Because of repeated plagiarism of a few of my OP fics, especially this story in particular, I've decided not to continue them. I will be posting everything I have written up for them and leave them posted because I promised myself I would never take a fic down. However, I will not be updating these fics again. I just don't have the motivation to anymore. I'll still be writing in the fandom, but Soulmates!verse, Blooming Memory, and Take My Hand are discontinued. I think I'm going to attempt to rewrite Learning Freedom, but at the moment, it's not really a priority.

I'm terribly sorry about this, but I just don't have the motivation to write something that will just be stolen from me the moment I post it. Thank you for all the support you've given me up until this point! It's really meant a lot to me.

Please note that this chapter is unfinished and unedited.

Fourth Petal

The Sea Calls

The ship was quiet again in the morning. But this time, the silence had nothing to do with their Captain's absence.

A weight was pressing against their chests, suffocating them.

"It's strange," Nami says softly, breaking the almost painful silence, "He's always so…happy, so oblivious to everything. You would never even begin to think that…"

"That he could carry so much heartbreak," Brook finished.

"He's always understood so much more than he lets on," Robin said, looking into her coffee mug, "Yet I find myself feeling like I don't understand as much as I should."

"I know what you mean,"Franky said, rubbing the back of his neck, "It never occurred to me that Luffy-bro had gone through so much."

"It explains why he can get us so easily though," Ussop pointed out.

"I wish he didn't," Nami murmured.

"There isn't anything we can do about it now," Zoro said, arms crossed over his chest, "So there's no point in worrying over it. The past is in the past and we can't change that."

"But…he's been hurting and none of us even knew!" Chopper exclaimed.

"We know now," Sanji said, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"Yeah, but I still feel like we should have noticed," Ussop grumbled, "I mean Luffy might not know exactly what's happened to all of us, but he, I don't know, still figures out how to relate to us."

Zoro shrugged. "Luffy's always been that way. That's just how he is."

"I suspect if more people were like Luffy-san the world would be a much better place," Brook commented.

"Indeed," Robin said, "But Luffy is a rare case."

"What do you mean Robin?" Chopper asked.

Robin smiled at him. "Just think about it Chopper," she said, "How many people have you met that have acted like Luffy, if only a little?"

"…Not many," the reindeer said after a moment.

"He's special," Robin continued with a fond smile, "He connects to people, sees into their hearts, makes them believe that things they only ever imagined are possible. Not many people are like him."

"That's for sure," Nami said.

"Luffy-bro is SUUUUPER amazing," Franky exclaimed, "I just wish we could have helped him before all of this."

Ussop sighed. "I know what you mean."

"Nothing any of us can do about it now," Sanji said, "We just have to keep our heads up and move forward."

"But…he must be so sad inside," Chopper said, "I know I still get sad thinking about Doctor sometimes."

"Pain like that never really goes away," Zoro said, "Besides, Luffy already knows to move forward; he knows where he's going. He's going to be Pirate King. All we have to do is make sure he doesn't get lost along the way."

Ussop waved a hand in dismissal. "You should probably leave that part to Nami, Zoro. If we follow you, we'll just end up at Marine Headquarters."

"Oi!"

And for the first time since there Captain had fallen asleep, Sunny was filled with laughter.

When night fell, the crew once again opened their eyes in the white void. Copper sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with a yawn.

"I don't know if I want to see anymore," Chopper said softly, looking up at Ussop, who was kneeling next to him.

Ussop sighed. "I know. But we don't really have a choice in the matter," he said, glancing up at his nakama.

They all wore resigned looks; they didn't know what they were going to see this time. After last night, they just didn't know what to expect. It was hard enough to watch as it was with the knowledge that they did not have their captain's permission. But when something as sudden and cruel as Sabo's death was, it made it almost impossible. It pushed the point that these memories were private even more. They were seeing their captain's most intimate moments, whether they wanted to or not.

"Luffy will understand," Zoro said firmly.

And the crew had now doubt that he would. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't feel anything.

Nami took a deep breath. "It'll be better not to think about it," she said, brow furrowed, "We can't do anything to stop it and we already decided that we're going to tell Luffy exactly what happened. We shouldn't dwell on it."

"Nami-swan is right," Sanji said, "We shouldn't worry about it since we can't do anything about it."

"Perhaps we should simply learn about Luffy-san's past and then help him as best we can?" Brook offered, looking around at the crew.

"I think that is the best we can do," Robin said softly.

Franky sighed. "It's not much, but it will have to do."

The white void began to shift, the blue of the sky and the green of the grass consuming the white. The sound of the waves pounding against the cliff face erased the silence.

"Looks like it's started again," Sanji mused.

"This is…the place they declared their dreams, isn't it?" Nami asked, glancing around.

"Now that you mention it, it does look familiar," Ussop said.

"Ah!" Brook exclaimed, "There's Luffy-san!"

The crew looked over and, sure enough, there was Luffy, lying down in the grass on his stomach, straw hat covering his head. His breath kept getting caught in his throat and every so often, his shoulders trembling.

"He's crying," Chopper whispered.

"Can you blame him?" Nami asked softly, her mind flashing back to the beginning of her own nightmare: her mother's bright smile and soft eyes.

Before anyone could respond, Ace came walking out of the trees. His face was oddly blank, lips twisted into a slight scowl. He paused a short distance away, staring at Luffy's trembling form. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Ace strode over to his little brother, raised his fist and decked Luffy in the back of the head with it.

"Wha – Ace!" Usopp exclaimed.

"What's he doing?!" Chopper shouted in obvious distress.

"How long are you going to sulk?" Ace asked, voice stern as he turned away to look out at the sea, arms crossed over his chest.

"That's not fair," Nami protested, "He can't just tell Luffy to stop feeling sad about what happened!"

"Indeed," Brook said sadly, gipping his cane as he remembered, "We must all grieve in our own ways and our own time."

Ace was silent for a moment. "All the treasure we hid in the Middle Forest is gone now," he said, his tone of voice suggesting that it didn't matter anyway, shrugging, "Maybe it was stolen by the survivors of Bluejam's crew or maybe the military found it. I don't know where it is now."

Luffy stayed silent. He didn't move, didn't give any sign of acknowledgement.

"But that pile of loot doesn't matter anymore," Ace continued on anyway, "Sabo and I were going to use it; it was our Pirate Fund. But in the end, Sabo didn't use it, so I'm not gonna bother with it either. Not much point in gathering treasure if we can't look after it."

"You'd think he'd be angrier," Usopp said.

"Why?" Sanji asked with a frown, "His brother just died; compared to that, what the hell does a pile of metal and stone amount to?"

"I know that!" Usopp protested, "It's just…I dunno, I thought Ace would be mad about it. He gets mad about everything."

"But Ace was the one who gave up the treasure in the first place," Robin reminded gently, "He'd already made the decision to let it go."

"A-Ace…"

Ace and the crew immediately turned to Luffy's trembling form. He was gripping his hat tightly, knuckles white around the brim.

"I…I want…I want to become stronger!" their little captain declared, sniffling all the while, "Stronger…and stronger! Stronger and stronger…stronger and stronger! Stronger! Stronger and stronger! Stronger and stronger! Stronger and stronger! And even stronger than that! And then…I'll be able to protect anything…I won't have to lose anyone ever again!"

"Luffy…" Nami said quietly, eyes soft.

"You can't protect anything if you're weak," Zoro murmured.

"Looks like Luffy-bro learned that lesson the hard way," Franky said.

"And he kept it with him," Snaji added, "It explains a lot actually. Why he's so protective of us."

"It does," Robin said softly.

"Please…Ace…" Luffy called, voice thick with tears, "Don't die!"

The crew flinched. They couldn't help it. Because they knew what would happen, because they knew that the world would rip their captain's only remaining brother away for no other reason than because it could. And as much as they wanted to change it, they couldn't.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ace yelled, whacking Luffy upside the head, "You should be more worried about yourself! You're way weaker than I am!" He straightened, hands on his hips, a fierce glare on his face, "Listen up and remember this, Luffy! I will not die!"

"Oh Ace…" Nami whispered, eyes wet.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," Zoro said blankly, only the slightest of twitches around his eyes giving away his distress.

"Perhaps it says something though," Robin commented thoughtfully, "That Ace is now willing to live."

"So, his promise to Luffy will keep him alive?" Chopper asked, sniffling.

"No," Robin said, because they all knew that it didn't, "More so the fact that he was willing to make the promise in the first place. Before, such a thing might not even have occurred to him."

"If that's the case, he ain't living for himself, he's living for Luffy-bro," Franky said, crossing his arms.

"I think expecting Ace-san to go from believing he shouldn't exist to living for himself is unrealistic," Brook said, his tone carrying the weight of someone who knew, "Living for Luffy-san – while not the best it could be – is a remarkable improvement."

Luffy finally moved, pulling himself up into a sitting position.

"Sabo made that request too. I promise, I won't die!" Ace exclaimed, expression determined, "There's no way I could die and leave behind a weakling little brother like you!"

That got a few chuckles.

"Looks like Ace is still Ace," Usopp said with a sigh.

"It's still odd though," Nami said, looking at Ace thoughtfully, "Ace was just so different when we met him in Alabasta. I wonder why…"

"There are many things that could cause someone to change," Robin commented, "We'll just have to wait and see."

"I'm not smart," Ace continued, turning away from Luffy to look back at the sea, "So I don't really know what killed Sabo…but whatever it was, it was the opposite of freedom! Sabo died without ever gaining his freedom."

Luffy flinched at that, shoulders tensing as he clenched his fists.

"But the two of us, who shared a toast with Sabo, are still alive," Ace said, "So listen up, Luffy! We will definitely live life without regrets!"

Luffy nodded, wiping a hand across his eyes. "Yeah," he croaked.

The scene began to fade out, the sea washing out to white.

"I suppose that would be the true beginning of Luffy-san's resolve," Brook said thoughtfully.

"True," Robin commented, "A promise made to those you have lost is a promise that is never broken."

Zoro's fingers tightened around Wado's hilt as he nodded in agreement.

Trees began to fill in the void and the crew recognized the forming clearing as the spot the boys used to train. Luffy charged his brother, swinging his arm in a circle to build up momentum.

Nami's lips twitched up into a slight smile. "Looks like they're at it again."

"Here I come, Ace!" Luffy yelled, throwing his arm forward, "Gum Gum Pistol!"

Luffy's fist shot forward, heading directly towards Ace, whose eyes widened in surprise.

"Whoa!" Usopp exclaimed, "Did he finally get it?"

Ace sidestepped the blow, surprise clear on his face at Luffy's improved aim. Only for Luffy's arm to spring back from the recoil and knock the rubber boy to the ground.

"Not quite," Sanji chuckled.

"But Luffy-san is improving," Brook said.

Ace stared for a moment, completely dumbfounded before bursting into laughter. "What the hell is that? You call this a fight?" Luffy was too dazed to respond from his place on the ground. "No matter how much force you put into it, there's no point if you can't hit me," Ace continued, smirking, "I told you, rubber isn't suited for battle."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd agree with him," Nami said, shaking her head in disbelief.

Robin chuckled. "A Devil Fruit requires practice just like any other skill."

"Shut up! Don't say that!" Luffy shouted as he sprang up from the ground, waving his fists in furious protest.

"What, are you saying that I'm wrong? You're just an anchor who's also bulletproof!" Ace shouted back.

"Oooo, that's gotta hurt," Usopp said with a wince.

Sanji snorted. "His pride anyway."

"I don't know," Franky said, rubbing the back of his head, "Ace-bro isn't exactly wrong."

"But he gets better!" Chopper protested.

"After lots and lots of practice," Usopp agreed.

"Don't make fun of my Gomu Gomu no Mi!" Luffy shouted, "Someday, I'll make you cry! After all, I've thought up a technique more powerful than a pistol!"

"Oh geez," Nami groaned, rolling her eyes, "Look at them go at it; they really are brothers."

"Luffy, great work!" a voice called out, making the Strawhats freeze.

"No way," Usopp whispered.

"Your arm stretched a lot further than it did yesterday!" the voice continued.

"Sabo?!" Sanji cried in disbelief at the appearance of the blond boy.

"Sabo! You're too soft on him!" Ace yelled.

Luffy, on the other hand, cheered. "I'm really becoming stronger! Stronger than I was yesterday!"

Sabo's laughter echoed through the trees before the boy vanished, leaving a rock in his place. Ace and Luffy froze, staring.

"W-what just happened?" Nami asked, eyes wide.

"Was it a g-g-gh-ghost?" Usopp stuttered, hiding behind Zoro.

"Get off me," Zoro said, shrugging out of Usopp's grip and ignoring the sharpshooter's whimpers.

"Anything is possible," Brook said, "It could have been anything, a hallucination or a figment of their imagination. Or it really could have been Sabo-san."

"Hmm. I guess we'll never know," Robin said.

Luffy reacted first, turning away and sighing. "Sabo was such a kind older brother…"

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Ace yelled, "Would you rather I died instead!?"

"Whoa, where did that jump in logic come from?" Sanji asked.

"I never said that!" Luffy shouted back.

"But that's basically what you meant!" Ace snapped, hitting Luffy over the head with his fist.

"Ow! Sabo never punched me like that!" Luffy yelled, holding his head in pain.

"What was that!?" Ace shouted.

"What's with you!? Be a little nicer, will you!" Luffy yelled.

"This escalated rather quickly," Franky mused.

"Are they even fighting about anything?" Nami asked, "Or are the just yelling for the sake of yelling?"

"Why would they do that?" Chopper asked in confusion.

"Because they're idiots," Nami deadpanned.

Zoro snorted. "Knowing them, it's probably both."

The scene shifted again, this time outside of Dadan's hut. It was day and the boys had each built their own forts.

"Countries?" Usopp questioned, reading the signs on the forts, head tilted to the side in confusion.

"What in the world are those idiots doing now?" Zoro asked, as the boys declared their independence from the bandits – except when they needed to use the bath – and from each other.

"Who knows," Franky said.

Dadan apparently agreed and gave up trying to reason with them, just rubbing her forehead with a resigned sigh. Something the crew could relate with. The scene blurred again, the sky clouding over and the hut melting into trees. Rain started to fall and the sound of thunder rolled in.

"This is really strange," Chopper said as the rain fell straight through him.

"At least we don't have to worry about getting hit by lightning and dying a painful death," Robin said with her usual pleasant smile.

Usopp shuddered. "Must you?"

A low, threatening growl drew the crew's attention. They turned to see Luffy, pipe staff in hand, facing down a bear. A very large bear.

"That thing is huge!" Nami yelled.

"This place is seriously unnatural," Usopp said, "Why the heck are all the animals around here so gigantic?!"

"Dunno," Franky replied, "But it looks like Luffy-bro is going to try and fight it."

"Will he be alright?" Chopper asked worriedly.

"If not, then the bear will probably eat him," Robin said calmly, "Unless it doesn't like rubber, in which case it may spit him out," she added as an afterthought.

"DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO SAY THINGS LIKE THAT?!" Chopper and Usopp cried.

"Ace!" Luffy called, slowly backing away, his pipe staff raised in defense, "It's a bear! Help me out!"

The crew turned, and sure enough, there was Ace lounging in a tree branch looking completely unconcerned.

"What in the world is he doing?" Usopp asked.

Ace just scoffed and turned his head away. "What? You're going to survive on your own, aren't you?" he asked, his voice almost mocking, like he didn't think Luffy could do it.

Luffy grimaced and turned away.

"Is Ace insane?!" Nami yelled, "There's no way Luffy can take that bear!"

"Luffy-bro is definitely in some serious trouble," Franky said, brow furrowed in concern.

Little Luffy charged the bear, staff in hand. He managed to land a hit, but that only seemed to make the bear angrier. It roared and, while Luffy was still in midair and unable to dodge, it took a swipe at Luffy with its claws.

"LUFFY!" the crew screamed in horror as their captain's tiny body fell to the ground covered in blood.

They heard Ace echo their cry as the memory began to fade out.

"What the hell was Ace thinking?!" Sanji cried, "Letting Luffy take that thing on his own? He's always going on and on about how weak Luffy is!"

The scene settled again, and it was raining harder, the water coming down in sheets. Ace had Luffy draped over his back as he ran through the trees.

"Well at least he didn't just leave him," Usopp grumbled.

"I do not think Ace-san would do that," Brook said softly, "I'm sure he didn't mean for this to happen."

"It doesn't change the fact that it did," Zoro said, arms crossed over his chest, "Just because Ace doesn't mean for something to happen doesn't mean that it won't. He has to take responsibility for that."

"Sabo isn't there to mediate anymore," Robin mused, "He was the one who kept the balance between them. Without him there…" she trailed off a pensive frown on her face.

"They're left without direction," Nami said, her hands clutching at here heart, eyes dark with memory.

Ace reached the clearing with Dadan's hut and pounded on the door.

"Hey! Dadan's country! Is anyone there?" he called, voice desperate, "Luffy is injured! Please treat his wounds!"

Magra opened the door, eyes going wide at the sight to the boys.

"Magra! Please help Luffy!" Ace cried.

"Now, now," Magra said urgently, "Come in, quickly!"

The scene shifted that the crew was inside the hut now. Luffy was laid out on a futon, covered in bandages, Magra packing up the first aid kit next to him. Ace was backed against the wall, curled up, arms crossed over his face, trembling.

Chopper wandered closer to Luffy, peering over his flushed face. "He's got a fever," he said, entering doctor mode, "Magra did a good job with bandaging his wounds. He should be fine."

Nami sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness," she said, "Honestly, I don't think my heart can take this much longer."

"I know what you mean," Usopp said, "It's bad enough watching him get into trouble now, but watching him get into this kind of trouble as a kid? No thanks."

"Now, now…this is no joke," Magra said, looking Luffy over, "If he had been wounded any worse he could have died!" Ace flinched violently from his place against the wall and Magra turned to look at him. "The three of you always fought those wild beasts together as a team, right?"

Ace seemed to curl into himself even more. "It's my fault," he choked out, "I'm worthless! Completely worthless!"

"Ace-san…" Brook murmured, as the boy began to completely break down.

"I'm sorry!" Ace sobbed, "I'm so sorry, Luffy!"

Magra sighed and placed a gentle hand on Ace's head. It was a testament to how upset he was that Ace didn't shove it away.

Sanji sighed. "I'm still kinda pissed at him," he announced, "But…well, seeing him like this makes it difficult."

Zoro shrugged. "Like I said before, he needs to accept responsibility and move on. If he doesn't want it to happen again, then he needs to get his shit together."

"As harsh as it sounds, Zoro-bro has a point," Franky agreed.

"Ace…"

The crew whipped around to see Luffy's eyes half open and foggy.

"Luffy!" Chopper cried, running to the boy's side.

"Is he alright?" Robin asked, leaning over the doctor.

"Yes," Chopper replied with a relieved sigh, "He's in pain, but he'll be fine. He's not even completely awake right now."

"A-ace…" Luffy croaked again.

His brother's head snapped up, giving the crew a good view of the tears streaming down his cheeks. He rushed to Luffy's side.

"Luffy?" he called out hesitantly.

Luffy just sighed, he face relaxing and the tension draining out of his body. "Ace…" he whispered.

Ace raised a hand and started to reach towards him before pausing.

"He's just sleeping Ace," Magra said, "He'll be fine."

Ace's hand tangled in Luffy's hair as he lay down next to the boy, curling around him as much as he could without jarring him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as the memory blurred around them.

The room blurred, lightening as sunlight streamed through the windows. Luffy was sprawled out, limbs tangled in his blanket, sound asleep. He was still covered in bandages, but he looked significantly better.

"His fever broke," Chopper said, leaning over to examine his tiny captain, "And these bandages look new. It's probably been a few days since the last memory."

Nami shook her head. "Of course he would be healed in a few days," she grumbled.

"Luffy-san has always bounced back rather quickly! Yohohohoho!" Brook chuckled.

"Yeah, but I don't know if we should be thankful for that or not," Sanji said dryly, "Considering the trouble he gets into."

"Normally, I'd say it was a good thing," Chopper said warily, "But since Luffy seems to think he can walk while he's bleeding out…"

"Yeeeeeah, I'm gonna have to go with no," Usopp said.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Zoro said with a shrug.

"You wouldn't, bro," Franky said, rolling his eyes as Robin chuckled lightly and Chopper fumed ready to start protesting.

He was cut off when Luffy suddenly woke and sat straight up. "I'm hungry," he announced to the room.

The crew sweatdropped.

Ace, who had been dozing next to Luffy's mess of blankets, jolted awake. "Luffy?" he asked, drowsily. Then he blinked and his eyes got wide. "Luffy!"

Luffy beamed at him. "Hi, Ace! I'm hungry! I missed you!"

Ace sat there slack jawed while Luffy blinked in confusion. "I missed you?" he asked in confusion, head tilting to the side.

"It's like Alabasta all over again," Nami sighed.

"What happened?" Brook asked.

"Luffy was out for three days and when he woke up, he couldn't figure out why it felt like such a long time since he'd seen us," Usopp explained.

"And then he demanded food," Nami added.

Ace just sighed. "You've been asleep for five days," he said.

"Oh," Luffy said calmly, before his eyes widened comically, "I missed twenty five meals!"

"Isn't that five meals in one day?" Franky asked, scratching his head.

"Yep," Usopp said, crossing his arms over his chest, "Personally, I'm more impressed with the math part."

"Didn't even know the shitty rubberhead knew math," Sanji said taking a drag of his cigarette.

Ace blinked, silent for a moment, before throwing his head back and laughing.

Luffy's brows furrowed in confusion. "Huh? What's so funny? Ace?"

His older brother's laughter slowly calms. "Nothing, Lu," he said with a smile, reaching out to ruffle Luffy's bedhead.

Luffy stared at Ace for a long moment before smiling back. "Okay!" he exclaimed brightly, "But I'm still hungry."

At that moment, his stomach growled loudly as if in agreement. The crew sighed fondly as the boys broke out into snickers. The scene shifted, wooden walls blurring into trees, the ceiling replaced with endless blue sky. Ace ran down the path, jumping over tree roots, Luffy trailing a ways behind him.

"Ace," Luffy whined, "Wait for me!"

"Come on, Lu!" Ace called back, "You have to learn to keep up!"

Chopper's brow furrowed as he eyed the bandages still visible under Luffy's clothes and hat. "He shouldn't even be running right now," Chopper said, "How does Ace expect him to keep up?"

"I thought Ace would go easier on Luffy after what happened," Nami said with a sigh.

At that moment, Luffy tripped and was sent face first into the dirt. "Ouchie…" he whined, voice muffled by the ground. The crew watched as their tiny captain slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, one hand absently rubbing his chest. When he looked up, eyes darting around, there was no sign of Ace.

"Ace?" he called out, brow furrowed in worry.

"Seriously?" Usopp asked, frowning, "Hasn't he learned anything?"

"Ace?" Luffy called again when there was no answer, eyes starting to look suspiciously glassy.

There was no answer.

Luffy ducked his head, his hat shading his eyes. His hands fisted in his shorts tightly and he sniffed loudly. The crew watched with growing irritation. Ace had left Luffy alone. Right after he had almost died because Ace stubbornly refused to look after him. The older boy had been so distraught over the whole thing they thought it had shown him that he needed to take his role as Luffy's big brother more seriously, but it appeared that was not the case.

"What are you doing on the ground, Lu?"

Luffy's head snapped up and the crew whipped around to see Ace standing with his hands on his hips and an annoyed frown on his lips.

"Ace!" Luffy shouted, eyes gleaming.

Ace's frown deepened. "Are you crying?"

"No," Luffy said stubbornly, face set.

Ace sighed and rolled his eyes, stepping forward and holding his hand out to Luffy. "I'm not gonna leave you behind," he said softly. When Luffy looked up, Ace plowed on, a light blush forming on his cheeks. "Come on, I saw a bear on the other side of the hill. It can be dinner."

"It seems we judged Ace too quickly," Robin mused, smiling lightly as she observed Ace's blush. The boy really was shy when it came to feelings.

"Well he didn't have to wait so long to do anything," Usopp grumbled.

"Ace-san was a fair bit ahead of him," Brook pointed out, "Perhaps it took him a few moments to realize that Luffy-san had fallen behind."

Luffy grinned and took Ace's hand. "Okay!"

The scene faded out, the trees blending into wooden walls and the sky going dark.

"Looks like we're back in Dadan's hut," Usopp said.

"I wonder why they're sleeping here instead of in their hideout," Nami mused as she looked at the two sleeping forms bundled under various blankets.

"Dadan was injured in the fire," Zoro said simply.

"So?" Usopp asked, brow furrowed.

Zoro rolled his eyes. "So why would they leave without knowing she had recovered?"

Chopper perked up. "That's why they're staying?"

The swordsman shrugged. "It's why I would," he said, "If she had saved my life, I would at the very least make sure she was okay."

Luffy suddenly jerked awake, drawing the crew's attention. His eyes flew around the room in a disoriented haze, his breathing labored. It was obvious he had just woken from a nightmare.

"Shh, Luffy, it's okay. It was just a bad dream," Nami said, giving into the temptation and reaching out to try and comfort her captain, only for her hand to pass right through him. She jerked away as if she'd been burned. Robin walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Nami sighed and leaned into her. "I just want to help him," she whispered, gazing sadly at her tiny captain's tormented eyes.

"I know," Robin said softly.

Luffy sat up, his breathing calming, and looked around, finally taking in his surroundings. He glanced at Ace, lips pressed, an obvious internal debate in his eyes. After a long moment he took a deep breath and nodded before getting up and crawling over to his brother. Carefully, so that he wouldn't wake Ace, he pulled back Ace's blankets and started to climb in next to his brother, only to pause when something white caught his eye.

"Hmm? What's this?" he asked himself softly as he reached forward and took the piece of paper that was sticking out of Ace's pocket.

"What did he find?" Chopper asked as Luffy unfolded the paper.

'Ace and Luffy'

"Whoa! Was that Sabo again?" Usopp asked looking around for the blond boy.

"I think this is a letter from Sabo," Robin said as she leaned over her captain to get a look at the paper he was holding, "Perhaps when Luffy read it, he read it in his brother's voice because he was the one who wrote it."

"Makes sense," Nami said.

"And since we're in Luffy's memories," Sanji added, "We experience everything the same way he did."

'I hope you weren't hurt in the fire,' Sabo's voice continued, 'I'm worried, but I have faith in you. I'm sorry about this, but by the time you get this letter, I will be out at sea.'

"Oh this is so not fair," Nami whispered, eyes wet.

"Unfortunately, that's the way life is," Zoro said, but his voice was soft, almost gentle.

'A lot has happened, and I've decided to sail ahead of you. My destination won't be this kingdom, but elsewhere. There, I'll get stronger. I'll become a pirate. Let's become pirates with more freedom than anyone else and then meet up some day! The three of us. Somewhere out there on the wide, free ocean, I'm sure that someday we'll meet!'

Chopper sniffed and wiped his eyes. Usopp knelt down and wrapped an arm around him, tear streaming down his own cheeks. Franky and Brook looked close to sobbing and Nami was already crying silently. Even Zoro, Sanji, and Robin had misty eyes.

'Oh, and Ace, I wonder who's the older brother between the two of us. Two eldest sons and one younger brother. It might be strange, but this bond between us is my greatest treasure.'

Nami choked on a sob. This was close to home for her. Imagining if she was reading this letter from her sister…reading that the bond between them was the most precious thing. Because it was. Her bond with her sister was more important than any old scrap of gold or sliver of diamond. It was something to cherish. And she didn't think she could go on knowing that it had been torn away the same way her mother's had been.

It struck a chord with all of the crew; not just because they had lost people or left them behind, but because the bond between them was the same. The bond between them was their treasure. Sure there had been rough patches, but what kind of family didn't have an argument every now and then?

Because that's what they had become for each other.

They had created a home for themselves. A place where they could be themselves, where they could be safe and without worry. A place where they could be free. And for them, there was nothing more valuable than that.

'Luffy might still be a weakling and a crybaby, but he's still our little brother. So take good care of him for me!'

"That was beautiful, bro," Franky sobbed, wiping his eyes.

"Yohoho! It truly shows how deeply Sabo-san cared for his brothers," Brook said.

Little Luffy sniffed loudly, causing Ace to stir. He quickly folded up the note and shoved it back in Ace's pocket before hastily wiping his eyes.

Ace groaned and rolled over, facing Luffy and opening his eyes. "Luffy?" he asked, rubbing his eyes, voice heavy with sleep, "Have you been crying?"

"No!" Luffy protested quickly, frantically shaking his head.

"Liar," Ace grumbled, "Hurry up and get in already."

Luffy didn't need to be asked twice, lying down next to his brother and pulling the blankets back up.

"Did you have a nightmare again?" Ace asked, lying down on his back, eyes closed.

Luffy was quiet for a moment before whispering, "Yeah."

"So he's been having them often," Franky said.

"It's not that surprising," Chopper said, "Given his age and the circumstances it's normal. I wouldn't be surprised if he's developed some form of PTSD either."

Nami frowned. "But he's never show any sign of it before."

Chopper shrugged. "It's entirely possible to grow out of it or for the symptoms to be reduced over time."

Ace sighed. "Just try to get some sleep."

The brothers were quiet as the settled back down for the night.

"Ace?" Luffy asked softly.

"Hmm?"

"You're a nice brother too."

Ace's eyes flew open and turned to look at Luffy as the younger boy curled into his side. Before Ace could form a response though, Luffy was out and the scene faded.

"It looks like Luffy-san and Ace-san are doing fine," Brook said.

Nami chuckled. "Ace is still a little rough around the edges, but he's doing better."