Stolen // One Piece

chapter four

Luffy had spent all four hours on the Sunny's head, contemplating his existence. He wondered if it was worth it, all of the death and destruction that followed in his wake. No matter what he did, someone always got hurt in the end. Even if he tried to end others' suffering, it only made them hurt more. It wasn't so much the fact that people died, that hurt him. He wasn't that naive. He was well aware that people died, and that death was an unstoppable force.

He was more upset about the fact that people usually died to protect him. It wasn't fair, he decided. He didn't want to lose his friends because he simply sucked at making smart decisions.

The thought of losing his friends hurt his soul. The thought of being lonely hurt him in ways he wasn't able to describe. He had been lonely before he met Dadan, and the mountain Bandits, and Shanks, and Ace, and Sabo. It hurt him. Especially when his grandfather would "build his character and strength" by sending him away for days, sometimes weeks, on end, leaving him alone and scared and helpless. He learned to survive, but at the cost of his childhood wonder.

He often feigned his naiveness. He understood most things, but it was knowledge gained by an unhappy childhood. He learned that children didn't truly have a place in the world he grew up in, and that they were often seen as burdens. He understood that loss was real, and a necessary part of life. He understood that innocence was difficult to retain, and that, once lost, could not be replaced. He understood that silence was better than noise, at times. He understood fear. He understood that he could die, and he understood that his stupid decisions could lead to his loss. He understood what it felt like to starve, to ache so badly for one tiny morsel of food that you cry when you finally receive it. He understood that to protect the people you love, you must sacrifice. He understood what it felt like to be lonely, so consumed with the feeling of isolation, you forget that you are one person, and you feel like you are so trapped beneath yourself, you forget where your mind ends and reality begins.

He understood pain. Pain was a common occurrence in his younger years.

He understood these things, but pretended he didn't, because it hurt to remember how he learned them. So feigning his innocence was the closest he could get to salvaging what was left of his childhood.

He stretched his arms out in front of him, feeling the warm sunlight on his skin. His hat rested against his back, the black string knotted in front of his neck. The Thousand Sunny rocked gently forward, as it headed toward the island that lay dead ahead. He stood, slowly so he didn't fall into the water, and hopped onto the deck. Usopp and Chopper were playing tag, and almost ran into Luffy as he landed.

"Whoa, sorry!" Usopp exclaimed, swerving and slowing down. Luffy chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"It's fine. Where is everyone?" Usopp paused, and looked around.

"Zoro's training, Sanji's making a grocery list, Robin's in the Aquarium Bar, Franky's building... something, Brook's napping in the Men's Quarter's, and Nami's in her office," Usopp informed the younger boy, who nodded.

"D'you think that if I went and visited Nami, she'd kill me?" Luffy queried, grinning. Usopp chuckled and clapped Luffy on the shoulder as if to say, 'Of course she would'. The sharpshooter laughed and resumed playing with Chopper, while Luffy smiled and climbed into Nami's office. It seemed she hadn't noticed his arrival.

She was sitting at her work desk, leaning over her sea-chart. Her left hand was working itself into the loose lock of hair that hung over her ear. Her face was scrunched in focus and concentration.

Cute, Luffy thought to himself.

He leaned on the ladder, watching her work. Her lips mumbled words, as she turned from one of her charts to the other, comparing and making notes. Her writing hand scribbled her thoughts on the corners of each chart, and in a notebook balanced dangerously on the edge of the desk. He thought about how easy it would be to scare her, but the mischievous idea was silenced by her soft groan. She held her head in her hands, frustrated.

Luffy knocked softly on the ladder. Nami jumped slightly and turned in her seat. Luffy stood with his crossed arms, a slight smirk danced on his face.

"Luffy!" she shouted, startled. The boy chuckled gently and stepped towards the navigator.

"Yup, me again!" Nami rolled her eyes, but grinned nonetheless. " 'm just gonna keep bugging you all day." Nami giggled and stood.

"What d'ya want, you goof?" Luffy scratched the back of his head, giving her his signature ear-to-ear grin.

"Just to say hi. Hi!" With that, Luffy turned and began to climb the ladder.

"No, wait, Luffy!" Nami called after him. He chuckled and dropped to the floor. Nami grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the circling sofa, and sat him down. Then, she plucked a book from the shelf, and plopped down next to him. She opened to first chapter, and Luffy laid on his back, resting his head on her lap. She raised and eyebrow at him and said, "Fine, but you owe me 100,000 berries."

They sat like that for a while, Luffy lying on her lap, and Nami reading to him. He found the story fairly boring, but thoroughly enjoyed Nami's presence, so he didn't say anything. He began silently counting her freckles again.

"Land!" Usopp called from the deck. His voice carried over the loudspeakers, and crackled. Nami sighed and marked the page she was on, and set it down beside her. Luffy huffed and sat up. The two climbed onto the deck, as Robin and Zoro appeared beside them. The swordsman and the historian shared a meaningful glance as the others arrived on deck.

"Oh! Luffy?" Robin turned to the captain.

"Yeah?" The historian crossed her arms, and sprouted a third on her shoulder and twirled a thin lock of her hair around her finger.

"Could you go downstairs into the Aquarium Bar and retrieve the book I was reading? It's on the table."

"I can do it Robin-Chan—," Sanji was cut off by Usopp abruptly stomping on his foot.

"Sure," the young boy replied, walking across the deck. As he disappeared behind the door, Zoro turned to the others.

"We need to keep an eye on Luffy," the swordsman began. "Someone needs to be with him at all times. Do not, under any circumstances, let him out of your sight, unless another crew mate is nearby and ready to look out for him. Understood?" The crew nodded. "We all need to take responsibility for him. He's struggling, and it's getting to him. We need to help, but only subtly." The crew nodded again.

Luffy, who had retrieved the book rather quickly, knowing full well that the book retrieval was so the others could talk about him, stood behind the closed door, listening in. He sighed silently, understanding that this was a consequence of his stupidity.

He waited until he was sure the conversation had ended, and opened the door. He handed the book to Robin, who thanked him profusely, and feigned ignorance to the blatant stares of the others.