One Piece To Protect Another

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece**

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_...Don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe..._

This was the mantra he repeated to himself as he struggled in vain against the marine captain's hold. With his strength sapped by the water and weak from the lack of oxygen, Luffy wish for nothing more than someone to help him. He knew of no way to get out of this situation by himself.

_...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe..._

He no longer had the strength to struggle and reluctantly loosened his grip on his torturers arm that held him under. The edges of his vision were getting darker and he could feel nothing but despair as that obscurity creeped farther and farther

A thought came to him as that darkness came closer to consuming him. He wondered how his crew would feel about his situation if they knew. Would they call him weak? Would they cease to journey together with him? Would they reject him? Would they leave him alone?

_...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe.._

Luffy was scared. He wasn't scared of dying. Honestly, he had been in far worse situations than this. No, but he was scared of his crew and how they would react to his weakness. If he made a mistake, would they leave him

It had happened before, with Usopp and Robin. He should had found some way to protect Robin before then, and with Usopp, he had let his emotions get in the way. He hadn't handled the situation of getting a new ship in the right way. He should have approached it differently. Still, they had eventually come back to him. But that didn't mean they wouldn't leave him again. And he was scared.

_...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe.._

Here he was, held prisoner by a marine. The marine was trying to kill him by using his weakness against him. Luffy had gotten careless and the marine had gotten a hold of him by some sort of luck. Knowing he didn't have a chance, the marine pushed them both into the ocean. So now he was at the mercy of this man that held him under the water

And he was running out of air. He couldn't breathe and couldn't struggle, and that thought made him sad. If he couldn't get out of this, what would his crew do? He would leave them behind, and nobody wanted that. They were a family

_...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe.._

He needed a way out. He wanted to escape from this paralyzing weakness. If he left everyone behind now, they would feel alone, and that hurt Luffy just as much as it hurt when he was alone. Being hurt was better than being alone, but if being hurt caused him and his family to be alone, then why let this happen? He needed to escape

But it was cold and surrounded by the water that was about to become his grave, he felt more alone than he ever had in his life. Nobody knew where he was, but that didn't mean they would come looking for him. They had no idea he was even missing

_...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe.._

He had to find a way out of this. He couldn't struggle and he couldn't breathe. So what was he to do? Right now he wished he had Nami's or Robin's brain. They could've thought of a way for sure.

By now, the need to suck oxygen into his lungs was dire. He needed to fight but he wasn't sure how to. The pain in his protesting lungs throbbed painfully. He could feel his heart beating against his ribcage painfully.

_...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe.._

He bit his lip, to keep from letting his breath escape him and from screaming out. He could feel it now. He was fading. He wanted to cry out for Zoro, for Nami, for Usopp, for Sanji, for Chopper, for Robin, for Franky, for Brook...for Ace. For anyone. No matter how much he tried to reason with himself, he felt abandoned and absolutely afraid. He was terrified to die like this, without protecting anyone.

And if he died now, how could he become King of the Pirates

_...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe...don't breathe.._

That was it. He was out of breath. Instinctively, he let it out and tried to take another one, and he breathed in a lungful of water. It didn't matter that the hand that had held him under was no longer there

What did matter was the hand that gripped his arm and pulled him onto the safety that was dry land. As soon as his face was free from the watery imprisonment, Luffy was coughing up mouthfuls of water

"Luffy!" He couldn't answer. Water seemed to be in the way of his tongue. "Luffy, breathe! You need to breathe.

As soon as his lungs began to work properly again, he greedily sucked in the oxygen that surrounded him. He could breathe again. He squinted up into the concerned face of his unofficial first mate.

"Zoro," he croaked. That's when he realized he was trembling. He was shaking so hard, even his voice reflected his exhaustion and terror

Zoro smirked. "Yeah. It's me. Count your blessings it wasn't the love cook. He would kick the crap out of you before you could even take your first breath."

Luffy nodded in gratitude.

Zoro had saved him. Zoro had come for him, even though he had had no idea that Luffy was in any kind of danger. Zoro had come for him. And that was enough

"Luffy? You okay?

Luffy nodded again, this time more feverishly as his energy began to return. Because it was okay. Zoro was here and he could continue. He continue his journey, his adventure, and he could continue to protect. Because Luffy protected the crew, and Zoro protected Luffy.

A trademark grin that threatened to split his face in two was flashed in Zoro's direction. "I am now."

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**A little short and sweet, I know. Please review and tell me what you think. Thanks for reading.**


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One Piece, Family, Hurt-Comfort