Author's Note: Hey everyone! This chapter took a while to finish, but I'm pleased with how it came together :) ENJOY!

To RIAEVANS: You're welcome! Here's the update for ya ;)

To Guest: You're very welcome!

WARNINGS:

- Bonding fluff

- The vampires are being very cautious with Lu...

- Jealous Ace

Thank ya'll so much for your continued interest and support! This remains one of my favorite AU's to write and reviews are always welcome. See ya'll next time!

Luffy sat on his bed with his cheek resting against his knee, gazing out the window. The weather in the citadel was particularly beautiful today and the pink blossoms on some of trees were blown throughout the courtyard, riding the gentle breeze.

Two days had gone by since Sabo came to visit him, and there had been no change in his routine. However, from what he'd observed in the courtyard, the vampires appeared busier than normal…like they were prepping for something.

Armed guards were everywhere, and the grass had been trimmed just the day before.

He was tempted to ask Torao or one of the other 'keepers' (as he'd learned they were called) but didn't want to draw too much attention to himself and risk making them suspicious.

Not that he'd try anything…escape was pretty much impossible for the time being. He hoped that by being obedient, they'd eventually let him out of the tower (which would make it easier for possible rescuers to reach him). Sabo had seemed optimistic that he'd be returned to the stables, but Torao hadn't said anything about it.

'If I stay locked up in here,' He mused with a huff, shifting his weight on the mattress, 'There's no way Zoro and the others will make it past the guards.' Just as he thought that, the lock to the door jangled, making him sit up and turn his attention away from the window.

They'd already taken away his lunch dishes…so who was it?

The barred door swung open, revealing a familiar vampire who flashed him a soft smile.

"Doma?" He asked, swinging his legs off the mattress so they were facing each other. The vampire's monkey friend chittered on his shoulder; tail wrapped around the other's neck. Luffy hadn't seen the dark-haired vampire since his retrieval.

"Hey…how are you doing, kid?"

"I'm okay…" He replied, leaning to his left to peer out the still open door. Normally, his visitors would close it right away. "Erm…you left the door open." The vampire chuckled.

"Yeah, I know." Doma lifted something in his hand for Luffy to see. "That's because Law finally decided to clear you to go outside on walks again, and I get the honor of being your first chaperone."

Luffy's eyes lit up. They were at long last going to let him venture out of his gilded cage! And with the weather so nice, it was bound to be-

His excitement died when his gaze focused on what was held in Doma's fist. It was a slim, black band, reminiscent of what Zoro had been forced to wear. The vampire followed his eyes and huffed, holding the thing out in front of him so Luffy could see it better.

"Unfortunately, due to what happened, you'll have to wear this anytime you leave this room."

"W-What is it?" Luffy questioned, vividly recalling his friend being electrocuted by the silver collar.

"Basically, it'll give us more…control, should something happen." Doma explained, walking up to him, "Don't worry, it won't hurt you or anything, but it can dispense a sedative that will knock you out in about five seconds."

So, essentially, if Luffy tried to escape or did anything remotely suspicious, the vampires could press a button and put him to sleep. In addition to the shackles he already wore, the vampires really weren't messing around. He swallowed, not wanting the thing near him.

"Can I refuse?" Doma shrugged.

"I suppose so, but that means you'll be stuck in here and not allowed to go out. It's your choice." Luffy bit the inside of his cheek, considering his options. He desperately wanted to get out of the stuffy room, roll around in the grass, and feel the sun again.

But that meant giving up even more freedom than he already had.

Doma sat next to him, staying silent and giving him time to think. The monkey made a quiet noise and pulled at Luffy's hair, making him turn and pet its head. Even just this simple interaction made his heart swell with happiness.

Jaw set, Luffy made his decision.

"Okay."

He didn't move as Doma reached around his neck and secured the band. It was cool against his flushed skin and surprisingly comfortable, though he jumped when Doma pressed something that made a beeping sound.

"…that should do it." The vampire muttered. The band was similar to the manacles around his ankles, leaving almost no room for air between the metal and his skin. He reached up and ran his fingers over the smooth texture until Doma removed them. "I don't recommend messing with it too much. If you try to remove it forcefully, it'll put you out and send us an emergency signal, understand?"

Luffy nodded, hand shaking a bit. And he'd thought the vampires had control over him before. He supposed it was natural for them to be cautious considering they now knew the secret of his blood. To them, he was a valuable resource they didn't want to lose.

Doma placed a hand under his left arm and helped him stand up, motioning towards the still open door. Luffy wrapped his remaining limb around his stomach and obediently followed the vampire out, eyeing the two stationed guards warily. They held what looked like metal prods in their arms and he deduced they were those 'electric rods' he'd heard about.

"Thanks for all your hard work." Doma praised, making the two guards nod to him, "I'll bring him back when we're through."

With that, Luffy trotted after the vampire, taking in his surroundings as quickly as he could. There wasn't much activity around his room, and the walls were made of gray stone that curved around them as they descended a surprisingly wide staircase. The closer they got to the ground level, the more he could hear voices and the sound of work being done.

Luffy instinctively stuck close to Doma, nervous about being around so many people again after so long. The vampire thankfully didn't push him away and simply placed a firm guiding hand on his upper back.

When they emerged onto the bottom floor, Luffy immediately felt like everyone was staring at him. They were in what he recognized as the gathering hall of the main building and there were quite a few vampires around.

"Come on," Doma whispered, guiding him forward and out of his stock-still position, "let's go outside." Luffy nodded, trying to ignore the muttered conversations and subtle finger pointing occurring around him. He wasn't certain if it was malicious or just curious, but he didn't want to find out.

Moving down the steps onto the grass in the courtyard made Luffy forget all of his anxiety for a few seconds. He tentatively placing one bare toe onto the soft, green foliage, and couldn't hold back a smile. It was just as amazing as he remembered. Taking a deep breathe he trotted forward (doing his best not to trip over his shackles), in awe of the beauty around him.

There really was no compare to the desolate wastes outside. If it meant getting to experience this, he was willing to deal with a collar.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Doma said with a smirk, always staying within a few feet of him, "We've been working hard to make it extra pretty so our…visitors will hopefully be impressed." Luffy stopped at that.

"Who's coming?" He asked before immediately slapping himself inwardly. If he started asking questions…

"Just some other vampires from the area." Doma replied, ruffling his hair, "Don't worry about it." Luffy figured that if they wanted him to know details, they would tell him. But for now, that was all the information he would get.

The vampire then led him across the yard to a familiar creek, the very same one he'd met Stefan the dog at so many weeks before. Luffy wasted no time lowering himself down onto the grass so he could enjoy the relaxing sound of running water. Doma didn't join him and reached down to pick up a smooth rock instead.

"Hey, kid, check this out!" He exclaimed before throwing the stone into the creek where it…jumped? Luffy leaned forward, eyes big as he watched it jump one more time before finally falling into the water.

"Woah…how'd you do that!?"

Doma closed one eye and laughed.

"It's called 'stone skipping'. Pretty cool, huh? The idea is to see how many times you can get it to skip before it falls in." The vampire picked up another one, examined it for a moment, and then threw it again, making it jump across the surface of the creek. "The smoother the rock, the more skips you'll get."

Luffy grinned and shuffled in place, amazed at how he could make the rock defy gravity.

"Do it again!"

Doma obliged, sending one, two, and then three stones skipping in succession. It was one of the most amazing things Luffy had ever seen! While the vampire showed off, his monkey friend climbed down his body and began to nudge against his knee.

He was distracted from Doma's skills when the front gate rumbled open with a low groan. Luffy found himself leaning slightly to catch a glimpse of the outside, of the wastes…of freedom, but quickly looked down, not wanting to give himself false hope (or suffer the reminder that, no matter how nice the citadel was, it was still a prison).

A few trucks passed through and then the gate shut, effectively shutting out the dry, hot air he'd felt blow against his face. Turning back to Doma, he tried to refocus, petting the little monkey monotonously.

"Luffy?" A voice said, making him jump and Doma straighten up. A familiar form approached slowly, holding a bucket and a rag.

"…Ace." He greeted, honestly a little confused at how cautiously the vampire was approaching him. Normally, he was very touchy and in his face. His brother smiled warmly and walked a little bit closer, bringing with him an unfortunate smell. Luffy scrunched up his nose while Doma made a show of pinching his.

"Good grief, Ace, you reek!"

"Yeah, that's what happens when you clean the tanks out." Ace replied with a shrug, "I think I'm used to it by now." He placed his materials on the ground and examined the stone in Doma's hand. The older vampire smirked and tossed it to him.

"You want to show us what you've got? Smelly or not, might be fun."

Ace returned Doma's smirk and took his position next to the water, winding up. Luffy leaned forward in anticipation, eager to see more stone magic. His brother threw the rock and it jumped, five times!

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed, holding the monkey tight in excitement, "That was more than Doma!"

"Damn straight." Ace said while picking up another rock, "There's an art to it, Lu…just takes practice." He nodded and quickly requested the vampire show him more. Ace smiled and threw another, sending it flying across the water at high speeds.

"Heh, you really are good at that." Doma admitted, shifting his weight, and crossing his arms. Ace punched him in the arm playfully.

"Don't feel bad, Doma, not everyone has the gift." The vampire then shuffled for a moment like he was considering something. Luffy tensed instinctively when Ace turned to him, scratching his head like he was unsure. "W-Would you like me to teach you, Lu? To skip stones, I mean."

Luffy swallowed, not sure how to respond. Was it okay? He glanced at the water, recalling how the rocks bounced and jumped. It did look like a lot of fun…

"W-Will you?" Ace's lips curled into a blinding grin.

"Of course! C'mere, Lu, the first step is to make sure you're in the right stance."

Luffy carefully pushed the monkey off him and stood to his feet, moving to stand next to Ace. The vampire didn't touch him and verbally instructed him how to place his feet. When he was a little off, Ace demonstrated so he could copy him.

"Like this?" He asked, winding up with a stone in his left hand. Ace nodded.

"Yeah, just like that. Give it a go, Lu!"

He was a little nervous he'd mess up, but gave it his all, nonetheless. With a flick of his wrist, Luffy sent the small rock flying across the creek, where it bounced once before falling through the water's surface.

"I did it!" He cheered, jumping up and down. Ace grinned and Doma laughed.

"You're a natural, kid."

"Seriously, that was great!" Ace continued, patting him on the back before recoiling, like he'd done something wrong. Luffy tilted his head in confusion. The vampire was acting kind of strange. "Wanna try again?"

Deciding it wasn't that important, Luffy focused on the task at hand: getting more than one bounce.

Ace was having a hard time controlling his excitement. For the first time in a while, he'd coaxed a real smile out of Luffy, and the kid wasn't shying away from him. Currently, his little brother was winding up to try again, tongue sticking out of his mouth a little as he concentrated.

'Thatch's steps are working!' He thought, making sure to encourage Luffy every chance he got, 'We're actually bonding!' On top of that, the boy's wounds looked to be healing well.

He glanced down to the dark collar around Luffy's neck, eyes softening in sympathy. Law had informed everyone that signed up to chaperone the kid that as part of their security protocol, he was not to leave his room without it on. Ace understood why it was necessary but didn't like that they kept adding to his shackles, metaphorically and physically.

How was he supposed to earn Luffy's trust when they kept shoving him back into the darkness of captivity? If there was one thing he'd learned about his little brother, it was that freedom was incredibly important to him and as long as they kept him locked up in the citadel, Ace would never get to see his true personality shine.

He'd caught glimpses of it, like when he'd discovered pancakes or even when they'd first met, and he'd forced him out of the tiny crevice. Luffy was strong willed, goofy, a fighter, and so much more.

Hopefully…someday, he would get to witness it in all its glory. That would be the day he could truly call himself Luffy's family.

"Ace, did you see?" The kid chirped, bringing him out of his thoughts, "I got it to jump twice this time!"

"I did! Before you know it, you'll be throwing better than both of us." Luffy smiled sheepishly, obviously pleased with the praise. It wasn't as big or as bright as Ace knew he could grin, but it was still genuine and that made happiness course through his veins.

"That really was impressive." A new voice put in, making Ace grimace. Of all the vampires to walk up during his bonding time with Lu…it had to be him. "It's good to see you up and about, Luffy. I can already tell you're feeling better."

"Mn." The boy affirmed, smile dimming slightly in the pureblood's presence, but returning seconds later. For whatever reason, Luffy seemed particularly nervous around purebloods. "Ace is teaching me how to do it right!" Sabo's sharp eyes slid over to his, appearing jovial and friendly, but with a veiled challenge that he picked up on right away.

"I see. Perhaps he could teach me as well."

Ace's eye twitched, but he forced himself to stay somewhat friendly, for Luffy's sake. No way was he compromising the fragile bond he'd managed to form for Sabo of all vampires.

"I guess so…unless you're too busy, Lord Second. We wouldn't want to distract you from your important responsibilities."

Sabo just smiled at him; eyes closed.

"Not at all, I would be honored to learn from a master." The pureblood stepped forward and made a show of patting Luffy's head, which made Ace's blood boil (but he managed to stop himself from hissing).

He morphed his scowl into a smirk, picked up a stone, and threw it swiftly, getting a respectable four skips. Turning to Sabo, he crossed his arms.

"And that's how you do it. Surely a pureblood doesn't need much more than a…demonstration." The blonde vampire's lip curled up into a mischievous grin as he took a rock from Doma and gently moved Luffy aside. Pushing up the sleeves of his kimono, Sabo tossed the stone, making it dance across the water.

One, two, three four, five, six…seven times!?

Ace gaped while Luffy cheered.

"Wow, that was amazing, Sabo! Have you done this before?"

"Beginner's luck." The vampire said with a chuckle, sending Ace a subtle smirk as Luffy praised his performance, "It wasn't that hard."

He grit his teeth in frustration. The bastard was stealing all of his brother's attention!

"Not bad…for a noble."

"Thank you." Sabo replied, placing his hands in his sleeves, "For a such a simplistic game, it is surprisingly satisfying." They stared, inwardly glaring at each other for a few seconds until Luffy tugged on the pureblood's kimono.

"Ne, could I try again?"

"Sure, Lu!" Ace exclaimed, jumping in, and leading the boy past Sabo, back to the creek, "Here, let me get you some ammo."

While Luffy kept throwing rocks under Doma's supervision, Ace and Sabo moved to stand on either side of him. The pureblood was obviously attempting to muscle his way into their game, and it was starting to piss him off. Doma eyed him with a raised eyebrow, recognizing how much tension there was in the air.

Thankfully, Luffy seemed oblivious to their intrinsic fight and continued to enjoy himself. Though, for all his trying, he had yet to get more than two skips. Would he be better with his right hand?

At the thought, a wave of anger crashed over him and he turned his attention to where the boy's limb used to be. All that was left now was a stump thanks to Upper Yard's insolence. If only he could just-

"Aw…it fell in." Luffy pouted after yet another rock failed to jump. Ace forced his anger down and chuckled.

"Don't worry, Lu. You'll get it eventually."

"Indeed." Sabo put in, "The more you practice, the better you'll become."

Luffy nodded and knelt down to pick up another stone but yelped when its pointed edge sliced across his palm. When he stood, there was blood flowing from a shallow cut across his only remaining hand. Needless to say, all three of the vampires crowed around him, trying to see it and stop the bleeding.

"Ouch…ow, ow…" Luffy whimpered as Ace grabbed a clean rag from his bag and wrapped the injury.

"It's pretty shallow, so it should scab over soon." He explained, earning a small noise of affirmation from Luffy. Ace glanced around instinctively until he recalled that it was unlikely for anyone to get excited over his brother's blood. It didn't smell the same.

"I think that's enough stone skipping for today." Doma put in, making Luffy droop. The poor kid had obviously been having fun. "Let's stop by the infirmary and have Law look at it, just in case." Ace and Sabo made to follow but were stopped by the older vampire's firm stare.

Both of them sulked as the boy was led away but perked right up when he turned around and shyly waved at them, lips curling up into a soft smile. It was absolutely adorable.

"I blame you completely." Ace hissed, maintaining his friendly air for Lu's eyes only. Sabo raised his hand to the boy as well, tight lipped grin never failing.

"Says the vampire who smells like garbage. I bet his hand slipped after spending so long inhaling such toxicity."

"Blue blood asshole."

"Rude commoner."

"Bastard."

"Bloody nuisance."

When Luffy and Doma finally entered the main building, they turned and growled at each other. They'd been quietly quarreling for some time now, so maybe it was time they moved on from petty insults.

"Perhaps I should take you up on that offer you made a while back." Ace spit, claws elongating, "If I remember correctly, you didn't seem to mind the idea of getting your ass kicked publicly." At this point, a crowd had started to gather, watching them closely. Sabo scoffed.

"Oh please, I was simply being cordial. There is no way a turned such as yourself could match me in combat." Just as they were about to leap at each other, someone cleared their throat, drawing their attention away from each other.

"Oi, you two done with your little measuring contest?" It was Kidd, and while he appeared amused, his hard stare also suggested he wasn't pleased. "Cause I think you're done."

Almost immediately Sabo relaxed his posture and brushed off his kimono while Ace took a deep breathe to calm himself. But he didn't back off because of Kidd.

He glanced up and met the gaze of his sire, who was seated on a balcony railing. Marco's eyes were narrowed, and he motioned upwards with his chin, a clear signal for Ace to report to him and answer for his behavior.

Great. Just great.

He blamed Sabo for everything.

Law huffed as he signed yet another document, making sure to keep his desk orderly and contained. Ever since their return from the Upper Yard 'processing outpost' and the announcement that some very high profile purebloods would be arriving within the week, it seemed like his workload had all but doubled.

'Honestly, what is Eustass-ya thinking…' He mused, scribbling his signature on the next document and placing it on the ever-growing pile of paper, 'Gathering so many Lords together will certainly cause arguments and confrontation.'

Especially with Upper Yard.

A soft knock on his door drew his gaze up and away from the endless paperwork.

"Cap?" Penguin asked, peeking inside, "You got a second?"

"Yes…I suppose so…" Law replied, placing his pen down, "What is it?"

"Doma's here with Luffy…apparently the kid accidently hurt himself." He raised and eyebrow and stood to his feet, straightening his kimono. Today was the first day the human was permitted to resume his walks, and he'd already managed to injure himself?

When he emerged into the infirmary's main area, he was greeted by a sheepish looking Doma and Luffy, who had a rag clenched tightly in his fist.

"What happened?" Law asked, striding forward to grip Luffy's wrist and open his hand. The boy winced slightly in discomfort, but didn't cry out, indicating the wound must not be too bad.

"Ah…we were skipping rocks and he cut his hand on one." Doma explained, his monkey companion scurrying across his shoulders to sniff at Luffy's hair, "I don't think it's that deep, thankfully."

True to his suspicion, the cut was very shallow and had already stopped bleeding. Just to be safe, Law tugged the human over to a chair so he could bandage and disinfect the wound. Luffy's eyes wandered around the room as Law worked, gaze lingering on the now empty area for humans.

"Ne…where's Makino? Is she okay?"

"Makino?" He asked while dabbing the cut with an alcohol swab. The name wasn't familiar to him.

"She was in there when I came with Sabo." Luffy continued, "Miss Maki was really sick…" At that, Law realized who the boy was referring to: the woman they'd picked up at the human colony. She had recovered well (as he'd predicted) and was currently living in the stables with the rest of the humans.

"She's fine, as is the old man we picked up with her."

Luffy's eyes brightened and he visibly relaxed.

"Thank goodness…"

Law found it interesting how attached the boy seemed to be to them. It was unlikely they had known each other for very long considering how humans were always moving, hardly ever staying in one place.

Just as he finished wrapping the bandages around Luffy's hand, something caught his eye. On the inside of the human's forearm was a small patch of…honestly, he wasn't sure what. It was about the size of a small coin, not completely circular, and was pitch black, standing out against his paler skin.

'That wasn't there before…'

Law hummed, grabbed a rag, and began to scrub at it, figuring it was some dirt or something that had gotten smudged on the human's limb.

It didn't come off.

Discarding the cloth, he delicately ran his thumb over the spot, frowning when he felt the hardness. It wasn't raised necessarily but felt almost like a hardened shell that had formed on the outside of the human's normally soft and vulnerable skin. Curious, he dragged his elongated claw over it with a firm pressure, eyes widening when the sharp nail broke, unable to pierce the strange substance.

"Law?" Doma asked, "Something wrong?"

At the other's question, the spot faded away, disappearing into Luffy's skin like it was never there. He glanced up to the human, but the kid made no indication that he was aware of it, distracted by the monkey who chittered at him playfully. Law blinked, unsure what to make of it.

"No, everything's fine. The cut wasn't deep so we should be able to remove the bandages either tonight or tomorrow."

"Thanks, Law." Doma put in, bowing shortly, "I'll try to keep him out of trouble…though… actually, could I talk to you for a moment?" Law nodded, motioning for Penguin to lead Luffy out of earshot the second he recognized the other vampire wanted to talk in private. Once the boy was suitably far, Law asked,

"What's on your mind?"

"Earlier, Ace and the Second had a rather unpleasant encounter with each other."

"They fought?"

"No…" He continued with a huff, "but it certainly could've escalated into a full-out brawl. I've never seen Ace get so combative with another vampire before."

Law closed his eyes in thought, recalling the pair's confrontation over Luffy and Ace's obvious possessiveness. If Sabo was just as possessive of the boy, they could certainly butt heads in their attempt to one-up each other.

"I see…spread the word to watch them and to keep them separated if we can. With Eustass-ya's meeting quickly approaching, we don't have time to deal with their behavior right now." Though Law technically didn't have the authority to order Sabo to see him and discuss his behavior, he imagined it would have to happen eventually. Learning self-control was something even purebloods had to be taught.

Having two powerful vampires at each other's throats all the time was just asking for trouble.

With that, Doma bowed, retrieved Luffy, and left, leaving Law with his thoughts. Though Ace and Sabo's issues were interesting (and slightly annoying), he couldn't help but focus on the strange mark that appeared on Luffy's skin. He'd never seen anything like it and was concerned that it had nothing to do with his current state of recovery.

Law held up his hand, eyeing the now broken nail with apprehension.

'…I need to speak with Marco-ya and see if he comes to the same conclusion.'

The last thing they needed was Luffy developing abilities early.

"Marco, I-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses, yoi." Ace's sire reprimanded, making him flinch. He hated it when the elder vampire got angry…especially at him. Marco sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Openly challenging the current Second…honestly, Ace, what were you thinking?"

Ace bit his lip and shuffled from where he sat, kneeling before Marco in his sire's quarters.

"I-I don't know what came over me, I just…"

"Just what, yoi?"

"I felt threatened." Ace admitted, feeling frustration bubble back up inside him. Ever since their first confrontation after Luffy had been retrieved from Upper Yard, it was like Sabo was trying to step all over his growing bond with the boy. He knew what the pureblood said was true…Luffy didn't belong to him, he was property of the citadel.

But…he was also his baby brother, and he was trying so hard to restart their familial relationship from scratch, despite recalling next to nothing about his own past with Luffy's family.

"I understand how you feel, yoi." Marco said in a softer tone than before, "You just found out that you have a brother and with him still recovering, it's natural for anyone to be protective of him. However, that is no excuse for insubordination. Remember what I've taught you Ace…I know you're capable of controlling yourself."

Ace deflated, feeling ashamed of himself for disappointing his sire. Marco seemed to recognize this and knelt in front of him, placing a clawed hand on his head so they were eye to eye.

"You can always come talk to me, Ace. Anytime. I'll listen to whatever problems you're dealing with and we can work them out together, yoi. Please…don't shut me out again."

He knew Marco was referring to when he first hid Luffy from him, and it was painful to know that he'd hurt his sire in his frantic desire to protect his little brother. His sire had done nothing to earn his distrust and yet, in his panic…

"I-I won't." Ace stated, voice breaking, "Never again."

Marco smiled softly and stood to his feet, giving Ace his hand so they were both standing.

"Good. Believe it or not, I know a thing or two about insubordination myself, yoi. Pops used to come up with some interesting punishments for me." Ace collected himself and scoffed.

"You? A troublemaker? I don't believe it."

"I was…younger. Less disciplined."

"Oh, do tell."

Luffy followed Doma threw the hallway feeling a bit bummed that his fun had been cut short because of a tiny cut. He knew that logically he shouldn't be letting his guard down, but…was it so wrong to enjoy himself a little? In captivity or not, he didn't want to lose himself to loneliness.

Besides, it had actually been kind of nice to play a game with Ace. His brother hadn't scared him like he normally did…and it had helped him relax. When Sabo arrived, Ace's hackles had gone up, but they both skipped stones with him and he, unashamedly, enjoyed the social interaction.

He was so deep in his thoughts; he ran straight into Doma's back when the vampire came to a quick stop.

"…my Lord, good afternoon."

"Yeah, same to you."

Luffy peeked around the vampire to see who he was talking to and instinctively balked. The creature was very large, towering over Doma, and had shoulders about twice as broad as his own. His hair was bright red and his eyes were sharp.

"Ah, that's right, I don't believe you've met Luffy yet." Doma continued, gently pushing him forward (to which he resisted, digging his heels into the floor). The vampire huffed and yanked his body forward with a little more force than before, placing him in front of the other vampire, "Apologies, he's a bit nervous after being alone for so long."

"No worries." The other vampire replied, looking him over with a calculating eye. Luffy wrapped his arm around his belly, feeling uncomfortable under the intense gaze. Strangely enough, he wasn't the only one nervous. Given Doma's pallid face and sweaty palms, whoever this stranger was, he held influence in the citadel and gave off a similar presence to Sabo, leading him to believe he was a pureblood as well.

…just what he needed. More purebloods to worry about.

'At least Sabo's nice.' Luffy mused, thinking this spiky red headed vampire didn't appear quite as…friendly.

"Say Doma, you're chaperoning his walk today, right?" The vampire nodded, "Would you mind if I borrow 'Luffy' for a bit? There're some things I want to ask him." Luffy tensed and he shot Doma a scared look.

No! That was a terrible idea!

"W-Well…I…" Doma stuttered, running a hand through his hair. After a few seconds of thought, the vampire bit his lip and pulled Luffy back to his side. "Given his condition, it may not be a good idea just yet…Sir."

Luffy was touched Doma was attempting to protect him, but it was obvious the other was in a position of authority. And, seeing how his eyes narrowed, he didn't think Doma was going to have a choice in the matter.

"Doma." The pureblood said firmly, "Don't make me turn this request into an order." Luffy watched nervously as the two vampires glared at each other. With a sigh, Doma nodded, sending him an apologetic look.

"Very well. Would you like me to come pick him up when you're through?"

"That won't be necessary." The other responded, reaching forward to grab Luffy's upper arm, "I'll take him back myself."