Betaread by DemonicWhispers!

Chapter XI

"Cora-san is the only father I have."

(Luffy/Usopp ~8, Nami ~9, Zoro/Sanji ~10, Bepo/Ace/Sabo ~11, Law ~15 y.o.)

Luffy scooped Sanji into his arms and burst outside, barely registering Cora's and Bepo's presences, all his focus on only one person. "Law! He's not breathing! Sanji's not breathing! Please, save him!"

In the time Luffy took to put Sanji down on the ground carefully, his eldest brother was already there, pushing him away so that he could press fingers to the blond's neck. A deep frown creased his face when he couldn't feel a pulse.

Law placed the heel of one hand on the center of Sanji's chest and the other hand on top, with fingers interlocked. After positioning himself, he pushed straight down on the chest several times, then tilted the boy's head back, pinched closed his nose, and gave two rescue breaths.

Luffy observed the teen as he repeated the same actions over and over again, the downward turn of his mouth and a furrowed brow the only indication of his concern.

At this point, all the bandits had been dragged outside from the smoke-filled, half-burned house and the others were moving around, checking on them. But besides quiet offers of water to those who had already regained their consciousness, no one spoke, weighted by the palpable tension that permeated the air.

Luffy's fists tightened, nails digging into his palms. Onyx eyes didn't waver from the scene in front, not even for a split second.

That's when Sanji finally took a breath.

Law halted, his fingers reaching to check the blond's pulse again. After a moment, a small smile tugged the corner of his mouth. "He'll be fine," he informed.

Luffy let out a long, slow exhale, allowing the fear to fade away with the last drop of air from his lungs.

Law scanned the clearing. "Bepo, bring that oxygen here!" he hollered the moment he saw what he was searching for. Looking back at his patient, the teen noticed unfocused and unseeing blue irises staring up at nothing and he ran his hand through the boy's golden hair to soothe him. "You'll be just fine," he said softly.

The mink came with the oxygen balloon – thank god, Law had a bright idea to buy that thing in Loguetown just in case they'd needed it – and they hooked Sanji on it. He had the worse smoke inhalation from everyone that had been inside due to his age and his body's current condition, thus needed it the most.

Ace sidled to Luffy with a grim expression. "I can't find Sabo," he informed, his tone carrying a big amount of worry. "And the old man's treasure is also gone."

"I think Sabo was kidnapped," the younger raven replied in a quiet and calm manner, still not lowering his gaze from his blond nakama.

Law and Ace shared an alarmed glance. And it wasn't just because of what their little brother said.

Luffy seemed way too placid for this kind of situation.

"Kidnapped?" Ace echoed. "By who?"

"His father." Ultimately, the boy looked up. Narrowed eyes glared at the forest in front, towards the direction of Goa Kingdom.

Ace took an instinctive step back. Law and Bepo stood up from their crouched positions, unintentionally taking defensive stances. They didn't mean to, hadn't even registered doing so. It was an unconscious move, coming from somewhere deep inside their cells, a primal instinct to be on guard in front of a stronger predator.

For what stood before them was not their cheerful little brother, but the person he always claimed to be – the Pirate King. A very, very angry Pirate King. So angry, that his fury passed over the boiling point and condensed into the sheer, brutal killing intent reflecting in those cold onyx orbs.

"After making sure that everyone here is safe, we'll get him back."

Luffy's voice was still solid, even. It didn't waver, and he wasn't speaking through clenched teeth. No brush of Haki either. Absolutely no indication of him being angry in the slightest. Except his eyes.

Keeping one's full reason while angered to this point was a deadly combination. Anger clouded one's mind, caused them to make mistakes or overlook essential details. Or simply go berserk, without any thought about consequences whatsoever, like Luffy did when Ace got shot.

It appeared that the boy had learned from his blunders.

And that made him far more dangerous than he already was, Law decided as he watched his brother cautiously. This didn't bode well for whoever he had sight on.

Sabo sat at the desk with his chin resting on his hand and stared through the window passively, bulky steel bars heavily obscuring the view of the street that was already covered by the late evening's dimness.

He remembered the cylinder-shaped object suddenly flying through the window of Dadan's hut and gas filling the whole interior. He remembered trying to open the door, but it didn't budge. He remembered his vision going blurry, his mind foggy, and his eyelids heavier.

And then he woke up back in this hellhole with his father towering over him.

Sabo hoped that everyone was okay.

He dropped his arm with a sigh. The golden bracelet on his wrist clinked when it came in contact with the hard surface of the table.

Explosive bracelets, his father had told him, the method used by the World Nobles to control their slaves.

Sabo sneered.

A slave. That's what his status in this family had been reduced to.

He wasn't worried about the bracelets though; just frustrated that he couldn't leave and return to his true family, a family that wholeheartedly cared for him. All that he could do was sit tight until his brothers came – his trust that they would come was absolute – with Law's powers, these were merely a nuisance.

A creak of the door startled him. The blond turned in his seat to look at who entered his room.

"Hey there, brother."

Sabo's expression twisted into a fierce scowl the moment he heard Stelly addressing him with that mock title and he fought against the need to bare his teeth and show this spoiled brat that he was no brother to him.

"I've heard the things father and mother say about you…" the boy drawled smugly.

"What kind of things?" Sabo asked, shifting to look through the window again. He wasn't particularly interested, but Stelly would rub it in his face either way. No chance to avoid it, so at least he stole the opportunity to do so against his will. You had to win small battles to win the war.

"Oh, you know," Stelly replied lightly, plopping down on the bed with a smirk. "That you're stupid and don't know what's best for you."

Sabo rolled his eyes. Like those two had ever wanted what's best for him.

"Father tries so hard to save you from becoming a criminal. Just how naive can you be to abandon your real family for those kind of people?"

The blond tightened his jaw, his body going rigid. He stayed silent though.

Stelly pursed his lips, displeased by the fact that he failed to get a rise from his step-brother. Then he smirked again. "Those filthy criminals really got a hold of you, haven't they, brother?" he said slyly. "They are not even worth the dirt on our shoes. I wish they would have burned together with all the trash–"

Sabo was suddenly in front of him, his eyes blazing with fury. A solid fist planted itself into that ugly mug, and though there was no Haki in the punch, the preteen's raw muscle power was enough to send the smaller boy flying over the bed and into the wall.

Stelly cried in pain. Fountains of blood gushed out of his broken nose and he vainly tried to stop the flow. As a shadow fell over him, the boy lifted his head and froze in fear at the sight of his absolutely livid step-brother.

"Never talk about them like that," Sabo growled, glaring down at the scum who dared to insult his family. "It's you who isn't worth even the dirt on their shoes."

Stelly stared at him with terrified eyes, his frilly white shirt now a red, wet mess, before he leaned to the side and started backing away in a crawl. The blond's gaze followed, but he didn't move to stop him. "I-I-I'll tell father about th-this!" the boy stuttered, lifting his trembling body from the floor.

"Go ahead. See if I care," Sabo scoffed, turning around to sit at the desk again.

The moment he turned his back to Stelly, the latter glared at it, suddenly feeling brave again. "He's not going to forgive you for hurting me," he hissed. "You'll pay for this! You savage dog–"

Sabo shot a glare over his shoulder.

Stelly flinched. Quickly fumbling with the knob, he ripped open the door and darted out, afraid to receive another punch in the face. The door slammed closed, rattling the whole mansion, and the preteen turned back to the window.

The peace lasted maybe five minutes.

Soon Outlook III burst into the room, eyes wild, face red from outrage. "Sabo!" he bellowed, marching to his son and yanking him up from his seat by his elbow. When the boy's grey-blue eyes lit up with a spark of defiance, he gritted his teeth and backhanded him. Sabo stumbled, but did not fall. "How dare you raise a hand against Stelly! You good for nothing brat!"

With the back of his hand, the blond swiped the few drops of blood from the cut across his cheek left by the man's ring, spit out the red saliva from the cut inside his mouth, and glared at his father, pouring every ounce of resentment into it.

"You're definitely costing me more than you're worth," Outlook III scorned with a shake of his head. "I should have left you to rot with those animals."

"Yeah, you should have." Sabo bared his teeth. "I'm ashamed to be born a noble!"

The man glowered at him. "Regardless, they are gone now," he said nonchalantly as if it didn't really matter, and for him, it didn't. "And you will do what I told you! I might still find some uses for you."

"What do you mean gone?!" the boy demanded, dread twisting his gut into a knot.

"Hmpf, gone is gone," Outlook III snapped. "The man I hired set a fire to that rat's nest you were staying." He paused, smirked. "They burned like the trashes they were."

Sabo's eyes widened. "No…" he whispered. Fear and horror and sorrow gripped him, because Sanji, Zeff-san, Dadan, and the rest… just gone?

Bluejam's bloody remains and the whole kingdom brought to its knees suddenly flashed before his eyes, and his already pale face blanched even more.

God, Luffy.

"Do you even realize what have you done?" Sabo asked breathlessly.

Because Luffy would definitely be out for blood after this. And an angry Luffy was not someone to be trifled with. Honestly, sometimes his little brother scared the hell out of Sabo.

A flicker of annoyance and confusion crossed Outlook III's face. He opened his mouth to say something when suddenly a blue film-like screen soundlessly emerged from outside, passing building's walls, furniture and humans without issues. It slid across the whole room and disappeared behind the inner walls.

Sabo's mouth stretched into a wide grin.

"What's this?" Outlook III wondered, looking around.

Some kind of invisible power slash came next. It went through the room at the rising angle, just above everyone heads, cutting walls and furniture like butter. Slashed in half painting dropped down with a loud rattle. The mansion shook, the dust and small pieces of debris falling from the incisions around its frame's whole perimeter.

The group of bodyguards rushed into the room. At the same moment four small figures appeared out of thin air by the window.

Two of them immediately dashed forward, rounding the bodyguards from both sides.

Ace exploded into flames and spread it around the room, blocking the exit. Men shouted in surprise, retreating until they were herded into the smaller group, surrounded by fire from three sides.

The electricity crackled around Bepo's paw as he smashed it at the floor in front of that group, and it crumbled under his power. The upper part of the mansion slid slightly sideways from the shock, causing another round of dust to fill the interior. "Don't move," the mink all but growled, blue sparks discharging around his whole body.

"W-Who are you?!" Outlook III demanded.

None of the kids paid him any attention.

Luffy walked up to Sabo, his face a well-constructed blank mask. As his brother turned to face him, his eyes narrowed at the wound on his cheek and his split lip. Then, as if feeling something off, his gaze flicked down to his wrists. A tiny frown found its way onto his brow. "Law," he said quietly. "The bracelets. Take them off."

"The bracelets?" the teen inquired, stopping right next to the youngest. Amber eyes quickly found what they were talking about and he scowled.

"They, uh, they are explosives," Sabo explained, feeling a bit thrown off by Luffy's calm demeanor. Too calm. It sent goosebumps throughout his skin. For some reason, this Luffy felt far more dangerous than an enraged Luffy.

"Answer me!" Outlook III ordered, stepping closer.

Luffy was between Sabo and his father before anyone could so much as blink, standing protectively in front of his brother, shielding him, his lips pulled into a barely perceptible snarl.

A Haki wave came without warning, washing every living thing in the immediate vicinity, commanding and oppressive. It wasn't much of a wave, really, more like a massive ocean of the King's will descended upon the room, demanding everyone to bow to it and threatening to crush the ones who dared to disobey.

And while the boys had been excluded from it like usual, the fragments, the bare drops of Luffy's Haki that spilled over the tight lid he kept on it were enough to make them feel acute fear, even when they reminded themselves that this was their little brother and he would never hurt them.

Every single bodyguard dropped like puppets with their strings cut, but not Outlook III. Oh, no. Luffy had no such blessing to offer for this damn bastard.

The noble's knees buckled under him from the frightening power pressing down at him. Not unable to fight it, he dropped to the floor, staring in pure terror.

"You," Luffy said as he walked towards him, voice soft, merely above a whisper, but sounding more deadly than anyone present had ever heard. He stopped one step away and while their eyes were on the same level, the boy loomed over the man like a colossal mountain, ready to squash him as though he was nothing but a bug.

"I'll let you live. No child should see their parent getting killed in front of them, even if you're not worth being called a parent," Luffy spoke coldly, onyx eyes drilling into the noble, judging him and finding him guilty. "But if you ever come after Sabo again, if you send people after him, if you so much as look at the direction he's at, or anyone else of mine," he continued, his tone slow and menacing. "I will come back."

For the briefest moment, the Haki's pressure spiked, slamming onto the man like an avalanche. It was powerful, suffocating, pushing him to teeter on the brink of unconsciousness. But not yet enough, never enough to pull under.

"And I will dye this mansion in crimson."

Outlook III knew that it was not an empty threat. For he could see the kid's hand twitching up – wanting to reach, to rip him apart – before he reigned in his bloodlust and fingers curled into a tight fist instead.

A yellow puddle spread from the noble's suddenly wet crotch.

Luffy was not done yet. "The guys who set our house on fire, where are they?"

Sabo drew a sharp breath, his wide eyes finally tearing from the Pirate King and shifting to look at his brothers around him. Ace and Bepo had returned to his side sometime after Luffy rendered the guards unconscious. "Is… Is everyone alright?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. It was a touch-and-go situation with Sanji, but he'll be fine now," Law replied, unsheathing Kikoku. "Extend your arms so I can take those off."

Sabo did as he was asked .

"Where?" Luffy growled when the noble failed to answer him.

"I-I-I– I d-don't– Don't know!" Outlook III stuttered out. "They said– said something about leav-leaving this island!"

The boy observed him. Two clinks resounded throughout the deathly silent mansion behind and he turned around. The moment his eyes landed on his brothers, they softened, leaving only immense warmth and fondness, as if they were his entire world and nothing else really mattered. "You okay, Sabo?" he asked.

"Yeah," the blond replied with a small smile, rubbing his finally free wrists. "Just give me a moment," he said, brushing past Luffy and stopping in front of his father.

No. A man who called himself his father.

"We may be blood-related, but we are no family," Sabo stated flatly, glowering down at the once proud noble, but now reduced into this pitiful state, having the fear of the King ingrained into his very soul forever. Not that the boy had any sympathy to offer. "Cora-san is the only father I have. And you? You are nobody."

And with that he turned his back to Outlook III, to all the torment and name calling, loneliness and neglect, despair and pain, only to meet a sight of Luffy, Law, Ace, and Bepo waiting patiently for him.

"Let's go home," Luffy said, lips curled into a tender smile, as he took the blond's hand and tugged him into the protective circle of his brothers.

Happy tears stung Sabo's eyes. "Yes!" He already felt at home.

"I'm sorry!" Sabo apologized with a deep bow the moment they stepped from the forest's darkness and into the light of the bonfire.

Everyone looked at him, surprised and confused by his unexpected apology.

"It was my entire fault," the boy continued, still bowing regretfully in front of everyone. "And I–"

"Shut up!" It was Dadan who snapped from where she sat at the fire, a couple of smoldering cigarettes hanging from her mouth. "Don't wanna hear it," she said, spitting them out with a relieved sigh. "Just… be glad that everyone is fine."

"Sabo!" Cora was suddenly in front of him, his huge palms coming to rest on his shoulders, startling him. Brown worried eyes narrowed at the bruise on the boy's cheek, then scanned his body searching for other injuries. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? They didn't touch you, did they?" the giant shot one question after another. "Those bastards!" he growled when Sabo shook his head no. "If I ever get my hands on them…" he trailed off, letting the threat hang somewhere in the air. Looking back at the boy, he sighed. "I'm so happy that you're alright! Aaaah, so happy. I was so worried."

Sabo's eyes widened. "I'm sorry," he blurted out, not even sure what he was apologizing for anymore.

Cora grinned at him and ruffled his hair as he straightened up.

His top hat was suddenly placed on his head, and Sabo turned to look at Ace. The raven punched his shoulder lightly with a smirk and then walked off.

Law and Bepo were already making their way through where the bandits were resting, with the former inquiring if anyone felt weird or dizzy and the latter offering them a cup of water. Zoro was sleeping under one of the trees, cocooned into a blanket.

A sudden roar of laughter brought the blond's attention to laughing Zeff and very annoyed, very embarrassed looking Dadan, and he wondered what that was about. "Go to hell!" she cursed at the old man sending him to another bout of mirthful guffaw. "Damn freeloader…"

"Ma, ma, boss, calm down." As always Magra was the one who tried to defuse the situation.

Sabo shook his head at their antics and a smile graced his lips, brightening his whole face up. Looking around, he noticed Sanji nestled into the mountain of blankets that the others salvaged from the half-burned hideout, and he walked to him.

Without saying anything, Sanji watched as the older blond approached and took a seat on the ground next to his resting spot.

"I'm sorry," Sabo uttered in a hushed voice, staring straight into those sky blue eyes, trying to convey how truly sorry he felt for this whole situation. "I, uh… Because of me, you suffered like this."

"I heard it was your father," Sanji said, his voice weak, just a mere wisp.

Sabo stiffened, face scrunching in disgust. "He likes to call himself that… But the only father I have is Cora-san."

"'Tis fine," the boy whispered. "Not your fault."

Sabo observed him before heaving a long, tired sigh. "You should get some sleep," he urged in a gentle tone, adjusting the blankets and absent-mindedly brushing his hand through the younger boy's long hair.

Surprisingly, Sanji didn't flinch from his touch this time. Instead, his lips twitched up into a tiny, genuine smile as he closed his eyes to rest.

Meanwhile, Ace looked around, feeling something missing. Or, more precisely, someone. "Where's Luffy?"

-early hours of the next morning, somewhere on the East Blue waters-

Silence reigned on the ship of the Mad Dogs mercenary company. The whole team was on the deck, yet no one moved, no one spoke, no one dared to blink. Each of them held their weapons at a ready, clenching them tightly with sweaty hands, eyes trained on the monster in front of them.

The mercenaries weren't afraid of the Sea King that towered over their small vessel. No, the monster, in this case, was a small child standing on top of the beast's muzzle. While they couldn't quite see his eyes, because they were shadowed by a straw hat, everyone could feel his gaze on them. And for some reason, it was much scarier than the bloody red eyes of the creature that accompanied him.

"I finally found you," the boy said calmly. "The treasure you stole. Give it back."

Zaros gritted his teeth. He didn't like this sudden feeling of danger. Seeing this kid with his own eyes, he realized just how greatly he screwed up by underestimating him. Who knew that this kind of monster was lurking in such a remote island.

Still, the leader of Mad Dogs was unwilling to show his fear or to acknowledge the fact that he was afraid of this brat. As if a kid or a mere Sea King could ever pose a threat to him! "Who the hell do you think you are?!" he yelled in outrage.

The boy cocked his head to the side and the rising sun lighted up his face. His eyes were as dark as the twilight sky above and they stared straight at Zaros, sucking him deep and leaving him with the overwhelming feeling of inferiority.

Zaros' muscles tensed, fighting against the need to step back and bare his neck.

"Monkey D. Luffy," the boy introduced. "The treasure–"

"Is ours!" the boss of mercenaries interrupted and then laughed. However, there was a distinct tinge of hysteria in it. "And what are you gonna do now, kid?!"

The Sea King's chest rumbled with a deep growl, its lips pulling slightly up, revealing the whiteness of his fangs.

Luffy's eyes narrowed for a fraction and the air around seemed to practically hum with excessive intent. "I told you not to go up the mountain, that you might die," he reminded. "You didn't listen."

In one blink of an eye, he was still standing on the top of his beast and in another – he wasn't.

A choking sound drew mercenaries' attention to one of their members, Rust. The boy was there, one of his arms buried into the man's stomach. The latter's gun dropped on the deck, and, as Luffy withdrew, its owner followed with a gush of bloody vomit spurting out of his mouth. His body hit the wood with a thud and didn't move again.

The silence blanketed the whole ship again. No one moved, no one spoke, no one dared to even breathe, lest they draw this terrifying monster's attention to themselves.

"Kinto-un," Luffy called, sliding his straw hat back on his head, hiding his eyes in its shadow once more. He cracked his knuckles, black sheens slowly coating his arms. "Leave no survivors."

And the Sea King bared its teeth into a gleeful grin.

It was already late morning when Luffy returned into the gang's temporary camp, made a beeline to Zeff, and dropped the latter's treasure bag in front of him.

"Got your treasure for the sea restaurant back," the boy deadpanned. "And something extra for Dadan."

The old cook stared at him for a bit before a crooked smirk appeared on his face. "You have my thanks."

Sanji beamed at Luffy from where he was resting, and the young Pirate King's mouth stretched into a wide grin.

Everyone present gathered around them. Dadan and the rest of the bandits were missing though.

"Didn't that man say that those people ran off to the sea?" Sabo asked. "Not that I'm not happy, but how did you manage to find them, Luffy?"

"I asked the sea where they are."

"You… asked the sea?"

"Well, yeah," the youngest raven answered lightly like it was the most common thing. "It's a bit hard to hear the Voice of the ocean, because of its massive size, but it's not impossible. Besides, there are fish and other beings there. Although, fishes tend to ramble nonsense. I don't like talking with them... And then Kinto-un just carried me," he finished, grinning.

Everyone stared blankly, except Cora whose eyes widened after a realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Voice of All Things?!" he blurted out and then immediately facepalmed, feeling exasperated by his own senselessness. "Well, of course, you would have that and of course you would know how to use it. You were talking with your Sea King all this time," he muttered under his breath. "Why am I even surprised…"

Sabo turned to his adoptive father. "What's that?"

The blond rubbed a hand across his face. "It's…" He paused, shrugged. "I have no idea."

"What the hell are you saying?" Ace grumbled.

"No, I mean… It's such an extraordinarily rare and mysterious power that I have no idea how it really works. No one does." Cora gazed at Luffy, a small thoughtful frown etched into his brow. "They say that the ability to hear the Voice of All Things is a unique power that only a few people in the world possess. The user can understand and communicate with other creatures and even inanimate objects."

"Whoa…" Sabo breathed out in awe.

Law raised an eyebrow, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. "One more mystery of Luffy, gotcha."

Ace gave a withering look to Luffy when the little menace had the gall to giggle.

Zoro snorted. "Talk about being overpowered."

"That's Luffy for you," Bepo mumbled.

"Rumors say that Gol D. Roger possessed this ability," Cora added.

"He did," the second Pirate King confirmed cheerfully. "He read those strange stones with it and that was how he found Raftel!"

Ace grimaced when the talk veered towards his biological father. He folded his arms in front of his chest. "Say, Luffy, you claim to be the Pirate King, so it means that you've been at Raftel, right?" he inquired with a sly smile. "What kind of island is that?"

Luffy hummed, his eyes wondering to look at the sky. Feeling the soft breeze and warm sunshine on his tanned skin, he closed his eyes. This reminded him of that moment in front of his nakama memorial, the moment Roger gave him the second chance, the moment his hope was reignited and colors returned to his world. "Peaceful," he replied quietly. "Raftel is peaceful."

His family stared at him, taken aback. None of them expected that kind of answer. A miles-long tale of how cool that island was, sure, but not this. Luffy seemed so relaxed, so elated – so peaceful.

Law noticed something on his youngest brother's t-shirt and he squinted. "Is that blood?" he asked instantly alarmed. "Are you hurt?"

Luffy glanced down and frowned. "Not mine."

"Really?"

"They were pretty strong for the East Blue, but still not a problem."

"Did you… kill them?"

Luffy turned to look at Cora and met his intense gaze with an equally serious gaze of his own. "Yes." The boy tilted his head, confused about the sudden crestfallen expression on the man's face.

"Look, Luffy, I understand that these bastards had it coming, that you were angry," Cora began as he ground his cigarette into the ground with his shoe. "But you're still a child. I understand that you have strength above anyone of your age and it's probably hard to control and easy to slip... but you can't go killing people. You can't…" He took a deep breath, looking straight into Luffy's eyes. Such dark eyes of such young child. "I don't want to see you become a monster." 'Like my brother' was left unsaid.

Law furrowed his brow, recognizing the plea from that fateful day. Cora looked and sounded as desperate as he did back then. No, he seemed much, much more desperate now.

Luffy was silent for one long minute. Then he reached for his straw hat and fixed it to sit more firmly on his head. "I'm a pirate. It's not a game and I'm fully aware what it means," he stated. "Even if I don't like it, I can't avoid collateral damage and some bastards are too dangerous to be left alive. I'm neither a saint nor a hero... But I'm not Doflamingo either."

Suddenly there was Haki, just a gentle brush, light enough to be noticeable but carrying no violence, no threat – only the ferocious need to protect, to guard, to keep them safe. It was gone as quickly as it appeared.

"Those guys were monitoring us for quite some time," Luffy continued. "They knew about us, what we can do, and if they went to the Marines with all that information… I'm not yet strong enough to keep you all safe in that case." His face crumbled, revealing a heart-wrenching, gut-twisting grief. "I once lost everyone, and I don't– I can't let that happen to you all again. I–" The boy's voice cracked and at that moment he looked broken and so damn lonely. "I'll try, but… I'd rather become a monster than live through that kind of hell again. I almost failed twice already. First Ace, now Sanji. I even let Sabo get kidnapped. I should have been more careful, shouldn't have let my guard down, should have– should have known! It's all on me. My fau–"

Luffy wasn't allowed to finish his feverish babbling because Bepo was suddenly pulling him into a literal bear hug. Law pushed the straw hat back on his head when it flew off with a quiet, "No, it isn't."

"Hey, hey, Luffy, we're here now with you. You don't have to do it alone," Sabo reassured softly while Ace glared at Corazon for causing their little brother's mental-breakdown.

Zoro was in the battle alert, fingering his katana as if whatever was haunting his future captain would come out and he could slice it in half. Even Sanji managed to lift himself up into sitting position, wishing nothing more but to go to that whirlwind-like boy and assure him that he was absolutely alright.

It was Zeff who broke the silence. "Really now, Cora, do you even see any true monsters here?"

"No," the blond chuckled, palpable relief evident in his laugh and in his whole posture. Sometimes a person was forced to do something against his very nature, he knew that feeling. He wasn't completely at peace with Luffy killing other humans, but at least the boy did that out of necessity and not because he enjoyed bloodshed or just for the heck of it. "No, I don't."

-half a year later-

(Luffy/Usopp ~8.5, Nami ~9.5, Zoro/Sanji ~10.5, Bepo/Ace/Sabo ~11.5, Kuina ~13.5, Law ~15.5 y.o.)

The pier of Foosha Village was usually a quiet and relatively empty place, frequented only by fishermen and an occasional cargo ship that brought supplies to the village. Today, though, it was crowded.

Apart from a bunch of kids and few adults among them, almost every villager was here, gawking at the sight not seen so often – a local monster, the Lord of the Coast, sticking his head out of the water and looming over the pier without any malicious intent whatsoever.

"I have swords, so you better not swallow me whole because I'm gonna slice your stomach open!" Zoro threatened, glaring up at Kinto-un as he prepared to climb the beast for a ride home.

The Sea King let out a snort that sounded suspiciously like laughter and rolled his eyes in an over dramatic manner.

The young swordsman glared harder.

"Iiiiiiidiot," Sanji drawled, standing nearby. "You literally told him to chew on you. Why would you tell your opponent the way to kill you?"

Kinto-un grinned evilly.

Villagers paled at that horrible image. Some of them turned around and outright ran for their lives.

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped at the blond, then pointed a finger at the Sea King accusingly. "And you! Stop grinning like an idiot!"

Sanji scoffed, "You're the only idiot here."

"Wanna fight, curly brow?!"

"Bring it on, puppy chow!"

They rammed their foreheads and snarled at each other with sparks flying where their heated glares met.

"Boys! No fighting!" Makino reprimanded them, sounding already way too exasperated for such an early morning.

Ignoring the commotion behind him, with his hands on his hips, Luffy observed his brothers bringing the last supplies into their temporary ship which he acquired in their previous journey for the travel ahead. Cora and Zeff were already inside.

"Be careful," Luffy said to Law who at that moment came to his side.

"Everything will be fine," the teen assured. "Neal Key Island is not that far. You shouldn't be worried about this so much. You know how strong we are."

The younger raven nodded without a word, but stiff shoulders and pursed lips betrayed his deeply set agitation.

Luffy was still on edge after the whole debacle with Sabo's father and those mercenaries, not letting them out of his sight for long, watching over his family like a hawk. This would be the first time they would separate: Luffy and Zoro were going back to Shimotsuki Village on Kinto-un, and the rest were taking the ship to the best shipyard in the East Blue to coordinate the construction of Zeff's sea restaurant.

"What happened to your family in the past, won't happen again," Law said resolutely.

Luffy's brow creased. He closed his eyes and breathed in the salty sea air to calm his turmoil and fear. After a moment, black orbs – as powerful as ever – were staring into Law's amber ones.

"Keep each other safe."

It was an order and a plea wrapped up in one. Law could feel the unconditional trust their tiny Pirate King put in him by those words alone and he smirked. "Always."

-Shimotsuki Village, the Isshin Dojo-

Luffy grinned, excitement pouring out of him in waves as he waited.

The other pupils of Dojo eyed him, suspicious and curious about the outsider watching the private duel between two students. Upon his return, Zoro requested to allow the kid to stay and, surprisingly, the master of the Dojo granted the permission. They even sat next to each other.

"Kuina, I challenge you to a duel," Zoro declared, his voice firm and his stance relaxed, but composed. "Our one thousand five hundred and first duel."

The older girl on the other side of the room cocked her chin up, an action of arrogance and contempt. "And here I thought that you finally gave up and ran away," she scoffed. If she was trying to get a rise from her rival, she had to be very disappointed. "Where have you been hiding for the whole year anyway?"

"Training," was Zoro's clipped reply. He lifted one of the two bamboo swords he held and pointed it at Kuina. "Do you accept?"

The girl stared him down, albeit unsuccessfully because, while the green-haired boy was still shorter than her, his aura alone grew tremendously in the past year and now easily towered over her own. She could feel uneasiness twisting her gut.

Ignoring her instincts, Kuina whipped her shinai downward and it sliced the air with a whizz. "As you wish."

-the gang's temporary ship, waters of the East Blue-

"Alright, time to see how well I can use this kitchen," Zeff declared as he rolled his shirt sleeves up, a fond smile dancing on his lips.

Sanji was standing next to him with a contemplative frown. "Ne, old geezer," he called out quietly.

"What is it, lil' eggplant?" the ex-pirate asked without looking at the boy. He pulled out a pot from the cupboard and walked across the ship's kitchen area, his wooden peg-leg click-clacking every time it hit the floor.

Sanji took a deep breath, looking at Zeff with determination plastered across his features. "I have a favor to ask."

Law climbed a few stairs to reach the ship's bow where Ace, Sabo, and Bepo were already waiting for him. "Where's Cora-san?" he asked as he lowered himself to sit on the deck, leaning against the inner railing with Kikoku resting on his shoulder as usual.

"Taking a nap," Sabo replied. "His hangover seems pretty rough."

"I wonder what was in that newspaper that upset him so much," Bepo pondered.

"We should try to get a copy once we land," Sabo suggested and other boys nodded in agreement.

Turning to the eldest, Ace inquired curiously, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Law looked at each of his brothers' face. His expression was extremely serious, bordering on being somber, when he answered, "Luffy."

A/N

So, that's it. I had a blast writing this chapter and hope you enjoyed it too! Leave your opinion in a comment. And, hey, there isn't even an evil cliffhanger this time! ...Or there are three of them, depends on how you look at it, hahahaha!

This story has its own TV Tropes page: (you can find a link on my profile)