The Return Of Joyboy!

Chapter 25

"Lu, there is food," Sabo tried and it was the first time that the boy didn't even wake up from that. Whatever he was dreaming must be terrible for him. It was worrying them further. Their hearts hurt just looking at Luffy, how could they let this happen? Did it have something to do with the transformation?

"There is gator meat! Your favorite!" Ace tried in a hopeful tone. No response, that shattered the rest of the hope they were holding on. The only response they were seemingly getting was that Luffy's hands were getting tighter against theirs. Even Sabo was now caught in it.

Ace bit his lips. He didn't know what to do at all. "Do you think he needs his mother?" Ace asked Sabo hesitantly.

"I don't think so," Sabo said looking out of the window. The water was not raging. It was calm, almost giving them a decent weather for setting sail right now, except for the rain and thunders. But they knew it was all due to the presence of Luffy they got the privilege and they didn't mind it.

"Is it related to the transformation?" Sabo asked with a gulp to himself more than Ace really.

"Lu, please get up, it's alright.." Ace shook the boy softly again. Sabo took this as a chance to get Luffy off his coat, showing that the boy was clearly having some difficulty in breathing with all the tears which were rolling from his eyes.

"Luffy, we are here," Sabo said softly. "Please get up. Your big brothers are waiting for you." That was looking like it was working. The boy was not sobbing so violently. His shaking was also reducing.

"You can even talk to Dad right now if you want. That reminds me we haven't called him to tell about the result of the war," Ace said gently in Luffy's ear. The boy was not sobbing. He was looking calmer.

The brothers took this opportunity and encouraged the boy. Luffy was finally awake, his eyes teary and looked red. He lunged onto them, making them almost lose their balance. He was bawling again.

They offered encouraging words to the teen and rubbed his back and slowly he was calming down. They sat on the bed and looked at Luffy who was wiping his tears.

"Dad, Iva, Ace, Sabo, Koala, Hack," He murmured and looked at them, biting his lips and his eyes shining with the onset of tears. "Won't leave me alone, right?"

"We will never," Ace and Sabo said in unison and hugged the boy.

"Want to talk about it?" Sabo asked softly. The boy fidgeted for a while before settling down and looking at them. He nodded and with few more words of encouragement he told them the nightmare which he had seen.

It was not a nightmare. That was what Sabo first deduced from the story. It cannot be a nightmare but didn't feel reality even.

"T-They were my memories," Luffy choked out in a low voice, looking at his hands and then at the sky which was now clear and the moon was shining.

Suddenly, everything was clicking to place. Garp's worrisome words. The fact that their brother is practically a reincarnated person and whatever he was saying was way too complicated for today's world. They found the reason Luffy always said why loneliness hurt more than being actually hurt. It made them only feel worse about how they treated him when tbey first met. 

"It won't ever happen again," Ace said.

"Want to gaze at the stars?" Sabo asked making Luffy smile widely and nod. All the previous tears forgotten, but his eyes still red.

"I will go tell Deuce to go back then," Ace said already moving. The deck would be empty, giving them a free pass to hang out normally. Sabo was grateful for that.

"Let's go!" Ace's head poked in after a few minutes and told. The little menace ran before him, launching himself to the crow nest. They laid there watching stars and pointing shapes which they made into people, food and dishes and objects.