Chapter 4: I Will Get Stronger

Previously:

After a near death experience at Crocodile's hands, which his hat and crew barely survives, Luffy kills Crocodile mercilessly.

It is discovered that Luffy's Devil fruit powers have been lost from the experience.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Luffy felt his eyes twitch as, very gradually, he returned to consciousness. His body ached and his mind felt sluggish. It was hard to focus, and his thoughts were so blurred. Slowly, he tried to pull himself up, but all he could manage was to twitch his fingers.

"He moved!" A voice next to him called suddenly - a woman's voice. "I think he's waking up."

Suddenly, the sound of that voice made something click in his brain. Luffy's eyes shot open quickly. That was the sound of his friends.

Nami was standing over him, looking down with a mixture of happiness and concern. Beside her, Usopp and Chopper were draped over a chair, Zoro was reclining in another hospital bed, while Sanji was smoking by the door. All of them were instantly alert as soon as Luffy woke up.

"Luffy!" Nami shouted in alarm. "Thank God you're alr—"

She was cut-off as Luffy lurched forward, and wrapped Nami up in a hug so tight it squeezed the breath out of her. Nami was left speechless as Luffy hugged her, unwilling to let go.

The relief that poured through Luffy's body was overwhelming. My friends, he thought desperately; my friends are all alright…

The next second, Usopp and Chopper had jumped on Luffy, joining in on the hug. Chopper had tears pouring from his eyes and was mumbling nonsensically. Usopp was crying just as heavily and wailing loudly. Luffy wrapped his arms around both of them and squeezed tightly.

They were all alive. The very thought felt like it rebalanced his Luffy's entire world. The fear of losing his friends pierced his entire soul right to the very core.

I came so close…

At one time, the concept of losing his crew was so utterly implausible that Luffy had never even gave it any consideration. There had been a lot of things he hadn't thought about…

Now, in the moment, all Luffy wanted to do was hug his friends one by one, and try and reassure himself that he would never lose them again. Perhaps if he squeezed them tightly enough, he would never have to let go.

"You're ok!" Usopp was sobbing loudly into Luffy's shoulder; the words were barely distinguishable between the heavy gasps of air. "He's ok! Everyone, it's ok! I knew you'd be alright!"

Standing in the doorway, Sanji took a heavy breath of his cigarette and chuckled at the sight. Zoro smirked with satisfaction. Nami felt the tension drop of her shoulders, and a sense of normality oozed over the group. She had been more worried than she had ever been, but the sight of her captain acting as normal and stupid as usual made her heart backflip.

Luffy, still hugging Usopp and Chopper tightly, was trying to clamber out of the hospital bed, wincing involuntarily as he moved. For Chopper, the doctor in him suddenly took charge.

"Luffy!" Chopper yelled in his high-pitched voice. "You can't move around, your stitches… !"

The captain didn't seem to hear him, and still kept on trying to pull himself up despite the reindeer's warnings. Usopp was acting the exact same fool he always, refusing to break the long hug.

Gradually, Nami felt a familiar temper rise over her. "Idiot!" she snapped loudly, before suddenly hitting Luffy across the head. "You're still injured!"

As soon as her fist hit Luffy, Nami instantly regretted it. She used to hit him much regularly and much harder, and each time the impact was just the same as hitting a rubber ball. Luffy would always act hurt and sore, but there was no real pain behind it.

This time was different. Nami felt her fist collide with a hard skull, and the punch created a dull thud. Nami's knuckles stung, and Luffy was knocked backwards in shock and pain.

"Ow!" He exclaimed loudly, his eyes widening. "That… hurt?"

At once, the atmosphere in the room became still. Luffy looked around with confusion.

"But… I'm a Rubber-man." There was a hint of a question in his voice.

At once, the atmosphere in the room died. Nami was looking down at him sympathetically. Experimentally, Luffy tried to pull his cheek. It didn't stretch. Gradually, realisation dawned.

The captain then moved his hand to head, looking around for his hat. He glanced around with panic, before Nami carefully put her hand on his shoulder. She had to force herself not to cry. Nami shook her head gently.

She had expected him to cry or explode with fury. Instead, his shoulders sagged and Luffy simply muttered. "Oh."

Somehow, that was even worse.

Nobody knew what to say. Even Usopp was left uncharacteristically speechless. Sanji stood by the doorway, smoking his cigarette coolly, but he couldn't look at Luffy. An awkward silence fell over the group.

There were footsteps as Vivi hesitantly arrived in the room. She was biting her lip with uncertainty, unable to make eye contact with Luffy.

"Luffy…" She stammered hesitantly. All Vivi could think about was how it was all her fault. Luffy had been seriously injured, he'd lost his Devil fruit abilities, and his hat was destroyed, and it was all because the princess had dragged him into her battle. "… I'm really sorr—"

She couldn't even finish her sentence as suddenly Luffy was charging out of his bed, completely ignoring the pain and his stitches. The pirate darted across the room, and instantly enveloping Vivi in a tight hug.

Vivi was left speechless, but there was absolutely nothing left to say.

Luffy's shoulders were trembling slightly, and it took them a moment to realise that he was forcing himself not to cry. Through blurry eyes, Luffy lifted his head up and exclaimed to the entire room, "I'm sorry, guys!"

Luffy could never blame anybody else, especially not his friends. It had been his mistake that nearly cost him everything, and his friends had been the ones that suffered.

"Idiot," Nami chided, but gently, while patting Luffy's shoulder. "It's not your fault. You beat Crocodile. You won, remember?"

Luffy smiled weakly, but didn't say anything. He might have beaten Crocodile, but it hadn't been a victory.

Princess Vivi had promised them all a big feast after it was over, but their injuries were so severe that it had to be delayed for a week while they recovered. It was just as well, because for the days after the battle, no one in the kingdom felt like celebrating.

Zoro's wounds were bad, particularly the stab wound to the stomach. Still, compared with Luffy's injuries, it was barely a flesh wound. It was a testament to Luffy's incredible stamina that he recovered so quickly.

By the time of the feast, Luffy was almost back to normal. Between Nami and Vivi, there was someone by his bedside constantly. The head maid, Terracotta, went all out for the feast and in the palace's great hall there was a huge table overflowing with meat.

As Luffy limped through the doors, his mouth dropped open with drool and his eyes glowed as if he had died and gone to heaven. The pirates were instantly greeted as guests of honour, and within seconds the party really began.

It was impossible for them to do anything quietly. Usopp munched down the food so fast, and halfway through the meal he stood up on the table and started to sing. Zoro skipped most of meal and went straight the drink, and it wasn't long before he was arguing with Sanji over proper table manners. Chopper devoured everything faster than anyone would believe, and then started dancing and pretending to be a walrus using a pair of chopsticks.

Vivi spent most of the meal laughing loudly, but she kept a careful eye on Luffy. To anyone else, he was loud and boisterous, but to those who knew him, he was much more restrained than usually. Luffy tended to laugh half a second too late, and his eyes would glance nervously every time someone left the room.

Luffy devoured the meat ravenously at first, but after only his third helping, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach.

"Ah!" Chopper exclaimed loudly. "Is there a doctor anywhe— oh, wait…"

"My stomach!" Luffy shouted in shock, while being lifted back his chair by Chopper and Zoro. "It hurts! I'm… full?!"

That caused everyone to stop and stare. Their captain was usually a black hole for food, particularly meat. "Luffy's full?" Usopp yelled. "But that's impossible!"

"It's his Devil fruit," Nami realised slowly. "He's not a Rubber-man; his stomach can't stretch as much as it used to. He can't eat as much…"

That seemed to shock Luffy more than anything. "I can't eat!?" He screamed loudly. "But… But… How am I meant to have a party without meat?"

Zoro seemed to consider the question seriously. "Alcohol," Zoro said definitely, after a few seconds. "Lots and lots of alcohol."

For once, Sanji agreed without argument. At the king's command, Terracotta unloaded huge barrels of ale. Both Zoro and Nami took a barrel for themselves, and after a moment's hesitation, Luffy joined in. He had never had much of a taste for ale before, but now it seemed like he needed it.

The party started again with a vengeance. The guards all joined in, and it wasn't long before the empty barrels started to pile up. The ale seemed to dissolve all the tension, and the laughter and music flowed freely.

Vivi hesitated before she picked up a tankard. She had never really enjoyed drinking, but then she glanced at Luffy, felt the twisting feeling in her stomach, and decided that she should start.

Usopp was already dancing on the table, trying to balance a pile of plates on his nose. Zoro and Nami were starting a drinking competition that seemed likely to kill the majority of the contestants. Even king Cobra, who supposedly had some dignity, had given into the jovial party.

Luffy was laughing and drinking with the best of them, but Vivi thought she could glimpse a strange distance in his eyes. Even as he was laughing, he was staring almost wistfully around him, as if he was taking in everything that he had come so close to losing…

Hours later, everything was already dying down. There had been far too much ale involved for anybody to remain conscious for very long.

The Palace Guards had collapsed in a pile. Igaram and Chaka were both down for the count, and currently cuddling each other unknowingly in their sleep. King Cobra had retired to his chambers with what little dignity he had left, while Terracotta had took one glance at the mess and then went home for the night.

The majority of the Straw Hats were unconscious too. Chopper had proven himself a lightweight and snoozed off quickly. Sanji had fell unconscious in the arms of two beautiful girls - no one was quite sure where the girls had come from, but Sanji just seemed to mysteriously attract them. Even the heavy-drinker Zoro had blacked out, surrounded by a small pile of empty barrels.

Nami was one of the last few still capable of walking. It was a testimony to her unnatural resistance to alcohol that she was, more or less, still sober. The navigator stretched out like a cat, looking over the pile of sleeping bodies, and started wondering vaguely whether she should pull Zoro and Sanji next to each other so that it looked like they were cuddling. Admittedly, they would both probably murder each other when they woke, but it might just be worth it for the pictures.

She was still deliberating when Nami glanced movement outside of the hall. She quietly crept around the snoozing Usopp and headed towards the balcony. Outside, Luffy was sitting on the railings, unusually subdued, and staring quietly into space.

She was surprised he was still awake. Then again, Nami realised suddenly, Luffy hadn't been as hyper as he normally was…

"Luffy?" She called out gently. The captain looked up in surprise. "Are you alright?"

Luffy smiled, somewhat glassy. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just…" His voice trailed off slightly.

Without his hat, he looked like a completely different person. It was the first time that Nami had seen Luffy so gloomy - it wasn't a natural look on him.

An awkward silence fell over the pair. Finally, Nami had to do something.

"I've got something for you." She admitted, pulling something out of her back pocket. "I was going to give it to you after the party. It's all I could find, but I thought you would want to have it…"

She held out a tattered pile of straw, barely enough for a handful. It had taken her hours to track down even this much of the old straw hat, but Nami had had plenty of time while Luffy was still recovering. Nami had vaguely hoped that she could find enough straw to repair the hat, but it was hardly anything.

Luffy stared at the pile of straw with faint surprise. Nami shifted uncomfortably. She knew how much that hat meant to him. "I know it's not much," she admitted. "And that hat was your treasure…"

He didn't respond. "I saw a hat seller in the marketplace," she continued uncomfortably. "So maybe we could… well, I just want to give you your treasure back…"

Luffy glanced at her, before speaking quietly. "I was wrong," he muttered. "The hat wasn't my treasure…"

A silence dropped over Nami, leaving her speechless. Luffy continued slowly. "When I… when I lost, I realised that I cared much more about my friends than about my hat," he admitted, stuttering slightly. "I was so angry when I thought that you were… I didn't even think about my hat."

Luffy took the handful of straw off her, but he didn't even glance at it. "It was my fault. I lost, and everyone nearly died because of it. That's when I realised that I love my friends more than a hat. I would shred that hat myself just to keep you safe. My crew, my friends, are my treasure. I won't let anything happen to any of you ever again."

Suddenly, Luffy hugged Nami again, this time very gently. Nami was instantly self-conscious, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. The hug lasted nearly half a minute, but neither of them wanted it to end.

When Luffy spoke again, there was steel in his voice. "I promise." He said with quiet determination, letting go of her. "I will get stronger. I will never let anyone hurt you ever again."

With that, he started to walk away slowly. Nami was left utterly speechless, trying to figure out what had just happened. Unconsciously, she started to blush faintly as Luffy walked away.

Nami stood there a long time, trying to figure out her own feelings for Luffy

Unbeknown to both of them, Vivi was quietly hiding behind a nearby column, listening intently.

It was well past midnight, and in fact closer to morning, by the time Luffy staggered back to his room. The rest of his crew were still sleeping in the great hall, but Luffy was in no mood to go to sleep.

No matter how much he tried to tell himself that the fight was over and that everything was normal, he just couldn't believe it. Crocodile had been his first taste of Grand Line level, and he had lost. As he was, he was strong enough to protect his friends, and that was unacceptable.

He had to get stronger.

Luffy knew that everything had changed. No matter how much he wanted to go back to the way things were, he just couldn't. Suddenly, he had gained a new perspective on everything, it was impossible to close his eyes again.

With vague dread, Luffy realised that he was now… different . It was an uncomfortable and unwelcome thought.

Just as the pirate pushed open the door to his room, he realised that there was someone already in there. Vivi was sitting on his bed, with a half-empty bottle of wine in her hand.

"Luffy!" The princess exclaimed loudly, before suddenly erupting into a fit of giggling.

"Vivi?" Luffy asked with confusion. "What are you doing here?"

She pulled herself up uncertainly. "Oh, you know…" Vivi started, and then she belched loudly, causing another fit of giggles.

Luffy was puzzled now. "Are you… drunk?" He asked finally. Vivi was normally so quiet and composed; he had never seen her like this before.

"Little bit," Vivi admitted happily, trying to take a step. She wobbled dangerously, and Luffy had to jump forward just to catch her.

The pirate captain was completely out of his depth now, and he never had a clue what to do. "… Ok…" Luffy hesitated, before remembering what Zoro did when he was drunk. "You take my bed - try to sleep it off."

Vivi shook her head vigorously. "No," she said firmly. "I have to be drunk."

Luffy frowned. "Why?"

"Because otherwise…" She paused. "… I would never be brave enough to do this."

Without warning, Vivi pressed her lips towards Luffy's. Luffy's mouth dropped open in shock, and then the princess' tongue was next to his.

Luffy's heart froze for so long he was slightly afraid he would die again. He didn't know what to do or how to react, but, for some reason, he really didn't want Vivi to stop.

She tasted like grapes.

It lasted about ten seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Slowly, Vivi pulled away from him, staring straight into his eyes. Her breathing was deep and slow. So was his.

Vivi started to blush wildly, and then she stepped backwards with fluster. Luffy tried to say something (he wasn't sure what), but his tongue wasn't working properly. As a matter of fact, nothing was working properly. Luffy stood completely still, as if he had just been hit by a bombshell. He was blinking a lot.

Without another word, Vivi quickly ran out the room, stumbling slightly as the door slammed behind her.

Luffy stood completely motionless for a very long time, feeling more confused than ever.

This is a mistake, Nico Robin thought to herself, for the hundredth time that morning.

The sun was just rising over the horizon, highlighting the desert in an orange glow. Robin had been forced to travel fast and hard, before the marines finally tried to capture her and before people came looking for revenge against the actions of Baroque Works.

The country was in turmoil. For every man who was rejoicing that the rebellion was over and the rains had come, there was another man who was furious that the king had murdered and framed "Sir" Crocodile for the crimes of Royal Family. Perhaps in time the full misdeeds of Crocodile would be revealed and accepted by all, but for now Crocodile was being portrayed as a martyr by the citizens that were still very unhappy with King Cobra.

Soon, the World Government would act. One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea had been murdered, and there would be consequences. Monkey D. Luffy and his crew were responsible, and they had just had a target the size of Mariejois painted onto their backs.

If Robin had any sense, she would get as far away from the pirates as soon as possible.

Still, she knew she couldn't do that. She had been repeating the words of Jaguar D. Saul to herself all day, and somehow she knew that she couldn't get away from this. This wasn't a problem she could run from, or even fight.

Monkey D. Luffy had gotten under her skin.

With a gentle sigh, Robin continued to walk towards the coast, and it wasn't long before she saw the outline of a small ship, anchored a small distance away from the ruins of Erumalu. Carefully, she pulled herself up on to the caravel, before she cracked her knuckles and got to work.

Dozens of hands sprouted out from the wood across the deck. The anchor was pulled up from the shore, and the sails were unfurled while the masts twisted around with the wind. Slowly, as the hull scraped against the sand, the ship pulled away from the shallow waters of the beach.

Nico Robin stood by the rudder, and nodded with satisfaction as the hands disappeared in a bloom of petals. As she tacked around and started sailing up the Sandora River, Robin realised that the Going Merry was actually quite a good little ship.

Casually, Robin started to explore her new ship. After a few minutes, she found a Transponder Snail, and placed it on the table as she poured herself a cup of tea.

After a dozen rings, the snail was answered.

"Who's this?" A weary voice snapped irritably. It was a man's voice, and he sounded hung-over.

"Good evening, Mr. Swordsman," Robin replied pleasantly. "My name is Nico Robin. You may know me better as 'Miss All Sunday', and I've just stolen your ship."