Archive of Our Own ^beta

Luffy was never one to look on the bright side.

He's always been a pessimist.

While Ace and Sabo were chasing after their dreams, Luffy was the one to point out the holes in their plans.

He's never been a dreamer. He never believed he could be anything.

Then, he ate his fruit, and he felt that spark he thought he had lost.

Suddenly, he wasn't just the weakest brother, or even just a normal kid.

He had power. 
For the first time, he had hope.

Shanks sacrificed his arm, so Luffy could live. So he could..dream. 
He wasn't going to let the man down. With his newfound power, Luffy decided to dream.

And his dream? It ended up taking him places he never even thought to go.

Finding Zoro was a tactical move. Someone so powerful and feared through the East Blue? Why wouldn't Luffy want him on his crew?

Maybe he should've thought the rest of this whole pirate thing through first, though. Now that he's stuck in a tiny raft with a man he just met, with no land in sight.

It doesn't help that Zoro is not talkative in the slightest. The man is content to sleep the entire journey away.

It's safe to say Luffy is bored.

"Sooo..you're a swordsman, huh?"

Zoro just grunts. Amazing.

"Why did you decide to become one?"

"Why'd you decide to become a pirate?" Zoro shoots back.

That's the most he's spoken in ages. Progress is progress.

"I asked you first," Luffy argues childishly.

Zoro rolls his eyes, but he sits up.

He tells a story of a girl. A girl with a dream, but who died before they could be realized. He tells Luffy of the promise he made in the moonlight, and how he's dedicated the rest of his life to her.

Luffy is no stranger to grief, but he's never been so moved by a story before.

Zoro's entire dream, his entire life's purpose, is all to fulfill a promise made years ago.

"Wow..that's, wow."

"You think it's stupid," Zoro says, not accusing, just matter-of-factly. Obviously, people have called him such before.

"No! I just..I guess I don't get it?"

"What about it don't you get?"

"You've dedicated your entire life to a girl you knew when you were ten," Luffy says bluntly.

Zoro fidgets, blushing a bit. "It's kinda weird, huh?"

"Why can't that dream just be yours? Why get others wishes involved?"

"I dunno," Zoro says. "I just..it feels weird if I'm just doing things for myself. I guess that's kinda unhealthy, but..I dunno."

Luffy scrunches his eyebrows. "You live for others."

"I guess? That makes me sound like a martyr."

"Well, you did get tied to a cross for a month for a random child you just met."

Zoro opens his mouth, then closes it. He looks conflicted, but he doesn't argue. Instead, he just shrugs.

That night, Luffy is awake, still thinking about it. He had no knowledge of dreams, not an ounce of hope in him. Now? He's learning so much about them.

He never thought dreams could be so complicated. Zoro's dream, his hope, they come from others.

Is that how it should be? Are dreams supposed to be shared like this? He supposes that's what's happening already.

Is he not already sharing his dream with Zoro? Is his crew not going to push him towards his goal?

Luffy shakes his head. He glances over at his sleeping crewmate.

Zoro is here to help him achieve his dream. Maybe..maybe he can help Zoro achieve his, too.

Maybe, dreams are meant to exist and inspire beyond ourselves.

"Dreams are meant to be shared," Luffy mumbles.

He commits that to memory. There's definitely more he has to learn. Both about dreams and about the world.

Usopp is not well liked in his village.

That's the kind of thought Nami has been teaching him not to say out loud. (Read: She hits him whenever he says something inappropriate.)

It's still the truth, though. The villagers react to Usopp with hostility. The only person who shows him any kindness is Kaya.

And yet..he still fights to save all their lives.

"Tomorrow's going to be another boring day in the village," He had declared.

It's one thing for Zoro to fight for people he doesn't even know.
It's another thing for Usopp to be willing to die for a community that does not care for him.

Luffy is, once again, left confused.

Usopp has grown up so lonely. He's only had his stories to keep him company. Well, that and a sick girl he can't even see that often.

How can he still have so much hope?

Usopp heart is overflowing with empathy. His entire body is bursting with kindness.

It's enough to inspire even the most pessimistic of men.

"There's one person in that village that I won't let die."

If Usopp can have so much love, and so much care, then maybe Luffy can, too. Maybe he can scoop up some of that empathy, and pour it into his own heart.

Just like he's learning from Zoro's selflessness. He can learn from Usopp's kindness, too.

He can be kind. He can start by giving Usopp a family that won't leave. A family that shows him the kindness he deserves.

Sanji might be even kinder than Usopp. His heart is obviously so big, even if he has a gruff exterior.

He reminds Luffy a lot of Zoro. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside, even if Sanji's softness is more obvious.

What he also has in common with Zoro is his selflessness.

Sanji is the kind of guy that would take a bullet for you, and then still make you a delicious meat stick.

Luffy never thought much about food before. He ate because it felt good, because it filled a hole. Now? After tasting Sanji's food? He never wants to eat anything else.

Sanji's dream, his passion, it's all for others. Yes, finding the all blue is for him, but his restaurant? That's for the people. His love and his passion for feeding people is a direct reflection of his kindness.

When Sanji helps those pirates, even knowing that he's putting his life at risk, that's when Luffy decides he's going to be on his crew.

It takes a fight—it always does—but Sanji joins them on their journey.

Sanji taught him how dreams can inspire more dreams. How one person showing empathy can keep hundreds of dreams alive.

Luffy has no idea how he keeps meeting such nice people, but he really hopes it continues. If he can form an entire crew of dreamers, then maybe he'll learn everything he needs to know about dreams.

Luffy doesn't know how Nami is alive.

For almost a decade, she's been surviving under Arlong's rule. Years spent bending to his every whim, pretending and lying.

How did she survive such torment? 

Luffy channels all his confusion and anger into beating the shit out of the damn fish. How dare he? How dare he try to crush her hope?

He doesn't understand.

All these years, Nami and the townsfolk have lived under Arlong. He's killed them, robbed them, and made their lives' hell. At yet..they live.

They laugh, they cry, they go about their days.

How..how do they live like this?

As he destroys Arlong's palace, he tries to understand. This is what hope is, isn't it?

Nami survived because she had hope. She had hope for better days. That's what she's been working for all these years. 

He thinks of Nami, and how she's worked for years to free her people.

"She's been suffering all this time, and yet..she hasn't given up on her dreams," He mutters.

He thinks of Zoro, and how he only lives for others.

Maybe..he can do that, too. Just as his crew pushes him towards his goal, he can help them achieve theirs. They can all be a machine, pushing each other endelessly towards their dreams.

Luffy destroys every trace of Arlong. He frees Nami, so she can continue dreaming.

Chopper reminds Luffy a lot of Usopp.

He's almost completely rejected by society. Still, his dream is to free that society from suffering. He wants to end the suffering of all humans, even those who have and will continue to turn their backs on him.

It always comes back to Zoro, doesn't it? A completely selfless existence.

Luffy doesn't think he could live like that. He's stubborn, and isn't one to let go of his grudges. Thankfully, he has his crew to make up for his lack of grace.

Lately, he's found that he's smiling more. He laughs more often, and louder and longer.

Hope is a contagious sickness. He can feel it swelling in his chest where there used to only be apathy. When he thinks of the future, he's excited, not scared.

It's another thing his crew has taught him. Helping others achieve their dreams only stolks the fire of your own.

They're a dream team. A dream team of dreamers—that sounds stupid. He'll workshop it.

Chopper's dream is to cure every disease. So, Luffy isn't going to rest until he does.

Robin is like him.
When Luffy realizes that, his heart shatters in his chest.

He's been there. He's been so broken down by life that he can't find it in himself to have hope. Just a few months ago, he didn't have any dreams, because he didn't want anything to do with life.

Robin also lost her hope. She's also lost her ability to dream.

Luffy will fight to get it back for her.

The kindness, resilience, and selflessness of his crew. He can channel it. He can extend it to her.

Dreams inspire more dreams. Hope is a cycle, neverending. 

"I want to live," Luffy mumbles. "Robin, tell me you want to live, too."

And she does.

When he first met Zoro, Luffy said he didn't "get it." He didn't get why Zoro would dedicate his life to someone else.

Now? He fucking gets it.

Luffy lives for his crew, for their dreams and their hopes. Together, they push each other towards each of their goals.

What a way to live.