Archive of Our Own

In the end, the world got rid of its pest before they were able to do it themselves.

It started with an announcement on TV. Three brothers were hanging around the living room, not really paying attention.

“We are now receiving latest news about-”

“Luffy give that back!”

“Aah! Sabo, Ace is chasing me!” The boy was running in circles around the room while holding a sandwich in his hand. Somehow, he was able to eat it as he ran.

“Sorry, Lu, I’m afraid I can’t help you there.” The blond young man was casually sitting on a beaten-up couch. The couch looked like it  had gone through hell and back, being full of scratches, unknown-precedence stains and even some missing fabric.

“Meanie!”

“So it is advised to be careful and remain home-”

“Ha! I got you!” The freckled man said as he grabbed Luffy by his waist, immobilizing his arms and stealing the sandwich from his hands. Quickly, he shoved what was left of the sandwich into his own mouth.

“Hey I wanted that!”

“Cry about it, it was mine!”

“Some of the symptoms include-”

“Alright, alright! Stop fighting already-” Sabo screamed at them, exasperated. “If you really are that hungry, let’s just go to your friend’s place. Sanji, was it?”

“Yes! Let’s go!” Lufy cried out, excited.

The three brothers left, accidentally forgetting to turn off the TV on their way out.

“The military will take care of the infected already roaming the streets, please remain calm-”

The streets were empty. The brothers lived in a fairly-populated city, so even at its calmest, it was common for people to be walking around. The three of them continue walking, unbothered by the empty, echoing, streets. They were in their own world, one where they only needed each other.

Their chatter filled the silence. As they walked, people would close their windows and completely barricade themselves inside their own homes. Not even animals could be seen. They eventually made it to the restaurant they were looking for, the one where Luffy’s friend worked. It was a family business, apparently, and Sanji hoped to one day become one of the cooks.

The restaurant was closed.

“Aw, what? Why is it closed…?” Luffy complained loudly. As he pouted, he spotted his friend coming out from an alley. He had probably left the restaurant building through a back door. “Sanji is there! Oi, Sanji!”

At the call of his name, Sanji finally noticed them. He looked horrified for a second, before running to join them.

“Idiots, what are you doing here?!” He asked. Luffy turned his head to the side, confused, why was Sanji mad?

“Well, we were hungry!”

“I know that but-” He cut himself off with a sigh. “Haven’t you heard the news? We are not supposed to be outside.”

Sabo at least had the decency to appear bashful for whatever news they had missed. “I must say, we weren’t paying much attention to the news earlier. What's up? Why can’t we be outside?”

“Because of the-”

He didn’t get to finish speaking. Suddenly, the door of a building close to them fell to the ground, or rather, was torn off its hinges and thrown.

“Shit!” Sanji exclaimed, immediately grabbing Luffy by his arm and running in the direction of their house. He trusted that his siblings would follow, if not for themselves then because they wouldn’t let Luffy get out of their sight.

As they ran away, Ace took the chance to look behind them. Something, no, someone was chasing after them, but they didn’t look… right . The color of their skin looked gray, and in some parts their body even seemed to be falling off, to be rotting . The person ran like they didn’t care what was in front of them, even tripping once or twice only to continue chasing them without a second thought. Weird balls of flesh had grown on the person’s limbs, they looked white, as if they were full of pus. The most terrifying thing though, Ace thought, was their face. Their mouth was hanging open and it was easy to see a mixture of yellow and black, falling apart, teeth. In fact, it didn’t look like they could close their mouth at all. Their tongue had been bitten through, and the flesh of the cheeks was teared apart as if it had been desperately clawed at. The eyes of the person were bloodshot and unseeing while a thick, black, liquid spilled from them, as well as from the person’s nose and ears. Chunks of hair were missing from their head, and if Ace looked closely he could see some of them stuck and tangled in their chaser’s fingers like they had ripped their own hair out. Even their nails were deteriorated, some completely missing while others were yellow, hanging on by a thread of skin. Feeling sick, Ace forced himself to look ahead and focus on running.

They didn’t live far away, luckily, and once they made it to the building Sanji ushered everyone inside quickly. They closed the door on their chaser’s face, and moved away from it when they started to beat it. They were using all their strength, not caring for the damage to their own body. Gruesome cracks could be heard, as the person broke their own bones trying to take down the door. Even as their arms lost shape and became nothing but useless bags of meat, the person did not give up. Once their arms were useless they used their legs, then their own head. They would hit, hit, hit , until the same black liquid previously only spilling from their eyes, nose and ears now making a pool under them.

It was then, now that they were close enough, that they were able to feel the horrid odor. Not even the door could keep it away. It smelled like spoiled milk, like rotten trash. Tears pricked at their eyes and bile raised in their throats. It smelled dead . 

They all ran to the brothers’ department as fast as they could, the sound of the door being thrashed in the background still. They were too shaken up to make any sort of comment, they just had to get away. It was only when they found themselves in the safety of their home that the oldest sibling finally spoke up.

“The fuck was that about?” He took deep breaths as he talked, both because he was agitated after being made to run away so suddenly, but also to force himself to calm down after what he had seen. The smell , he couldn’t forget the smell.

“That.” Sanji stressed the word. “That is the reason you shouldn't have gone out today” Behind them, the TV was still on, repeating over and over again the same message:

“... the infected are characterized for being violent, however do keep in mind that the first symptoms of the disease are similar to a cold, so if you or anyone you know shows this symptoms-”

Apparently, that was Nature’s latest attempt to get rid of the human race. The sickness didn’t seem to affect animals, although it was confirmed that they could carry it. No, it only affected humans. It spread around like a cold, via coughing, but one could also be infected by other means, such as eating the body of an animal-carry, and the exchange of blood and saliva. The worst news by far were, though, that a vaccine had not been discovered yet, so everyone was stuck inside their homes for the foreseeable future. No leaving of any kind was allowed, not even for food. The military would distribute supplies instead, and anyone seen on the outside would be considered an infected threat.

After they learned everything there was to learn from the TV announcement, Sabo finally turned it off. They sat in silence for a while, not really knowing what to do next.

“Why did this all explode at once today? Shouldn't we have heard about  a disease like this before it got this bad?” Sabo questioned, as always the first to point out the inefficiencies and overlooks characteristic of those in power.

“Who knows, really.” Is all Sanji said in reply, exhausted now that the adrenaline has died down.

More silence followed, until Luffy, who had been uncharacteristically quiet for a while now, finally broke the ice.

“... the TV guy mentioned the military, does that mean Gramps knew? Why didn’t he tell us?” His voice was soft, it always was when talking about Garp. Their relationship had soured after Luffy had rejected both joining the military and going to college, but even though his brothers were the people that mainly took care of him growing up, he couldn’t help but to care for the old man.

“I don’t know Luff, I don’t know.” Ace put one of his arms around his youngest brother’s shoulders, squeezing him into a side hug. He had complicated feelings about his grandfather as well, all three of them did, but that didn’t stop him from being worried over the old man’s life. The military were the only people allowed to roam the streets. Their objective was to ‘take care of’ the infected, as well to distribute supplies, which meant they were the ones mostly facing the danger. “Maybe we should call him? See if the old man hasn’t kicked the bucket yet.”

Luffy smiled at him then, the sunniness only a bit subdued by the worry he still carried, but seeing it was enough to put Ace at ease. Maybe everything will be alright, in the end.

“Yeah! Let’s do it.”

Sabo got up to grab his cellphone, since Luffy’s was so beaten up it was almost unusable and Ace had forgotten to change his. Sanji excused himself to another room, feeling this was a moment that shouldn't be intruded on. Sabo put the call on speaker, and the three of them waited anxiously as the call connected until the distinct sound of the call being picked up was heard. No side dared to speak first, so Luffy took matters into his own hands once again.

“Gramps? Are you going to be fine?” He didn’t bother to mention what he was talking about, if what the TV guy said was true, then Gramps should know already.

“... Boys, do not leave the house. Promise me that you won’t.”

“Old man, we just asked you a question-” Ace snapped, but was immediately interrupted.

“Promise me! Promise me that you won’t leave, please…” His voice cracked, it was the most emotion they had heard from him in a long time.

“... how bad are things out there?” Sabo asked. “And don’t lie.”

“It doesn’t matter because you will not be going out anyways.” Ah, there was the old man they knew. His voice was back to the rough, unquestionable tone they were used to. “Listen, I will make sure to personally get food to your building if I have to but do not go out, do you three understand me?”

“Shut up old man! I asked you a question!”

“I will be…” A sigh could be heard from the other side of the line. “I will be fine, Luffy… and don’t call me an old man! I’m your Grandpa. Grand-pa!”

The conversation derailed after that, in the end, no promise was made.

Sanji ended up staying with them for the time being, it being too late for him to return to his own house, especially with the infected that chased them probably still hanging around the building. He called his dad while the brothers talked with their grandfather, and let him know of his whereabouts before the old man and the other cooks went insane.

It was manageable, at first. Some overworked employee of the military called Sabo’s number, asked him to confirm his residence and to clarify how many people were living with him at the moment. Taking this information into account, the military would prepare the supplies accordingly, including food and a first-auxiliary kit. Water was not included since they hadn’t lost access to it yet, hopefully it would never happen. Supplies would be delivered once a week, but not always on the same day, so they had to make do.

In that sense, having Sanji with them became really useful. Out of the three of them, Sabo was the only one capable of cooking something decent. Luffy would light the kitchen on fire and Ace tended to fall asleep while cooking, so having Sanji take over the task was a life-saver. On the other hand, he also made sure to somehow stretch the supplies as much as possible while also making enough food so that no one went hungry. Especially a certain gluton. 

It was boring, but they were alive. They got in contact with the rest of their friend group during these days as well. Zoro had been sleeping in his home during the first announcement, so he didn’t get infected finding his way back. Nami was with her sister, and Usopp was staying with his friend, Kaya. The brothers even kept up communication with their grandfather once in a while. Everything was going well, until it wasn’t anymore.

The first thing to leave was gas. Sanji was the one that noticed, as he went to use the stove and couldn’t. He had to work all meals around that problem, not able to cook anything that needed heat anymore.

The second thing to leave was water. Sabo was taking a shower when it happened, and the others quickly confirmed that there was no water in the whole building. They called Garp again then, and made it known to him that they were going to need water bottles to be included with the supplies.

The third thing to leave was electricity. Ace was watching the repeat of an old show when suddenly all lights went out. Electricity had been cut in and outside of their building, in a range including several entire blocks. They couldn’t use their phones as often after that, needing to save the battery should anything happen. One of them always had their phone on, but the others had to keep them off.

The four and final thing to leave were the supplies themselves. It started small, with supplies taking longer and longer to be dispatched, with the rations getting smaller, with the lack of food, with the lack of water. Eventually, supplies were not delivered at all. Sanji was especially bothered by this, as he had no choice but to let his friends go hungry for a few days just so they could stretch their reserves longer. Ace and Sabo would constantly give up their food to Luffy, who the starvation hit even harder, but sometimes, no matter how hungry he was, he would reject the offer, telling his brothers that they had to eat, that he would be fine.

It became unmanageable in no time, and Garp was no longer answering their calls.

They had grown skinny, their hair was matted and dirty, and so were the rest of their bodies. Their smell could rival that of the infected roaming the streets, maybe if you put them side to side, the only difference between them and the infected was that one party was dead, and the other was on their way there.

The situation finally boiled over when they received a call. They were lying on the ground, tired, having had their last sip of water yesterday and a meal days before that. The sound of the call startled all of them awake. Sanji, whose phone was the one that received the call, suddenly let out a loud gasp, his body too tired to do any other sort of exclamation.

“It’s Nami!” He croaked, his throat being completely dry and scratchy. His words however managed to get Luffy’s attention.

“Nami?! Did something happen to her?!” He was worried, rightfully so, having last heard of her weeks ago. Luffy was barely capable of keeping himself awake because of the starvation, but knowing Nami might need him kept him going.

Instead of responding to Luffy, Sanji answered the call and put it on speaker.

“Guys-- Nojiko, she-- the infected, I think-- scared-- help m-”

The call was harshly cut. The room was quiet. Nami’s call was full of static, with only some words barely making it through. There was one thing Luffy noticed, though, her voice trembled like she was crying and Nami was scared. He stood up, even though his limbs were shaking and his stomach rumbled, he stood up, Nami needed help.

“We’re finding her.”

There wasn’t any room for discussion after that. What were they going to do if they stayed anyways? If they wanted to keep on living at all, they needed to go out.

After leaving the safety of their apartment, they were met with the daunting silence of the corridors, where not even a breath could be heard. Were their neighbors even alive, or had they died out from starvation yet? As they made their way to the main exit, they came across some empty departments that they were sure used to have people living in them, perhaps they, too, decided to try out their chances on the outside as well. By the front door they found the remains of the infected that had chased them that first fateful day, they didn’t seem to be active anymore, but they didn’t want to risk it. They opened the beaten up door carefully and walked around the corpse, the smell hit them all on the face at once, it was just like, maybe worse, than they remembered.

Finally outside, their first destination wasn’t Nami, surprisingly, but Usopp, and there was a simple reason for it: they needed the Merry. The Merry was an old cargo van that Usopp was able to buy after saving months of his part-time job salary. It was old and rusted, but Usopp made it into his pet project. He painted it, repaired it, and personalized it, then, as a joke, Kaya named it after one of her caretakers, but Usopp loved her enough to keep the name.

Luffy called him, through Sanji’s phone, to let him know they were coming.

“Usopp, we are going to save Nami.”

“Luffy? What are you talking about, and why does it sound like you’re outside?!”

“We need the Merry.”

“What? But, wait. Explain this to me first. Saving Nami? What’s wrong?”

“She is in danger and scared, we are saving her.”

“In danger? Luffy no, no! What if the infected got her? Maybe she is infected too! It’s scary, you’re going to die! What do your brothers think about this, and where is Sanji?!”

“I don’t care. Ace, Sabo and Sanji are coming with me.”

“Luffy this is insane- you are gonna get yourself killed. Is it food? I’m sure if all you want is food I can share something with you-”

“Usopp.” Luffy cut him off, they were getting closer to Kaya’s mansion, although they took a bit longer since they had to evade the military men marching around. It made Luffy think of Garp, where was he? “Nami could be or could not be infected. I don’t care, she called for help so I’m going. I need the Merry, you can stay with Kaya if you don’t want to come with.”

“...” Silence followed. “Fine.” And the call ended.

When they arrived, Usopp was waiting outside for them, alongside the Merry.

“I’m coming with you.” He said, not really looking at any of them in the eyes. “Out of the four of you, I’d only trust Sabo, and maybe Sanji, to drive the Merry, but I would rather do it myself.” Usopp didn’t look as malnourished as the others, probably because Kaya’s mansion had way more food on reserves than they could even think of, so when he finally looked at them, he grimaced when he saw the state they were in. “... Nami isn’t the only reason you’re going out, is it?”

“She’s the main one.” Luffy shrugged in response. He jumped and tackled Usopp into a hug, Luffy’s hair was sweaty, and he smelled, but Usopp didn’t make him let go. The hug wasn’t near as strong as he was used to, so he squeezed Luffy tighter to make up for it. He missed his best friend, even though he liked to do crazy stuff like leaving the safety of home in the middle of the apocalypse. “But we were starving, so we would have had to leave eventually anyway.”

One by one they entered the van. There were some boxes in the back, food and water supplies Sanji noticed. Luffy wanted to call shotgun but was rejected, sent to the back of the van to sulk as Sabo took the seat instead. When Usopp was about to close the driver's door, one of Kaya’s caretakers approached. Merry, the one who the van was named after.

“You realize that after leaving you can’t come back for the sake of Kaya’s health, do you?” He asked Usopp.

“... Yes.” He replied. “But my friends need me. I’m sorry, I can’t stay here.”

“Kaya will be sad.”

“I know. Tell her that I’ll miss her.”

“... Very well, if that is your choice.”

Usopp closed the diver’s door, and with a last longing look towards Kaya’s window, he drove the van away from the mansion.

Their next stop was yet again not Nami, but Zoro. Why? Well, they needed all the help they could get to save her since most of them were malnourished, dehydrated, and tired. Luckily, convincing him took a lot less time than Usopp.

“Zoro we are outside, we are going to save Nami.” Luffy declared over the phone.

“Alright. I would have starved to death if I stayed here anyway. If you’re going out then I’m going too.” By the time they arrived Zoro was already waiting for them and got inside the van without a complaint.

The closer they got to Nami’s house, the more military people they had to evade. It didn’t paint a nice picture of how Nami could be doing. They had to ditch the Merry and continue on foot to not be found out, but Usopp stayed behind so that when they came back, they would be able to leave immediately.

Luffy continued to call Nami, hoping she’d pick up. Eventually, she did.

“Nami? We are going to pick you up. How are you?”

“The military are- the military are in the house, Lu.” Her voice was shaking. It sounded like she was hiding in someplace small, the only other sound the phone could pick up being her breath. “They are going to find me, they are going to kill me. Don’t come here, you’ll die too.”

“Shut up, I’m going. Why would they kill you?”

“A bunch of infected surrounded our house. They broke the windows and got in. I was too slow, I couldn't save her. It’s too late now, too late-” Her breath got faster, she sounded like she was choking on her tears. “They got her Lu, they got Nojiko. And I couldn't help her like the useless piece of-”

“We are going to save you Nami, where are you?”

“Don’t do it, I’m sorry I called you earlier. The military will find me and think I’m infected too. Just leave me here.”

“I said we are not going to leave! Where are you Nami?” Luffy got shushed for raising his voice, but he didn’t bulge. “Nojiko didn’t save you just so you could die here, where are you?”

Sobbing was all that could be heard from the other side of the line, they were almost there.

“I’m hidden under a false floor, I- I think I can get out from the back of the house.”

“Do that then, we’ll help you.”

They ended the call once they were close enough. From where they were, they could see the military people grouping up together near the front of Nami’s house. Some of them were dragging the corpses of inactive infected out of it, abandoning them on the streets. From the pile, the group could recognize familiar dyed-blue hair. They looked away.

They hid inside an abandoned building near the back of Nami’s house, where a small garden was present. The garden had a variety of flowers, but its main attraction were the tangerine trees. They used to belong to Nojiko’s and Nami’s mother, and they had continued taking care of them even after she passed. Now, though, the garden was in a sorry state, the flowers had been walked over without a second thought, the grass had been dirtied by the black blood of the infected, and the tangerine trees had been cruelly torn down into nothing.

From the building they were hiding in, the group was barely able to see the floor of the porch lift up, showing Nami getting out of the hole. She looked around, making sure no one was near, and crawled to the garden as fast as she could. Sanji made some movements with his arms, trying to show her where they were. Nami stood up when she noticed them and ran in their direction.

“You over there! Stop running!” The rough voice of a military man was heard. Shit.

Nami ran in a ziczac motion, desperately trying to avoid the bullets threatening to kill her. She joined the group in the abandoned building, but there was no time for tearful reunions.

Luffy took Nami by her hand and they started running with all their strength. Luffy and Nami were in the middle, with Sabo and Sanji in front of them while Ace and Zoro were behind them. They all cheered when the van was on sight. Usopp having left the back open for easy access. They all clambered inside together.

“Go, go, go, go!”

Usopp stepped on the accelerator without waiting on them to close the door. Ace and Zoro managed to close it once they were already driving away at full speed. Gunshots could be heard, the military men were chasing them.

“We need to lose them!” Exclaimed Ace while looking through the window and flipping off the military vehicle following them.

“I’m on it!” Usopp turned in different corners, speeding down the streets at the van’s full capacity. They ran over some infected on their way out, their guts and flesh disturbingly decorating the front of the van, until they eventually found themselves out of town completely, with no one chasing behind them.

Finally, they allowed themselves to breathe, and Nami, who had been completely silent up until this point, squeezed Luffy’s hand, which she had never let go off in the first place, and pulled him into a hug.

“Nojiko is dead, she died protecting me. Why did she?” She sobbed into his shoulder.

“Well-” Ace and Sabo started at the same time, and chuckled to each other for it. Ace continued speaking for the two. “It’s because she is your older sister, and she loves you.”

“It’s stupid, she should have hidden with me.”

“Yeah, but maybe you wouldn’t be alive if she had.” Sabo countered.

“Don’t worry Nami! We’ll protect you now, Nojiko wanted you to live, so you can’t die now!” Luffy smiled for her, and the rest of her friends joined in on the hug. Except Usopp who was stuck driving.

“Hey, that’s not fair! Don’t hug without me!” He exclaimed when he saw them through the rear-view mirror. They all laughed at him while Sabo and Ace watched them all banter with a smile on their faces. They only had each other now.

Days during the apocalypse were surprisingly calm, to the point that if one was capable of ignoring the decaying bodies walking around, and those that don’t move anymore, as well as the little military men left standing, one could almost pretend to be out camping with friends.

Out while on a supply run, Ace, Sabo and Luffy found an abandoned Subway shop. The windows were broken and some of the tables were turned over. Part of the wooden floor had rotten and lifted, leaving gaping open holes for the insects to roam. The food that had been left forgotten in the main counter was entirely gone, the only things remaining being decaying pieces of meat. No infected were present, or rather, not any active ones. The only infected present was a rotten body that had decayed enough that the virus was no longer able to control it. The only source of movement and sound was one light that flickered on every-so-often. The brothers expected the place to be ransacked already, stripped of anything of value, but since they had some time to spare, they decided to check the back for the refrigerated foods, they were already here anyway.

To their surprise, the refrigerator door looked practically untouched, only slightly rusted. Hoping to at least find something decent, they opened the door. Inside the refrigerator they found some bread, some vegetables, and even some cheese and jam. It wasn’t enough to feed the whole group, but as the youngest started collecting the goods to take back, Ace and Sabo looked at eachother and came up with the same idea at once.

“Lu, wait. Sabo and I just thought of something.”

Luffy looked back at them curiously, tilting his head to the side.

“Hm? What is it?”

“There’s not enough here to feed the group anyway, so why don't we have some fun? When was the last time we went to a Subway?” Sabo replied, a teasing smirk on his face.

“Yeah! What do you think about doing some sandwiches, Luff? We can’t keep the search going on an empty stomach!”

Luffy beamed at them, excited to spend time with his older brothers. It made him think back on the time they lost, when hanging out in a sandwich-shop was a common thing and not a once-in-a-lifetime event. Still, he smiled, because any amount of time with his family was worth enjoying.

“Sure!”

They gathered the little materials they found and sat themselves down on a mostly-intact table. They cut their breads open with a clean knife Sabo was carrying, and made their sandwiches. Luffy got to keep all the meat to himself, and his brothers didn’t fight him on it for once. They wanted to enjoy the moment, so that if they closed their eyes and ignored the sound of distant moaning voices, the flickering lights and the smell of rotten wood and flesh, maybe this was a normal day. Maybe they really had went to a Subway with their little brother and indulged him by letting him have all the jam, maybe they were seated amongst another dozen of people instead of being alone in the suffocating silence, maybe they had actually paid for their meal instead of making it up themselves out of scraps.  Maybe, just maybe, they got to eat a sandwich, banter and laugh without fearing that one day the infected roaming the streets could be one of them.

It started with a sneeze.

“Ah… Achoo!”

“Luffy? Do you need a tissue?” Nami asked from where she was writing down in her journal. Who knows? They might die tomorrow, so she at least wanted to leave something behind.

“Nah, it’s fine.” He responded, cleaning his nose with his hand and then on his clothes. Nami made a disgusted face at the action.

“You’re gross.”

“We are all gross!” Luffy laughed. “When was the last time we showered?”

They devolved into bantering, after that.

Days passed, and so it continued. This time with a cough.

Luffy was out gathering resources with Zoro, or more accurately, making sure Zoro didn’t wander off to get eaten alive. His throat felt dry, really dry. It reminded him of those days when he hadn’t left the apartment yet, waiting uselessly for supplies to arrive.

“Oi Zoro! Don’t leave without- Ack-” He started coughing, loudly. His throat was itchy, and it didn’t seem to stop anytime soon. Zoro turned around immediately upon hearing him and joined at his side with a water bottle they had brought already in his hand. Luffy took it, grateful. He drank from the bottle in slow careful sips.

“Better?” Zoro asked. For anyone who didn’t know him, he would have looked annoyed, but Luffy could read him better than a book. For him the worry hidden behind the frown was glaringly obvious.

“Yup! All good, thank you Zoro.” He smiled, because he truly felt fine. After drinking the water the itchiness had subsided, and Luffy was incapable of lying. Zoro knew this as well, and so he didn’t doubt him. 

Maybe he should have.

Time moved on once again. Now, Luffy was hanging out with Usopp by the bonfire, listening to him go on and on about different stories. They were awesome, he thought, he wished to have the same adventures his friend constantly came up with. Sometimes they were about valiant princesses fighting for their countries, Nami liked that one. Sometimes they were about a woman whose enemy was the entire world, Ace's and Sabo’s favorite. Sometimes they were about cyborgs that shot lasers from their eyes. Sometimes they were about a musician lost to time. Sometimes they were about a warrior born in slavery. Sometimes, and this one was Luffy’s favorite, they were about freedom and the one who had it all.

This time it was about a doctor who was rejected by the world, and yet still wanted to save it by getting rid of all diseases. Luffy thinks he would like to meet a doctor like that, someone that could make it so that they were free to have adventures in a world without the virus. He wonders what that’s like, to be free.

As his friend spoke he felt more and more sleepy, which was strange since it wasn’t that late yet. In fact, he had been feeling tired the whole day, dragging his feet, wobbling his head from side to side and his eyes closing on their own. Usopp, perspective as he is, took notice.

“Feeling tired, Lu?”

“No… I want to hear the end of the story, did the doctor find the cure to all diseases?”

“I can always just tell you tomorrow, come on. I’m tired too, let’s sleep together” He wasn’t, but Usopp had always been a liar.

“Fine, don’t complain about me sleeping all over you though!”

When Ace and Sabo returned from their supply run, they found a tangle of limbs by an unlit bonfire. Luffy was using the other boy’s body as his own personal mattress while Usopp hugged Luffy close to himself. With the bonfire off he had gotten cold, and Luffy felt warm. They were gross, their hair tangled and their bodies dirty with mud and ash, but they looked peaceful, safe in each other’s arms.

No one noticed the signs, no one wanted to see them, so it took everyone by surprise when the situation finally became impossible to ignore.

The group had come across a pasta factory and were able to replenish their reserves for the next few weeks. To celebrate, Sanji prepared a feast for everyone, including all kinds of different pasta and sauces. Only one person seemed reluctant to eat.

“Luffy? What’s wrong, you didn’t like it?” Sanji asked. It was simply too strange for Luffy to have all this food in front of him and eat none of it.

“No! Sanji’s food is always the best but…” His silence drew everyone’s attention. His presence in general always did, but they had a feeling that something was wrong, that the world was changing and they had no way of stopping it. “My stomach hurts, a little bit, and I don’t want to puke the food you made.”

The earth stopped spinning, they all knew what that probably meant. The sun continued shining, nonetheless, even when it knew about its imminent collapse. Maybe when it does, it’ll take the earth down with it.

“But I still want to enjoy Sanji’s food, so I’ll eat, don’t worry! I won’t puke either.”

What was supposed to be a celebration started to feel more like a goodbye.

After that, they paid attention. The signs were everywhere now that they bothered to look.

Luffy found himself constantly tired, an inexplicable exhaustion pulling him down to earth with all its force. It was cruel, his friends and family thought, because he always felt like someone meant to soar. Even so, sleep would evade him. No matter how tired he was, rest had become a rarity, short naps with Zoro being the closest he could get. 

The nausea didn’t go away either, so all of them had to deal with the sight of a Luffy getting skinnier and skinnier everyday since he wasn’t able to keep food down anymore. Sanji went above and beyond making use of the ingredients he had available to make tasty, easy digestive meals, but  it was useless. Just the smallest amounts of food were able to remain in his stomach.

Sanji walked up to Lufffy, on one of those days where he was lying still on a mat but not asleep. “Hey Luffy.” His voice was a soft whisper, even though he knew Luffy was more than likely awake. “I brought you some soup, it should be nice to your stomach.” Luffy didn’t answer, he just groaned from his position curled up on the mat. “I know, I know… But well, I already made it, and you know I don’t like wasting food. We don’t have a fridge so, would you please eat it?” He hated to see Luffy so weak, it brought back bad memories. Memories of a kind woman stuck on a bed. If there was anything to be glad about his mother’s death, it was the fact that she never got to see the world become what it was now.

Luffy slowly, reluctantly, both words that didn’t fit him at all, sat up. His body hurt too much that day to do much else besides lying against the wall, letting Sanji feed him when he couldn’t move his arms to do it himself. He managed to battle the nausea long enough to eat half the bowl, but physically couldn’t take anymore after that. He knew that food couldn’t be eaten by anyone else now, that it had been contaminated by his saliva, it made him feel frustrated with himself to know Sanji’s food was going to waste.

“... I’m sorry.” He slurred, barely awake. “... I couldn’t finish it.”

Sanji forced himself to not break down, Luffy was already dealing with enough to deal with his dumb feelings on top of it.

“It’s fine, Luff. You ate plenty, I’m happy” He couldn’t risk crying, he didn’t want Luffy to think he was upset with him.

“... Why do you keep feeding me? This soup… you guys can’t eat it.”

And how does he answer that? Because I care about you? Because you’re dying and there’s nothing I can do? Because I always loved seeing you enjoy your food? Because, because, because…

“Because you’re hungry.” Is what he settled on, in the end.

“... Oh” He chuckled, it wasn’t near as loud and bright as Sanji was used to, and somewhere deep inside of him he mourned the loss. “That’s right, I forgot…” Luffy looked at him, his gaze was clear for the first time in a while. He lost himself in his own mind for a minute before he continued with a gentle smile, the same smile Sanji remembered on someone else’s face. “I forgot… that Sanji is kind.”

And now he really wanted to burst into tears. Why, oh why, was Luffy the one that got sick? Why did he need to watch someone he loved die just as slowly, just as painfully, as his mother did?

“You are falling asleep, Luffy. I’ll call the dyed-haired idiot to keep you company.” 

“Mmh-hm, okay.”

Zoro got called into the room, and Sanji let go of his tears once he was sure Luffy wouldn’t hear him.

Luffy’s symptoms weren’t always the same, and there were days where he felt better than others.

“I want to see the ocean.” He declared to Zoro, one of those days he didn’t feel like he was falling apart. 

“Okay.” He answered, because what else would he say? “Let’s go find Nami.”

They told Nami where they wanted to go, and while huffing and complaining about the sudden change of course, she still found a route she considered appropriate to the closest beach.

“Thank you Nami! You’re the best.” Luffy exclaimed, seeing him with even just a fraction of his usual energy was a balm to Nami’s soul. It reminded her that everything was not lost yet.

“Of course I am! You idiots would get nowhere without me!”

Still, just because Luffy felt good enough when he made the request, that doesn’t mean it stayed that way. During the trip to get there, Luffy’s fever spiked again and he was completely unable to move. Any movement at all would bring pain to his joints, to his chest and to his head. It was already bad enough with the movement of the Merry. On top of that the nausea came back with a vengeance, making it impossible for Luffy to consume anything besides water. His only saving grace was being capable of taking short naps surrounded by people that he loved that gave him solace from the pains in his body. It took three torturous days to reach the beach at the pace they were going, taking breaks every once in a while for theirs and Luffy’s sake.

When they arrived, though, it had all been worth it.

Ace and Sabo went to check their surroundings to make sure no infected would bother them, Sanji and Nami brought out and set up the picnic meal the cook had prepared beforehand, Zoro carried Luffy out of the Merry, and Usopp talked his ear off about nothing and everything.

“Zoro.”

“Hmm?”

“I want to be in the water.”

“Okay.” Luffy would not get sicker than he already was, anyways.

Zoro took Luffy to the sea, as he wished, and let him down there. Luffy sat in silence for a while, moving his hands back and forth in the sand, enjoying the smell of salt water in the air, oh so different from the putrid smell coming from his own body he had grown used to, letting the waves caress his decaying skin. It felt nice, it felt like home.

When Ace and Sabo came back, they sat down beside him.

“I think I always liked the sea.” Luffy declared suddenly.

“What do you mean by that, Luff?” Ace followed.

“I wasn’t sure what to do with myself, after rejecting both Gramp’s offer to join the military and dropping out of college. But I think I know now.” He stretched a hand out, longingly into the horizon. “I think I always wanted to travel, to see new places. Not with a plane, but with a ship. I wanted to wake up to the smell of salt and the comforting sway of the waves. I wanted to be surrounded by the voices of people that I love and wished to see the world with me.”

“What, like a pirate from a fairytale?” Sabo teased.

“Maybe, yeah.” Then, he turned around, looking into the faces of the people that have stuck by his side even though they know there’s no changing his fate. “I think I got what I wanted. I’m happy.”

They enjoyed a normal picnic. Sanji prepared food for everyone, Nami wrote in her journal, Usopp told stories, Zoro kept an eye out for everyone’s safety, and the trio of siblings laughed and sang and danced as if they were the freest people in the world. Perhaps they were.

The day at the beach became a turning point. From then on, Luffy’s symptoms reached a new level. The nausea disappeared, but so did any amount of hunger. Sanji feared that it was related to Luffy’s stomach finally shutting down, but he continued making food for him nonetheless. He simply couldn’t accept the idea of Luffy, a glutton, not being able to eat anymore. He still accepted the food, knowing that Sanji needed to cook for him, even though he didn’t eat much of it.

The constant fevers and the lack of sleep also took their toll on Luffy’s mind, making it so that he would sometimes find himself confused, not knowing where he was, with who, why or when. The group got into the habit of having someone around him at all times, preferably one of his brothers, to calm him down and explain what was going on.

Everyday, the Luffy they knew disappeared little by little, being replaced instead by a stranger.

The Luffy they knew would be jumping and running around, incapable of staying still for even a minute, this one wasn’t, his body ached, and his bones audibly struggled everytime he did any kind of movement, to the point he stopped moving altogether. The Luffy they knew would be talking out of his elbows, being it impossible for him to shut up, this one wasn’t, his throat hurt too much, it felt like it was tearing open every time he so much made a single sound, and so he didn’t anymore. The Luffy they knew had bright, tanned skin for being constantly outside, this one didn’t, his frail, gray skin falling apart with a single touch. The Luffy they knew was full of life, and this one wasn’t.

“Ace.”

“Hmm?”

“Why do you look so big?”

“I’m twenty years old, Luff.”

“Ah.” Luffy had his head cushioned over Ace’s legs. His voice slurred, but he knew by now that sleep would not come. “Where’s Sabo?”

“He went to get food, he’ll come back soon.”

“Hm.” Silence, this Luffy wasn’t as loud as the one they knew. “Where’s Gramps?”

“... I don’t know, Lu. I’m sorry.” They had completely lost track of Garp after he stopped answering the phone. They tried calling several more times, at different hours, at different days, but it was no use. Was he alive? Had he died? Ace had no way of answering that question.

“Oh, I see.” If the person on his lap was anyone else but his brother, Ace would have found the lack of reaction disturbing. But it was his brother, so all Ace felt was sadness. The Luffy he knew was so expressive, the literal definition of wearing your heart on your sleeve. Where did his little brother go? Can he even find him again?

Screaming, loud, crazed, uncontrollable screaming.

“Get this away from me, get this away from me! It itches, it hurts! It itches, it hurts! It hurts! Hurts! Hur-”

Luffy desperately scratched his arms, legs, torso, face. He was itchy, he was so itchy. It felt like bugs were walking inside of him. Maybe they were, maybe he had died already and bugs had made a home out of his body. But he isn’t dead, not yet. The bugs need to get out. Out. Out. Out! He had to get them off!

“Luffy, please calm down-” Nami’s shaken voice tried to reach him.

“No! They are inside me! They need to get out, out! I’m not dead yet, I’m not dead-”

He scratched his body strong enough to rip off his own nails, leaving them stuck on his flesh as he tore himself to ribbons, a pool of black blood accumulating at his feet.

“Lu there is nothing inside you-” Nami tried once again to reason.

“Shut up! You don’t know, you don’t know anything! It hurts, it itches. Get it out!”

Someone took a step forward. It was Usopp, who forced himself to be brave just to try to make Luffy feel better in some way. Luffy turned in his direction when he heard him, and took multiple steps back when he saw him coming closer.

“Luffy-”

“No! Go away, go away! The insects will get you too! It itches, it hurts! They shouldn't be there yet, I’m not dead yet! Take them out, take them out-”

“Luffy please-”

“I said get away!” Luffy roughly kicked Usopp away when he managed to get close, the bones of his leg loudly cracking in the process. Usopp was thrown against a wall and Luffy fell to the ground, unbalanced now with one less leg to keep him upright. His eyes widened at the sight of blood coming from Usopp’s head.

“Ah-” Luffy stopped hurting himself, what had he done? “Ah! Ah! Ah-” He lost control over his mouth and found himself incapable of forming any words. Luffy didn’t care about his broken leg, now a useless lump of meat under him, he couldn’t even feel it. What had he done? Was Usopp dead? He couldn’t control his strength anymore so what if he actually killed him? What if he infected him and bugs enter his body too, what if-

As Luffy panicked, Usopp stood up again as Nami ran to check him over.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, the bugs will eat you now, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-”

“Luffy!” Usopp drew the infected’s attention. “I’m fine, no bugs are gonna eat me.”

“... They won’t?”

“No, I promise I’m fine. I got a little cut on my forehead from the impact, that’s where the blood came from.”

“What about Nami? Will the bugs eat Nami?”

“The bugs aren’t going to eat me either, Lu. I promise. Let’s go wait for the others by the bonfire okay? Usopp has new stories to tell.”

“... Okay.”

Luffy used to love bugs, and now it was just another thing the virus took from him.

Zoro and the infected were lying side by side, watching the sky. It was supposed to be a nap, but the infected couldn’t sleep anymore, so Zoro stayed up with it. The sky was clear of any contamination that, before, made it impossible to see the stars at night. The world was healing, it continued to spin even with the near eradication of an entire race.

“Luffy.”

“What?”

“Do you remember the day we met?”

“I don’t.” It said after a moment of silence. Its voice didn’t waver when speaking, it was rough and scratchy, but overall without regret. Its face, though, twitched, a fragment of the feeling the infected was no longer capable of showing. Zoro understood however, he always could. He was able to see all the despair and pain and frustration behind that single twitch.

“That’s fine, don’t worry about it. I’ll just have to remember for you.”

They continued stargazing in silence, until eventually it was the infected who broke the ice.

“Zoro, I’m not the Luffy you knew anymore, am I?”

“What sort of stupid question is that? Luffy is Luffy, even if your brain is messed up and you forget a lot of stuff.”

“I see, then…” The infected turned to its side to look at Zoro directly. Somewhere deep in its soul, it felt this was something that needed to be said face to face. Zoro turned to look at it as well. “Then, I want to be Luffy until the end.”

Zoro understood the hidden meaning of those words, it didn’t need to explain itself to him.

“Is it cruel to ask you this? I can’t tell anymore.” the infected reached out a hand, and Zoro took it. His hand looked small when wrapped around his. A decaying limb made only of skin and bone. It was slightly shaking, but the infected didn’t seem to notice. “Nami lost her sister to the infection, Usopp is Luffy’s best friend, Sanji is too kind to do it and… I don’t think Luffy’s brothers would be able to do it either.” The infected coughed harshly, unaccustomed after all this time to using his voice so much. A black, thick liquid spilling from his mouth. Zoro didn’t let it distract him.

“Who cares if it's cruel or not. Luffy, do you want this?”

“Yes.” It answered, once the coughs died down.

“Then I’ll do it.” He said without hesitation, because that was just the way he was.

Zoro sat up and got himself closer to the infected. He sat beside it and unsheathed a blade he had attached to his thigh. He pointed it right over the infected’s heart, or what remained of it. His skin was frail, and there was basically no muscle protecting the bones, the bones themselves were easy to break, so even with just a knife, Zoro would be able to do it.

“You know? Luffy… I always liked the sea.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Will you take me there? After you’re done.”

“Sure, I will.” Over Luffy’s face, it was raining, but the stars were still completely uncovered. It was salty.

“I love you, all of you. Thank you for staying with Luffy for so long. Thank you for letting me be him in the end.” Luffy smiled, and it was somehow just as Zoro remembered. Some teeth were missing, black blood spilled freely from his mouth and eyes, his cheeks were hollowed and the skin was tearing itself off his face. And yet, Zoro looked at the infected and all he saw was his friend. The same one who had given him direction and purpose after they met, the same one that had become a beacon of light as easy as breathing, the one who had given others so much hope. That was the person in front of him, that was who Luffy wanted to be before leaving.

“We love you too.”

A group of survivors set fire to a boat in the sea.