Chapter Text
Things started off normal. While his routine had changed a bit since Ace and Sabo had departed from Dawn Island, it was relatively the same. He still didn't do any chores for Dadan, but he did assist her when having to run into High Town or down to Foosha Village. He would also bring back food for when he was gone through the day. Luffy had doubled his training time, without Ace or Sabo to spar with he had to make sure he was ready to set sail in only three years.
Whenever Luffy made his way down to Foosha, Makino was always there to greet him with a kind and gentle smile. He would sit in the bar for hours and tell her all about his day and stories of when he was with his brothers, and she would always listen. Every now and then, bandits would come to the village starting trouble like the last time but, Luffy wasn't the defenseless kid he was seven years ago.
Suddenly everything went to hell, Grey Terminal had combusted into flames just like it did seven years ago. There were loud explosions happening all around him. Luffy had rushed back towards Dadan's hut in a panic. The flames were massive, spreading rapidly into the neighboring forest. The explosions would just continue, it always felt they were right behind him, but he had to get back. People he cared about were in danger, this wasn't because he was a reckless kid. Right?
Upon approaching the hut, it was destroyed. He rushed over to help Magra, Dogra, and Dadan. Pushing past some of the burning wood, he found Dogra crushed under a beam of wood. The man's smaller body couldn't resist the impact when it had suddenly crushed him. Luffy had heard rustling on wood, and he turned finding Dadan, who had serious burns and was pinned under the rubble.
"Brat, you have to leave now!" she told him.
Luffy stared at her shocked. "No! I have to help!" he told her rushing over to lift the wood.
"No! Luffy! For once in your life listen to what I have to say!" she yelled.
Luffy kept trying to pull the wood up as she spoke.
"You have to get off Dawn Island. You have to survive this!" she told him.
"What is going on?!" he asked panicked.
"There isn't time to explain. I want you to know that none of this is your fault. It's this twisted and cruel world's fault this happened." she told him.
Luffy bit the inside of his lip looking at the older woman, the same person that had been like his mother. She never said she cared but Luffy and even his brothers who had tried to void themselves from affection knew that she cared about them.
"I want you to run, as fast and as far as you can from this island. Don't you dare look back; you hear me." she told him, she heard a crack from the wood. Luffy hesitated, she knew her boy. There was so much love in the rubber boy's heart that he couldn't bring himself to leave, not on his own at least. So, with the last remaining strength she had, she shoved the boy out of the old wooden hut.
She's has heard stories about the "Will of D" from Garp's drunk rants, he said that every "D" has died with a smile. Dadan may not be one of those holders, but as the wood fell there was a smile on her face. If this was what it took to make sure one of her boys lived. Then she would accept the outcome.
Luffy ran down the mountain, rubbing his arm across his face attempting to stop the tears the flowed down. He used his devil fruit to propel himself even quicker he didn't care if his hands were burnt, as long as he got to the bottom of the mountain.
Back to Foosha Village.
Then maybe, he could save someone.
When he reached the village, he could see a fleet of ships in the distances shooting canon fire. There wasn't time to worry about that, Luffy coughed as he ran through the burning village, and as he rounded the corner, the remains of Party Bar, laid in ruins.
"Makino!" Luffy cried running over.
Just like Dadan, she was crushed under the rubble, but being so close to the shore, it was one of the first places to be hit.
"Luffy!" she cried looking at the frightened child. Luffy was barely in his teens, for this to happen, to see such a terrible act.
"Makino! Hold on! I'll get you out of here." he said, pushing up on the wood, hissing slightly when it touched the burns.
She watched as he trembled. "Hey, Lu." she called out.
"No! I will save you! I won't let you die!" he cried.
It made her own tears well up in her eyes. "Luffy, stop. Even if you do manage to move the wood, I can't move." she told him. It was the harsh truth, but she had to put it into perspective for him.
"No! I can't let you die!" he cried to her.
"You stubborn boy." she told him. She had a gentle smile on her face. "You have to leave Luffy. Your life is the one truly in danger." she told him.
"What? Bu-"
"No listen." she told him sternly. "Listen to me, what happened today will never be your fault. The deaths of the people on this island, that blood will never be on your hands. This world is to blame. It is cruel and unforgiving, but there are still good people in it. Find those good people, go find your brothers but no matter what, you have to survive." she told him.
"Makino..." he whimpered.
"I know, I know. You'll never be alone and if you are, it will never last forever." she told him again, weakly raising her hand placing her hand on his tear-stained face. There were blisters that already back to fester on his shoulder, glancing at his hands, they would definitely scar, and they might even lose the feeling in them, but even if that has to happen for him to survive then it'll be that way.
Makino traced the scar under Luffy's eye and smiled, remembering the fond memories of Shanks and a younger Luffy that would run around Foosha Village together.
"Dadan, her group of men, and I love you so much. Remember that, okay." she told him.
Luffy nods his head frantically.
"Good, now go, get out of here." she told him. As he stood back up, he was shaking and looked conflicted once again. "Survive Luffy! You have a promise you have to keep with Shanks! Go become the Pirate King!" she told him. That seemed to make something in Luffy snap as he looked at her one final time before he turned and fled.
Makino smiled watching his fleeting figure. She'd make sure to watch over him with Dadan.
Luffy ran for what felt like ever. He wasn't sure where to go. He made it to the dock and looked around, and he spotted a small fishing boat hidden. He rushed over to it. and untied it from the post and he paddled away from Dawn as fast as he could. He watched as the island burned and fell to ruin. Dadan, Magra, Dogra, Makino, Tiger Lord, everything was gone. Everything had been taken over by the flames of the canons.
He turned to continuing getting away from the burning island. Now he could clearly see the ships, they were marine vessels. The very same people that swore to protect innocent people, were the causation for so much death and destruction.
The next thing Luffy knew was that that boat had been destroyed and he was now in the crashing waves of the ocean, he tried to fight against his devil fruit's weakness to stay surfaced. Then he made eye contact with a man. He was rather tall, and he had a red suit on, on the collar there were yellow specks. He had a glare on his face as Luffy sank deeper into the water, before there was nothing but darkness.
The next time Luffy woke up, he was drifting on a piece of driftwood, gently bobbing up and down in the water. His head was foggy and was pounding. He was lifted out of the water and placed on a boat. Luffy caught sight of another man, he looked younger, there was some green before once again things faded into darkness once again.