"…Am I back?" he whispered, voice hoarse.

He stood up slowly, heart pounding.

"No… no, no, please… not here…"

He stumbled to the window but it wouldn't open.

He ran to the door but it didn't exist. Just four blank walls closing in around him.

And then...

He saw himself.

Sitting on the bed, hunched over, staring at nothing.

Lifeless eyes. Shoulders sagged. Hands limp in his lap.

Ling staggered backward, breath caught in his throat.

"No… don't show me this. I don't want to see this!" His voice cracked.

"I'm not him anymore! I left this behind!"

But the vision didn't fade.

And he remembered.

--------------------------
Since I'm the no.1 fan of One Piece, I decided to write this fanfic. I wanted Ling to represent us fans, who wanted to see Luffy's adventure in person. Not manga, not anime. I also want to cover some plot holes in the process.

The book cover is made by A.I

I'm so busy with my internship. So I will be off for not awhile... haha


Chapter 31 - Sad