Author's Note: Hey guys! Here's Chapter Eight for ya! Hope you like it! (Thanks to all who followed and favorited!)

To Maatt: Thank you for the review! I am so happy that you are enjoying my story :) I'm still considering where I'm going to place the rest of the crew... though we will be seeing Sanji eventually. As for the werebeasts, the more time we spend with Lucci and his crew, the more werebeasts we will be introduced to. Stay tuned to see more!

To FawntheFox: Awwwww... you're so sweet! Thank you so much for the compliment XD This world is one I've spent a while building and it's so cool to see it come together!

To Nora: Lol I think I've killed you again. Thank you for reviewing, they always make me smile! I'm glad you liked the outfit it took a while to figure out how I wanted it to look ;) Lu is soooooo dang cute!

To 12ReiRei: There's no need to apologize :) I may have updated a bit too fast *sweat drops*. I appreciate the review! Gotta love cliff hangars XD See ya next time!

WARNING: Some gore and violence.

Please review! Love you guys!


Ace was nearly unconscious when he was dragged back to his cell. After a few comparably nice days of recuperating, the torture started again. Akainu didn't seem to like having the gray-haired man watching his every move, or punch, in this case. The black wolf found that humorous, to say the least, and had wasted no time in teasing his captor, which had totally been worth the many broken bones he now sported.

Yep. So worth it.

The wolf grunted in pain as he was roughly chained to the wall of his prison and glared at the humans who snickered. Sparing no time, the muzzle was strapped onto his face and the men turned to leave. That is, except one who turned and spat a glob of saliva right in his bloodied face.

'Bastard…' Ace growled weakly, his body not responding the way he wanted it to. The humans just laughed and jeered before slamming the cell door behind them. The freckled wolf bristled and wiped his face on his bare shoulder.

'Humans are all a bunch of cowards.' As he began to check over his injuries, the wolf stopped short, 'Well… not all of them.' Luffy was certainly no coward. Ace cracked a smile thinking how worried the boy would look when he saw the new wounds that covered his body. Such a predictable kid.

Cataloging the damage, Ace could tell his right leg was broken, the appendage swollen and bruised horribly. He was pretty sure his wrist was broken as well, but it was hard to tell when he couldn't feel it anymore.

Ace heard the man approaching before he saw him. Glancing up, the wolf saw a tall, dark-haired human coming towards him, a medical bag in hand. Recognition flashed across his face. It was the doctor who had stitched him up. Not that he remembered much… the pain had been intense.

The human unlocked the cell door and approached him, examining his injuries with a critical eye.

"Luffy is… currently indisposed, so I will be treating you in his stead. Of course, looking at the damage, he would've called me anyway." Ace looked the man up and down, admiring the tribal tattoos that swirled across his tan skin and the simple hoop earrings decorating his ears.

"What kind of doctor has 'death' written on their hands?" The man crouched and began rummaging through his bag.

"One who has seen too much of it."

Ace raised an eyebrow at the response. The human was very… stoic and the exact opposite of Luffy. The wolf flinched as the doctor pushed a cloth against his bleeding arm.

'Not nearly as gentle either…' With the human as close as he was, Ace noticed something. Sniffing discretely, he could smell… nothing. The human didn't smell like… anything. Immediately suspicious, Ace recoiled from the man, snarling.

"W-what are you!? No living creature has no scent!" The tattooed male smirked and sat back on his haunches.

"I was wondering when you were going to notice, Portgas-ya." The tall man settled himself into a sitting position and rested his chin on a tattooed hand.

"My… composition is something of an anomaly." Ace narrowed his eyes, still wary.

"What do you mean?"

The man leaned forward, "Allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Law. Trafalgar Law. It's a pleasure." Ace didn't react causing the man to sigh.

"You have nothing to fear from me, Portgas-ya. I would have nothing to gain by harming you. Besides," Law ran a hand through his raven locks, "Luffy-ya would kill me if anything befell you under his care." The wolf relaxed slightly at that, though he was still on edge.

"Okay… so… are you human?"

"Yes and no." Ace wasn't sure how to respond to that. Looking the lanky male up and down, he was quite obviously a human, that is, ignoring the fact that he didn't smell like anything.

"Allow me to explain." Law closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, Ace's mouth fell open in shock. The man's left eye remained a stormy grey, but his right eye was now a brilliant gold. Every time he blinked, its shade changed slightly, the mark of an àvra.

"You're a wolf!?" Ace spluttered, not understanding what he was seeing. Law cracked a smile and began to move his fingers rhythmically. Seconds later, a blue film appeared and gyrated in the man's palm.

"Room."

The black wolf gasped as the film expanded to encompass his entire cell. The tattooed man chuckled slightly at his reaction.

"Relax, Portgas-ya. It won't hurt you." As Ace watched, the film receded back to its source before disappearing completely.

The black wolf swallowed before asking, "What-what did you do to me?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to show off my àvra. For the record, I have used it on you before. Granted, you were unconscious at the time." The man leaned in closer.

"You see, I am a wolf, but also a human at the same time." Trafalgar raised a hand to stop Ace from interrupting, "I was born a human and later bitten by a powerful werewolf. However, my change was stopped before it completely took. Now, both sides vie for control over my mannerisms and instincts, making it impossible for me to have a steady scent."

Ace glanced nervously at the man, watching his golden eye flicker with intensity.

"That's ridiculous! Once the change has started, there is no stopping it!" When a human was bitten by an alpha werewolf and given blood from the same wolf, the human would undergo the change. There was no-no interrupting it! Trafalgar laughed out loud, the sound sending shivers down the wolf's spine.

"It was something of an… isolated incident." The man now sported a somewhat maniacal smirk.

"According to him, this curse makes me unique. A trophy of sorts." Ace scooted as far away as he could, not wanting to confront the unstable… creature in front of him. The man was now breathing heavily, his grey eye starting to have some gold flecks in it. Trafalgar most definitely had some alpha in him, that much was certain.

Then, the man startled him by slamming his head against the floor, hard enough to draw blood. When he sat up, blood flowing from a cut on his forehead, both eyes back to grey.

"I-I apologize, Portgas-ya. For a moment, my inner wolf overpowered my human side." Ace was honestly a bit concerned. As far as he knew, there had never been a case like this. It must be torturous to live in a constant state of duality.

"Do the humans know?"

Law shook his head, "Of course not. Who knows what they would do to me if they knew." Ace tilted his head slightly, "Does Luffy know?"

At this, the man flinched slightly before shaking his head again, "It is for his own good to stay in the dark. As far as he, and most everyone else here, knows, I am simply a traveling doctor who excels at his trade."

"Your àvra, it involves healing?"

Trafalgar huffed, "You could say that." His eyes moved up towards Ace's broken wrist. The wolf turned his head to look at the bound hand, his eyes widening as he rotated it. 'It-it's not broken anymore!'

"Wow… that's amazing." Ace admired his now healed wrist, "How did you-" Trafalgar stood up abruptly, grabbing his bag.

"I would prefer not to divulge all my secrets, Portgas-ya. Just know that your bone is set, but you will have to rely on Luffy-ya to deal with the bruises and cuts." The man put one hand on the wall and leaned in close.

"I trust you won't tell anyone. This secret will haunt me to my grave, yours as well if needed." The wolf nodded sharply, not in any position to argue. Law, seemingly satisfied, turned on his heels and exited the cell, leaving Ace a bit flabbergasted.

'Who knew something like that could happen?' Shifting himself a little, the wolf looked down at his leg in shock, noting the pain was not as intense. 'Did he work on my leg as well? I didn't even notice!?' Although, it appeared he hadn't healed it completely. But Ace certainly wasn't complaining.


As Law walked away from the wolf's prison, he couldn't help but feel a bit smug. He had known this day would come when the news of Portgas' capture had reached him. There was no way a wolf would miss the fact that he had no scent.

The man smirked as he flexed his fingers subtly. Of course, he hadn't revealed everything he could do or that he didn't have the ability to transform. Portgas didn't need to know that.

Law glanced down at his tattooed hand and watched the small bolts of electricity bounce between his fingers.

It was always better to keep your secrets close to the vest.


Luffy trotted excitedly towards Ace's cell, so glad that practice was over. Iva was a brutal instructor and had let them go an hour later than anticipated. Afterwards, the boy had rushed to his tent, under the cover a heavy cloak of course, and quickly changed into brown capris that tied right below his knees and a comfy black shirt.

When he reached the cell, the boy peeked inside and could see that Ace was slumped against the wall, snoring quietly. Chuckling to himself, Luffy unlocked the gate and tip-toed towards the sleeping wolf.

"You're late." Luffy let out a squeak of surprise as Ace opened one eye and smirked at him.

The boy pouted, "You scared me, stupid Ace!" The wolf laughed a little and readjusted himself as best he could.

"You're just too easy to surprise, kid."

"Am not!"

"Yeah, you definitely are." The boy huffed and began checking over the restrained wolf's wounds.

"Torao told me he stopped by earlier. How do you feel?"

Ace shrugged, "Considering I was tortured, okay I guess." Luffy bit his lip and said nothing. He still didn't understand why the council insisted on torturing the wolf. Ace was so kind and cool and-and didn't deserve to be treated like dirt.

After a few minutes of silence, Luffy took a deep breath and gave Ace a bright smile.

"Let's go for a walk!" The wolf raised an eyebrow and watched in confusion as the boy fumbled with the heavy chains.

"Is that okay?"

Luffy unhooked Ace from the wall, leaving the shackles on his wrists, secured in front of him. "Yeah, as long as you still have the kairoseki cuffs on, it should be fine!" The boy kicked the muzzle into the corner as he put Ace's arm around his shoulder and helped him stand. After their talk, Luffy had stopped using the muzzle altogether. Though, if anyone else came by, he had to put it back on.

Making sure no one was around, Luffy assisted the limping wolf out of the cell and walked next to the rock cliffs that surrounded the camp, taking the long way to avoid being seen. A few minutes later, the boy slowly released Ace and steadied him as he stood shakily and examined his surroundings in awe.

"It's… beautiful." Luffy smiled softly as he stood next to Ace and looked over the shimmering pond.

"This is my secret place. I wanted to show it to you."

"It's really something, Luffy." The wolf said, looking at him with a soft expression, "Thank you." The boy shuffled nervously in place, his gaze focused on the mossy rocks scattered across the ground.

"Do-do you wanna sit?" Ace nodded and allowed Luffy to help him sit on the bed of soft grass.

In the serene cave, surrounded by beauty and sunlight, they talked about anything and everything. For some reason, Luffy felt like he could relax around the wolf. Eventually, they got to the subject of family.

"Blondie, huh? He's a real piece of work." Ace said, rolling his eyes, "I've still got a bump on my head from his little temper tantrum." Luffy brought his knees in close to his chest and sighed.

"He means well. Sabo has had bad experiences with beasts, werewolves in particular." The boy glanced up at Ace, his eyes full of hope, "If you talked with him, I just know you'd be best friends!"

The wolf snorted, "I don't know about that. He hates my guts." Luffy chuckled and threw a small stone across the pond.

"What about your family, Ace? Would you tell me about them?" The wolf's face immediately lit up and he turned his body towards Luffy.

"Well… there's a ton of them since Pops adopts creatures of all kinds." Ace closed his eyes in thought for a moment.

"Let's start with Marco, the beta of the pack. He's kind of a stick in the mud with hair that looks like a pineapple." The wolf smiled softly, "But he's also very kind and looks after everyone. Someday, I'll beat him in a fight!" Luffy listened as Ace listed family member after family member, his eyes bright and full of life.

'It must be nice to have so many brothers and sisters, along with a father who looks after him.'

"Ne, Ace. Do you think I could meet your dad someday? He sounds awesome!" The wolf reached over and ruffled his hair.

"Sure, kid. Pops would definitely love you." Luffy leaned into the touch and grinned. This was nice, having someone around, to talk to. When Ace's hand left his hair, the boy gazed across the pond, noticing the light had changed colors. His eyes widened as he leapt to his feet.

"Stand up, Ace! We've been here too long!"

Once outside the cave, Luffy shuffled as quickly as he could in the shadow of the rock cliffs towards their destination, practically dragging Ace along. It had obviously been hours based on where the sun was in the sky. Hopefully, no one had noticed-

"Well, well. What do we have here." The boy stopped short and turned his head to meet the eyes of Akainu. Luffy gulped and shrunk back in fear. The man's eyes were burning in anger. Ace growled low in his throat.

The boy slowly moved the wolf's shackled arm and settled him on the ground.

"S-sir, I-"

"I don't want to hear excuses, boy." The large man clenched and unclenched his fist, "You knowingly removed the prisoner from his cage and endangered our operation." Dozens of men emerged from behind Akainu, all gazing at Luffy in anger, pinning the two against the cliff face.

This was not good.


Ace watched tensely as Akainu's flunkeys surrounded them. What were they planning on doing? Luffy took a step back towards him, standing in front of Ace. His countenance was tall and protective, but his scent gave him away.

The kid was afraid.

"We just took a walk! A-ace is still wearing his shackles-"

"ENOUGH!" Akainu roared, "I don't want to hear any more." The man stalked forward and, to Ace's shock, slapped Luffy across the face.

For a moment, he did nothing, only watched as the boy was thrown to the ground, a bruise already appearing on his cheek. Luffy was shaking, probably from shock, as he held a small hand to his cheek and scooted away from the encroaching figure.

Then, Ace saw red.

Akainu had kicked Luffy in the jaw, throwing the kid a few feet, where he lay bleeding from the mouth and motionless.

Roaring in rage, the wolf sprang to his feet and charged the human, digging his teeth into the man's left shoulder. Akainu let out a yell of pain and thrashed wildly, trying to dislodge him. But Ace would not let go.

With a sickening crunch, the wolf crushed Akainu's shoulder and ripped his arm clean off. It was so satisfying to hear the man scream. Kicking himself away, completely ignoring how his leg pulsed in pain, Ace scrambled over to Luffy and ran his hand down the boy's bruised face. He was relieved to see his chest moving up and down, but the kid was definitely unconscious.

Hearing the stomping of boots approaching, Ace snarled and crouched over Luffy's limp body protectively. There was no way he was letting any more of these humans near the kid.

Akainu was still screaming, though he had been dragged away by some his men who were trying to staunch the bleeding. The rest were stalking closer with weapons drawn.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Ace swallowed and glanced up to see Sengoku and a group of hunters rushing to the scene. Among them, he could see Luffy's brother, who had a look of horror on his face.

"Portgas. Release the boy and surrender." The wolf growled at the speaker, the grey-haired man, before gripping Luffy's shirt in his teeth and dragging him backwards. There were too many. If only he could access his àvra-

"Sengoku, you're only making it worse. Take your men and back off." Ace panted and gasped for air as he watched Law push his way through the crowd. Some humans protested but were silenced by a harsh glare from the tattooed man. Surprisingly, Sengoku nodded and ordered the men to retreat. Eventually, only Law and Sabo remained.

Minutes later, Trafalgar stood adjacent to Ace, his hands raised placatingly. His adrenalin wearing off, the wolf slumped over Luffy trying to stay awake.

"Portgas-ya, I'm going to start walking. I will not harm you and only wish to treat Luffy-ya." Ace licked his lips and tasted blood as he eyed the approaching figure. He had no regrets for what he'd done. The bastard deserved it.

When Trafalgar reached them, Ace weakly crawled off of Luffy and flopped onto the ground, exhausted. As he lay there, the freckled wolf heard Sabo following, ignoring Law's calls to stop. The blonde human fell onto his knees and began going over his brother's body with shaking hands.

"How is he?"

"If you'll give me some space, I can find out." Law then cupped the boy's face and turned it gently. "He's all right though he may have a concussion. I need to get him back to my tent to do a more thorough investigation." Sabo nodded grimly before turning to stare at Ace.

"You need something, b-blondie?" The wolf said quietly.

"I just… don't understand. Why protect him?"

Ace chuckled slightly, keeping an eye on Law who was gathering the small boy in his arms, "Is it so hard to believe I may have a heart?"

Sabo said nothing and yanked him roughly to his feet. Ace stumbled a little as the human started to drag him in the direction of his cell. The wolf glanced back and watched Law disappear into camp, Luffy held tightly to his chest.

'With Trafalgar looking after him, there's nothing to worry about.'

When they reached his prison, Sabo pushed him inside and secured his shackles to the wall. Surprisingly, the muzzle was left untouched.

As the human turned to leave, he stopped and whispered, "Thank you."

Ace closed his eyes and settled in for a nap.

"No problem, blondie."


Katakuri sat with his legs crossed on a raised cushion in the gathering hall of his castle. The place had been abandoned for years and the large alpha found that he enjoyed its vastness and the unique architecture. Laying beside him was the picture of his human, dancing in scarlet attire.

The wolf's attention was drawn to the main doors as they opened with a creak to admit a group of three. The leader walked slightly ahead of the others, his gate even and calm. They kneeled before him with their heads bowed in respect.

"Lucci. It's been a while." Katakuri said, watching the leader stand. The man was tall and lean with long black hair and stern eyes.

"Indeed." The alpha smirked behind his scarf. Lucci was always one of few words.

"Let me get straight to the point. I have a job for you, one of extreme importance. Naturally, you will be well compensated." Lucci's eyes flashed yellow for a moment as his companions looked at each other excitedly.

"It must be quite important for you to turn to us." The alpha beckoned for the werebeast to approach and pulled out the drawing.

"I want you to bring me this boy, alive."

The beast took the picture and raised a manicured eyebrow, "With all due respect, why do you not go and collect him yourself? You have always done so in the past." Katakuri crossed his arms as he replied,

"Not this time. There is too much unrest in the air and I do not wish to leave my pack unguarded." Lucci nodded in understanding, turning to pass the picture to his comrades.

"Very well. We accept. As always, we will expect payment upon our return." The beast bowed and turned to leave.

"Lucci, a word please. Privately." The beast's comrades bowed hurriedly and rushed out of the hall, his picture in hand.

Katakuri's voice was hard and deep, "The boy is very… precious to me, for reasons I will not reveal. Know this, I will only pay the full price if he is brought to me, unharmed." The beast smirked showing off his sharp incisors.

"What makes you think we'll hurt him?"

"I know you, Lucci, and your kind. On any other job, I wouldn't particularly care about broken bones or bruised limbs. But, in this case, I care very much." The werebeast chuckled, the sound echoing through the hall.

"I can make no promises, Alpha Charlotte. Most humans resist when we… obtain them, but I will do my best."

Katakuri narrowed his eyes, "See that you do. I also have reason to believe that other groups are targeting the boy. I trust that is not an issue?"

"Of course not." Lucci's eyes burned a disturbing yellow, "We will kill all who get in our way."