To Serve at his Command| War Part Two

Drying blood stained her palm.

Luffy spent little time in the room where Crocodile had struck her after he and Doflamingo left, vows of murdering Law upon their lips. Too much was happening too fast, and the throbbing pain of her new cut left her lightheaded. Staying around, however, would serve her no good—that much was obvious.

I need to find Ace, she thought to herself as she hurried down the hall, meeting the corner hesitantly. She peered around, eyes quickly taking in any potential danger and only finding nothing. And I need to find Law.

With neither of the mob lords in sight, she continued down her path, breathing pitched from a mixture of panic, fear, and adrenaline. If her encounter with Crocodile was any indicator of what was going to happen throughout this attack, Luffy couldn't help but fear the worse.

The sound of something crashing suddenly prompted her to stiffen up, hand reaching up to touch the wall by instinct. Her lips parted, eyes widening as she gave a quick once over, trying to find the source of the noise. When finding nothing, she figured it must have been from outside.

Once I find them, how are we going to escape?

Biting her lower lip, Luffy continued on, soon finding herself nearing a spiraled staircase, rusted and stained with the scent of smoke and blood. Did Ace go down here? Luffy glanced back, wondering if there were any floors above her. Is this the highest one…? If so, that could only mean she had one way to go—down.

Luffy quickly made her way down, hand gliding along the railing for support. Upon reaching the next floor, she paused and glanced at her two choices: either search said floor or continue descending the staircase. Inhaling deeply, she stepped off of the stairs and peered as best she could down the new hallway. "Ace?" she called out, weakly at first. When she heard no response, she tried again, this time only louder.

While she received no verbal response, there was a strange noise that followed her call. Arching her brows, Luffy cocked a glance back at the stairs. I don't know if that was Ace or not…What if he's in trouble and can't speak? With eyes widening slightly at the new thought, Luffy pulled away fully from the staircase.

"Ace?" she questioned as she made her way towards the source of the sound. When another noise was made, she found it to be within a closed nearby room. Quickly she opened it, lips forming a fat frown from what she found.

Absolutely nothing—not a soul to be seen. Exhaling lightly, she entered the room, making sure to take in every corner and empty space. "Ace?" she whispered harshly. Luffy was sure she heard the noise from that particular room. Upon drawing towards a closet, she wondered if he could possibly be hiding in there.

When she touched the handle to the closet, a loud creak came to life behind her. Tensing up, Luffy slowly turned back, hand falling to her side when she met a hard gaze. Silently, she observed him, taking in rough features and fresh wounds.

The stranger kept his stare on her, hard but also curious. He had a gun in his hand and a knife looped on his belt. Luffy had never seen him before and quickly pieced together that he was one of Teach's men.

He took a step her way, pausing when she backed up in response. "You ain't supposed to be out of that room," he commented, tone low, almost cautious. "If you're down here, I can only guess that somebody got up there to free you…"

Casting her gaze aside, Luffy quickly asserted the room once more, desperately searching for anything she could use as a weapon. Chairs, pencils, and odd trinkets littered the room, nothing proving any use.

"How 'bout you come with me back up there, huh?" the man questioned then, taking another step towards her.

As fast as she could, Luffy turned sharply towards one of the chairs, grabbing it and tossing it at him. It landed her a moments opening, but as she tried to squeeze her way past him, she found he was quick to recover from the weak attack.

His hand made contact with her arm, sending her hard against a nearby end table. She used the wall to steady herself, exhaling heavy when she glanced his way.

"That wasn't nice," he said, half-amused as he kicked the chair aside. Pausing, he pursed his lips before snickering. "Seems you got a little roughed up there on the cheek…" His free hand began to reach for his knife. "Perhaps I should make a matching cut there on the other one?" Pulling the weapon out, he began her way, leading Luffy to frantically search for anything to defend herself with.

In two seconds the man was falling forward, his wide eyed gaze leaving hers to cock back as he tumbled down. His gun skidded across the floor, towards her. A new figure emerged then, speeding past Luffy to continue the assault.

Moving away from the commotion, Luffy watched in stunned amazement as Daz subdued the man, pulling the knife away to use as his own. A string of sharp curses escaped the stranger as he tried to wrestle himself free, gasping out harshly when his own weapon was turned against him.

Blinking twice, she shook her head and pulled her concentration away from the fight, searching for the gun. Upon finding it, she scooped it up and pointed it at the two, finding herself a tad bit too late.

Daz offered the corpse a good kick in the skull, probably to check if the man still lived. When he lifted his gaze up to find hers, his lips twitched lightly, stare seemingly curious. "You should get out of here," he suggested.

Puzzled, Luffy slightly lowered the gun, curious if he had learned of what occurred between her and Crocodile moments prior. Crocodile might have not had the chance to tell him yet…

"There should be a car waiting outside," he continued, ignoring her strange gaze. "If you can, find somebody to drive you away…If not, then try to drive it away yourself." Turning, he glanced back down at the man. "I still have things to do."

He pushed past her with ease, offering one last silent gaze as he headed out.

Holding her breath, Luffy wasted no time in following suit. She watched as he hurried down towards the staircase, almost a blur. Turning, she headed down the opposite route, not entirely convinced to head to the lower floors just yet.

Ace can be anywhere, she thought as she checked the next room, finding nothing. I can't leave any area unchecked…The following two rooms proved just as useless and bare. Frowning, she met a corner, picking up her pace soon after. I need to hurry.

After a while, Luffy felt as if she were at a complete loss. The warehouse was bigger than she could have ever imagined and many different hallways had grown out from the main one she had originally traveled. Huffing, she found herself dawning upon a new staircase.

Approaching it, she pressed her fingertips to the railing, pondering if she should just head to the lower floor or continue searching. Glancing downwards, she followed the stairs with her gaze, finding that they seemingly met a hard concrete surface. That must be the ground floor…

Could Ace have already left the building?

As Luffy started to take a step onto the stairs, she paused, glancing back nervously. Pulling away, she back tracked quickly to spot one of the hallways she failed to check. I'll check these out real quick, and then head on down.

Upon opening the first door, Luffy's stomach sank. She found him on the ground, table toppled over his body.

"Ace?" Luffy questioned frantically, pushing the table with all her might off of him. He laid unconscious, face afflicted with minor cuts. Her hand touched his arm, prodding him gently, hoping desperately that he would respond. When he did nothing, Luffy called his name out again louder.

Her knee grew wet.

Throwing her gaze down, Luffy shifted, forcing her knee away from his side. Fresh blood stained her pants. Lips parted lightly, eyes widening.

"Ace?" she spat out, reaching out to touch the wound. His clothes were dampened with his blood, warm and sticky. He's been shot, Luffy figured as she turned her attention back to his face. His name escaped her, again and again and again, and even though her voice began to grow hoarse, she did not stop. "Wake up."

Fingers lifted and met hers, weak and fragile and barely noticeable. "Luffy." His voice was quiet, eyes fluttering open slowly. "Hush…my head hurts…"

Arching her brows, Luffy couldn't help but smile, a half-laugh escaping her as she cradle her brother's head. "You're alive," she informed him, relieved to see life in him.

"It…got my side," he managed to breath out. He tried to lift his head, eyes clamping shut as a hiss escaped him through gritted teeth. "…hurts…"

"It's okay," Luffy told him, offering him as much support as he needed. She managed to get him to lean up a little, his hand leaving hers to touch his wound. "You're going to be just fine."

"I…" Exhaling, he tried to laugh then. "I think I got the bastard who shot me…he limped off somewhere…My gun is…gone, though…"

"That doesn't matter right now, Ace," Luffy responded, matching his thin smile. "We need to get you out of here and to a doctor, alright? Can you stand…?"

Frowning, he tried to sit up even more, gasping out and falling into Luffy's arms. "It's in there," he told her, gaze glued on the side of his abdomen. "I can feel it…"

Allowing him to lie back down, Luffy casted her stare aside as she tried to formulate a plan. I might not be able to get him out of here alone…especially considering we have to go down a flight of stairs…

"Luffy," Ace muttered, drawing her attention back to him. "You need…need to go without me—I'll only slow you down…"

Shaking her head, she snapped back with a quick, "shut up." Taking Ace's arm, she tried to hold it behind her neck. "I need you to fight through the pain and stand up," she told him, quietly, but firmly. "We're getting out of here together."

The door opened, prompting both of the siblings to glance in its direction. Luffy's body grew tense, her muscles flexing when she felt her brother dig his nails into her shoulder.

"Not this bastard again," Ace hissed out, falling over to his side when he tried to sit up.

Crocodile eyed him for only a moment, expression blank. When he turned his attention to Luffy, his gaze widened slightly and his jaw clenched. Anger flashed across his face, lips falling into a thin frown.

While she did not look, Luffy shifted her leg only an inch or so to feel the gun beside her, concealed from Crocodile's vision.

"I shouldn't be surprised to find you here with him," the older male started, taking two more steps into the room. "Ran into Teach…he told me all about how you were feeding information back to him through your brother…"

Flexing his fist against the floor, Ace threw Crocodile a heavy glare. "Luffy did everything for me and because of me—if you have a problem with it, direct it at me."

Half-smirking, Crocodile nodded. "Oh, I will," he agreed, as if it had been obvious. "Your death will only be the first of punishments for her, slow and horrid, I assure you."

"Go away," Luffy spat out in frustration. When his gaze met hers, she casted her eyes away, heartbeat and breathing quickening.

Crocodile stared her down for a long moment and from the corner of Luffy's eye, she could see his hand tightening into a fist. "Was there ever a moment where you weren't stabbing me in the back?" he asked then, but still failing to earn her gaze. "Was this all some game to you?"

"No," she answered softly, arms tightening around Ace when he tried to move.

He took another step their way. "You manipulated me," he added sharply, anger laced in his tone. "This entire time…you, the person I thought would be incapable of doing such a thing…"

Lifting her gaze, she found his, searching it for only a second. "I did what I had to do to keep him safe," she admitted. "But…but I never wanted to hurt you…"

Crocodile shook his head. "You're an idiot and liar, weak and pathetic and…" He continued on and on, approaching them as his arm with the hook began to tense up. Catching such movements left Luffy no choice.

She took the gun in hand and shot him, silencing anything more he had to say.

His wild eyes fell and his lips parted to allow a heavy grunt to escape. His shoulder wept blood from the new hole in it, his free hand quickly covering it. He threw her a pained look mixed with surprise and astonishment. "You…" he started, words falling short as he glanced back at his shoulder.

"Go away," she ordered him, again, keeping the gun directly pointed his way.

His expression weakened slightly as he stared down the gun, brows lowering and lips forming a heavy frown. He met her stare for a second before turning and heading out, the sound of his footsteps growing softer the further he went.

Breathing out, Luffy slowly lowered the weapon before glancing down at Ace. Her brother gazed up at her, clearly surprised to what just happened.

"Luffy?" he started to ask.

Shaking her head, she moved and began to help him up. "We need to get you out of here," she said. "Now."


It had taken her awhile, but Luffy got her brother up on his feet. While as heavy as he was, she didn't mind him using her as support as they slowly made their way out of the warehouse. Descending the staircase, however, proved to be as difficult as she originally feared.

"Fuck," he whispered to himself every step down they took.

"I know it hurts, Ace," Luffy said gently, "but you're doing just fine. Come on…we got this…" She paused when he took ahold of the railing, breathing out strongly as his forehead grew covered in sweat.

"I don't think I can keep it up for much longer," he finally admitted before taking the next step down. Wincing, he shook his head. "No…I…"

Quickened footsteps up the staircase filled their ears then.

"Somebody is coming up," Ace quickly said, nodding over to the gun she had in hand. "Do you want me to take it…?"

"Just keep still," she objected, pulling the weapon out in plain sight. "I…I can do this." Holding her breath, she waited for the person to meet them on the staircase, gun tight in her grip. As her index finger went to pull the trigger, she was soon met with a pair of familiar eyes, raw and slightly reddened.

"Traffy?" she breathed out, eyes widening to match his own.

With his shirt covered in blood, Law took a step back from the gun, offering her a stunned glance. When she lowered the weapon, he arched a brow before glancing over to Ace.

"Luffy?" Ace questioned, looking to her, alarmed as to why she hadn't fired.

Law's lips parted, but he remained mute for a moment. "You're alive," he finally said, tone hard for her to pick up on any emotion. "And…"

"I need your help," she blurted out, motioning over to Ace. "My brother…he's hurt, and I can barely help him move."

Law eyed her sibling for a second before returning his attention to her. "They're too many people down there fighting—I don't think you'll be able to get out this way."

"Fuck," Ace groaned out loudly. "I'm not climbing back up these steps."

"There's no other way out?" Luffy questioned weakly.

Law turned slightly, gaze following the rest of the stairs. "Perhaps," he muttered, "but…"

Luffy made a small whine. "You can't help me?" she asked, drawing his attention back to her. "If you can help with is other arm, I think we can get out of here fast enough."

Frowning, Law pushed his stare over her shoulder, as if he had intentions of doing something else. "I need to find Doflamingo," he said then, voice bitter as his brows lowered. "He…"

Inhaling, Luffy blinked, remembering what the blonde had revealed. That's right…he murdered Corazon just now… "Law," she gently spoke, unsure of what to say to him. "I…"

"I need to find Doflamingo," Law restated as he took a step up to make his way past her and Ace. "…I need to find him."

"He's not up there," Luffy informed him before he had the chance to slip by her. "I checked almost all the rooms…"

Pausing, he pressed his hand to the railing once more, fingers tightly wrapped around the rusty metal. Exhaling heavily, he shook his head lightly. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I know I don't have any right to ask this of you after everything I've accused you of, but…" Glancing to Ace, she cringed when she found him leaning against the opposite railing, breathing pitched and eyelids barely lifted. "Please, can you help us?"

His eyes softened then, expression dissolving from his previous heated one. Silently, he gave a stiff nod, gaze lingering over to Ace. "What's wrong with him?" he questioned as he took Ace's other arm around his neck.

"He got shot," Luffy answered as she led the three down the stairs. "He said the bullet is stuck in his side."

Law frowned lightly at that, eyes falling to Ace's stomach. "We'll have to get that removed soon," he murmured, more to himself.

"There should be a car waiting out there," Luffy mentioned as they met the ground floor. "If we can sneak through to it, we might be able to get away without much trouble."

Nodding, Law motioned towards a nearby hallway. "We can't go through the main entrance—we'll definitely run into some trouble that way." Pausing, he examined their route for a moment. "I saw a back exit somewhere down this way…we can sneak along the fence lining to the cars that way."

"Okay," she agreed, allowing Law to take the lead.

It took them a handful of minutes to clear the hallway, occasionally running alongside groups of people fighting it out. Half, Luffy recognized—the other half either consisted of men that looked as if they were part of the authority or Teach's men. Luckily, none of them seemed to notice the three as they slinked down the hall.

As the back door came into view, Luffy found herself lightly smiling, happy to think that this was almost over. We'll escape and take care of Ace and never deal with these people again…

"Here," Law called out, nodding to the door before them. "This is it."

As he was reaching out to open it, Luffy couldn't help but look around, finding her eyes lingering to the open room to her left. Blinking, she quickly narrowed her stare.

"Luffy?" Law questioned once he got the door opened, seemingly oblivious to what she was looking at.

"Hold on," she muttered back. Arching a brow, she turned to the two and added, "I…please keep him standing, just for a second."

"Ugh…" Ace began, fluttering his eyes open when Luffy released his arm.

"Just a second," she reaffirmed before heading into the room. Running her tongue across her lower lip, she approached a figure propped up against the wall while sitting down. He had an exhausted look upon his face, as if utterly defeated. His hand lay flat on his stomach, reddened with blood. The golden hook lay across the room, broken and lodged into another man.

Kneeling down a foot away, she searched his face, taking in his scar and closed eyes. His chest barely rose, breathing raspy as it tried to escape him. It appeared as if death were upon him.

When he opened his eyes and met hers, a sad look struck him, brows lowering as he studied her expression.

"It wasn't all a lie," she began, not waiting for him to start. If this were to be his last moments, Luffy figured she should at least come clean for the first time in a long time. "Yes, I gave my brother information about you and the others…and I did go to Law when I thought you were done with me when marrying Robin, but…but all the others times—they were real, real for me at least." Pausing, she casted her gaze down to his abdominal wound. "Just before any of this happened, I…I wanted to stay with you…" Shaking her head, she began to arise, stopping when she felt his fingers on her jawline.

"Don't go," he said, voice weak. "I…I can forgive you, for everything, just…just don't leave me here."

Her brows furrowed, lips forming a small pout.

His finger brushed up against her cut, causing her to wince. "I'm sorry for striking you…I…"

Law's firm voice cut through. "We need to go, Luffy."

Ignoring him, Crocodile's eyes quickly searched hers, as if silently pleading. "I've grown fond of you," he admitted then, lips forming a tired smirk. "I…we can fix this…don't leave me to die."

Inhaling, Luffy pressed her hand to his to pull it off her cheek. "I can't," she said. When she began to arise, he reached out for her neck, fingers digging into the fabric of her necklace. He ripped it off with ease, hand falling back to his lap as she continued to stand.

Offering him one last long glance, Luffy mouthed a quiet goodbye before turning to aid Ace and Law out of the warehouse.


They found the car with minor difficulty. Just as Law had said, the fence lining the property served as good concealment for the three from the rest fighting. And luckily for them, the cars remained unattended.

"Over here," Law ordered as he led them to one of the vehicles. "Here, let's get him in the back."

"Careful," Ace muttered after a low groan when they worked him on to the back seats. Flopping over on his back, he brought his hand down over his wound.

Closing the door, Law motioned for Luffy to get in the front. "Can you drive?" he questioned as she hopped in, scooting over to the passenger's seat.

When she turned, she was met with a light frown. "No," she answered, confused as to why he would ask that. She assumed he would drive, but the look on his face left her uneasy.

Turning, he eyed the field before them, as if searching for somebody.

"You can't fight him," Luffy began, earning his attention quickly. "You're outnumbered and hurt…he'll kill you."

"He murdered Corazon," Law spat out, expression growing hard. "I can't allow him to live."

"I know," she agreed before reaching her hand across the driver's seat towards him. "But you can't do that now…you'll…you'll have your chance later, when you're prepared."

Law studied her hand. "You don't know that," he retorted softly, hand reaching up to grip the door.

"Please, Traffy…get inside."

Inhaling, Law brought his other hand into a fist before slamming it on the car once. "Shit," he forced out before taking her hand and getting inside. "Let's get the hell out of here."


To be continued…


Next time: Luffy and Law take Ace to get urgent medical treatment. Law opens up about Corazon's death and his how he intends to deal with Doflamingo. While seeking a safe haven, Luffy finds out some alarming truths about Shanks and her father.


***Only 2 chapters (really more like 1 ½ since the second is just a quick epilogue) left of part one


As always, thank you so much for reading!

VongolaDecima: Ah, it always makes me super flattered to hear when someone acts like you do when reading my story. I'm so happy you enjoyed the previous chapter, and thank you so very much for reading!

Sellen: Haha, you're so right. They're driven mad with rage & can't think straight. And I'm so happy to see you enjoyed it! Thank you so much!

OnePieceTreasure: Ahhh! First, welcome! I'm glad to see you got an account! And I'm so happy that you're happy I updated—honestly, thank you for even reading this story. I'll talk about my plans regarding part two in the epilogue, which if I follow my plans out, should be released in a few days, hopefully. Anyway, thank you so much for reading!

Milkachocolate: Ahhh! THANK YOU! Ahh, and I'm so glad that the last chapter was like a rollercoaster for you! Thank you so much for reading! You're too kind to me :"D

Nicorxbin: is that the type of language you're going to use when raising my first born? :O

The Eternal Empress: Can I just say how *honored* I am by you saying you talk about this story to your friend? That's like crazy flattering. I tried to make Crocodile imply he would take care of Luffy (kill her) after he killed Law, so she would be upset/miserable when she died. I know I set up a lot of confusing questions, and I swear, everything will be clarified in part two, haha. Dragon will make his first appearance next chapter, and yes, Sabo will have a big role in part two. Robin, Nami, Sanji, and Zoro will also come back for part two. And yeah, Corazon is dead : ( Anyway, I want to thank you so much for the amazing review and for reading!

ManOfManyTales: Ahhhh, I hope this chapter didn't damage your cheering for Crocodile and Luffy Dx I know it kind of looks like things are ended for them by this point, but who knows? Anyway, haha, thank you so much for reading!

Starlight: Everybody is flipping their shit by this point xD Thank you for reading!

RavenRunning: Ahh, thank you so much for the kind compliments! You're too nice to say these things to me :') Thank you so much for reading!