Archive of Our Own ^beta

East Blue

Luffy had always known he wasn't alone. Even when it was just him, his little boat and the sea breeze and the fish that got away, he knew. Even before Ace and Sabo. Somewhere out there, someone else shared his soul.

He'd known it as a kid, even if he didn't have the words. There were days when sudden sadness hit him like a wave. His eyes would sting and overflow before he even realized why. 

Ace would shove his shoulder, annoyed. "What's your problem now?"

Sabo would poke his forehead. "You're not even bleeding."

And Luffy would just sniffle and shrug, because he didn't know either. Only that something far away was hurting.

The dreams were strange too. Swords. Worn-down floors. The sharp crack of wood against wood – bamboo, Benn Beckman told him later. He dreamed of balance, of aching muscles, of determination so sharp it could cut. He dreamed of fighting things he didn't recognize, in places he'd never been. He dreamed of someone else's grit. Someone else's will.

Eventually, he stopped wondering if the dreams and feelings were real. Because they were.

He remembers the first time he reached out. Sat cross-legged on the cliffside, just after another scuffle with Ace that left his lip split and his pride a little bruised. He pressed a hand to the place where the feelings lived, not quite in his chest, but deeper. And he tugged, softly. A gentle hey, are you there?

And the answer came back, a slow and hesitant nudge.

Yes.

Shanks had explained it in pieces. Soulmates were rare. Not everyone had them. Fewer still ever met them.

Benn Beckman had helped more. Luffy told him about the training swords in the dreams, about the weight of a blade that wasn't his. Benn hummed thoughtfully, lit a cigarette, and said, "Sounds like a swordsman to me."

Luffy grinned. "Cool."

He doesn't know who they are, doesn't know their name, or their face. But he knows they are strong. And when Luffy finally sets out to sea, his straw hat shadowing his eyes and his dream like fire in his chest, he makes a decision. His first crewmate will be his soulmate. The other half of his soul. Because a Pirate King should never set sail without his swordsman at his side, and Luffy doesn't want to become the Pirate King without his soulmate right there, too.

~*~

Luffy is halfway through a plate of rice balls when he realizes he's not hungry. Or rather, he is hungry, a little, but not this hungry. He drains another glass of water like he's been crawling through the desert, then shovels three more rice balls into his mouth before the thought finally catches up to him. His chest feels hollow. His stomach aches. It's not really his stomach, though. He pauses, chewing slowly, eyes narrowing.

"… Hm."

Koby looks up from across the table, startled. "Did you say something?"

Luffy doesn't answer right away. He's thinking now, then swallows, snags one more rice ball, and leans back in his chair. He closes his eyes and reaches through the connection. Just a little nudge.

The hunger that answers is sharp. Desperate. Bone-deep. Starving.

Luffy frowns. It's not the first time he's felt hunger or pain echo through the bond. When they were kids, it used to happen all the time, be it bruises, scraped knees, a loose baby tooth still clinging to the gum. But they've always been good at shielding each other when it really hurts. Little walls of instinct and care, just enough to say I'm okay.

This time? No wall.

"They'll find food," Luffy mutters to himself, biting into the last rice ball anyway. "They're strong."

Koby pays the bill and Luffy gets up, stretches until his back pops.

"So where's that Pirate Hunter you mentioned?"

Koby blinks. "Uh– right. Right! They're keeping him tied up in the yard behind the base. He's supposed to be really dangerous."

"Cool," Luffy says, already walking.

Because his chest still aches a little. The bond's quieter now, hunger dulled, but something in him is pulling. He doesn't feel his soulmate clearly, not yet anyway. But something's close. And Luffy has always trusted his gut.

They call him a demon. The townspeople whisper it like it's a curse. Koby repeats it like it's fact.

"Pirate Hunter. Ruthless. Killed dozens."

"I heard he fights with nine swords at once!"

"Tried to murder the Captain's son."

"They say he's still alive only because he made a deal."

Luffy listens to all of it with half an ear while searching his way to the Marine base. Most of it sounds like nonsense. Still, he's curious.

The so-called demon is tied up in the yard behind the base, to a wooden cross. Not dead yet, but close enough. They don't let anyone near him, but the little girl sneaks over the surrounding wall with rice balls in her hands anyway. And that's what convinces Luffy. He watches from the wall, one leg swinging, straw hat tipped back against the sun. The girl offers the rice balls. The man accepts. Morgan's spoiled brat shows up and stomps the rice into the dirt. Laughs. The demon says nothing. Just glares like he's memorizing the shape of revenge. When the kid leaves and the girl runs off in tears, Luffy finally speaks.

"He's not a bad guy."

Koby flinches. "L-Luffy?"

"Not a demon either."

"How can you say that?! He's a killer! A criminal! A–"

Luffy jumps down from the wall. His sandals hit the dirt. Something in his chest tugs. The swordsman lifts his head and their eyes meet.

Luffy tilts his head. "Hey."

The man squints at him. "... What do you want?"

Luffy grins. "I'm Luffy. I'm gonna be King of the Pirates."

The man blinks once. "Good for you."

Luffy doesn't stop grinning. "You're gonna be part of my crew."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"No."

"Yeah."

"No."

"You're strong. I want you on my crew."

"I'm not a pirate."

"You are now."

The man stares at him like he's lost his mind. Which is fair.

Luffy retrieves three swords from the building. Frees the man from the cross, learns his name and his dream. They fight Morgan. Zoro moves like lightning and rage, even half-dead. Fights with all three swords at the same time.

When it's all over Luffy turns to Koby and declares it loudly and proudly: "This is Zoro! He's my first crewmate!"

Zoro glares at him. "At least buy me some food first."

They're eating again, back at the same restaurant from earlier that day. Luffy insists it's the best idea he's had all day, which isn't saying much, because so far his ideas have included "let's fight the Marines," "let's free the pirate hunter," and "let's punch the Captain really hard." But food is always a good idea.

They sit and inhale their meals, plates stacking like towers of glory. Koby looks overwhelmed. Zoro looks only mildly grumpy.

Luffy just looks hungry. Again. He's on his fourth plate when he pauses, a few grains of rice stuck to his cheek. His chopsticks hover over a particularly juicy cut of meat. The hunger is fading. Not just his, but the other hunger, the gnawing, restless ache that's sat in his stomach for days. It's gone. In its place: something warm. A low, content hum in his chest. Like a puzzle piece clicking into place. 

Luffy blinks once. Says around a mouthful of steak, "Ah. It's you."

Zoro grunts without looking up. "Huh?"

Before Luffy can answer, he casually reaches across the table with the purest confidence in the world and tries to steal a piece of chicken off Zoro's plate.

A fork immediately stabs into the back of his hand.

"OW!!"

"OW!?" Zoro echoes at the exact same time.

Both of them jerk their hands back, clutching them like idiots. Zoro stares at Luffy, then at his own hand. Then back at Luffy.

"What the hell–?"

Luffy beams. "You're my soulmate."

Zoro makes the exact face one makes after being hit in the face with a very large fish. Luffy, taking full advantage of Zoro's mental reboot, yoinks the chicken. Successfully this time.

~*~

They leave Shells Town the next morning. The sea's calm, the sun's bright and Luffy's grinning just as brightly. They leave Koby behind with the Marines, wish him luck and wave him off. Then it's just the two of them and a little dinghy, headed nowhere in particular.

They meet Nami a few islands over. She's clever and fast. Good with her hands. Absolutely furious. Luffy likes her immediately. Zoro says she's trouble. They fight Buggy not long after.

Luffy loves fighting with Zoro. It's natural, like dancing with someone who already knows the steps. They don't have to talk, they just move. Zoro slices, Luffy stretches. They breathe in the same rhythm. That is, until Zoro gets stabbed.

Buggy's hand flies in from behind, blade gleaming, laughter echoing. Neither of them sees it coming. Luffy doubles over, a sharp pain slicing through his gut – not his but Zoro's – and for a second they both gasp. Then the bond clamps down. Zoro reins it in fast, swallowing the pain, blocking it before it can spread. Luffy feels it recede. That doesn't stop him from being furious.

Buggy gets punched halfway through a building. Then another building. Then possibly a town hall. It's hard to say. Anway, Buggy goes flying, they win.

Nami is impressed and a little horrified. Mostly confused. She helps patching Zoro up later, after they've found something edible and set sail again.

She squints at them and asks, "How long have you two known each other?"

Luffy pauses, mouth full of something roasted. "Uhh… three? Four?"

"Three or four… years?" she tries. Zoro just shakes his head. "Months?"

This time, Luffy has the audacity to laugh at her.

Nami blinks. "Three days?"

They both nod. She stares at them like she's looking at two very dumb animals who've somehow survived this long through sheer luck and stubbornness. She doesn't ask further.

Nami refuses to join the crew. Says she doesn't do pirates. Says she's only sticking around for practical reasons.

Luffy shrugs. "You're still crew."

Zoro snorts. "Give it a week."

Nami glares. "I'm not joining."

~*~

They leave Syrup Village with a ship, a new crewmate, and a half-empty bag of snacks that Luffy insists is treasure. The ship is called the Going Merry. She has a lamb's head and room for everyone: a kitchen, bunks, a proper deck to stretch out on. A real figurehead. A real mast. A jolly roger drawn by Usopp, featuring a skull in a straw hat.

Luffy beams every time he looks at it. It's perfect.

Nami likes to remind him: "We have a shower, too."

Luffy tilts his head at her. "Why do you keep bringing that up?"

She just gives him a look.

The bunks are exciting at first. Real beds, with blankets and pillows and everything. Usopp picks one and declares it the best bed on the ship. Nami claims the entire other room as hers and immediately forbids any man within a five-foot radius. Zoro chooses his bunk and doesn't say anything else. Luffy picks the one closest to the door, then realizes that technically, he doesn't have to sleep next to Zoro anymore. Which is weird. They'd shared a space on the dinghy, out of necessity, sure. Now there's no need.

Luffy lies in his own bunk for a grand total of seven minutes before declaring that captains can sleep wherever they want. He climbs into Zoro's bunk. Zoro doesn't complain. Not that night. Not the next. Not ever.

They dream together sometimes, like they used to, but now the dreams match real places. Shared battles and memories. Luffy doesn't have to guess what the destroyed town is, he knows, he saw it. Sometimes Luffy's the one with the swords in the dream. Sometimes Zoro stretches like rubber and throws himself at an enemy. The lines blur in dreams, but they always wake up grinning. Being pirates is the best thing ever.

They stumble across the Baratie by accident. A floating restaurant in the middle of the sea, shaped like a giant fish, with open decks and waiters in suits and enough food smells to knock Luffy flat. He recovers fast.

"This is AMAZING," he declares, halfway up the ramp, arms already spread wide. "A ship and a restaurant?! Why didn't I think of this?!"

"Because you're a pirate, not a cook," Nami mutters behind him.

"But we could've been!" Luffy spins in place. "We could be pirate chefs!"

"You burned water yesterday."

They eat. A lot. Sanji, the blond, sharp-tongued cook with a cigarette always hanging off his lip, serves them with the grace of someone who's considering murder. It's fine. Luffy likes him.

He gets into trouble, of course. A cracked table, a flying foot to the face. Some yelling. Eventually he ends up elbow-deep in a mountain of dishes in the back galley, soap bubbles up to his neck. Sanji washes dishes beside him, sleeves rolled, smoke curling above the plates. He tells him about a place called the All Blue and that he hopes to find it someday.

Luffy grins through the steam. "You're a good cook."

"Thanks," Sanji mutters.

"You should join my crew."

Sanji barks a laugh. "What?"

"You can cook for us and find the All Blue."

Sanji stiffens. Then he shrugs. "That's just a stupid legend."

Luffy frowns. "No, it's not."

"Most people don't think it exists."

"I'm not most people."

"Clearly."

"You should come with us."

Sanji goes quiet. Washes another plate. Says, "I've got work here."

Luffy shrugs. "You're not gonna find the All Blue stuck inside a restaurant."

Sanji doesn't answer.

And then trouble finds them anyway. Some idiot in gold armor shows up and starts throwing his weight around, talking about power and respect and "Don Krieg's glorious fleet." Luffy punches him straight through a wall.

Then the air shifts. Everyone freezes, not from Luffy's punch, but from the cut. Because the flagship splits clean in half without any warning. A small boat approaches the Baratie. One man in a black coat and a wide-brimmed hat stands at its bow. A cross at his back. Yellow eyes sharp as razors.

Zoro's soul tenses. Luffy feels it too. Everything changes now.

The man who cut the ship in half steps onto the floating planks like it's nothing. Like slicing through a warship with a single strike is just his version of knocking politely. He looks… bored.

Luffy watches him approach with narrowed eyes, standing near the railing with one hand resting casually on the wood. The stranger's boots click lightly on the deck, each step smooth and quiet. The huge cross-shaped sword on his back sways with the motion. Luffy doesn't recognize him, but something inside him has shifted. His heartbeat picks up, and it's not from fear. His body tenses. His hands twitch. He wants to move, he wants to fight.

It isn't his desire. The feeling hits him like a wave, sharp energy humming under his skin, so vivid he almost mistakes it for his own. His fingers itch for hilts that aren't there. His breath shortens like he's about to sprint. It's not him. It's Zoro.

Luffy turns slightly, eyes flicking to where his swordsman stands a few feet away, gaze locked on the approaching man. He can feel it in the bond thrumming like a second pulse. That want, that need to prove himself, to fight, to win.

Zoro has a dream. Luffy's known about it longer than Zoro's ever said it aloud. He saw the girl once in a dream that wasn't his. Felt the weight of her wooden sword. The shape of her grin. The loss that hit him deep, like it had happened to his own heart. Zoro never spoke of her. She couldn't become the greatest swordsman in the world, so Zoro will do it for her.

The man's name is Dracule Mihawk. The greatest swordsman in the world.

Zoro is stepping forward. When he speaks his voice is low but firm, a challenge offered without hesitation. Mihawk stops and eyes him. Then nods once. It almost looks like he's only accepting because he's bored. Luffy wants to hit him just for that. He grabs the railing with both hands, so hard his knuckles go white. The urge to move is overpowering. His whole body is buzzing with it. It's Zoro's will bleeding into his blood, into his bones, and it burns in excitement and challenge.

Luffy wants to stand beside Zoro. He wants to fight for him, but this isn't his battle. This is Zoro's dream. So he stays still. The wood groans beneath his grip, and his heart thunders behind his ribs. Because Zoro's going to fight the strongest swordsman in the world.

Mihawk doesn't draw the massive blade on his back. Instead he pulls a dagger, barely the length of Luffy's palm. Zoro draws his three swords and steps forward.

Luffy watches from the sidelines. The bond hums against his chest. Zoro's focus is razor-sharp, and so is his determination. This isn't Luffy's fight, but it still feels like he's walking into battle, too.

Zoro moves first. He's fast. Every strike is clean, every step purposeful. He's fighting like everything he's ever worked for is right here in front of him. Mihawk parries each strike without shifting his weight. It's not disrespectful. It's just fact. He's better, more skilled. Zoro pushes harder. Mihawk still doesn't draw the big sword.

The first blow lands in Zoro's shoulder, the dagger slips through muscle like it's nothing. Luffy barely feels it through the bond. Just a sting. He grits his teeth but stays still. His chest tightens.

Zoro doesn't stop. He keeps going until Mihawk shatters two of his swords, clean breaks, splintered steel. The sound echoes across the deck. Zoro staggers and drops to one knee. Then, with a slow breath, he pushes himself back to his feet. Sheathes the white sword. Turns around. Stands tall. And spreads his arms wide.

"Scars on the back," he says, voice firm even now, "are a swordsman's greatest shame."

Mihawk's expression shifts. He reaches for the great black sword across his back.

And this time, when the blade comes down, Luffy feels it. The cut slices through Zoro's chest, from shoulder to hip, deep and clean. Luffy's world explodes. He screams, pain tears through him like lightning, stealing his breath, crumpling his legs. He hits the deck hard, hand clutching at his chest like he can hold Zoro's wound closed from across the space between them.

Everything is a blur. The sound of frantic footsteps. Voices shout. Luffy can't hear them. He stumbles across the deck, dragging himself toward where Zoro has fallen.

"Zoro–!"

The blood is everywhere. The bond is only static, loud, and clouded with pain and pride and don't panic and don't move me and I'm okay, shut up, I'm okay. Luffy falls to his knees beside him.

Zoro opens his mouth. He's pale, trembling, still somehow conscious. "I–" His voice cracks. He coughs. "I lost."

"No–"

"I– I will never lose again."

Luffy chokes.

"I'll never lose again," Zoro says, louder now, eyes boring into his captain's. "I'll become the greatest swordsman." He draws in one ragged breath, blood still seeping through his shirt. "So I can stand by your side. Is that alright with you, Pirate King?"

Luffy's crying. Tears and snot and half a dozen cracked sobs bubbling up from his throat. He looks ridiculous. He doesn't care. He nods so hard his hat nearly flies off.

"Yeah," he says, voice wrecked. "You better." And then he grins, wide and fierce. Because Zoro made a promise, and Luffy believes him.

~*~

Zeff and the other cooks help patch Zoro up, dragging him inside as carefully as they can. There's blood everywhere, enough that Luffy thinks he might still be seeing it even when he closes his eyes. The bond is quieter now, dulled by unconsciousness, but it still pulses faintly in Luffy's chest like a bruise that won't fade.

He sits in the corner of the room, legs pulled to his chest, chin tucked into his knees. His eyes sting and his nose won't stop running. But still, somehow, a smile curls across his face. Zoro lost. Got his chest sliced open like paper. But he made a promise and now he's one step closer to fulfilling his dream.

Zoro wakes with a groan a few hours later. The bond sharpens for a second, then clamps down again. Luffy feels it go quiet. He doesn't like that. Zoro's awake, and the pain's there, but Zoro is hiding it. Luffy doesn't argue, though. He understands. Can't have them both foggy with pain, not when there's decisions to make. Not when Nami just stole the Going Merry and sailed off into the horizon.

"Come on," Luffy says. "We're getting our ship back. And our navigator. And also, Sanji's coming."

"Who the fuck is Sanji."

"Long story."

They borrow a boat and set sail. The silence stretches until Usopp finally breaks it.

"So, uh. You and Zoro."

Luffy blinks. "What about us?"

Usopp scratches the back of his neck. "When Mihawk cut him you screamed and clutched your chest like you got sliced open. But you weren't even… like, you didn't even fight."

"Oh." Luffy chews his cheek. "Yeah, 'cause I did get hurt. Kinda."

"What?"

"Zoro and I share a soul," Luffy says simply. "So sometimes we share stuff like that."

Sanji chokes on his cigarette. "What."

"We're soulmates," Luffy adds, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Didn't you know?"

Usopp and Sanji just stare.

Sanji mutters, "That explains so much."

Usopp nods slowly. "Yeah. I mean... I guess it tracks. You're both completely deranged."

Luffy just grins and turns his gaze forward, toward Arlong Park, toward Nami and toward whatever's next.

~*~

The sun's low over Cocoyashi when the smells start drifting in from the east side of the village. Grilled fish, fresh bread, something fried and delicious that has Luffy's mouth watering before he even realizes it. Sanji's been cooking with the villagers for hours now, throwing together a feast big enough for an entire town. It's the kind of thing Luffy would usually be sprinting toward, plates in hand and hunger in his eyes.

But right now? He's antsy and restless. Like something's pulling at him, and not in the fun "adventure this way!" kind of way. It's been like this ever since they left the Baratie. And after Arlong Park, after the fight and the blood and the pain they both took, Luffy expected the bond to settle again. To heal up with them. But it hasn't. Zoro's been quiet, and the bond is muffled, like it's wrapped in bandages too. Luffy doesn't like it. So, after Nami confirms that Zoro's patched up and tucked away in one of the houses, Luffy stomps through the doorway without knocking.

Zoro's on the bed, back propped against the pillow, bandages fresh around his middle. His swords are lined up neatly beside him. He looks up when Luffy enters, already sighing.

"No."

"Yes."

Zoro frowns. "You don't even know what I was gonna say."

"You were gonna say 'I'm fine, it's better this way, you don't need to feel it too.'" Luffy flops down beside him. "And I'm saying that's stupid."

Zoro turns his head away, mutters something under his breath.

Luffy doesn't let up. "Let me in."

"It's just pain," Zoro mutters. "You'll never carry my pain if I can help it. You don't need that weighing on you too."

"It's you." Luffy jabs a finger at Zoro's chest, carefully, so he doesn't hit anything that hurts. "You think I care about pain? We've been stabbed, punched, and almost exploded once." What really hurts is not feeling Zoro. The quiet hurts more than the physical pain, but Luffy doesn't say that out loud.

Zoro doesn't answer. Just stares ahead for a moment, jaw clenched. Then, slowly, the pressure finally shifts. Luffy sucks in a breath. The warmth starts to trickle in, not literal warmth, but the shape of Zoro's soul settling back into the space Luffy's been holding open for days. There's pain, sure, a lot of it. Deep and sharp, knotted with fatigue. But under all that is Zoro, steady and quiet and stubbornly, endlessly loyal.

Luffy exhales like he hasn't in days. Without another word he presses himself up against Zoro's side. Wraps his arms around him. It's awkward and probably not good for Zoro's stitches, but Luffy doesn't care. Zoro doesn't complain, either. Doesn't move, just lets Luffy curl into him. They lie like that for a while, just breathing. Together again. Eventually, Luffy's stomach growls so loudly it almost makes the walls shake.

Zoro snorts. "Hungry?"

Luffy hums. "Yeah. A bit." He pauses, then quietly adds, "Thanks for letting me in."

Zoro doesn't say anything right away, until: "I didn't want you to hurt."

"I missed Zoro," Luffy says. "But now you're back and I don't feel so alone anymore."

Zoro shifts, just enough to lean a little more against him. "You never were."

Luffy grins, wide and unfiltered. "C'mon. Let's go eat. Everyone's waiting."

They get up and Luffy opens the door to the evening light, to the smells of Sanji's feast, to the laughter of their crew. He looks back once, just to make sure Zoro's right behind him. The bond hums steady between them again.

Grand Line

They make it to Loguetown. Zoro gets two new swords, Luffy nearly dies, and they're chased off the island by a very angry man made of smoke. Then they sail up a mountain. An actual, vertical mountain. The sea makes no sense, but Luffy isn't complaining. On the other side, they meet a whale the size of a small island. Nami punches Luffy in the arm when he tries to fight it. ("It's a whale, Luffy. What's wrong with you.") Still, they become friends with the whale and the old man caring for it.

They also fight a bunch of shady agents. One of them turns out to be a runaway princess. She asks for help saving her kingdom and Luffy says yes before she finishes the sentence. There's a civil war brewing in Alabasta, and Luffy is always itching to punch people who cause wars.

On the next island they meet actual giants locked in an eternal duel. Luffy thinks it's awesome. Zoro nearly cuts off both his legs trying to save them from a giant wax trap. Luffy is pretty sure Zoro could fight legless, but he's glad he won't have to find out.

Then Nami gets sick. So sick that it scares even Luffy. They need a doctor, fast, so they sail to a winter island covered in snow. A rude old witch agrees to help, and Nami gets better. They also meet a blue-nosed reindeer who can talk, kick like a monster, and cries when people compliment him. His name is Chopper and he's a doctor, too. He becomes part of the crew the moment Luffy sees him, although Chopper only realizes that later.

And just like that, they're off again, heading straight for Alabasta.

Having your soulmate on the same ship as you is pretty great, Luffy thinks. Zoro's always nearby, always ready to fight or nap or spar or listen to Luffy's wildest ideas and only tells him they're stupid sometimes. They've got a rhythm now, not just in battle, but in everyday stuff too. Sharing food, sharing dreams, sharing bunks.

But there's also… side effects. Because apparently having your soul literally tethered to someone else's comes with some weird moments. Luffy always thought the bond was pretty normal. You feel things, share stuff, dream the same dreams. That made sense. What he didn't expect was the random chaos it would bring. Like the time when Sanji slides a steaming plate of curry in front of Luffy, and Luffy's halfway through the first bite when a horrible, jarring flavor floods his mouth, making him gag.

"What the hell, Luffy?!" Sanji's staring at him like he's grown a second head. "You love my curry!"

"I do! I do! But–" Luffy coughs, tongue out, eyes watering. "It suddenly tastes like– like mint soap!"

Sanji's eyes narrow. "You calling my food soap, you little–"

"No! It's not your food!" he whines, and then he realizes. "It's Zoro!"

That gets everyone to stop. Even Chopper freezes mid-bite.

Luffy groans, clutching his face. "He's brushing his teeth."

Sanji stares. "... You're tasting his toothpaste?"

Luffy nods miserably. "This is the worst thing ever."

Or when Luffy and Zoro are both sitting around the deck, Luffy sprawled across the grass, Zoro leaning against the mast, when they simultaneously let out massive sneezes. Identical, perfectly timed.

Chopper looks up from his notes. "Wait. Do either of you have a cold?"

"Nope," Luffy says, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"No," Zoro grunts.

Another time Luffy skids around the corner of the ship, laughing so hard his sides hurt. "You'll never catch meeeeee!" he yells, still clutching the very delicate, very forbidden jar of snacks he definitely did not steal from the top shelf of the pantry. Usopp and Chopper are hot on his heels, shouting threats, but Luffy is winning. He's fast. He's slippery. He's king of the sea and of tag.

Then there's a jolt. Not physical, but through the bond. His chest flares with pure, focused adrenaline.

Oops.

He crashes behind a barrel and peeks up just in time to see Zoro stumble out of the galley, shirt half-on, three swords ready at his hip, eyes blazing.

"Where is he?" Zoro demands.

Nami, sipping coffee at the table, doesn't even flinch. "Good morning to you too."

"Luffy," Zoro growls, scanning the deck. "Who's attacking him?"

"We're playing tag!" Luffy pops up from behind the barrel, grinning. "I'm winning!"

Zoro stares.

"... Don't murder anyone," Nami says flatly.

"I'm not," Zoro mutters, but it takes him a long time to unsummon the murder energy.

Luffy just laughs and sprints off again, the bond humming with a faint, resigned you absolute menace. 

Sometimes they fall asleep at the same time. Not on purpose, well, not always on purpose. Sometimes Zoro is just genuinely tired and drops down wherever he is (which is usually everywhere, according to Nami's ongoing rant). And then Luffy, who had absolutely zero intention of sleeping, suddenly yawns mid-sentence, flops over, and is out like a light.

It's the bond. That's what Luffy says the first time it happens, right after Nami finds them tangled in a hammock like twin sloths, arms and legs folded over each other with not a single awareness of personal space. They're breathing in perfect sync. Like ducks. Baby ducks, she says. Zoro snores. Luffy drools. It's deeply undignified, and it happens a lot.

One time Luffy's in the middle of fishing, rod balanced between his feet, tongue stuck out in full concentration, when Zoro, on the other side of the ship, decides to take a nap under the sails. Within two minutes, Luffy's eyelids are heavy. Three minutes in, he's fighting it. Four minutes, he's down. Face-first, off the railing, into the sea.

He wakes up to Zoro's hands dragging him up by the back of his vest, spluttering seawater. Zoro doesn't say anything, just grunts and pats his head like he's the dumbest, soggiest dog alive. Luffy beams anyway. After that, someone always makes sure Luffy isn't holding sharp objects or balancing on something weird if Zoro looks remotely tired.

The synchronization happens with emotions too, with anger, joy, excitement. But sleep? Sleep is sneaky. Luffy doesn't mind. Falling asleep in sync with Zoro just feels… right. Like the world is finally quiet, and everything is where it's supposed to be. Even if Nami still makes fun of them every single time.

~*~

They meet Ace in Alabasta. Luffy spots him, and the world narrows down to that hat, that stupid grin, and the way his heart jumps so hard it might actually knock him over. Which would be fine. He hasn't seen Ace in so long, not since they'd split ways on their own journeys. Luffy barrels forward with a shout, launches himself through the air, and slams straight into Ace's chest.

"Ace!"

"Oi, Luffy–!" Ace wheezes, catching him by pure reflex and almost dropping his travel bag.

Luffy laughs, already clinging. "You got stronger! Your fire's so cool! You're on Whitebeard's crew now, right? Did you see any sea kings? Did you meet a mermaid?!"

"Calm down, dummy." Ace ruffles his hair with a grin. "I missed you, too."

The crew catches up, and Luffy's buzzing . He wants to show off, wants them all to know who this is – his brother, his favorite person before he had a crew. He starts pointing rapidly. "This is Sanji, he's our cook. And that's Nami, she's my navigator! That's Usopp, our sniper. Chopper is a doctor and also a reindeer. Ah and that's Vivi, she's a friend! And–"

He stops in front of Zoro, grin stretching wider.

"And this is Zoro," he says, a little warmer. "He's my first mate."

Ace raises an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Luffy nods. "He's also my soulmate!"

Zoro stiffens at the directness, but doesn't contradict him. He just nods in greeting, serious as ever. Luffy feels the flicker of pride and confusion pulse through their bond.

Ace, though, he just laughs . "So you're the one who made him cry all the time as a kid."

Luffy flails. "That wasn't Zoro's fault! You're gonna give him the wrong idea!"

Zoro just raises an eyebrow, then shrugs. "If he cried that much, he probably deserved it."

Luffy gapes. "I didn't!"

Ace's shoulders shake with laughter. "I like him."

And just like that, they hit it off.

They don't have long. Ace is on a mission hunting someone, but they spend the rest of the afternoon together. Luffy drags him around the ship, shows him all his favorite places. Sanji demands they sit down after a while and cooks up a little feast to celebrate. It's perfect. Luffy has his brother, he has his soulmate, and there's meat. The table is loud, almost crowded with their additional two guests, and Ace only almost falls asleep once with his face in the rice. Luffy can't stop grinning.

But Ace has to leave soon. He says goodbye to everyone with a grin and a casual wave, thanks Sanji for the meal ("best food I've had in months, seriously"), gives Chopper a pat that nearly knocks him over, and tells Vivi it was "interesting" to meet her. She just squints at him. Then he turns to Zoro.

"Take care of him," Ace says, smile sharp but fond. "I know he can be a handful."

Zoro meets his eyes and nods. "I will."

Ace looks pleased with that answer, ruffles Luffy's hair one last time, and starts walking. Luffy follows him for just a bit of the way. Then Ace stops and turns to Luffy.

"I always thought that whole soulmate thing would be different," he says. "More like… two people who sometimes happen to feel the same emotions. And that it would be obvious."

Luffy tilts his head. "It is obvious."

Ace snorts. "For you maybe. I mean, now that I've met him, I get it. You and Zoro… you don't just feel alike. You are alike."

Luffy grins. "Of course we are. He's my other half."

"Yeah," Ace says. He folds his arms, squinting out across the desert. "It's the way you carry yourselves. The way you chase your dreams like the whole world already belongs to you. The same stubbornness." He exhales, softer now. "But Luffy… I've been around on the Grand Line. Heard things about bonds like yours not always ending well."

Luffy's smile doesn't falter. "Zoro would never hurt me."

"I'm not talking about him hurting you," Ace says gently. "I'm talking about everything else. The world doesn't play fair, and when you're tethered that tight to someone, the pain hits twice as hard."

Luffy shrugs. "Then we'll take it twice as strong."

Ace barks out a laugh. "Of course you will." He pulls something from his pocket, a blank sheet of paper. "This is for later," he says, handing it over. "Don't eat it."

Luffy squints. "Why would I eat paper?"

Ace stares at him.

"… Fine, I won't."

Ace grins. "I'll see you again," he says, stepping back.

"You better," Luffy says.

Ace waves without turning around, and then he's gone, disappearing into the dunes.

~*~

The desert is hot. Like, hot hot. At first Luffy thinks it's fine, he's been hot before and besides, he's rubber, he can take it! Except he can't. Turns out heatstroke doesn't care if you're a rubber man with a dream. Chopper only finds out because Zoro snitches. Traitor. Luffy pouts through most of Chopper's emergency rehydration routine.

Vivi tells them about the man causing all the chaos: Some Crocodude. Luffy just shrugs and says he'll punch the guy. That's worked before. Punch bad guy, fix problem. Simple. Except it doesn't work this time. The Crocodude has sand powers in a sand kingdom, which is basically cheating. Luffy tries and tries again. He gets forcefully dehydrated, stabbed, poisoned, and still doesn't win. It takes three full attempts and a lot of yelling before the bastard finally goes down.

Then Luffy wakes up in a bed. His skin is dry and tight and his ribs ache. But mostly, what he feels is Zoro sitting nearby, wide awake, alert and worried, holding Luffy's hand like he needs to feel a pulse even though the bond says Luffy is very much alive.

Right. Zoro felt all of it. Luffy starts to feel guilty, but before he can even try to say something, Zoro nudges into the bond, pushes relief and calm and happy toward him. Luffy melts back into the pillow. Okay, that's good. He's glad Zoro's here.

Zoro's never been big on words. When he does say something, people listen, because it always means something. The others think he's cold and closed-off, emotionally, but Luffy knows the truth. Through the bond, he can feel everything: Zoro's pride in their crew, his loyalty, his quiet fury when someone threatens their friends. And his love, deep and steady and unwavering. He doesn't need words.

When Vivi declines his offer to join the crew, Luffy doesn't push. He knows she wants to, but her kingdom needs her. She makes her choice, and it's the right one. Still, Luffy tells her with all his heart: she's one of them. Nakama.

They leave Alabasta without Vivi, but they still gain a new crew member. Nico Robin is already on the Going Merry when they set sail, lounging like she owns the place, which is kind of impressive, considering she used to work with the Crocodude. Luffy tilts his head, eyes her for a moment, and then shrugs. She wants to join? Alright. He lets her stay.

The others aren't so sure. Especially Zoro. Zoro doesn't trust her, not even a little bit. He doesn't say it out loud, but Luffy can feel it, sharp like a blade. The suspicion and the unease, always a heartbeat away from action. Zoro watches Robin like he expects her to lunge at them at any moment. He's not hostile exactly, just... permanently ready to stab. Luffy, for his part, tries to give Robin a fair chance. He doesn't trust her either, not yet anyway, but she feels like someone who's been carrying hurt for so long that it's become a second skin. That kind of pain? Luffy recognizes it. Doesn't excuse it, but he understands it.

Zoro, though, isn't about understanding. He's about protection. He guards the crew like a wild animal, teeth bared behind a calm exterior. That tension bleeds through the bond every time Robin enters a room. Luffy tries to push it back down, keep the peace. He can't explain it to Robin, that would be weird. "Sorry you feel like I don't trust you, that's just my angry swordsman's emotions leaking through my soul." Yeah. That won't help.

Robin figures it out anyway, because she's smart. Scary smart. Probably noticed by day three. Not like they were hiding it, exactly, but it's just not something you go around telling people who used to work for a kingdom-wrecking warlord.

Then another curry incident happens. Sanji makes it extra spicy, all smug smiles and bravado. Zoro, naturally, takes up the challenge. "Give me the hottest you've got." He says it like he's declaring war. Luffy's not even eating. He's just chilling. And then–

Luffy flails, tears pouring down his cheeks, lava in his mouth, steam practically rising from his ears. "WHY AM I DYING I DIDN'T EAT ANYTHING!"

Everyone stares. Zoro, calm but sweating, says, "This is fine."

Robin watches them, a small smile on her face, and simply says, "Soulmates. How fascinating."

Zoro nearly drops his spoon. Luffy can't bring himself to care with the fire burning his throat, and then he steals Chopper's milk.

~*~

Some days the bond is helpful. Other days it's just weird. Today is one of the weird ones. Luffy thinks it probably has something to do with Zoro being in hypervigilant guard dog mode ever since Robin joined the crew. Luffy gets it. Zoro's got a whole thing about being cautious and observant and ready to murder at any moment, and usually it's kind of useful. Except when it turns the bond into a jittery, vibrating mess. It's like Zoro's awareness is bleeding through too much, like the bond is in overdrive. Not in one direction, oh no, in all directions at once. Luffy feels everything. Hunger that isn't his, tension in his shoulders, a twitch in his eye. Annoyance at clouds, for some reason.

Luffy absentmindedly itches his arm. Then he itches it again. And again. After twenty minutes, he's scratching so much he's started trying to rub his arm against the side of the mast like a cat. No relief. It's like his skin is possessed. He switches arms. Nothing. He switches back. Still itchy. He drops to the deck and starts rolling.

"Do you have fleas?" Nami asks, not even looking up from her magazine.

"I don't knoooow!" Luffy wails, twisting like a pretzel. "Something's wrong with me! It's itchy! Right here!" He points to his bicep and then rubs at it again, dramatically.

Chopper tries to check for hives. Usopp suggests maybe it's a rash from that weird bug they caught. Sanji tells him to keep his scratching away from the pantry.

The itch doesn't go away. After a full hour of suffering, Luffy gets fed up. He flings himself across the deck and collides with Zoro like a launched missile. Zoro, who's been training in the sun like a man possessed, barely reacts. Luffy grabs his arm and slaps the exact spot that's been tormenting him. 

"I FOUND IT!"

Zoro flinches. "What the– ow?"

Luffy gasps. "You got bitten by a mosquito?!"

Nami puts down her magazine with a heavy sigh. "Let me get this straight. You both feel it when one of you gets stabbed, poisoned, or nearly dies. And when one of you gets a mosquito bite?"

Luffy nods. "Yep!"

"Super useful," Nami mutters. "Truly incredible."

Robin chuckles behind her book. "Ah, the price of a shared soul."

~*~

Skypiea is weird. The sky is made of clouds, the sea is also made of clouds, and there are giant birds and bigger bugs and people with actual wings. Luffy thinks it's all amazing, right up until Zoro and the others get electrocuted.

See, Luffy is made of rubber. Lightning doesn't do anything to him. But Zoro is not made of rubber, and the bond between them doesn't care about that kind of technicality. So when Enel zaps Zoro, Luffy feels it too, like fire crawling over his ribs, like his bones are screaming. He hates it. He hates it more than anything.

It's not just the pain necessarily. It's the audacity. Enel struts around, calling himself a god. Just because he can throw around lightning and scare people with his voice. But he's not a god, he's a coward with a drum on his back and a smirk Luffy wants to punch clean off his face. And he will punch it off, because no one gets to call themselves a god while hurting Luffy's crew and his soulmate, and expect to walk away.

Getting lost in a huge cave is annoying, but at least Nami's in there too. She explains what happened. Luffy refuses to believe it's a snake until they climb out of its mouth and then he agrees: okay, yeah. Snake. Fine.

Still, that doesn't matter. What matters is punching the fake god real hard in the face. Which Luffy does, with a literal golden fist. Then they party with the locals for a full night under a sky full of stars and drums.

10/10 sky adventure. Would do again, minus the snake.

And minus damaging the Going Merry even more on their way back down. She's holding together with rope and willpower, but even Luffy can tell something's wrong. Their little ship, the one that's carried them across islands and sky and storms, is starting to fall apart. When they reach Water Seven, a sparkling city built on canals, and full of shipwrights, they think they've found the answer. They just need to cash in the treasure from Skypiea and get the Merry repaired. Easy.

Except it's not. The Merry can't be fixed. Her keel is broken, the frame warped from all the battles and storms and impacts. She's dying. The shipwrights call it hopeless.

Usopp refuses to believe it. When the others talk of getting a new ship he explodes. There's accusations and grief and fury. It all pours out of him, and then he leaves with the Merry.

And then Robin vanishes too. Agents of the World Government, the CP9, take her away.

Luffy stands on the docks and feels it all crumble in his hands. Usopp is gone. Robin is gone. The Merry is dying. His crew is breaking apart and he doesn't know how to fix it. He's supposed to be the captain. He's supposed to protect them. He curls his hands into fists and wants to scream at the ocean.

They chase Robin on the sea train. Franky, the strange loud cyborg, joins them. He has his own reasons, and that's fine. Luffy only has one. He's going to bring Robin back. She didn't choose to leave, he knows it in his bones. She protected them, so he's not losing her too.

Before they reach Enies Lobby, before the real battle starts, Zoro finds him. It's a quiet moment, still the calm before the storm, and Luffy's pacing, too wired to sit still. Zoro steps in front of him and presses their foreheads together. Luffy freezes. Through the bond comes a surge of calm confidence, that quiet certainty only Zoro has. A feeling so solid that Luffy latches onto it immediately. We've got this, it says. We'll win this too.

Luffy breathes. He doesn't know if Zoro just felt how frayed he was or if he just needed the moment too. Doesn't matter. He's here. They're both here, and they're going to get Robin back.

~*~

Getting Robin back proves much harder than anticipated. That's okay. Luffy's used to hard, used to pushing himself past the limit of what seems possible, of standing up again when he shouldn't be able to. That's what a captain does, so it's what he does, too.

But Rob Lucci is something else. He's faster than anyone Luffy's fought before, maybe faster than even Enel. His strength is crushing, his eyes sharp and cold and void of mercy. Every attack has intention, every movement is calculated. Luffy knows how to fight with his instincts, but Lucci fights like he's already three steps ahead.

And then there's this other guy with the long nose. He moves like a shadow and doesn't say much, just watches. Tracks Zoro with his eyes. At first Luffy thinks he's just weird. 

Then Lucci smiles, sharp and hungry, like a leopard who knows exactly how this hunt ends. That's when it happens. Lucci lands an attack directly to Luffy's head that scrambles his thoughts, splits his brain open. It's not even the hit that knocks the wind out of him, it's what it does to the bond. Luffy's connection to Zoro, carefully half-closed for the sake of focus, flares wide open with the shock.

He feels Zoro jolt halfway across the battlefield. Feels pain, his own, and then long-nose attacks at that exact moment. Zoro falters for a second only, but that's all it takes. The enemy's blade slices in, and the pain that stabs through Luffy's ribs isn't even his, but it feels like it is.

Lucci laughs. "It worked," he says, voice full of venom. "We know about the bond. You two make it so easy."

Luffy blinks blood and sweat out of his eyes. He knows that they're soulmates?

Lucci smiles that cold smile again. "It's so much easier to kill two birds when they share the same soul."

Luffy screams. He doesn't even think, his fist just flies forward, stretching and snapping with fury. "Shut up!" Because the bond makes them stronger, and that's not gonna change now. He charges again, heart thundering in sync with Zoro's.

They're trying to scramble the bond again. Luffy doesn't know how they keep doing it, but every time it happens, it's like the world tilts sideways. He stumbles, Zoro does too, and everything lags for just a second too long. The same second the enemy always takes advantage of.

He's too busy fending off Lucci's latest attack to do more than yell, "What the hell are they doing?!"

And then a shout cuts across the chaos: "Luffy! They're soulmates!" It's Zoro, ducking away under a massive square-giraffe leg. "Lucci and Kaku, they're soulmates too!"

Luffy blinks. For a second he's sure he heard wrong, because what kind of twisted irony is that? The moment the words leave Zoro's mouth something changes though. Lucci freezes for a fraction of a breath, the smirk slides off his face, revealing annoyance and a flicker of cold rage.

"Too bad," Luffy mutters.

It makes sense now why Lucci and Kaku keep targeting both of them at once. Why the timing of their hits is a bit too perfect. Why it feels like they know exactly what it feels like to weaponize a bond. And worst of all, it means Lucci and Kaku are stronger together, too.

Luffy hates that. Not because he minds other soulmates, but because right now? He and Zoro are not winning. Not losing either, but definitely, absolutely, not winning. Which is a problem. They can't fight both of them at once, not while they're still scrambling to stay upright every time the bond gets yanked again like a fraying rope.

One of them has to finish their fight, fast. Luffy's eyes meet Zoro's across the battlefield. Zoro's already tying the bandana around his head. He nods once, sure and calm like the battle is already decided. Luffy nods back. It's all the confirmation they need. Zoro will win.

That just leaves Lucci. Luffy digs his feet into the ground, stretches an arm up and punches through the ceiling. The stone shatters around his fist. He catapults himself straight up, flying several stories up through the building and landing hard on the roof above.

Lucci follows hot on his heels. Good. Now it's just the two of them.

The minutes stretch into hours. Or maybe it's still minutes. Time stopped making sense after the third or fourth blood-slicked punch. Luffy's not keeping count anymore.

Lucci doesn't tire and doesn't slow. Luffy's holding up, but only barely. He just has several cuts, some bruises, a hole in his side, and his legs are getting harder and harder to move. Totally fine.

The bond flares wide open again, this time from Zoro's side. What comes through is just pain. Pure, unfiltered pain. Luffy gasps and his foot slips. He feels the moment Kaku gets Zoro and he falters for half a heartbeat–

And Lucci is already there. Claws pierce into his stomach. The pain is white-hot, blooming through his body, and bleeding straight through the bond. Luffy screams, bites his lip hard enough to taste blood, and yanks the bond closed the second he's able to, before more of it seeps through. He forces himself upright, fists clenched tight. Keeps attacking, keeps moving, even when his body is shaking. He doesn't know how much longer he can last like this.

Then everything happens at once. The building shakes underneath them, maybe an explosion. Luffy staggers to keep his balance.

Lucci frowns. His eyes widen in disbelief, then his expression morphs back into anger again. Because this time it's his bond that lit up.

A heartbeat later, Luffy feels it. That familiar warmth, slow and steady. Zoro, nudging at the edges of the bond. Asking for it to be open again. Luffy lets him in without thinking.

He gets confirmation. Pride. A sharp jab of hurt, of course, and exhaustion that drags like an anchor, but also something clear and full of fire: Kick his ass.

Luffy grins, teeth bloody. "Okay."

He doesn't have to hold back anymore. His body is on fire. Not in pain, though that's also still there, but with motion. Heat builds in his chest, limbs steaming, joints sparking with power. He doesn't know what he's doing, only that it's fast. Faster than Lucci.

A kick. A punch. Lucci lunges, fangs snapping. Another dodge, a strike to his left. Then, for a millisecond, Lucci is too slow. Luffy slams a fist into his chest with everything he has left. Lucci hits the ground and this time he doesn't get up anymore.

Luffy stumbles forward, panting. There's blood in his mouth and fire in his lungs. His soul is wide open and pulsing. They did it. They won.

And Enies Lobby burns. Chopper turned into a rampaging giant, a monster people would run from if he weren't on their side. Luffy's too out of breath to panic about it. His whole body feels like it's collapsing in on itself, the last coils of steam rising off his skin as he's literally shrinking. He can't lift his arms. He can't stand. Everything hurts.

The building shakes some more and then Zoro climbs up through the wreckage, blood dripping down his jaw, grinning like he just won a bar fight instead of a soul-splitting duel. Luffy grins back.

They get Robin back. She's trembling but unyielding when she screams that she wants to live. They're her family now, her crew, her home. Not even a Buster Call will take her away again.

The escape is chaos. Cannonballs are raining down, Marines swarming them, but the crew fights like a storm. They get into a bit of a tight spot, but then salvation comes in the form of the Going Merry. She shouldn't be here and she definitely shouldn't be moving on her own, but she is.

She takes them home one last time. Safely, bravely, silently. And then there's nothing else she can give. The Merry is falling apart, even her spirit has grown tired. So they give her a burial at sea. They light the fire and let her rest. Luffy bawls his eyes out. They all do, even Sogeking, that weird guy with a mask who helped them at Enies Lobby and sounds a lot like someone familiar.

They return to Water Seven without a ship, and Chopper patches everyone up before they sleep for an entire night and half a day. Then Franky shows them the ship he's been working on. Their new ship, if they want her. She's huge and beautiful and unlike anything Luffy has ever seen. He walks across the deck like it's already his, like he knows this ship is going to be part of their dream. Luffy only agrees to take her under one condition: Franky has to come too. They need someone who can patch her up when she takes a hit. They're not making the same mistake twice.

They name her the Thousand Sunny. Franky tells them she'll carry them all the way to the end of the Grand Line. Luffy believes every word.

They get her ready piece by piece. Nami's tangerine trees get a little garden of their own on the deck. Sanji hoards the kitchen like a dragon, stuffing the pantry with spices and meat and weirdly shaped vegetables from the markets. Chopper stocks the infirmary with more supplies than Luffy has names for. Robin disappears into the library, her arms full of books. Zoro hauls his weights up to the crow's nest. It's almost as if nothing's changed. But it has. They're not quite whole yet.

Luffy keeps looking toward the docks even when he knows he shouldn't. Usopp isn't coming. Zoro says Luffy can't go after him. Not because he doesn't want Usopp back, he does, but because Usopp left. If he wants to return, he needs to be the one to ask. The bond doesn't waver when he says it, which means he believes it. Which means he's right. Luffy doesn't like it anyway. Still, he listens. He's the captain, and Zoro reminded him that means something.

They sail out with the morning tide. Their first voyage on the Sunny. And then–

"Hey!"

The voice is too familiar. Usopp. He's running along the dock, waving and yelling, stumbling as he tries to keep up with the moving ship. His voice cracks when he shouts again. "I'm sorry! I was wrong! Please– please take me back!" He drops to his knees, tears and snot running down his face.

Luffy doesn't even wait for the sentence to finish. His arm stretches out on instinct, no thought needed. He grabs Usopp by the front of his shirt and pulls him across the sea, past the figurehead, all the way to the deck of the Sunny.

Usopp crashes into him with a yelp. Luffy grins, teeth sharp and eyes bright.

"'Course you can come back," he says, hugging Usopp tight. "We were just waiting for you."

The crew gathers, smiles wide. A crying Chopper throws himself into Usopp's arms. Zoro stands a bit further back, but when Luffy glances at him, Zoro nods. The bond hums in satisfaction.

Yeah. Now they're really ready.

~*~

The Thousand Sunny is the coolest ship Luffy's ever seen. He knows he's said that about the Going Merry too, but this time he's really serious. Even days after they've set sail again, Franky keeps showing off new features that make Luffy's eyes sparkle every time. There's a soldier dock system with secret compartments, and a hatch in the deck that dumps fish straight into the aquarium bar below. It's like sailing inside a theme park that is also their home.

The crow's nest is a lookout and a gym, which means Zoro basically lives up there now. He's on lookout, or he's lifting weights, and when he's not doing either of those, he naps so hard the sea itself could freeze over and he wouldn't wake. Luffy likes it too. Sometimes he climbs up and messes with Zoro's weights or uses his stretchy limbs to dangle upside down from the rafters like a bat until Zoro growls at him to "stop being weird."

They have a library, which is also very cool, even if Luffy himself has exactly zero books to put in it. But that's fine, he doesn't need books. He has Robin, and Robin is smarter than any book anyway. If he has a question, she usually knows the answer. Or five answers. Sometimes more than he asked for. Still pretty cool.

The bathroom has a huge bathtub and the girls and Sanji coo over it all the time. Luffy also thinks it looks super fun, but he can't exactly go in alone – devil fruit problems. So he drags Zoro along with him as his designated lifeguard. Which is awesome, because then Luffy can play with bubbles, Zoro's earrings, rubber ducks, Zoro's hair, Zoro's fingers, and Zoro's patience, all in equal measure. He only almost drowns once.

The kitchen is the best part of the ship, though. Sanji keeps it fully stocked, the table actually fits everyone and there's always something tasty happening on the stove. The fridge is locked, but that's okay. Sanji still feeds Luffy three proper meals a day plus two unofficial ones he pretends not to notice Luffy sneaking away.

So yes. The Thousand Sunny is the coolest ship ever.

She also has enough bunks for everyone. Back on the Merry, Luffy and Zoro used to curl up like a tangled mess of limbs and swords because there wasn't space for anything else. Now the mattress is big, the walls don't creak as much, and Zoro doesn't say anything when he puts his swords by the foot of the bed and flops down next to Luffy like it's the most obvious thing in the world. They sleep better together. Dream better too.

The bond has been kind of weird lately, though, like it gets restless when nothing's happening. Luffy thinks it likes adventure as much as they do. Zoro tells him that's not how souls work, but Luffy's pretty sure Zoro has no idea how souls work either. Nami says he just wants excuses for the weird things they do.

And still, sometimes the bond just does stupid things. Like today.

He's halfway through lunch (second lunch, if anyone asks), biting into a juicy piece of meat. It's very hot, he's not paying attention, and bites his tongue. Luffy yelps, slaps a hand over his mouth, and nearly falls off the bench.

Before anyone can react, footsteps thunder down the deck. Zoro bursts into the kitchen like a man possessed, eyes wild, swords already halfway out of their sheaths.

"What happened?!" he barks.

Luffy waves frantically, still cupping his jaw. "I bith mythelf!" he says through a mouthful of meat.

Zoro blinks. "What?"

"I bith my thongue! While eathing!" Luffy sticks his tongue out and points. "Thee?"

Zoro stares like he is trying to process every life decision that led him here. "You made me think you were dying," he says, sheathing his swords. "I tasted blood."

Luffy scowls. "Well I am in pain!"

Zoro sighs. "You bit your tongue while eating meat."

"Same thing."

The topic of soulmates comes up again because, after this, Franky finally finds out. They're all crammed around the table after dinner, the sun setting outside and the kitchen still warm with the scent of spice and meat, and Franky just stares at Luffy and Zoro across the table with wide, starry eyes.

"You two are soulmates?!"

Zoro shrugs like he doesn't care, even though he's sitting way closer to Luffy than necessary. Luffy grins. "Yup!"

"That's SUPER romantic!" Franky slams his hands on the table so hard Usopp chokes on his juice.

Nami snorts into her drink. "Yeah, if you think two dumbasses being even dumber together is romantic."

"Hey!" Luffy squawks. "We're not dumb!"

Sanji lights a cigarette with a lazy flick of his hand. "Don't let the stories fool you, Franky. The real deal's not like the fairy tales." He lazily gestures towards Luffy and Zoro. "Clearly."

Franky frowns. "But there's like a thousand books and poems and songs written about soulmates! They can't all be wrong."

Luffy tilts his head and thinks really hard. "Lucci and Kaku weren't like the songs either."

"Excuse me?" Nami asks.

"Oh, yeah," Luffy says, like he's talking about the weather. "The guys from Enies Lobby. They are soulmates too."

There's a beat of stunned silence. Then: "WHAT."

"You fought another soulmate pair?"

"And didn't tell us?!"

Luffy shrugs. "Didn't seem important."

"They tried to kill you!" Usopp shouts.

Luffy nods. "Yup."

"Is that what that weird attack was?" Chopper asks. "The one that made your bond go all haywire?"

Luffy's mouth twists. "Yeah. They used it on me and Zoro. It scrambled our heads and messed with the bond. Wasn't cool."

He doesn't mention how it felt like being yanked out of his own skin for a second. Or how the bond flared too bright and he couldn't figure out where he ended and Zoro began. He just shakes his head and grabs another piece of bread.

Zoro leans back in his chair, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "Didn't matter," he says. "We still beat them."

Luffy grins. "Yeah, we did."

It's Usopp who says it, soft and full of wonder. "Two soulmate pairs on the same battlefield… That's gotta be historic."

The others are still chatting about the fight when Robin quietly sets her book down.

"That technique they used," she says, her voice soft but unmistakably serious, "the one that disturbed your bond, it's not something to take lightly."

Everyone looks up.

"It didn't just mess with your sensations," Robin continues. "It was targeting the bond itself. That kind of manipulation would be impossible unless they had intimate knowledge of how soulbonds work."

"Yeah, we figured that," Zoro mutters, frowning.

"But what is it?" Usopp asks. "I mean, really. What even is a soulbond?"

Robin leans back. "No one really knows. There's no record of an origin, no biological or mythical cause. In fact, the earliest texts describe soulbonds as something unnatural."

Chopper perks up. "Like a mutation?"

"More like a... rupture," Robin replies. "Some ancient cultures believed the first soulbonds happened when a soul tried to cheat death, like a warrior refusing to fall or a parent trying to keep their child alive. Someone holding on too tightly to life, or to someone else."

Nami blinks. "So… it split?"

Robin nods. "Yes. One soul, forced into two bodies. Born from sheer desperation."

Usopp shivers. "That's kind of creepy."

"It is," Robin agrees. "But over time people started to see it differently. They called it romantic or even sacred, wrote poems and songs. But if you look at the oldest stories, there's a clear warning underneath."

Zoro tilts his head. "What kind of warning?"

Robin glances at him. "That bonds like yours aren't always stable. The stronger it gets, the more your emotions and dreams can start to blend together. Even thoughts and memories."

Chopper's eyes go round. "You mean like... they forget who's who?"

Robin's voice drops, quiet and serious. "There are stories of soulmates who started speaking in each other's voices. Who remembered memories and didn't know if they were their own. Who looked in the mirror and saw someone else. In extreme cases... the sense of self blurs."

That hangs in the air for a long second.

Luffy breaks the silence first. "I'd still know who I am," he says. "And I'd still know who Zoro is."

Zoro doesn't say anything, just nods once.

Robin watches them. "Let's hope so." Her words settle like dust in the air, heavy with things no one wants to think about for too long.

Then Luffy grins, full and bright. "I don't care what history says. Me and Zoro, we already decided."

"Damn right," Zoro agrees softly.

Robin leans back with her book again. "Of course. History records the past," she says with a smile, "but you decide the future."

And that's the end of it, for now. Whatever soulbonds are supposed to mean, Luffy and Zoro already know what theirs means. It means together, no matter what.

Naturally, not even an hour later, everything falls apart.

Something crashes above deck, an ominous thunk followed by the distinct sound of splintered wood and Usopp yelling, "It was a test! I didn't think it would actually detonate!"

But Luffy goes stiff, because suddenly he feels alarm and it's not his. Somewhere else on the ship, Zoro gets the same jolt. They both freeze, hearts racing, each certain the panic isn't theirs. Which means–

"Zoro?!"

"Luffy?!"

They sprint. One from the crow's nest, one from the galley, bond flaring wild between them like a misfiring wire. They crash into each other mid-run with the force of a cannonball and go down in a heap of limbs and shared alarm.

"I thought you were hurt!"

"I felt you panic!"

"That was your panic!"

"No, it was yours!"

They're still arguing on the deck, tangled and slightly dazed, when the rest of the crew arrives.

Nami sighs. "They really are one soul and zero brain cells."

Robin looks at them, unfazed. "The feedback loop hypothesis checks out."

Luffy and Zoro blink up at them from their human pile and then they shrug at the same time.

"Guess we're fine!"

Thriller Bark

They're just cruising along when they find a skeleton on a boat. A talking skeleton. With an afro. Luffy is instantly obsessed. His name is Brook and he introduces himself with a laugh and a dramatic bow. Luffy asks if they can keep him.

"I'd love to join your crew… Unfortunately, someone stole my shadow, so I can't leave the mist."

Which is how they all end up on Thriller Bark, a floating island-ship full of weird creatures, creepy forests, and way too many zombies. Luffy thinks it's fun at first. Until he, Zoro, and Sanji all get their shadows stolen, too. Which means one step into sunlight and poof. The bond between him and Zoro goes a little fuzzy and static-filled right after.

Then Moria shows up, the warlord who stole Luffy's shadow and shoved it into the corpse of a giant named Oars. Who is now running around using Luffy's gum-gum techniques. It's horrifying and also kind of impressive, but mostly horrifying.

Eventually they run into other shadowless people, because as it turns out not all zombies are mindless. Some used to be pirates, like Lola's crew. They're not thrilled about the situation either, but they help. Luffy agrees to something probably stupid and lets them stuff hundreds of shadows into his body. It hurts, and his soul itches like it's trying to explode.

For a few minutes he's a monster stronger than Oars, strong enough to crush the giant zombie flat. But Moria's not done. He absorbs all the shadows from Oars and turns himself into a towering nightmare.

Luffy has no shadows left, but he's still got Zoro and his crew fighting alongside him. So he gets back up, lets Gear 2 take over his limbs and then goes even beyond, into Gear 3. He goes faster than Moria can react and hits harder than his shadow body can handle.

With one last punch he wins. The stolen shadows fly back to their rightful bodies. And then everything goes dark.

~*~

Luffy wakes up to the taste of blood in his mouth and the sun too bright above him. His head is filled with cotton. His limbs feel heavy, but in a good way, like after a really good nap. He blinks, slow and confused, and the grass under him doesn't make sense, not when he remembers blackness, screams, an explosion.

He tries to sit up. Nothing hurts. That's the first wrong thing. His body remembers almost dying. His ribs should be shattered. His muscles should be torn. He had won that fight, pushing back against a warlord that could make even nightmares bend. He frowns, fingers clenching in the dirt. Then, out of habit, he tries to reach for Zoro.

His soul lurches into nothing. No hum. No echo. No pain. No Zoro.

Luffy sits up straight, heart slamming against a chest that should be broken. The silence in the bond is deafening. He opens himself wide, throws everything out, just like they had done in childhood when one of them got hurt and the other needed to know how bad. When they learned to keep it down, to dull it, to spare each other. When Zoro once said "you'll never carry my pain if I can help it."

But the silence now isn't Zoro putting up a wall, it's something else. This is absence.

Panic sets in fast and cold as Luffy staggers to his feet. "Zoro?"

Sanji's voice is somewhere nearby, muffled and sharp. "Oi, don't move yet! You–"

"Where is he?" Luffy doesn't mean to shout. His throat rips raw around it. "Where's Zoro?!"

They won. That's what they say. The crew is okay, everything's fine. But Luffy isn't fine. He's empty.

He almost falls to his knees when they finally find him. Zoro is upright, standing in a lake of blood. His arms are crossed, eyes half-lidded and bloodshot. And still nothing carries over through their bond. No flicker. Not even the background hum Luffy has carried with him since before he had words.

He stumbles forward. Reaches out, both physically and through their soul.

Nothing. But Zoro is breathing. That's the only thing keeping Luffy from losing it completely, because everything else is wrong.

He stands in front of Zoro, not even noticing the blood soaking his feet, the metallic scent in the air. It's Zoro's blood and Luffy's brain clocks that detail, stores it somewhere deep. He reaches out again, hesitant now. Presses his fingers to Zoro's arm. Still here, but the bond is silent. No flicker of pain. No echo of stubborn will. No familiar weight anchoring their soul.

He nudges harder. "Hey."

Zoro doesn't react. His eyes stay half-lidded. Chest rising in slow, shallow pulls.

Sanji's saying something behind him. Nami too. Chopper rushes over, starts working, starts talking, voice sharp with urgency, but it's all static in Luffy's ears.

He leans closer. Grabs Zoro's hand.

Nothing.

His hand is shaking. "You're not dead," he says, voice breaking. "You're not."

Zoro doesn't answer, and worse, his soul doesn't answer either.

~*~

They get Zoro laid out on a patch of grass. Chopper's started patching him up, said something about pain overload, about strain beyond the body's limits. Whatever happened, it nearly broke him. Did break him, maybe.

Luffy just stares. He tries again, tries reaching out. Tries dropping all his walls, opening every door, baring their soul like he's never dared before. "Come on," he whispers. "You're supposed to be loud. You're always loud."

Still nothing.

It's not until later, maybe hours, that Nami finally kneels beside him. The sun is setting now. The crew has gathered food, cleaned up what they could. Zoro hasn't stirred.

"You haven't moved," Nami says softly.

Luffy doesn't answer. She sits with him anyway.

Then finally, he says it, voice rough and quiet: "I can't feel him."

She frowns. "He's alive. Chopper says he'll–"

"No. I mean…" Luffy presses a fist to his chest. "He's not there. I don't– he's always there, even when he's hurt." He bites his lip so hard it breaks. "I thought he was dead. I woke up and felt nothing. I still feel nothing."

Nami doesn't say anything for a long moment. Then she puts a hand on his shoulder. Gentle. Steady. "I believe you."

Luffy bows his head, hand reaching out for Zoro's. He's alive, but their bond is gone. And Luffy doesn't know if it's ever coming back.

~*~

The castle is half rubble. Some walls still stand, enough to clear a room. Enough for Chopper to set up a makeshift infirmary on the cracked marble floor, sunbeams slipping through collapsed ceilings.

Zoro lies motionless on a pile of blankets, bandaged head to toe.

Luffy sits beside him. Doesn't speak. Doesn't blink. He's close enough to touch, so he does. Just brushes the back of Zoro's hand with his fingers. Again and again.

Nothing. No flinch. No shift. No soul reaching back. There's no pain either, and that's the worst part.

Zoro is clearly hurting, his body wrecked, bandages blood-soaked. Chopper muttered words like "nerve trauma" and "internal bleeding" earlier, while Luffy watched Zoro's chest rise and fall with agonizing slowness.

He should feel it. A dull echo of that pain should be pressing behind Luffy's eyes, twinging in his ribs, making him dizzy and afraid. The way it always would. The way it's supposed to. But there's nothing now. No sense of someone else breathing with him inside the quiet corners of his heart.

It's like reaching for something in the dark and finding air where you expected another hand.

"Luffy," Chopper says softly, "you have to move. I can't–"

"No." His voice sounds strange in his own ears. Distant.

"You're in the way–"

"I can't–" His breath catches, jagged and unsteady. "I can't go."

Someone's hand closes gently on his shoulder. Nami, maybe, or Robin. Sanji's voice murmurs something nearby, low and careful. They're pulling him back, softly. He jerks away.

Zoro's fingers stay limp. Luffy stares down at him, willing something, anything, to respond. A flicker of You okay, Captain? But the silence remains.

He thought Zoro was dead. Thought that strange weightless panic when he woke up was grief. When they found him, barely standing, blood-soaked, but alive, Luffy thought it would stop. The aching, hollow sensation in his chest.

It didn't. Because Zoro's here, but not here.

Luffy doesn't understand it, not really. The bond was always just there, steady as breath. Zoro's presence humming beside his own, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, always anchoring.

Now it's gone. The bond is severed, and Luffy only understands just how literal a soulmate is when he's missing half his soul.

The sob hits without warning. Sharp and raw, like something tearing through him from the inside. He covers his mouth with both hands, trying to hold it in, trying not to shake. He's the captain. He's strong. He's–

He's alone.

Air catches in his throat, like there's not enough of it in the whole room. His vision blurs. Then he's sitting on the floor, knees pulled close to his chest, and he doesn't remember moving. Someone's arms are around him again. Nami's, this time. She says his name softly.

He doesn't answer, because his chest is splitting open. He hasn't really slept in three days. Not without Zoro's heartbeat echoing somewhere deep in their soul, not without dreams shared across their tether. And now they're here, alive, and the bond is gone.

"I can't–" he gasps. "I can't feel him. He's right there and I can't–"

Nami holds him tighter. There's no fixing this. Not right now. So Luffy curls against Nami, on the floor beside the person he can't reach, and breaks.

~*~

Zoro's eyelids twitch. That's all. A flicker, a shadow of motion.

Luffy's breath hitches in his throat and his hand tightens around Zoro's, where it's been for hours, maybe days. He doesn't remember when he grabbed it. Just that he never let go.

"Zoro," he whispers, voice cracking.

Nothing. Just the twitch again. Then, slow and trembling, Zoro's eyes open. Barely a sliver. Glazed. Confused. But he's awake.

Luffy sobs before he can stop it. Relief pours through him, and this time he doesn't bother holding it in. His whole body shakes with it. He squeezes Zoro's hand like an anchor, tears dripping freely now, and says his name again, softer.

"Zoro. You're back."

Zoro blinks at him. Tries to speak. Fails. Then his eyes drift shut again.

Chopper hurries over, scans him quickly, runs checks, murmurs reassurances. "This is good. This is normal. He's waking up slowly."

The next few hours stretch out like rope fraying at the ends. Zoro's eyes open again, a little longer this time. He mumbles something that doesn't quite make sense. Luffy gives him water, supports his head, coaxes him to drink.

Sanji leaves food near him sometimes. His favorite meat. Rice balls too, Zoro's favorite. Luffy tries to eat. Only picks at the rice. Eats enough to stay upright. His appetite is gone, stolen by the hole in his chest.

When Zoro can sit up with help, Luffy stays beside him, arm around his back. Shouldering his weight. Interpreting his half-muttered answers when Chopper asks how the pain is, what his vision's like, if he can feel his arms and legs.

"Yeah," Luffy answers for him. "He can. Right side's worse."

He knows Zoro's pain tells. Knows which twitch means his ribs are pulling and which grunt means his shoulder's too stiff. Knows when Zoro would push himself too far, if Luffy didn't gently press his hand down. He still knows him, even without the bond.

Zoro doesn't say anything, really. But his eyes find Luffy's. Linger on him, check him over for injuries. There's a question there, one Luffy won't answer, not yet. Zoro has his own pain to carry and Luffy will carry this one alone, for now at least. He doesn't say a word about the bond, but of course Zoro knows.

~*~

The Sunny sets sail again a few days later. The log pose points forward. The wind is strong. The kitchen smells like bread, and Usopp's laughter echoes faintly from the deck. Everything's fine. Except Luffy curls up beside Zoro in the shade of the mast and waits for something that never comes.

Zoro sleeps a lot these days. Chopper says it's normal, that healing takes time. That kind of damage, whatever it was, wrecked him deep. He still walks stiffly, slower than usual. Still goes quiet when the pain spikes, though he brushes it off with grunts and scowls when Chopper hovers too much.

He says he's fine. He says it, but he's not, and Luffy doesn't need a bond to know that. What he needs is the bond to come back. Because this isn't how it's supposed to be. He's had Zoro in his chest since before either of them could talk. They were tethered in their cribs, in their dreams, in their pain.

Luffy naps when Zoro naps. He lies beside him, shoulder to shoulder, sometimes resting his head in Zoro's lap, like it'll make a difference. Sometimes Zoro shifts slightly closer, half-asleep, and reaches out, always without a word. Luffy closes his eyes and waits. Wakes up with a hole in his soul.

He knows Zoro has nightmares. Sometimes he jerks in his sleep, muffles a breath like it's caught in his throat. And sometimes Luffy wakes up from nothing at all, startled. Cold. No dream in his head, just the feeling that something broke, and he wasn't there to help. He doesn't dream with Zoro anymore like they used to. Blended dreams that made no sense, with swords in the sky, whales that talked, fights that carried over into waking life. Zoro's dreams used to drag Luffy's in like the tide. Now it's just Luffy's own dreams. Fragmented. Loud. And most of all lonely.

He doesn't ask the one question that he should ask.

Why is the bond gone? What happened? Why won't you tell me?

He wants to, but Zoro's still pale, still healing. Still moving like something inside him shattered and is being stitched back together muscle by muscle. So Luffy doesn't say it. Doesn't pull rank either, doesn't call it captain's orders. Because Zoro might be his swordsman, but more than that, Zoro's the half of his soul he can't feel anymore.

~*~

Luffy wakes up to the sound of the ocean. It used to be comforting, the waves against the hull, Sunny creaking, the gentle hush of wind through the sails. Now it's just noise. Because the first thing he feels, every time his eyes open, is that same hollow space in his chest. No bond. No Zoro. He doesn't even startle anymore. Just lies there for a few seconds, breathing. Not bothering to reach out with his soul, because there's no point. It's always the same. Empty.

He still sleeps curled into Zoro, when he can.

The others don't question it. They all saw what happened, or rather what didn't, when they all woke up after their fight on Thriller Bark. But no one knows how Zoro got hurt, no one saw the blow land. And Zoro, when asked, shrugs and says "nothing happened."

But Luffy sees it, in the way Zoro wakes with a hand half-outstretched. In the way his eyes flick around like he's searching for something just out of reach. Luffy knows what that feels like. He feels it every time he laughs and hears only his own joy echoing back. Every time he gets a scratch and realizes Zoro isn't flinching beside him anymore. Every time he wants to shout I'm proud of you into the bond, only to remember it's not there.

At least Zoro is healing. He moves easier now, sits up straighter. Spars gently with Usopp or Brook sometimes, though he tires fast and never pushes past his limits, which might be the strangest thing of all.

Luffy misses him. The part of Zoro that used to live inside Luffy's chest, wrapped around his soul like armor. The way they used to feel each other without words. That's gone now. Luffy doesn't know if it'll ever come back. 

He knows one thing, though. Whatever happened on Thriller Bark, whatever broke Zoro and their bond that day, Luffy's not letting it happen again. He's the captain and that means protecting his crew. And if the universe tries to take Zoro from him again, body or soul, Luffy's going to punch it so hard it never tries again.

Sabaody

Luffy decides he doesn't like this island. Too many people. Too much deceit. Even the air feels wrong. But they had a plan. Clear the auction house, get Camie and get out. They did that, and then everything went to hell.

The first pacifista took everything they had. Franky used almost all his cola. Sanji's limping. Zoro's not healed, not even close, and still fought like he had nothing to lose.

Luffy hates how familiar it feels, that same reckless, wild edge Zoro had back on Thriller Bark. The moment the log pose steadied on Sabaody, Luffy had thought, We'll talk. It's time. They didn't. They ran out of time, got roped into a new conflict only hours after Luffy had made up his mind.

More pacifista show up.

Then this Marine with a huge axe appears, untouchable, and with orders to eliminate them all. His hits don't stop at Luffy's rubber skin. They crack through him, jarring bone. He's never felt anything like it. Rubber's not supposed to hurt like this.

They're losing. He realizes that for the first time since Enies Lobby, and even back then they had managed to defeat the CP9 agents, somehow. But now they're losing. So they split. Three groups, scatter, survive, regroup at the Sunny in three days. Luffy, Sanji and Zoro each lead one as their best bet to protect the rest of the crew. 

Luffy's halfway across the grove, ducking beams, dragging Chopper out of a blast zone, when he hears screaming. Not battle screams but screams of fear.

"ZORO!" Usopp's voice cracks.

Brook's voice breaks entirely. "Captain–!"

Luffy turns. Blood drains from his face, and he sees him. Zoro on the ground, bleeding. Not moving. Above him a glowing man in yellow.

Admiral Kizaru.

Luffy doesn't feel it. Can't feel Zoro's pain or anything else, he can only watch. He's moving before he thinks. Chopper's yelling behind him. Nami's trying to regroup. None of it matters. Zoro is down. Zoro is hurt. And Luffy, for the second time, didn't know until it was almost too late.

He didn't feel it. He didn't feel his soulmate bleeding out under an Admiral's boot. And now he might be too late. Luffy's running full-speed, blood roaring in his ears, feet barely touching the ground, but he knows he won't make it in time.

Kizaru lifts one leg lazily, glowing with golden death. There's no urgency in the motion and no hesitation either. Just cold execution.

Luffy screams. A sound ripped raw from the deepest part of him.

"ZORO!!"

He reaches out soul-first, instinctively, desperately. Zoro lies there, chest barely rising, swords at his side, too injured to stand, and Luffy can feel it in his bones. This is it. This is when he loses him for real.

No bond. No warning. No chance to say anything that matters. They survived Thriller Bark, but only at the cost of their bond. They've spent every day since learning to breathe around the absence. They've learned how to carry on with half a soul. But this would be final. No Zoro on the ship, or sleeping beside him, or grinning next to him on the battlefield. No other half. No future. Just… gone.

And then, in a blur of movement brighter than even Kizaru's light, clang. Metal hits energy with a shattering crack, force vibrating through the air. There's a man standing between Zoro and death. Cloak fluttering and sword drawn. Rayleigh, calm in the chaos. Kizaru's leg is blocked, just held there like it's no effort at all.

Zoro is still breathing. Luffy collapses to his knees under the weight of his relief.

Rayleigh doesn't look at him and doesn't say anything either, just gives them a chance, and that's all Luffy needs. He scrambles to Zoro's side, hands flying and checking for breath, blood, injuries. Zoro's eyes flutter open. He's alive.

Luffy lets out a sob before catching it in his throat. No time. The others are regrouping. Sanji's already helping Brook. Nami's shouting something. The tides are changing again, but maybe they'll get out.

He gently passes Zoro off to Sanji. "Go."

Sanji takes him, movement careful. Zoro slumps against his side, barely upright. Sanji curses under his breath but doesn't argue, because now Sentomaru is charging, and Luffy has to hold the line. Rayleigh is still fighting Kizaru. They have no time, no strength left. Luffy squares up. 

"Don't touch them!" he snarls.

He doesn't know how long the fight lasts. Long enough to feel the exhaustion bury deep, to start believing they might survive this if they just keep going. Then a strange sound crackles through the air. He turns. There's a giant figure on the battlefield, robotic eyes gleaming. Another pacifista? This one is different, though.

The others call him Kuma. Luffy remembers that name. Remembers the others saying it, remembers Sanji swearing.

That's the warlord who showed up on Thriller Bark. The one who injured Zoro so badly. The one Luffy never saw.

"No–" He's too far away, too far to stop him.

And Zoro– Zoro sees Kuma coming and pushes himself upright, shoulders squared and hands shaking, but he stands. Because he's Zoro. Because he's still trying to protect them all.

Luffy moves. Screams.

"ZORO!"

Kuma raises his hand. Zoro doesn't flinch. There's a moment, just one heartbeat, where Luffy feels like the world has frozen. Then Kuma touches Zoro's shoulder.

And he's gone. Just like that. 

Just gone.

Luffy stops breathing. The noise of the battlefield fades. The screams, the fighting, the chaos, all of it vanishes into static. Zoro disappeared. There was no feeling, no cry of pain or alarm through their bond, no echo of fear or surprise.

It's an absence Luffy knows too well now, he's been carrying it ever since Thriller Bark. But this time Luffy doesn't even know if Zoro's alive.

One by one the others disappear too. Brook, Usopp, Sanji, Franky, Nami, Chopper, Robin. All gone in bursts of wind and silence. Luffy screams until his voice breaks, sobs until he can't breathe. Clutches his chest with both hands like he can hold something there, keep it from being ripped away, but there's nothing left.

No voices, no laughter. No bond. The crew is gone. Zoro is gone. 

Luffy is alone. For the first time in his life, truly alone.

~*~

Days later he wakes on an island, alone. He screams again, until his throat bleeds. No crew. No Zoro. No soul reaching back. He couldn't protect them, not even one. It's just him now.

And Ace's vivre card keeps burning.

Luffy stumbles through the jungle like a ghost, dazed and feral. A tribe of women finds him and lock him up, at least for a while. They call him a man like it's an insult, look at him like a threat. They don't know him, and they don’t know what he’s lost.

He punches things and fights in their arena. He eats what they feed him. He refuses to cry.

He learns the reason the vivre card is burning. Ace is dying, the World Government is going to execute him.

The crew is gone. Zoro is gone. The bond is silent. But Ace is still alive. Luffy can't sit here and beat himself up over what happened on Sabaody. He has to move.

He couldn't save his crew. Maybe he can still save his brother.

Marineford

He breaks into hell. Fights through blood and poison and death. Reunites with old friends and allies with old enemies. Crawls through fire and ice and madness. Nearly dies, only to find that Ace isn't there anymore.

So his group of misfits sails straight into a war. Luffy is the smallest name on the battlefield. The youngest, the weakest. And still he fights, because his brother is here, and Luffy has lost too much already. No matter how many times he's knocked down, he gets back up. No matter how many monsters rise against him, he bites, screams and punches through them.

He's so close. So close. He can see Ace. 

Then a fist of magma is aimed straight at him. It tears a gaping hole through Ace's chest. Blood splatters on Luffy's face. Ace's final words, burned into his heart like fire: "Thank you for loving me."

Luffy falls. His world shatters. He cries until the sound becomes nothing, until even the pain fades. Eventually his body gives out under the weight of it all.

His crew is gone.

The bond got severed.

His brother is dead.

Luffy falls into darkness.

Amazon Lily

Luffy sleeps a lot now, but it's not rest. It's exhaustion.

He sinks into the hammock they gave him and drifts under like he's drowning, until the nightmares drag him back up, gasping, chest aching like it's been punched hollow.

Sometimes it's Ace dying in his arms again. Smoke, fire, heat, thank you for loving me. He wakes up clawing at the space over his heart. Sometimes it's Zoro. Same position, same hole through the chest. Same final breath. Luffy wakes up shaking so hard the whole hammock swings.

The others on the island try to care for him. Jimbei watches quietly. Hancock offers food, comfort, her entire island. Luffy barely hears her.

He misses his crew. Gods, he misses them. Sanji's food, the smell and the warmth of it. He always complained while making it exactly how Luffy liked it anyway. Chopper fussing over bandages like a mother hen. Robin's calm voice, because she understood even when Luffy didn't. Nami reading the wind like she's part of it. Usopp's stories. Franky's optimism. Brook's laughter.

Zoro. Always, Zoro. Luffy used to feel him without thinking, without reaching. Just knew that he was there. Knew what he was feeling or what he wanted to say even before he formed the words.

Luffy sits alone, in the quiet part of the forest, where no one bothers him. And he reaches, pulls open the part of himself that used to be easy, that used to resonate with Zoro's presence, steady and unshakable. Now all he finds is pain, like burned skin. Like scorched nerves. It's something that should never hurt, but now it's biting back at him. He gasps and pulls away. That never happened before, not once. The bond used to carry pain, sure, when one of them was injured, the other knew, but the bond itself was never pain.

It was loyalty. Devotion. Comfort. Love.

Now it's static and scars. The remnants of something torn apart so thoroughly, left in ruins.

He curls up tighter in the hammock that night, hugging his knees to his chest. He dreams again. This time Zoro's standing, whole and smiling. And then Kuma touches him again, and he vanishes. Luffy chokes awake with a strangled sound in his throat and bites down on his lip to keep from screaming.

~*~

"Has anyone come back to Sabaody?" Luffy's voice is quiet.

Rayleigh pauses. "No," he says. "They haven't."

Luffy nods. Doesn't say anything for a long time.

Rayleigh watches him carefully. "That's a good thing."

Luffy doesn't argue, so Rayleigh keeps going. 

"If they had you all would've been crushed again. This time maybe worse."

Luffy nods again, because what is he supposed to say to this? That he already was crushed? That he doesn't know what worse looks like, because it feels like there's nothing left? Instead, he just looks out at the sea and keeps quiet. That night he cries himself to sleep again.

The dreams come in fragments now. Marineford, mostly. Ace dying. Ace screaming. Ace smiling. Sometimes it's Impel Down. The cells. The poison. Sometimes it's Sabaody and the sound of his own voice breaking as Zoro vanishes. And more and more, it's Thriller Bark, but not the version Luffy remembers.

In these dreams, the castle's still broken, still haunted by blood and screams, but mountains rise in the distance and there's baboons for some reason. He runs, sometimes. Always toward something and he's always too late, but he doesn't know for what.

When he wakes, the dreams slip through his fingers like sand. Maybe that's good, he doesn't want to remember too much. He already remembers more than he can carry.

A few days later Rayleigh comes to him. They sit at the edge of the cliffs, where the sea stretches endlessly.

"You're not ready," Rayleigh says.

Luffy doesn't argue.Grips his knees tighter and watches the waves crash below.

"You're strong," Rayleigh continues. "But your strength alone won't save your friends, not in the New World. I have a proposition, though," Rayleigh says. "Two years for you and your crew to train and get stronger. Reunite on Sabaody then, when you're ready."

Luffy doesn't answer right away. His throat aches. His chest feels hollow.

Two years.

Two years without Zoro, without any of them. No laughter, no shared meals, no voices at his back. But if he doesn't do this he might lose them all for good.

He nods, slowly. "Okay," he says. His voice shakes. "Two years."

Rusukaina

Luffy returns to Marineford. The island is quiet now. The war is over, the dead buried, but not forgotten. Luffy stands where it happened. Where Ace died. He bows his head, leaves flowers. Sits in silence. His arm is marked with a coded message to his crew. Two years.

Rayleigh brings him to an island near Amazon Lily to begin his training. Luffy is still injured, still grieving, but he trains like a storm. Every muscle burns, but he doesn't stop. He can't stop, not until he's strong enough to protect everyone. To protect Zoro, like Zoro protected him.

~*~

It's afternoon. Sweat drips into Luffy's eyes and his fists are raw. A giant tiger charges him and he swings back, panting, eyes sharp and focused. And then, without warning, he's overcome with a wave of grief. It crashes into him like a body blow. Luffy stumbles, gasping.

But oddly, as suddenly as it appeared, it's gone again. He blinks in confusion. He hasn't thought of Ace in hours, and yet there's a fading echo in his chest that doesn't really make sense.

That night he dreams of Thriller Bark again, but not quite. It's darker than before. The castle's crumbled further, now flanked by jagged cliffs. The baboons are back, wielding swords. Luffy dreams of fighting them. It's still better than watching Zoro or Ace die over and over again.

Some nights, when he can't sleep, he curls up under the stars and tries to reach through the bond. He pokes at the frayed edge like a cracked tooth. It shocks him every time with white-hot pain that jolts through his chest and brain until he gasps and yanks back like he's been burned. He doesn't try again for days after each attempt.

He thinks about asking Rayleigh what it means. But to actually tell him and explain what it's like to be only half a person? To say I had someone and then our soul got torn apart, and now I can't even feel if he's alright?

No. Luffy can't say that out loud. So he trains. He dreams. He hurts.

~*~

The fire crackles. Meat roasts on a spit, dripping fat into the flames. Luffy's already halfway through a mountain of fruit, sticky juice on his fingers and face. He's starving. He eats like he's making up for weeks of hunger, because he is. The grief dulled his appetite for too long, but now the training burns through everything. He needs food. He wants it too.

He's inhaling a whole mango when he feels a soft tug. It's hesitant, like a knock on a door that hasn't been opened in far too long. Luffy freezes, a piece of watermelon still in his hand. His eyes go wide. Ever so slowly he places a hand over his chest.

"... Zoro?"

The name is a whisper. He reaches out, just as hesitant and holding his breath, afraid to be burned again. But this time he's only met with warmth. Like being pulled into a familiar hug. Like safety. Like home.

He gasps, and then he laughs. A bright, real augh, full of sunlight and relief and joy so sharp it makes his eyes sting.

"Zoro," he says again, louder this time. "You're–" He doesn't finish the sentence, just presses both hands to his chest and reaches again.

He sends everything: happiness, affection, I missed you, I've got you now, Are you okay? The bond hums. It's not fully mended and still weak, but it's there, undeniably. Reforged.

It replies: strength, steadiness, protection. I'm fine. I've got you too.

Luffy cries, but this time it's tears of joy. He bounces on his feet, grinning through tears, startling a flock of birds off a nearby branch. He feels whole again. Not fixed, not done grieving yet. But whole.

Everything clicks back into place now. He will train. He will fight. He will become stronger than anyone who tries to hurt them. In two years, he'll see his crew again. He'll see Zoro.

And no one will break their bond ever again.