Soliloquy of the Broken Soul

Battles and Something Gone Wrong

"Yes, son?" He asked casually. He spoke casually, but he could tell that something was very wrong by the look in the boys eyes. He was now slightly worried about a certain straw hats' absence.

"Can you help us?" Requested Sabo, " Luffy ran off when the ship was hit and now he's hiding in the corner. We're worried he's gonna get hurt since he can't defend himself. Well, not right now, anyway."

Whitebeard frowned as he looked to the place Sabo had said Luffy was. Indeed, the boy was there, but he didn't look particularly well at the moment. He was facing the wooden walls with his hat off his head (They could only assume it was in his hands) and he was curled in tightly to himself. He seemed to be shivering too, which could only mean the poor boy was shaking violently if they could tell that from a distance such as this.

Whitebeard faced Sabo once more. "What would you like me to do? I'm told Luffy tends to be afraid of anyone he doesn't know first-hand."

"Just, keep people away from him? Like, uh... " Sabo glanced around the battlefield and then pointed anxiously at a fight that was a little to close to Luffy for comfort. "Like them. If you could tell the commanders to keep the fights away from that part of the ship me and Ace could reach Lu and get him below deck!" Sabo explained expertly.

Whitebeard smiled and nodded, grabbing a baby transponder snail from his side. "Alright then, boys, get ready."

Ace and Sabo smirked, nodding confidently before hopping over Whitebeard onto the arm rest closer to where Luffy was. They waited and watched for an opening while their Captain made the call to his commanders.

"Look alive everyone! Seems our youngest- and most troublesome- crew mate is in a bit of a bind. Steer the battling as far away from the Northwest corner as possible!" Whitebeard commanded into the small communication device.

"Oh, and Marco, try and get over to help them below deck would ya? The other two are gonna try and.... Stabilize him," he added carefully, watching the two boys jump down from his giant chair and dash towards their younger.

"Aye aye, Pops, yoi," came the instant response.

Back to the older brothers, they were now sprinting across the deck to Luffy, who was still in fetal position.

They reached him, finally, but knew that was only half of it. Luffy had been startled, terrified, and his senses were being majorly abused. The old Luffy, the happy Luffy, would've jumped with joy at the chance to fight another pirate crew. The old Luffy would've been excited to be on a pirate ship at all, especially that of the current king of the seas. But this wasn't the old Luffy. This was a shell, a horribly abused, unstable, unpredictable, and messed up child. This was a broken Luffy, and while the brothers hated to admit that to themselves, they knew it was true. They couldn't wave a wand and fix this, they had to be patient with him. Allow him come back to the world at his own pace, helping him to pick up the pieces one by one.

Unfortunately, right they didn't have the pleasure of going slow and waiting on Luffy to be ready. They were in danger without back up and needed to get off the open deck as soon as possible.

The brothers ran up to Luffy, but slowed as they got near. They knew how Luffy would be if that morning had been any indication.

Once they were close enough, they knelt down next to the red vested child. They were near enough to hear him now; he was muttering under his breath and sobbing uncontrollably into his hat. He was trembling in his position on the floor of the deck, hugging his knees and rocking slowly back and forth as an attempt to comfort himself.

Ace and Sabo exchanged glances mixed with worry and wonder. Worry because he wasn't looking to good ( when was he ever?) And wonder on how to approach him without scaring the ever loving daylights out of him.