Chapter 9: Break-out
A/N: Hello, guys and gals! Emperor Red and Black is finally back! So terribly sorry for the extremely long wait. Life was a bitch to me. And I was lacking motivation. I can't promise I'll update my stories as frequently as I would like. Also … WE HAVE OVER 100 FOLLOWERS AND FAVORITES! Thank you all so much for the support despite the lack of updates. I am eternally grateful for the mass of love for this story.
And so, with that, let's get to said story.
Disclaimer: One Piece is all owned by Eiichiro Oda. OC's in the story are all owned by me.
-X-
Drip ... Drop ... Drip ... Drop ...
That was all to be heard in the lonely, cold cell that held him. The walls were painted green with mold that had developed over the time he had lingered in this prison. Or hell, as he would begin to claim it to be.
Drip ... Drop ... Drip ... Drop …
The slow drops of water that seeped in from the ceiling from previous rainstorms were one of the only sounds he could hear in that cell. He has also heard screams. Many screams. If you were to question him about these sounds he heard, he swears that those screams constantly leave him awake at night.
He can't even remember the last time he got a full night of sleep. The redness in his eyes are still blatantly visible to the viewing eyes as he stared at the cold ground that laid bare in front of him.
Speaking of his conditions, he was not faring well at all. His usual red shirt was torn to tatters and his treasured straw hat had many small holes on the top. His upper body was littered with bruises and stab-like wounds and his skin was slightly pale. In fact, he felt so crippled that even the slightest movement would cause immeasurable pain throughout his entire body.
He stared at the chains that bind his arms and legs with red and slightly puffy eyes. He already cried all of his tears and screamed for help so often that his voice was nearly gone. He slowly turned his eyes towards the cell door, which, overtime, has grown mass amounts of mold across the bars. He couldn't recall how long he had been trapped down here or how long it had been before he had seen sunlight.
However, contrary to what most believe, he wasn't alone in that cell. There was, as he claims, a voice in his head. He heard it during brief intervals before he was captured and while he was growing up. But, lately, the voice was very loud and sounded very .. demonic.
Whenever it could, it would ridicule Luffy on whatever he did that was considered wrong or foolish to it. Most of the time, Luffy would not respond to the voice. Why, you ask? Because he FEARS the voice. He has seen what that creature can do, and he knows what it will do if he ever so chooses to. With that in mind, he is forced to follow what it tells him to, now matter how much he is against it.
He always hoped … wished … that someone, anyone, would find their way down here and save him from this hell…
…
…
…
BOOM!
Suddenly, a massive explosion had occurred from down the hall from where his cell was. Confused and startled, he looked up to try and see what was going on.
Unfortunately, he couldn't see much from the blurriness in his eyes and lack of energy. But despite that, his heart was filled with a feeling he never thought he would feel again: Hope.
He then started to hear gunshots echoing across the halls as fighting and chaos started to erupt throughout the facility.
Then, a group of men ran up to his cell and bashed the cell door down to the ground. Luffy didn't recognize some of the men, but he did recognize the jolly roger they were serving under. On one of the men's shoulders, there was a crossbones skull with 3 bright red stripes going down its left eye.
There was only one man that he knew that possessed that jolly roger. His Idol.
Suddenly, the group of men split apart to let another walk through the crowd and kneel down towards Luffy. His outfit consisted of including a sweeping long, sleeveless black cape with a high collar, and under it a simple, white shirt half-buttoned up, exposing the middle of his chest and upper abs. Additionally, the man wore slightly loose, plain-brown pants with golden buttons down the outer leg sides, and with a red sash around his waist to keep his shirt tucked inside. But, the most distinct feature about the man was his hair. His deep-crimson hair.
"Sh-...Shank...s…", Luffy uttered weakly.
"Jeez, Luffy. I leave for only a few years and now I have to come back and bust you out of trouble … again", Shanks says, shaking his head while slightly smirking.
Using his blade, he sliced the chains that bound Luffy's limbs and hoisted his limp body onto his shoulder. He turned back to his crew and exclaimed, "We have what we came here for! Let's move quickly, everyone!" The crew roared in agreement.
As the guards that overlooked prisoners like Luffy began to give chase, shooting their sea stone bullets towards Shanks and his crew, Luffy smiled weakly, relieved to know that he is finally escaping the hellhole he has been trapped in for years.
A/N:You are hearing this right! I AM BACK! I am not dead! Sorry for the VERY long wait. A combination of laziness, Thanksgiving, school, and writer's block were a big wall that stood in my path. However, I am glad that I managed to squeeze this chapter out to you all! I originally wanted the whole chapter to be the break out, but -as I said prior- I was lazy. The next chapter will be mostly action-centric, so look out for that.
If you guys enjoyed, remember to follow and favorite the story for more updates, and review to tell me what you guys thought! The next updates will be the following:
Chapter 2 of Fairy Tail: Split
Chapter 1 of a new story (you decide!)
Chapter 10 of Luffy: The Crimson Demon
Chapter 3 of Fairy Tail: Split
That'll be all for today! Hope you guys enjoyed it and I'll see you all next time! Sayonara!