Fanfic / Boy With a Scar

Boy With a Scar is a One Piece Alternate Universe Fan Fiction by Syluk.^note Pronounced "see-look"

The day Sabo was apparently murdered by the World Nobles, Luffy went to the Goa Kingdom looking for him, and crossed the path of a World Noble who subsequently attacked and enslaved him. Four years later, he escaped and returned home with the help of an unknown benefactor, and regained much of his old spirit with the help of his brother. Forearmed with a hellish past that awakened his Haki and provoked a hatred of Marines and the World Government, how much will Luffy's adventures change?

Available on FanFiction.Net and Archive of Our Own.

---

Tropes contained in Boy With a Scar:

• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
  • In canon, Luffy's animosity towards the Marines is usually just annoyance when they're in his way. Here? A flashback shows that one time, he managed to escape the World Nobles, but when he went to the Marines for help, the commanding officer treated him like dirt and made sure he was sent back to the Nobles. As such, with few exceptions like Coby and Garp, Luffy hates the Marines.
  • In canon, Dragon was an absent parent to Luffy due to his status as the founding leader of the Revolutionaries. Here, Dragon hunted down the World Noble that was keeping his son a slave and appears to be checking in on Luffy from time to time after his son was returned home. In Loguetown, Luffy was actually happy to see him despite not knowing that Dragon was his father.
• Adaptational Jerkass: This happens to Helmeppo where before he refused to follow his father's orders and kill Rika. Here, however, after the second time she trespassed he straight up told a Marine to shoot her for disobeying his father's orders a second time, something Canon him wouldn't have done.
• Ain't Too Proud to Beg:
  • In the face of Luffy's overwhelming wrath, having already been brought to the edge of death, Arlong shows this when Luffy approaches to inflict the coup de grâce. It does him less than no good.
  • After Miss Wednesday is outed as Princess Vivi, Luffy turns cold towards her because of his experiences with entitled nobles. However, this specific trait of hers convinces Luffy to give her another chance because it is so completely at odds with his experiences.
• A Truce While We Gawk: Something like this happens at the conclusion of Chapter 11, when Usopp and the Black Cat Pirates pause in their standoff to pay attention to the bickering of the approaching Luffy, Zoro, and Nami.
• Backwards-Firing Gun: In Chapter 29, when Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday make it to Laboon's stomach, they're much more nauseous and dizzy. Luffy notices this trope in effect when they aim the bazookas, but doesn't say it until after they fire, accidentally blasting the steel door behind them rather than the stomach's ceiling. It doesn't kill them. But it sends them flying into the stomach acid.
• Berserk Button:
  • Luffy has several. As in canon, his hat and his friends count. But tied to his trauma, he hates guns, he hates sea prism stone, and he hates Nobles. And in this story, it is very possible that pressing one of these buttons is a fatal mistake.
  • As of finding out that the World Nobles hurt both of his brothers, they are this for Ace. By association, slavery also infuriates him after Ace learns the meaning behind Luffy's brand and gets an idea of what his brother went through for the four years he was missing.
  • All of the Straw Hats know about Luffy's trauma, and how hard it makes it for him to sleep peacefully. Hence, whenever he is sleeping peacefully, everyone from Zoro to Usopp is a threat if you do anything to wake him up too soon.
• Big Brother Instinct: Ace, even more so than in canon due to Luffy's time as a slave. Zoro has shades of this as well, reprimanding Sanji when the cook tries to force Luffy to eat.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • Dragon when he saves Luffy from slavery and when they meet again in Loguetown.
  • In Chapter 23, Luffy rockets into a tiger's side just in time to save Law from becoming its lunch.
• Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: From Chapter 17:
  Nami: Luffy, what are you doing?
  Luffy: Waiting. Eating. Eating while waiting.
• Cliffhanger: A few.
  • In Chapter 8, Zoro walks in on Luffy while he's changing clothes and sees the brand on his back.
  • In Chapter 12, Usopp stands up to Luffy in an attempt to protect Kaya from the pirates that just curb-stomped Kuro and his crew. And then Luffy asks him to join his crew.
  • In Chapter 14, Nami's enjoyment of the peaceful night ends when a bloodcurdling scream comes from elsewhere on the ship.
  • In Chapter 24, Sanji catches a glimpse of Luffy's brand while he's changing clothes. And unlike Zoro, he recognizes it.
  • In Chapter 26, Sabo comes onto the Going Merry as it leaves Loguetown for the Grand Line and asks the crew if they mind him hitching a ride.
  • In Chapter 28: "The jaws closed and the Straw Hats were no more." Now, we all know that Laboon eating them is nothing to be worried about, but it still fits.
  • In Chapter 30, Miss Monday tries to set up a signal flag, presumably to warn Vivi, when the Mr. 5 pair beat Igaram nearly to death. But upon reaching the spot, Miss Monday finds the flag already set up...by Miss All Sunday.
  • Chapter 31 ends with Miss All Sunday taking Luffy's hat, unaware of exactly how awful an idea it is.
• Combat Pragmatist: At fifteen, while defending Law from Doflamingo's flunkies, Luffy makes use of the environment, ambushes, and his grandpa. Law is impressed by his streak of ruthlessness and creativity.
• Comically Small Demand: Played with. When Nami makes an alliance with Luffy and Zoro in Chapter 7, they astonish her by saying that they don't care about money, and she can have whatever they find as long as she pays for their food and booze. She rightfully suspects that there's a catch, and Luffy truthfully replies that he can eat a lot while Zoro truthfully says that he can drink a lot. Nami doesn't believe it's that bad, so she accepts...and she regrets it.
• Dark and Troubled Past: The very premise, for Luffy.
• Death by Adaptation:
  • Don Krieg's attitude reminds Luffy too much of the Celestial Dragons. As such, he doesn't survive their fight.
  • After Nami finally begs Luffy to help her with Arlong, he begins the fight with a promise to rip the fishman's heart out. He was not being metaphorical.
  • Mr. Five grudgingly draws his gun against Luffy after he breaks Mr. Five's nose. Luffy subsequently beats him to death.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: After Luffy soothes Nami from a horrible nightmare in Chapter 10, she begins warming up to him much faster than it happened in canon.
• Despair Event Horizon: At the end of Chapter 19, Nami returns to Cocoyasi Village to find her mother's tangerine orchard destroyed, her buried savings gone, and a bloody patch of ground as the only indication of what happened to Nojiko.
• Early-Bird Cameo:
  • Two years before Luffy set out, Trafalgar Law washed ashore Dawn Island after a narrow escape from Doflamingo's goons. Luffy rescued him, nursed him back to health, and kept him safe, leading to a strong bond of trust long before it would have happened in canon.
    • At the same time, said goons show up on the island to try recapturing him, led by Gladius and including Bellamy and Sarquiss.
  • Sabo appears uninvited on the Going Merry as it departs from Loguetown.
• Foreign Farewell: Shanks always did this for Makino, and Luffy followed his example with both Dadan (making her faint) and Makino (to her delight). When he suggests that Usopp do it for Kaya and explains his reasoning, Zoro laughs, Nami Face Palms, and Usopp and Kaya both blush. And though Nami tries to prevent it from happening to Nojiko, her efforts lead to Nojiko kissing him instead.
• For Want Of A Nail: This story is a day or so later than canon for most of the East Blue saga, leading to different issues of gradually increasing magnitude.
  • In Shells Town, Rika breaks her arm from being thrown over the fence since Luffy doesn't catch her. So when she is caught again, Helmeppo relays Morgan’s order to execute her, forcing Luffy to intervene directly. Also, instead of Helmeppo bragging that he will execute Zoro the following day, he is declaring that the execution will take place at noon.
  • In Orange Town, Nami loses the map of the Grand Line to Buggy's goons, hides out overnight, and then ends up caught by Mohji and Richie before she can sneak out of town, saved by Luffy and Zoro at the last minute.
    • Also, due to her spraining her ankle trying to get away and witnessing Luffy curb-stomp Mohji and Richie, she forms a proper alliance with the two of them instead of trying to trick them: she gets all the treasure if she pays for their food and booze.
    • On a lighter note, the changed events mean that Chouchou's pet shop isn't burned down.
  • In Syrup Village, they don't arrive in time to overhear Kuro's plan and develop countermeasures, leaving Usopp to face the pirates alone at first...but Luffy, Zoro, and Nami do meet and subsequently beat and rob the Black Cat Pirates the day before.
  • The Straw Hats meet Gin at sea after he leaves the Baratie, but before he returns to Krieg, and they share their food with him to develop a friendly relationship. Later, the day that Krieg arrives, Luffy and company don't enter the restaurant until Krieg has already recovered and is threatening the cooks.
    • They also don’t encounter Fullbody on their way and instead get into a brawl with an OC pirate named “Butcher” Torp and his crew.
  • In Cocoyasi Village, Nami arrives to find Arlong attacking the villagers for attacking him. The reason? Nezumi and his men destroyed Nami's tangerine orchard and stole the money she was saving up. And at first, there's no sign of Genzo or Nojiko, leading Nami to fear that they were killed.
    • Also, due to Luffy taming Mohmoo and meeting Hachi at Arlong Park, he stirs Hachi's memories of the Sun Pirates and Fisher Tiger. The guilt Hachi experiences from realizing how far they've gone from Fisher Tiger's wishes leads to him rebelling against Arlong at a crucial moment, saving Nami from getting maimed.
    • Nezumi arrives in the middle of the victory party over Arlong, and Nami is a lot more savage in taking her revenge. This results in her getting a bounty three sagas early, albeit a ฿1,000,000 one.
  • Luffy also meets Trafalgar Law two years before starting his journey due to Law washing ashore in Dawn Island.
  • Since Luffy met Law and a few of his crewmates, like Bepo, not only is getting a musician at the top of his list for crewmates but so is getting a 'fluffy one.'
  • Due to witnessing Luffy's recovery from his time as a slave, Ace is more supportive of Luffy being the Pirate King than Whitebeard, the latter taking no offense.
  • Due to focusing much more on Luffy's wanted poster because of pondering how far he's come from when he came home, Ace witnesses Teach's attempted murder of Thatch for the Dark-Dark Fruit and nails the former with his St. Elmo's Fire technique as he flees. He also attempts to save Thatch's life; whether or not he was successful is yet to be seen.
  • After the crew arrives at Loguetown, Nami goes after Sanji to ask him if he found out Luffy's secret. As a result of this, she tells Zoro that she'll cover the bill for his swords after he picks them out. Since Zoro got Kitetsu III and Yubashiri for free, he escaped debt with Nami.
  • Ace, once he finds out the meaning of Luffy's brand and hears about some of the atrocities that slaves go through at the hands of the Celestial Dragons, starts getting more vicious with his attacks concerning the Marines, as seen when he saves a boy and his mother from slavery on Sabaody when he burns down the auction house. Perhaps as a result of this shift in behavior, Ace’s bounty is 700 million beris instead of his canonical 550 million.
  • The Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine pair arrive well before the Straw Hats and easily subdue Igaram to set a trap for Vivi. Neither survive, but the biggest change is that an injured Igaram is now recovering on the Going Merry as they travel to Little Garden and is the reason they are seeking a doctor.
    • Because of the already-injured Igaram and Sabo suggesting to check for a Log Pose that had already set among the remains of those that didn’t survive the island, the entire Little Garden arc is basically skipped. Also, Sabo gets bitten by an insect instead of Nami.
• Go Out with a Smile: In Chapter 23, as is only expected for any D., Law smirks as a giant tiger is about to kill him, thinking that at least he'll get to see his family again.
• Go Through Me: In Chapter 12, Luffy and Zoro curb-stomp the Black Cats before they even reach the Gecko Islands. When they get there the morning of the would-be invasion, Zoro one-shots Jango while Luffy defeats Kuro, all in front of Usopp and Kaya. Usopp is scared out of his mind, knowing that he's horribly outmatched, but with Kaya unable to flee, he stands his ground, defending Kaya with his life. It earns Luffy's respect and an invitation to join his crew long before he realizes that Usopp is Yasopp's son.
• Head Turned Backwards: In Chapter 16, Luffy does this in the middle of a fight with an opposing captain. Everyone watching, even those who know he's rubber, is disturbed.
• Heel–Face Turn: Luffy stirs Hachi's memories of Fisher Tiger when they meet. This makes him realize how Tiger would be ashamed of them, and it soon leads him to turn against Arlong, establishing better terms with the Straw Hats much sooner than in canon.
• Hey, That's My Line!: After shooting a rotten egg at Chew, Usopp pulls a one-liner that he learned about thanks to Patty at the Baratie:
  Usopp: Welcome to the Crap Café! Today's special is fish with eggs!
  Sanji: That's my line, Usopp!
• Hyper-Awareness: Luffy makes a lot of slips that reference his time as a slave. It's easy to catch, but the only ones who notice every single time are Ace and Zoro, the latter eventually managing to deduce exactly what he went through after he kills Arlong.
• I Die Free:
  • Luffy carries an ornate dagger solely for this purpose: he'll kill himself before he loses his freedom again. Chapter 28 reveals that it symbolizes the psychological chains of his slavery; someday, when he's finally free in mind and spirit, he'll discard the dagger.
  • Luffy was Driven to Suicide around the time he was rescued; it's a miracle that he survived.
• I Gave My Word: In Chapter 31, Luffy befriends Carue and promises to help the person he wants to protect. He's not happy to learn that said person is a Noble, but he refuses to go back on his promise.
• Impromptu Campfire Cookout: About the time Luffy and crew are entering the Grand Line, Ace is roasting marshmallows… using the flames from the burning slave auction house on Sabaody.
• Jaw Drop:
  • In Chapter 10, Nami has this reaction as she watches the 'spar' between Luffy and Zoro.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: In Chapter 26, Smoker's insult of calling Luffy cocky is cut off when the latter lands a Haki-infused hit on the Logia, who hadn't bothered trying any kind of guard. Realizing that he was the one getting cocky, he draws his jitte and stops holding back...for all of twenty seconds before Dragon appears and sends Luffy on his way.
• Living Lie Detector: Luffy has this ability through Observation Haki, much to the unnerve of anyone on the receiving end.
• Martial Arts Staff: He rarely needs it, but Luffy carries a three-piece metal staff and is a master in its use. He even gives Nami some advice.
• Meaningful Echo: The line that connects Chapters 4 and 5 is when Luffy first lays eyes on Zoro:
  Narration: Luffy couldn't contain his lips from splitting into a huge grin. So that's what his swordsman looked like.
  • And the line that connects Chapters 5 and 6 is when Zoro agrees to join Luffy:
  Narration: Zoro flashed a predatory smirk. So this is what his captain would look like.
  • During the flashback in Chapter 23, after first rescuing Law on Dawn Island, Luffy sees panic in his face when he first regains consciousness, so he says something that he had always wanted to hear while he was enslaved: "You're safe. No one is going to hurt you." In the next chapter, when Luffy takes Law through the Goa Kingdom to find a way to contact the Heart Pirates, Law repeats the words back to him when arriving on the main street, where he had been kidnapped, gives him a PTSD attack.
• Motor Mouth: Krieg. The author particularly sees him that way.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • In Chapter 7, Zoro feels this way when Luffy expresses his fury about Mohji trying to touch his hat, for which Luffy had just brutally Curb-Stomped him. Zoro has his hat in hand and is momentarily terrified that Luffy will feel the same way about him touching it.
  • In Chapter 18, the last thing Krieg ever sees is Luffy about to deal the finishing blow.
• Papa Wolf:
  • In Chapter 24, Luffy senses his grandfather's presence on the island while trying to get rid of the group of pirates that were sent after Law. When Luffy lures Gladius into range and cries out for Garp's help, even Luffy is momentarily terrified at how scary Garp becomes.
  Narration: Luffy stared wide-eyed, an overwhelming feeling of wonder and admiration stirring in his chest. He had never seen his grandpa like that: furious, brutal, domineering—frighteningly protective.
  • Chapter 26 reveals that Dragon was the one who rescued Luffy from slavery, and had been attempting to find and rescue him for the past few years. He personally gives Luffy the lifesaving blood transfusion he needs and sees to it that he's on his way to recovery on Dawn Island before leaving him again. And as for Saint Kenjord...well, it's not likely that he's still alive.
• Physical Scars, Psychological Scars: The wound on his neck that Luffy usually keeps covered by a bandana is tied to his trauma from slavery, to the point that he is visibly happier while the bandana covers it.
• Pre Ass Kicking One Liner: In Chapter 28, after Ace burns down the Sabaody Auction House, he confronts a group of Marines who bar the way of a mother and son trying to run for freedom. After he sends the two of them on their way, he turns back to the officer in charge, who's just realized who he is. It's honestly hard to say whether it's this trope or Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
  Officer: F-F-Fire Fist!
  Ace: Oho. (rears back his arm, fist bursting into flames) Congratulations on figuring it out.
• Puppy-Dog Eyes: In Chapter 25, Ace accidentally burns up Luffy's wanted poster, then invokes this trope with Thatch—completely genuine—after the latter teases him about it. Thatch tries to resist...and fails, revealing the spare of Luffy's poster that he had, much to Ace's joy.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Regarding the one-liner above, as soon as they see Whitebeard's mark on Ace's back, a couple of Marines that are either very smart or very cowardly run for the hills.
• Secret-Keeper:
  • Zoro and Sanji found out their captain's secret in different ways. They keep it to themselves, though Zoro becomes fiercely protective and Sanji starts showing Luffy a courtesy comparable (though parallel) to the sort he shows women.
  • From watching how Ace gushes over his little brother's wanted poster, Thatch is able to piece together that the person close to Ace that was taken as a slave was Luffy. It's implied but unconfirmed that the same goes for Marco.
• Security Blanket: The only thing that can snap Luffy out of his nightmarish flashbacks is his hat, which he didn't have with him while he was a slave and is tied to memories of Shanks and his brothers.
• Spit Take: Zoro, Johnny, and Yosaku react this way when Luffy calls in the favor Zoro owed him from their earlier bet, saying that he wants him to sleep with him. The Played for Laughs is rather brief, as he's requesting it as a safety measure because of his nightmares, rather than for any nonexistent sexual feelings.
• Summon Bigger Fish: In Chapter 24, when besieged with Doflamingo's flunkies hunting for Law, led by Gladius, Luffy calls his grandpa—conveniently there for a visit—to deal with them.
• These Hands Have Killed: Just because this Luffy is more willing to kill doesn’t mean that he enjoys it or that he is unaffected by the action. Immediately after ripping Arlong’s heart out, Luffy goes to scrub his hands while the villagers celebrate.
• This Is Gonna Suck: The Baroque Works agents in Whiskey Peak eagerly challenge the Straw Hats when they learn that they’re pirates. Then Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji express their own bloodthirsty eagerness, and the agents realize that they just bit off more than they could chew.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Garp is a lot more gentle with his grandson due to the latter's PTSD and after realizing what happened to Luffy; no Fists of Love and no attempts to make him a Marine.
• Trust Password: Trafalgar Law trusts Luffy right away after Luffy tells him his full name, revealing that he's a fellow D.
• Unstoppable Rage: Shortly after Ace joins the Whitebeard Pirates, he finds out exactly what the brand mark on his brother's back means, and all that that implies. He subsequently takes advantage of the conveniently timed attack on the Whitebeards to relieve his anger by utterly decimating the attackers. Finishing the job with his ultimate technique.
  Haruta: Did I just see Ace drop a freaking sun on that ship?
  Thatch: Yeah. Poor sods.
• Villains Want Mercy: When it becomes clear that Luffy is way out of his league, Arlong starts begging for his life. It does him less than no good.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Luffy gives an epic "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Captain Morgan's subordinates when they try to get him to leave after defeating Morgan.