Chapter Text
The boy was in pain, that much was obvious, but it was just how much pain he was in, that Rayleigh couldn’t begin to fathom. He sighed, rubbing his temples. Shakuyaku finished preparing what would be dinner, though they both knew very little of it would get eaten, if any at all. They said nothing, occasionally picking up on a word or two whispered behind the door to the spare room, which was currently occupied by the two young men- if they were even old enough to call them that- that Rayleigh couldn’t stop thinking about.
He kept turning them over and over in his mind, along with their current situation and how they had gotten there, trying to pick out just one single reason in this whole mess, why this wasn’t all his fault. He knew he was just deluding himself however, he arrived too late when he could've saved them, there was no way around that. He had no excuses, or at least, none worth the eight lives he would have spared, if only he had gotten there in time. If only he had gotten there in time… then he wouldn’t have to watch the life of this poor child fall apart so violently.
The guilt, it seemed, was clearly portrayed on his face.
“It’s not your fault.” Shakky barely whispered, not meeting Rayleigh’s eyes. He almost snapped at her, but he was better than that, no matter how worthless he was.
“None of this should have happened, his-” Rayleigh’s voice caught, and he didn’t bother trying to play it off. “This was never supposed to happen. I could’ve been there in time- I should’ve been there.”
After a moment of silence, Shakky finished preparing the food, setting it down on a large tray. “Do you want to bring it to them or should I?”
Rayleigh stood from his seat at the bar, taking the tray from her with a quiet nod. It was the very least he could do, even if he could never make up for what he had done- or more accurately, hadn’t done. He brought it over to the door of the spare room, but halted when he caught a hint of conversation from inside. He couldn’t make out the exact words, but it broke his heart knowing that the conversations couldn’t last much longer.
Inside that small, hopeless room, stayed the remnants of the Straw Hat Pirates: Monkey D. Luffy, and Roronoa Zoro- or, what was left of him.
To say the least: Zoro was dying.
He had been pierced through the chest by Admiral Kizaru three days back, literally and figuratively crushed under the foot of the Navy, and though it pained Rayleigh beyond imagining to say, Zoro was not going to get better. It was a miracle he had survived this long- likely through sheer willpower alone- and Rayleigh noted just how strong he was. Luffy too, to be able to keep smiling even when friend after friend was murdered before him. Rayleigh knew it was just a mask, but the fact that Luffy wouldn’t let Zoro see his pain before he died, nearly shattered him.
All day, Rayleigh could hear them through the walls, talking. Night after night too, like they had too much to say before their time was up. Luffy never once left Zoro’s side, and would hardly eat unless Zoro did, which didn’t occur often due to his weak state. Rayleigh knew it must have left him hungry, but again, Luffy’s strength astounded him.
This should have never happened to them. Their futures had been so remarkably bright, until the Navy stomped out that light, crushing anyone and everyone the poor captain had left. And after Zoro was gone, Luffy would be utterly alone. No matter how much he tried and tried, Rayleigh could do nothing to help him, and he felt the familiar knife of guilt twist in his chest.
After readying himself, Rayleigh pushed open the door to the terrible scene that threatened to break him everytime he entered that room. Luffy looked up from where he was kneeling next to the bed, the one that held his dying companion. Zoro looked too, but the movement was stiff, and clearly painful.
“I’ve brought you dinner, if either of you are hungry.” Rayleigh whispers, shutting the door behind him. Luffy looked to Zoro, who mumbled a “No, thank you”. Turning back to Rayleigh, Luffy shook his head, an expression on his face that might’ve been a smile had their situation been any different.
“I'm not hungry.” Luffy lied. Rayleigh almost wished that he didn’t notice how much Luffy’s shoulders were trembling.
Rayleigh nodded, but set the tray down on the small table anyway. He picked up the tray from what would have been lunch that afternoon, but the food looked completely untouched. Rayleigh took one last look at the two men, barely older than boys, but he knew they wanted to be alone. Aware that this could very well be the last time he saw one of them alive, he left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. Without a word, he returned to the seat at the bar, sighing quietly and setting the cold tray on the counter in front of him.
Shakky’s Rip-Off Bar had been closed for the past few days while they took care of the ruined rookie pirates, but it wasn’t as if they ever had many customers to begin with. Shakky took the tray, and began putting away the salvageable food, scraping off the excess into the garbage.
It had been eerily quiet between Rayleigh and Shakky as well for the past few days, the married couple having an unspoken agreement to not bother the two pirates for what time they had left. Rayleigh watched his wife clean the tray, then put it away, before she came around the counter to sit next to him at the bar. She lit herself a cigarette and took a long drag, before puffing out a small cloud of smoke.
“What are we going to do with him, you know, afterwards..?” Shakky whispered, breaking the silence.
Rayleigh grimaces, dropping his head. “I didn’t want to think that far ahead yet.”
Shakky watched him for a moment, “You’re taking this harder than I would expect from you.” Rayleigh nodded slowly and Shakky continued, “It’s your captain, isn’t it.”
Rayleigh laughed softly, but his heart wasn’t in it. “Only the spitting image. He was gonna be the one, I could tell. Maybe it was the hat that did it in for me…” He ran his hands down his face. “How could I have let this happen, Shakky? He’s only a child-”
That’s as far as he got before his voice gave out.
Shakky reached over, touching his back gently. “If he really is as strong as you say, then there’s still hope.” She whispered so softly, Rayleigh only faintly heard it.
The hours stretched on tirelessly, though each one seemed to last a lifetime. Eventually, near midnight or later, Rayleigh retreated to his bed, unable to build up the strength to retrieve the dinner tray from the spare room. Shakky had gone hours ago, but she lay awake, silently watching the wall separating her from the spare room, when Rayleigh entered. Their eyes met as he laid down on the bed, trying to calm his restless mind. She gave him a sympathetic smile before turning away again, both pretending to try and fall asleep.
There were only three words whispered that night, but they almost forced Rayleigh to tears. No conversations were heard through the walls again after that.
At some point in the night, he heard the door to the spare room open, then close again shortly after.
Only one man slept that night, as the previously buried sobs racked the whole house. That man would not wake up again.
The funeral was in the morning. They took a ship out to sea, where the burial would take place. The sobs didn’t end, and they shook Rayleigh to the core. The burial at sea itself didn’t last long, but it seemed fuzzy and surreal in the hours afterward.
The other Straw Hats hadn’t gotten a burial. As soon as the struggle was over, what was left of their bodies was dragged off with the Navy, much to Rayleigh’s- and no doubt Luffy’s- dismay.
Upon returning to the shore, Luffy disappeared to the spare room again, but his cries could be heard throughout the whole building. All the tears, all the pain, and every discomfort he had forced down while in Zoro’s presence returned in full force, along with the newfound grief of yet another friend gone. He screamed and kicked and cursed over and over, a never ending stream of desolation and hatred, until he would sink into another fit of empty tears. This cycle never seemed to end, but as much as it hurt Rayleigh listening to it, he wouldn’t leave the boy’s side; Luffy was hurting worse.
While Rayleigh wasn’t in the room with Luffy- he had shut himself in- he resolved to not leave the house, in the case of Luffy emerging from the room. He would not be leaving Luffy alone, not again.
He and Shakky were sitting at the bar again, Shakky with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, and Rayleigh with his hands clasped in front of his face. Though there was no one left to bother, the two had remained rather quiet that day anyway, listening to Luffy’s cries. Shakky was the first to break the silence, standing.
“We can’t go on without a plan.” She said, the strength of her voice startling Rayleigh. For the past few days, no one raised anything more than a whisper, but Shakky’s voice was steady and commanding. “He can stay with us as long as he wants, but after that where will he go? Does he have any family.”
“I don’t know,” Rayleigh admitted. “I doubt he’d be up for telling us at the moment.”
Shakky stood there for a moment, before sighing and sitting back down on her seat, the steadiness of her voice gone as quickly as it came.“I know. I’m sorry, I'm not trying to be impatient.”
Rayleigh nodded, neither of them having to say it out loud. It was the feeling of hopelessness that drove them, the need to feel like they were contributing something, at least. After a moment, Shakky stood once again.
“I’m going to make dinner.” She said, tossing her cigarette and moving to the other side of the counter. Though it was still a bit early, no one bothered preparing breakfast or lunch, though Rayleigh didn’t have much of an appetite. He wondered how hungry Luffy must be, with eating next to nothing in the past few days, not to mention the crying...
Rayleigh looked up towards the spare room, noticing that the seemingly endless onslaught of sobs had stopped. Luffy must have fallen asleep, Rayleigh thought, realizing that along with not eating, he had hardly slept at all either. His heart broke for the boy. It was all just too much.
“He’s asleep.” Shakky said, speaking his thoughts.
Rayleigh nods. “He was up all night.” He didn’t mention that the two of them were also. He didn’t need to, they weren’t important.
After a while, the food was finished. The smell of the fried rice, beef, and boiled beans brought back Rayleigh’s appetite, though he felt guilty at the thought of eating without Luffy. Shakky set aside a rather large serving, saving it for when Luffy wakes up, presumably. She served him a plate as well, then got some of her own, coming around to sit with him at the bar.
“Thank you.” He said, pulling his plate towards him. Shakky opened her mouth to reply, but closed it as they heard the door creak open behind them.
Luffy stepped out, his face downcast and streaked. He walked over to the bar, sitting next to Rayleigh. The sight of him reminded Rayleigh of how very real the recent events were, as if he could ever forget.
Surprised, Shakky pushed Luffy’s portion towards him. “Here you go, kid. I’m betting you’re hungry.”
Luffy took the food without a word, and the three of them began to eat. Rayleigh knew they were going to need their strength for what would come next, before silently questioning himself.
What would happen next?