"I don't get it," Usopp said the next afternoon, as he sat on their ratty couch. Books were piled around him. "Why would Smoker make us do something as boring as look up all the old legends? It's not a punishment. I was expecting worse. Last time we were pulled out of the field and had to do desk work for a month."
"We're still assigned to catch him," Zoro pointed out. "And we didn't screw up too bad. He just caught us off guard. Besides, we know next to nothing about him. Now we know he's tricky and probably older than we originally thought. Maybe we'll think of something while looking up the origins and shit."
"You mean I'll think of something," Usopp said, looking pointedly at the bottle of alcohol in Zoro's hand and his position sprawled out on the couch. "Why don't you help me?"
"You look like you've got it," Zoro said, waving his bottle and taking a drink. "I want to see that kid again. I've met a fair amount of his kind in the past few years. None of them acted like him."
Usopp sighed and closed the book. A cloud of dust erupted when he set it on the stack. "I'd rather someone else catch him."
"Are you scared?" Zoro laughed.
"No way!" Usopp snapped. "It's just that I–"
"Don't want to come face to face with that vampire again," Zoro finished for him.
Usopp didn't answer, huffing in annoyance and picking up another book. He opened it, ignoring Zoro in favour of reading and trying to translate the Old English.
"Hey, Zoro," Usopp said after a while. "What do you know about the Ancient One?"
Zoro blinked at the abrupt question, and then shrugged. "As much as anyone, I suppose. He lived thousands of years ago. Some say he was the first vampire to ever live, after he became one by drinking the blood of the people he murdered. What about it?"
Usopp tapped the book in front of him, "This book goes into detail about that legend. Do you think he's still alive today?"
"How the hell should I know?" Zoro asked. "Probably not. It's an old legend. Some say he wasn't real. Besides, no one's heard of him since those legends came to be. I don't believe it, if that's what you're asking. Stop fussing."
"Yeah, sure." He went back to his book. He read late into the night and fell asleep leaning against the foot of the couch.
Zoro woke him up the next morning. "Come on, we're going to be late to the meeting."
Blearily, Usopp staggered to his feet. He didn't bother showering, tying a brown headband over his hair to keep his curls out of his face. He thought he saw someone in the parking garage as he followed Zoro to the car, but Zoro didn't react, so he dismissed it.
Smoker sat at the head of the table, and the hunters chose seats around him. Usopp waved at his friend Franky and sat beside their newest recruit, Coby. The young hunter visible trembling as their superior glared at them.
"Don't worry," Usopp whispered in Coby's ear. "He's not that bad. This your first meeting?"
The teenager nodded, "What are these meetings usually like?"
"Just an exchange of information," Usopp said. "Me n' Zoro requested some info on vampires yesterday, so we're hoping to get something out of it. If not, we just go out again tonight and find our target."
"I heard about that. Wasn't he supposed to be easy?"
Zoro yanked out a chair on the other side of Coby, the pink haired boy jumping at the loud sound in the otherwise quiet room. "Never assume things will be easy. We underestimated him, is all. We still have time to stake him."
"Then it's a good thing I didn't ask for that job," Coby said. "Helmeppo chose a different case."
They fell silent when Smoker cleared his throat loudly and looked at the people gathered. "As you know, there has been an increase in the population of the supernatural in the past year. We've been seeing new creatures walk the streets at night, and sometimes in broad daylight." He gazed around the room. "It's our job to make sure these creatures do not harm the general public. Since their numbers have increased, we need to fix that."
"That doesn't sound supar, Chief," Franky said.
"No. In fact, our last inspection received… Less than adequate results. We're having someone from the high council come by for a few months. He and his team will be arriving next Thursday. I expect all of you to welcome him, and make sure you finish all your missions by the deadlines." He narrowed his eyes at Zoro and Usopp. "If you need help, don't be hesitant to ask."
Zoro yawned, while Usopp sat up as straight as he could.
Smoker grabbed one of the folders sitting in front of him and slid it down the table. It came to a rest in front of Usopp, who picked it up and flipped through it. "That's what we could find pertaining to your request," Smoker told him. "You'll have to look through the documents yourself if you're looking for anything more specific."
"Thank you, sir." Usopp said, tucking the folder into his bag.
Smoker stood up, signaling that the meeting was over. Usopp tucked the folder safely into his bag and making his way out of the meeting room and into the lobby. Zoro followed him, yawning.
"That was boring," He commented. "As usual."
"You just never pay attention," Usopp muttered, grabbing Zoro's elbow and steering him towards the doors when he started heading in the wrong direction.
Luffy ducked behind a grey van when the two hunters passed him, freezing when the long nosed man looked in his direction. He stayed where he was until he heard a car start and leave the parking garage. He peeked out and watched it leave, before leaving. He tried to follow it, but it would have brought attention from unwanted people. Besides, he though, squinting and shading his eyes from the sun, he found it hard to track in the bright light.
He turned into an alley and found a set of stairs leading down. He climbed down and knocked on the door. It opened, revealing a dark haired man. "Whadda you want?"
"Access to the tunnels." Luffy said shortly, curling his upper lip slightly. Just enough to reveal his fangs.
The man nodded and stepped aside, allowing Luffy into the smoky and dark room. Shadows and silhouettes bordered the room, and there were many bodies dotting the floor, some of them moaning, and others with needles in their arms. They were ignored as the man led Luffy to a door at the back of the room. "Just keep going straight and you'll end up in the main tunnel."
Luffy nodded and opened the door. He heard it close as he ventured into the darkness. A few minutes later, the black changed to grey, and the tunnel opened up into a larger one. He immediately veered to the right to avoid crashing into a troll on a moped.
Creatures of all shape and form crowded the tunnel, moving in all directions. Luffy weaved through the crowds, drawing curses from some of the older demons. He ignored them with practiced ease and found a familiar route, ducking into the passage and grinning when he found the door leading to the basement of the Baratie.
He pushed the door open and slipped inside. "Hi, Robin."
The witch looked up from her book and offered a small smile. "Good morning, Luffy."
"Is Sanji working?" Luffy asked.
"I believe so." Robin said, nodding.
"Great," Luffy said, darting to the stairs. "I'll see you later." He dashed up the stairs and emerged in the alley behind the restaurant. He used the side entrance and slipped into a barstool in front of the blond human. "Sanji, food."
The blond turned at the voice and grimaced. "You've got to pay your tab."
"I know. I see my Dad next week. I'll pay it then."
Sanji sighed and waved to the cooks. Not long after that, a large platter of breakfast food was placed in front of the grinning vampire. He would have started eating with his hands if Sanji hadn't shoved a fork in his hands. "Please have a little bit of courtesy. This is a public place."
Luffy tried to speak around his mouthful, but Sanji ignored him and started clearing tables. He wasn't surprised to see the plate empty when he returned. He just added it to his tray full of dishes.
He expected the vampire to demand more, but when he started to address him, he noticed the strange expression on his face. "What's wrong?" He asked instead.
"Hunters."
Sanji glanced around the nearly empty restaurant, the calm before the lunch rush, and pulled out a cigarette. "What about them? I don't see anyone else here."
"There were two here last night," Luffy said. "They followed me outside."
"Hunters usually go after your kind," Sanji pointed out. "Just get rid of them."
"Yeah, I know. It's just, they followed me outside. From in here. That means they knew what I was before I met them."
Sanji lowered his cigarette. "Shit. That means the council knows about you. What are you going to do?"
"I'll have to be more careful," Luffy said, twirling his fork. "And I'll probably have to warn Dad. If the council got word that he was in town…" They both shuddered. "Maybe I'll go talk to Ace. He might know something."
Sanji nodded, "That sounds like a good idea. You could also get Nami to spy on them, if you can afford it."
Luffy shook his head, "I don't have enough money. I'll keep an eye on them myself. You be careful too. They saw us together. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I just won't do anything that'll draw any attention to me," Sanji said. "All they know is you're another customer I have to serve. Besides, if I die so will Robin, and there's no way I'm letting that happen."
Luffy nodded, more confidently this time. "Alright. Now that it's settled, more food!"
The vampire walked out of the restaurant feeling satisfied, after giving Sanji another warning to be careful. Sanji promised, and said that he'd pass on the message to the other members of their clan. He returned to the tunnels and made his way downtown.
He surfaced, making a face as the noises assaulted his ears. He started walking, shoving his hands in his pockets. He bumped into someone, and apologized quickly before sprinting across the road and stopping in front of a large business office.
He had to squint in the light to read the sign, and then pushed open the door when he confirmed he was in the right place.
The woman at the front desk looked up at the intrusion. "Do you have an appointment?"
Luffy sniffed the air discreetly. Nymph. "I'm here to see Ace. Tell him Luffy's here."
She nodded and picked up the phone. Luffy waited impatiently until the elevator at the far wall opened and revealed another vampire. "Luffy, what are you doing here?" He asked.
"I need to talk to you," Luffy said, "It's important."
Ace caught the urgent tone in his brother's voice and nodded, leading him to the elevator. They rode in silence until they got to Ace's office. Luffy sat on the desk, not caring of papers fell to the floor. "Hunters."
Ace raised an eyebrow. "They're common in New York."
"They're after me." Luffy said.
Ace's bemused expression dropped instantly, "How?"
"I don't know." Luffy said, as Ace began to pace.
"Didn't your Dad warn you to be careful?"
"I am," Luffy insisted. "Well, I was."
"Was?" Ace stopped pacing and narrowed his eyes at the younger. "What do you mean?"
"Well, they knew I was a vampire. I could hear some of their conversation. And I…" He looked away sheepishly. "I talked to them."
Ace slapped a hand to his forehead, "You moron."
"Yeah."
Ace started pacing again, "I don't think I can do anything about them without blowing our cover. Pops put a lot of work into his company."
"I know," Luffy assured him. "I just wanted to know how much info you have on them, and if you could let me look at it. I'm going to avoid them until they lose interest, but to do that I need to know their movements."
Ace looked torn, before shaking his head. "I don't have much. We just know the movements of the high council, not this branch."
"Damn," Luffy muttered. "Do you know anyone I can go to for that information?"
"Your father would be the only one I can think of. But even then, I'm not sure. He's not from here, so I don't think he'd waste the time. He can walk in the light, so it deters any hunters from suspecting him, even if he does show the other signs of being a vampire."
"…What if I do that? Walk past them in the sun?"
"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Ace asked. "You've already revealed yourself to them. If they see you in the sun, and report back and it'll be bad for our kind. We're not the usual vampires they're used to."
"I know, I know," Luffy sighed. "What should I do?"
"I don't know. I'd say stick with your plan and avoid them. Do you know where they live?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Just stay away from there. We don't know where the hunters in this city meet, but if you find out, please tell us as soon as you can."
"Yeah, yeah. Got it. You've given me that lecture before."
Ace smiled and reached out to ruffle Luffy's hair. "This worries me, be careful. And keep your clan safe too."
Luffy left, choosing to take the subway home instead of trying to use the tunnels. The later afternoon was prime time for traveling for demons and other creatures, and stuffing himself in a crowded subway was better than being cursed at and shoved around.
Once he got to the restaurant, he descended the back stairs and joined Robin. Nami had arrived, the woman stretching her wings and folding them under her loose jacket. "Nami, can I ask you a favour?"
"How much have you got?" She asked.
"Uh…"
"Then no."
Luffy pouted. "When's everyone meeting here?"
"Seven," Robin answered. "Is this about the hunters? I heard that there are more coming to the city soon."
"More?" Luffy's eyes widened, not questioning the witch's knowledge. "When?"
"Just over a week from now." She answered, laying her book on her lap. Luffy gave her his full attention. It wasn't often she left the safety of the pages. "The lower clans are scared because a lot of their members are going missing."
Luffy bit his lip and glanced towards the door leading to the tunnels. He willed it to open and his other friends to come in. "How many?"
"There have been twenty seven disappearances today." She answered. "The hunters are really getting dirty. I wonder how long it will be until they find the tunnels."
"Aren't the disguised with that spell?" Luffy asked. "The diss… illusionment?"
"Disillusion." Nami corrected. "And yes, because I'm the one who covers our door. I can talk to the elder sidhe if you want, warn them."
"They don't like you, though." Luffy pointed out.
Nami narrowed her eyes and held up her fist menacingly. Luffy wisely backed off. "I do have a few connections." Nami said. "So, what are we going to do when they get here? It's not like we can hide down here until they're gone."
"I did hear something about battle," Robin said. She closed her eyes for a few seconds. "That's what Lady Maris just said. But so far my coven and you are the only ones who are aware of their arrival."
"We'll plan when everyone's here." Luffy said, and the two women in the room nodded in agreement.
The course of action they had decided on for the moment was blending in. Most of them were humanoid, other than the chimera Chopper, and the necromancy accident Brook. Sanji agreed to warn any supernatural creatures that entered the restaurant, and Nami started spreading rumors. By the next Monday, most creatures knew of the High Council's arrival and were taking the proper precautions. The tunnels were almost empty when Luffy ran through them, heading towards the apartment the two hunters lived in.
Nami fluttered above him for a few miles, and turned off into another tunnel before he reached his destination. Luffy cautiously surfaced, pulling his hat over his eyes to block the sun before clambering up the steep stairwell and onto the sidewalk. He reached the apartment, the dirty red bricks glowing in the red sunset. He darted into the alley and wedged his fingers between the bricks, beginning to climb. He made it to the roof less than a minute later and closed his eyes, letting his hearing and smell take over.
There were lots of scents in the air, but he caught the telltale scent of gunpowder coming from a room to his left and down a few floors. He followed the scent, and ended up upside down above a window. It was open a crack, and Luffy could hear voices.
"Come on, Zoro," Usopp complained. "We've been looking for days. We're not going to find him. He probably skipped town after he saw us."
"I don't believe that," Zoro said, his hands supporting a book instead of a bottle of alcohol. "We need to find him to complete this mission and get paid. The rent's due next week."
Usopp stared at him with distaste. "You only get interested in a case when it affects your money for booze."
"Shut up," Zoro muttered, turning a page. "We have a week left. If the Chief doesn't think we can catch a simple vampire there's no way he's going to give us the big cases anymore."
"Or when you're pride is at stake," Usopp rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning his gun, separating the bullets into easily accessed magazines and making sure his gunpowder was waterproofed. "What I'm worried about is that visit from High Council. Remember what that vampire said? We're easy to spot. I don't think we're as secret as we're led to believe. What if they try and track us down?"
"I don't think they're smart enough to do that. Hey, what's a Borne?"
"No idea. Why?"
Zoro held up the book in his hands. It was old too, probably older than the rest of the books they had. At the top of the page, written in fancy script, was the word Zoro had just asked about. "Just says they're offspring of something powerful. Doesn't say what."
Usopp shrugged. "Probably just an old legend too. Those kind of books aren't very unreliable. They don't list any sources."
"That would have been helpful to know before I started reading it," Zoro said, slamming the book shut and tossing it on the coffee table. He stood. "I'm going for a walk."
"Don't get lost," Usopp said.
The cool air was a relief, and cleared his nose of the moldy smell that followed those books around. He shoved his hands in his pocket and set off towards the waterfront. But he ended up at the park. He stopped walking and turned in a full circle. There was no way he could be here. He knew where the waterfront was.
He paused his search for a second, feeling a strange presence at his right. He slowly turned his head in that direction and was met with a smiling kid. No. It was the vampire from the other night. But he didn't look like a vampire at the moment. His previously red eyes were currently brown. The kid grinned, and his fangs were still there.
Zoro reached for one of his swords, but cursed when he realized he didn't bring them with him.
"Don't worry," The vampire said. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"What are you doing here?" Zoro demanded.
"I followed you," He said.
"Why?"
"Because you're interesting."
Zoro narrowed his eyes and tensed, ready to fight. But the other's stance indicated he wasn't going to fight. Zoro didn't lower his guard, though. "Why?"
The vampire tilted his head. "You say why a lot. Can't you just believe me? I like people."
Zoro glared, "Eating them, maybe."
"But I don't kill." He said. And then he was gone. Zoro spun wildly, and was stopped when a strong hand caught his upper arm. He could feel warm breath next to his neck, and yanked his arm out of the vampire's hand.
"What the hell was that?" Zoro demanded, holding a hand to his neck. He pulled it back half a second later, surprised to feel warm wetness and see blood.
"That didn't hurt, did it?" The vampire laughed, wiping a smear of blood off his chin. His eyes were red again. "I told you, I don't kill. I could erase your memory, too, now."
"Now?"
The vampire grinned, "I can erase your memory as long as I've got your blood in my system. I bet you didn't know that."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Cause I want to know what you're going to do now. I bet your council didn't know that about vampires. Are you going to tell them?"
Zoro stood to his full height. "So why did you do it? Why tell me?"
"Because I know the council won't believe you. And 'cause I like you, hunter. What's your name?"
Zoro stared at the vampire in front of him. He had told Usopp he wanted to talk to the vampire, and now that he had the chance he couldn't think of a thing to say. He thought back to the questions Usopp had asked on the first night of their investigation.
"How old are you?" He asked, his mouth only catching up with his mind after the question was asked.
"You have to answer my question first," The vampire said. "It's only fair."
Zoro hesitated, but decided to answer, "Zoro. Roronoa Zoro."
"That's a cool name!" The vampire exclaimed.
"Now you answer my question." Zoro demanded.
"Alright. One hundred and nine."
"How long have you been a vampire?"
"It's my turn to ask a question now," Luffy whined. "Who's that long nosed guy that was with you?"
Zoro grimaced, but said, "Usopp," with hesitation. If his partner knew he gave his name to a vampire, he'd flip.
"That's a cool name too," The vampire laughed. "I've been like this my whole life." He said.
"How the hell is that possible?!" Zoro exclaimed.
The vampire pouted, "I can't tell you that. It's a secret," He held a finger to his lips. "But that's alright. I've got to go, anyway. I hope I'll see you again."
Zoro blinked, and the creature was gone. He braced himself, expecting the vampire to take another bite, but after a few seconds of nothing happening, he relaxed and tried to get back to his apartment. He ended up hailing a cab.
"WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GET THAT?" Usopp shrieked the second he walked through the door.
Zoro raised a hand to his neck, momentarily forgetting his wound. His short conversation with the vampire playing over and over in his mind. He should have tried to kill him. Behead him, break his neck. But… He felt strange around him. He just couldn't bring himself to do it. "I forgot about this."
Usopp yanked him into the kitchen and grabbed the first aid kit. Zoro set himself in a chair while Usopp began disinfecting the bite mark. "I hope you killed him, at least."
"It was him, the one from the restaurant." Zoro said.
Usopp paused momentarily, and then moved on to bandaging his neck. "So is our mission finished? I think this is the first injury you've gotten this year."
"No, he's not dead yet."
"You didn't get the chance?"
"No, I…" Zoro tried to tell Usopp that he didn't think he could kill him, but he couldn't express his emotions into words. "I just couldn't. I don't think I was hypnotized, or anything, but… It's weird."
Usopp sighed, "That's not helpful."
"I did get some information about him, though."
"Oh?" Usopp still didn't sound impressed, as he began repacking the medical kit.
"He's over a hundred years old, and he claims that he's been a vampire his whole life."
"That's impossible." Usopp declared. "He had to have been turned when he was a teenager. But if his age is right, it explains why we're having a hard time with him."
"Vampires can also erase a person's memory, as long as they have their victim's blood in their system."
"I didn't know that," Usopp said.
"That's what he said too, he said that the council didn't know either. He threatened to erase mine too."
"But he hasn't?"
"He said I was interesting."
Usopp almost blanched, "Since when does a vampire think we're interesting? We're trying to kill them."
Zoro just shrugged, and felt his newly applied bandages. It was still bothering him, the fact that he was bitten and yet he didn't feel a thing. He pinched the skin, and felt a sharp stab of pain. So unless the vampire excreted a fast acting numbing agent, that was out of the question. He just hoped the vampire didn't give him any of his blood.
"I talked with him," Luffy told Sanji. "The hunter. He said his name was Zoro."
"Stupid name," Sanji said.
"I think it's cool," Luffy said. "And his partner's name was Usopp."
"That's a stupid name too."
"Food!"
"No."
"Aww."
"Get back to the point of this."
Luffy sighed and looked over his clan. He had been called strange in the past for having a clan composed of different creatures. It was almost unheard of to form one with creatures that weren't the same kind as you. But Luffy had pushed that unwritten rule out the window when he recruited his friends.
Chopper glanced around nervously. "Are we going to be okay?"
Luffy laughed and scooped up the reindeer chimera, placing him on his lap. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you guys."
"What did you get from your conversation?" Robin asked.
"Mmm," Luffy thought back, "He was nervous, but not scared. He also smelled strange. Not like ordinary humans, but… his emotions were going crazy. It was kinda weird. But I got the name of him and his partner."
"Did you tell him about us?"
Luffy shook his head, "Not yet. I want to keep watching him. Ace warned me to stay away, but I'm going to pass that order on to you. I know they're not going to hesitate to kill you guys."
"And he's trying to kill you," Brook pointed out. "He has no reason to go after us, as long as we stay out of his way. But he'd go out of his way for you. You did say he was after you, right?"
Luffy nodded. "Yeah, so?"
"How much do you know about hunter etiquette?" Robin asked. Luffy just shrugged. "They are given missions they have to complete. If they're after you, that means you've been deemed a threat by the council and they want you out of the picture."
The others in the basement looked horrified. Chopper clung to Luffy, "Be careful. I don't wanna go back to that clan. I like it here with you."
"I'm not going anywhere," Luffy promised.
The hunters all stood at attention as a large man entered the building, followed by an entourage of high class hunters in matching uniforms. Smoker saluted. "Welcome to the New York Division, Captain Akainu."
