Boy With a Scar

Chapter 9: Truth Behind the Mark

Zoro entered the room with his usual bored expression. His sharp, silver colored eyes instantly fell on the back of his captain, and he stiffened on the spot.

What he saw was an ugly burn mark.

It didn't appear that Luffy had been burned in some accident as the mark had a distinctive circular shape with the spots above and under it. The swordsman's eyes flickered to several round scars on the boy's non-bandaged shoulder. That didn't look like stab wounds, more like... bullet holes? He scowled. How could Luffy have scars from bullets if they were ineffective against his rubber body? All that together with the nightmares, screams for help, and Luffy's words about losing his freedom meant that his guess that something really bad had happened to the kid in the past was actually true.

Luffy gasped at the sudden feeling of Zoro in the room. He swiveled around to see the green-haired man staring at him. A barrage of thoughts attacked his mind. He saw! Zoro saw the brand! A slight panic gripped Luffy, but he forced himself to calm down.

Luffy preferred to hide his dark past from the whole world, but he was not so naïve to believe that it was truly possible. Not with an unremovable mark on his back. If his nakama would ever want to know about it, he would not lie to them.

The swordsman cleared his throat. The split second of fear on Luffy's face didn't go unnoticed by him, but it wasn't his place to question other people's scars. "I came to see if you needed any help with bandaging your wound," he said.

"I'm fine, but thanks." Luffy put on a new shirt. Apparently Zoro wasn't familiar with what that mark stood for, and he was glad about it. "Where's Nami?"

"She dragged her loot to the boat," Zoro replied. "Are you sure it's a good idea to invite the thief to join us?"

The rubber pirate smiled. "Trust me, Zoro," he requested. "She'll become our nakama in no time."

The swordsman stared at him, before sighing. "Your mystery power again?" he asked, more as a joke, but Luffy giggled blissfully.

"Shishishishi, that's right!"

xxx

-Previously, somewhere in the New World on the Moby Dick-

Ace leaned on the railings. He closed his eyes, feeling the last warmth of the sun for the day and enjoying the light breeze, caressing his whole body. The noise and voices from his new brothers and sisters somewhere on the ship behind him gave Ace a pleasing feeling of safety and home. His lips curled up into a serene smile.

"Watcha doin'?" came a playful question from beside him.

Ace opened his eyes, and looked to his right at the grinning pompadour man. "Thatch," he acknowledged, and turned to face the sunset again. "Just indulging in the calmness of this moment."

Thatch raised a questioning eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like you. Are you feeling okay?"

The freckled pirate chuckled and flashed him a satisfied grin. "Never been better!"

"Well, that's more like you!" the redhead laughed and joined Ace by leaning on the railings.

Having his good friend and brother so close to him, Ace's thoughts drifted to his youngest brother, back at Dawn Island. He wondered what Luffy was doing right now. He was too young to leave the island, so he had to stay there all alone. His baby brother must feel so lonely. Did he still have those nightmares? What had caused them in the first place?

Ace suddenly perked up. "Oi, Thatch?"

The pompadour man gave him his full attention, while still relaxing on the railings.