Warm Memories and Brotherly Bonds

Chapter 42: The Ultimate Defeat of the Straw Hats

Everyone in the memory was staring with their mouths open in stunned disbelief at the Celestial Dragon who had was now lying on the floor with the imprint of a fist in his fat face. They were just so shocked by the whole thing that it was clear that it hadn't sunk in just yet what happened.

"Damn, that felt good to see that lard like that," current Sanji whispered. "Only makes me wish that I got there first and broke his face."

"You know, even though we had that Admiral coming after us for that," Usopp said, watching the smoking stands, "I can't say that I'm angry at Luffy for doing that."

"He had it coming for a long time," Zoro said with a shake of his head. "Sooner or later, someone was gonna have to stand up to him. And if Luffy hadn't done it, I was..."

"I'm surprised to see that he was still alive after all that," Nami said, shaking her head. "I mean... if I didn't know that Luffy doesn't kill his enemies, then I would've thought...?"

"You're right," Robin answered, having seen this a long time ago. "Luffy never kills his opponent, no matter how cold-hearted they are. He usually just sends them flying as they're knocked out, or beats them until they're near death. But I don't think that it's a question of morality."

"What do you mean?" Brook asked in confusion. "Luffy-san refuses to kill someone, but it's not because he thinks it's wrong?"

"Oh, I think that he knows that it's wrong," Robin shrugged, "Like what happened with the Baron? He had no other choice but to do the finishing blow... but the Baron was so far gone that I doubt that he could've been saved anyway. No, I think that it's more like he's punishing them for their crimes by letting them live."

"Killing them lets them off too easily," Zoro nodded. "Though, in a way, it's crueler to do so. Because they're living to see their dreams ruined. Makes sense though."

"And also," Franky added, looking to the rubble where the Celestial Dragon continued to lay there, and he was silently hoping that he was at least given some brain damage there. "I think that this is just Luffy's way of getting some payback for what happened to Sabo, right? It was the Celestial Dragon's fault that his big bro died!"

"You don't think that it was that same one?" Chopper asked in horror.

"Impossible to know for sure," Robin said, though there was a very strange look in her eye when she heard Sabo's name. "After all, the Celestial Dragons are separated into several different families, and it could be any one of them. Though that all happened years ago, so it's doubtful that we'll ever learn who it was who was responsible for that attack."

"And when we heard about the attack from Dogra back then," Nami sighed, "All he said that it was the 'Celestial Dragon'. He never said a name."

"Doesn't matter," Usopp grumbled, "They're all messed up in the head if you ask me."

"All sick in the head," Franky nodded sagely. He glanced at their past selves, who each had their eyes covered over by shadows as they stood there, unmoving to what just happened. Hachi, Pappug, and Camie were staring at Luffy with their mouths open in shock... unable to believe just what they did for them. Luffy didn't say a word as he put his hat back on top of his head and cracked his knuckles before he looked up to the rest of them and called, "Sorry about that, you guys! If I hit these guys they'll send an Admiral and battleships here, right?"

"Well, it's too late now!" current Nami called back to him.

"Hey, we're just helping Karma along," Sanji said coldly. "Hit him again, Luffy!"

Memory Zoro, who had his sword halfway out, re-sheathed it with an irritated expression. "Because you went and beat him up, I didn't get a chance to cut him."