" She urged, the worry and fear clear in her tone and expression.
"Huh? Why?" Luffy asked, continuing to inspect the 'desert shrimp' as he held it by its tail.
"That's not a shrimp, it's a scorpion! They're poisonous and deadly!" She said, hoping he'd let the creature go before he got hurt. If anything though, her words only made Luffy more unbothered if that were even possible.
"Oh, so it's not even a shrimp? That's boring." Luffy said with a shrug before tossing it over his shoulder and into the desert. Usopp and Chopper- who had been properly freaked out by Vivi's words- immediately moved to see if Luffy was alright but the teen only laughed it off, telling them he was perfectly fine. Vivi sighed in relief from where she was standing a few feet away and Ace shook his head, a fond smile on his face at his brother's antics.
Only seconds after this, Chopper alerted them that it sounded like something was coming to which Vivi yelled that it was a sandstorm, another deadly factor of the desert that she'd forgotten to mention.
The crew yelled at her to tell them these things sooner as they tried hiding behind the rocks.
When the storm went by safely, they all pulled themselves out of the sand that had covered them and decided to get a move on before anything else happened. Like the day previous, it soon became draining to so much as breath in the blistering heat, but they continued on. Ace took the time to continue watching the crew, the heat not bothering him one bit seeing as he was made of fire.
After quite a while of walking, Luffy was practically demanding they stop for a food break which Vivi conceded to, telling him that the next rocks they saw were where they'd stop for a rest. This motivated Luffy as he cheered, telling them that they should play a game of rock-paper-scissors to see who carried everything on the way there.
While this seemed like an alright idea, the fact that he suggested the winner carry everything was his downfall.
It didn't take long for Luffy to figure this out himself as he was now the one stuck lugging everything, his energy depleted even more than before with the added weight of everyone's belongings begin dragged behind him.
"Hey Luffy, I see some rocks up ahead." Ace eventually said with a knowing smile, looking off ahead of them. While the crew wondered if Ace was only messing with Luffy- after all, the only thing they could see was sand- Luffy seemed to take the words seriously as he perked up.
"What?! Really?! Where?!" Luffy asked, looking around desperately for these so-called rocks. Still smiling, Ace pointed straight ahead, and before anyone could question him, Luffy took off running, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. The crew could only blink at the sudden speed and energy Luffy had while Ace merely shook his head, still smiling.
"Ace-san, are you sure there are rocks over there?" Vivi asked skeptically as she tried seeing whatever it was Ace had seen.
"They're there." Ace affirmed, not saying anything more about it than that. While still unsure, the crew could only hope that it was the truth as they continued walking. It was only seconds later though that they could see the dust clouds forming again as Luffy charged back toward them.
"Luffy? What are you doing back already? And wheres all our stuff?" Nami asked, noticing that Luffy wasn't carrying any of their bags anymore.
"I left them by the rocks, but Chopper needs to come with me!" Luffy said, hopping from foot to foot as if he couldn't hold still.
"Huh?" Chopper asked, sitting up on his sled to give Luffy a look of confusion. After telling him that there were some sick birds at the rocks, Chopper had gotten off the sled to join Luffy, the rubbery teen picking the reindeer up and running them to the rocks that they still couldn't see.
The crew picked up their pace at this, wondering what was going on, but when they reached the rocks- which confused them once more as they wondered just how Ace had seen them earlier- they noticed that, not only was there no birds here, but their stuff wasn't here either.
"Luffy." Nami started patiently. The Captain turned to look at the navigator, his face not telling them anything.
"Wheres all of our stuff?" She asked, still deceptively calm.
"Ah, the birds took it," Luffy answered, as calm as she was. While he could feel the anger, the rage hiding behind Nami's calm, he knew there was no way he could just lie about it.
It wasn't Nami who exploded in anger though, rather it was Sanji who began berating the teen, the two of them getting into an argument over whether it was Luffys fault if the birds had tricked them or not.
"Hey, you two-" Zoro's attempt at stopping the argument was stopped as Ace grabbed his shoulder, another smile on his face as he shook his head and sat down on a nearby pile of rocks.
"Just let them fight it out. No use stopping them." The eldest said knowingly. The others seemed to realize this as well as they began to settle in the shade that the much taller rocks around them were providing.
While Sanji and Luffy continued arguing, Luffy was the first to recognize the muted feelings of the birds' emotions nearby. When he turned to see, he found that all of them were at the entrance of the rocks, drinking their water and carrying their bags on their backs.
"Ah! You stupid birds! Get back here!" Once more, Luffy took off in a chase after the birds, leaving the crew behind.
"Luffy! Get back here!" Nami shouted, though she knew it was useless.
"He'll be fine. And hey, you might get your stuff back." Ace said, lacing his fingers behind his head and leaning against the large rock behind him.
"You're pretty calm about all of this, Ace." Usopp noticed, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted. While they were in shade now, it was still hot and he was practically dying of thirst.
"I've lived with Luffy my whole life. This is nothing compared to the trouble he's gotten himself into before." Ace said knowingly as he kept an eye on his brother from where he was sitting.
"You mean it gets worse?" Nami asked with tears in her eyes. Ace laughed at this, almost pitying the crew.
"I apologize for the trouble he's going to get you into. There's not much that can be done about it though." Ace said with a shrug, sounding as if this was something he'd had to come to terms with himself.
In the distance, he watched as Luffy got swallowed by a large plant that sprouted out of the ground.
"How'd you know these rocks were here, anyhow?" Sanji asked as he sat against one of them.
"I saw them." Ace admitted honestly, the nervousness twisting inside his chest at the thought of even mentioning his abilities. He forced himself to stay calm though, telling himself over and over that this was Luffys crew, that there was nothing to be worried about. Besides, if Luffy was going to tell these people about the facility eventually, that would also mean telling them about Ace and Sabos abilities. While he knew that Luffy probably wouldn't tell the crew anything Ace didn't want them to know, he also didn't want to force Luffy to keep secrets from his crew.
"I didn't see anything except sand. You must have some good eyesight." Zoro said with his arms crossed comfortably over his chest.
"I guess you could say that." Ace agreed, and the way he said it coupled with the smile on his face made the crew start to think there was more to it than just 'good eyesight'. Ace laughed one more time before deciding to take pity on them, once more pushing away his nervous anxiety.
"Luffy wasn't the only one to get some new abilities in the facility." He told them with a lopsided grin. There was only a second as realization set in for them and their eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.
"Huh?!" The shout was unanimous which only made Ace laugh more despite his emotions still fighting to make him sick.
"You've got them too?! Are they the same as Luffys?" Usopp asked hurriedly, wanting to know more.
"Ah, no, they're not. Mine aren't anything all that interesting in comparison to his." Ace admitted to them. After all, Luffy had the ability to see people's souls.
"So what can you do then?" Chopper asked curiously, and not for the first time Ace wished Luffy was here to tell him if Luffy had any bad emotions. He hadn't realized until Luffy was gone just how much he had relied on the youngest to tell him if people's intentions were good or not, and as a result, he'd become rather prickly around strangers, always questioning their motives.
Glancing once more to Luffy- who had just saved a camel from being eaten by a different plant that had sprouted from the ground- Ace tried telling himself over and over that Luffy had vouched for Chopper and had accepted him as his doctor.
"My eyesight was enhanced. I can see things miles away that normal people can't see. I can also see in the dark and I heal at an inhumane rate." Ace told them, not looking at them as he said this, still watching Luffy who seemed to have realized now that the plants weren't the only threat nearby.
"That's so cool!" Chopper and Usopp shouted, their exhaustion lost in their amazement as they stared at Ace with wide eyes.
"It can definitely be helpful, that's for sure..." Ace said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, his whole body itching to get away from the two, especially seeing as one of them was a doctor.
That's why he was relieved to see Luffy heading back their way on the back of the camel he'd saved. Even if the reason for it was the fact that he was being chased by a giant lizard.
"Luffys coming back, and it looks like he's brought friends." Ace told them, happy that the attention could finally be off of him. His words did the trick as everyone turned to see a small dust cloud in the distance, but without Ace's eyesight, they would have never known Luffy was in it.
"That's Luffy? What's with that big dust cloud?" Usopp asked, squinting to try and get a better look.
"Let's just say that friends might have been a loose term." Ace answered, still completely relaxed despite seeing the large creature trying to eat his brother.
"So then it's not a friend." Sanji surmised, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and squishing it under his foot.
"I swear, all he does is get into trouble." Nami sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance.
"Hey guys, I found meat!" Luffys voice traveled over to them as he got closer, riding on the back of a terrified-looking camel with a large smile on his face, waving to them as if there wasn't a giant purple lizard chasing him.
"That's a Sandora Dragon!" Vivi gasped in both surprise and fear.
"At least he managed to bring some food back," Zoro said, interested in this turn of events.
"Oi, Luffy, you need help with that thing?" Sanji asked from where he stood beside Zoro, the two of them ready to go fight if necessary.
"Nah, I got it!" Luffy shouted back as he jumped off of the camel and turned to face the lizard. Rearing his fist back he lowered his stance to balance himself before throwing the punch, killing the lizard instantly.
"You know, it almost makes you feel bad for the thing," Nami said mournfully, wincing at the strength behind Luffys punch. Beside her, Chopper and Usopp nodded in agreement.
From behind the crew, the sand began shifting which surprised all of them besides Ace who had felt the incoming danger with his haki.
"I forgot to mention it, but they hunt in pairs!" Vivi yelled as another lizard shot up out of the ground, baring its sharp fangs at them.
"Mention these things sooner!" Usopp, Nami, and Zoro deadpanned, wondering just how things like this continued to slip the princess's mind.
"Looks like you want to have some fun, then." Ace said with a mischievous grin as he stood up, placing himself directly in front of the lizard's open mouth. The reptile didn't hesitate to swallow the fire user, scaring the crew from where they watched, but it wasn't necessary as a burst of flames cooked the dragon from the inside out, allowing Ace to leave unharmed and with perfectly cooked meat as a result.
"Meat! Meat! Meat!" Luffy's cheering allowed the crew to let out sighs of relief as the two brothers were completely at ease, neither of them hurt or in any more danger.
One of these days, they would cause them to have a heart attack.
Sanji immediately set out to cook the lizard Luffy had killed while Ace divided the one he'd killed. Soon enough, they were all sitting down and relaxing as they ate a quick meal, and when Nami questioned the camel that Luffy had brought back with him Luffy was quick to explain that he'd saved the animal from a giant plant that was trying to eat him.
Chopper was able to translate what the camel said to them and soon they found out that he was only willing to carry the women across the desert which only infuriated Zoro, Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp. Nami was quick to name the animal 'Lashes' and when their meal was finished, the extra packed up for later, they headed off towards Yuba as fast as ever.
Of course, with Nami and Vivi on the camel that was much faster than the boys were on foot, it was only a matter of seconds as Lashes ran off and left them all behind.
"They left us!" Luffy whined as their trudge through the sand began anew.
"That damn camel..." Usopp moaned, the heat already draining him after only seconds of being in it again.
"We better catch up before these footprints disappear," Zoro said as he kept an eye on the camel's footprints that were already starting to get covered by sand. The group tried to focus on catching up instead of the heat and thirst they were feeling, but that was easier said than done when the sun was beaming down on them without anything to block it.
As was usual, it seemed that Luffy couldn't last more than a handful of minutes though before getting himself into some type of trouble- which was honestly amazing seeing as they were in a desert surrounded by sand. How was it that their idiotic Captain managed to get into trouble when it seemed there was no trouble to get into?
"Huh? Luffy?" At Usopp's concerned words, Sanji, Zoro, and by extension Chopper all stopped to look at what was wrong. They saw that Luffy was a few feet away from Usopp who was furthest behind in the group. Their captain was staring at them with wide, terrified eyes that unsettled the group.
They'd seen Luffy show many different expressions in the time that they'd known him, but terror of this magnitude was not one of them.
"Luffy?" Sanji asked, his own concern growing even though he didn't show it outright yet.
"Hey, when did you guys get over- what's going on?" Ace, who had accidentally trailed off earlier, asked as he rejoined the group. Seeing as he'd been behind Luffy, he hadn't seen his brother's face but as he walked up beside him he was just as confused and concerned as the others to see the terror.
Apparently, Luffy was just as surprised by Ace as Ace was of Luffy as the teen flinched violently away from the eldest, only further confusing them all.
"Luffy? What's going on?" Ace asked again, his tone much quieter and gentle than before. Whatever was happening, it was clear that Luffy wasn't going to take kindly to any harsh tones or language.
"U-uh, I think I might know..." Usopp offered, raising his hand hesitantly. Everyone turned to look at the sniper, hoping he could shed some light on Luffys sudden fear.
"I told him it was a bad idea, but Luffy was so thirsty he ended up drinking that cactus juice back there. Maybe that's causing... this." Usopp suggested as he gestured to Luffy who had started stumbling backward, away from the group of onlookers.
"Wait, that cactus juice?!" Chopper asked, his worry skyrocketing as he jumped up off the sled.
"Yeah... is it bad? I told him not to drink it!" Usopp moaned, wondering how much more trouble Luffy could be.
"That's the Mescal Cactus! Its juice causes hallucinations." Chopper explained, looking back at Luffy and trying to examine him to see if the effects were what was causing this.
"Hallucinations... That's not good." Ace muttered, grabbing their attention now as they saw the eldest frown deeply.
"Has this happened before?" Zoro asked, thinking Ace might have some experience with this by the way he was talking.
"Sort of, but that's not what I mean. If he's seeing what I think he's seeing then we should knock him out fast." Ace told them, seeing the flicker of rage in Luffys eyes that was slowly taking hold over his fear.
"Why's that?" Sanji asked with a frown of his own.
"You bastards!" The pure venom that dripped off of Luffys words shocked the crew more than they'd already been as their captain suddenly flew into a rage, his previous fear gone completely as he charged them.
"AAH! HE'S GONNA KILL US!" Usopp shrieked fearfully as he scuttled back behind Zoro and Sanji. Ace was quick to intercept his brother, grabbing his arms and slamming him into the sand.
"Luffy! Calm down!" Ace shouted back, words stern and harsh.
"Let me go! You bastard! Let me go!" Luffy flailed wildly underneath Ace and it took all of his power to keep from letting Luffy slip out of his grip.
"I-I have a tranquilizer!" Chopper offered, holding up a needle full of purple liquid. Ace bristled at the object, but when Luffy saw it he went absolutely berserk.
"No! No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" The words were spewed from his mouth so fast, that terror back immediately at the sight of the needle, that Ace couldn't help but feel bad for him.
"I don't think you should be the one to give it to him. I don't want him to associate you with anything bad, even if he is just hallucinating." Ace said, knowing that he and his brother's minds could work in odd ways, and if Luffy remembered this later he didn't want one of his first memories of his brand new doctor to be the fact that he was held down while said doctor injected an unknown liquid into him.
That was far too reminiscent of the facility for even Ace's liking.
"I understand. Whiskey warned me about his, uh... disliking of needles." Chopper said as he hid the needle behind his back, immediately calming the Captain down. Ace looked over the crew, trying to think quickly as Luffy tried to once again buck him off, a knee connecting with Ace's back which he promptly ignored.
"Zoro, you take the needle." Ace finally said, standing Luffy up and spinning him around so that he was looking away from them. While confused, the swordsman didn't question Ace thankfully as he took the needle from Chopper.
"I need you to put it in right here and do not let him see it. Luffy, stop moving so much!" Ace barked in his brother's ear, trying to hold him still so Zoro could put the needle in his brother's arm.
"Let me go!" Ace ignored Luffy's yell as he tried holding the rubber teen's arm still, which was difficult due to both Luffys movement, and the fact that he was rubber.
Zoro came over, needle in hand, and with the two of them working together he was able to get the needle safely into Luffys skin. As he injected the liquid though, Luffy's panic began to grow, his breathing growing more rapid as he fell into a panic attack. Words flew from his mouth, but they came out so fast and jumbled that no one could figure out what he was trying to say.
Thankfully, in just a few seconds, he was falling limp. Unconscious.
"W-what was all of that about?" Usopp asked, his eyes wide at what he'd just witnessed. Beside him, Sanji's eyes were just as wide, not understanding either.
"That is something we will not be telling Luffy about. Hopefully, he won't remember this when he wakes up, but if he does, he passed out. No needles were involved. He'll know we're lying, but hopefully, he won't question it too much." Ace told them, just as stern as when he'd been talking to Luffy. While still confused, everyone nodded in understanding, not daring to defy the Whitebeard pirate.
"Knowing Luffy, something like this may end up happening in the future. If it does, knock him out using whatever means you have to unless you want islands destroyed. Preferably, do it without needles, but if you have to use them that's alright, just try and keep him from seeing them." Ace told them as he nudged his brother with his foot to see if he was going to spring back into consciousness.
"Y-you're joking about the destroying islands thing, right?" Usopp asked nervously. Ace didn't answer him though, only gave the sniper a grin before looking back to his brother. Seeing this, Usopp gulped nervously and looked to Luffy as well, wondering just how monstrously strong his Captain truly was.
With Luffy unconscious, Ace slung him over his shoulder so that they could continue heading towards Nami and Vivi. He was thankful once again for Luffy's crew, how willing they were to follow and support Luffy with no questions asked.
It only further cemented the idea that these people were good people.
"So he's good now... right? He's not gonna wake up hallucinating still?" Sanji asked Chopper who was back on the sled.
"I don't know how much juice he drank. If he didn't have too much, it shouldn't take long for it to leave his system. I just hope whatever he saw wasn't too much of a shock to his system." Chopper said worriedly as he eyed Luffys limp form. Ace felt that same worry, knowing that what Luffy had seen was worse than hell for the brothers.
"Sometimes I wonder how you can cause so much trouble, Luffy..." Ace muttered quietly as they started walking again.
"Anyway, I can see Nami's group up ahead." Ace told everyone, louder this time as he nodded in the direction of the girls on the camel.
"Let's hurry up to this Yuba place so we can end this war and get out of this desert," Zoro said with a frown.
Everyone else nodded their wholehearted agreement.
Wow, barely getting this chapter out on time. My mind is fried after finals week and I'm just thankful its finally over! Now I can spend more time working on this story like I've wanted to.
Anyway, Luffy and Ace had some bonding time, as well as Ace and the rest of the crew. Not only that, but Haru might be in the area as well! Things are picking up and getting exciting now!
As much as I would love to keep gushing about this chapter- it was so much fun for me to write- it's late and I want to get this chapter up for all of you before it gets too late. So with that, as always, thank you all for your amazing support and love. It will forever mean the world to me!
And if you notice more mistakes in this chapter than usual, sorry! Let me know and I'll try and go back and fix them! See you all with the next chapter in two weeks!