Updated: 10/21/16

Chapter 9: Gone

[Treasure Planet-Billy Bones]

Brook obliviously continued to stride over the dirt path, his elongated bony arms placed contently behind his full afro while his fingers intertwined with each other. He hummed as he made his way through the woodland with almost a skip in each step he took, contently enjoying the pleasant mood he was in. He contemplated what else he and Liara could possibly do when they reentered the city, running over various scenarios in his head that included finding their friends and partaking in a delightful lunch together, or perhaps perusing the stores by themselves once again in case they missed something.

It was after a moment of silence that he slowed down and realized that Liara hadn't said anything.. Was she perhaps still embarrassed over touching his hand? He was still elated over the sudden interaction, as it had been so many years since he'd last felt the touch of another human that he'd nearly forgotten what skin felt like. The warmth he'd felt when their fingers pressed against each other was one he didn't wish to forget any time soon. He had the impression that although Liara was a young woman, she probably hadn't really had any affectionate gestures with another person before, which made teasing her even more enjoyable.

"Come now, Miss Liara. Am I really that despicable to hold hands wi-" His voice faltered when he turned around and realized that she was no longer following him. She didn't seem like somebody who just wandered off, especially without saying a word. Worry sweltered in his rib cage as he began retracing his steps and calling out her name.

"Liaraaaa! Miss Liara, where are you?"

When she didn't respond, the worry increased even more. He was about to bellow out her name again when he suddenly heard a soft crunching sound beneath his shoes. Curiously, he bent down and noticed a note camouflaged by little flakes of dirt that had nearly illegible handwriting sprawled all over it. He began reading it as a heavy uneasiness escalated within his bones.

Skeleton,

We have the young woman with us. If you want to see her alive again, then you and your crew are to offer yourselves to the Marines. Failure to do so within the next 24 hours will result in her death. We will be watching.

Time came to a direct halt.

Liara had been kidnapped? Why didn't he notice sooner?! Was she okay?!

He clutched the sides of his skull in a panicked frenzy, trying to compose himself down to the point where he could think rationally. Of course Liara would easily be taken! She barely knew how to use a sword or defend herself, and if several people had been involved then she wouldn't stand a chance! He gritted his jaws together as an inferno of rage expeditiously corrupted his entire being.

As he inspected the dire letter once more he noticed what appeared to be a sketch of a dragon at the bottom right corner of the sheet. He crumpled the paper, each crinkle inflating his temper as he attempted to even imagine what sort of scum would go after such a sweet and kindhearted defenseless woman who wouldn't wish ill-will on anyone.

"Somebody who wishes to suffer," he growled as he rushed back towards the Sunny, bypassing nearby trees and shoving aside anybody who wouldn't move over enough to give him a path. Never before had he felt so much hate, and while such a notion would usually disturb him, he found himself simply not caring.

He would make sure that whoever did this would not come out unscathed.

[+]

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Zoro relaxed on Sunny's deck with his back pressed against the wooden mast, his eyes closed as he began to drift into one of his daily afternoon naps. The only ones still on board with him were Robin and Franky, as everybody else had disembarked shortly after Liara and Brook, which allowed him some quiet time to work out and rest. He, for one, didn't really care about going into town. Besides, there were still a couple days left, and he couldn't think of anything that specifically interested him.

Just as he was beginning to enter a peaceful slumber, the heavy footsteps of somebody dashing up the ship's ramp awakened him. He opened his good eye and was about to complain when he saw Brook standing in front of him looking distraught and frenzied.

"Liara is gone!"

"What are you talking about? What do you mean Liara is gone? The swordsman nonchalantly got to his feet and stared up at the skeleton in confusion.

The skeleton unclenched and unfolded a crushed ball of paper before he hastily shoved it in Zoro's face. "Do you know what this is?!" Brook exclaimed as he snapped his pointer finger against the paper.

Zoro was rather startled by his skeletal friend's unusual acrimonious behavior, but he took it upon himself to study the symbol, his eyebrows furrowed together in thought. There was some familiarity to the character, there weren't any names that came to mind. As he scanned the note, his eyebrows lowered in fury, the carefree attitude he'd maintained that morning disappearing instantaneously. They both looked at each other, silently agreeing on a mutual idea before they advanced towards the library.

If anybody could identify the strange mark, it was Robin.

The Archaeologist was in the middle of reading a novel when the library door was slammed open. She lowered her book, rather puzzled as to why the two men in front of her were radiating of anger.

"Robin, please tell me you know what this symbol means!" Brook held out the wrinkled sheet so she could inspect it more closely. The raven-haired woman's mouth parted after reading the note, and her eyes narrowed once she saw the logo.

"I do know them," she dryly stated. She herself felt immediate animosity towards the responsible party that had kidnapped her friend and most likely placed her in a dangerous situation, but Robin was much better at controlling her temper than the rest of her team mates. "This is the symbol of the Black Dragons, a well-known pirate gang that are rumored to have some sort of partnership with somebody in the Marines. Their leader is Captain Lurg, a man with a bounty of 22 billion beris on his head."

Brook's jaw tightened, his teeth mashed together. "I'm not going to let anybody hurt her. "

The other two gaped at him, for they had never seen the skeleton so pissed off before. However, they could easily understand how he felt, as they'd grown to really like Liara and her bright attitude. They viewed her as a younger sister, and one they intended to protect.

Robin stood up, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and cloned herself. Both of the Robins stared forward with determination in their eyes. "Tell Franky. I'll alert the others."

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Liara awakened to creaking floorboards and bellows of rambunctious laughter. She weakly sat up and coughed a few times from the chemicals that had been forcefully pushed into her system. She endeavored to move her hands, but a thick piece of rope wrapped securely around her wrists prevented any further motion. Eventually her vision cleared up enough to get a better look at her surroundings, which was a meager room with a door, two barrels, and not a single window. She was enshrouded in a vast expanse of shadows, with the only light access coming from below the door. She attempted to get on her feet, but was unable to make progress, for her ankles were bound together as well. Her body felt stiff and sore, and a headache relentlessly pounded against her brain.

"Where am I?" she whispered to herself in a hoarse voice. She licked her dry lips and attempted to swallow saliva to ease the burning in her throat. Goosebumps covered her skin, while her heart pounded beneath her chest in anxiety. She was terrified, but she knew that the only way she could even think of escaping was by clearing out all panic and focusing on the task at hand.

Her first priority was to figure out where she was and who had taken her. Of course, her sword was missing, so cutting herself free was out of the question, which meant she had to be clever. Her head angled towards the floor as she wiggled her arms around to try and unbind herself. Unfortunately, the rope was sturdy and tightly wound around her thin wrists. With each increased movement, the rope continually rubbed into her flesh until she was sore and raw.

The door was suddenly kicked open, and a burst of light assaulted her vision. She winced and looked away, not turning back until the door was shut. When she did so, she had to suppress a shudder.

In front of her was a bulky man with almond skin, ebony hair, and bulging muscles. He had a lengthy golden earring in his left ear that hung down to his shoulder, and he wore a loose black shirt and baggy, jade pants that were held up by a belt. A silver gun with some sort of engraved pattern bulged out of the leather confinement. Liara's nostrils wrinkled as the smell of tobacco and booze emitted off of him. On his left hand was a tattoo of a jet-black dragon.

The man knelt down so he was eye-level with her, and savagely grinned. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty! How do you feel?" His voice was deep and sarcastic.

Liara tried not to shake at his intimidating presence. "Where am I? Who are you?" She didn't want to play this man's game. She had to get back to her crew or else they might think she abandoned them. Her heart told her that they would never even bring the idea up, but she was frightened of the possibility nonetheless.

The man roared with laughter, his massive right hand grabbing her roughly by the chin. She grimaced as his dirty thumb rubbed against the lower part of her face. "You know, most people would love to have a pretty girl like you around. I'm sure the men on your ship must miss you dearly." He shoved her face aside, causing her to fall back against the ground with a loud thump. He walked toward the door and turned around with an unkind grin on his face. "I'm Captain Lurg of the Black Dragon Pirates, and I'm sure your parents and crew are going to try and find their sweet, precious girl. Too bad you'll be dead when they come for you." He burst out laughing once more before flinging the door shut, leaving her deserted in the darkness again.

She lay in a shaking heap, her face sore and terror seizing control of her even though she'd tried to keep it away. She pushed her into a sitting position and sobbed, biting her lip so no one would hear her. "Guys, Brook, help me." A whimper escaped her mouth, and all she could do was sit there and hope for a miracle.

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An hour after Liara's disappearance, the Straw Hat crew had finally assembled on board the Sunny. The atmosphere was heavy and unpleasant, as each member was positively irate that one of their own had been captured.

"Nobody takes my nakama. I'm going to kick his ass." Luffy icily said, venom dripping off his words and arms crossed over his chest.

Sanji lit another cigarette and slipped it between his lips. The moment he'd heard the deplorable news, he had gone through cigarette after cigarette in an attempt to calm himself down and not lose control of his temper.

Brook had barely said a word, but it was obvious that out of everybody there, he was the most pissed off. He was like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.

Robin stood in the center of the deck, as she was the one who seemed the most knowledgeable about the detestable group they were after.

"I gathered some information while in town, and I have a pretty decent idea of where the Black Dragons are hiding," Robin explained as she turned away from her crew to focus on the city. "There is a cove on the opposite side of the island that is hidden not only from the metropolis area, but from the Marine base as well. It's a convenient and well-thought out hiding spot. Somebody told me that they saw a suspicious looking man with a dragon tattoo over his left hand heading in that direction, which just so happens to match the symbol on the letter left behind for us." She turned around and saw an assemblage of determined faces as weapons were drawn out.

Robin was also eager to go, but a plan needed to be determined first. "I have an idea, but it will require us to wait until later to move out." She leaned in to explain her suggestion, hoping that the others would agree with her and not foolishly rush in right away.

Luffy intently listened to Robin's plan, as he knew that it would be his choice in the long run over the next course of action. When she finished, everybody expectantly stared at him in anticipation. After a few seconds of thinking, he turned away from his crew and gazed at the city. "We attack at nightfall," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. The others automatically split off with a heavy step in their amble as they prepared to get ready for a fight.

Brook remained glue to his spot as he focused his attention on the isle and gripped his cane so tightly that he felt like his fingers would snap off. "We're coming for you Liara," he whispered. "Hold on."