Just a quick thanks to all the people who have reviewed my story so far and all the follows and faves this story is getting! I'm happy people are enjoying all the randomness that comes out of my brain XD
"Luffy-ya, keep your hands off the black berries. They are not for eating, they're supposed to serve as medicines."
Luffy pouts as those words leave Law's mouth and the older swats his grabbing hand away from the pouch filled with berries. Law rolls his eyes. Chopper bends his tiny body forward to see what Luffy is trying to do and immediately says, his voice high, "Luffy! My mother sent us out to fetch her some more herbs, not to hunt for food! Please don't eat the medicines!"
"Why~! They look very delicious." Luffy whines, swinging his legs back and forth. The three are seated high up on a branch, looking down on the woods. A couple of branches that hang above them keep them hidden in the shadows, which is exactly what Law was aiming for. They took a risk, getting a little closer to the village. The plant that Kureha mostly needed was the Hummingbird Sage and it's too unfortunate that those plants only grow at the beginning parts of the forest. Normally, Law would either go alone or join the doctor, who always goes with Chopper.
Today, Luffy was once again bored because his brothers were too busy with their friends and decided to join the two. Kureha was working on organizing her herbs and potions, which is why Law and Chopper went out on their own. Luffy just ran after them, shouting that he was going to come along.
Law doesn't mind a couple of extra eyes to look for herbs but Luffy doesn't know anything about medicines and plants. Just today he pulled out several toxic weeds and nearly ate a berry that can kill a wolf, just as much as any human, instantly. Chopper was about to have a heart attack and Law was on the verge of kicking Luffy back to the cave if it meant for him not to touch anything that could potentially kill him.
Chopper heavens a little sigh and reaches for the herbs in Luffy's hands. Luffy watches him go with a glance of fascination and asks, "What are these for?"
The youngest among the three smiles brightly, happy to share his knowledge with the black wolf. Law looks surprised by the fact that Luffy wants to learn something and grins, darkening his glance with his big, white hat.
"These are called Lady Ferns. They help treat minor cuts and burns. Really useful for small injuries." Chopper happily explains, holding up one of the many leaves that Luffy found with a little help of Law. Luffy mostly pulled out useless weeds until he finally found the Lady Ferns. It was getting frustrating for Law, him wanting to just get it over with.
Chopper turns to look at Luffy, a big smile on his face but it falters when he notices Luffy isn't paying attention anymore. He is watching his feet move, letting them turn into paws and back. Luffy laughs loudly and Law groans, adjusting his hat as he says, "Pay attention when you ask a damn question."
"Ah, I'm sorry, Chopper."
"Sorry is not gonna cut it!" Chopper complains and puts the leave back on its stack. There are three stacks of plants and one pouch with black berries. The first stack is of Lady Ferns, with the other two being catnip and the Hummingbird Sage. Kureha didn't need much else for now so Law is not going to waste time doing so either.
"Alright, Chopper-ya. Do we have-"
A loud screech cuts Law's question short and three heads spin towards the sound with the speed of lighting. Chopper freezes, unconsciously crawling closer to Law. Said guy has narrowed his eyes, holding firmly onto the branch they are sitting on. Luffy is just staring into the distance, his ears standing up.
"That was not a wolf. There is human nearby. Fuck." Law curses. Chopper turns even paler and hisses, "What now, Law?! He can't see us in here!" Upon hearing the sound of leaves creaking, Chopper lets out a silent scream and grabs Law, shaking and a face as white as a ghost.
Luffy is staring down, gaping as he tries to see where the human is coming from. He slightly turns his head when he feels Law's hand on his back. The older of the two is looking at him with widened eyes and urges, "Luffy-ya, come over here. He won't see us if we hide under the leaves."
"What are you talking about? We're super high up! There is no way he'll see us!" Luffy exclaims, Chopper shushing him out of fear the human might hear them. Law frowns at the hidden disappointment in Luffy's voice but choses to ignore in favor of pulling the alpha son near him. However, they all freeze once again when a figure suddenly stumbles through the bushes and ends up falling right in front of their tree.
"Fucking shit." Law hisses, feeling Chopper shake tremendously behind him. The youngest of them is tightly holding onto Law's shirt, never having even seen a human this close. Law meant to keep it that way and is not about to let the human see them. That is the last thing that is going to happen. So Luffy just has to cooperate already and come over.
Law snaps out of his frozen pose, reaching for Luffy again. But instead of listening, Luffy seems to get ready to jump down.
Law's eyes widen and he hisses, "For fuck's sake, straw hat-ya! Listen to me, damn it! Get over here! Now!"
Luffy pouts, "Torao! Don't worry! I have met this human before, I can make sure he'll go back home. Let me handle this."
Law angrily bits his lap, making a fist at Luffy.
"I won't let you handle anything! Luffy-ya, stay the fuck where you are-"
"LONG-NOSE!"
Chopper makes a noise than comes close to the squeaking of rubber, watching Luffy jump down with ease. He looks at Law in worry and hitches his breath at the sight of his friend. Law's hands start to twitch, as are his eyes. He is staring right ahead of him and just knows that once Luffy gets back, and trust him he will, he is going to strangle him.
For now, Law couldn't care less about the what the alpha family might do to him.
Luffy is going to get it the very second Law sees him without that damn human.
Usopp regrets all of his life choices.
The very second an obnoxiously loud voice cuts through the air, right above him, he gets a heart attack and lets out the loudest scream he has ever produced. With shriek, Usopp stumbles backwards, having just gotten back on his feet, and falls back down. His heart is still racing too fast and he is shaking, not daring to move his eyes up.
All he wanted to do was get into the forest and maybe spot Luffy between the trees. He isn't the type of guy who would just go into a dark forest but his curiosity about Luffy is too much. None of the others wanted to go so he was left with no other choice than to be the man that he is and go on his own.
He never meant for any of this to happen.
He wanted to stay close to the village, reasoning that Luffy must be near, but he lost track of time and wanted to go back home. Luffy was nowhere to be found anyway.
But now, laying on the ground like an abandoned little bird, Usopp wishes he never went in the first place.
He gathers up all the courage that is still left in his body and with his head shaking, Usopp dares to look up and lets out another shriek at the sight of the very person he was looking for.
Luffy is standing right in front of him, his hands crossed and his head slightly tilted to the side. A big grin rests on his face and though his eyes are slightly shadowed by the ridiculous straw hat that he is once again wearing, Usopp can see the gleam in the boy's eyes.
"L-L-L-Luffy?!"
Luffy laughs out loud and says, his voice just as loud and confident, "You're so funny, Usopp! Tumbling through the woods like that is fun to do, isn't it?!"
'What the hell is he talking about?' Usopp thinks as he deadpans at Luffy's big smiley face. He calms down, knowing that is 'just' Luffy and pushes himself back on his feet again. He wipes off the sand on his butt and looks down for the notepad that he is carrying around with him. Like a true detective, he planned on writing everything down that Luffy is doing. If he were to find him.
Usopp slightly flinches as he picks up the notepad. Zoro's rough voice still rings through his mind.
"The fuck is up with this stalker behavior? You're starting to make me seriously question your sanity."
Everyone else seemed to agree to that statement, making Usopp cry even more on the inside. Why can't his friends see there is something about Luffy that makes him so... different from the rest of them? Maybe it's because he lived so long on his own (again, this is just Usopp's mind taking control over his thoughts) that he just isn't used to having humans around.
That thought is saddening and as Usopp looks at the innocent smile on Luffy's face, he gets even depressed. If that is actually true, this boy is putting up a nice show not to let the world know how tough his life is.
Usopp sighs and says, pointing with the notepad at Luffy, "To hell with that! It's hurts! You do that more often or something?"
Luffy pouts, "I wish, but no. My mother doesn't want me to do it because it could 'damage' my body. But it's fun to roll around through the leaves and just," Luffy walks backwards and throws his arms up in the air, "Just feel free and have fun."
He grins at Usopp, who has no words for that. He therefore clears his throat and asks, taking the chance now that it's right in front of him, "Say, Luffy. Now that you're here," Usopp is not going to question why he is still here, "and how I couldn't talk to you when you brought Zoro back, what do you say when you and I just go to town? You know, I'd love to show you around a little. I take it you're new here?"
Luffy entire body freezes and for a moment, it's awfully quiet between the two of them. Luffy doesn't say a single word. Usopp has to lean in to hear his harsh breathing. The smaller boy start shuffling with his feet, clearly in a uncomfortable situation. He the back of his hand under his nose, so fast that it seems to hurt the bone in his nose.
Usopp is watching Luffy in a state of uncertainty. Once again, the boy is behaving weirdly at the mere mention of the village and frankly, Usopp isn't sure what to make out of that. For whatever reason is Luffy hesitant to go into town? Afraid, perhaps? But that would make no sense, of course. Usopp already figured that out. The boy doesn't look like he has a care in the world, doesn't keep his mouth shut and most certainly doesn't look like he'd be scared of something.
However, there is always this underlying hesitation, dubiety in Luffy's form during talks about going to village. Even just the word seems to trigger a reaction in his tiny body that tells him to completely freeze and look out of place.
Luffy coughs and throws a look over his shoulder, as if searching for someone, asking for help. It's almost as if he is asking the trees for help. Usopp shakes that ridiculous thought out of his head and clears his throat, raising a finger as he says with a pitch in his voice, "Oi, oi, you don't need to if you don't want to. You just..."
Usopp doesn't know what he wants to say, turning his hands over one another as he thinking of the right word to use in a situation like this. Luffy moves his eyes over to him, watching the hands move about. He follows every twitch and every muscle it seems, waiting for Usopp to finish his sentence.
"I just.. what?"
"Well, you see... Well, I don't know how to put it. You just seem kind of lonely, I suppose. Yeah, that's the word. Lonely." Usopp speaks up, a sudden rise in his confidence now that he is no longer at a loss of words. Luffy lets out a 'ehh' and tilts his head to side, asking with such wonder, "Lonely?"
Usopp scratches behind his head and nods, moving his hand up in the air in no particular direction.
"Yeah. Lonely. You just seem to wander about in these woods, all by yourself. You show up and then leave again, leaving me to wonder where the hell you came from and who you are. Next thing I know, you're in the woods. Yesterday, today and no doubt tomorrow as well. I don't want you to feel out of place, is what I'm trying to say."
He looks around him and walks closer, Luffy nailed to the ground.
"The people in Foosha Village are the kindest folk you will ever meet. They are crazy, out of their minds some of them, but so genuinely nice and friendly. There is no need for you to be afraid. You can come to the village, Luffy. They will accept you, even with that weird entrance you made a couple of nights ago. I can assure you. Don't just try and live on your own in the woods, that's dangerous and just too scary. Come on, I'll show you around. Can you at least let me do that?"
Luffy is looking at him, Usopp never having seen him this serious. The boy seems to hesitate and something tells Usopp that he really wants to go. However, something in Luffy is holding him back and as he throws another look over his shoulder, he visibly gulps before he lets out a very loud sigh.
He turns back to Usopp and smiles widely.
"Alright! Show me the village! But only for a short time, I've got somewhere else I need to go."
And what might that be? is a question that rests on Usopp's tongue but he wisely chooses not to ask that question. There is no doubt that Luffy is going to be weird about it and most definitely not answer it.
Usopp is just so relieved that Luffy agreed on going with him because of a second, he had expected another turn down or maybe even Luffy once again disappearing in thin air.
"Grand! Alright, let the great Usopp show you around my amazing home town! Watch and be amazed." Usopp stresses the word 'amazed' and unconsciously throws his arm around the boy. Luffy tenses and slightly flinches, glancing up at Usopp with big eyes. Usopp stares back and realizes what he just did. Not understanding the problem, Usopp ever so slowly moves up the arm and asks, "Something wrong?"
"Eh? No, n-no. Nothing is wrong. Funny, didn't know humans did this too." The last sentence is whispered to himself but Usopp is close enough to hear it. He frowns and feels his heart rate go up. Just what the hell is this kid on about? Usopp takes a deep breath, deciding not to think about.
No, Luffy has been separated for mankind for too long. That's it, that's the only logical explanation.
"Yosh, Luffy. Let's go!"
"Law! What are we going to do?! Luffy said it'd be fine, but what if it won't be fine?! He went with a human, for our sake! Oh no, they are going to kill him! LAW!"
"Chopper-ya! Panicking like this is not going to solve anything! Right now, we just..." Law grunts annoyed and runs a hand through his hair, avoiding the ears. He bites his lip and continues, throwing a look over his shoulder as he and Chopper run through the main hallway into the hidden cave, "We need to get one of his brothers because I can't do anything about this. They are much better at making him listen and that's what we need right now. And no way am I going to go to the human village. Luffy-ya did great with distracting the human but the plan was not for him to just fucking go along and happily skip his way into this damn trap."
Chopper visibly gulps and sweat is running down his tiny face, his lower lip shivering from fear. It was his first time seeing a human so close but he really didn't want that to end up in that human taking Luffy away from them. The fact that Luffy's face was beaming (like only he can do) made the situation much worse.
"Luffy is too trusting. He is too darn trusting, Law. They will know, I can already tell! You heard what that... long-nosed human had to say! He was wondering what Luffy was! He knows something is up!" Chopper hisses again, running really fast to keep up with Law's long legs.
Law growls, fully aware of the fact that Chopper is right. He wouldn't call Luffy stupid because the boy doesn't act like a carefree butterfly during serious moments and when danger is right around the corner. However, the boy doesn't know danger when he sees it and will call it 'an adventure' rather than down right risky. He is not afraid of anything and though most of the time that is a great thing to have, it's not when Luffy is supposed to stay away from certain places for good reasons.
"Fucking damn it! Damn it all! That selfish bastard, running around with a human like that. He said he was just going to lead him away, not go on a fucking tour. And we both know that he damn will go on that tour and not abandon that weird looking human once they've reached the village." Law growls and slightly narrows his eyes when the blinding lights that come from the fireflies, all flying around in groups inside the black lanterns.
He moves his hand down again and looks around, having a great view from the top of the stairs. He sees Doflamingo bugging Crocodile in the far right corner, sitting halfway in the dark. When he turns his head to the left, he sees his dad just slipping over a loose rock. Law resists the urge to roll his eyes at Cora-san, deeming the situation a little too serious to be laughing at his caretaker.
His eyes scan the whole square, which is the first thing that you'll see once you step out of the hallway. He is trying to find the two brothers, who were just here when they left. They seem to be no where in sight but a strong tug on his pants from Chopper makes Law jerk his head down as he snaps, "Oi, little wolf-ya. What are you doing?"
"Ace! Over there! Let's go!" Chopper cries out, pointing towards an alley that Law hadn't looked at yet. Law turns his head, following Chopper's hand until he sees what the younger one sees as well. Ace and Sabo are talking to Kidd and Cavendish about something that Law probably doesn't care about.
He tightly presses his lips together and heads down to them, keeping his calm as he quickly walks down the stairs, his face as expressionless as he can make it. The only people that are allowed to know what Luffy is up to are his brothers. No need to cause more chaos among the other werewolves.
Chopper is trailing behind him, already on the verge of tears. The little guy is very terrified of humans, scared that they'll call him a monster or unwanted. His head is probably filled with situations in which the humans are going to kill Luffy or eat him alive. Thank Shanks for telling him all kinds of horror stories about the humans. Law wishes he could say that Shanks was making it sound so much bigger than it actually is but there are just a handful of stories among the thousands that he's told that might be exaggerated.
Law crosses the square and by the time they are almost there, Chopper cries out, "ACE! SABO! It's terrible!" Law quickly throws a look over his shoulder but no one seems to be paying attention to them. He sighs relieved, happy that they are close enough to the two brothers only for them to hear Chopper crying.
All four wolves that are crowded in the alley turn around. Cavendish and Kidd look at the two with a frown, though Kidd's expression changes to a scoff at the sight of Law. Law ignores it for now and turns to Ace, who is also looking at him in a little confusion. However, his glance turns rather concerned at the sight of Chopper crying and he asks, having Sabo lean over him, "What are you talking about? What's going on?"
"Keep your voices down, I don't need anyone else to hear it." Law hisses as he moves closer to the group. Cavendish clears his throat and asks, "The fuck, Trafalgar? What the hell is making you two so up your asses?"
"This is not a joking matter, cabbage! This is about Luffy! He is in trouble and I don't know what to do!" Chopper cries out, his voice indignant towards Cavendish. Cavendish's eye twitches at the terrible nickname (that he got because Luffy could not pronounce his name as a little pup) but he leans in a little closer at the mention of Luffy being in trouble, mumbling a small, 'what'.
Ace and Sabo both turn pale and Ace wastes no time in grabbing Law's collar, pulling him near him to hiss in his face, "What the fuck, Law?! Luffy is in trouble?! You fucking... you were with him! You were supposed to look out for him! Where the hell is he?!"
Law struggles to push the concerned brother off him and snaps, "How can I look out for someone who doesn't listen to a word I say? I'll tell you what happened if you let go of me."
Ace doesn't want to but with a tap from Sabo on his shoulder, he growls and reluctantly lets go of Law's collar. He crosses his arms instead and joins Sabo's side, whose face has shadowed, his arms also loosely crossed over one another.
Kidd and Cavendish are standing on the side, staring at Law with a shocked expression on their faces. Though Kidd's is a little less obvious, Law is very certain that he too is getting a little worried about Luffy. It's not that strange, considering how reckless and prone to danger Luffy is.
Chopper's lower lip is still shivering and Law sighs, running a hand through his hair as he tells the two brothers, "We were out to fetch some plants for Kureha-ya when this human showed up. Apparently straw hat-ya knew who it was and decided upon himself to lure him away from our hiding spot. That's what happened. He went up to his man and let that human take him to the village. Luffy brought this upon himself."
Chopper lets out a loud sob and cries out again, "What if it was a trap?! They are going to eat Luffy! They are going to kill him!"
Ace hand curls up in a fist and he hisses, "I am going to kill Luffy one day. Always making me worry about him. Are you sure Luffy went with him on his own account?"
"Of course I am. The human invited him for a tour along the village because he seems to think that Luffy-ya is some poor human who lives on his own in the woods. Luffy seemed perfectly content with him. He even said that he can't take too long because he has to be somewhere. The little shit said it was going to be fine but still." Law says, resting his hand on his hip. Chopper has wrapped his arms around one of Law's long legs and is basically hugging it, snot running down his face.
The corner of Sabo's lip twitches and he sighs, looking around him before he says, "It seems that we have to go and get him before this turns into a disaster."
"You made it the last time. You better do it again this time." Law points out, making Ace narrow his eyes at him.
"How do you know that?"
"Luffy-ya told me very excitedly how met 'really nice' humans. I didn't spy on you, if that's what you're thinking. Ace-ya." Law bites back, not bothering to tell more. Ace groans and grabs Sabo's arm as he says, "Let's go now before anyone notices he's gone."
Sabo nods but just when Ace pushes Law out of the way to run towards the village, Cavendish stops them by exclaiming, "Are you trying to tell me Luffy has met fucking humans and talked to them?! He knows them?! Is that kid completely out of his mind or something?! He is not Shanks! He can't do that! Doesn't he understand how dangerous that is?!"
Kidd joins Cavendish's side and says, his voice deep and rough, "I hate to admit it, but he is right. Shanks and Benn are the only two wolves in our pack that are allowed to have contact with the humans. Not even Doflamingo or Rayleigh can just hop into the village and start some conversation. Why the fuck is Luffy familiar with those damn creatures? And why is he so okay with it? They are monsters, they want us dead for no fucking reason. He should not be so happy about this."
Ace snaps his head back and hisses, now both his hands tightly curled up into a fist, "We know that! Fuck, we know. But Luffy is too stubborn to listen to any of us. He has been fascinated by humans ever since he heard they existed. You and I both know he believes there are nice humans among them but that's bullshit. There is not a single one of them that can be considered 'nice'. They all want our heads, they all want us murdered. And if I or Sabo won't go to that village now and get Luffy out of there before anyone notices a thing, we'll be one wolf short tomorrow!"
Ace has turned bright red at the end of his little speech and storms off, not waiting for Kidd to reply. Sabo sighs and walks backwards as he says, "We'll be back before the hunters go. If they ask questions, tell them we're out training with the three of us. Don't let them know a thing."
"Wasn't planning on it." Law states, turning around to watch Sabo and Ace dash off, into the passageway. Chopper is still sobbing and whispers, "Please hurry up."
Luffy pulls his straw hat a little tighter over his head the second he sets foot into the village. Usopp is right ahead of him, strolling forward with new found confidence. Luffy trails behind him, holding the hat as he looks around him. The last time he was here, it was night and he ran in here without a clear mind. All he thought about was the smell of meat, not thinking about whatever else he might find.
Now, Luffy has a very clear view of the town. He moves his head up and keeping one hand on top of the straw hat, the young werewolf looks up at all the buildings in front of him. He now notices the windmills at the far back of the town and craning his neck even more, Luffy has a good sight of the big tower in the middle of the village.
There are people walking everywhere he looks. The humans are all busy it seems. They walk in and out of stores, some of them are carrying big wooden boxes while others are standing on the side of the road to just talk to each other.
Usopp has stopped walking in the mean time and turns his head around to look at Luffy. Luffy is still staring at the sky with fascination, watching the birds fly around the tower. He snaps his head back when Usopp calls out his name. The long-nosed guy gestures to him to come closer and says, his voice louder so that Luffy can actually hear him, "Come on, Luffy. You said you have to be somewhere, didn't you? Let's make it fast then."
Luffy blinks really fast for a couple of seconds before he breaks out in a wide grin, trying to stay calm and forget he is surrounded by lots and lots of humans. He rushes up to Usopp and joins his side, looking around with wide eyes. Usopp chuckles and this time not throwing his arm around him, he points straight ahead at a shop and says, "Let's start at my father's work shop first. Listen to this,"
He starts walking and Luffy follows, putting his arms behind him as he can't stop looking around, taking in all the wonders of the human world. It's so much brighter and more colorful than anything in the cave. There are birds flying above his head, merry chatting (though his pack does that too, especially during dinner and parties) and it is just genuinely a pretty nice place to be. Luffy can't deny that he feels out of place, but since Usopp can't know what he is, Luffy can pretend he isn't.
"My father owns a weapon store. Ain't that cool? He sells swords and guns and all the good stuff. Even torches, but you know, since the last werewolves have been gotten rid off a couple of years ago, they don't sell that great anymore. But oh well, it's for a good reason." Usopp proudly chats, not knowing that Luffy's heart freezes when those words leave his lips.
He has heard his parents and older werewolves talk about how the humans think their pack has been exterminated, nine years ago. When Ace got kidnapped, it sparked a war between their pack and the werewolf hunters. It ended in Ace being rescued but very injured. Apparently, the whole pack was left for dead after the war, making the hunters believe they killed them all.
It seems that they told the other humans about their 'victory'.
Luffy thanks all the spirits in the world it is a lie but who is he to tell Usopp that? He feels himself starting to shake at what Usopp said. He seems... happy to believe there are no werewolves around.
Luffy stops walking, making Usopp turn around the very second he notices there is no second presence next to him. He looks at Luffy with a little confusion as he softly calls out, "Luffy?"
"Do you hate werewolves? Long-nose-san."
Usopp looks even more confused now and narrows his eyes at him before an awkward chuckle leaves his lips. He throws a look over his shoulder and says, "Isn't that obvious? I thought we all did. Werewolves used to terrorize our village, living so close to us and all. But a couple of really brave hunters saved us all so you don't need to worry about anything. They are dangerous, Luffy. Deadly and dangerous. I've heard that a pack once killed a whole region. Crazy, if you'd ask me."
Luffy's glare turns dark and while knowing that he can't give away anything, he feels himself getting angry at Usopp. Usopp was supposed to be a nice human, why is talking about his pack like that? Luffy is sure that the guy has never met anyone of his pack before, that must be it. If he does, he'll know how nice werewolves are.
He has to know.
"L-Luffy? What's wrong? Did the werewolves do something to you?"
Luffy's head snaps back up and while the urge to shout at Usopp about how unfair he is being is lying right on his tongue, he swallows it and forces himself to smile a little, shaking his head. He takes a deep breath and walks up to Usopp. He hits him on the back and says, "Show me your dad's shop. The faster we're done, the better, right?"
It may take a little longer to upload the next chapter because I like being ahead of them (meaning, the chapter that I'm putting out online is not the last I've written but that I've already written ahead with two more chapters) so that I won't ever have to stop for months because I have no inspiration. That being said, thank you so much for reading:) x
