Just finished and halfway done editing a new story, suuuuper long! So close to 150,000 words. It's a different tone than my other ASL Whitebeards stories, but I hope some enjoy it. Anyways, new enemy in this chapter. Hope the ending makes people happy. Enjoy~
Luffy's eyes drooped as he flew. He was exhausted, and his stomach continued to rumble loudly, almost angrily. He flew for hours and hours in one direction, trying to at least pick up a scent. Something, anything. He was thirsty now, too. He couldn't drink the sea water, he knew that, but it didn't look like it was going to rain. He flew lower and lower, tiring rapidly.
Finally, he gave in and knew he needed sleep. Food could wait, water could wait. He can't do anything being too exhausted, so he formed a thick ball of ice around him, with a little hole in the top for air. Luffy fell asleep in the dark ball, sleeping during the day. He would have a sleep schedule that was very off track. But, he couldn't wait for it to get dark. He needed the sleep then and there. Trusting his ice not to break, no matter what came after it, he slept peacefully, and only woke up when he was ready to.
He shooed away all of the sea kings looking at the dissolving ball and flew off into the night, at least knowing which direction he came from. He didn't reach out for Ace, thinking he could still be asleep. Did Ace try and contact him while he was asleep? Luffy hoped not, but he felt he would have woken up if Ace had.
He flew all night, and away from the rising sun. Nothing. It was just a desert of the sea, stretching across endlessly in every direction.
Once the sun had risen a bit, the sky still pink, he finally caught the scent of something sweet, but not the smell of candy. More like flowers and plants. The meant land. An island. He flew faster, pushing his wings to the max, and finally an island appeared. He landed on a forested part of what looked like two islands that were connected by a bridge, which was in very bad shape.
Luffy crashed onto the sand, but didn't sleep. He got up and wobbled over to the giant flowers. All of the plants were huge, including mushrooms. He focused on the big rose and blossoms, and ate them hungrily. He scarfed down the massive rose, and multiple bell like blooms. He heard noises around him, but paid no attention as he scarfed down all of the food he could.
Sighing, Luffy walked to the nearest giant stalk and bit into it, sucking the liquid out of the stem as best as he could, since he wasn't near any fresh water. He looked down and to the side to see tiny people. The were the size of one of Luffy's palms. They had pointy noses, and looked at Luffy in shock. He and the tiny people stared at each other before Luffy got up and ran off down the coast and away from the little people.
He wasn't scared of them, but he didn't want to get into a confrontation. He just wanted to relax on solid ground, belly filled and feeling better than he had in a month. Luffy didn't get too far before one of the little people was in front of him. He skidden in the sand to a stop.
"Don't worry, we won't hurt you," the little person said. Luffy eyed his needle, but the person put it down to his side and raised his hands. "Promise." Luffy looked at him before nodding his head, instinct telling him that this little person wouldn't try to hurt or antagonize him.
"My name is Leo, a member of the Tontatta tribe," Leo introduced. Luffy couldn't tell his name back, so he just nodded. "Do you have a name?" Luffy nodded again.
"Lll-vy," Luffy attempted to say.
Leo guessed, "Ulvy?" Luffy shook his head, frustrated, again, that he couldn't even say his own name. "Ulffy?" Luffy just nodded his head. Good enough. His stomach rumbled again. He really had gone a long time without food. "Are you still hungry? Here, we have some fruits and vegetables you can eat."
For the first time in awhile, Luffy gave a real smile. He bowed his head in thanks and followed Leo, ignoring the other Totatta's staring at him in shock and wariness. Luffy wasn't going to hurt any of them, so they had no need to be worried. He kept his mouth closed to not show his sharp teeth.
He couldn't help but grin when he saw the massive field of watermelon and orchards of fruits. He hurried over and leaned down to dig in, before he realized that would be rude and turned to Leo, who nodded and told him he could eat as much as he wanted. Luffy didn't hesitate to do just that.
Ace, I found an island!
The older brother responded immediately. What island? Is it safe? Are you okay?
I don't know what island, but it's a small forested one off of a bigger one. There are little people here. The size of my hands and they are giving me food, Luffy explained as he chomped on juicy watermelons. He could hear the Tontattas talking amongst themselves. Probably not happy about a big scary beast eating all of their food, even if one of their own thought it was okay.
Can you find out the name?
I'll try. I was so hungry I thought I was gonna die! And I slept in an ice ball floating in the ocean, Luffy explained as he licked his lips and the juice off of his hands. He then turned to the little people. He patted his hand on the ground and cocked his head. It seemed to do the trick, which he was proud of.
"You're on Green bit. The island over there is called Dressrosa. You don't want to go over there," Leo answered. Luffy relayed this information to Ace. He didn't respond for a few minutes, before he came with a warning.
Whitebeard said that island is dangerous by who governs it. Be careful and don't go to see any humans. The one you should be most careful of has a pink feathered jacket, or robe. He has sunglasses. Doflamingo, a warlord. Luffy grew nervous, if he was being warned by someone as strong as Whitebeard.
"You should make sure not to go to the main island, Ulffy," a female Tontatta warned. "There are dangerous people there. You don't want to be seen from them. You're a dragon, aren't you?" she asked, getting a nod from Luffy.
"Definitely don't go to Dressrosa!" another Tontatta exclaimed. It was starting to worry Luffy, all of the warnings. He nodded again, the only thing he could do that would communicate anything to them.
"You can stay here as long as you want to get better so you can leave before something bad happens," Leo said. Luffy was touched by their kindness. He bowed his head in thanks. "We have a sheltered place you can sleep at, and some water." Luffy followed him as he was lead through the dense, large foliage.
They came across a little meadow in the shade, with a stream nearby. Luffy laid down on the soft grass and moss, the most comfortable place he'd been in the last month. He was right next to the stream, so was able to drink while still lying down. He was comfortable, but not enough to show his stomach, even if the Tontatta's had left him so he could rest and relax after flying nonstop for over a day. In hindsight, that really wasn't much. Well, he was going fast. If he was on a ship, it would have taken much, much longer to get from Teach's ship to this island.
It looked like Luffy wouldn't be reuniting with Ace on this island. His head hung and laid it down on the cool grass. He drifted off to sleep easily, the sounds around him making him happy. He never wanted to be in such silence ever again.
-x-
Ace paced back and forth in his and Luffy's room. He was worried about the island Luffy had landed on. Whitebeard and the commanders had looked very serious about it, though not as bad as it would be with Big Mom's territory. Who was this Donquixote Doflamingo? What kind of guy was he to make Whitebeard worried about Luffy being on his island?
He had asked, but the only thing that seemed to be worrisome is the fact the man was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. the brother's hadn't come across one of them, though they had done a spectacular job of staying out of the Marine's or powerful pirate's eyes on their journey, so why would they meet one?
Then, Ace was told all about the warlords. This guy governed a kingdom, that seemed to be peaceful, but Marco had been there once, and it wasn't as peaceful as everyone thought. He could just feel the misery that had been around him. And there was something up with all of the toys. Living toys. But, he'd gotten no definitive proof that Doflamingo abused the human citizens.
It was a mystery, really. But, Marco said that Luffy could stay hidden at the smaller island for a little bit while being safe.
Ace assumed Luffy had gone to sleep. Whenever he stopped responding, Ace had to assume he was sleeping for the sake of his sanity. Luffy would be fine. He was free now, and if there was a problem, Luffy could escape. Ace had no doubt of that… so why was he still freaking out so much about it?
Well, when Luffy was trapped with Teach, he was safe in the darkness. At least temporarily. No monsters would eat him. He wouldn't fall into the ocean from exhaustion and drown or be attacked by a sea king. But now, he was out and in so much more danger. Though he was free now, didn't mean he was safe. Those were two completely different things.
Ace walked into the galley, ready to eat, when he noticed none of the commanders were there. He had no new news to tell them about Luffy, as he had gone to sleep. So, he sat alone at the commanders' table and ate his food. It was weird eating alone. At least when the other commanders were there, he wasn't completely alone, and knowing that made him less lonely and upset about Luffy not eating there next to him.
The others on the crew were also wondering why the commanders were absent. Someone walked up to him, surprising him as most of the crew doesn't talk to him personally, and asked Ace if he knew where the commanders were.
"How am I supposed to know?" Ace asked after swallowing a chunk of sausage whole.
"Well, you hang out with them most. But never mind, I guess," the guy said, though not in an angry voice. Ace had never really thought about it being weird that he hung out and sat with the commanders. They were just people, too, right? Then he started to realize just how often he hung out with them, and the captain.
Was it only because he was different than the other humans? Well, they didn't know that he wasn't human, but he was definitely different. There was also the factor of having Luffy as a brother. It made him frown, but he finished his meal and brought the dinnerware to the counter in the kitchen that dirty dishes ended up.
Ace left the room, heading out on deck, seeing Whitebeard wasn't at his chair either, which was strange. Curiosity got the better of him, and he began to walk around, wondering where they all were. It was a couple hours after Marco's warning that Ace had gone into his and Luffy's room.
He walked around the ship, not being nosey and looking into rooms, but he heard multiple voices coming from the infirmary, which had the door open. He peeked inside to see Thatch was awake! He looked very confused and still sickly, but he had finally woken up! He looked to behind everyone and saw Ace in the doorway.
"Ace!" he shouted. "Where's Luffy? Bet he missed my cooking, huh?" Thatch asked jovially. Ace shared a look with the commanders. They clearly hadn't told him yet.
"Yeah, I'm sure he has missed your food," Ace said truthfully, but also sounding awkward. "Everyone is wondering where you guys are."
"We'll come out and tell everyone in a little while. Thatch, we have some serious stuff we need to talk to you about," Marco said. "Come in, Ace. This involves you, too." Ace hesitated to walk in.
"Am I allowed in? Is Tami still pissed at me?" Ace asked. Said nurse entered the room, hearing her name.
"Yes, you're allowed in. I'm not angry at you anymore, since you actually were fine," she said, and then went back to the offices. Ace nodded and walked in, up to the bed. Thatch looked worried, and confused.
"What happened?" he asked slowly. Something bad obviously.
"You remember who stabbed you, right?" Jozu questioned. Thatch nodded and scowled. "Well, Teach attempted to frame Ace. He drugged both Ace and Luffy, and put the murder weapon on Ace. And he took Luffy, who has been a prisoner for the past month. But, Luffy is freed and killed Teach and his 'friends'. Now, Luffy is trying to get back to us. Ace can talk with him even from a long distance," Jozu explained.
Thatch's face went pale. "No one believed that Ace killed me, right?" he asked seriously. They shook their heads. "He killed me for the fruit, right? Does that have something to do with how Luffy was kidnapped?"
"Yeah. Luffy got trapped in what could be considered as another dimension. It was a very powerful devil fruit, but like all devil fruits, it couldn't fight against the sea. Luffy is at Dressrosa right now," Izo said. Thatch looked down guiltily.
"If I hadn't brought back that fruit-" he started.
"No, son, this is not your fault. You're not dead, and Teach is gone. Getting that fruit just exposed who he really was. It's unfortunate that Luffy was taken, but we'll get him back," Whitebeard said strongly. Ace looked at the ground sadly, not wanting to think about it anymore. But, now he could tell Luffy, which would be good for him.
Thatch sighed. "Man, Teach made us all look bad. Ace, we wouldn't ever want to hurt you or Luffy, prom-"
"I know. Everyone else made it clear," Ace said before Thatch could continue defending what was in the past. "Luffy is going to be very happy that you're awake. When he gets back, you gotta make him all of his favorites. He's starving. And, in the New World, it's much more difficult to catch fish by going underwater." The others nodded.
"The New World is indeed harsh," Whitebeard replied sagely.
-x-
"Ulffy!" a Tontatta woke him up with a start. Luffy got to his feet and looked around in panic. "You have to get away! Doflamingo saw you come. Fly away!" she warned. Luffy immediately ran through the thick foliage and to the open area, planning on flying away as fast as possible. But then, he saw something was wrong with the air. Shiny strings, or lines, reflected light. It was surrounding the island.
He smelled a strong scent of some sort of perfume, and looked to the side to see the pink-feathered, jacket wearing man with sunglasses. He was very tall, but nowhere near as tall as Whitebeard. He had a sick grin on.
"Well, this is a surprise," Doflamingo said. Luffy backed away and then sprinted at the strings, which he could see had formed a cage around the small island. Luffy gnawed at them with his teeth, not wanting to show his powers to a bad guy. But, his teeth didn't do anything. So, he froze the strings and shattered them, making it out of the cage, but he then was frozen. Not by ice, but he couldn't move.
Then, he felt and saw the strings were wrapped around him. His wings were flattened on him, so he couldn't get up and fly away. He covered himself in ice, freezing the strings and shattering them, but more then wrapped around him. He roared, and dragged himself along the ground to get out of the cage.
He turned onto his back and froze the legs of the man to the ground. He couldn't walk anywhere. And this made him angry. He was physically stronger than Teach had been, and was able to drag Luffy across the ground a little before he stabbed ice into the dirt and latched onto it with his hands, not being dragged anymore.
He whipped his tail around, trying to loosen the strings. But it didn't work, and he got no further. He snarled, but let himself be dragged back. When he was right in front of Doflamingo, who was glaring at him, he covered himself in the armor-ice, and roared at Doflamingo in a loud, furious, and threatening way.
He flipped onto his back and slapped his tail against the man, slamming into his gut and making him grunt a little, but of course stay in the same place, as the ice wouldn't break no matter how hard he tried, or if he was dragged away.
Luffy coated Doflamingo's arms with thick ice. Then, Luffy was rendered unconscious when a burst of strong haki rushed away from his captor. Though, now the man had no way out of the ice. All he had now was an unconscious dragon who couldn't do anything to help him out of the ice.
But, it didn't take long for Luffy to wake up, opening his eyes to see that he was covered in some sort of slimy gel, and unable to move. He saw multiple people trying to get Doflamingo out of the ice. They were having no luck. Luffy closed his eyes, making it seem he was still unconscious. When he heard the warlord curse, furious with being rendered practically powerless while trapped to the ground and with his arms shackled together, Luffy froze the goo around him, turning it into ice and shattering it. The strings weren't connected to Doflamingo's fingers anymore, as he was busy trying to get free.
Luffy shattered the strings as well and destroyed a wall of the cage and flew out and away. But, it seemed like they all knew something like that would happen as there was a woman on top of a… flying human? With big teeth and a mark on them? Tattooed teeth? The young woman shot a cannon at him, but he easily evaded it.
He flew right at them and grabbed the flying man's arm and spun him around rapidly, releasing him so he slammed right into the outside of the cage and fell into the water. Luffy froze the surface of the water so the man who could be problematic so he couldn't come back up.
He wasn't going easy on these humans. He would not be caught and trapped again. Never again. Luffy flew high enough that he was out of range of anyone, and flew around the cage, freezing the strings with the unbreakable ice instead of regular ice. He created a real cage. They wouldn't be getting out anytime soon.
He made sure to leave a tiny hole at the bottom open so the Tontatta's could escape if necessary. He roared one more time at the forever-trapped man and flew off at light speed, hearing enraged shouts from below and behind.
Tears were in Luffy's eyes as he fled the islands, flying off in a random direction. Were all humans like this? Well, not all, but were so many humans just rotten people? Had he only been lucky in meeting good ones so far? He didn't even know this man and his friends, or whoever those trying to get him out of the ice and keep Luffy around. Sure, Teach had not known him well, but had been acquainted with him in some way.
Now, he really wished he was a human, or at least resembled one like Ace did. Luffy flew away from the island as fast as he could, it soon being a speck on the horizon. Luffy cried uncontrollably as he flew. He wanted to go home. He missed his home island. Where no one bothered them after Sabo's death.
Now, he was scared to see any other humans. Would they be greedy and try to take Luffy for themselves? Ace?
Luffy waited for a response, and sighed out when Ace replied, Hey, Luffy. How are you?
Bad guys trapped me! I was stuck, but I froze him together and made a cage so they can't get out, he cried.
What? What happened? Ace asked in a hurry.
The little people helped me, and then I woke up and doflamingo knew I was there. He tried trapping me in a really big cage. Then, he did something that made me fall asleep. I was so helpless and trapped, but I got away. He's gonna be stuck in that ice for a long time. Maybe forever, Luffy explained. It was really scary! Are all humans like this? I didn't even know them!
Not all humans are like that. Think of Shanks, and the Whitebeards. And Sabo. Never forget Sabo was the first human you knew, and he was a good guy. Some humans are bad, and some are good, Ace said gently. And a really good human just woke up. Thatch is awake and moving around. When you get home, he promises he'll make you the feast of a king.
Luffy smiled. At least something was good. That's great! Tell him that I miss his cooking.
Will do. Do you have any idea which direction you're flying in? Ace asked. Of course, Luffy's answer was no. He had no idea. Where is the position of the sun?
Behind me.
Marco told me you can tell directions from the placing of the sun, once it sets or rises, Ace replied. The sun was setting very low now. It was crazy that he'd only been on that island a couple hours before he immediately had to leave. He just wanted to stay someplace comfortable. He would have to sleep in the ice ball again. He drifted off a lot last night most likely.
Ace came back when Luffy was forming a ball of the thick ice. He landed on the top of it, took one more look around at the empty horizons, and crawled inside, sealing the top except for a tiny hole.
Luffy, Whitebeard said you need to be even more careful. Doflamingo is a powerful person. He had pull with the higher government, but now that they are gone, the Marines might not be after you. But, he has allies, and is allied with another emperor. You have to be very careful and mindful of who is around you, now.
There was nothing else I could do! Luffy shouted. It was sounding like he did something wrong. He saved his own life and freedom, he did nothing wrong! He didn't kill Doflamingo, and they could easily get that weird flying guy out of the water from the other side of the ice.
No one is saying you should have done otherwise. Just a warning, Ace said in an even, calming voice.
I'm going to sleep, Luffy replied sharply. I'm in an ice ball, don't worry.
O-Okay. Tell me when you wake up, please, Ace said, sounding a bit sad.