Chapter Text
We all are connected to other people through bonds forged in different hearths. Some are platonic, some romantic, and some, perhaps, fluid and flexible enough to transform from one type to the other - while some are so brittle they rapidly crumble to dust in the face of adversity. These are things that everyone almost unconsciously acknowledges, and most of the bonds remain in existence through the shared agreement of the individuals involved - a friendship or a marriage can be terminated easily enough.
It is a grand delusion that a bond between two people is something shared. A mother loves her child, that is true most of the time, but that is a one-way bond, often formed long before the child is born. Eventually, when the child learns to love, a new bond is formed. And so it is with all relationships. Two lovers don't always fall in love simultaneously, two friends can feel for each other with different intensity - and never know that one of them is more invested. In normal circumstances, it is impossible to be truly certain of how another person feels. This is why people need to affirm their relationships not just through deeds, but words as well. You're my friend. You're my brother. I love you. What it comes down to, in the end, is the choice and ability to trust the other person and the willingness to take a risk, even if it opens one to being hurt.
But in all the four seas and beyond, it is known that some rare, extraordinary people are capable of more. A genuine two-way bond. A bond where no words are needed, for feelings flow freely through, unmasked and true. In these, there is no choice involved and the termination of a bond like this comes at the cost of one's life. Often stories of such things are connected to legends and fairy tales more so than actual people - for this ability is so rare one could sail the seas for a lifetime and never meet someone who's personally experienced it. No, most often one hears it whispered amidst gossip of famous figures a regular citizen is unlikely to ever meet - yet seems to know everything about.
"I heard that Sengoku is soulbonded to Garp!" shared enthusiastically at the fish market and answered with, "to Garp? Everybody knows he's bonded to a goat."
As for children, their first introduction to the concept usually comes through tales like The Three Deaths of Princess Yuusui told at bedtime by loving parents who'll sometimes look at each other and think, maybe I, too, could’ve had that, with someone else.
It is the sort of romantic notion many chase after in their youth before, disillusioned, settling for something less. Often that something ends up being not so bad after all, but in the corner of their mind people retain that idea of I could've had more. In this sense, it is perhaps more of a burden to know about such things. And many who are more acquainted with the subject would go as far as to say these bonds are not only a curse upon all humankind but especially the individuals who are capable of forming them. Though such unions are seen by many as true undying love, they leave no room for privacy or free will. Once the bond is formed, it stays. You don't choose it, it chooses you. And though it may give its participants almost supernatural advantages, they are easily overshadowed by the drawbacks. Sure, one will never be alone, will be able to communicate across great distances and will always be able to find their partner - even without a vivre card. Moreover, platonic soulmates, especially, have been known to fight as one, in a way so synchronized as to be nigh unbeatable. But the bond is strange and entrancing, easy to get lost in. The strongest ones are almost like beings of their own, ready to consume, they pull and pull, until the pull of the real world seems but a distant echo and all that matters is you - except you aren't really you anymore and they aren't them, you're both more and less than before, something different and something not meant to be.
Most of this, however, remains a mystery to Luffy for a very long time. He has no interest in romantic tales, at least not the kind concerning princesses, and he has no one who'd tell them to him anyway. He doesn't read books and forgets what little gossip he comes across, happy to live in the moment and dream bigger dreams. He'll learn, later, but like with most truly important things, he learns through living rather than theory, even if the theory could help him understand. He's never been good with things like that, things that require complicated thinking, but with help from others, anything is possible. This, he comes to learn as well.
He grows up watching his brothers move so much faster, so much steadier than him. They're older, had a head start in life - it seems impossible to reach them in skill. Therefore, he's determined to outdo them in willpower if nothing else. They move through life as one, speaking silent words not meant for him, only reluctantly accepting him into their circle.
"You don't belong here," they tell him in the beginning, but the attitude fades and he's grateful because he'd rather they beat him up than leave him alone. It's a fear he always carries along and knows that even in this, he's alone. Ace and Sabo, they have figured out a secret, a way of bringing each other along no matter where they go. Luffy doesn't entirely understand it, even when they try to explain.
"I can hear him inside my head," Ace tells him. "I know when he's hurt or hungry or sad."
"And I," announces Sabo, proud, "know when he has to take a shit!"
This makes Luffy laugh out loud and Ace hit Sabo with a stick hard enough that in the end, it's both Sabo and Ace groaning in shared pain radiating back and forth through the bond.
It's something he wants, too. A more secret desire on par with his wish to become the pirate king. The latter he hollers to the world, proudly and confidently. The former he keeps close to his heart, quiet, where sometimes he thinks he can feel a gentle pull, like he needs to go to the sea, body and soul, and discover its secrets. And see where the pull leads him. For a long time, it's ignorable, more comforting than demanding and he forms bonds of his own with his brothers. Maybe he can't hear their thoughts, but he loves them all the same. To him, the bond they share is only different, not superior, and when they share cups of sake and officially declare themselves brothers, he's content in the knowledge that this three-way bond of theirs is unbreakable.
When he's seventeen, both Ace and Sabo long gone, the pull at his core becomes more demanding. Instead of soothing him to sleep at night - and often in the middle of the day too - it seems to be urging him on and asking, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and come to me!
There's nothing to keep him in Fuusha so he obeys. Using the pull as his guiding star he makes it to Shells Town with Coby in tow. But Luffy only has eyes for Zoro. The name echoes inside his mind and he knows, before he even sees him, that he's found what he's been looking for. If he thought about it, he might find it ironic - the fact that it's at a marine base where he first lays eyes on Zoro. But who'd have time for that when Zoro is right there, tied to a pole yet, somehow, radiating power and determination. Luffy could drink the sight in for hours, though he'd prefer to do it in private. However, the rescue mission proves unexpectedly complicated - Zoro has his pride, and refuses to be deterred by hunger or the threat of death. They end up fighting their way out and Luffy is laughing because he hadn't thought, not really, that one of his dreams would be realized quite so soon. And he couldn't have imagined how good it'd feel either.
He itches to be alone with Zoro, to fully revel in the possibility of them - and finally on their small boat with nothing but the night sky as their ceiling he's able to. He scoots next to Zoro, close enough that their shoulders touch, almost unbalancing the small boat with his eager movement. He cranes his neck, looks up at Zoro and grins, stupidly glad.
Zoro stares down at him, going for stern but only managing a vaguely neutral expression. "It's you, huh?" he observes, acknowledging for the first time that he knows precisely who Luffy is.
Luffy sniggers and throws an arm around Zoro's chest, an alarmed look flashing across his face for a second before he relaxes into the contact.
"Hey, Zoro?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I…" he doesn't know how to explain it, doesn't know if Zoro knows it can be done, even. He settles for, "can I go inside your head?"
And somehow Zoro seems to know, or instinctively guess, that it might indeed be possible. He doesn't question the plausibility of the notion, simply asks, "are you sure you know what you're doing?"
Luffy grins and firmly tells him, "nope!"
"What have I gotten myself into," mumbles Zoro, but inclines his head down so that their foreheads are touching.
Luffy is not sure if it's necessary, the gesture seems almost ritualistic for Zoro, but he basks in the physical contact and pours himself into Zoro's mind - just like that. It's wonder and warmth wrapped in a dose of loss and pain, but over everything else, it's something unique, a whole another person put together in such intricate ways no one could ever perfectly copy them. He doesn't know if there's training for this, only that he doesn't need it even if it exists, because this comes naturally to him. Naturally like fighting, and loving, and doing the right things. Really, it’s like pouring water into a cup except neither of them is the water or the cup, they are simply being poured into each other, being molded into the shape of the other until it’s impossible to say where one of them starts and the other ends.
Out there somewhere is the real world, but it doesn't matter here. Whereas Luffy's own mind has sometimes felt more like a prison than anything, sharing it with Zoro transforms it immediately into a home, a place he can cherish returning to, a place where someone is waiting specifically for him. It's something he doesn't have the right words for and, he thinks, maybe words haven't even been invented for it because in this place they're not needed. He's never been good with them, words. And from Zoro's mind to his he hears, me neither. It's amazing, enough to leave him breathless. Better than meat. Meat? an inquiring thought from Zoro. But he finds his answer before Luffy has a chance to even thread together a reply - Luffy can sense his amused, ah, I see.
He wants to know everything there is to know about Zoro, wants to share everything about himself. He doesn't know how deep into another person he can delve, but he desperately wants to burrow within Zoro and never, ever leave. Zoro senses Luffy's desperation, of course, in this place where they share everything.
We have all the time in the world, a thought he sends Luffy's way, soothing, yet accompanied by a distant melancholy.
Who's Kuina? And Zoro tells him. Kuina, his fierce friend, a sister like Ace and Sabo are Luffy's brothers. A similar shared dream between siblings and best friends.
She was strong. Better than me, Zoro admits, almost proudly, though Luffy senses he'd been bitter about it when Kuina had still been alive.
Wish I could've met her, Luffy thinks, but it's almost like he has met her - he knows her as well as Zoro does, now.
But he doesn't want to just take, and so he shows Zoro Shanks, that's how I got this hat! and Ace and Sabo, they're my brothers!
Your brothers are bonded too? Zoro seems to find this is highly irregular.
Yeah, of course. Apparently this is rare. Luffy feels himself being tugged further in, somewhere beyond conscious thought, just to be met with gentle resistance from Zoro.
We should separate.
Luffy wants to protest but instead asks, why?
It's dangerous to go too deep or to stay for too long.
How do you know?
Doesn't everyone? Zoro inquires patiently.
I don't know how to get out. It's not an excuse but the actual truth. As easy as it had been to enter Zoro's mind leaving doesn't seem like an option at all. There's no clear exit and he's already spread too wide, bits and pieces of his life scattered around and mixed with Zoro's so thoroughly he's not sure what he should bring along if he managed to return to himself. Maybe that thought should be scary but he can't find it in himself to be upset by it - there could be no better place to be trapped in the whole world. There's a small nudge from somewhere - from Zoro, he assumes - and he's dipped back into his own mind with a sudden, bewildering jolt that leaves his limbs shaky.
It takes him a while to realize that he's lying down on the wooden deck, staring up at the sky, having slid there from his original position. He blinks drowsily up, still feeling like he's only halfway back into his own mind. Zoro's hand on his shoulder startles him, but he lets himself be pulled up into a sitting position next to Zoro. It's better that way, and less chilly too, pressed close together. The stars are like beacons in the sky, guiding their way through the vast, dark sea at night - though Luffy is in no hurry to be guided anywhere. The world is out there, but it'll keep. For now, he's content to huddle close to Zoro on their precarious ship bobbing on the gentle waves, surrounded by the humming heat of the bond between them.
When Nami joins, it doesn't take her long to realize what's going on. But she's got a good head on her shoulders and takes it all in stride.
"I've heard of it, of course," she tells them. "But never met anyone with any first-hand experience."
She looks a bit wistful like she's distantly hoping for something fantastic but very unlikely; a hidden treasure of untold riches, perhaps. Luffy doesn't really understand why everyone treats this thing like it's a miracle when in his experience a lot of people are, in fact, capable of it. He tells as much to her, and Zoro's nodding along as if just a while ago he hadn't agreed with Nami.
"It's true," he says. "His brothers have it too."
Nami huffs a disbelieving laugh and aims a hard stare in their direction. "How would you know? Have you actually met them?"
Zoro just slowly shakes his head, less in disagreement and more in exasperation at Nami's ignorance. "He can't lie to me. So if he says it's true, then it's true."
Nami seems to ponder that but doesn't counter it with a comment, accepting that her own knowledge in the matter is lacking, most of it having come from books, which themselves often were second, or even third-hand accounts of the subject.
After that, she shows only marginal interest in the matter, which could either be from genuine lack of interest or respect for their privacy. Whichever it is, Luffy appreciates it. As most topics go, he’s not very good at explaining it especially since this one’s all very new to him as well. Well, both new and not new, a fact that seems to pique her interest when it does come up.
"What do you mean, you've always had it?" She looks genuinely puzzled.
"Well," Luffy corrects himself, "not always, always. But for a long time!" It's not like he's marked the date on the calendar, not like he's ever owned a calendar, but he knows he had been young when it all started. Perhaps just after Sabo left them.
"Didn't you say you just met each other a while ago?" Nami really doesn't seem convinced, as if perhaps Luffy’s sense of time is just so screwed he thinks something like two weeks equals always.
"We did!" Luffy says. "But he was pulling me. That's how I knew where to go." He says it as if it’s obvious that's how things work. How else would you find the person you're meant to be with?
"I was pulling?" Zoro exclaims in an incredulous tone. "It's you who was constantly tugging at my brain, I haven't had a decent night's sleep in years."
"I've never heard of anything like that," Nami says, frowning. "It's supposed to be a traumatic experience. Almost like a lightning strike or something."
"Oh, believe me, it is traumatic," Zoro grumbles from where he's sitting, hugging his swords.
"No, but in all the stories it's always this… dramatic, life-changing moment. But you guys knew before you even met? It's weird."
"Stories are just stories," Zoro says, clearly not interested in the cross-examination. Luffy tends to agree. He doesn't care if it's normal or not because it's just like it's meant to be. Nami gives up and the topic doesn't really come up for a while, although she does seem fond of them and their closeness, her bad temper and violent manner almost always subdued when she as much as catches a glimpse of them together.
With Usopp, they gain a new crew member and an actual ship. It is an important, no, an essential step towards their goals and Luffy beams as they set sail for the next island. His happiness is always catching but especially so to Zoro who can’t avoid getting a dose of whatever Luffy is feeling poured straight into his mind. Left on his own devices, Zoro tends to be the more serious, silent type. Yet now he’s in a great mood, that much is evident. Luffy's hand finds Zoro's bigger, calloused one and holds on. It's a firm grip, grounding and growing more familiar by the day.
Usopp eyes them suspiciously, "you guys are acting seriously strange."
"They're bonded, so get used to it," Nami declares with a sense of finality.
"Bonded? Like true love, soulmates bonded?" His voice rises to a pitch.
"Yeah, that," grunts Zoro, still holding Luffy’s hand and maintaining eye contact with Usopp, challenging him to go on.
"But… you're both guys."
Nami bristles, looking like she's on a warpath or at least about to step on one. "What’s wrong with that?"
"Nothing!" Usopp raises his hands in surrender. "It's just that in the stories it's always some noble hero with their highborn ladylove… and two guys can't, you know…" his sentence dies before the end.
"You," Nami states viciously, "have been listening to the wrong stories."
Zoro isn’t any more amicable. "What is it that two guys can't do, Usopp?"
Luffy follows the discussion with interest. He feels bad for Usopp, being pitted against Nami and Zoro is very far from ideal, after all. But he also knows that there are things Usopp needs to understand and accept as soon as possible or there will be bigger issues later. Usopp seems to be grappling for the best way to express himself in a manner that won’t get him crucified by his new crew.
In a defeated tone he settles for, “have children.”
"Idiot! Soulbonds aren't for making babies, anyone can do that!" Nami says, not letting off even when Usopp's visibly deflated.
"What are soulbonds for?" Luffy wonders out loud, his first contribution to the discussion.
Nami turns to him and opens her mouth, then closes it before settling on an answer. "They're for… important things. Important people. When you meet a bonded person you know they're destined for something big. Something greater than any single person could handle." Her eyes are suddenly alight with wonder as if she's recounting a beloved childhood tale.
Usopp's not the only one who's been listening to shitty stories, Zoro sends towards Luffy, but doesn’t voice his opinion out loud. He doesn't explain it but Luffy knows he doesn't want to ridicule Nami, not after she's taken their side in the argument - something Luffy heartily approves of. And if Usopp's tales still only include princes saving princesses, well, Luffy is sure they’ll find someone who can tell different ones.
Knowing Luffy’s priorities in life it’s a little surprising that it takes them as long as it does to find a cook for their crew. Luffy recognizes this too and while he definitely has a list of vacancies they’ve yet to fulfill – a musician is a must, at least – he’s more than satisfied with how things have gone so far. And after tasting his food, Luffy can fairly say that waiting for Sanji has been worth it, a concession made all the more impactful by his characteristic impatience, which also ensures he counts Sanji as a member of their crew far before the cook himself agrees to join them.
Luffy’s still in the process of cajoling Sanji into leaving Baratie to go with them when he’s distracted by Zoro’s fight with Mihawk. The others are pitching a fit over Nami leaving them but he’s not worried about her. She’d agreed to join and she’s the only navigator he’ll accept so whatever this is, he’ll fix it later. Zoro, on the other hand, is a more immediate concern, even if there’s really nothing he can do but sit and watch. Still, that has to count for something.
Zoro is certain he can answer the challenge and there is no stopping him. This is what he’s been training for ever since he could remember and he is not about to let the chance slip through his fingers. He’s ready, and not afraid. Luffy can feel his determination and excitement like waves crashing all over him and it’s both awe-inspiring and overwhelming. He pulls most of the way back from their mental link in order not to disrupt Zoro’s intense focus.
To achieve anything, you have to take risks, it's a simple truth Luffy's known all his life. And yet, when Mihawk stabs Zoro and then proceeds to cut him across the chest, Luffy feels the sharp sting of regret. Is it not more important to protect your other half? Isn't the risk too much? He presses a hand to his own chest, alight with the ghost of Zoro's pain and thinks, no . But he's not sure he believes it.
In the end, of course, Sanji joins them. The rest of the crew isn’t there to witness it so Luffy conveys the news to Zoro who isn’t surprised in the least.
Are you still hurt? Luffy probes, more in a show of concern than an actual question because he knows the answer is yes, but that Zoro will refuse to admit it.
Nah, I’ll be alright. Despite his recent loss, Zoro is positively radiating good humor. Don’t worry about me. I already said I’d never lose again, not to Mihawk, not to anyone.
He called us a good team, Luffy ponders. He and Zoro are more than a team but nevertheless, he’s glad for the acknowledgment.
You think he knows? That we’re like this… connected?
Who cares!
He lets his happiness coil around Zoro like a snake basking in the warm sun and Zoro answers him with, what are you so damn happy about?
Cause we have a cook now!
Ugh, don't contact me if you're going to think about him, and though there are traces of jealousy and disgust in that sentiment, Luffy can sense it's mostly in good humor. He never would've asked Sanji to join if he thought Zoro was genuinely opposed to the idea.
Now we just need Nami back and we'll be ready for the Grand Line.
Easier said than done, Zoro remarks even though they're both fully confident that they'll succeed.
Once they leave Cocoyashi village, Luffy can finally be content that their crew is whole and ready for new adventures. Sanji, for his part, doesn't seem to care much about him and Zoro - busy being preoccupied with Nami, especially after everything that happened with Arlong. Nami stands the attention begrudgingly. A few times Luffy thinks he catches Sanji looking their way, about to say something, but he always retreats before actually voicing a thing. Luffy would interfere if he thought it was a genuine problem but he doesn't think it is. Sanji and Zoro get along destructively, like a house on fire, and Luffy lets them be.
"He wants to make fun of us," Zoro points out one day when they're lounging on the deck, Sanji serving refreshments and side-eyeing them sitting there, so close to each other there’s not an inch of space between them from shoulder to knee.
"Huh? Why would he make fun of us?" Luffy asks, oblivious.
Zoro looks down at him, pokes around his head for a moment - an almost physical feeling that makes Luffy all jittery, but in the best way possible. "You really have no idea," Zoro concludes in an amused tone.
"What is it, Zoro?" He whines, stretching the last vowel of Zoro's name like it's a rubber band.
"He wants to mock me, for taking it up the ass or something. But he can't because he actually likes you."
Luffy blinks at him innocently, closes his eyes and tries to fish for the meaning in Zoro's mind instead of his words. It's elusive like Zoro is purposefully keeping it from him. He could probably get to it if he tried hard enough, but if Zoro doesn't want to share it now, he'll do it when he's ready. Luffy lets it slip out of his grasp and pouts, wondering if it's worth it to disentangle himself from Zoro's side just to get another snack from Sanji who seems disinclined to approach them when they're like this.
"We'll get to it when we get to it," Zoro says and, while not entirely sure about the specifics of it, Luffy agrees. They'll get to it eventually, whatever it is. For now, it's a mystery.