Chapter Text
Luffy stared out at the battlefield in front of her, taking in the desecrated scenery and bloodied grounds.
Bodies littered the grounds as cries and screams echoed.
She swung her axe as enemies came left and right, her crew, allies and sisters all fighting along with her.
She was covered in blood, her clothes splattered and her skin rough.
She was panting heavily, exhaustion weighing her down as she continued to fight.
Her arms ached from the continued strain of holding and swinging an axe bigger than her.
Her legs ached from jumping and running from a seemingly endless battle.
Her chest ached as she breathed in and out heavily.
The smell of copper was overwhelming enough to have the taste in the back of her throat.
She swung her axe as body parts flew with blood spraying, jumping to the side as bullets zipped past.
She didn't know if the marines had sea stone or not, but she didn't want to find out.
“Theres too many of ‘em!” Someone yelled out, voices mixing as everyone lost track of eachother.
As marines shouted along with pirates.
“Where d’ they keep comin’ from!?” Was followed by a sudden blazing inferno that had the field smelling like burnt flesh before the fight continued.
Luffy could barely see her crew, but from what she could see it looked like the marine forces were dwindling.
It didn't mean they were winning, which was made evident as she swung at a marine hot on the heels of her older sister who was a bit busy bashing someone's skull in with her pipe.
Sabo gave a quick “thanks” before getting back into the fight.
Luffy dashed back to her fight, sliding down just in time to avoid some guy's sword while spinning in a crouch and kicking multiple marines with a stretch before jumping up while grabbing her axe and slicing something.
To her right, she could hear the sounds of swords clashing as Zoro moved through with only slight struggle as more and more bodies ran to their deaths.
Fodder.
The crash of lightning lit up somewhere behind her as Nami fought, and she could hear as Robin fought beside her, limbs appearing with just words before petals danced in the wind, stained with blood.
Sanji was somewhere to her left, his telltale flames different compared to her sisters, his kicks sending marines flying and out of the battle.
She couldn't hear or see the rest of her crew, but she could still feel them.
She stretched and jumped, bringing her chosen weapon down on some unsuspecting marine that was shooting at her crew.
She spun around, blocking a blow that made her stumble for a moment.
And that small moment was all that was needed as a small dagger lined with sea stone cut her arm.
She hissed, backing up and striking out with a kick before having to pause to take a breath as sea stone (despite the fact it's nowhere near her now) weakened her.
The sea stone only made the injuries littering her body and skin more prominent.
There was blood dripping from just above her brow from a lucky cut. Her lip bleeding and bruise colouring on her cheek. Grazes from bullets were all over her with a slash on her leg from an unnoticed marine.
She could feel more, but she didn't have the time to check them.
She couldn't fight forever, she knew that.
She also knew she was nearing her limits.
The battle that was still raging had gone on for far too long in her opinion.
She couldn't afford to show vulnerability here of all places.
She tried to focus before a voice-raw and pained- rang out over the battlefield.
“Luffy! Move!”
She didn't hear the warning in time.
When her head snapped up to look for the voice, something passed through her, it stung, like the bee stings she could barely remember from before getting her fruit, just worse.
The stinging was accompanied by loud sounds, her ears rang, blocking most other noise.
She fell to her knees as her chest felt sticky, warm and wet.
She was frozen, but she didn't know why.
She twitched her right arm, where more of the sticky wetness was coming from.
As her adrenaline fades, a burning sensation begins to cover her.
She could faintly hear screams and a name being called out, but the ringing in her ears was too loud to hear what was being said.
The burning spreads, tears pricking her eyes as a small sound escapes her.
Her left hand covered her right, where the wet was.
She pulled it back, seeing blood, she also saw red on her shirt, huh.
—
Sabo watched in horror as her little sister fell to her knees.
“Luffy!”
Her scream echoed through the battlefield, raw and terrified.
She gripped her pipe tighter in her hands, Amarment coating it.
She could feel Ace's fury from her Conqueror's suddenly flaring out and taking a good chunk of the weaker soldiers out, her flames blazing.
She wondered where Shanks was, unsure if his absence was a good or bad thing as he might kill one of their allies while running to Luf.
She caved a soldier's skull in with a swing before making her way to her little sister, ignoring the fact that she definitely used more force than she normally would as a skull caving in sounded out.
Thanks to Ace's Haki outburst she was able to make her way over -dodging any fights- fast.
The little Reindeer Doctor was too far and Law was a bit occupied.
She dropped to her knees right before Luffy “Lu! Can you hear me!?”
She was grateful her voice came out so composed when she was feeling the exact opposite.
Her hands worked fast, gripping her shoulder and tilting her head so she could see her eyes.
Lu's eyes were wide and tearing up, tears already escaping and rolling down her cheeks.
“Sabo!”
Her head snapped up, seeing Ace gesture to the ships docked.
“Get Lu out o’ here!”
She probably would've said more if the marines hadn't started shooting again, Ace having to focus to dodge the sea stone.
“Right”
She scooped her sister up, adjusting her to lay on her back as she tied her arms around her neck.
With both hands free, she grabbed her pipe and stood, covering Luffy with her cloak, she was still so much smaller than her, before taking a breath, and running.
She could hear and feel as Luffy started crying in earnest, her body shaking and tears wetting her shoulder.
The Thousand Sunny wasn't too far away now, with her having to only get rid of a couple soldiers while everyone else made sure to get as many marines as they could distracted.