5When I die - The happiest day of my life
Disclaimer:
I do not own One Peace, Eiichiro Oda does.
I've only borrowed a few of his characters for this fanfiction.
What else to say? Hmm... well, this is my first try at a One Piece fanfic, so don't be too mean to me, all right?
Oh, well... here it is.
Read 'n' (hopefully?) enjoy.
'To tell the truth, I never imagined things would turn out this way.
I was more than positive that I'd reach my goal.
Really, I had no doubts that I'd be the next pirate king.
I was confident that I'd fullfill my one and only childhood dream.
Perhaps a bit too confident.
Yes, truly... I never thought it would end this way.
Even so, I've managed to come this far. Hence, I'm still happy.
'Cause even if my life is cut short, as long as my crew is out there somewhere,
the memory of me and my endeavors won't be forgotten.
In this moment, I don't require anything else.
All I truly wish for right now is for someone to remember me fondly.'
The dark of the night slowly crept upon the small town.
No one was to be seen, nothing was to be heard.
The silence was as infinite as the darkness.
To most people, it was an awful feeling looming over the tranquil town.
Almost like a breeze right before the storm to come.
To a certain prisoner, however, it was only soothing.
One might ask why a person with the appearance of a mere boy
was currently in shackles, chained to the wall.
This particular boy was anything but a boy.
This blackhaired seventeen was an infamous captain.
Captain with a crew almost as infamous as himself.
Dried blood was covering his face, the scar right below his eye unseen.
The I.D tag with his name and numbers was hanging around his neck.
'P-3012 -Monkey. '
Elsewhere, a tall handsome man with green hair was staring at the waves from the pier.
Roronoa Zoro felt unease as his conscience and heart was in a turbulent combat.
Zoro's head told him to have faith and do as told,
while his heart wanted to save his captain from execution,
just like his captain had saved him from the clutches of Morgan a few years back.
The hopelessness was as painful and cruel as the sting from a dagger.
Possibly for the first time in his life, Zoro broke down in tears.
(The next morning, Luffy's POV)
I felt the warm rays of sun in my face as I was, almost gently,
led outside to the platform which would probably be the last place I'd ever see.
One would think that the sight would terrify me, but to tell the truth, I felt no fear at all.
Of course, I'd always been prepared to die in exchange of my dream.
I've always known that I wouldn't die of old age.
That could very well be the reasonI wasn't afraid when I got arrested.
Perhaps that's why I could only smile as the judge told my verdict.
Maybe, just maybe the reason why I didn't have any tears for my death approaching,
was beacuse I felt at peace knowing that my legacy would still remain with my crew.
Even if I had to leave this world behind, a part of me would still be left.
"Let the memory of me be alive".
What more could I possibly ask for...?
I looked at the crowd, searching for a certain pair of eyes. There, found them.
Zoro was a trickster, almost in my league, so hiding in the shadows was just like a walk in the park for him.
If it wasn't for not wishing the guards to notice the swordsman's presence, I would've laughed out loud.
It was almost ironic - one of the most wanted men in the world was here, to watch me die, right under their noses.
The marines was so clueless I had to smile.
Coby, the marine to my left side, my only friend in the marines for that matter, saw my smile widening.
Judging by his flabbergast look, I'd say he was startled.
Not that I blame him, most people facing death doesn't have a happy face like I do.
He probably felt bad for me too. If I was into gambling, which I'm not,
I'd bet everything I own that Coby would've set me free. Or, at the very least, die trying.
We've hardly ever spoken to each other, so I find his concern for me slightly embarrassing but also at the same time flattering.
I've never told him, but I feel proud seeing him slowly seazing his dream.
You see, Coby wasn't always a confident marine soldier to be proud of.
When I first met him, he was nothing more than a loadmouthed whimp with no dreams.
A bullied dunce. A complete idiot. Actually, I wasn't sure whether I liked him or not.
Cowardice have never, and I do mean never, been a virtue to me.
However, he overcame his doubts, managed to stay alive long enough to face his fears (that would be a very overweight piratess).
He's still far from being as fearless as me, but heck, at least he tried.
Which makes me feel even more proud of him.
It's almost a shame I've never had the opportunity to tell him that, though.
I think that it would have made Coby happy.
(Coby's POV)
Luffy didn't struggle when he was forced to kneel in front of the crowd,
calmly resting his head at the stone in front of him, waiting for the axe to strike.
The seconds it took for the axe to rise and swoop down at the pirate boy could very well have been hours.
I caught myself holding my breath. I felt torn between the loyalty for my first made friend, and my responsibilities as a marine.
What was I supposed to do? I don't want my friend to die, but working for the marines,
catching bad guys and see to it that they get what they deserve is part of my job.
No, I stand corrected, it's all part of my job.
But even so, Luffy wasn't a bad guy.
Sure, he was a pirate, part of the Eleven Supernovas with a ridiculously massive prize on his head,
but still he didn't deserve this.
Ask anybody who knows him and they'd tell you the same thing.
Why was everything so complicated?
(Luffy's POV)
Soon it would all be over.
I catched a glimpse of Coby, noted the tears in his eyes, and then turned my gaze back to the front.
If I was to die here, then at least I wanted to see Zoro's eyes one last time.
After his swordsmanship, his eyes was the one thing about Zoro that I appreciated the most.
Even now, slightly horrified, they were filled of pride, power and determination.
I smiled gently at him in an attempt to comfort him, and then I let my eyes close.
The pain was over before it even begun.
The End.
Authoress's note:
Although I have a sligh disdain for cliffhangers, I felt it was necessary in this one-shot,
as I didn't have the heart to make Luffy's death final.
Therefore, it's up the minds of you readers whether Luffy does indeed die,
or is miraculously saved in the last minute by Zoro or Coby.
The way I worked with this fiction, it is more likely that it would be Coby to save the day rather than Zoro,
funnily enough since I'm not that fond of Coby's character at all.
He's almost as annyoing as Nami.
I don't expect you to share these opinions though, so no hard feelings, ye?
Anyhow, did Luffy die? Was he saved?
That is up to you. Have fun deciding our favorite captain's fate.
Peace out!