If Portgas D. Ace was less observant, perhaps he wouldn't have seen the case for what it was, and set off a chain of events that even he couldn't predict.
Then, perhaps, there wouldn't be a story to tell at all.
This is the first story of the many untold stories. Stories that will now be finally revealed. This is the first of many. This is the case of the red flowers.
Dark. Run. She gulped in big gulps of air. No time. Get away. Coming. For her. Wouldn't stop. Until she was taken. Runrunrunrunrun..
"Now, why are you running?" A charming smile. The greedy, evil look in the other's eyes she could no longer see. The second she had glanced at her captor face to face, her eyes fogged over and a loopy grin came over her face. No longer would she struggle. "Let's go home, and perhaps I won't punish you for running, my doll."
"Yes, of course," she answered breathlessly. Their hands connected, and the two disappeared into oblivion.
"Luffy, think you can handle yourself before I get home? I'm going to be late tonight." The male slipped on the light coat as he glanced over at the girl.
The other was barely paying attention, instead focusing on the chocolate cereal in front of her. "Yup, I'll be fine."
"And no friends over," he stated sternly, though he didn't expect her to listen to the statement.
Luffy was really paying attention now. "What?! Aw, come on, big brother!"
"I said no. And as usual, don't use your powers, don't go in my room, and make sure to lock the door if you leave." However, he did expect her to follow these rules.
Defeated, the female hung her head and pouted. "Fine..."
"And most of all...be safe, alright?" Ace flashed a smirk before turning the bronze door-knob. "Love ya, sis!"
A wicked smile came over a bystander's lips as it was noted that the man left. A small red flower was held by the stem. "Ah, so beautiful. She will be absolutely perfect as my new toy. Such delicate features, like a porcelain doll..."
The wicked grin widened. "Such things are not to be seen at a distance. Such a shame she won't even know what hit her...nor her brother..."
Ace approached the familiar, worn down shop with his hands in his coat pockets. With that mischievous smirk still lining his features, his fingers brushed the door.
As he opened it, a small bell and a loud creak signaled his entrance. Random antiques lined the shelves, and many looked as if they hadn't been touched in years. Taking up the left wall of the back of the store was a red ruffled curtain. Manning the front desk was a middle-aged man with light brown hair that could only be described as poofy.
The clerk glanced up before his features erupted into a jubilant grin. "Ah, Ace! Glad you could make it!"
"Heya, Thatch! How're you doing?'
"Great! How's your sister?"
"She managed to graduate high school, thank god. I still don't know how she did it. I'm not going to make her go to college. If I did, I would probably go mad."
"From how I hear it, it would. Not to mention how angry she would be with you." There was a small silence before the black haired man spoke.
"So...I heard you got that shipment I ordered." The words were delivered oh so casually, but caused knowing looks exchanged between the two.
"Oh, yeah! Right this way, my friend." Thatch smiled before stepping away from the desk and heading towards the curtain. He clutched the fabric before pulling and offering the other inside. The male nodded thankfully and stepped in.
On first inspection, it was a normal storage room. Boxes stuffed beyond normal capacity cluttered the shelves, and an abandoned spiderweb spanned one of the corners. The small spots where the walls could be spotted displayed flaking, faded paint.
But Ace wasn't fooled.
The outwardly simplistic room wasn't that at all. Truly, it was the only entrance to one of the most largest secret organizations in the entire world. Publicly, it was just a large shipping company. A booming one. But underneath the layer of lies, the true heart of the company, was much more complex.
Simply, it was a defense against deals with the Devil. They tipped the scales and destroyed many lives and places. Their main job was to capture, and in some cases where it was necessary, kill the offender and restore balance. A lot of the time, the job involved fighting tooth and nail for your own live, but hey, if Ace earned enough money to keep him and his little sister afloat, that was enough for him.
He also felt as if he owed the place and the men there. At his lowest point, when he had been living on the streets and stealing food and money for Luffy (and if there was any left, himself), they had taken him in. A stubborn little street-rat and his terrified younger sibling, the scum of society. It had taken years for the trust he now shared with them today to build, and even a bit longer to reveal the duo's abilities. The most surprising part was the fact they had been accepted for who they were right away.
Years passed and the twenty-two year old had risen up the ranks until he was the second division's leader. Most of his men and all of the other divisions lived in the underground buildings, but Ace and a few others lived in nearby apartments. Though Thatch was the leader of a division himself, his friendliness and charm worked well as a 'clerk'. Thatch only agreed because he got to keep the 'cool shit' people came in to trade.
On the west shelf, Ace counted the boxes until he came to the thirteenth one and eased his hand behind it. After locating and pulling the lever, it came out a small, satisfying click and Ace pulled out his fingers with a relieved sigh.
Stepping back, he waited a few seconds as the wall and shelf lifted to reveal an clean metal elevator. It opened with a bing. Whistling an incomplex tune, he entered, placing his finger on a panel just big enough. It only had one destination, so it was useless to have any buttons to set one. However, confidentiality was key. Even if someone had managed to find the elevator, it was crucial that they would be unable to find their way inside.
The only way to accomplish this was to establish a code or use an identification system of some sort. His company used fingerprints, an extremely effective way. For rooms with more vital information and with higher clearance necessary to enter, an eye scanner was used. But fortunately for Ace, he could access most information, except for the files on him or his sister. That really bugged him. He didn't even see why they would even have a file on Luffy as she didn't work here. But it wasn't like anyone would tell him, or much less know.
Now in motion, the elevator powered up and descended into the earth. It was moving at a very high velocity downwards, but Ace barely felt it. A minute or two later, the machine slowed to a stop, and the doors slid open.
The man grinned. This was truly his second home.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to post this story, but I guess I can't go back now. What do you all think? This is the first story in a series, and I hope this is a good start.