Imagine Luffy collects his crew in the opposite order
This one kind of ran away from me, and I doubt it’s what you originally had in mind anon. I hope you like it regardless!
The firsttime he’d taken off happened with a dinghy that’d threatened to sink with eachwave that hit it. He’d had no beries to his name, no infamy and nothing but abarrel as his shelter when he’d been hit with a whirlpool that’d led him to hisfirst.
His swordsman, his off-the-record first mate, his Zoro.
He can’twait to have them all back.
The firsttime he’d done this, he’d set sail without a course or a compass - meanderingaimlessly with a strong conviction that the right people and the rightopportunities would find him if he didn’t find them.
Thistime, he sets sail with a clear path, marked on maps he’s had to learn to readwhile his navigator’s been – unavailable.
He setssail from the beginning of the Grand Line, working his way backwards. He stillwants to start from Goa - a part of him wants to go see Makino and Woop Slapand Dadan, but that part is far older than his body’s seventeen years, and thatpart has a message whispered with the dying breath of a man who is still verymuch alive. And Luffy intends to keep it that way this time around, which meanshe doesn’t need to deliver messages to anyone.
Nonetheless,the fact remains that he’d woken up in Sabaody and the rest of his crew isscattered in the first part of the Grand Line and the East Blue. And Luffywon’t accept anyone but his nakama as his crew, so that means he has tobacktrack a bit.
Thistime, he finds Brook first. He finds him like last time, in the FlorianTriangle; trapped in a cage death could have freed him from, living a life that isn’t a life anymore. He sails there in a small fishingboat, faring the Grand Line’s dangers in something that could hardly holdin water. But Luffy refuses to get a ship before he can sail under his Jolly Rogeragain, and he refuses to hang up his flag until he has his crew again.
Brook isstunned to see the young man jump to his ship, all grins and shouting about areunion. The kid looks like he’s hardly even sixteen, and Brook hasn’t metanother living human - not that he’s all that alive, either - for the pastfifty years or so. Meaning that there’s no way he could have ever met this kidwith a straw hat?
Except,there’s a tug in his heart, not that he has one, and a peculiar tinglerunning up his spine - it’s like the air around the boy is electrified. Had he hadskin, Brook was sure it would have been pricking up with gooseflesh. He followsthe tug in his heart out of curiosity, embracing the tingle and the weirdfamiliarity that rings with the boy’s words.
“Oi,Brook, it’s so good to see you again! Say, wanna join my crew?”
He’sheard those words before, in another life. And just like then, Brook smilesand laughs with more emotion than he has since he was standing with anothercaptain, all half a century ago. And, like last time, he says:
And Luffyhas his first and his last back again.
It painsLuffy beyond measure that he has to leave Brook in the Florian Triangle, but hecan’t face Moriah as he is. He doesn’t have his entire crew back - yet - andhis teenage muscles aren’t strong enough nor is his skin as durable as itused to be. His haki needs work and his attacks need somerekindling and practice before they can be utilised. He can’t really take onGekko Moriah and his zombies just yet.
So heleaves, but he leaves with a promise to return with the crew Brook nowremembers as his. He promises to pass Brook’s love to Laboon, too, and themusician breaks into tears and song when Luffy envelops him in a bone-crackinghold of rubber arms that wrap around his skeletal frame multiple times.
He looksat the Rumbar Pirates’ ship as it gets smaller and smaller, and he sails fartherand farther until his nakama is but a dot in the horizon.
He sailsto Water Seven, where he finds Franky. He jumps on Franky’s shoulders without acare, out of the blue, and shouts his greetings with a blinding grin. AndFranky looks at the stranger on his shoulders just to realise that he isn’t astranger at all. He breaks down in tears, exclaiming his joy at seeing hiscaptain again, and Luffy just laughs and hugs his shipwright and laughs some more.
Then hehas Franky, and he will soon have a ship. He can’t wait for the Sunny to beready, however, because he’s on a bit of a schedule - somewhere in the EastBlue, one of his nakama is about to be executed and two others’ homes are aboutto be torn apart by pirates.
So heleaves, once again with the promise to return. (Franky does give him a boat,however; acting like he’s personally insulted Luffy has been sailing in agoddamn dinghy.)
He knowsRobin is in Alabasta, but it takes him some time to find her. She’s hiding inRainbase, trapped as Mr. Zero’s partner just as she had been when Luffy hadlast been in Alabasta. When Luffy reaches her, he waits until she’s aloneinstead of jumping her with smiles and laughs like he did with Franky. It makeshim sad to see her like this again - to see that she’s frozen her heart and pulledmasks on top of masks to hide her true self. This isn’t the Robin he’s comefor. This is Miss All Sunday.
Luffygives a total of not a single crap about that. He leaps down from the rooftophe’s been waiting on when the last of Crocodile’s men leave Robin be, and heapproaches his nakama with an inviting smile. He’s welcomed back with a handfisted around his neck and a hissed question.
“Whoare you and how did you find me?”
He grins,not at all bothered or hurt by the cold shoulder, and he tells her his name ashe meets her eyes. The hand disappears from his throat in a flurry of petals,and Robin gasps loudly as the memories rush in her eyes. The next morning,Crocodile’s been poisoned in his sleep and Vivi’s kingdom is saved. Robinleaves with Luffy.
They pickup Chopper in Drum, and head to Whiskey Peak, because that’s where Luffy knowshe’ll find one more nakama. He catches Vivi as she’s about to leave, havingheard the news of rain returning to her country. She grins when she remembersand thanks Luffy for the second time in two lifetimes, and she invites himand his crew for a feast when they’re all together again.
Luffygladly accepts and proceeds to clean every last pantry and plate in WhiskeyPeak of food before he gives the order to set sail again. The ship Franky gavehim somehow braves it through Reverse Mountain.
Luffy gives Laboon hismark, which now encompasses not only his promise, but Brook’s as well. Laboon wailswith joy when they leave, and Luffy grins all the way through Logue Town. He’sgetting close to having his family back again.
They beatup Arlong with no less ferocity than the last time, while Nami watches from thesidelines with a look of confusion and awe. It’s fitting, as Robin points out,that it was a different half of their crew that got to kick the ever-loving tarout of the fishmen terrorising Nami’s home the last time. This way, they all get their chance to punish the monsters hiding in Nami’s nightmares. It seems likejustice.
Nami hastears in her eyes when she faces the mysterious teenager who’d saved hervillage without any apparent reason. She starts crying openly, soft sobshitching in her throat when she realises who her saviours actually are. Luffy has his navigator back again.
(Genzo makes him promise to protectNami again, and he does. He’ll make sure not break that promise during their second round.)
There’sonly three left, and Luffy is overjoyed. They all are; equally eager to seizethe opportunity to start their journey anew.
They find Sanji on the Baratie. This time, they’re abit early, so there’s no fight with Mihawk and no Krieg - just a shared lookand a newly re-joined cook fawning over Robin and Nami’s incontestablesublimity, making endless apologies for ever forgetting them. They can make itback in time for Krieg’s men to arrive, Nami estimates; this time they havemore people and no days wasted on two idiots getting lost on their way toOrange Town.
Usopp meets them on the shore, like he did before. Heraises his slingshot and holds his little speech but, instead of intimidatingthe pirates like he’d hoped it would, all it does is bring stupid, happy grinson each of the Straw Hats’ faces. And like that, Usopp joins again. This timehe takes Kuro down himself well before the man’s plan is set in motion, justlike the brave warrior he is. Luffy is bursting with pride and glee.
One moreand they can go back.
Kaya rewards them with Merry and, while the reunion isa tad bittersweet, it’s exactly how Luffy had envisioned it to be. He’sbouncing all over the caravel while they sail to Shells Town, earning a coupleof kicks from Sanji and punches from Nami.
Thistime, he finds Zoro last, and just like with all the others it’s verydifferent and yet exactly the same. One look is all it takes - all it’s evertaken - to get Zoro to understand, to remember, and then he has them all back.And demolishing a marine base has never been as fun as it is with his crew backtogether.
WhenMorgan is defeated and Coby’s future with the Navy is ensured, the Pirate Kingof both the past and the future cocks his head far back and laughs, shouting adeclaration to the wind.
Theysmile with him and fill Ririka’s tavern with laughter and song. Luffy hugs themall, listens to Usopp’s boasting and Sanji and Zoro’s bickering, and eats untilhe’s bloated to the size of small bananawanis. He’s happier than he has beenfor quite some time. He has them all back.
Robinasks him how he’d been able to find them - how any of this is possible. Luffylowers his eyes, puts his hat on his head so it shadows the top half of hisface for a moment, and then looks up with the widest grin any of them have seenon his face since Raftel.
He thinksthe answer is obvious, even if he doesn’t really know it himself. “Becausenakama is forever,” he says instead, like it explains everything. “Iguess we didn’t get it right the last time, huh?”
And thatdoesn’t answer jack shit, but none of the Straw Hats particularly care. There’s a feastto be had, havoc to be wrought and all five seas to be conquered, after all.
A/N: Thanks for prompting, this was fun!
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