To Serve at his Command| Buzz-Buzz

Morning

Luffy awoke to a dull throb within her skull.

Bringing her fingers to her face, she ran them gently beneath her eyes—she felt tired even though just awaking. She brought her fingers together at the bridge of her nose, rubbing it as she tried to recall the night before.

She simply couldn't remember how she got back to her room, or rather, it seemed all a blur. One moment she was lying on that bed fit for an emperor and the next she was crashing into her cot, falling into the safe embrace of unconsciousness. Although she found herself blanking on that portion of the night, the image of Crocodile's hard gaze within her own was engraved in the back of her mind.

Her hand fell from her face, mouth falling ajar slightly as she slowly began to piece the images together—forming one moving picture, one slightly foggy memory. He had called her in and then…then there was a drink and something about the city lights…

The image of the ceiling came to her then followed by the memory of his hand on her. Luffy shuttered, clasping both sides of her face as she realized what had happened.

Crocodile had went too far, that much was clear, and no matter what sensations he created the night prior, there was no fighting the uneasy feeling in her stomach. What he did was beyond improper…it was…it was…

It was the final push for her to make her decision.

Sitting up in the cot, she glanced over at the mirror, grimacing at the mess staring back at her. Her fingers flexed into fists as she tucked her knees into her chest, angry at herself for allowing what happened to happen. I shouldn't have taken the drink, she told herself as she buried her face upon her knees. I shouldn't have sat on his bed…shouldn't have stayed there…

There was a lot of things she thought she shouldn't had done, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel she wasn't entirely to blame. Employers shouldn't do those…things with their servants. She frowned then, glaring back over to the mirror. It was Crocodile who did all of this, said those stupid words about his desires and whatnot…

Many years ago, her grandfather—with the help of Ace—had warned her sternly about boys and what crude things they'd ask of her. Is this what they meant? But Crocodile isn't a boy—he's a man…shouldn't he know better?

Sighing, Luffy turned to rest her legs off the edge of the bed, feet meeting cold tile flooring. What he did last night was wrong, but…but…But what could Luffy do about it? He had threatened her life as well as her friends' lives with the possibility of being turned into the jailors, and he clearly had connections with the mayor. What could she—some nobody girl—do about getting back at somebody so untouchable?

Nothing, her mind told her. Nothing at all. Pushing herself up and off the bed, she went to her desk, fingers gently touching her maid uniform. Just make it through the next two days—don't even wait for Wednesday morning. Run straight home tomorrow night…that's it. That's the only thing you can do.


Besides requesting to come inside, Luffy kept completely silent as she aided Crocodile in his dressing process. Any averted glances she started, she made sure to stop, knowing that that gave him power. She couldn't allow him any more control over her than what he already had.

Buttoning up his vest, she clenched her jaw when the familiar scent of his cigar reached her nostrils, reminding her of smells from the night prior. Her fingers flexed as they worked the last button and when she went to pull away, she caught Crocodile staring down at her intently.

"You're tense," he observed.

Not leaving his gaze, Luffy dully asked, "Is there anything else you want, sir?"

Crocodile cocked a thin brow, a look of interest passing through those sad crocodile eyes. "I would say you're a bit more than just tense." Pausing, a thin smirk formed. "Anger, perhaps?"

Luffy refrained from answering his question. "Is there anything else, sir?" she asked again, voice calm as she could possibly make it. Her expression remained blank—she wouldn't allow him to read her emotions, not anymore. She had to be stronger.

A strained laugh escaped through his lips as he turned to head towards his mirror. "Interesting," he stated, a slight hint of amusement in his tone of voice.

Luffy watched as he fixed his hair, slicking it back, and no matter how many times his stare glanced into the mirror to see her reflection, she kept her posture straight and eyes forward.

Crocodile turned her way, but kept his stance near the mirror. "I swore you left my room last night ecstatic, yet you return angry? Why the sudden change?"

Crossing her arms and narrowing her stare, Luffy shook her head. "I didn't," she said, forcing the anger and confusion and the icky feeling in her gut back from pouring all out.

"Didn't what?" he asked, eyes slowly glancing down to her crossed arms before returning back to her hard glare. When she went to snap because she thought he was referring to his sir complex, he said, "Didn't like last night? Is that the problem?" When he took a step towards her, she took one back, causing his stare to slightly widen and his thin lips to form a smile. "You were singing a different tune last night," he informed her sweetly. "Were you not?"

Luffy slid one hand up her neck only to stop and return it back to her chest, atop the other arm. "Last night," she began, fighting back the urge to sound pitchy and unsure of herself, "shouldn't have happened…it was wrong." Swallowing, she watched a look of amusement pass through his eyes.

"Is that it?" he asked—almost in the manner an adult would address a child whom was overreacting. He sent her a coy smirk. "Is the little thief displeased with herself?"

Luffy's brows lowered, lips forming a solid frown. "That wasn't my doing," she firmly retorted. "That…that was all you…"

"You asked me to continue, don't you remember?" His tone had grown harsher, but instead of facing her, he went to sit on the edge of his desk. "You asked me to—"

"No," she muttered, loud enough to cut him off. "I didn't…that…that was you…" The words were melting upon her tongue before she even had the chance to speak, losing herself to her nerves, unsure of what to say next.

Crossing his feet, Crocodile smirked. "You're losing control of the conversation," he informed her in a friendly tone. "Whatever courage you once had is long gone, isn't it?" Breathing in deeply, he arose from the desk and approached her, his tall frame looming over hers. His hand took to her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "The only person you're angry at is yourself for liking what happened last night."

No, her mind screamed at her to say, but she remained mute. Tell him that that wasn't you—you…you were different, under the spell of liquor—that has to be it.

Before she had the chance to throw that out there, he softly said, "Don't start battles you can't win." He pressed his lips to her forehead briefly before pulling completely away and adding, "You can end up hurt that way."

Crocodile abandoned her to the room, alone and stiff and angry—angry that she did lose control. Luffy had the situation in her hand—at least in the beginning…Did I, though? Her stare widened as she glared down at the floor. He…I…Did I even have any control at all?

It didn't matter. In the end—even if she did have control of situation or not—he left the victor.


Mid-Morning

The rag foamed into a sea of bubbles as she ringed it above the suds bucket, eyes watching as it dripped down into the murky liquid. Sighing, she slapped the rag down upon the tile of the dining hall, fingers gripping down tightly as he pushed it forward and pulled it back.

"I would help, but my bad back restrains me from doing as such," Tsuru stated from her seat at the table. She was polishing the silverware, eyes carefully gazing over the shiny metal.

"It's fine," Luffy huffed as she moved under the table, making sure to keep her head low enough so not to bump into it. "Besides, I'm almost finished."

The old maid hummed softly for a moment before pausing. "May I ask a question?"

"Go ahead," Luffy answered, narrowing her stare when she found a particularly tough stain on the floor. Scrubbing at it, she frowned when it clearly was going to need more effort to remove.

A moment of silence passed, causing Luffy to cock a brow in confusion. When she went to call out to the woman, Tsuru spoke. "Why do you stay?"

"Hmm?"

"In the mansion…here, why?" she repeated, voice much softer than before. "The young master…he…he seems to have taken an interest in you."

Luffy stopped rubbing at the stain so she could concentrate on what the old woman was saying. "What do you mean?" she asked, even though she knew exactly what she meant. "The master is…"

"Dangerous," Tsuru stated, voice dull—almost, blank. "You must have figured that out by now."

I wonder if Crocodile acts the same way with Tsuru as he does with me…Blinking, Luffy shook her head, trying to fight off the images of her employer making bold advances towards the old maid. I doubt that's the case…but he could still act cruelly towards her. "He likes to control things," she began before returning back to the stain. "Such as conversations, situations, people…"

The sound of silverware being picked through filled the room. "Then why stay?" Tsuru asked once more, tone curious. "If I were a young girl such as yourself, I would leave and return home. Do you not have one—a home I mean?"

"No, that's not it," Luffy said, huffing when she realized there was no winning with the stain. "It's complicated with Crocodile—the master, I mean. He used the safety of my friends against me…"

"Oh." Tsuru's voice was soft, as if she pitied Luffy.

"But," Luffy quickly added as she crawled out from under the table, "he said I could leave by tomorrow night." She watched as a look of confusion crossed past the woman's tired eyes.

"Is that so?" she questioned, voice doubtful. "That is rather…strange."

Luffy shrugged. "It really doesn't matter; I don't plan on staying." The conversation died at that, with Luffy packing up the moping supplies to move onto the next room and Tsuru silently tending to the silverware.


Afternoon

She sat under a willow tree upon the edge of the hunting grounds, along with Sanji, Usopp, and even little Coby. Sanji had made them roast chicken with a side of chopped vegetables, glistening from a wide arrange of herbs and spices.

"Tomorrow is going to be intense," Usopp said after sighing. He took a bite of his chicken, eyes glazing past Luffy to stare at the garden behind her. "I hope that is good enough—the master didn't really specify what tone he was wanting."

"It's fine," Sanji said after cocking a glance back as well. "I'm more worried about the feast—he wants to go hunt the damn bird tomorrow afternoon and expects me to have it ready by evening." The chef shook his head. "It's going to be rough tomorrow."

Coby shrugged then. "I'm a little scared of that bird dude—the last time he came to visit, he went through all of the master's liquor and I was blamed for not having more in stock." The young boy frowned before quickly smiling. "But I made sure to pick up a lot for tomorrow."

Luffy threw him a soft glance. "You'll do fine," she reassured him, smiling when he looked up at her with those round eyes. "If you need help, just ask me, alright?"

He nodded before casting his gaze aside, a soft pink coming to life in his cubby little cheeks.

"You can always help me!" Sanji sang as he took Luffy's hand between his own. "I can think of a ton of things you can help me with!" He brought said hand to his chest, pressing it tightly no matter how hard she tried to pull it back. "Or if you need help with any task, you can rely on me to assist~"

"Ah, that's alright," she rejected, finally prying her hand free. "I can handle everything on my own." When Sanji started to protest, she shook her hand dismissingly. "Besides, I really don't have that much to do for tomorrow: Crocodile said my job is to tend to the guests' needs, like serving refreshments."

"That's kind of like what I have to do," Coby told her. "Maybe we'll have to spend the whole day together." He smiled softly once more.

Luffy forced back a laugh when Sanji pushed Coby aside, nostrils flaring. He went on to mutter something to the boy, but she paid it no mind. She wanted to enjoy that moment, with all of them sitting around like that laughing and arguing and just goofing off. It might be the last time I see these guys…A frown tugged at the corner of her lip, but she fought it back.

If anything, they were the best part of staying at the mansion, and Luffy swore to herself she would remember them fondly.


Evening

Upon finishing all of her chores, Luffy went straight for her room, not bothering to linger around just in case Crocodile had any more ideas for her. All she wanted to do was sleep off the rest of her headache in order to be all ready for the following morning.

Not much longer, she told herself.

Opening the door to her room, she slipped in and stopped as it closed behind her. A strange package was upon her cot, a purple ribbon on top of it. Cocking a brow, she hesitantly approached it, fingers—on instinct—reaching out to trace the ribbon.

A small card was tucked under the ribbon. Pulling it out and opening it, she read:

Wear this tomorrow night.

There was no signature, but she instantly knew who it was from. Dropping the card, she pulled the ribbon off of the box, undoing the wrapping, and frowning at the pink paper inside. Pushing that side, her stare widened at the sight of white fabric. What…?

Her fingertips touched the item, feeling its soft embrace—obviously made out of fine material. Pulling at two pieces, she lifted the garment out and her mouth fell ajar. It was a bed gown—but much shorter than anything she would ever comfortably wear, probably ending somewhere in the upper-thigh region. It had a frilly skirt with a sheer slip underneath, and the upper portion of it was completely transparent and decorated with two small light green ribbons.

Naughty lingerie?

Her eyes gazed at the thing before falling down upon another garment underneath, made of a much thicker material. Tossing the gown aside, she took the item and found that it was a robe.

He…he wants me to wear these? Her gaze glanced back and forth between the two items and she felt her cheeks warm up. Who wears stuff like this?! Who…who does he think he is? She forced the two articles of clothing—if the gown could even be considered as such—into the box and quickly forced the lid on. Without a second thought, she threw the box across the room and into a dark corner, shaking her head at the simplest thought of her wearing something like that.

The only think I'm going to be doing tomorrow night is heading straight home!


To be continued…


A/N: Short chapter with not much going on, but I needed it as a transition into next chapter—which should be quite long due to the "guest" finally arriving, along with his men. I also wanted to use this chapter as a way to show Crocodile's manipulative side in conversations as well as show Luffy's attempts at facing him, even if it was a complete failure—now, that is.

It might be a few days until I update next, only because my spring break is officially over and I have to go back to focusing on classes. That's the main reason why I've been updating a lot recently: I know I'm heading back into study mode for school and won't update as much, so I wanted to push out as much as possible.


Thanks for reading!

Cnerriza: aha, yes…and well, we'll see in the next update if she does or not. Thanks for reading!

TakeHeart: Thank you for the concern; you raise good points. I would explain more about my plans, but that would take up too much room and I don't want to clog the update with my rambling on and on. Honestly, "Which might be what you're going for to make the transformation more compelling?" this is pretty much spot on with my goals…I don't know what else to say aside from my note in the previous chapter; this is just one of those situations where you're going to have to trust me if you wish to continue reading and believe that I mean to do this character development with Luffy. Again, I would love to go into further detail—but that would take too much room on this update and I cannot PM you. : ( Also, you're spot on about the whole "date rape" vibe because that was my goal to some extent. I wanted to show that Crocodile can be a shitty person (he is a bad guy after all) and what he did was very shady—and will (is) having a major effect on Luffy's opinion on him and her choice. Once again, thank you for the concerns! It's much appreciated. : )