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Luffy knelt before Koby with a smile. He grabbed his hand and wrapped the limp fingers around the stems of the flowers he brought and then placed them in the man’s lap.

Luffy’s eyes stung. “Hey Koby.” He said softly.

Blue eyes stared owlishly back at him. No response came forth except a slight twitch of his lips. He looked pale. Luffy stood just long enough to tighten the blanket around his shoulders and tuck the one on his lap closer. It wasn’t cold here but he remembered Koby complaining about his poor circulation before. When he knelt again he’d lost the man’s attention. Instead Koby’s gaze had slid to the ocean that sat a mile away from the facility down a cliff. It was a pretty view. Peaceful.

Luffy’s chin wobbled. He had to take a deep breath to calm himself. 

When Koby got sick, he promised him he wouldn’t cry. 

“I brought you your favorite flowers. Nami said they’d be nice in your room. I don’t really get flowers but they’re pretty.” He rocked back on his heels to contemplate the sky. “It’s been a year, ya know. Since we last saw each other. Sorry it’s taken so long.” Koby’s hair was really pretty in the breeze. It’d gotten longer. He wondered who braided it. “We found the One Piece. I’m the Pirate King now!” He laughed and reached out to hold Koby’s free hand. The fingers moved minutely but didn’t hold him back. “Just like I promised.” His chest felt tight. He met Koby’s eyes again as desperation surged. “So you have to get better and arrest me, ok? Because we promised.”

Silence met him. 

Gramps had said not to get his hopes up. Everyone told Luffy to give up on his friend. Even Zoro couldn’t stand to see him, choosing to sit outside the front door of the hospital waiting for his captain. But he couldn’t write off Koby. 

He couldn’t. 

Koby was his best friend. His first friend. Luffy had saved him from Alvida and he had made sure he became a Marine and he couldn’t abandon him when all of this was his fault!

His fault.

He squeezed Koby’s hand.

Luffy really thought his days of causing his friends pain with his inexperience and ignorance had been left at Marineford.

“It’s ok, Luffy.” Koby’s smile was flecked with blood but he stood his ground. “Together we can do anything!” 

Luffy grinned despite the tug at his busted lip and bruised jaw. “Let’s take this bozo down!” He’d crowed. 

Blackbeard had just laughed.

What did a Devil Fruit that stole or nullified a Devil Fruit’s power do to someone without a Devil Fruit? 

Locked them away in their head apparently. Destroyed their mind and left behind a shell. That’s what the doctors said. 

Luffy didn’t believe it. He knew Koby was still in there somewhere. He just needed time! And patience! And someone to believe in him.

He pushed Koby closer to the cliff so they could watch the Sun glint off of the water. “We’re supposed to start celebrating but I didn’t want to do it without telling you first! I wish they’d let me take you to a bar with us. Or check you out at all.” He pouted. “But I’m not on the list. Gramps’s doing.”

Koby’s head tilted slightly to rest against his arm. 

The movement sent his heart racing and he stared down at his friend in shock. “Koby?” He questioned. 

The nurse said it was involuntary when he excitedly wheeled them in yelling about the movement. Luffy bit back his response and grit his teeth. He slouched against the back of Koby’s wheelchair and rested his head on Koby’s. 

“Whatever.” He grumbled. “What does she know anyway.” The pirate sighed and moved them to the bed. He turned down the covers and flipped on the lamp to illuminate the darkening room. It was nice at least. Had some pretty curtains and a large window overlooking the garden. The bed was small but comfortable and the furniture was all made of teak with delicate details and brass knobs. Wicker baskets held blankets and odds and ends and the closet was full of comfortable clothing Helmeppo had picked out. There was a framed photo of SWORD on his bedside table and Luffy’s wanted poster behind it. The site made the pirate smile. 

When he went to move Koby to his bed, he noticed a soft smile on the man’s face. It made Luffy flush with hope. “Hey Koby?” He questioned. 

Koby didn’t respond but his smile didn’t disappear.

—

Luffy moved the crew’s celebration to the island instead of their planned departure for Party Island. He ignored the sad looks shot his way and drank maybe a little too much and partied a little too loudly but he didn’t care what anyone thought of him or his reasons. Koby had smiled. He had reacted to Luffy. And if the reports were right it was the first time Koby had done so since falling ill. 

So Luffy would stay here for a while and chase that high. 

They found a hidden alcove off of the beach to dump their treasure while they set up shop on the island and even though Luffy was loathe to let it out of his sight he trusted his crew to keep a steady watch. A local pointed them to a bed and breakfast and they got a few rooms. He wanted to find a more long term dwelling but the others had made it clear they wouldn’t be staying more than a month.

The island may be secluded and mostly neutral but it still had a small military presence. They’d stay as long as they could without rousing suspicion and he hoped it’d be long enough.

—

Luffy finally got added to the guest list after his first week of showing up for Koby daily. Truthfully they never did much. He took them for walks in the garden and sat him on the bench by the water. He talked about his journey and the Straw Hats. His grandpa’s reaction when they met outside of Laugh Tale. He told Koby about his hopes and dreams now that he’d accomplished his first. 

Koby didn’t react much. 

It wasn’t until Luffy got bored one day and impulsively shoved Koby down the path to the beach with Luffy riding on the back that Koby moved. They were going way too fast and a nurse was yelling at them from the door but Luffy was grinning. He stretched a hand out to the lamp post at the end of the board walk and yanked them towards it. As they approached the end, he swung them around and they came to a sudden stop, chair threatening to flip over. He laughed as he got off and checked to make sure Koby was ok.

Koby’s head turned to him. 

Luffy startled at the blank look wondering if it was just wishful thinking. Maybe the sudden stop jostled him. He didn’t let his grin drop. “Was that fun?” He asked.

Koby’s lips and fingers twitched. He was almost smiling and his hand had curled as if to hold another. Luffy’s heart pounded.

He became more reckless when they were together. Took him on ill advised adventures so long as his chair was accessible. He always got yelled at when they returned but no one dared to tell the Pirate King what he could and couldn’t do. It was worth it. Koby liked going fast, Luffy could tell.  He liked long walks in the forest or on the beach. He liked floating in the water in Luffy’s arms even though Luffy had to wear floaties. 

His smile was obvious now. Everyone doubted its reasoning, but Luffy knew it was real. It had to be. Sometimes Koby would rest his head on Luffy’s chest in the water or on a walk. Luffy once carried him on his back to show him a waterfall he, Franky, Chopper, and Sanji had found and he felt his arms tighten around his neck. 

Koby was still with them. He was there and he was trying to let Luffy know it why wouldn’t anyone believe him?

His crew left the island. They had people to see and they didn’t want to watch him get his hopes up watching his best friend waste away.

“It’s pathetic.” Nami said. It sounded harsh but she was tired of pleading with him. His unrelenting optimism was painful and upsetting. “You need to live, Luffy, but you’re dying here.”

Luffy huffed and tried not to give into the anger that surged. “I am not.” He replied hotly.

Nami’s brows furrowed. “You’re spending your days with a corpse waiting for it to breathe.”

He stood, slamming his hands on the table. “Koby is not a corpse!”

Nami matched him, standing and leaning forward. “He’s gone, Luffy! No amount of goofing off will change that!” She grit her teeth and before he could respond she straightened and fixed her hair. With a deep breathe she calmed herself. “He’s gone. We all wish he wasn’t, but he is. I know you feel guilty, but we’ve lost friends before. What is this really about?”

Luffy flopped back into his chair and adjusted his hat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Nami moved around the table to sit beside her captain. She put a hand on his arm and he tried not to jerk away. “You accomplished your dream and instead of celebrating, you took us here. Instead of plan for our next adventure or setting off to explore the world more, we’ve been sitting around waiting for a miracle. Even when we’ve tried to talk about the next step, you’d leave.” Her brown eyes were wide with concern. “I know you genuinely care about him, but are you using Koby as an excuse not to think about the future?”

The question was uncomfortably accurate. His brain felt full of bees when he thought past the current moment. His skin itched and eyes felt dry. “What if this is my peak?” He finally asked. “I’m King. I found the One Piece and conquered the Grand Line. That’s the only goal I’ve ever had.” He meets Nami’s gaze. “What do I do now?”

It was a question his crew had posed many times since they landed here. Nami squeezed his arm. “I don’t know.” She said honestly. “But I know whatever you need, whatever your new goal will be, you won’t find it hiding here.”

Was he hiding? 

“But Koby… he needs me.” He whispered. 

Nami hugged him as he pressed his forehead to her shoulder. “How about this,” she started. “You take some more time here with him to think about what you want to do next. In a month’s time, we’ll reconvene. If you still don’t know, I’m sure we can come up with some fun things to do until you figure it out.” That sounded… ok. 

He nodded and she squeezed him tight.

When his crew left the island, he and Koby waved them off. Well… he did. Koby just watched. His head tilted towards Luffy as Luffy’s eyes welled with tears. 

When they returned to the room and Luffy collapsed to his knees before Koby, Koby’s hand touched his head. It was weak and slow but the pressure was unmistakable. Luffy broke his promise and cried into his lap.

—

Koby’s progress was slow but Luffy swore it was there. His facial expression would change minutely. His hands would move, sometimes even enough to touch Luffy. His toes twitched. All things the nurses looked over. Involuntary movements is what they claimed but he knew Koby was smiling at his jokes or frowning when he got sad. His fingers would curl around Luffy’s and hold them. 

He was there and he was desperately trying to return.

No one took him seriously until Koby spoke one day. Ok he didn’t speak, but he tried and it was undeniable. Luffy had just shut the window and put away his chair when it happened. He was lingering not wanting to leave when he looked over at Koby and saw the man’s brow furrowed ever so slightly. His lips moved, opening and closing like he was trying to figure out how to form words. Luffy was so shocked he nearly tripped over himself to sit next to his friend and grab his hands. 

“Koby?” He asked excitedly.

Koby’s eyes, usually blank, locked with his and he saw emotion in them. Understanding. His lips trembled and he seemed to lose energy quickly but he had seen Luffy. Had tried to communicate. Even as his face went lax again, Luffy’s heart soared. He sprang forward to hug his friend tightly and let his shirt soak up the tears he couldn’t stop. 

His friend was alive.

By the end of the week Koby was somewhat able to express himself. He got tired easily and retreated back into his mind when he hit that wall but the periods of lucidity kept getting longer. He couldn’t move his head more than slightly and his hands still struggled to form fists, but he was present. Luffy cherished every slight difference. He started to ask Koby questions and when he got an answer in the jerk of his head and furrow of his brow, he’d laugh and celebrate. Koby would smile when he did and Luffy could practically hear his laugh or the fond “Luffy” he used to throw his way.

The doctor called it a miracle and set up check ins to monitor improvement. He’d come in twice a week with toys and charts to see how Koby was doing. Luffy had a job now with tasks to put Koby through. Neither of them liked it since it cut into their adventure time, but when Koby was able to squeeze a toy enough that it squeaked, they both grinned. Well… Luffy grinned and hugged Koby while Koby gave a small smile and his arms jerked in an aborted movement.

It took two weeks for Koby to speak. He’d been trying to more and more as the days passed and he finally managed a stiff “Lu—y.” 

Both of their eyes went wide when he said it. They cried and Koby kept repeating the chopped word until his tongue grew tired and speech slurred. Luffy had been sleeping on a cot in the room but when he tucked Koby in that night, Koby’s hand weakly fisted his shirt and refused to let go. They slept squeezed into the small bed and it was the best Luffy had slept in weeks. 

Things were looking up!

Even the bad days where all progress seemed to slip away weren’t enough to get him down. The days Koby’s strength left him or his mouth refused to make words. He’d get so defeated and frustrated but Luffy would be there smiling and holding him and encouraging him to rest. He’d put on a positive front to hide the fear that grew in his heart. 

“Luffy.” Koby’s voice shook Luffy from his thoughts. The pirate slapped on a smile and he bumped his shoulder with Koby’s. They were sitting in the common area on a couch with Koby’s chair near by. Koby had a book propped up for him and Luffy had been toying with a wooden puzzle. 

“Did Koby need the page flipped? Sorry.” He moved to do so, but Koby raised his hand to stop him.

“Luffy… are you o-ok?” He asked. He’d been getting better at short sentences.

Luffy cocked his head and was going to lie and say he was but Koby’s expression was severe and he just… couldn’t. His smile dimmed. “My crew will be back soon.” He answered honestly. The sadness in his voice surprised him. He never thought his nakama would inspire such a negative feeling. “And then I have to leave.”

Koby frowned and stared down at his lap as he tried to respond. It took him a minute to find the words and Luffy waited patiently. “That is… g-good.” He bit his lip and tried again. “Luffy should be free.” 

Luffy shook his head. “I don’t want to leave Koby. Not now.” 

Koby turned his head and dropped his book. He met Luffy’s eyes just as stubborn as ever. “I’m fine.”

Luffy frowned and averted his gaze. “I know.” He said. 

After a minute, Koby rested his head on Luffy’s shoulder and Luffy felt his throat tighten.

—

Koby couldn’t walk yet, but he had enough strength now to wheel himself short distances. It always exhausted him and when he hit that wall he tended to sink back into his mind, but it was worth it to feel some kind of independence. Even though it scared Luffy, Koby wouldn’t trade the ability for the world. 

Unfortunately the day Luffy dreaded came on the heels of this accomplishment. It felt too soon when he saw the sails of the Sunny on the horizon. The excitement he thought he’d feel was absent and instead sorrow took its place. 

Koby was the first to spot it. He was having trouble talking that day so he nudged Luffy’s arm to get his attention. He pointed to the water with a grin. 

Luffy tried to return it but his smile was tense.

Koby’s fell and he tilted his head in question as he pointed again.

“I’m ok.” The pirate reassured. 

Koby looked unimpressed. His shaking hand held Luffy’s sleeve. They made their way back to the building.

Luffy couldn’t look away from the clock.

It was Zoro who ended up coming to collect their captain. He was smiling from the door way taking in the scene with delighted surprise. Koby and Luffy were sitting sprawled on the floor doing a puzzle of two kittens and fighting over which pieces went where. To be fair to Koby, Luffy didn’t really have the patience for these kinds of puzzles and had resorted to finding similar colors and making them fit. Every time he tried, Koby smacked his hand away with a stern look. They’d gotten into tussles over it until they were chastised by a nurse because Koby was in no state to wrestle! They’d both stuck their tongues out at her back when she left and giggled to each other.

Looking at Zoro, Luffy didn’t feel very mischievous or joyful. His normal compulsion to launch himself at his friend and wrap around him like an octopus was absent. He still tried to smile but it was obvious he wasn’t happy. 

Zoro let it go for the moment so he could focus on Koby. His face flushed from surprise at seeing his old friend cognizant and active. He knelt beside him and looked him over. If his eyes were a little misty, no one would know. “It’s good to see you, short stack.” 

Koby blinked back tears and smiled. He pointed at the puzzle and then Zoro and then the puzzle again. 

“Sure.” Zoro shrugged and settled down between Luffy and Koby to study the puzzle. However he was just as frustrating to do one with as he got lazy and only focused on the easy pieces like the edges and corners. Koby huffed at both of the pirates as he gathered the loose pieces and moved them all towards himself, message clear. 

It was a nice night all in all.

Right up until Koby had to change for bed. He hated this part of his recovery the most but especially now in front of someone new. Luffy was patient as always as he helped to undo his shirt and pants but Koby moved slowly. He was tired and felt himself starting to slip but he forced himself to remain present enough to help Luffy by folding his arms out of the shirt and lifting his hips. Small movements that left his body trembling. Soon he was situated in his night clothes and laid out in his bed. Zoro hovered as Luffy went about putting things away and making sure Koby was comfortable. It was interesting seeing the usually chaotic man so calm and responsible. It was almost like he was watching a different person. Kind of reminded Zoro of the early days when things were a little more languid as they sailed the East Blue. It seemed like once they made it to the Grand Line, the Straw Hats were in a constant state of movement. If they weren’t running towards the One Piece, they were overthrowing a dictator or avoiding the Marines or whatever other adventures fell into their laps. 

It was nice to see his Captain at peace.

Unaware of his first mate’s observations, Luffy finished his tasks and hesitated beside Koby’s bed. He brushed his friend’s hair away from his forehead and wondered if he should bother pretending they didn’t sleep together every night. When he went to lift the sheet, Koby tugged it down and threw him a Look. They were locked in a silent conversation that ended when Koby turned to face away from the room. 

The pirate king felt rejection sit uncomfortably in his stomach. He stayed for just a minute more before finally giving in and leading Zoro out of the room. They didn’t speak until they were on their way to the town. 

“You were right,” Zoro stated.

Luffy’s grin was tired. “Yeah. I was.”

“I’m glad.” He sidled up to his captain and flung an arm around his shoulders. “You gotta know we just wanted what was best. You were stuck when he wasn’t… here.”

“I wasn’t stuck.” Luffy grumbled. He didn’t argue though. He had been floating in purgatory when they left with no purpose and no destination. He’d sat here contemplating the issue for a long while. His dream was reached and that was scary but also a relief. He was finally able to rest. To pause without feeling like he was falling behind.

Now he could breathe. 

“I have a new dream.” He finally shared.

“Yeah?” Zoro asked. 

“Koby. Koby is my new dream.” 

Zoro’s face scrunched up in confusion. “And what does that mean, captain?”

Luffy shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I just know I want to see him better. I want to see him happy again. And I want to be by him, no matter what.”

Zoro paused in his walking, staring at his captain with wide eyes and dawning comprehension. Luffy stopped to turn back to him and wait. “That’s significant, Luffy.” He finally settled on. He jogged to catch up again. “Do you understand what you’re saying? What that will entail? You’re the Pirate King and he’s still a Marine even if he’s not active anymore.”

“It’s what I want. And I think it’s what he wants, even if he says otherwise.” It made sense in his head. Sure it’d be hard and complicated, but it’d be worth it. No harder than a seven year old deciding to become the strongest pirate in the world. “Maybe after, when he’s on his feet, I’ll have a new dream and a new goal at sea. There’s plenty of myths and treasures we haven’t found yet and I want to find them all!” He grinned feeling rejuvenated as he spoke. It came to him quick now that he was saying everything out loud. Help Koby and then hunt down the secrets of the world! It sounded good. He clapped his hands together. “That’s it! That’s the plan. I’ll stay here a little longer and then, when Koby can join us on the Sunny, we’ll set off for our next adventure!”

Zoro’s expression fell and Luffy valiantly ignored it. “Captain...” 

“It’ll be fine! Everything will work out.” Even to his ears it sounded weak.

They didn’t speak the rest of the walk to the harbor.

—

Chopper and Usopp were the first to visit Koby with Luffy. Chopper wanted to do his own check up and the both of them broke down into tears when Koby waved at them from his bed. He laughed a little and patted Chopper’s head until they calmed down and the rest of the visit was filled with little games and conversation. They mainly talked about what the crew had been up to since leaving the island. Well… Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy talked while Koby struggled to contribute. They split up much like their last break but in groups this time with some going off to visit friends and family and some going off on adventures. Luffy was on the edge of his seat asking a thousand questions as Koby quietly listened and watched. 

Luffy seemed happier with his friends. He lit up like he hadn’t in the time he’s been without. 

Something heavy sat in Koby’s chest at the realization.

The two left once the Sun started setting, leaving behind a few physical therapy toys they’d made and instructions from the reindeer on exercises. It was all things the nurses already insisted on but he appreciated it nonetheless. 

Luffy felt a weight leave his shoulders now that they were alone. He deflated like a popped balloon and joined Koby on the bed once he was situated against the headboard with a book. He dropped his head to rest on his friend’s shoulder and Koby leaned his against it. 

“Luffy.” He whispered. Luffy hummed. Koby’s mouth worked, trying to push out the words, but he couldn’t seem to grasp them. Frustrated tears welled up in his eyes. “Luffy.“ 

Luffy straightened as the choked sound and cradled his friend’s face in his hands. “Hey hey hey, it’s ok.”

Koby shook his head because it wasn’t ok. None of this was ok. “Luffy. Leave.” He finally spat out.

Luffy froze at the demand. Fear spiked and his hands grew clammy. “No.” Luffy responded.

Koby’s face twisted up and he weakly pushed at his friend. “Leave!”

Still Luffy refused. He grabbed Koby’s hands and held them tightly to his chest. “I won’t.” The words he said to Zoro last night sat on his tongue waiting to fall. “I want to stay here. With Koby.” They glared at each other, blue eyes welling with tears and brown determined to hold his ground. “Until Koby can come with me, I’m staying.” His throat felt tight and he choked. “I want to stay.”

Koby huffed and knocked his book from his lap. He tugged the blanket to his shoulders and resolutely turned away from Luffy. Luffy sighed and sank down eyeing his back wondering if it had been a mistake to bring his friends to visit. The reminder that there was more to life outside of this hospital was hitting both of them hard and he feared he’d be forced to leave before he wanted to.

They laid awake together but apart for hours before drifting off.

When Luffy woke up the next morning it was to a still body next to him. Not unusual, but he’d become used to Koby’s star fishing over him in the night and the absence sent a chill down his spine. He yawned and propped himself up on his elbow. “Morning Koby.”

Koby didn’t move. Didn’t even acknowledge him. Was he still asleep?

Luffy smiled and leaned over him ready to shake him awake. Except Koby’s eyes were open staring out the window. Huh. Weird. Maybe he was just tired or grumpy. The pirate sat up and shook his friend. “Kooooby.” His eyes slid towards Luffy but otherwise he didn’t move. That chill turned to ice at the distant look. “Koby?” He asked, shaking his arm harder. 

Blue eyes glanced back to the window. They were blank. Empty. 

He called for a nurse.

—

Koby was back in his box and he didn’t understand why. It took a year to claw his way forward and even that was just enough to get his head above water. Was that all for naught? Had his freedom just been a temporary hope dangled in front of him? It was frustrating to sit here trying to form the words screaming in his mind but it had been progress. He was speaking and moving and communicating again instead watching the days go by stuck behind a screen.

All because Luffy had believed in him. Had seen the signs and chased them relentlessly. He couldn’t bare to see his friend’s reaction to Koby’s blank state.

Black dust swirled angrily at his feet and he kicked it in frustration. 

“You bastard.” Koby ground out. “Haven’t you taken enough from me?”

The sand expanded like a cobra’s hood in response. If he didn’t know any better he’d say it was laughing. Tears pricked at his eyes and he fell back against the box’s side. What was he supposed to do? Luffy’s crew was back so the pirate was going to leave and Koby would be left all alone trapped in this useless body once again. And Luffy should go.

He tugged at his hair. “What do I do now?” He cried.

The sand circled his leg and crawled up. It felt hot and heavy. 

“What do you even get from this? Anything?” He glared at the sand. “Do you even know what you did to me? Or is this a passive part of your power?”

It made itself comfortable in his lap like a content cat. He sighed and dropped a hand onto the mass. His head tipped back and he studied the void around him. He wanted to keep fighting, but he was so tired. Defeat clung to him like smothering vines keeping him locked in place and choking out the Sun. He knew what Luffy would say. He got free once, he could do it again. However the effort didn’t seem worth it if he could lose everything again at the drop of a hat. What had even triggered it? A fight? Visitors? Was the excitement too much?

He groaned. 

At the same time he saw the view from his window in the hospital. It was an overcast day and a breeze rustled the trees. Normally he’d be asking Luffy to take him for a walk on the beach on such a day. Or to sit in the common room beside its bay windows doing a puzzle or reading a book. It was the perfect weather to relax and enjoy his company and instead he was watching it pass like an observer behind a two way mirror.

Luffy was back with a nurse. Koby turned his head to watch them and could barely make out the conversation. By the tightness in Luffy’s shoulders, he could tell it wasn’t anything good. He held his breath as they were left alone again. 

Luffy stood in the doorway taking measured breaths. Once he gathered himself, he moved to the closet and dug out a simple sweater and some sweats to put Koby in. He was frowning when he came to the bed to lay it all out while he propped Koby up. 

“It’s ok.” The pirate said. “You’re gonna be ok, Koby.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of it.

Koby strained to react in any way. He begged his eyelids to blink and his muscles to move. Screamed himself horse trying to speak. Anything, anything, for Luffy to know he wasn’t gone. 

His index finger jumped. He could do this. 

His jaw clicked as it flexed. His ears twitched. 

Luffy, notice. Please notice.

The sand surged up, crawling trying to envelop him. He shook it off. Slapped his hands all over as he tried so hard to reach his friend. Give him some kind of message.

His mouth dropped open and a single word whispered out. 

Black overtook him and he fell.

—

Luffy was still grumbling about stupid nurses and their stupid diagnoses and medical knowledge so he almost missed it when Koby spoke. His head jerked towards the other eyes wide and hopeful. Koby’s face was screwed up as his mouth worked. “Koby!” He exclaimed jumping to his side. Despite his excitement he hesitated before reaching out to touch his shoulders. The idea that he’d caused this retreat somehow was loud in his mind but Koby’s body relaxed minutely with his touch. That was good, right?

His mouth continued to work. Luffy leaned in.

“Blackbeard.” Koby finally got out. He collapsed the moment it left his mouth as if the word severed his strings.

Luffy dove forward to catch him, panicked. He grabbed Koby’s face and smoothed his thumbs over his cheeks begging him to speak again. To come back to him. “Koby, please. I can’t lose you again.” He didn’t get an answer. Just a listless stare.

Sadness threatened to overwhelm him but he shook it off, clinging to that brief glimpse of his friend. “No. Koby’s not gone,” he said sure of himself. “Koby is here. Koby has been here. Koby is trying so I’ll try too.”

He latched onto the name his friend had spoken with the determination of the desperate. It was the first time Koby had ever mentioned the battle that damned him so it had to be important. The mystery was exactly how did it relate? Did he mean Blackbeard had the answer? Or was Blackbeard in his head?

Had the Pirate shrunk himself down and lived in Koby’s brain?!

Wait no that didn’t sound right.

Luffy looked at the other. He had to leave didn’t he? Go back with his crew to find the former Emperor. The thought of an adventure and fight sent nervous excitement through him. Guilt was close behind as it sunk in that he’d be leaving Koby behind. 

He touched Koby’s cheek again.

“I’ll be back.” He promised. “I’ll fix everything and then I’ll be back for Koby.”

—

It wasn’t hard to find Teach. He was famously locked up in Impell Down after Luffy and Koby confronted him. The only reason he wasn’t dead or licking his wounds elsewhere was at the insistence of Koby at the time. He wanted to make up for the pain the Marines had caused by letting him run free all those years ago and the resulting deaths during the War of the Best so he asked his friend to leave the pirate to him. Luffy hadn’t liked it but he had bowed out. 

Foolish honestly. 

It was as Blackbeard was being shackled that he sent out one last attack. He’d overpowered his guard and sent his Devil Fruit shooting for Luffy. He didn’t even have time to side step the shot before Koby shoved him out of the way and took the hit instead.

“Koby!” Luffy had screamed. He jumped forward and caught his friend horrified at the bloody mess of his back. 

Koby coughed and blood bubbled from his lips. “I’m fine.” He’d said unsteady even as his eyes slid shut.

Anger surged and he dropped Koby to race towards the laughing pirate. He almost made it, fist ready, but Gramps stepped in the way and grabbed him around his waist and arms. He was weak and injured but they all were, weren’t they? He squeezed him. “Koby will be fine.” He said as he rocked his angry grandson. He was quickly losing steam in the hold, struggling and cursing the older man. “Blackbeard is in seastone now. You and your crew need to leave before you also get arrested.”

Luffy wanted to rage and fight and tear Teach’s stupid beard right off of his stupid face but a limping Zoro was helping Nami up near by and Sanji looked ready to faint himself. They were all injured and exhausted and now that the battle was over the adrenaline keeping it all at bay was quick to wear off. The captain huffed and mumbled a fine.

It wasn’t until a week later that Koby got sick. They knew it was related to that battle but had they been looking in the wrong place? At first it was just a concussion. Then he’d started to lose where he was. Slowly he lost the ability to speak. Then movement. Eventually the words locked-in were uttered and he was charted off to the best facility in the Grand Line to deal with long term care. He was thought to be lost to them as even the awareness in his eyes faded.

Now Luffy suspected the true cause to be far more simple than all of that.

That last blast that the bastard laughed and laughed about even as he was thrown to the ground hog tied by Marines. It did something to Koby, something doctors couldn’t see without context. 

The prison was just as cold as he remembered it but this time he came prepared. He wasn’t a scared teenager trying to find his brother with a rag tag group of inmates. He was the Pirate King and he had his crew of the strongest pirates in the Grand Line behind him. They made quick work of the surveillance. The guards and special measures didn’t stand a chance. He walked into Impell Down as easily as Teach had before and didn’t stop walking until he was crouched outside of Blackbeard’s cell on the bottom most level. The keys jangled in his hands, loud in the empty hallway. 

“Seems stupid you’re not dead by now.” He quipped. 

Blackbeard raised his head up and gave him the hardest glare he could in his current state. It was pathetic honestly, such a powerful man wasted away into this shadow. He’d lost significant weight and his tan had dulled to a sickly parlor. Even his eyes looked dull in comparison to the past. His smile remained the same though. As he realized who was talking to him, Blackbeard grinned and sat up straighter.

“The great Pirate King breaking into Impell Down just to taunt me?” He asked. “How flattering. What do you want, boy.”

Luffy felt like oil was crawling along his skin. He wanted to wrench the bars open and pummel the smug bastard’s face into the ground. Beat him while he was subdued in seastone until he was unrecognizable. It was a deep seated rage that he had in the past done his best to squash. 

Now though he let it free. His smile twisted on his face and his eyes squinted in the low light as his haki seeped around him to create a charged atmosphere. He hoped it looked as dangerous as it felt and by Blackbeard’s grimace he thought maybe it did. “You hurt my friend when you were arrested. I want to know what you did to him.” He looped the keys around his finger. “If you answer easily I’ll let you return to your miserable life here.”

Blackbeard knocked his head back against the wall and studied Luffy. “The pink haired Marine.” He mumbled. He chuckled, satisfied. “Not much for conversation these days is he?” 

Anger boiled in his blood. Zoro’s hand on his shoulder was the only thing keeping him crouched there. 

They waited. 

The tension seemed to get to Blackbeard after a moment of silence and he sagged against the wall behind him. His hat tipped down to hide his eyes and he sucked his teeth. “I used the power of the Lock Lock Fruit on him. It’s the ability to lock anything anywhere you’d want it. I was hoping to lock your mind away, leaving a dried out husk to torment your friends, Straw Hat.” He shrugged and stretched out. “Then that little Marine ran in front of it. Just as well. He’s caused almost more trouble for me than you did.” An eye glared from under the brim of his hat. 

“Locked away?” Luffy questioned. It made sense he supposed. “Let him free then. Whatever you did, end it.”

Teach’s laugh boomed through out the hall, shaking the chains and rattling the scarce inmates. He held his shaking belly and had tears pricking the corners of his eyes. “You misunderstand, King! Once something is locked away, the key is swallowed never to be see again. Not unless you can get him here and something tells me you’re unable.” 

Luffy grit his teeth. “Stupid.” He scoffed. He stood and rolled his shoulders. Stepped up to the cell to unlock it and let the door creek open. A few steps and he had the man’s head in his hand. It felt weird, dragging a helpless prisoner from where they sat when they had no way to fight back. But this wasn’t a fight or test of wills and honor.

It was an execution. 

“Say hi to Ace for me.” 

Blood and gore splattered the small cell.

—

When Luffy returned the island, he was cautiously optimistic. Robin tried to manage his expectations saying they didn’t know how the fruit worked and if it would have helped Koby at all. The unspoken “or trapped him forever” hung between them. But it was Luffy and Luffy refused to let the negative thoughts have a second of his attention. 

Still he hesitated at the path that lead from the village to the hospital, doubt undermining his confidence. 

“What if he’s not there?” He asked.

Zoro shrugged. “Then you do what he’d want you to. You move on.”

Luffy grimaced. 

They walked the path, the tension mounting the closer they got. Finally the hospital came into view and Luffy could just make out two people outside the door. As he got closer his heart pounded in his ears. His palms grew sweaty. One of the people was in a chair. Pink hair braided over his shoulder. 

He was smiling. 

Luffy’s eyes welled up.

Koby shakily stood from his chair and took two steps forward before he was running. They both were.

They met in the middle and Luffy launched his limbs to wrap tightly around Koby so he could twirl him until he felt sick. They were both laughing. Both crying. 

Luffy pressed their foreheads together. “You ran!”

Koby gave a wet laugh. “Y-yeah! I did!” His voice was still shaky, his whole body was in fact, but he was present and warm and in Luffy’s arms. 

“Welcome back, Koby.” Luffy sniffled.