One Piece- Memories After All

THE WHAT IF......

A/N

I couldn’t find the type of story I wanted to read, so I decided to write it myself.
It was supposed to be a OS but😪🥺...... Anyways please read and tell me what you folks think bout it.........

The Party Bar’s door bore a hastily scribbled "closed" sign today, and villagers accustomed to its warm glow and lively hum turned back with puzzled faces. Yet, behind the closed doors, there was the sound of hurried footsteps echoed within, accompanied by clattering utensils and muffled voices. It wasn’t the typical noise of Makino’s bar, and whispers spread through the village. Some speculated that the infamous bandits had taken over led by the orange-headed hag but those who knew better weren’t worried. After all, Dadan’s gang had always been more friends than foes, especially to the mischievous boy they all cared for. But inside, the atmosphere was grim.

That morning, the bandits had arrived with Luffy, limp in their arms, his skin burning with fever. The once indomitable boy, the one who always managed to find trouble or create it, had fallen silent, his body too frail for the vibrant life he carried within. Luffy, the youngest D, the boy who never got sick, was now lying as pale as a ghost, trapped in the clutches of a fevered dream. His usual energetic self was nowhere to be found, replaced by a trembling figure whose lips barely moved, but the whispers that escaped were haunting.

Makino, standing over him, felt her heart twist in fear. She had watched him grow, watched his endless energy bring life to the village and trouble to everyone who dared get close. And now, that same boy lay there, mumbling in his sleep, his voice cracking, his eyelids fluttering, too heavy to open. His usually carefree face was now contorted in despair as he weakly called out into the void, "Ace… don’t die… Ace, you promised. You said… you wouldn’t die…" Over and over, the words clawed their way out of his throat, as if the very mention of his brother’s name was a lifeline he clung to in the fevered nightmare.

Makino’s heart shattered with every broken whisper. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle the sob that rose in her chest. She had never seen him like this. Luffy, who was always the sunshine in everyone's lives, was now trapped in a storm of his own making, fighting demons only he could see. She reached out with trembling fingers to brush his sweat-soaked hair from his face, but it did nothing to soothe the agony that plagued him.

The village doctor, grim-faced, injected him with medicine to break the fever. But even he knew it was not enough. “He’s not going to get better like this,” the doctor said quietly to Makino and Dadan, who stood by, looking more concerned than ever. Dadan clenched her fists, helpless in the face of the boy’s pain.

“If he could talk to his brother,” the doctor suggested cautiously, “maybe that would help. His mind is stuck on him. Sometimes, the voice of a loved one is enough to bring someone back.”

But how? How could they bring Ace to Luffy when one lay bedridden in the East Blue and the other sailed across the endless seas? The impossibility of it gnawed at them, twisting the knife deeper. Makino’s mind raced, desperation clawing at her. Luffy needed Ace. He needed to hear his brother’s voice, to know he was alive and well, but the world was far too vast to bridge the distance between them. And yet, at that moment, Makino refused to believe it was impossible.


Luffy, their boy, was not just fighting a fever. He was fighting the terror of losing the person he loved the most, and neither of them could bear to watch him suffer any longer. Makino knelt beside Luffy, her fingers softly stroking his fevered cheek. "Hold on, Luffy," she whispered, her voice trembling. "We’ll find Ace. I promise. Just hold on." And though Luffy remained lost in his feverish dream, his hand twitched ever so slightly at the sound of her voice, a faint flicker of hope amidst the storm raging inside him.

With renewed desperation and fire in her heart, Makino bolted out of the bar, her steps pounding against the dirt roads as she raced toward the mayor’s house. Her breath came in sharp gasps, and her mind was frantic. She had never felt this kind of helplessness before—Luffy needed help, and the only one she could think of was Garp. He was the only one who might be able to reach Ace, no matter where he was on the vast seas.


She hammered her fists on the mayor’s door, her knuckles bruising as she shouted, “Mayor! Mayor, please, come out!” Her voice trembled with urgency, and after a few agonizing moments, the door creaked open. The old man hobbled out, leaning on his walking stick, his face creased with worry. He could see it—something was wrong.


“What’s the matter, Makino? You don’t look like yourself,” the mayor asked, his tone serious. He knew Makino was always calm, even in tough situations, so for her to be in this state, it had to be something grave.