“Eh?” Luffy opened a door and he was back in the hallway he had just occupied. He closed the door and reappeared at another door that connected to the corridor. “Hm? Eh? Huh?”

This kept repeating until he finally exited into the passage. Luffy crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. He hmmed in thought and closed his eyes, standing in the middle of the hallway.

“Wasn’t I just on the Sunny Go?” he mused. “Mmmm…”

_ Flashback

“I’m back, ototo,” Law whispered.

Usui stared at Law for a ringing moment before he smiled. A smile so genuine and warm that it dazzled the pirates on the ship.

“Okaeri, Law no Aniki,” a thin trickle of blood snaked down Usui’s chin. “I have a present for you.”

Law was taken aback, he usually didn’t have this much time. “W-what is it?”

Usui just smiled. Suddenly, the ship’s deck vanished and they all began falling. The blue haired boy had ceased to exist.

“What the hell?!” Sanji yelled before he got swallowed into the black hole.

The rest had grabbed onto the edge of the cavity, hanging on for dear life.

“Sanji!” Luffy shouted, stretching his arm to try and reach him. He skimmed the cook’s shoe before Sanji vanished altogether. “SANJI!”

Nami grabbed Luffy's leg, the black hole sucking her in.

“You’re heavy, Nami!” Luffy complained.

“How rude! The gravitational force is pulling on me that’s why!”

Chopper’s grip on the edge failed and he cried out as he fell.

“Chopper!” Robin sprouted out limbs to try and catch him but only ended up falling in with the reindeer.

“Oi, oi, oi!” Franky called. “What’s happening here!?”

“We gotta get the others back!” Luffy said.

“Oh ho ho ho! It feels like my skin is being pulled off my bones! Although I don’t have any skin. Yo ho ho ho ho!”

“Let’s worry about the others after we’ve gotten to safety!” Zoro called over the roaring of the black hole.

“Here!” Usopp fished out some of his seeds. “I’ll use one of these and then they’ll scoop us up!”

“Good idea, Usopp!” Nami praised.

Usopp struggled to attach one of the seeds into his slingshot and just as he was ready to shoot, the black hole swallowed them up.

Usopp gawked at his empty weapon then proceeded to yelling at the black mass. “Hey, give them back!”

“Don’t you have anymore?!” Zoro asked.

“Nope,” Usopp sweated nervously.

“What kind of sniper doesn’t have extra ammo?!”

“Me! That’s who!”

Law was all the while staring into the center of the black hole. He tightened his hold on the edge to keep from falling but he averted all his attention onto the spiraling mass below them. He heard… voices. It didn’t feel cold, it felt strangely warm.

“Jump,” he said softly, but everyone heard.

“Jump?!” Nami shrieked. “Are you crazy, Law?!”

Law fixated his gaze on her. “It’s ok.”

“Huh?! Eeek!” Nami screamed as Law let his hold go and fell into the black hole.

“You heard him,” Luffy had on a crazy grin. “Captain’s orders…”

“Don’t you dare, Luffy!” Nami sobbed.

“Heehee…! Jump!” Luffy fell with Nami.

Nami screamed and the rest of the crew watched them disappear. Zoro smirked.

“Come on you three,” Zoro followed after them.

“Are we really doing this?!” Usopp cried as Brook and Franky leaped into the black hole as well. “We’re actually doing this?!”

What’re you waiting for, Usopp?

Usopp’s shaking stopped and he stared down at the darkness below. “Usui…?”

Hurry up! It’ll be fun!

Usopp gulped and he released his grip, letting the air whoosh passed him. He heard a child’s clear laugh.

_ end

“Oh!” Luffy tapped his fist onto his open palm. “I need to find the others!”

He ran down the hallway and around a corner, he passed by another when he spotted something and backtracked.

“Hm?” he saw a door close. “Hey! Wait up!”

He ran to the door and opened it. There on the bed, looking drained and depressed, was a tiny kid with royal blue hair and scarlet eyes. Luffy walked up to him and crouched down, staring right at his face.

Luffy cracked a smile. “You look exactly like my new friend! Only younger.”

The boy didn’t respond, instead, he stared right through the pirate as if he weren’t there. Luffy blinked up at him.

“Oi, what’s your name? Where are we? Have you seen my comrades? There’s a tall skeleton and a huge cyborg! Then there’s a reindeer and a green haired swordsman. Also a—“

The sound of the door opening made Luffy whip around and the kid on the bed look up. Another boy had appeared in the doorway, with golden eyes and black hair. He also had a winter style fur hat and a tank top. Luffy’s jaw dropped to the ground.

“Tra-guy?!” he yelled as the boy on the bed jumped up and ran to Law. “W-w-w-w-w-w-whaaaaaaaaaatttt!? You turned so young!”

“How was the mission, Law no aniki?” the kid asked Trafalgar, a new brightness around him at the sight of the older boy. “What kind of people did you meet? What did you do?”

Luffy’s expression turned solemn and his eyes dilated. He stared at the kid. “Then… he’s…”

“Calm down,” Law ruffled the kid’s hair. “As energetic as ever, I see.”

Usui giggled and gave Law the peace sign. Luffy’s eyes softened.

_

Sanji rubbed his head dejectedly. He grumbled a string of curses under his breath as he walked down the corridor. “I fall a hundred miles and land on my head. Then I find myself in a building on land when I was just on the Sunny Go…”

Sanji had to stop himself before running into a kid that had appeared out of nowhere. The kid had blue pigmented hair and nebulously red eyes. Sanji gawked as he ran passed.

“Hey! Wait!” Sanji ran after him. “Are you…?! Are you the Usui brat!?”

He caught up to the kid’s pace and he was surprised to see an exhilarated expression on his face.

“Law no aniki is performing a surgery…!” Usui grinned, panting. “I’ve gotta see it!”

Sanji smiled. “What a kid… wanting to see an operation at his age.”

The cook followed Usui until they reached a dark room with only a patient on the table where a bright light was shining down on. Law was standing on a stepping stool to reach the height and he was absorbed in what he was doing. Sanji got a look at Usui beaming face before the kid ran to join his brother.

Sanji watched Usui’s attempts to see what Law was doing, his head bobbing up and down as he jumped again and again. Law sighed.

“What’re you doing here, Usui?”

“I wanna see,” Usui pouted.

“You’re distracting, go away.”

“Aw, come on, Law no aniki,” Usui complained. “Please?”

Sanji walked over to the corner of the room and watched their little interaction. He won’t even question why a ten year old Law is in charge of an operation.

_

The young Usui’s eyes landed on Luffy and he waved the pirate over. Luffy blinked. He pointed at himself. Usui nodded, and proceeded to running in the opposite direction. Luffy jumped off the bench he was sitting on and began to pursue him.

“Wait, Fruit punch!”

_

Sanji was running after the kid, not understanding why Usui’s memory had begun acting of its own free will. One moment, the boy had been walking down the hallway alone and then he had turned and gestured to Sanji.

“Oi, where are you going?!”

Usui glanced back at him for a moment before disintegrating and Sanji felt the sensation of falling.

“Aaaah, this is nice… No, it’s not!” Sanji saw the light from the mansion smother out as another black hole closed around him. “You’re having fun with this, aren’t you?!”

Sanji heard Usui laugh.

_

Luffy lost sight of the young representation of his friend and he sprinted to nowhere in particular. The landscape changed and the cobblestone road turned flat and gray. Luffy panted, slowing down. His pupils dilated and a huge explosion to his left made him jump. Swords were clashing and pirates and marines alike were running and falling, chaos was evident.

Luffy was lost for words. His throat became dry as a dessert and metal nails were digging into it. His tongue wasn’t functional, his hands began shaking.

Ice walls encompassed the entire island, the earth shook and blood spilled. It was a place and a time Luffy would’ve begged for another chance to come back to.

“Ma… Marineford…” his voice was unrecognizable. He was plagued by past memories. “A…ce…”

“Luffy.”

Luffy’s head lashed to the side and his gaze landed on a fully grown Usui. Usui had a solemn expression on his face like no other and it appeared like he was trying to gain the young pirate’s full attention.

“This isn’t real,” Usui explained. “You have to fathom that.”

Luffy just gawked at him.

“I managed to gain access into Law no Aniki’s memories,” Usui continued. “Look.”

Luffy followed his line of vision and he was shocked to see Jimbei carrying his own limp body. Luffy spotted the yellow submarine of the Heart Pirates and Law standing on the deck.

“Do you know why Law no Aniki saved you?” Usui asked.

“I heard him say that it would be too boring if I died here,” Luffy answered.

“That’s slightly true, but it’s more than that. He understood what you were going through, Luffy,” Usui walked over to stand next to Luffy. “You entered a battlefield to save a brother and in the end you lost him, just like he lost me.”

“He didn’t lose you,” Luffy said quickly. “And he’s never going to. I’m going to make sure of that.”

Usui’s frown deepened. “He’s already lost me, Luffy.”

“What are you talking about?!” Luffy’s eyebrow’s knitted. “I—“

“I simply wanted to establish something,” Usui interrupted. “He understands. Just know that much.”

The sounds of battle extinguished abruptly and Luffy was left alone in a dark expanse.

“Eh? Fruit Punch?! Where’d you go?! We weren’t done talking!”

_

Sanji fell on cold snow and he laid there, staring at the descending flakes from the sky. He sat up when he heard gunshots and he hid behind a tree, not wanting to get mixed up in anything he didn’t need to be involved in.

“Nobody can see you.”

Sanji jumped ten feet in the air, softly shrieking in a high pitched voice. He finally managed to take in the sight of the younger boy and his surprise turned into rage.

“You shitty braaaaaat!” he tried for a kick but it went through Usui, completely ineffective.

“We’re in my memories, Sanji,” Usui said. “You’ve already gathered that much, have you not?”

“Of course I have!”

“Then why the hell are you hiding when you don’t need to and kicking me when you know full well it won’t make contact?”

Sanji’s eyes enlarged to the size of dinner plates, processing Usui’s words. Then he poked an arm through Usui, pulling it in and out of his head.

“Can you please stop that,” Usui rolled his eyes. “Watch.”

Sanji didn’t listen to him for a moment out of pure pigheadedness, but when Usui didn’t make eye contact and simply stared passed him, Sanji twisted around to see what he was looking at.

A boy that had blood dying his white skin stumbled into view, breathless with stray tears streaking down his cheeks.

“Cora-san…” the boy sobbed. “Cora-san…”

Sanji narrowed his eyes. “Who…?”

There was crunching from a few feet away and the boy, along with the spectating specters, looked up. On the top of the hill was... 

“Usui…” little Law gaped.

Sanji blinked, he rotated around to ask the present Usui something but the blue haired boy’s face was scrunched up in obvious disgust and shame, looking disconsolately down at the snow. Sanji turned back to the scene.

Sanji and the white skinned, sickly boy stood nervously in the thick snow, the tense atmosphere building into cement. The little Usui finally raised his head, and on his face was a giant, bloodcurdling, malicious grin.

“Where do you think you’re going, Law No Aniki?”

Sanji could almost hear Law’s heart breaking.

“Usui…” Law couldn’t speak. This was too much. He was losing his family all over again. He had just heard Doflamingo kill Corazon and now his little brother was standing in front of him as his enemy.

“Running away?” Usui jeered. “Don’t have that clumsy fool protecting you anymore?”

Law gritted his teeth. “Get out of him, Doflamingo!”

Little Usui frowned in displeasure. “Don’t you want to have your little brother by your side? Are you willing to toss him aside to gain your own freedom?”

Law faltered for a bit.

“I promise I won’t hurt him or you. Come and serve me, Law,” Usui’s face spread into a baleful grin.

You go and have your adventures and I’ll catch up to you later!

Law felt tears pricking the edges of his eyes. It took all of his willpower just to rip his gaze off his little brother’s contorted face and take off running to the side. He ran passed Sanji and Usui, who couldn’t look at his brother.

Sanji glanced back at the stationary Past Usui, the icy snow falling lightly around him. His eyes were cold and unseeing, his expression empty, but there were tears running down his face like a dam had burst.

“I took everything away from him, Sanji.”

Sanji twisted around to look at the present Usui. He had a hand to his forehead, his eyebrows arched down and his jaw set.

“How could I ever repay him?!”

Sanji was taken aback by the rivers of emotion that ran down Usui’s face.

“I’ve been a haunting ghost to him! I kept showing up, ripping open his wound over and over again. The pain I caused him!”

The cook gaped at him. Seeing himself in the blue haired boy. Remembering Old man Zeff. He had blamed himself for taking away the retired pirate’s future, leg, and his dreams. Not until Luffy showed up, did he think that giving up his life was the correct way to recompense him.

Sanji reached out. “Usui… listen—“

Usui vanished and Sanji was abruptly in a dark landscape. Sanji twirled around, dazed.

“Usui!”

“Sanji?”

“Huh?” Sanji’s eyes landed on his captain, who was running over to him.

“That’s you right?!” Luffy grinned like an idiot. “Sanji!”

Sanji blinked. “Luffy…?”

_

Chopper was walking. He was walking and walking, looking around at the new environment around him. As time passed and nothing happened, he began getting more and more nervous, sweat gathering at his brow.

His stroll slowed to a stop and he stood in the middle of the courtyard.

“WHERE IS EVERYBODY?!” he cried, unable to take the strain anymore. “Luffy! Zoro! Sanji! Nami! Usopp! Robin! Franky! Brook! Tra-guy! Fruit Punch Guy!”

Chopper panted, done calling out. Nobody answered and his bottom lip trembled. He sat down.

“What am I supposed to do?” he sobbed. He slapped his cheeks with his hooves, his pupils dilating. “What if everybody’s in trouble?! What if they need my doctoring?! Luffy might be bleeding out right now! Ah! What am I supposed to do?!”

He hopped to his feet. “I’m coming, Luffy!”

He was running, when he saw a familiar head of blue hair.

“Huh?”

The boy ran passed the reindeer, Chopper had his eyes glued on him. “Fruit Punch?”

Chopper followed after the kid. Panting, he rounded a corner to see what looked to be the entrance to the huge building and there was the silhouette of another little kid. The blue haired boy ran to the newcomer and jumped on his back.

“Welcome back, Law no Aniki!”

Chopper was rendered speechless. “Eeeeeeeeeeeeh?!”

“Don’t pounce on me like that, Usui!” Little Law reproached.

“What happened to you two?! You shrunk!”

They paid the doctor no mind. The two brothers began to banter back and forth and gradually Chopper just accepted his situation, already used to the impossible happening in the New World.

Chopper saw how Little Usui’s face lit up and how exultant he looked when he was with Little Law. Chopper smiled warmly.

He stalked the two kids as they played with each other, ending up in a garden with a worn out bench. Chopper watched amiably as Usui fell asleep on Law’s shoulder as the black haired boy was reading a medical book.

“Tra-guy is Usui’s Doctor,” the image of Doctor appeared in Chopper’s head. Those fond memories filling his mind. “Tra-guy is Usui’s Doctor,” he repeated.

Little Usui unexpectedly opened his eyes and they landed on Chopper. He sat up and grinned sadly at him. Little Law didn’t seem to notice as Usui got off the bench and ambled over to the reindeer.

Chopper didn’t know how to react, so he stood there as Usui approached. With each step, Usui grew taller and older. When he reached Chopper, he was back to his original age. He bent down onto one knee and grabbed Chopper’s hoof. He placed something in it and the doctor speculated it.

The reindeer gasped sharply and looked up at Usui, whose face spread into a forced smile.

“Fru—“all brightness and color disappeared and Chopper materialized in a pitch black area. Chopper whipped his head around desperately, beginning to cry.

“Fruit Punch!” he wept.

“Chopper?”

Chopper looked toward the voice expectantly but instead of Usui, he saw Sanji and Luffy. He ran over to them and jumped into Luffy’s arms.

“Chopper?” Luffy was aghast at the sight of his crying friend.

“What happened?” Sanji asked, stunned.

Chopper rubbed his face into Luffy’s clothes, staining it with tears. “Luffy…! I think… I think…!”

Chopper gripped the open locket tightly. The picture of young Law and Usui beaming up at them.

“FRUIT PUNCH IS GOING TO DIE!”