Sorry for the long wait, guys. I like to have at least two chapters done before I post one so that there's a bit of a buffer and I had to write the next one from scratch. As I warned at the beginning, updates might take a bit longer from now on because I've started to revamp the rest of the story. It's taking a bit of a different turn as new details are revealing plot holes I have to fix. Anyway, don't worry, I will keep updating.

And now, for the much awaited final members of the Straw Hat crew to make their appearance, as well as some other, equally anticipated characters I'm sure.

Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Miss Nico and Mr. Franky

The days were getting shorter with Autumn on its way so it was getting darker every night as Luffy and Zoro made their way home after their evening shifts. Luffy didn't seem to mind, even though the street lights did little to light their path and every alleyway they passed seemed to be crawling with street urchins. Zoro found himself growing more and more uncomfortable as the nights grew darker. On his own, this had been his prime time to go out and search for worthy opponents. That had only been because it was when the strongest and most dangerous thugs came out. With Luffy's safety on his mind now that he knew someone was after the boy's life, Zoro made sure to keep his keen eyes, ears, and nose on full alert.

It was one particularly drizzly evening as Luffy bid his farewells to his colleagues and collected Zoro from his booth that Zoro felt like something was wrong. He had been having a feeling of dread all day, as if there was some ill will looming over him. His senses were more muddled than usual as well. The steady hiss of the rain and the musty damp smell of the scummy streets were overwhelming, making him nervous.

Luffy didn't seem to notice Zoro's misgivings, choosing to dance in circles as he walked and leaping into puddles to further soak his furry companion with waves of water. He kept his hand firmly planted on his head holding his ever-present straw hat in place. It wasn't providing him much protection from the rain, especially with all his moving, but at least it wouldn't blow off in the wind.

With neither of them fully aware of their surroundings, it was easy for the pair of strong arms to snake out from an alleyway and snag Luffy around the throat from behind. Luffy squawked in alarm, throwing his hands up to grab at the arms around his throat out of reflex. The hands only gripped him harder, already starting to drag him deeper into the alley and out of the light. Zoro immediately released a thundering bark and leapt at the assailant, aiming to knock him away before he had a chance to do any damage. He was knocked aside by a hefty blow to the ribs however, sending Zoro reeling onto the sidewalk. His chest heaving from the wind getting knocked out of him, Zoro looked up dazedly to see a second man wielding a huge club standing beside the first man.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelped, whether out of concern or fear was unclear, before ramming his elbow into his captor's stomach. "Let me go, you bastard!"

Luffy twisted, his narrow shoulders sliding easily around despite the man's grip so that he was facing his captor. With a shout of fury, Luffy slammed his fists into his captor's stomach. Not expecting the blows, the man gasped and was thrown back, slamming into the wall of the alley behind him.

Luffy had already wound up to deliver another punch, when another pair of arms wrapped around his arms from behind, holding him back.

Zoro felt the hair on his spine prickle fearfully. More people had suddenly appeared out of the shadows. There were three men in total, all dressed in black suits and one woman wearing a short-skirted black dress. The man who had hit Zoro with the club was large with thick shoulders and black hair that looked like bull horns. The man who had been holding Luffy first was slim but muscular, with curly black hair pulled back in a ponytail and an oddly curled goatee. The one currently restraining Luffy was the third man, also slim yet muscular with blond hair and a long, strangely squared nose. The woman was slender and curvy, with straight blond hair down her back and half-rimmed glasses that she kept propping up with her hand.

While it was clear that they were outnumbered and their assailants were strong, neither Luffy, nor Zoro were ready to go down without a fight. Luffy snapped his head back, headbutting the blond man in the face and sending his straw hat fluttering to the damp alley floor. Zoro dodged another attack from the clubbed man and snapped at his arm as it passed, clamping his strong jaws into the man's flesh.

Though he had released a shout of surprise and pain, the blond man didn't relinquish his hold on Luffy. Instead, he rammed his knees into the back of Luffy's legs, causing the boy to crumple. Luffy tried to twist around again, snarling as he heaved his arms against the blond's grasp. The blond grunted, startled by the boy's strength but barely managed to keep his hold, lowering a knee to press it against Luffy's lower back and pushing Luffy to the ground.

With the club man's arm in his teeth, Zoro flexed his neck muscles and shook, aiming to whip the man's arm and knock him off balance. To his surprise, the man didn't budge, instead he flexed and swung Zoro off his feet, sending the dog slamming into the alley wall. Zoro recovered in an instant and lunged again, this time feigning another attack to the man's club and dodging under his legs instead to go after Luffy's captor.

He didn't get far before the curly-haired man reached out and snagged Zoro by his bandana, twisting his hand as he did so and instantly trapping Zoro in a choke hold. Zoro tried to contain his choked yelp of alarm as the bandana constricted around his throat, but he managed to twist around, lashing out at the man's face with his claws and snapping at his arms with his teeth. The man was surprisingly nimble though, and he easily evaded Zoro's attacks, wrapping his arm around Zoro's throat for added support. Zoro was shocked at his strength. Normally he could easily flip a man three times his size with his mouth grip alone, but with the man's vice-like hold and his own awkward position he was virtually defenseless.

Even then, with them both pinned and immobilized, Zoro and Luffy refused to stop struggling until Zoro felt the bite of a small blade press against his throat. Recognizing the sensation, Zoro froze instinctively. Luffy didn't seem to notice the danger Zoro was in for several seconds, until Curly-haired man called for his attention.

"I recommend you stop struggling, boy, or I'll have to kill your dog." His tone was alarmingly calm and deadly as he pressed the knife deeper into Zoro's throat. A dull sting and a warm wetness seeping into his fur told Zoro that the knife had broken skin, but not deeply. However, if he so much as twitched the knife could easily slip and Zoro would die. Zoro refused to allow even a hint of fear to show on his face, but Luffy's eyes grew wide in horror when he finally spotted the knife.

"N-no! Don't, I'll stop fighting!" Luffy relaxed his shoulders instantly, melting into the wet pavement and allowing the blond man to readjust his grip. Zoro snarled disapprovingly, his chest constricting with self-loathing for his own uselessness.

"Don't you dare, Luffy!" he rasped, his head already pounding as he struggled for breath. "Fight them off… and run… go find help!"

Luffy's jaw had already set into a grim frown though, and Zoro knew there was no way the stubborn kid would abandon him, even if it was the logical thing to do. With a grunt of annoyance, the blond man lifted his leg off Luffy and heaved him to his feet without resistance.

"The kid's strong," the blond man chuckled breathlessly, smiling over at his horn-haired companion.

"Silence," the man holding Zoro ordered, finally lowering Zoro so that the dog could rest all four paws on the ground, but keeping the knife pressed firmly to his throat.

The four of them stared down at Luffy and Zoro with distain. Zoro wished they would just get on with it and tell them what they wanted.

"Are you sure he's the right one, Lucci?" the woman spoke for the first time, stepping towards Luffy and leaning forward to stare at his face, sounding bored. Her tone infuriated Zoro, as if Luffy was nothing to be concerned about even thought they were the ones attacking him. "He seems kind of small and pointless to me."

"What he looks like is irrelevant," the man holding Zoro, apparently named Lucci, sighed, sounding exasperated with his colleagues. "Our orders were to eliminate the boy with the straw hat. Who he is and why he is dangerous is not our concern."

"He's just a kid though," the blond man snorted, sounding doubtful. "I was expecting someone a bit older and… bigger."

"Shut up, Kaku," Lucci snapped quietly. He turned to the horn-haired man and pulled Zoro to the side. "Blueno, take the dog. It will be our insurance that the boy behaves himself from now on."

The horn-haired man, Blueno, complied wordlessly and roughly took Zoro's bandana from Lucci's hand, the knife pressing dangerously close to Zoro's jugular during the transfer. With his hands finally free, Lucci stepped towards Luffy and cast him an appraising eye, ignoring the death glare on Luffy's face as he drew nearer.

"Just to be sure, what is your name, boy?" he demanded, his voice still quiet despite the dangerous tone. Luffy pressed his lips together stubbornly, refusing to speak. Zoro guessed he had figured out as much as he had. The chances of such a deliberate attack on Luffy specifically could only be related to Ace's arrest and this Blackbeard character wanting Luffy dead. Telling his attackers he was their target would be as good as signing his own death warrant.

Displeased with Luffy's silence, Lucci cast Blueno a significant glance and Zoro felt the bandana constrict around his throat, nearly cutting off his air supply completely. Despite his efforts, Zoro couldn't help the strangled grunt of discomfort and Luffy's eyes widened in alarm. Zoro could see the internal struggle written plainly on his face and prayed he would keep his mouth shut. If one of them was to die, it absolutely couldn't be Luffy. To his horror, Luffy lowered his eyes and released a resigned sigh.

Just as Luffy was opening his mouth to seal his fate, however, everyone jumped in surprise as a booming voice echoed down the alley.

"Freddy! Looks like you got yourself into a SUPER big mess, Bro!"

All eyes turned to see two figures blocking the light from the flickering street lamp in the mouth of the alley. With the light behind them, Zoro couldn't see much of their faces, but one was a large, male shape, with massive shoulders, a high hair-do, and beefy arms. The second appeared to be a tall woman, her slender frame dressed in a long skirt and dark hair falling in slight waves past her shoulders. Neither Zoro nor the kidnappers had time to inquire as to who the two people were before the woman spoke, her voice smooth and dangerously calm for such a dire situation.

"Oh my, now what could such well-dressed people want with dear Freddy here?" Zoro could practically hear the fury dripping from her tone.

"Who are you?" Lucci demanded, sighing in annoyance as he turned to face the strangers. Zoro saw Luffy's eyes light up in recognition, a flicker of hope making his mouth twitch with a hint of a smile.

"Just a couple of teachers," the male stranger stated, crossing his arms. "We were walking by when we saw you with our student here, Freddy."

The four kidnappers cast confused glances at each other, obviously doubting the huge man's explanation, but they weren't willing to risk any uncertainty.

"What did you call him?" Kaku asked, his tone casual.

"Freddy. Little Freddy Williams, who did you think he was? Or are you just picking off random kids from the streets now?" The man snorted in disgust, cracking his knuckled angrily.

"We'd really prefer you not kidnap him," the woman added, her tone still calm. "He has a history paper due tomorrow."

"You might like to know that I've already called the police and they're on their way. I wouldn't stick around thinking about for too long if I were you," the man warned.

Lucci grunted doubtfully and cast Luffy another warning glare. "What's your name, boy?" he demanded again, his tone deadly. Luffy glared back at him defiantly. Zoro waited with baited breath, having realized what the two strangers were trying to do. He hoped that Luffy was intuitive enough to play along with their plan.

"…Freddy Williams… They're my teachers, honest… I don't know what you guys want with me."

"I told you he didn't fit the description," the woman kidnapper sighed, propping her glasses higher onto her face with a delicate hand. "You should have let me gather more info on our target before you went and grabbed the first kid you saw with a straw hat. So unprofessional."

Lucci scoffed, clearly not impressed with his colleague's insolent attitude. Whether this boy was Luffy or not, it was clear that the two teachers would not be leaving, and with the police on the way, picking a fight with two more people would only gain them more unwanted attention. Forced to pick their battles, Lucci reluctantly waved his hand for Kaku to release his hold on Luffy, allowing the boy to stumble forward and fall onto his knees. Almost as soon as he hit the pavement Luffy looked up and glared at Blueno, still pressing the knife to Zoro's neck.

"Let go of Zoro!" Luffy demanded, his tone surprisingly venomous despite his panted breaths. Blueno complied only because Lucci had flicked his head, indicating for him to obey. As soon as the knife was removed and his bandana released, Zoro felt his lungs fill with the desperately needed air and gasped, panting as his head began to spin and his vision blurred.

"It seems we were mistaken," Lucci drawled, sounding extremely reluctant to say so.

"Yeah, well I can tell you it's be a SUPER big mistake to try going after our students again!" the big man laughed. Without another word, the four people clad in black turned and retreated down the alley, disappearing into the dark and rain. Luffy stumbled to his feet and hurried to kneel at Zoro's side. He gently threw his arms around the dog's neck in a relived hug before rubbing his hands up and down Zoro's throat where the knife had been pressed to check for any damage. There was a thin red slit across Zoro's throat, but luckily his fur was thick enough that it protected him from any worse damage.

After struggling for enough air for so long Zoro's head was still pounding, it didn't take long for his panting to slow and his vision to stabilize. He cast Luffy a reassuring smile before he noticed the two strangers approaching from the mouth of the alley. He immediately tensed, releasing a low warning growl deep in his chest before Luffy interrupted him with a grateful shout.
"Miss Nico! Mr. Franky!" Leaping from his kneeling position, Luffy launched himself at the two strangers, taking them both around the neck in his long, gangly arms. Now that they were closer, Zoro could see their faces clearer and he relaxed slightly. He recognized Mr. Franky now, having seen him the first day he dropped Luffy off at school. He was the one Luffy had claimed didn't like to wear pants in class, but that didn't make it any less strange that he appeared to be wearing nothing but a Hawaiian shirt and a speedo in such cold weather.

Zoro had heard about the woman, Miss Nico, from Luffy and Usopp in their conversations about school. From what he could remember, she was a history teacher, and she was one of Luffy's favorites based on his fond grin every time he talked about her.

"You okay, Freddy?" Mr. Franky asked, patting Luffy on the back with one of his huge hands. Luffy nodded, still grinning. Zoro guessed they were keeping up the fake name for now in case the kidnappers were sticking around. Miss Nico's calm expression gave way to a concerned frown for the first time and she cast a suspicious eye over Luffy for and signs of injury.
"I think it would be wise for us to find somewhere safe to talk," she suggested, glancing warily up and down the alley. Luffy nodded gratefully, placing a hand on Zoro's head and gently gripping his fur in his fingers. Zoro could feel Luffy's hand shaking against his neck and allowed the touch. They paused to allow Luffy to grab his hat before following the two teachers into the rainy street.

"We'll go to my house." Miss Nico slowed so that she could walk next to Luffy, casting him a gentle smile. She looked up at Mr. Franky and he nodded as they seemed to share some unspoken conversation. Luffy continued to stare at the ground, not bothering to respond. Zoro supposed the shock of what had happened and the relief of being rescued were starting to wear off, allowing him to fully comprehend the reality of what had almost happened to him.

Within a couple minutes, the four of them arrived at a small flat only a couple of blocks from Luffy and Zoro's apartment. Miss Nico cast a cursory glance up and down the street before pulling out her keys and admitting the group into her home. Luffy allowed himself to be steered into the living room and Miss Nico lowered him onto the couch without a word.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked. Luffy nodded eagerly and pulled his knees up to his chest. She nodded and left the room, disappearing into what must have been the kitchen. Zoro padded up to sit on the floor next to Luffy and Luffy wrapped his arm around the dog's neck again. Mr. Franky stepped in a moment later, crossing his arms and frowning down at Luffy. His expression softened to a much gentler frown and he leaned towards Luffy slightly. "You sure you're okay, kid? You look a bit pale."

"Y-yeah… I'm fine," Luffy replied quietly, his voice quivering slightly. Mr. Franky didn't look convinced and opened his mouth to say something, but a moment later Miss Nico returned with a tray of steaming mugs, distracting him. She placed the tray on the coffee table in front of Luffy and handed him one of the mugs wordlessly before handing another to Mr. Franky.

There was a moment of tense silence as Luffy clutched the mug to his chest, his eyes staring blankly up at his two teachers as if expecting them to start shouting at him any second. Miss Nico sighed and cast her colleague an exasperated glance before staking a seat in an easy chair near the couch where Luffy was sitting.

"Luffy, would you care to tell us why those people were after you?" she asked gently, sounding almost casual. Luffy's eyes fell onto the floor and he refused to meet her gaze.

"I… I can't tell you," he admitted after a moment, his voice still shaking slightly.

"That's fine," Miss Nico consented, looking disappointed but nodding her head obligingly. "But I can't allow you to go home unless I can be sure you're going to be safe on your own. If there are people after you, you need to tell the authorities so they can deal with these people."

"I can't…" Luffy shook his head, still staring at the floor. "They'll hurt… someone, if I go to the police."

"Who, Luffy Bro?" Mr. Franky asked, tilting his head curiously.

Luffy's eyes had become red with the threat of tears and he finally looked up, his expression desperate. "Please, just let it go," he begged. "I'll be more careful from now on. I'll take a different rout home from work. I'll make sure I don't go anywhere alone. Just don't go to the police, don't go looking for those guys. You'll only make things worse."

Mr. Franky sighed, lifting a hand to rub his temples as if he had a head ache. "I guess there's no arguing with you, is there?"

"Alright, Luffy," Miss Nico conceded. "We'll let it drop."

Zoro was impressed. He had expected the two teachers to put Luffy under a lot more pressure than they had been. They were clearly very used to these sorts of situations. Despite what the authorities said, the police in this city were often just as corrupt as the thugs they claimed to protect the streets from. If Luffy said that telling the authorities about the attack was more dangerous, it was highly possible that he was telling the truth.

Luffy breathed a sigh of relief and his body visibly relaxed. Miss Nico smiled at him gently, before her eyes fell on Zoro.

"That's the dog who's been bringing you to and from school, isn't he?" She smiled pleasantly at Zoro, making Zoro squirm uncomfortably as his face grew hot.

"You're lucky to have such a super dog. If we hadn't heard him barking, we wouldn't have known to come help," Mr. Franky admitted.

Luffy grinned despite himself, tugging Zoro closer with the arm wrapped around his neck. Zoro felt some of the guilt that had been weighing on his heart recede slightly. At least he hadn't been completely useless.

"What were you two doing there anyway?" Luffy asked, glancing between them curiously.

"We had a late staff meeting," Miss Nico explained simply, waving her hand at her colleague. "Mr. Franky offered to walk me home when it got dark. We had some papers to grade anyway."

"I got'a say, it's a good thing we did," Mr. Franky whistled, smiling.

"If you're feeling better, Luffy, you can stay here until you finish your tea. I do want you to let Mr. Franky escort you home, however," Miss Nico insisted. Her voice took on that same dark tone from before and Luffy nodded quickly. Zoro got the feeling she was only able to use such a gentle voice most of the time because everyone was too afraid of her to ever argue.

"Hey, can I get an extension on that paper that's due tomorrow?" Luffy asked, grinning hopefully. Miss Nico smiled pleasantly.

"No, you may not," she stated, giggling slightly at Luffy immediate pout. Mr. Franky laughed heartily and patted Luffy on the back.

"And don't forget you've got'a have that table project of yours finished by Friday," he chuckled.

"I finished that already!" Luffy exclaimed indignantly.

Mr. Franky snorted. "Hammering four sticks to a board is not a table, Luffy. You've got'a put some super effort into it."

Luffy crossed his arms and started to make another retort, insisting that he had already tested his table and it worked fine, to which Mr. Franky argued that placing it on his lap didn't count. Zoro listened with a relived sigh, greatly appreciating the effort that the two teachers were putting into distracting Luffy from his frightening experience. Luffy was already regaining their cheery glow as the ensuing argument with his teacher lit the spark of defiance in his eyes.

It was getting late when Miss Nico decided that it would be best for Luffy to go home. Mr. Franky assured Luffy that he wouldn't be letting the boy out of his sight until he was safe in his building. He also insisted that Luffy text him the all clear when he got into his apartment. Some would call it an inappropriate request, but considering it wasn't uncommon for assailants to lie in wait in people's homes, Mr. Franky's caution could be excused. Luffy thanked him with a grateful hug, once again reminding Zoro how young the teen was, before they finally made their way up the stairs to Luffy's apartment.

As they stepped into the empty apartment, Luffy took a moment to stand in the doorway and stare into the darkened rooms, his expression unreadable. Zoro was already listening for any sounds of intrusion before they proceeded any further, but he was startled by a heavy breath from Luffy that sounded almost like a sob.

"Z-Zoro…" Luffy whispered, his voice hoarse and choked in the silence of the empty rooms. "It's true… Isn't it? Whoever this Blackbeard guys is… he really wants to kill me, doesn't he?"

Zoro's ears flattened unhappily, having expected Luffy to breakdown eventually. To be honest, he was having difficulty keeping in his own distress. Luffy released another half sob, but he was managing to keep the tears back. Dropping to the floor next to the dog, Luffy threw his arms around Zoro's neck once again, pressing his face into Zoro's fur.

"Th-They were going to kill you too, Zoro," Luffy whimpered, his voice muffled by Zoro's fur. "I can't let them do that, I can't let them hurt you again."

Zoro felt his throat constrict. "Oi," he grunted, nudging Luffy's shoulder with his nose. "I'm the one who should be saying that, not you. I shouldn't have let them get the jump on us like that."

"Shut up," Luffy's words were stern, but lacked any bite, still muffled in Zoro's neck. "I don't want you to die, do you understand me, Zoro? I don't want anyone to have to leave me so that I can be safe. Promise me, Zoro. Promise me you'll never leave me."

"I…I can't," Zoro wanted to say, a low whine escaping his mouth, but another sob from Luffy made him bite his tongue.

"Promise me, Zoro!" Luffy ordered again, this time finally lifting his head to stare right into Zoro's eyes as he did so. Zoro's heart was pounding in his chest, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't bring himself to refuse Luffy request.

"I won't… I promise," Zoro huffed, turning his gaze away from Luffy's. He felt Luffy staring at him for several seconds, the traumatized teen's breathing still heavy with repressed tears. He seemed to believe Zoro's word, however, and finally got to his feet, looking tired.

"Good… remember, you promised." Luffy turned and stumbled to the couch, dragging his feet tiredly.

They were silent for the rest of the evening, keeping the TV on well into the night. Zoro guessed the idea of sleep after such a frightening ordeal was just as unappealing to Luffy as it was for him, maybe more. Zoro guessed it had been a shock for Luffy, the realization that the threat to his life was very real. Luffy had been so preoccupied worrying about Ace that he probably hadn't even taken a second to consider Marco's warning about his own safety. While Zoro would never suggest that Luffy's near death, nor his own ineptitude, were a good thing, perhaps this had been a good wake up call for Luffy.

They never did go to bed that night, instead Luffy pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and slept in the Living room. Zoro couldn't sleep at all, choosing to lie in the middle of the living room where he could keep his senses tuned in to every corner of the apartment. He was exhausted, but that was a small price to pay. His promise to Luffy to never die lingered in the back of his mind, weighing on his heart. He hated breaking promises, especially promises that he should, in a fair and just world, be able to keep. However, he also knew that he could never fail like he had today again. He would never let that Blackbeard bastard near Luffy, even if it killed him.

A/N

So, originally I didn't even have a chapter for Franky and Robin since as Luffy's teachers it was hard to incorporate them into his personal life the way the others were. When the idea came to have the CP9 characters attack Luffy and Zoro in the streets, however, I thought who better to bust them out of trouble than Franky and Robin? They are all the main characters in the Water 7 arc after all.

I actually had someone ask in the comments if Lucci and Kaku would be in the story the way they were in the original, Loyal, but I wanted to think up a role for them that suited their characters more. I'm not a fan of Yaoi and so you won't be seeing any of that in this story. In case some of you are wondering, Robin and Franky are not together either, (though you can see it that way if you wish), it's purely camaraderie.

I'm sorry some of the characters probably still seem a bit OOC. The CP9 characters would never mistake a target in the OP world, and Luffy wouldn't normally be so traumatized. Like I said it was a last minute chapter, plus, Luffy's character is already much more innocent and naive than he is in the OP world. Zoro might feel a bit... underwhelming too, but keep in mind he was trying to fight off five CP9 agents without his swords, so...

As a side note, I'm actually trained to be a teacher and pretty much everything Franky and Robin did with Luffy would totally get them fired in the real world. Traveling unaccompanied with a student, letting him into their home, exchanging phone numbers, and worst of all not going to the authorities after an attack on their student, are all highly inappropriate teacher/student behavior. I know this is a fictional city, but the teacher in me still wanted to make the story as realistic as possible so I tried to justify it somewhat.

The conversation between Luffy and Zoro at the end was something I'd been trying to find a spot for for quite a while too, it fit so perfectly here I just had to add it.

Anyway, thanks again for all the reviews, favorites, and follows, guys.