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The ringing in his ears was intense. It quaked through his head in violent ripples. A furrow in his eyebrows made his eyes pinch further shut as he tried to block out the obnoxious sound. Even though his body felt weighted and unresponsive, it also felt as if he were floating in some mysterious darkness. It was almost like he was detached from reality.
What was reality anyway?
Kid was just an ordinary young man with a casual job. Every morning, he would wake up, get dressed and drive to his workplace and earn a steady amount of money that would sustain him. It wasn’t a very interesting life but it was enough. There were no struggles, no difficulties, no danger...
Blaring through the stillness in his mind was a loud horn. It crashed into Kid so bluntly that his whole body shook. His head lurched at the motion and white flashed across his vision.
Finally, his eyes snapped open.
Even though the quaking ringing was still present in his ears, Kid paid little attention to it. His gaze was trembling across the wreckage of his car. The windscreen was cracked and shattered. The front of his vehicle was crumbled and destroyed. There was an airbag in front of him that was splattered with red.
Right, he remembered what happened.
It was any other morning. Kid was on his way to work when one mad lorry driver sped through a red light. At the wrong place at the wrong time, he became a victim of an unfortunate accident. Though he was relieved to find that he was still alive, Kid couldn’t help but feel a hint of rage at the person who brought about the situation.
Turning to regard the driver who had crashed into the left side of his car, Kid was about to assess the other’s condition when he noticed how much of the lorry was intruding into his space. The driver’s seat was much more cramped than he remembered as the door was punched inward and pressed against his side. Claustrophobia crept up his throat and Kid instinctively leant away to give himself some room to breathe, but he couldn’t move. With an overdue sense of panicked urgency, Kid tried to tug himself free.
But perhaps, that was a mistake.
With a rather vicious yank away from where he was trapped, tearing pain erupted from his arm. A cry left Kid before he seethed through gritted teeth. His attention snapped to the source of such white hot agony, and what he found was his left limb, drenched in thick red. It took a moment to register that it was his own limb stuck between the crumpled bodies of two vehicles, unresponsive and barely felt attached.
The thought made Kid’s entire body tense. A sharp breath was sucked in before his eyes widened as a sudden rush of foreign images flashed across his mind’s eyes. A world of islands, a perilous journey, a single clear goal, a ship under his command, a crew of reliable nakama, a desire to crush the enemy, an exciting rivalry, and a certain man in his arms... No, those weren’t foreign images at all. Those were, in fact, Kid’s own memories.
Having a lifetime worth of thoughts, feelings and experiences poured into him so unexpectedly, it was no surprise that Kid felt faint. His free hand moved to cover his forehead and eyes because if he didn’t, he felt like his head would explode. A part of him was questioning what he was seeing but the rest of him was not only accepting of the events of his past life, but absolutely certain that it was no lie or hallucination.
It was the truth. It was a past reality. And by losing his arm, he remembered everything.
With a gasp, Kid snapped open his eyes and bolted up into a sitting position. The person beside him startled at the sudden movement but Kid didn’t quite register the other as a spark of pain was felt from his left side. Instinctively, he reached to grip the place where it hurt but what he found, or more accurately, what he didn’t find was his left arm.
Right, he remembered what happened.
A deep exhale left Kid as his shoulders slumped at the new reality.
“Kid...?”
The call of his name from a familiar voice, Kid turned to his close friend of many years in both his current life and past life.
“Killer,” Kid responded, finally registering that he was at the hospital.
A sigh of relief left his friend. “I’m so glad you’re awake. You’ve been unconscious for three days.”
Dragging a hand over his face, Kid huffed a weak laugh. With everything that he remembered, three days was hugely less than the entire lifetime he felt like he had relived. At that thought, Kid whipped up his head and turned to his blond friend.
“That’s right!” Kid exclaimed. “Killer, I remember. I remember everything about our past lives!”
The reaction he received, however, was that of hesitant confusion. “Kid... What are you talking about?”
“What...?” Kid repeated in equal confusion.
“Are you okay? Do you want me to call someone?” Killer worried, raising slightly to his feet to check on him.
“Wh-What? No!” A bewildered laugh escaped Kid. “I’m fine.”
Another breath of relief left Killer before he sat back down on his chair. Kid, however, didn’t share the same feeling. In fact, he was quite agitated over his friend’s reaction.
“You must be tired,” Killer reasoned. “Why don’t you try and get some more rest? I’ll let the doctor know that you woke up for a bit.”
Before Killer could get to his feet, Kid reached out and grabbed his friend by the wrist. It wasn’t rest that he wanted. It was an answer. “Killer, don’t you...” Kid began, wetting his lips with his tongue as he felt anxiety creep up his spine. “Don’t you remember... the One Piece?”
“One piece?” Killer repeated, making Kid look at him hopefully. But that hope was quickly doused by what he said next. “One piece of what?”
The grip on his friend instantly loosened. Kid retracted his hand and stared at his lap. Killer wasn’t the type of person to play dumb, especially when talking about the ultimate goal of their past lives. His response proved to Kid that Killer didn’t remember their days as pirates. Perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised since he only remembered after losing his arm, an incident that paralleled with his previous life. Still, there was a hint of loneliness that was settling in the pit of his heart.
In that moment, the door to his patient room opened. Kid was still distracted by what he had learnt that he didn’t immediately look up. That was until he heard a painfully familiar voice.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
His heart skipped a beat. Eyes widened in recognition. And Kid couldn’t have snapped his head up faster.
Casually approaching his bed was a lean man in a doctor’s lab coat. One hand was holding a clipboard while the other was in his pocket. The usual white spotted hat was atop short dark hair, and his features were identical to how Kid remembered. He couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Trafalgar...?”
Upon hearing his name, one of Law’s eyebrows raised. Kid expected a smirk to follow but it didn’t come. Instead, Kid received a small smile which used to be so rare. The complicated feeling that swirled inside Kid almost made him look away, but at the same time, he didn’t want to take his eyes off the other.
“How are you feeling, Eustass-ya?”
The nickname lit a small spark of hope inside Kid. “You... You know who I am?”
“I’m the one who treated you.” Law responded matter-of-factly. “Of course, I know who you are.”
“No, I mean...” Kid tried but he stopped himself. “Never mind.”
For a short moment, Law just watched Kid before he turned his attention to his clipboard. Even though it was just a brief pause, it made Kid feel nervous under the other’s gaze. There was a conflict between his past and present self. For the former, Law was a man with whom he shared a history and relationship, but for the latter, they had only just met. The contradiction of a reunion and a first meeting was confusing and it made Kid unsure of how to act in front of the other.
“Eustass-ya?”
“Y-Yes?!” Kid perked up at the call of his name.
“What’s wrong?” Law questioned, eyebrows furrowing in concern. “Are you feeling unwell?”
“N-No, I’m fine.” Kid sighed at how pathetic he must appear.
A half curious, half unconvinced hum left Law before he flicked through the paperwork attached to his clipboard. “Then, how about you answer a few questions for me?”
Having no reason to refuse, Kid listened and responded accordingly. Even though the exchange between them was normal between a doctor and a patient, Kid couldn’t help but feel like it was stiff and unnatural. The more they interacted, the more he was convinced that Law had no memories of their past lives either and that made Kid’s shoulders slump in dejection.
“Well, that’s everything then.” Law concluded, reviewing the paperwork.
A sigh left Kid as the complicated feeling in his chest persisted.
“Eustass-ya,” Law called for Kid’s attention. “Do you have any questions while I’m here?”
Pursing his lips together, Kid looked up at the Law as he considered asking what he wanted to know. He was afraid though. If the other didn’t remember his past life like Killer, Kid wouldn’t know what to do. The pain of knowing that Law knew nothing of their past relationship would probably be enough to break his heart. But on the very slim chance that Law remembered, or maybe Kid could even trigger his memories, then maybe, just maybe, they could recreate what they once had.
“Trafalgar...” Kid began, his lips trembling slightly. “Do you...” Gritting his teeth, Kid forced himself to ask the question. “Do you know what the One Piece is?”
The way Law paused while in the process of turning over a piece of paper gave Kid a glimpse of hope. Turning to the patient, the doctor had a neutral expression on his face. Kid held his breath as he waited for the other’s response.
“I don’t,” Law replied. “What is it?”
Kid opened his mouth to insist that Law thought harder about it. Having been such an important goal of their journey, there was no way that he wouldn’t remember. But his voice was stuck in his throat. No words came out and Kid felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.
“Never mind,” Kid dismissed. “It’s nothing.”
The previous sense of loneliness that he felt returned at full force and Kid felt his chest tighten uncomfortably. He wanted to cry. In this life, he and Law were simply patient and doctor. There was no deeper relationship between them. Though it was hard to swallow, Kid had to accept it. His heart ached painfully. If this was how he was going to feel after getting back his memories of being a pirate then he would have preferred that he never remembered.
“I’ll come and check on you again tomorrow,” Law informed. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call one of the nurses.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Killer bowed politely on behalf of Kid.
In response, Law only waved dismissively before turning to leave.
Looking up, Kid watched the other walk away. It stirred something uncomfortable in his chest and he so desperately wanted to reach out. He wanted to hold Law and make sure that he truly didn’t have any idea about their past but the fear of being rejected again stopped him. He didn’t think he could take another blow when his heart was already so delicate.
When Law had his hand on the door handle, Kid told himself that after the doctor left the room, he would focus on his current life again. He would put the past behind him and not allow it to influence the present. No matter how much he wanted to re-establish a relationship he once had, it would be meaningless if he forced it.
Just before Kid’s resolve became concrete, Law looked back at him. One foot was about to step over the threshold of the doorway but he still turned to regard the patient one last time. Kid’s determination almost faltered and his heart lurched at the urge to call Law back. But he didn’t because the doctor disappeared around the corner not a second later.
Dropping his head into his hand, Kid breathed out heavily as he tried to wipe the tears that his heart was shedding.
His stay at the hospital lasted some days and during that time, Kid quietly enjoyed every moment that he got to spend with Law. Conversations were friendly, the atmosphere was comfortable but Kid made sure to hold the other at arm’s length. While Law looked no different from how Kid remembered him, there were many aspects which contrasted. In this life, Law was much tamer. There were no cheeky remarks, or foul language. Though he still looked like he hadn’t slept in days, his expression wasn’t constantly pulled into a frown. The air of professionalism was admirable and Kid could easily imagine that he was doing well as a doctor. Still, he would be lying if he said that he didn’t miss the Law from his memories. After all, it was that pride and snarky attitude that he fell in love with in the first place.
Pushing aside his thoughts, Kid put on his best smile as he held out a hand to the doctor. “Thanks for everything, Trafalgar.”
The gesture seemed to have caught Law off guard for a moment as he looked between the offered hand and Kid. After a moment, he huffed a laugh before sharing a hand shake. “I’m only doing my job.”
The size and shape of his hand was the same and Kid couldn’t help but smile brightly. “Well, you’re doing a great one!” He responded, retracting his hand but remembering the feeling of the brief contact.
At the comment, Law rolled his eyes. A small smile pulled at the corner of his lips before he turned to the side and pulled down the brim of his hat in an attempt to hide his face. It was the closest reaction to his past self and it made Kid’s heart flutter. Even if he didn’t remember his previous life and their past relationship, Kid made a silent promise that Law would forever have a special place in his heart.
With that thought in mind, Kid took a breath in and announced his leave. “I’ll be on my way then.” Swiftly and with determination, he turned on his heels and waved casually over his head. “Thanks again, Trafalgar!” He said, making his way out of the hospital without looking back.
Even though it wasn’t clear whether they would meet again, Kid told himself that whether it was in their past lives or present lives, they each had their paths to walk. Forward was the only direction he had ever taken, and nothing would make him look back. Not even if the man he loved in the past and perhaps, newly fell in love with again was standing only a short distance behind him. He couldn’t look back because if he did, his resolve would crumble.
“Take care of yourself, Eustass ‘Captain’ Kid.”
His heart lurched. Eyes widened as he felt short of breath. Even though he told himself not to, Kid couldn’t stop himself from whipping around to regard the man whose voice was carried to his ear by the wind. But what he saw was the doctor’s retreating back as he slowly disappeared further into the hospital.
Whether it was his mind playing a cruel trick on him, or his ears were extraordinarily sharp, he didn’t know. All Kid knew for certain was that he had looked back. His resolve was no more. And he was left with the choice of chasing after the man he loved, with or without his memories of their past together.