Luffy's punishment for speaking out against the princess was rope. Well, at first, she just began to choke the life out of him, but she stopped. Then she went, took a towel from nearby and tied him up with that. She then dragged him back, meeting with Sandersonia on the way. The Naga and Dragon princess spoke in hushed voices, but Luffy recognized tones. Sandersonia had the usual urgent worry in her voice, mostly because she'd seen Luffy fall into the bathhouse. The Princess sounded angrier than ever, practically hissing every word that she said. At one point during their argument, Hancock just threw Luffy towards Sandersonia, watching as she struggled to catch him for a moment, before turning and entering a different door.

Sandersonia held Luffy up, "What were you thinking?" she asked, untangling Luffy from the towel around him, "I just got so bored, I wanted to look around." He pouted, rubbing his neck. Sandersonia placed him on the ground, "You certainly know how to make a target of yourself." She mused, motioning for him to follow her. "It's because I'm so small." Luffy responded, upping his pace to match hers. And once again, he was torn from the floor. "Hold on now." The princess, fully dressed this time, now held Luffy by his tail. Again.

"Really?" He squeaked, dangling in the air. Hancock just looked him over, "Really." She then looked to Sandersonia, "Actually, I just really feel like I can keep an eye on him. From the sounds of it, it might get to be a hassle to leave him by himself." Luffy made a noise in his throat for protest, but was ignored. "Are you sure?" Sandersonia questioned, and Hancock nodded in response. "I'm sure… Nyon might have been sort of right." Luffy sighed, watching the floor as he was walked in the opposite direction.

"You're going to kill me?" he asked, as he was placed down onto the floor. "You like to assume the worst of me." The princess noted, "It'd be pretty stupid of me to kill such a valuable servant." Luffy was honestly surprised that she remembered that. Though it did explain why he wasn't killed in the bathroom. Just almost killed. Luffy sighed. "Are you going to chain me up?" Hancock had taken a chair, and now sat opposite of Luffy, three feet away. "I thought about it, but decided not to. I honestly just want to go to sleep." Luffy tilted his head, "Well why don't you, then?" Hancock looked him over, "Turn into a sheep."

"Really?" They were going to play a game right now? Luffy didn't trust it, and he didn't really feel like transforming, either. "Are you sure?" When she nodded, and handed him a leaf for help with the transformation, Luffy had to nearly bite his tongue to resist any sort of sarcastic remark. Hence, Luffy the sheep now stood before the princess, irritation hiding behind an involuntary bleat or two. "Good." The princess said, "Now… Well, I'm not sure…"

"Really?" Luffy repeated his question, trying to be more obvious with his disdain. "You're going to get huffy?" Hancock countered, seeming to draw up to full height, before backing down slightly, smoke curled off of her. "Look, just keep turning into things until I fall asleep. This isn't that difficult." Luffy made another incredulous noise in his throat. "It's either that or we can have a go of you being chained up somewhere." She hissed, before wincing.

"…Does your head really hurt?" Luffy asked. "Yes, and you are no help." She muttered in response. "I didn't think I needed to be helpful…"

"You obviously weren't thinking then." She responded, holding her temples for a moment or so. Luffy scoffed, "I'm trying to be nice." He grumbled, the princess facing him, deadpan, "Trying." she emphasized. Luffy sighed, his own head was beginning to hurt. He had to compromise, or at least try to. She was being a bitch, as usual, but he was wandering around when he wasn't supposed to be. This give-and-take was drawing on him, and wasn't feeling up to arguing either, as much as he's enjoyed the sport.

"What animal?" he mumbled first, then repeated it a bit louder. "What do you mean?" Hancock looked him over for a few seconds, sitting up again. "What animals should I turn into?" The princess shook her head. Free reign. Fun… Luffy sighed, he decided to keep it to larger animals, furry ones. It made more sense, in his head anyway. The most surprising thing is that the princess' half-cocked plan actually worked. She literally just tired herself out. Luffy figured that either she really did have a major headache, or watching other people work made her tired. Hell, he was tired. Luffy sighed, he could go to sleep for a little while, maybe…He could also sneak back to his room. His warden was sleeping for the time being. Surprisingly, he wasn't even planning a jailbreak.

She would probably wake up and eat him. Luffy shuddered at the thought. He'd seen that dragon, it wasn't just fake. Smaller than Sabo, and she was about the same amount of terrifying that Ace was. Especially her eyes. After thinking about it actually, she probably wouldn't eat him, she'd just suffocate him. Luffy slumped over, his current form a large polar bear cub. If he woke up before Hancock, he'd see about getting lost in the castle again. If he didn't, he would probably just ask if he could see Sandersonia.

"Can you…turn into a snake?" He actually jumped, tripping over himself as he stood up. Luffy had to look around the room several times before he realized that Hancock has asked. "A snake…Okay?" Upon further examination, he saw that she wasn't really awake…Like, she was sleep-talking. She responded well enough, but waving a hand in front of her face got no reaction. Luffy tore his transformation, and started the new one. The princess' voice sounded, "Good… Turn into a puppy." Luffy tilted his head, a small laugh escaping his throat. "Ha…Okay?"

Hancock was somewhat awake. Enough to still bark orders, anyway. She went on the usual rapid-fire tirade of calling out animals. Oddly enough, the tired princess still entertained their little game. Name after name, animal after animal, until Luffy slumped onto the floor, tired himself of the constant changing. "Are you done?" Luffy asked, watching the princess. He honestly expected her to just sit up, like she wasn't even asleep, and answer him. Instead, she just rolled over, facing away from him, "I'm done." She called, waving him away. Luffy shook his head.

He'd been dismissed, but he didn't have anything else to do. Luffy decided to close his eyes, for a little bit. None of his other plans would have panned out anyway. At least this way, he got some time to think on it and sleep.

Luffy was startled awake by the sound of the door. Someone was knocking on it, and calling out something he could hardly tell in his groggy state. Groaning, Luffy began to go open it, being beaten to the punch of Hancock's longer legs and easier stride. "Yes?" she questioned calmly, showing practically no signs of the headache from earlier. "I was just checking on you, Princess." Sandersonia, the ever-present reason Luffy lived so long, was standing in the doorway. "That's wonderful Sonia. Actually, I was wondering if you could take Luffy with you." Both Luffy and Sandersonia expressed deep confusion at the task, "It's almost dinner. I must have been sleeping for a good while…You know how he is when it comes to food, and I don't need my toys to get snappy with me."

Luffy didn't say anything, not like he could… he was hoisted up by Sandersonia without further prompting, who bid the princess a good evening and promised to bring him back here afterwards. They moved through the hallways in silence for a moment, before Luffy spoke up. "How do you ever find your way around here?" Sandersonia shrugged, Luffy felt it even if he couldn't see her do it. "I just know at this point, Luffy. She didn't choke you out, did she?"

"Not really. I mean, not in there, she didn't." Luffy mused, "…So if you know where we're going, then tell me." Sandersonia rolled her eyes, making a disappointed noise in her throat. "So pushy. I've never really eaten in the castle, so we're heading into town." Luffy's hopes actually picked up when he heard the word "town". He turned to face Sandersonia as much as he could, "Eh~? Seriously? Well come on!" Sandersonia rolled her eyes, more playfully, and kept on with their marching. "…now he's excited?"

They made their way through hallways Luffy tried to remember, but he lost his train of thought as soon as they made their way outside. "You're going to stay with me until we make it to the restaurant, okay?" Sandersonia chided, waiting for Luffy to nod. The boy scrambled from her hands, sitting a little way in front of her. "Sure." He nodded, leaning his ears instead of paying attention. "Come on, let's go!" he called, humping around the same spot excitedly. "It's not that easy, Luffy. Men still aren't allowed on the island, and even less so in the city."

Luffy pursed his lips, "So… what am I going to do?" Sandersonia, held her arm out, then gestured to her tail. "Turn into a snake." Luffy tilted his head in confusion, "A snake? You know, that's not the first time I've heard that today." Sandersonia gave him a look, but shook it away, "Snakes are all over the place, animals and yokai…No one really bats an eye around them. The most inconspicuous design." Luffy looked at her, already pouting, "Well, why didn't you say that back when I could-" Immediately, Sandersonia threw him some flowers, leaves intact, to cut him off. Her smug face causing Luffy to roll his eyes. Taking the leaf, he transformed into a snake. Sandersonia immediately burst into laughter.

"What?" he called, lower on the ground than his original form. Luffy huffed, watching as Sandersonia only shook her head. "What are you laughing at!?" Luffy was, in a word, ridiculous-looking. A snake with a dopey-looking face, no longer than a foot in total length. Just sitting at Sandersonia's feet. The Naga had to lean against the closest wall for support, still snorting and guffawing away. Luffy rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure it's hilarious… Can we go now?" For a moment, Sandersonia shook her head. Then, after taking a huge, calming breath, she nodded, holding out her arm for Luffy to slink up. "Just so I don't forget you while we're in town."

"My hero." Luffy stuck out his tongue, turning his attention back to the town as it got closer with every step- or rather, moment that passed. Can't really count steps without feet. They were down the mountainside in moments, and now stood among dozens of people. Luffy's jaw dropped, there were tons of people here, not one single person the same as the one in front or behind them. Sandersonia wasn't giving him much time to look around either. She practically moved through the crowds like they were water. Luffy whined, "Hey! Can't you slow down a bit, I can't see anything." Sandersonia shook her head, with enough force to shake Luffy around. "No, I've got a goal. I'm taking you to eat something, then straight back. You don't need to go around sight-seeing." Luffy grumbled, watching the people go by for a moment, before perking up at the smell. Whatever it was, he couldn't tell specifically, but it smelled delicious. With renewed interest, Luffy nudged Sandersonia with his head, "…Where are we eating?" Sandersonia looked over at him, "Gonna be honest, I don't know the name of the place. I just know where the place is."

Luffy huffed, not as upset as before, but still… His curiosity was peaked, the waiting game was more than a little bit irritating. This one did end up with him eating food though. "Is it even a good place?" He asked, Sandersonia nearly going for her default move before deciding on a nod, "It actually is, honestly. I love the food they have. Had nearly everything on the menu." As they approached a particularly strong set of smells, the people seem to crowd even more. Sandersonia put a protective hand over Luffy to prevent him from falling off her shoulder and being lost. "You'll probably like it. All sorts of meats, dressed up in all different ways." Luffy nodded, his small body re-charging with excitement.

While Sandersonia was larger than a majority of the people in the establishment, there were still too many people there for Luffy to get a clear reading on everything going on in front of him. "There's always a rush around mealtime…Gah, this is ridiculous. I wonder if I have enough money on me…" Luffy looked at Sandersonia immediately, eye wavering with worry. "Do you?!" Sandersonia frowned for a moment, thinking about it. "…Maybe. We'll see." Luffy nodded, then after a small moment of silence. "Is the money on you, or…?"

Aside from how long it took them finally get food and to sit down and eat it, Luffy's mood stayed relatively unchanged. Sandersonia asked him how he'd been doing today, and if Hancock had chewed him out for roaming around. "No. I'm not sure what was wrong with her, she looked tired today." Sandersonia, who'd ordered a rather sizeable bowl of soup (Luffy wasn't sure if that's because she was larger herself, or if it was just the serving size.) just drank it up, nodding, "It's kind of stressful having to readjust to the island, the village, and the castle every time we get back."

"Do you guys go out on the ocean often?" Luffy asked, tearing into one monster of a steak. When Sandersonia confirmed this, Luffy pressed his questions. "Why? You're a group of yokai, out on the ocean? … That's like one of the least safe places to be for us."

"That may be, but it's fucking amazing." Sandersonia smiled at the thought, as if she was still among the ocean waves, and hearing the blood-curdling cries of unfortunate sailors. "Luffy, you're first time on the ocean wasn't exactly the greatest, but would you ever consider doing it again?" Luffy shrugged, "Maybe…My brothers would have to come with me though. They're better at fighting than I am. Smarter too, unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?"

Luffy smirked, reaffirming his statement with a nod, "Unfortunately. That means that without them, I don't know half of what I'm supposed to be thinking." Sandersonia laughed, "That explains literally all your life choices so far!" Luffy found himself smiling wider, "That's not even fair! Most of what happens to me is your fault!" After laughing for a bit, Luffy looked around, everyone who'd been crowding the place beforehand, they were thinning out. He could pick out individuals from the mass of bodies. "Hey, Luffy? We're going to try for tomorrow morning, okay?"

He didn't hear her the first time, his attention focused on only the people going around. So many different people. He'd never seen so many monsters in the same place. And not just yokai either, there were also tons of humans and others that he couldn't even tell. "-You don't even hear me, right now, do you?" His head snapped back towards Sandersonia, "What?" Sandersonia bopped him lightly on the head, "I will smack you off of this table." She picked the snake-monkey up by his tail, "I said you might be going home tomorrow."

"Oh~! Okay." Sandersonia put Luffy down, "Seriously, we need to get you back to your brothers before you forget how to breathe." Luffy bowed his head sheepishly, "Sorry." Sandersonia huffed, "I don't want your apologies, I want results." She was being playful, but Luffy knew he'd messed up enough for there to still be a serious tinge to her voice. "Sandersonia sighed, "I'll feel better when you aren't still perpetually kidnapped on our island. "

"So, this yokai isn't truly staying here?" Luffy didn't scream for once, but in his surprise, he nearly gave himself whiplash turning to face what he now knew to be the voice of the Nekomata. Gloriosa, or Nyon, she was standing beside the table where he and Sandersonia were eating. She wasn't much taller than the table mind you, but her voice dripped power and authority. At first, Sandersonia didn't acknowledge the alleged advisor, instead choosing to look somewhere off in the distance. But she relented, "Yeah, he's not staying." Luffy turned to her in shock, he'd assumed that this was exactly what the cat wanted to here so that she'd kill him. He didn't want to die, and Sandersonia didn't seem to want that either, so why-

"Good." The nekomata jumped onto the table, mostly for height purposes. Luffy scrambled backwards as fast as his body could take him, "The longer he stays here, the higher the risk that he'll die here." Sandersonia only nodded, "…You're right." Luffy stopped, "Wait, you're going to help me?" Gloriosa looked at him for a moment, eyes dilating in the process. "What are the alternyatives, really?" Luffy shook his head out of instinct, lips pursed. No reason to look a gift kitty in the mouth. Especially when said mouth was filled with sharp glistening teeth.

"So, when are you planning to execute your plan?" Gloriosa turned her attention back to Sandersonia, who picked up the conversation with little pause. "Tomorrow morning, early as possible. The runt has a habit of ruining every plan we make for him." Luffy scowl went unnoticed by the two women, the older of which, only regarded him after a moment of thought. "Is Hancock involved in any of this?" When Sandersonia shook her head, she was met with confusion, "Really?" Once again, Gloriosa looked at Luffy, sizing him up. "I don't see why she wouldn't." Despite the offense that Luffy took, he had to admit that it was better that this particular yokai was rooting for him to get back home. He just had to not mess this up.

"Tell me when you're ready in the morning, alright?" Gloriosa made sure that both Sandersonia and Luffy agreed before hopping off the table. It was only she left that Luffy realized. "How?" Sandersonia tilted her head, "What do you mean, how? You just stay in a place we can get to you. Me and Marigold can sneak you out of the castle and have a boat-"

"No! Not that! This!" Luffy winced, gesturing to his plate, or what was left. Gloriosa must have made sure to land on it when she jumped on the table. Luffy sighed, "… The longer I stay around you guys, the thinner I get." Sandersonia, holding her arm out for Luffy to hitch a ride, "Tomorrow, you can eat as much as you want. I'm sure of it. I'll look at map and set a trajectory for you to get back home. The name of the place you live is…?"

"Uh- Windmill Village. Should be to the East." Luffy says, climbing up Sandersonia's arm as he does so. "Are you taking me back to the princess?" he added, sitting on her shoulder. "Yeah, I promised I would." Sandersonia responded, making her way out of the restaurant. "Try to not get on Hancock's bad side for the next ten hours at least." She continued, knocking on the wood of a nearby building as she said it.

"I will. I mean, that I won't get in her way." Luffy assured, finding himself people watching again. "This place, it reminds me of my home." The crowds had thinned considerably since earlier in the evening, and Luffy could see the area much clearer now. "It does?" So pretty, the Sino-inspired designs really had a soothing effect on him. And despite the difference in design inspirations, it always reminded him of Windmill Village whenever he saw it. "Yeah, it's so weird." Luffy responded, "Like the mountains, the looks on the people's faces. Though there are easily far more yokai here than in Windmill Village."

"Sounds fun. With the best of luck, you'll be headed back there soon." Sandersonia mused. Luffy nodded, continuing to watch the people as they made their way back to the castle. It was so jarring to head back to the castle after being in town. The castle was quiet and empty, despite the servants moving in and around every hallway. It was… very unnerving, very silent. Compared to the steady hustle of people moving through the town. In spite of himself, Luffy lowered his volume when he talked. "So, I guess I'll have to get up early in the morning or something?"

"It's preferable." Sandersonia whispered back, stopping in front of the doors belonging to Hancock. "Here we are. I'll see you in the morning. And I'll be praying for your safety in the meantime." Luffy agreed, hopping down from Sandersonia's shoulder and returning to his usual monkey form. "Can you open the door for me?" Luffy asked, looking up, at the handle, "Sure." When the door opened, Luffy rushed inside, eyes closed. He nearly tripped over himself, but he was going to deal with it for now. He needed confirmation first. "Princess!" he called, "Are you in here?"

"Yes."

"Are you decent?" he continued on.

"Pretty damn sure I am." Hancock's voice boomed in the empty room. Luffy raised an eyebrow, "You're not trying to trick me, right?" To which the princess responded, by poking him in the forehead, which forced his eyes to flutter open. "Did you want me to trick you? What kind of thinking is that to have?" Rubbing his forehead, Luffy rolled his eyes, "It was just a question." He looked around, nothing seemed to have changed much from when he'd left earlier, "Did you just go back to sleep after I left?" Hancock shrugged, "sitting down on her bed. "I can't really say."

"Does your head still hurt?"

"I'm not sure about that one either."

"Why do you care?" Hancock asked, head tilting, "You seem so concerned." Luffy pouted, crossing his arms, "A servant's got to be concerned. It's probably written somewhere in the contract." Hancock rolled her eyes, "No need to be a smart ass. My head doesn't hurt anymore, thankfully." Accepting this, Luffy, sat down, attempting to relax a bit more, "Am I just going to stay in here all night, then?"

"Probably yes. Honestly, you'd end up getting in someone else's way if you were left on your own." The princess' response was exactly what Luffy hoped for. He wanted to make sure there wasn't going to be anything wrong with the plan tomorrow. "Hey," his head turned instantly when he heard the princess calling him, "Here you go." Luffy only managed to see something smack into his face with enough force to send him onto his back. He rolled, stumbling to get back onto his feet. It was a soft, large, pink pastel pillow. Very frilly and lacey. He glanced over at Hancock, "What do you want me to do with this?"

"Well, I'm hoping you can use this to sleep on the floor. Best case scenario. Worst case, you can try eating the pillow, but that's one of my favorites and I will hurt you." No surprise there, Luffy looked the pillow over. A bit too soft and dainty for his taste, but due to a lack of options, Luffy found a comfortable sleeping position. It was big enough and comfortable enough to lay on, anyways. "Thanks."

"…Don't worry about it, a Master has to be concerned with everyone in her employ." Making sure she could still see him, Luffy stuck his tongue out tauntingly, "Rude."

"Go to sleep while I still allow you the luxury, Monkey Boy." She mused.

Luffy would have stayed up longer, but he was pretty much tired at this point, and felt that if he did wait to go to sleep, the sleep deprivation would make him do something crazy.

~Double Dragon~

Ace hadn't actually considered much of anything as an excuse for why he was sore, and sleeping on the beach of some random island. That is, he had an idea as to why he was there, he just wasn't sure "why". Beside him, as he sat up on his haunches, Ace could see Sabo, sprawled out a few feet from him, snoring away. Ace grimaced, looking around. He didn't know how much time had passed, or where his current location was and where to head next. Ace moved around as much as he could, but he felt like he'd been pelted with rocks continuously.

"You got all of your aggression out yet?" Sabo's voice sounding, as quiet as it was at first, still managed to give Ace a small start. "…Yes?" Aggression? Ace only vaguely remembered attacking his brother, but the memories had already begun to flow back to him. H slumped back to the ground, attempting to curl himself tightly into a ball, "Oh~ no~…" he groaned, wincing as his wounds stretched with every movement. "It's fine, Ace."

"It's not fine, Sabo. Don't get all noble on me…" Ace muttered, peeking from his position. He could hear Sabo chuckling from where he laid down. "I'm sorry." Sabo shook his head, rearing up to look around. "There's nothing to be sorry about. Tensions were high and we needed sleep. Badly." Ace felt himself being pulled to his feet, "I just need to know that now we can focus on what we need to know." Sabo asked, and when Ace nodded, he continued to say, "Luffy certainly doesn't need either of us trying to kill each other."

The two dragons spent a small amount of time gathering resources, eating their fill and gaining their bearings. Ace insisted that he take the lead on where they need to go, and Sabo made him promise that as long as he chose their direction, there would be no unnecessary deaths. Well meant or otherwise. After careful consideration, Ace began leading them West. Not only because it was the opposite direction of Windmill Village, but also because there were larger collections of pirates on the ocean. While it was hopeful that Luffy would be stationary on some nearby island, it was far more plausible that he was just holding onto dear life, trapped in a ship on the ocean. He would most likely keep moving.

As heart-breaking as that thought was, Ace figured if they close the gap between themselves and their little brother quickly, there was nothing to worry about. As long as Luffy didn't get further away from them, they would be fine. Ace and Sabo took leave of the island immediately, their plan was clear.

~Dragon Empress~

She decided to move the monkey boy from the floor where he was resting. Hancock had considered just leaving him there, maybe she'd remember when she stepped on him or kicked him on accident…What decided for her was the boy's sleeping behavior, he was all over the place. Snoring, twitching violently in his sleep, drooling everywhere…She figured he'd start sleep-walking, but found herself more concerned he'd starting biting in his sleep instead. Instead of just dragging him around by his tail, or hoisting him up, she used the pillow he now claimed as a bed.

Wincing, Hancock found an accessible part of her old throw pillow that was not covered in drool, and pulled it. Making sure that the monkey wouldn't fall off, she pulled his makeshift bed to a corner of the room, farthest from the door. "He's already a hassle again…" she mused, making sure he wouldn't move suddenly and end up on the floor. She managed to sit, after several scares. "Christ…" Luckily, she managed to eat and rest up well enough. Of course, she didn't know he'd be doing all of this. The monkey boy didn't sleep like this on the ship. But that was also a different bed. This bed was at least several hundred times better than that horrid pink nightmare. If she had to give an educated guess, she could only assume he was more comfortable here.

That would be…unexpected, to say the least, but she could get behind that reasoning. After a little while, the world stopped swaying and she could feel more comfortable in the castle too. But considering she'd also attempted to murder him earlier, there were still things to be anxious about. The monkey boy's attitude was lax enough to pull stupid stunts, but it couldn't be enough that he just openly welcomed danger. It was possible that he didn't see her as dangerous, but if that was the case…she must not be trying hard enough.

Hancock found herself sitting, trying to think of a way to rectify the whole "being a menacing threat" thing. A good Master/Servant relationship was either based in fear or respect. Considering all the "attempted murder" she was well on her way down the path of fear. She just…wasn't really feeling up to it. Hancock had spent most of her life being rude, angry, impatient, and belligerent. She hardly wanted to put that front up to the servants in her employ before the monkey. Truthfully, she was tired of it. You begin to put up an act in front of people and begin to forget how to put it down.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the monkey once again. He'd managed t throw his head off of the pillow, and it made the loudest thunk as it connected with the floor. Grimacing, Hancock carefully moved him onto the pillow again. "Already a hassle…" she repeated, moving to place more pillows around the yokai, that way, if he slipped off the first pillow, there would be others so that he didn't hurt himself.

It felt better trying to take care of her servants than it took energy to scoff and humiliate them. The longer Hancock sat and thought about it, she began to see more promise with the "respect" route, despite earlier misgivings. She found a compromise after long hours of thought. Treating everyone with respect after not doing so for a very long time, it might be a bit jarring. She considered starting small. Being nicer to this yokai would be excellent practice. Sort of, she treated everyone of her servants with more care and sincerity than he, but that was probably the point. She could start being…not nice, but more considerate overall. Making sure the yokai male didn't get a concussion could help.

Maybe all this would help the headaches go away. She would like that