I lie here paralytic
Inside this soul
Screaming for you till my throat is numb
I wanna break out
I need a way out
I don't believe that it's gotta be this way
The worst is the waiting
In this womb I'm suffocating
*Feel your presence filling up my lungs with oxygen
I take you in
I've died
Rebirthing now
I wanna live for love wanna live for you and me
(Breathe for the first time now
I come alive somehow)
Rebirthing now
I Wanna live my life wanna give you everything
(Breathe for the first time now
I come alive somehow) *
Right now
Right now
I lie here lifeless
In this cocoon
Shedding my skin cause
I'm ready to
I wanna break out
I found a way out
I don't believe that it's gotta be this way
The worst is the waiting
In this womb I'm suffocating
**
((Bridge))
Tell me when I'm gonna live again
Tell me when I'm gonna breathe you in
Tell me when I'm gonna feel inside
Tell me when I'm gonna feel alive
Tell me when I'm gonna live again
Tell me when this fear will end
Tell me when I'm gonna feel inside
Tell me when I'll feel alive
... - Skillet
Chapter 36: Weapon II
I don't know what happened after that, but the next day came and the scientists took Ace away. I was all alone in the room. My eyes felt raw from crying about what I've done to Baka.
"Luffy!"
I looked to see Zoro. "Zoro!" I was happy to see him, but at the same time I didn't want him near me. "What are you doing here?" I whispered.
"Getting you and Ace out."
"Nani?"
"I've just talked to a guy visiting illegally from the surface. He says he'll take you and Ace in."
"Who?"
"Red Shanks."
"Red Shanks?"
"Yeah. Where's your brother?"
"They took him to another room."
"Why?"
I heard footsteps coming towards the door. "You have to stay far away from me, Zoro."
"Nani?"
"If they tell me to kill you, then I have no choice but to do it."
"What are you talking about?"
"Please Zoro, I don't ever want to hurt you. Please go! You're better off without me!"
"I'm not leaving you."
"Please Zoro… I killed Baka without trying to stop myself. I don't have control over what I do once they tell me what to do."
The steps were getting louder as voices were added.
"Go! Go!" I whispered as I pushed him a little and he left. "Gomen…" I said quietly as the doors opened and I was faced with the scientists and a man in black.
"Luffy… This is our guest, Rob Lucci."
"Rob Lucci?" I looked up at a tall man with wavy black hair that settled a bit pass his shoulders, a bit of a beard, and his eyes were dark, almost cold.
Lucci chuckled as he went up to me and went down on one knee. "This kid?" He said.
"He's a child now, but he's very effective because of that."
Effective? For what?
"Doesn't look like an assassin."
'Assassin?' I thought as I voiced it out. "What's that?"
"Assassin?"
I nodded.
He chuckled. "He definitely wins points on being cute."
"Shall we demonstrate?"
"Amuse me." He said as he got up and stood back.
"Luffy, if you may, sit."
I sat down.
"If you may, stand."
I stood back up.
"If you may, jump on one foot."
I jumped on one foot.
"If you may, stop and spin in place."
I did just that.
"If you may, stop and do a hand stand."
I did that as well.
"Mind if I give it a try?" Lucci said. "If you may, get back on your feet and tell me your full name.
I did that and took a breath. "I was told that my full name is Monkey D. Luffy."
He looked shocked to hear that as he looked at the scientists. "Care to explain?"
"We will, but you have to see how well he takes orders. Luffy, if you may, follow us and don't make a sound."
I did that and wonder what they're going to do now.
Then another scientist came up and whispered something to the other scientist. "Bring him in, we can use him." The scientist ran out of the room before I followed them into a room. "Luffy, if you may, stand in the middle."
I did as I saw the scientists whisper something in Lucci's ear as his eyes never left me.
"Bring him!" The scientist said as the doors opened to see two other scientists have a hold of Zoro!
"Let go of me you assholes!"
Lucci came up and handed me a knife. "Luffy… If you may-"
"Luffy! Don't list-" Zoro tried to say as the scientist put a hand over his mouth.
"Monkey D. Luffy…"
I looked up at Lucci.
"If you may, kill your friend."
"B-But Lucci…"
"If you may, kill your friend!"
I recognized my body reacting on its own as I looked at Zoro, who stopped struggling and didn't fight as I walked closer to him. I could hear my heart pounding as I was breathing hard as my muscles ached from trying to resist. I remembered all the great times we've spent together and everything that he has done for me.
When I got close to him and my arm lifted up with the knife. I was repeating the word 'no' in my mind as I stared into the green eyes of my friend.
"NO!" I shouted as , instead of stabbing him, I stabbed myself under my left eye.
***
I don't know what happened after that, all I knew was that I was being carried off before hearing my brother.
"Roger's Cove!" Zoro said as we stopped and went down.
"Zoro…" I said as I felt a cloth on my face, probably wiping the blood off.
"We're going down to Roger's Cove. You'll meet Shanks there and you'll be free from this place."
"Zoro coming?" I managed to open my eyes to see that he looked down to the ground. "Zoro?"
"I'm not…"
"Why?"
"Someone has to distract those assholes from following you."
"No! Zoro has to come with us. You can't stay here!"
Ace placed a bandage where I stabbed myself.
"We're friends…" I was choking up. "Friends forever…"
"We are, that's why I'm doing this." He looked at me with a smile. "I want my friend happy. If it means that you go and I stay, then I'll do just that."
The elevator stopped and the door opened.
"Come on!" He said as Ace carried me, which was handed to a man with bright red hair.
We went through this cave place then into another elevator.
"Zoro! Zoro!" I cried as I was set down to see him, which I ran to hug him. "Come with us, please Zoro…"
"Luffy…"
I looked at him and kissed him quickly on the lips. "I love you Zoro! Don't stay here!"
"Luffy…" He said as he hugged me tightly. "I'll only do this once… If you may, forget this place, me, and everything you've seen or heard. If you may, never come back to this place and be happy with your new life. Now sleep, if you may."
I closed my eyes only to awaken to a white room.
"Hey there boys."
I looked to see the man called Shanks.
"Do you remember anything?"
***
I closed my eyes only to reopen to see bright lights. I groaned as I slowly sat up. I looked around to see that I was in some clinic room with the old lady doctor.
"You're finally awake."
"Where am I?"
"You're in my warehouse in Depths Plaza. It's actually a pretty large city."
"How did I get here?"
"The oaf with the green hair carried you. You made quite a stir with everyone here."
"Lucci… he's got the city…"
"I know…"
"It's my fault…"
"Not entirely. Your mind is quite a puzzle, but I managed to get a bit of the control out of your mind. But he can still do something."
"Like what?"
"I don't know brat. I know where you can find the cure to be entirely free from the control."
"That's good."
"It may sound good, but you're not entirely out of the woods."
"I know."
"Are you up to any visits?"
I looked at my clothes, which were not mine.
"The chick named Nami wanted to fix up your clothes."
"I would like to see Swordsman…"
"Okay… Will you like privacy?"
I nodded and waited a couple of minutes before I saw the man I've had a liking to.
"Yeah Luffy?"
"Zoro…"
He stared at me before he came up and sat at the edge of the cot. "You remembered then?"
"You did too?"
"About an hour ago."
"What happened… after I left?"
"Lucci put a hit on me after you left. And for years he couldn't catch me. That's when the crazy scientists gathered everyone up when Lucci 'disappeared' and Dragon stepped down. The main reason was to find me, get any information, probably use me to bait you, and still get what he wants."
"So Ace knew?"
"Yeah…"
"He was always better at lying than I was."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're not a killing machine. Once the cure is found, you're back to being a normal guy with his own mind."
"I said 'I love you' when I was a kid."
"I know."
"I meant it, you know…" I looked up at him. "For the last fifteen years since I left here, my feelings were harbored but never changed."
"Are you admitting or asking if I felt the same?"
"Both."
This time I wonder what it feels like
To find the one in this life
The one we all dream of
But dreams just aren't enough
So I'll be waiting for the real thing.
I'll know it by the feeling.
The moment when we're meeting
Will play out like a scene straight off the silver screen
So I'll be holding my breath
Right up to the end
Until that moment when
I find the one that I spend forever with
*Cause nobody wants to be the last one there.
Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares.
Someone to love with my life in their hands.
There's gotta be somebody for me like that.
Cause nobody wants to go it on their own
And everyone wants to know they're not alone.
Somebody else that feels the same somewhere.
There's gotta be somebody for me out there.*
Tonight out on the street out in the moonlight
And damn it this feels too right
It's just like Déjà Vu
Me standing here with you
So I'll be hold in my breath
Could this be the end?
Is it that moment when
I find the one that I spend forever with?
**
Ooooooh,
You can't give up!
Lookin' for that diamond in the rough
Because you never know when it shows up
Make sure you're holdin' on
Cause it could be the one,
the one you're waiting on
Cause nobody wants to be the last one there.
Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares.
Someone to love with my life in their hands.
There has gotta be somebody for me
Ohhhhhh.
Nobody wants to go it on their own
And everyone wants to know they're not alone.
Is there somebody else that feels the same somewhere?
There's gotta be somebody for me out there.
Nobody wants to be the last one there
And everyone wants to feel like someone cares.
Is there somebody else that feels the same somewhere?
There has gotta be somebody for me out there - Nickelback
And that's it for part 2! I hope this answers anything about Luffy's past, Zoro's involvement, and why the place was so messed up in the first place.
Luffy: You left it like that?! I wanna know what happens!
Chill Luf… Next chapter will be a bit of Zoro's POV, explaining his side of things as well as continue where this left off. Until then, see ya soon!
Luffy: You still got homework?
I got to get some things printed and a computer assignment to fix… Or do the damn thing all over again! I make one lousy mistake and I feel like I'm screwed!
Luffy: But you're a virgin.
(hand to face) That's not what I meant…