When Luffy Went a Little too Far – Chapter 4

Chapter 4 is here! Once again, hope you all enjoy. :)

Warnings: Violence, blackmailing, mentions of drug use

Disclaimer: Don't own OP or any of the characters.

Name of chapter: Taken from the soundtrack of The Last Samurai. Gotta love Zimmer's music, gets me everytime.

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Chapter 4 – Taken

With the Straw Hat crew...

Zoro was getting seriously frustrated. They had been running around this damned town all day and so far there've been absolutely no sign of their captain at all. It was a big town, but Luffy never failed to go anywhere without making sure half the world knew he'd been there. Leave it to that idiot to actually succeed in laying low the one time they needed him to make a ruckus.

The swordsman let out an angry growl, startling Usopp who'd been running right beside him.

"How hard can it be to find someone whose face is known all over the freaking world!?" Zoro shouted out loud, making the sniper cower back a little.

"It's possible that Luffy came up with a disguise. You know how we've been telling him he can't just barge in anywhere without caution anymore, especially here in the New World? Maybe he listened for once and learned? I mean, everyone listens to me, the great Captain Usopp…" Usopp's suggestion was more of a question than a statement, with no real power behind it as he didn't really believe it himself either. Even though Luffy had his smart moments, "careful" just wasn't in his nature.

Zoro glared at his friend in annoyance knowing very well that Luffy hadn't once thought of wearing any sort of disguise. Just as the first mate was about to suggest they should try to look around the docks again, they heard Nami's voice call for them.

"There you are! Great, now we can all go together." She paused to catch her breath, Zoro and Usopp noticing that all of the other Straw Hats were right behind her.

"What's up, did you find something?" Zoro tried to hide the hopeful edge in his voice as he waited for an answer.

"Yes! Chopper and I were going around, asking people if they'd seen anyone that looked like Luffy and finally someone pointed us towards here, to that very street right there actually." She was pointing a little further off to the right of them at an entrance to a side street.

"It was weird though," Chopper piped up, "There were a lot of people who looked like they might know something, but they just hurried away saying stuff that sounded like excuses to me. Do you think they were afraid of us?" He was looking at Nami with round eyes, but it was Robin who answered.

"They were afraid, but I don't think it's us they're afraid off. Franky and I had similar experiences with the town's people, and hey all seem to be more than unwilling to give away any information." The raven haired woman had a dreadful look on her face, like she already knew something they didn't.

"There was even one suuupaaa energetic lady who screamed at us to run for our lives. A perver-… I mean a weirdo." Franky wasn't even in the mood for posing right now, worry weighing him down.

"Well, I definitely don't like the sound of that. But at least we've got something, so let's go and see if there's anything to it." Sanji lit a new cigarette and let the group around the corner to the side street.

Their first thought wasn't good. They walked on, taking in the weird little shops that no normal people would ever consider entering. When they came to the entrance of an old looking bar that Nami was pointing at, Sanji let out a sigh.

"Trust the shitty-captain to find the most suspicious looking place in town," he muttered and pushed the door open.

There were only two customers inside, a figure dressed in far too many scarves in one corner and an old drunk lying on the floor next to the door. Nami let herself shudder in disgust as she followed the others to the counter.

The owner looked at them with caution, his expression telling them he wasn't too happy about having this colorful group in his bar. He had that look of someone who was much younger than one would think, with sharp eyes, grey hair and dark circles under his eyes.

"Yo," Sanji greeted and sat down on one of the stools, "We're looking for someone and heard that you might be able to help." He went straight to the point, if what Robin had said about people here not wanting to talk was true, then beating around the bush would obviously not work. The bartender stopped in his tracks and looked at in annoyance.

"I don't know who you lot lookin' for but you can beat it. I ain't got nothin' for ya." He was about to turn and go to what they assumed was the kitchen behind a dirty curtain, but Sanji wasn't ready to give up yet.

"We're looking for a boy. He would be 19-years-old, a little shorter than I, black hair and a yellow straw hat on his head. Any chance he stopped by?" He was trying to keep his voice even, not wanting to scare the man off.

"Like I told' ya. I've got nothin' you need to know, haven't seen any lads in straw hats today."

The man was just reaching to lift the curtain out of the way and enter the kitchen, when a hand came up, took his collar in a vice grip and lifted him off the ground. Sanji looked at the green haired swordsman who was now growling in the man's face, holding something in his other hand.

"You don't know anything, huh? Then you wanna explain to us how our captain's bag ended up on your greasy floor?" The glare he was giving the bartender made the poor man shake in fear. And indeed, in his right hand Zoro was holding one of the crew's many back bags they used on their shopping trips. He threw it at Nami who opened it up and found the shopping list written in her own handwriting. Her fist tightened around the piece of paper as she fixed a hateful glare at the bartender.

"So," Zoro went on, "Let's try this again. You said you haven't seen anyone with a straw hat today. What about yesterday?" When the man being questioned hesitated his captor gave him a rough shake, and finally the man faltered, not seeing a way out of this.

"Fine, fine! He was here, yesterday afternoon. Had a drink and left, that's all." Obviously this wasn't the right answer as the man now felt himself being swung even higher in the air before he came crashing down on the counter, splintering it upon impact. A cold sharp blade of a sword suddenly pressed against his throat and all he could see was the green eye of a demon itself.

"One. More. Try." Zoro growled out as he did his best to hold himself back from slicing this old creep up right then and there.

"If I'm not happy with your answer, you can be sure you're not leaving this place in one piece." To show he wasn't at all bluffing, he let the sword slip a little and make a tiny cut on the man's exposed neck.

"O-okay. Look, I…" even now the bartender couldn't help but hesitate. Somehow he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

"I have two daughters and a wife, if I tell you I'll be putting them in danger…" He was cut off as a brightly burning foot came crashing down right next to his face, splintering the wood merely inches from his head. With wide eyes he followed the leg up to look at its owner. It was the blonde man who had talked to him first. His posture seemed cool with his hands in his pockets and shoulders slumped in a relaxed manner, but his one visible eye was promising death.

"You think we give a fuck about your family? We're pirates, we don't feel sorry for scumbags like you."

And now he knew he had absolutely no choice. He could either die here, leaving his family to support themselves, or he could tell these pirates what he knew and then take his family and run as far away as he could from this Kami forsaken island.

"Got it, I- I got it. It was Genzo. Your friend left here with Genzo." To the other Straw Hats this name meant nothing, but Robin lifted her gaze to look at the man and quickly strode to his side. She motioned for Zoro and Sanji to let the man sit up and after a few more shakes and a warning kick, they backed off. When the man had sat up and caught his breath, Robin found his gaze and held it in hers, not letting him get any ideas that she wouldn't be just as ready kill him as the others if need be.

"Genzo? As in the notorious slave trader?" She asked, her voice calm though her insides were twisted in fear. She had heard that name more than once while residing with the revolutionaries. It was a name that struck fear in many, and one of the top wanted men in the revolutionaries' hit list.

The other Straw Hats looked at her in confusion, then at the man again, hoping to get more information and catch in on what they were talking about.

"Yes, him. This town gets a lot of pirates, since it's the only island around this area, so they stop 'ere to restock. Genzo is well known for capturing some seriously high bounties and selling them off to the government or the tenryuubito."

Robin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It wouldn't help anyone to kill this man right now. But she couldn't help it. No matter how much in danger he would be in, she didn't understand how anyone could just watch as a young boy was stripped of his freedom in the cruelest of ways right in front of their eyes. Robin couldn't possibly even imagine Luffy surviving a life of a slave. Her captain had a strong spirit and even stronger will, but without his freedom, he was just a kid.

"Yo, Robin-sis, who's this "Genzo" person?" Franky wasn't liking that somehow that cursed word "slave" had made it's way into the conversation. What happened to Luffy just getting lost or falling asleep somewhere?

Robin sighed and turned to address her friends. This was definitely information she wasn't sharing happily.

"During the two years I stayed with the revolutionaries, I heard a lot about slave trading and other crimes the government is willing to overlook for their own sake. All of the most corrupted government members, worst pirates and especially the names of the slave traders, all of them from marines to pirates and civilians mixed in that twisted underworld business. Genzo was the one name that came up most often. He is known all over the world, yet no one knows what he looks like. Well, those who do know won't talk. He's not just notorious for somehow managing to kidnap high bounty pirates and rare creatures, but also for… "training" them." Even the usually stoic raven cringed at this, the word leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

"Do… do we wanna know what that means?" Usopp asked, looking greatly disturbed.

"I'm not exactly sure… but the word goes that no matter how short a time he has his captives, somehow by the time they get to their new… masters… they are perfectly trained to behave like a slave would be expected to. Please don't ask me more." With that Robin shook her head, trying to get any unwanted images out of her mind and turned back to the shivering bartender still sitting next to her.

After one more deep breath, Robin asked the man to tell them exactly what happened.

Flashback

The bartender watched as Genzo and his men walked in, gesturing him to bring them their regular drinks. The old man shuddered. He hated it when they came. They would sit there in the corner, and every time the door opened he would fear that this one would be the one they were going to take today. For years he had watched people disappear after leaving his bar, knowing exactly where they had gone: Hell. But he had to protect his family, and so he let it happen.

He lifted his gaze the moment he heard the door creak and took in the kid that entered. He might not be a slave trader himself, but watching from the side for years he knew what they were looking for and this boy was definitely doomed.

He closed his eyes as the raven sat down on one of the stools and heard the shuffling as Genzo started to move. 'Here we go again', he thought.

"You seem troubled. Maybe I can help you with something?" The bartender cringed. There was no way anyone would fall for something so obvious. But the boy apparently was either extremely dumb or just very trusting, because he just smiled and started explaining his problems away.

Fool. Unfortunate fool.

The conversation went on, until he heard the words that meant it was time for him to do his part.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Please say no, please say no… oh, well. What is one more, really?

He handed the drink to Genzo and watched with sad eyes as the man slipped a little round pill into it before passing it over to the younger man who happily drank it all.

It didn't take long, it never did. Soon enough, the straw-hatted boy started swaying a bit, his movements uncertain and his eyes unfocused. He looked a bit green and a trace of panic was starting to show on his face. He lifted his arm, but it ended up just slapping back down onto the counter.

"You okay there? You look a little ill. Maybe you should go get some air?" It was Genzo, trying to lure the boy out with a horrendous grin on his face. 'Please, Kami forgive me', the bartender thought as he followed the scene unfold in front of him. It always horrified him to watch the drug, or whatever else Genzo was trying at the time, take effect.

But there must have been something already wrong with the boy or the drug was affecting him more than it did others, because he was obviously already too far gone to even understand a word of what was being said. Onyx eyes turned to look at Genzo, fear and confusion filling them.

The bartender thought he heard the boy mutter the name "Chopper" as he almost fell of his stool. Then he got up, mumbling something, and stumbled out of the bar.

"Alrighty, boys! Let's go make sure our merchandise is in good condition before we take him to the ship." And so they left, slowly following after the poor boy.

End of flashback

The Straw Hats stared in shock. The bartender was starting to get a little worried as they all just stood still, completely unmoving besides the occasional blink of an eye. The blonde man was the first to come back to reality.

"...You mean to tell us that this… this… scumbag drugged Luffy?" His voice was lowered into a dangerous whisper. "What kind of coward does that? You don't just… at least… he had no chance at all! Everybody knows Luffy's way too trusting and the idiot probably let his stomach think for him again and… shit, if I had just given him food he wouldn't have been so hungry! And now he's…he's… WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!" Sanji totally lost his cool as he babbled on, looking more panicked by the minute.

"I… I don't know. I heard some commotion outside a little after that, I think your… umm... captain? Your… captain put up quite a fight even after being drugged." All the Straw Hats felt a small twinge of pride at this. That's their Luffy for you!

"But I don't understand! Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just use a drug that makes the victim fall unconscious? All of that sounds like it's just a lot of trouble." Chopper's mind was running a mile a minute, trying to figure out what kind of drug could've cause the symptoms the bartender had just described. He was suddenly glad that he hadn't given Luffy any medicine before that, who knows how the drug would've reacted to that! But then his professional mind tried to figure out how it all might've affected Luffy differently because he was still sick, and what if they kept giving it to him and there was addiction to worry about and side effects and…

The little reindeer went on overdrive, his eyes spinning and his body giving in, collapsing on itself. Franky quickly caught the doctor and tried to cool him off with a fan that came out of one of his fingers.

Now the bartender was very confused, noticing the tiny… raccoon(?) for the first time, just to witness it talk, and then immediately collapse.

"You heard the question. Answer it." Zoro spat out as the older man got lost in following Chopper's antics.

"Right, right… umm. What was it… Right! That's… That's one of the things that makes Genzo more feared than others like him. He isn't in it just for the money. He knows he can catch almost anyone he wants. For him it's all about the thrill of watching your victim at their weakest, giving them hope and then snatching it away. I've seen him do far worse before. Once he cut off a woman's leg before telling her to run…" The bartender looked absolutely horrified at the memory, his mind quickly returning to his house where his family was, praying to Kami they were still safe.

"Is that why they call him "The Hunter"?" Robin asked. She had heard Genzo be referred as that amongst a dozen other nicknames.

"Yes, horrible really. Who knows what he is doing to your friend right now, I don't know what happened after..-that's all I know, I swear!" Zoro was about to draw out his sword again when Franky spoke up.

"Yo, Zoro-bro, I think that's enough. He's told us everything he knows and the poor guy looks like he's about to have a heart attack."

"I agree." This time it was Brook, who'd been surprisingly quiet so far. It wasn't that he didn't care any less than the rest, quite the opposite, in fact. He was a gentleman and an honorable fighter, but when it came to his captain, the boy who had given him a new chance at life after he had lost all hope, Brook had become someone different. He wasn't sure he would be able to hold back, and so he had ventured to the kitchen of that dingy bar while still listening to the owner's story. There he made himself a cup of tea which he was now gripping tightly enough for the cup to crack and his bones to screech, the teacup being the only thing keeping his hands of off his sword.

"This man has risked his own life as well as his family's to tell us this story, I don't think he has much to lose now. So we should be thankful and head out. Luffy-san has been missing for quite some time now, and he could be getting further and further away from us as we speak. Yohoho." To anyone else Brook might've seemed like an expressionless skeleton, but his nakama recognized the underlying panic and urgency in his voice.

"Oww! This mister has been SUUPAAA helpful! Let's get going and bring Luffy-bro home!" Franky shouted as he too started feeling restless at the thought of his captain being taken too far away for them to be able to reach him.

Robin still wanted to give this man a good slap on his face for letting a slave trader just take Luffy in front of his eyes, but she knew Franky and Brook were right. Just like them, the bartender had people he wanted to protect, and that's all there was to it.

"Indeed. The one thing that I have learned about the underground slave market is that if Luffy is sold before we get to him, the chances of ever finding him again will become very close to zero." Her tone was grave, as she too wanted to get going as quick as possible. Just the fact that Luffy had already been with his captors for more than 24 hours was already an unbearable thought.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" Usopp was halfway across the room when Nami's voice stopped him.

"And where exactly are you going? I think we've been running in circles more than enough for one day. It's time to make a plan." Everybody turned to look at her, realizing only now that they had once again no idea where to look. They had all been so wrapped up with the thought of getting to Luffy now that they hadn't thought about how. They now knew for sure that he was in trouble, but that didn't make them any closer to actually finding him.

"Well, sure, but… what's the plan? I'd rather be running around in circles than doing nothing! I can't just stand here while Luffy is… I don't know, being tortured or… trained or something!" Usopp was looking at Nami with a wild look in his eyes and gesturing around, not able to stand still a moment more.

"I know, Usopp! We all feel the same, okay? And I do have a plan, actually. It might not be a good one, but it's something." Now they were all looking at the navigator with hopeful eyes.

"Fine, I'm listening." Usopp sighed giving in, but refused to sit down, shuffling from one foot to another and fidgeting his fingers.

"Well… I think it's time we started acting more like pirates and became the scum most of them are. The only way of making any of the underground community to trust us is to blend in. But first things first, we can't keep running around looking like us anymore. I'm sure anyone related to this Genzo person already knows we're looking for him. So… it's time for a little makeover." Nami had an almost excited gleam in her eyes. It wasn't that she was excited to mingle with the worst of the worst, but if it meant getting closer to Luffy, she would do it in a heartbeat.

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And I think I'm stopping here. It's a bit confusing that things with Luffy and the rest of the crew are happening on different days, so in the next chapter we'll find out what happened to Luffy between getting caught and now, at the same time catching up with the timeline.

And it looks like the Straw Hats turn into gangsters when they're worried. Who knew?

Hope you liked it! It was a bit challenging to write this, with all the Straw Hats in the same place. I try to get all of their reactions and feelings in here, but it's hard. Hopefully they'll decide to go their separate ways soon and I can focus on just a few of them at a time. Maybe I'll suggest that to them. ^-^ Also I miss Luffy! As in writing him, and I mean in a non-drugged or depressed state. :D Have to figure out a way to do that in all this darkness.

-Ssus

Answers to reviews:

Queen Lily Tiger Ellyessa: Yes! Some coffee. Can't survive without it. Thanks, Sanji! ^-^ Though it seems to me like Luffy is trying to steel my spot as the main character here! (wait, what?) And poor Zoro, don't feel bad! I'm sure Luffy won't blame you. :)

Neko11: I agree, people should be kinder to Luffy! (I'm ignoring the fact that I am the one who is responsible for his suffering.) Next chapter we'll find out more about what is happening to him! :) Hope the Straw Hats plan works and they can kick Genzo's ass, I hate him!

FlightWulf: Waah, you have no idea how much I laughed at the nick names for Genzo… x) That was hilarious! Thank you for that. But it looks like for now he's just gonna be Genzo. I couldn't come up with any genius way of changing it. ;(

I'm glad you liked it! I was a little unsure about it, some people think these sort of POVs are boring or uninteresting. But I thought it was important that you all knew what poor Luffy was going through. And I know it looked bad there for a moment, but I wouldn't do that to him! Just teasing y'all. :D And maybe in this chapter… or is it the next one? x) You found/will find out why these particular slave traders used the kind of drug they did, instead of just one that would've knocked him out cold. And yes, it is a bit sad that not getting raped is the highlight of your day… Let's hope he'll get a break soon! (Yeah, right.)

You know, your friend sounds a little a little bit like me. I take being a One Piece fan very seriously. I got my best friend into it too, though soon after I found out I should not have! She knows it's my weakness and uses it against me! Meanie. One time she sent me a text announcing that she had changed her name to Monkey D. Krista….. Maybe it's better I don't tell you how I reacted. x)

Movie 6 is also one of my favorites, right after the newest one. (The only movie ever where I cry for the bad guy! Though I didn't think he was really the bad guy…) Stepping out of the box really worked in that one.

It would be great if you would be willing to check the chapters! :O Though maybe I should PMs you, discussing it here might take a while. :P

I wonder if I answered to everything. Hope so! Thank you for another wonderful review! ^-^

LU: Thank you! ^-^

GomoNoJutsu: Here it is! And since I got this one out early, I think I'll still update on Sunday too, since I have a weekend off! YEY! Thank you for reviewing and following the story! :)

Mia: I am really happy you like it. I hope I can keep up the suspense. :D

onepieceFan: Sorry for the short chapter! This one is longer, and so is the next one. ;) Thanks for your interest and reviews too! They keep me going. ^-^

carrotcakeo5: I know, that Luffy is too trusting. But that's why we love him, so I guess we'll just have to keep saving him from all the trouble he gets in.

I'm glad you liked it, writing the last chapter was interesting. :D I love writing different points of views. And I know, all the suspense is keeping me on my toes too. x) As a writer, I don't like to plan ahead too much, it's more fun to see what my mind comes up with. :P Mysterious place, my mind I mean.

I love people who make stoic people go crazy! I can't do that, they intimidate me too much. :D I'm good at making other people go crazy though. We should join forces!

Thanks for another review, hopefully you'll stay interested!