One Piece 1. moments too Late

**Once I Wake Up**  
**-moments too Late**

"…_that has to be the lighthouse those villagers were talking about! HEY GUYS, I CAN SEE THE ISLAND!"Usopp yelled from the crow's nest. Everyone abroad the ship started running around eagerly, getting ready to land. They were excited to finally get on to firm ground and hopefully out of the suffocating darkness that they had already become so familiar with. _

_The Thousand Sunny and her crew had been stuck on thick mist for the past few days and that had taken down their spirits. They hadn't been able to see the sun or the stars for days, their Log Pose having been the only thing guiding them onward. They had sailed ever so cautiously, trying their best to avoid any surprising changes in their surroundings and the seafloor. The last thing they needed was to crash the ship or – if they hadn't been actively watching the Log Pose - pass the island and be stuck in the mist for longer than necessary._

_Usopp watched the light of the lighthouse flash through the mist that was now slowly retreating from around them. It was a good thing he had been alert and seen the light. The Straw Hats looked at the sky together as it cleared around them and sun's rays were finally able to reach them through the now thinning mist. _

_They sure had missed the sun._

* * *

Robin followed a path leading towards a thick forest nearby the spot where the crew had anchored the Thousand Sunny. The island they had landed on was a summer one and was filled with trees and flowers. It was beautiful and calm.

Robin couldn't help but to take a deep breath as the pressure the mist had caused was finally being lifted from her. She had been just as glad as everyone else to see the sunlight as they reached the new island. The effect that mist had had on the whole crew, herself included, hadn't been something she had enjoyed.

It hadn't been long since the crew arrived at the Florian Triangle and had their adventures in Thriller Bark. Once Brook joined the crew, and they began their journey towards the very end of the Paradise of Grand Line, they had thought that would be the end of the foggy weather. Of course they had been wrong.

The next island they had arrived at was a rather small one just outside the corner of the Triangle. They had checked over their supplies and injuries and in less than a day the Log Pose had been set and the crew ready to sail once more.

Before they left they had asked the villagers there what the next island would be like, but no one had had much to say on the matter. All they had found out was that the next island was named Dunlic and it would take a day or two to reach it from the previous island.

Dunlic was well known for rain, misty weather and citizens who rather enjoyed living on their own and not to be bothered by anyone, not even their neighbors. They also found out that the citizens do have a sweet spot for well-paying travelers who didn't cause any unnecessary trouble, and that's why the people there couldn't care less if you were a pirate or not, everyone was the same to them as long as money was involved.

The first thing Robin had seen once they reached this next island had been an old lighthouse on the top of a high cliff. The villagers on the previous island had mentioned that the lighthouse would be a good warning sign of the islands closeness if the mist happened to be extremely thick when they reached its dangerously rocky surroundings, as it usually was. They had been right as without the lighthouse the Straw Hat crew would have been in deep trouble.

Robin looked over the trees and saw the very top of the lighthouse. She was going to go and take a look at the building as she believed it had its own stories to tell and would be a good starting point for getting to know the island. She also really wanted to take a long nice walk before returning back to the crew.

The rest of the crew was going their own way to get some information of this island and those that were yet to come, as well as refilling the supplies once more. It was also more than likely that they were going to spend quite some time on this island if the misty weather it was so well known for wasn't going to drive them off. They really needed to take some much needed time off, especially Zoro who was still severely wounded.

All in all, Robin knew that she had plenty of time to investigate the whole island and for now she would just take her time to enjoy the peace and calm. Those few days before they had been released from the mist's clutches had been very depressing and had turned the whole crew completely different from the way they usually were as even Luffy hadn't seem to be able to find any reasons to run around the ship. Everything had been simply wrong and way too quiet for any of the Straw Hats' liking. It surely was something they wouldn't like to go through ever again if they could help it.

"Robin! Wait for me!" a yell was heard from behind a small hill between the forest and the coastline. Robin turned to look at the top of the hill just as her captain ran over it in full speed. She noticed that the sound of his voice hadn't quite reached the same level of enthusiasm it usually held, but it wasn't far gone. Those five days of mist had taken their toll on every one of them but it wouldn't take long until they were all back the way they were, Robin was sure about that.

"Where are you going?" Luffy asked as he caught up with her and managed to stop running just before bumping in to the trees. Robin smiled at him and turned to point at the lighthouse that was barely seeable through the thick leaves of the forest. "I am going to go and take a look at that lighthouse over there". Luffy looked up at the lighthouse seemingly thoughtfully.

"Would you like to come with me?" Robin asked politely and knew what he would answer. She had nothing against her captain joining her and she knew that eventually he would get bored or hungry and run off once more.

Luffy thought about her suggestion for a total of three seconds before grinning at her "Yeah, sure! There might be something really interesting up there!" Robin nodded as she agreed with him completely "Indeed, there might be. We're almost at the Red Line and close to the New World. Who knows what we might find from a place like this".

And so the pirate captain and his archaeologist walked through the forest while following a path that looked like it hadn't been used in years. The trees surrounding them were tall and covered in dark-green leaves and so was the undergrowth. Even the flowers were rather big in size and beautiful in color, but also dark.

Both Robin and Luffy enjoyed the environment and the sunlight that warmed them and the forest.

Luffy hummed a slow rhythm and looked around while his eyes shined with interest towards the very calming forest. He was trying his hardest to keep his focus on all of its details, like all the different kind of plants, and that way not to rush forward. Robin wondered how long he'd actually be able to keep doing that and she couldn't help but to smile fondly as she watched him. She has missed this side of him.

It took Robin and Luffy over ten minutes to reach the end of the path and get out of the forest. There were a few trees and bushes here and there on the hillside leading them up towards the lighthouse that was now fully in their view and they could feel the sea breeze's rather chilly caress on their skin the higher in the open they climbed. The breeze wasn't very strong but one could hear its silent howls as it passed by the few buildings close by the cliff's edge.

As they were almost on the top of the hill Luffy finally gave in to his will to hurry up and started running in full speed to take a closer look at the lighthouse. He stopped to stand right next to it and looked upwards.

"IT'S HUUUGE!" he yelled as his eyes seemed to turn into stars. Robin chuckled as she reached the side of her captain and was able to take a look at the lighthouse herself.

Luffy sure wasn't wrong about what he had said. The lighthouse stood tall and she could see from the scratches and the scrapes on the mortar that it had lived a long live and wouldn't be falling down any time soon. It sure was a magnificent sight and Robin couldn't help but to feel respect towards the old structure that must have been through so much in these harsh seas.

"Hey Robin, who do you think uses that light-thing on the top of it?" Luffy asked as he tried to see through a darkened glass-window that had been fitted deep within the old falls. Robin walked past him to check on the door, "I'd like to know that as well, it would be interesting to meet a person who has the responsibility over such a place".

The door was locked and she tried knocking on it "It's also possible that the light is somehow made automatic and some of the villagers only come over now and then to see that it's working properly as well as to take care of the lighthouse. It's risky to have such an enormous building built on the top of such a windy cliff on this environment, especially when it's on a sea such as Grand Line".

Robin would've really liked to go and take a look inside the lighthouse but she didn't want to break in, not today in the very least. She decided to ask some of the villagers about how to get in if she managed to find those of them who wouldn't mind talking to strangers and helping her out.

Luffy nodded his head thoughtfully without paying much attention to what Robin had just said. He was already inspecting the two wooden stalls that stood apart from each other in front of the lighthouse. They looked like small storages and didn't seem to be nearly as old as the lighthouse was. Luffy tried to open one of them but the doors were surprisingly tightly sealed, even if no lock was to be seen.

Luffy was starting to think that there wasn't much anything interesting there as he had already seen the lighthouse. He was also starting to get hungry which was making it harder for him to pay attention to anything else. He hadn't really felt very hungry when the crew had been sailing through the depressing mist so he hadn't eaten as much as he usually would (he had still eaten more than everyone else combined…) so now he was getting eager to go and eat as much as he possibly could.

"Do you think the others have already left Sunny?" he asked as he turned to look at Robin who was also standing in the middle of the stalls and wondering what the meaning of them was. There didn't seem to be any.

"I suppose they might have even reached the town by now as well as I don't think it's that far away from here. It would make sense to build the town close by the lighthouse that guides ships towards it", Robin said and then paused for a second, "but from what we know about this island and its citizens it could quite possibly be the other way around". She walked past the buildings and towards the edge of the cliff.

Robin was also thinking about going to look for the town soon and finding out more about the island. She had a feeling that there was a lot to know, almost like there was something out there that she could try to investigate during the time she had here. Even that mist had made her very thoughtful as it had seemed to be wiped away on the very moment they saw the lighthouse and its flashing light.

She rather enjoyed these sorts of mysteries to pass the time. There was another kind of story and history to be revealed.

Luffy looked at the top of the lighthouse and grinned. He positioned himself and stretched his arms all the way to the top and tried to get a good hold of it. He launched up and as carefully as possible he landed on the roof. He was holding on tightly, it wouldn't be good if the wind managed to throw him off and in the sea.

As he looked around he could see the town on the far left side of the island. It seemed to be a rather small one and it had been built to follow the coastline all stretched out so that all of the houses had plenty of space between them. The citizens clearly wanted to be left alone like had been said.

Almost the whole island was covered in the dark leaved forests and fields. The simple island matched well the misty weather it was known for. Even now when Luffy turned to look at the sea behind him he could see a wall of pure darkness being moved around by the strong winds. It was all both calming and slightly depressing at the same time.

Luffy reached down on the ground carefully and jumped, as carefully as possible once again. After he landed he ran towards the cliff where Robin was now standing and watching the sea. Luffy wanted to tell her where the town was before leaving there so that she could easily find it when she was done with this place herself.

Robin heard Luffy's arrival and turned to look at him. She was standing quite a few feet away from the edge, high above the sea level. The wind carried a few of Luffy's words to her as she heard him saying something about the village. She noticed that the wind was getting a bit stronger and she took a few more steps away from the edge, just to be sure. Robin did trust in her abilities to protect her but just like Luffy she wasn't going to be careless so close to the sea.

Had she seen what rose from the ground and lingered underneath her feet, she might have had some time to react to what was about to happen. Luffy didn't see anything either as he was still too far away, behind the rocks. Was there even anything one could have possibly done in that situation that would have made any difference to what was about to happen, who knows?

It was such a sudden change to the peaceful day.

Robin felt the light touch around her ankle and looked down. On the very moment she did, the darkness took her over.

And there was absolutely nothing she could have done anymore as her body was already being pulled backwards and then she was thrown over the edge. And there was the darkness and _the hands_ that were reaching out, over the rocky walls, aiming for it all and taking a hold of absolutely nothing.

"ROBIN!" Luffy yelled in shock as he saw her eyes widen a split second before she was falling backwards, too far away. It was all so sudden and he didn't see any reason for this to happen. She was flying through the air and he ran and stretched out as quickly as he could. Her eyes had closed and she was almost out of his field of vision as his arm reached forward at full speed but it simply wasn't enough.

He didn't get a hold of her, he was too late. And as he stood on the edge and looked down, ready to reach out once more or jump after her he saw nothing but the rocks far below and his movements stopped completely.

There had possibly been no time for Robin to fall all the way down, Luffy would have seen her. He yelled again, calling her name desperately as he tried to understand_._ He told himself that he'd have to do something, either try to get down there or _get some help_ and fast.

But his body didn't move.

_'What just happened? What was it again? …did anything even happen'_

Luffy's mind was getting blank as he stared down in the dark sea while the wind was pushing on his back with much more force than before.

Slowly he turned around, facing the lighthouse, and the wind caught on to his open vest making him take an unsteady step towards the edge. He lifted his hands straight in front of his face, they were shaking. It made no sense. He was starting to feel dizzy, he wanted to fall backwards. He wanted to fall down in the sea and it madeno sense_… it was so unreal_.

_'Why would I want to do that..?'_

Luffy's eyes widened as he fully realized what he had just thought about. He looked over his shoulder and at the sea. He could hear thunder from somewhere far away and the waves were hitting the rocks below him with all their might. There was no doubt about it, a storm was coming. And Robin had fallen down.

That's when he finally started running as fast as he could. The wind was now screeching in his ears as he ran past the buildings, past the lighthouse and straight in to the forest. He was stumbling as he wasn't able to feel his feet anymore and everything seemed to be starting to spin. Luffy didn't understand what was happening but knew that he couldn't get anything done on his own, he needed help. He needed to tell the rest of his nakama what had happened, they'd be able to help, they always were. They'd be able to make sense to all this.

Luffy ran and didn't know what else he could have done. He felt desperation as his feet were starting to give in. Usually it wasn't like this.

'_Help Robin…'_

And he knew he was going to faint any second now and there was absolutely nothing he could do about that. It was all he needed to know to force his body to move forward; he wouldn't be able to get Robin back alone.

Robin was gone, she had fallen down. He didn't know why that had happened or where she had ended up at, but if he was going to fall unconscious then he'd have to tell the others what was going on before that happened. Then someone would go and help her and get her back. It hadn't been that long since they had brought down the whole Enies Lobby to save her so that she could finally live freely. She simply couldn't disappear like this, it couldn't end like this. Luffy, as her captain, wouldn't allow her to be taken away from them, not like this.

Luffy took support of the trees surrounding him as he forced himself to hurry down the path without slowing down any more than he already had in his weakened state.

Luffy found himself thinking if it was Zoro's turn to watch the ship today as it usually was. He was also injured so most likely Chopper had ordered him to stay put. There would most likely be someone watching over Zoro.

_'Zoro and the others will know what to do…'_

Everything had fallen silent. Nothing else was moving around him as he threw himself forward while hoping that he was even going the right way. He was losing his trail of thought and wasn't anymore sure of why he was running in the first place. He wanted to stop, stay in the forest underneath the leaves and be calmed by it once again. The forest where there were absolutely no animals or anything of the sorts… Just plants and trees and the darkness, which was making him want to stop and close his eyes.

But Luffy didn't stop running and soon he made his way out of the forest, over the hill and down the old path that led straight to the coast with the Thousand Sunny. He fell down more than twice but managed to get up each time. He was glad he did as he finally saw the ship.

Luffy tried to call his nakama, but there was no sound leaving his throat and he didn't quite remember what he had wanted to say in the first place. He had to make it in time but why…

'_Why can't I just stop, just this once…'_

Luffy fell down again just when he reached the coastline. He tried to force his body to move just a little bit longer, just a little bit further, but it was no use. With the last of his strength he tried to drag himself forward on the sand and he looked up at Sunny, begging for help with eyes that didn't quite see far enough anymore. Sunny was further away in the sea and he already knew that there was no way he could make it all the way to the old dock connecting Sunny and the coast.

Luffy could feel his hands being scarred and cut by the sharp sand that he was so desperately clinging on to. His feet had no feeling left and his body felt too heavy to move anymore. He had no strength left.

'_Let me rest…'_

He was so tired and sighed as he finally allowed himself to close his eyes. Now he was able to clearly see the darkness that was reaching out towards him and slowly managing to take a hold of his mind. Luffy simply saw nothing else he could have done in this situation but to sleep. He tried his hardest to understand why his mind was silently screaming at him to not give in to the dreamless dreams that were taking over him.

But it was too late now as the darkness wiped his mind completely clear and everything fell silent.


	2. Gone for real

**Once I Wake Up**  
**- Gone for real**

"–_n you hear me? Luffy?", "What the hell happened to him, he just ran off a few min-","DOCTOR!" _

_"THAT'S YOU!" _

"_Hey… i- is he okay?"_

"_It seems so. I think he's just sleeping…"_

"…_what the hell?"_

* * *

Luffy slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He felt extremely drowsy and couldn't see all that clearly but what he did notice was that his whole crew's eyes were on him (except for Brook who doesn't have any, yohoho-).

"…what's going on?" Luffy asked as Chopper hurried to check his fell being. Everyone was quiet and more than slightly worried for their captain. He had run off excitedly while the rest of the crew had still been anchoring the ship. That way he had avoided helping with everything, including listing of the the groceries and all the other chores they were just about ready to start. This wasn't the first time something like that had happened but the rest was new.

"That's exactly what we'd like to know!" Nami started yelling at him the second Chopper whispered that Luffy seemed to be perfectly fine, if only a bit tired. "First you run off without listening to a thing I had to say and then Sanji sees you lying in the middle of the coast for seemingly no reason whatsoever. We were just about ready to go to town and we thought we'd find you there, as usual! Do you have any idea how worried we were when we saw you, we thought something had happened! And then we found out that you were _just sleeping_? Heck, you were filled with energy just a little while ago, why would you fall asleep?!"

Luffy stared at her as he rose in to a sitting position. He tried his hardest to remember what exactly had happened after he left from Sunny but all that came to his mind was… darkness. He shivered as that image of nothingness made him feel like he had already lost. Exactly what he had lost he didn't know, but it must have been something important. That thought made him feel sick.

'_Something is missing, more than just the memory…'_

From what Nami said Luffy knew things weren't right. He had suddenly fallen asleep in the middle of the sandy coast and that wasn't normal for anyone, well maybe for Ace, but… There was something much more behind it.

He slowly turned to look behind himself. The sand was just like it should be, smooth and with no extra markings. He could have sworn for a second that he had come from that direction and not from the ship. The more he thought about it the stronger he felt that he had been _dragging _himself forward instead of just running. He touched the sand carefully and on the back of his mind he got the feeling of clinging on it with all he had, the sand pressing painfully against his palm. But as he looked at his hands they were perfectly clean, too much so considering who he was and where.

He could feel his hands bleeding and the wounds starting to sting, even if there were none. His head hurt.

Luffy was lost in his thoughts and completely forgot that his nakama was standing in front of him and worrying about him, still asking questions. Luffy couldn't register anything they said as he used all of his strength to trying to remember… anything.

'_Where was I coming from? Did something happen? Why do I feel like I was dragging myself towards the ship..?'_

Something was wrong, very wrong. He had to dig even deeper in to his memories. He had to remember. Luffy couldn't hear his nakama calling his name, asking if he was all right as he really didn't look like he was. They were asking why he wasn't saying anything, as they were slowly starting to panic. When Luffy finally heard them again he had nothing to answer. What could he say when he had no idea what was going on, he didn't want them to worry but he just couldn't say a thing.

He knew that he wasn't okay and leaned towards his knees and held his head in his hands. There was something behind the memory of absolutely nothing, a silent yell wanting to be heard again.

'_What is it, what do I have to remember… Something happened… Something…'_

His eyes widened slowly and he looked upwards and past his nakama, at the sea.

"Robin…" The whole crew heard him whisper the name and wondered if they had heard him correctly.

"What about Robin?" Franky asked before anyone else had time to react. Luffy turned to look at him for a while, still trying to grasp the reason why thinking about Robin made him feel so helpless. He never felt like that so why would today be any different. If only he could have remembered.

'_Screaming behind the darkness…'_

And suddenly he was able to see beyond the emptiness he had woken up with. It was _all_ right there and it hurt, but there was no time for him to dwell in the pain. He jumped up and this time his feet didn't give in.

"She fell down! Robin! From the cliff! I- I tried to reach out for her but she wasn't there anymore when I went to get her, she was simply gone! She disappeared!" Everyone just stared at him. There was no reaction to his sudden outburst.

Luffy felt like they were all stuck, he himself included. He really wanted to run and shake them or go and help Robin but he just couldn't move. Again.

It was almost like everything had already been scripted beforehand, almost like the crew was taking part in a play. Luffy could see Chopper shaking as he hid behind Usopp, clearly worried, but even the way he was moving seemed completely wrong. There was no other way to describe it, it was just all wrong.

'_Wrong, wrong, wrong, WRONG!'_

Everything was repeating itself, even the silence that surrounded the same way as it had in the forest. Only this time Luffy didn't feel like he was losing himself, he had to stay strong.

He managed to forcefully shake his head and get rid of all the unnecessary thoughts. He was already confused enough as it was.

It felt like a spell had been broken as everyone started moving again, talking to him and whispering to each other, trying to make some sense to it all and asking questions.

Nami was the first to take hold of the situation. She walked to Sanji and said something to him. Sanji nodded at her eagerly and took off, hurrying towards the old deck connecting the coast and the Thousand Sunny.

"Sanji will go to see if Robin is still onboard the Sunny, since she's not here", Nami said and carefully walked closer to Luffy. They knew Luffy, he wouldn't simply come up with things like these and he would never joke about his nakama being in danger for no reason. And there had to be a good explanation for why they had found him out here in the first place.

"Luffy, could you slowly explain what happened, all of it?"

Luffy took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He had to calm down as his crew wouldn't believe him otherwise.

'_Do I even believe myself?'_

This moment was different from everything he had been through before. If he wanted to get help, he also needed his crew to know what was going on so that they'd know how to help. And be careful while doing so.

"I left from Sunny when I saw Robin walking on the beach", Luffy started slowly," I really wanted to go with her rather than going to the town. She said she wanted to see that lighthouse", he glanced at the hill on far right and everyone turned to see the tall lighthouse that had helped them to reach this island, "and that's where we went and it was great. It was..."

"But when I got bored and wanted go to the village, I went to tell Robin about it and she… She just… flew over the cliff's edge".

'S_he didn't fall down, it was like someone had thrown her over!'_

"I didn't see how it happened but it was almost like someone had attacked her and she didn't do anything to stop herself from falling! I tried to reach her and I ran towards the cliff but she was already gone… And I didn't see her fall all the way down, but I should have if she had!"

Luffy took a deep breath before continuing, "That's when I ran back here. I almost felt like someone had forced me to fall asleep, I don't know. It just… doesn't make any sense, but it's all true! That's what happened!" Luffy had a serious expression as he looked at every single member of his crew, "I know what I saw and we have to get Robin back!"

The Straw Hats could see Luffy's eyes burning with seriousness that clearly showed that he wanted to run off right now and wasn't lying. His explanation was lacking a lot but from what they had heard it was clear that Luffy himself didn't know much more and this was better than what they normally got out of him anyway. They had found out all they needed to.

Just then they heard Sanji running back and they turned to face him. He crossed the dock in a hurry and they could hear him yell that Robin wasn't on board.

The Straw Hats looked at each other and they all tried to come up with a conclusion that would solve everything. Like there was any…

"You know, m-maybe Robin just left a while back, just like Luffy said. She always does that so there's no need to worry about her just yet, right?" Usopp said and Luffy couldn't help but to glare at him.

"What are you talking about!? Did you even listen to what I just said! We need to hurry and help her!" Luffy was yelling now. He didn't understand why his crew didn't listen to him and the urgency of the situation, after all he was the captain and it was Robin they were talking about.

But they did listen and they did understand, just a bit too well. They knew he wasn't lying, but they had reason to doubt that what Luffy knew was real.

Brook carefully opened his mouth to point out just what they were all thinking about "We do believe you! The problem is just that there was..._ no time_".

Others nodded.

"It has only been less than ten minutes since you left from Sunny. There's just no time to reach that lighthouse and come back, never the less for everything else you mentioned to happen. And then there's this whole conversation we've just had, it just couldn't have possibly happened in that small amount of time", Nami continued just as carefully as Brook. She looked at the lighthouse and calculated the time and speed needed to reach there again and again, just to be sure.

Luffy stared at them, not believing what he had heard. "Only ten minutes? B-but…" He was confused, even more confused than before, if that was even possible...

'_There's no time, no time…'_

"This is the Grand Line, when has anything made any sense? And that shouldn't even matter! When captain gives his orders we should follow them, made they any sense or not", Zoro said and everyone looked at him. Zoro looked annoyed and also dead serious, which made the whole crew realize that if the wounds he got in Thriller Bark had healed enough he would have already followed Luffy. He would never question his captain like this and neither should the rest of them.

The moment Luffy heard what Zoro said he turned around and took off. He couldn't hear what the others had to say as they yelled after him. He didn't have to.

'_They'll follow me, there's no doubt about that!'_

Zoro had been right, Luffy knew what he saw and even if it wasn't real he had to be sure. All that mattered was to find Robin. He couldn't just wait for Robin to come back because there hadn't been any time for her to go anywhere in the first place. Such a messed up thought that made more sense than anything else right on that moment.

'_No more time to lose!'_

All he had to do now was to trust in his senses and they were telling him to go the lighthouse. And even if he'd be wrong about what happened, he could never forgive himself if Robin was gone because he didn't try to help her.

It's true that he hadn't said anything like 'captain's orders' to his crew, he hadn't needed. His crew knew that he was serious and they knew what they would have to do next. Why had it taken him so long to realize all this, he didn't know. Now he had to hurry and get all the lost time back.

Luffy ran through the forest once again and kept his focus on the lighthouse. He had to reach it as quickly as possible as he had already spent far too long doing what, sleeping? Doubting everything?

Right now he didn't have any time to run in circles.

As he ran past the trees he noticed that this time he wasn't tired and it almost felt like he was getting more and more energy the closer to the lighthouse he got. Almost like the building was pulling him forward. This time stopping didn't even cross his mind.

He had already lost this fight once today, had it been real or not. Now, as he ran out of the forest and up the hillside, the feeling of losing hit him stronger than it had before. It was a feeling he would soon become very familiar with and also something Monkey D. Luffy would never get used to.

Luffy glanced behind him as another one of the thoughts he had had before resurfaced. Once again it was the thought of being controlled, almost like everything that happened had already been decided.

'_They'll follow me…'_

Luffy looked up at the lighthouse and felt like he had just made a big mistake. And it still felt so right…

* * *

**AN **

**Here it is, the beginning of the very first fanfiction I've ever submitted anywhere! (btw, these first two parts were like one chapter cut in two and it was supposed to be a prologue)**

**OIWU is a good example of the plots I enjoy creating but I really like to explain a lot and leave hints behind**


	3. and Again

**Once I Wake Up  
****-and Again**

_Here he was, once again, standing in the middle of the three wooden stalls and the lighthouse. He wondered why the sea was calling for him like this. He had been cursed all those years ago but never did the sea so eagerly crave for his life. _

_Or maybe it wasn't the sea, maybe it was something completely different. He knew there was almost something right behind him, whispering to him, and he couldn't turn around and see what it was. He also knew that whatever there was wouldn't reveal itself that easily. _

_What bothered him the most was, how often it seemed to happen on this island and under its watchful eyes that one wasn't able to do something. It, whatever it was, seemed to always be more than one step ahead._

_All Luffy could think about was why wasn't he stronger than this which was trying to control him._

* * *

The wind had calmed down and the horizon cleared which made it feel like the same calm and peaceful day it had been the last time he was here. It didn't have any effect on Luffy who was hurrying towards the edge while this time being even more careful than before.

With every step Luffy took in his surroundings, kept a tight hold on the rocks and didn't completely trust anything he saw. He shivered as he thought about the last time he had been here and about the moment he had lost himself when standing on the edge. It all felt so far away now, but he could still feel the way the wind had pushed on his bag back then.

While taking one step after another and inching towards the edge he could hear Nami's voice calling him. Her voice had no trouble reaching all the way from the lighthouse to the edge and Luffy could hear the slight panic it held.

'_They must think I'm going to jump down, after Robin'_

"Luffy, stop! It's not safe to just run off on you own after everything you told us!"

Luffy turned to look behind him, careful to not let go of the rocks, and saw not just Nami but also Usopp and Franky running towards him. They were seemingly all carrying a rather lot of supplies with them.

Usopp stopped right after passing the stalls while taking deep breaths. They had run up here in record speed. He was looking rather worried as well as impressed as he looked up at the lighthouse. This place was simple and rugged but it was still a magnificent sight.

"So this is the lighthouse… I can see why Robin would like this place", Franky said as he was now slowly walking towards Luffy while also looking around the view and getting to know the environment, "Luckily we have just the way for us to safely check out that cliff". Usopp hurried to help Franky with whatever they were planning to build.

Luffy didn't say anything and turned his attention back to the edge and stretched his neck to look over it. It was just like it had been before, waves crashing on the rocks below and with no sign of Robin. He turned to look at the rest of his nakama again, watching them work. He trusted Franky and Usopp to get this done with the skills they had.

Nami stood a safe distance away among the bigger rocks and looked at the sea, her voice no louder than a whisper "We are high above the sea level… Falling down all the way from here would be horrifying". The wind gently wiped her hair forward and made her shiver. Luffy felt the sight make him worry even more for the safety of his crew.

'_What can we trust?'_

"Watch out for the wind, there's something wrong with it," Luffy said and he knew how odd he must have sounded, but no one said anything back but seemingly took in his warning.

Everything was moving too slowly for Luffy and he was annoyed that they hadn't yet gotten anything done, but Franky and Usopp were quickly working on some sort of rack and Luffy knew they were working as fast as they could.

"Do you believe me now?" was a question Luffy had to ask, though. He knew his crew would do anything they could to help as well as everything he asked them to, but it hurt to be the only one who had seen and that's why believed what had happened. Especially it hurt him now that the feeling of threat and the pure wrongness of the whole situation was making him start to doubt himself over again. No matter how many times he managed to straight his thoughts out, the same things kept coming back.

'_What if…'_

"Luffy… In the very least we know there's something off about this place and we need to find out what, but before that we need to get Robin back", Nami said, unable to outright say that she'd believe him. Franky and Usopp were in the middle of work, but were still able to share a few looks and listen to the conversation. They clearly agreed with what Nami had had to say, Luffy noted.

'_Of course… That's enough' _

"Is that what the others are doing as well, looking for Robin?"

Nami nodded and quickly explained, "Sanji went to look around the village and ask the people there as much about this place as they're willing to share with strangers. I also asked him to quickly check the rest of the island. Luckily it's not that large.  
Chopper and Brook on the other hand are doing the same somewhere around the coastline while keeping an eye on Zoro. Once they're done they'll meet us here, if they can, and if Robin doesn't show up until then, well, we'll have to figure out what to do next together".

Luffy was impressed at the speed they had come up with all this, it wasn't much but compared to him being as useless as he had been while running off and leaving the rest of the crew behind, it was amazing. Of course the crew had gotten used to all sorts of situations along their journey and Luffy couldn't help but to think that rarely had he been much of a use for them on planning things out. He was almost always the one who got them in to trouble in the first place.

"All right, we're done here. Good thing we had all these supplies ready to be used", Franky said rather proudly. Luffy and Nami turned to look at what they had built and saw a wooden platform with professionally built supporting structures and robes.

"With this you'll be able to check if there's a place down there where Robin could be at", Usopp said to Luffy, also proud at what they had made in such a little amount of time, "Myself and Franky will be taking care of this while you go down".

"We're not going to let Luffy go there on his own, one of you has to go with him", Nami said and crossed her hands over her chest, as she wasn't going to be the one going.

"W- well, then Franky can-" "Sorry now, Long Nose, I have to keep this thing working. It's up to you", Franky said and moved the platform to the edge, ready to lower it. The moment the platform was on its place Luffy jumped on it, "Come on, Usopp! We have no time for this!"

There was nothing else Usopp could have done than yelp as Luffy took a hold of him and placed him on the platform. Franky took a few light torches from the bag he had carried most of the supplies on and then threw it to Luffy.

"The robe isn't nearly long enough to take you all the way down, but it should be enough to see what's going on down there. Pull this string once when you want to stop and twice to be pulled up, it'll ring a bell. Take care, Straw Hat, Long Nose", Franky said and started to slowly lower the platform. Luffy nodded and got ready to look around, Usopp simply wrapped himself around the supporters, eyes closed and whispering to himself, "I helped built this thing, it's save for sure… No worries, no worries, _nothing to be afraid of_. I'm not going to get sick, I'm strong…"

'_I'm not falling down... No one is, not this time'_

Luffy looked at Nami and Franky as they slowly disappeared behind the edge. "Be careful!" Nami called after them quietly and waved. Luffy said the same thing back to them, "Yeah, you too. Watch out for the edge…"

Their platform was well built which made it sturdy and unaffected by the sea wind that was stronger down the cliffs wall where there was nothing covering them from it. The sound of waves crashing far below made both Usopp and Luffy feel even more uneasy.

'_Craving for my life'_

"…Lu- Luffy, look! There's a lair", Usopp pointed at the wall. Hidden behind the rocks there was a small ledge and what seemed to be the opening to a cave. They weren't that far down just yet which made Luffy want to believe that this is the place where Robin ended up at. It was so well hidden when looking from above.

"Franky, we found a cave!" Luffy yelled and Usopp quickly pulled the string once. The platform stopped immediately, "Let's go, Usopp!"

Luffy moved, as carefully as possible, from the platform to the ledge and then pulled Usopp over as well and straight in to the cave. With the lights Franky had given them they started investigating right away. Usopp knocked on the walls of the cave, wondering how strong they must be since they were being able to hold not just the lighthouse but also the whole cliff above themselves without collapsing. Talking about the walls giving in wasn't a very reassuring thought, he noticed, and changed the subject. He didn't want to fall quiet.

"If Robin really fell she could have easily used her powers to reach this place", Usopp said, following right after Luffy and trying to keep an eye on everything surrounding them while marking their road. Luffy knew well that Usopp didn't like places like this that much, but neither did he himself: not this time.

'_She didn't simply fall…' _

"She would have found a way up already…" Luffy said quietly. He was still shocked by his own negativity and the little he had to say. He only made Usopp even more nervous and that's bad, not something a good captain would make happen.

"Or maybe she thought she'd find a way up or something interesting down here and decided to look around. If she's here, we'll find her!" Luffy said and turned to look at Usopp with a wake smile on his face, he hadn't smiled much or properly for days now.

Usopp had been taking support of the cold rock walls and using a white chalk from his pocket to draw a line on it so that they wouldn't get lost when getting back. Now the line ended right behind Luffy, the abandoned chalk rolling on the floor. Usopp was nowhere to be seen.

"USOPP!"

'_There's no way he could have just- there was no sound, nothing!'_

Luffy started running, swinging his torch from one way to the other as he was trying to find something, just some reason for Usopp to be gone. He saw a dim light from behind one corner, illuminating on the smooth stone walls and Luffy hurried to it, calling Usopp's name. No answer was heard.

As he made it behind the corner there was nothing but the darkness and its thin fingers lingering in the air, pulling something or someone within itself and hiding within the walls. The light of the torch lying on the ground was unable to penetrate the misty nothingness now surrounding it and so it first flickered and then burned out, once and for all.

Luffy stopped completely, not for the first time and certainly not for the last. This time he didn't petrify for as long as before: First he threw his own torch in the darkness, near the spot where the other had been at, and watched it light the space around itself. There was nothing there anymore.

'_Usopp… T-the walls took Usopp!'_

And now he was angry and for the first time on this island he felt like no one could stop him as he pulled his fists back, "GATLING GUN!"

'_I'll get you back!'_

Luffy hit the wall again and again with full force, this attack had been able to take down so many enemies that he had no doubt it would be able to break through a few layers of rock. The sound of his yells and his punches echoed through the cave, most likely even reaching the ears of Franky and Nami. But it was no use.

The wall didn't break. Not one rock was destroyed. All Luffy had managed to do was making his own hands bleed. He could sense something that was almost mocking him, but his anger smothered that feeling quickly.

'_Again and again…'_

Luffy stopped his attack and slowly walked to the wall he had been so desperate to break. His steps were swaying, of course they were, nothing new at that. He touched the wall gently and then turned around.

'_How many times do I have to lose?'_

Luffy picked up his torch and walked forward, thinking about getting back in the sunlight they had so missed. He knew the feeling that was now rising from inside him far too well, he was going to faint again.

But this time he didn't feel like hurrying to the others. He didn't feel like he could do anything anymore. He closed his eyes, leaning against the wall and walking forward ever so slowly. There were no thoughts running through his mind. Not until he heard them.

"FRANKY!"

Luffy's eyes shot open as he heard Franky yell as Nami screamed. Luffy started running again. He didn't know how he could have forgotten that the rest of his crew was still up there, still in danger.

'_What's wrong with me, I-I'm not like this!'_

The opening of the cave was now right in front of Luffy, it seemed like he hadn't been that far from it in the first place. He hurried outside and the first thing he saw was that the platform wasn't there anymore. He called for his crew as loudly as he could, but there was no sound coming from the above anymore. Luffy quickly dropped the torch on the ground and stretched his arms, reached them as far up as he could and then took a hold on the rocks, preparing to launch himself.

But it was no use as the moment Luffy jumped upwards it was like something had taken a hold of his hands and forced him to let go, causing him to lose his footing as he was now falling through the air uncontrollably and hat's string was painfully straining his neck. He tried to reach out and take a hold of the ledge or the rocks on the walls again, but he was stopped as everything he reached seemed to escape from under his finger the moment he touched it.

The wind was picking up and suddenly threw him further away from the island with such force that his hands were unable to reach it again. It almost felt like the land itself was trying to get away from him, forcing him to fall.

'_Falling…'_

Luffy couldn't help it as he started to panic, everything that had happened and every emotion he had felt previously returning all at once. He yelled and reached out over and over again with everything he had, but every time he thought he had managed to take hold of something that didn't give in, his bleeding hands did just that. He had no strength left, he was numbing again.

It was just like the last time after Robin had disappeared and he had started to lose himself, or so it had felt. This time was too much like it. That's why Luffy knew what would be coming next. He closed his eyes as tightly as he could, but this time imagining the emptiness himself and not waiting for it coming for him. If it was the only thing that would be happening next he had to try taking control over it.

That is why Luffy stopped trying to reach the walls, which did scare him. The sea was calling underneath and this time, regardless of the uncharacteristic fear within him, he couldn't help but to force himself to smile. He had wanted to fall back on the edge and that's exactly what he was doing right now.

'_Can't fight myself'_

Maybe he wasn't like he had used to be as something on this island had changed everything and everyone, him the most it seemed. But it didn't matter anymore. Robin had fallen, Usopp had been taken by the walls, Franky and Nami were gone as well and there was no doubt in Luffy's mind that the same thing had taken them all.

'_Now is my turn'_

Darkness was calling for him but this time Luffy wasn't fighting, he was inviting it. He had no way of reaching the walls anymore, not even those below him.

This time the problem wasn't that his inability to think straight and come up with something to do, this time there just wasn't anything he could have done. Back on the island he had known that he would save his crew and get them back while knowing at the same time that it wasn't going to be easy. But this was it, all ended before it had even started, he had gotten no answers.

It wasn't like him to give up, especially when his crew was involved. He didn't know where those who had been _taken_ were and there was no telling when the rest would be attacked as well. But now he closed those thoughts out, they were unnecessary.

The fall was longer than he had expected and giving him way too much time to think, but he didn't want to look how much of it was still left. The winds screech in his ear had been the only sound he heard, but even it was already being silenced by the darkness.

It was becoming so quiet again, not even the waves were making a sound. Peaceful, that's what it was. It was more calming than anything else. Luffy's mind closed off completely and in the darkness the one watching had a pleased smile, which Luffy chose to ignore. His last thoughts were in the sea below.

'_H-help…'_

* * *

**AN**

**Next Chapter: Lost in the sea**

**School ended and freed me from studying and now I'm able continue writing this and all of my other projects**

**I also rewrote the first two chapters and fixed some of my mistakes, they should also be more understandable now. I didn't change any important details, so reading them again isn't necessary if someone already has**

**Please tell me any time you see something that's wrong/doesn't make any sense and I'll look into it **

**Btw, I'd like to hear someone's thoughts of OIWU so far! : )**


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