Burning Rubber

Chapter 2

Coby never really enjoyed the must and smoke of battle and gunfire. Nor the stench of bile and other bodily fluids. But most of all, he loathed the telltale tang of blood that invaded his nostrils and clung to his tongue like syrup whenever it was spilled. He absolutely detested the dark liquid that he'd become oh so familiar with throughout his Marine training and afterward.

So, when he stepped foot onto the desolate island of Raftel, there was no surprise when he nearly threw up right then and there. But he'd managed to hold back the bile rising in his throat, searing his esophagus with the vile fluid.

He'd taken in the almost completely obliterated landscape of the last island of the New World and Grand Line. The steaming craters that'd been miles of thick forest and the darkened sky, full of dissipating smoke and the ashes of plant life and bone, skin and hair. The stench coming off the very island itself was nearly nauseating enough just by its lonesome.

His subordinates moved from behind him, taking tentative steps from where they'd docked, where wet sand met the ruthless waves of the ocean.

"Move in, help any survivors you find, pirate or otherwise." Coby said clearly, authority unmistakable as he too began his descent from the start of the beach.

Behind him, his men echoed an affirmative, long use to their leader's morals and double edged orders.

It was almost dusk when Coby found him, so close to death and staring blankly up at the dimming sky. He was covered head to toe in soot, ash, and blood.

There was so much blood.

Coby was careful as he kneeled beside his long ago friend, eyes burning with unshed tears just at the state of him. Third degree burns littered the rubber man's body, some still sizzling and some so deep the bones beneath were visible through torn muscle and burnt flesh.

"Luffy," Coby called, voice carefully lowered enough as to not to be heard from afar but loud enough that it would hopefully snap his friend out of it, whatever 'it' was. When Luffy didn't answer, he called again, a little louder but still not daring to touch the fallen man.

Somewhere inside of him, something shattered. Coby knew full well, deep inside, that his friend was not going to come back from this, laughing at Coby's worrying face and grinning like a maniac all the while. Him and his team had already found more than ten dozen bodies and to Coby's heartbreak, some of them had been Luffy's crew.

He knew that his friend wasn't going to recover at all, mentally and probably physically if the wounds Luffy's suffered have anything to say. A cynical part of him mused at how the world would react to the newly announced pirate king's demise.

"Luffy!" Coby tried one more time, a desperate attempt more than anything. "Please, wake up, Luffy!"

Slowly, dreadfully slowly, Luffy blinked, the move so sluggish he seemed to almost be asleep with how long he'd closed his eyes. Dim, honey brown eyes moved listlessly to Coby's crouched form, blinking leisurely with recognition.

Other than that, Luffy didn't move.

Coby hoped his reassuring and all too happy grin wasn't too shaky as he caught the eyes of his favorite role model, blinking tears away all the while. He leaned forward even more, hoping Luffy wouldn't try to move or panic and end up aggravating his wounds even more. He wanted to make this as painless as he could for his friend.

"Hey, Luffy!" he tried to greet cheerfully.

It was obvious Luffy was trying to think back, to remember what had happened. By the frustrated furrowing of his brow though, Coby realized his friend really couldn't remember anything. And thank God for that small miracle.

He didn't think he'd be able to mentally handle a broken and sobbing Luffy right now, especially when he was just barely holding back tears of his own. He smiled a wobbly smile again, trying to let Luffy be happy in his last moments- because he knew without a doubt that his old friend's injuries were much too severe to actually be healed with any substantial chance of survival.

Plus, he was positive his friend wouldn't want to survive anyhow. Not with the death of his crew- his family.

Oh, Coby wanted to sob his heart out right now at the mere prospect of his best friend either leading a life full of misery and despair or dying an ignorant but painful death. But he held on, because right now Luffy needed him and not the crying child who he'd saved nearly a decade ago.

Luffy's head turned just a little but even then the tiny motion obviously pained the Captain. His shallow breaths were uneven and there was a deep raw looking burn in the shape of a handprint painting the man's neck. It bled heavily but not so much that it pointed to a severed jugular.

"Co..of…?"

The strangled voice caused Coby to nearly choke and vomit. What was this even? Why was this man, who'd done so much good, laying here before him, dying a horrible death just because he pursued his lifelong dream?

"I'm here, Luffy," Coby answered to the best of his ability, trying to keep his voice from shaking but it cracked anyway. He leaned down even more, his face no more than a foot away from Luffy's. "I'm right here."

Luffy's eyes widened comically, a cough tearing from his throat with a violent gasp. More blood flowed from his mouth, dribbling down the side of his chin before dropping onto the uprooted dirt ground. "Yu… your so… old…"

Coby laughed. "Astute observation, Luffy. I'm glad you noticed." He teased dryly, pretending for the time, that everything was perfectly fine. That they were just having a conversation on a street, enjoying each other's company and that nothing was at all wrong.

The end of Luffy's red painted lips quirked up in a semi smile, a breathy laugh escaping his lungs. Confusion dawned in his eyes like that of a crack of lightning before he was suddenly trying to look around and see where he was.

"Where…"

"You're on an island," Coby answered the unasked question, understanding reflecting in his steel grey eyes. "We're in a forest."

He didn't bother with the name. He didn't want it to maybe trigger Luffy's memories to come back and cause the Captain to go into a relapse. What Coby wanted right now, was for Luffy's death to be as painless and ignorant and entirely, blissfully unaware.

Grief would only cause even more pain and Coby didn't think he could do that. Not to himself nor Luffy.

Luffy gradually dragged his eyes back over to him. There was something in them. Confusion, which was understandable, but there was also something else.

Coby felt his soul crack and dim a little when he realized what that something was. Trust. An emotion that made a wet pool of guilt curl within his stomach. He was keeping something that was beyond important from Luffy and yet the man still trusted him explicitly.

Shame writhed like a cold snake within him but he smothered it, because this was for the good of Luffy. This had to be done. The information was useless and it would only cause grief and anger and despair in his best friend's last moments. He wouldn't allow for that to happen.

Confidence hardened, Coby smiled happily down at his friend.

Luffy smiled a half smile back but there was something under it that irked Coby, that rubbed him the wrong way.

"Se… me ba…"

It was spoken like a desperate plea for help, like a wish to the Gods, like a prayer.

Coby, confused, leaned closer, allowing his ear to lay right above Luffy's mouth.

"Se..Nd..." a gasp, "me… baCK…"

Coby immediately leaned away, accidently moving too quickly and landing on his behind. Luffy only watched him, eyes half lidded but sharp and almost demanding with his head tilted all the way to the side, towards him.

Disbelief and astonishment clouded Coby's gaze as he watched the nearly dead man laid out on the ground, breaths harsh and ragged and pain clear in every line of his body. Those honey brown eyes scrutinized him with unforgiving clarity.

"How...?" Coby began but Luffy's breath suddenly hitched sharply.

Why could Luffy remember?

Why did he have to suffer even more?

Luffy coughed, the motion much more harder on his body than the ones before. Blood splattered against the ground and Coby was instantly by his side again, kneeling in the dirt and blood and ash and not caring at all.

"Plea…se…"

The plea, weak in what was left of the withering moments, and so entirely begging, left Coby choking on another sob. He let his tears come this time, because he knew it was okay. Because Luffy knew, and he knew and so it was alright to cry.

Luffy wasn't crying but his eyes shined suspiciously. His face was set in a determined expression, eyebrows furrowing, lips tucked into a straight line, and those eyes of his gleaming sharply with intent.

Coby knew what he was asking of him and reluctantly lifted both his hands from his shaking knees. He gently laid them on Luffy's bloodied, beaten and bruised chest, careful not to be too rough and callused as to actually cause his friend any more pain.

"Alright," Coby nodded, tears still gushing down his cheeks. He would never see his friend again. There wouldn't even be a body left to bury. "Alright, Luffy." He repeated, smiling an entirely too shaky and unstable smile.

And as he pushed every single drop of power he had from his Devil Fruit into his hands and out through his body, the last thing he saw of Luffy, was an exhausted smile and the movement of his lips.

He read them easily as the light from his fingertips blinded him.

It was a simple yet accepting "Thank you".

Blood. Rusty and dried. In that stage, it was always harder to scrub off. Especially when it got under your nails. That was the worst for Luffy. Because of the unbelievable bluntness of his nails, the only way he could possibly pick the crusty stuff out would be by finding the nearest small sharp thing.

But he was shaking.

So much so that whenever he tried valiantly to get the stuff out, he ended up pricking his fingers and making even more of a mess. And his vision was so blurry, his eyes burning with seemingly endless tears that even if he carried the most steady hands in the world, he would just keep on… keep on pricking…

… there was so much blood.

Luffy cracked his eyes open.

He stared dully at the ceiling above him, mind stuttering to a halt.

The anxiousness of being seen with blood caking his hands. The fear of never being able to remove the red mess. The anger of being incapable of getting the blood from beneath his finger nails without screwing it all up even more.

A sigh left his lips.

It wasn't unusual for him to wake up in a cold sweat or even screaming. But he would eventually forget about the nightmares throughout the day or even morning.

It was the hyper realistic dreams like this one that hung like a heavy wet cloak around his shoulders for the rest of the day, week even. Making him feel as though there was always something under his nails, something dribbling down his arms. As though every inch of his skin was raw from scrubbing off the blood.

But Luffy put it behind him. Because he was happy. He was happy for this second chance that Coby gifted him with. For this whole new adventure he could quest on with his nakama.

Grinning widely- but it was always so much duller than before- Luffy yawned and got out of his makeshift cot.

Whitebeard- or rather the grumpy Mango- hadn't trusted him to sleep in the same quarters as the rest of the lower level crew, instead assigning him his own room, the one that had belonged to the Second Commander who had recently passed away.

Even then, Mango guy had been reluctant and Luffy understood that well enough- beyond that even, how could he not know- and had been happy with what he'd been given. Of course, he showed his gratitude in the form of a bone crushing hug and blinding grin.

The first mate had looked a tad annoyed at first but had then given in with a light awkward pat. To which a door was then slammed in his face as the excited form of Monkey D. Luffy hurried to explore the new room.

Marco had then mumbled about strangers and halfwits before walking off to his own room, most likely to complete another ungodly amount of stacked paperwork piled upon his desk.

Smiling a small smile at the thought, Luffy began to stretch, although it was entirely unnecessary considering he was made of rubber but he enjoyed the sensation of popping his bones anyhow.

Having slept in his clothes- his only clothes- Luffy wasted no time leaving the room to go and explore the Moby Dick, only having to slip on his sandals on his way out the door.

The previous night, before being given a room or even really interacting with any of the crew, Luffy had spoken with Whitebeard. He thought back to the conversation, anxiety, a rarity for him, crawling under his skin.

"Akagami?" Whitebeard questioned, voice almost deafening in the silence that'd settled over the empty deck.

Luffy nodded, a widening smile on his face as he remembered Shanks. His Shanks, from so long ago and so far away. "He gave it to me when I was a kid." He answered, a finger touching the brim of his straw hat briefly.

Whitebeard huffed, a grin twitching at his lips with unconcealed mirth. "Gurararara, of course."

Comfortable silence hung in the air like a heavy curtain and Luffy merely kept smiling, almost to himself as he continued to remember all the fun adventures he had with his crew. All the happiness they'd shared over the years. All the grinning faces, all the uproarious laughter that'd dog their ship so long as they lived.

Before his thoughts could take a nosedive, Luffy tilted his head up and to the side, watching Whitebeard with a speculative gaze.

Whitebeard returned his stare, remaining silent.

After several long minutes, Luffy spoke. "I'm the Pirate King."

It was neither questioning nor proving, but merely a statement of fact. There was no arrogance behind his words, just truth.

But the words were hollow in bearing, quiet in boldness, and veiled in contradictions.

Luffy truly did not deserve to have that title. While he might have reached Raftel, might've claimed One Piece as his own, he was neither Pirate King nor Captain. Merely a shell of a once brilliant man, laden with the unbearable lead weights of his own crew's death.

How could he have not protected his own crew?

Whitebeard scrutinized the young man before him, watching weariness practically coat the man with its unwelcoming grip and grief hood that burning brown gaze. There was no question in his mind that the person before him, had claimed that title. "But you feel as if you do not deserve it?"

It was hardly a question.

Luffy carefully concealed the pain that'd been following him since that night he'd lost what'd meant most to him, more so than his own dream and lifelong goal.

"I…" His voice scratched almost agonizingly at the back of his throat and he dipped his head, the brim of his straw hat casting a protective shade across his face. "I failed to protect my crew."

Nami's excruciating scream echoed within his mind.

"I couldn't save them." He continued on, merciless.

Zoro yelling for Sanji to just BACK THE FUCK DOWN.

"It was my fault." Luffy bit out. Anger, boiling rage screaming within him.

HOW COULD HE HAVE LET THEM ALL DOWN!?

HE WAS THEIR CAPTAIN!

And yet, they died.

Because of him.

Because he was weak.

Just like with Ace… and Sabo… and then finally, his crew fell to his own lack of strength.

WHY!?

"Straw Hat."

Luffy's eyes snapped back up, haze gone.

"You may have lost all those dear to you," his voice was low and rumbled like that of a giant's. There was a certain softening of his face, something akin to sympathy reflecting in his golden gaze. "But you are here for a reason, are you not?"

Like a switch being flipped, Luffy grinned brilliantly and laughed. "I may have lost them, but I won't again." He said, eyes gleaming and face confident. "I had a friend, his name was Coby," he began.

Smiling at the memory, Luffy was happy the old man had believed him. Obviously a person would have to be stupidly ignorant to deny a Devil Fruit of such a power seeing as there were perhaps millions of fruit out there all with different abilities and skills, but still.

After he'd explained most of what'd happened, excluding his crew's death and anything before Dressrosa, to the Yonko, Whitebeard had said he'd announce to his sons that he would be their guest and perhaps more in the future.

A thick scent wafted through the hall and right under his nose. His mouth watered. Like a child following their hero, Luffy stumbled after the smell, drool pouring from his mouth and eyes glittering like stars.

Some hours later, the loud, deafening girly screech of the Fourth Division Commander echoed throughout the Moby Dick.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN THE MEAT LOCKER!?"

"WAAH! You scared me! Shishishi!"

"GET OUT!"

"EHHH!? BUT I'M HUNGRY!"

"IT'S FOUR IN THE GODDAMN MORNING YOU MONSTER!"

I changed some things; just minor stuff, like words and grammar. Anyway, thank you all for your support and I know my updates are slow and annoying but thank you anyway. Next chapter should be a bit longer. I've grown use to shorter chapters and so it feels unusual to lengthen them.