A/N: almost at fifty :D
49. A Walk
When Luffy wakes up, the first thing that he realizes is that his throat is dry. So incredibly dry. His head hurts like a motherfucker and he could probably kill someone for some food.
Sunlight sears into his eyes as he sits up, and he squints in the brightness. The warmth baffles him for a moment. His dorm didn't usually let in this much sunlight. Where was he?
The side of his cheek was wet with drool from when he was sleeping, and he wipes it away groggily, grimacing in disgust. His memory was foggy, but he vaguely remembers going to Kuraigana with Barty, getting too drunk, and then…
Oh fuck.
Where was he?
Luffy looks about in the bright room, trying to piece together his new surroundings as best as he can despite his mounting panic. He was not home, he was not at Law's, but he was kidnapped. He had no idea where he was, and for all he knew, he might become a hostage, a slave, or even get killed. The thoughts push him into a dark place, terror rising within him in tandem with bile, but he swallows both down. The worst thing he could do for himself was lose his head, but in such an unfamiliar situation, it was hard to think so rationally.
He takes a deep breath and tries to sort out his whirling thoughts. First, figure out where the hell he was. He was lying under something soft and surprisingly comfortable- a feel around with his hands confirms it's a bed. So he was in a bedroom and not some cell. That was reassuring at least. Holding up a hand to the searing sunlight, he glances around to get a better look at the room he resides in.
Luffy's eye twitches.
Hearts.
Hearts everywhere.
On the walls, on the ceiling, on the door. Even the furniture was shaped into hearts. He looks down, confused, and sure enough, the bedsheets are a frilly pink, dotted with red and white hearts.
What the fuck? Was he in some little girl's room?
He laid in a white framed canopy, baby pink curtains draped over its top, closeting him in from the rest of the room. The walls were painted the same pink color and the carpeted floor is a pearly white, stark in comparison to the red hearts adorning the room. To his left was a window, a closet, and some drawers, and to his right, another window, a mini bench, and a small door he assumes leads to a bathroom. Directly in front of him was another entrance, likely the main one judging off the large lock stationed above the handle quite literally sealing his fate. It makes him sick to his stomach looking at it.
He feels tears prick at his eyes as an acute feeling of helplessness begins to sink in. Something in him wanted to blame Law for the situation he was in, but he knew that him doing that would be incredibly unfair. It wasn't him that kidnapped Luffy, after all. And Law didn't drink himself stupid.
The thoughts of the other man makes him choke on unshed tears, emptiness gnawing at his insides. He misses him. Despite everything, he misses Law so fucking much and wishes he was here right now to hold him, tell him everything would be okay, that they would get out of this together.
What would Law do if he found out that he was gone? No doubt he would raise all sorts of hell just to find him. But thought comforts Luffy only slightly; that's if Law would care to find him. The last time they spoke, it was an argument. Maybe he didn't care so much anymore.
Luffy shakes his head, begging himself to get away from that train of thought. They fought because they both cared too much. They just didn't know how to come to an agreement as to how to care.
He slowly gets up from the bed and realizes that his clothes have been changed. He was now in a dark button up with a yellow heart on the side, along with shorts that stopped at his knees. Frowning at the fact that someone must've seen him naked while he was out, he pads across the floor to the first door on the right. He opens it and sure enough, it's a small but elegant bathroom. Hearts covered everything here too, from the heart shaped mirror to the red and pink hearts adorning the walls. How peculiar.
He closes the door and walks over to the other side of the room, pulling open the closet. It was bare, only a few pieces hanging off of pink hangers. One in particular stands out to him, and he pulls it out to inspect it. A long, brown trench coat with an orange stripe running down the length of the back, coupled with a yellow and white symbol and the word 'corazon' emblazoned in thick letters. A reminder of Corazon flashes through his mind, and sadness pulses through him. Was this his room? That might explain why the place was so lavish and filled with hearts.
"I got Law that jacket for his birthday last year."
Luffy jumps and spins around to see the woman from the previous night standing in the doorway, staring at him. She smiles kindly. "Of course, he sent it back to me with a death threat. Never sent him another present again."
He replaces the jacket and closes the door. "Who are you?"
The woman chuckles and enters the threshold with a dainty swagger. "The name is Viola. Good morning."
Luffy doesn't move from his spot as she inspects the room carefully. "No attempts at leaving, good," she murmurs. "Good behavior deserves a good reward. Are you hungry?"
As if on cue, Luffy's stomach gurgles, and he blushes slightly. "No."
"Looks like your body is saying otherwise," Viola smiles. She's a lot warmer than she was last night, that's for sure. It's almost uncanny how different she was in the course of only twenty-four hours. Or however long it's been.
"I'll bring you some food," she says, waving him goodbye as she leaves the room. "You sit tight okay? I'll be right back."
"What else can I do?" Luffy grumbles as the door is shut behind her, lock shutting with a resounding click.
He moves back to the bed, making himself as comfortable as he can in a foreign environment. God, it was all so surreal. Why did this have to happen to him? He curses his luck and tries to will away the panic that keeps rising from the backburner of his mind. He needed to escape. Despite what that woman said earlier, he needed to find a way out of here. His friends were waiting for him.
Law was waiting for him.
He moves back to the closet, but there's nothing save for pieces of clothing and plastic clothing hangers. Nothing of much help in terms of weapons. He moves back to the bathroom. There's nothing here as well, lest he want to use a towel to fight his way out. Returning to the bed, he lifts up his sheets and peers around for anything he could potentially use as a weapon. A strange place to look, but as bare as the room was, he wasn't left with much of a choice.
"That lonely without Law?" Viola laughs as she returns with a plate of food.
Luffy lowers the covers with a light blush, scowling deeply at her. "Shut up. How the hell do you know about him?"
"How do I know him?" she repeats like it's some joke that Luffy didn't get. She sets the plate of food down on his nightstand and turns to face him. "Why, he's my brother." She pauses. "Or used to be my brother. We grew up together."
Luffy's eyebrows rise to the ceiling. "You guys are siblings? You look nothing alike."
"Not in blood, of course," Viola assures. "Something stronger."
It takes Luffy nearly a full minute to understand what the woman was saying. When the realization comes, it hits him like a ton of bricks. "The Family."
"Bingo," Viola intones. She walks back towards the door and grins over her shoulder. "I'm sure Law has told you many wonderful stories about us. So I suggest not trying anything. Not if you don't want to become a story yourself."
Luffy gulps, fear making him halt his thoughts of escape.
"You've been out for a while. Eat your breakfast," she orders, nodding to the plate by his side, "then we'll talk more."
"Hell if I'm eating that shit," he snarls, glowering at her. "Why the hell have you taken me? Where am I? And who exactly is the 'Family'?"
She returns his scowl and exits the room without answering a single question, leaving him to his thoughts and his food. Her being silent only makes him angrier. Being left in the dark was not his style, but neither was getting killed. He didn't want to push his luck.
Luffy glares at the plate full of syrupy pancakes, eggs, and bacon, and curses his aching stomach for being hungry. He shouldn't. He really shouldn't. But they've been treating him absurdly nice for someone they kidnapped, so the food shouldn't make him sick or poisoned...right?
Well, he hopes.
He takes a strip of bacon and pops it in his mouth with uncertainty, then relaxes when the flavors are ones familiar to him. Luffy partakes more in the breakfast, silently thankful for the food. He drinks from the water provided and sighs at the coolness. Okay, so they didn't want to hurt him. If they did, then they could've done so while he was out like a light, or they could've put something harmful in his food. But they didn't as far as he was concerned. Then why did they take him?
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Just why the hell did they go through all this trouble? It didn't make any sense. He tries to think about it, find some sort of reason, but thinking, unfortunately, wasn't Luffy's forte. So he sticks to eating and grumbling all the while, stomping down his rampant fear.
But another emotion— curiosity— gets a hold of him. He grabs some scrambled egg and chews thoughtfully as he makes his way to a window, peering out to see where he was.
He pales slightly. He was high.
The ground was almost blurry below him, green grass surrounding a stone building upon some plateau, and an unfamiliar city spread out further beyond that. The wide, cloudless sky is a massive expanse of blue at eye level, interrupted by the jut of another part of the stone building. Though he could really call it a castle, it was enormous.
The window was bolted to the frame, ensuring no escape. He looks behind him, and the other window was situated similarly. Even if he could somehow undo the lock, there's no way he could safely lower himself to the ground. Giving up, he leaves the window and makes for the door. It's also bolted shut, undone only by a key he didn't have.
Sighing, he returns to his bed and looks at the surroundings in his new room warily. He was really going to be here for the long run, wasn't he?
Viola returns to the main hall of the Don Quixote Royal Palace and plops down on a chair, groaning as a plate of brunch is set in front of her. "Why the hell was I put in charge of him?"
Gladius shrugs. "You were with him last night."
"And," Diamante adds on with a drawl, "your face is much friendlier than Dellinger's over here."
The blonde flips him off, lips tinted white from the cream of a parfait.
Viola rolls her eyes and sips on her water gingerly. "Still, I would like a reconsideration. Does anyone else want to take my place?"
At the table, Diamante simply chuckles, Pica studies the ground, and Dellinger snickers into his food. Gladius's face twists into disdain at the prospect while Sugar giggles away on Pica's shoulder.
Señor Pink huffs, folding thick arms across his chest. "You're out of luck, Viola. No one wants to deal with that guy."
Viola tsks, frowning. "What about the family members not here?"
"The others aren't here because they don't care for our little 'Doffy revenge plan'," Pica informs. "So they won't care to help you, either."
"Another reason they're not here is that they don't want to deal with Law's anger," Dellinger reminds them, licking his lips. "I don't blame them."
Viola glares at them. "I don't care about their reason. Traitors, the lot of you."
"Too bad, Viola!" Sugar chirps from her perch. "Now you have to deal with the boy all by yourself!"
"Sugar, you-"
"Enough," Diamante silences them with a wave of his hand. "We have to figure out details now. Who is going to go meet Law at the warehouse today?"
"How about Baby 5 and Buffalo?" Gladius questions. "They've done nothing but lounge around."
Pica furrows his brows. "Do those two even care about trying to get revenge for Doffy?"
"No," Diamante grins, "but they do care about Law. Care enough to get into contact with him without letting us know."
"When I found out they talked to him before me I was so jealous!" Sugar pouts, "I miss Law!"
"I understand your feelings, Sugar," Viola agrees, "but how are we going to get those two to listen to our plan if they don't care for it?"
Diamante casts her a glance out the corner of his eye. "Did you not hear me? They care about Law. They will go to him in his time of distress. All they need is a reason."
The pieces click faster than she can keep up. "Luffy."
"Exactly." Diamante sits back in his chair, making himself comfortable. "We tell her we have Luffy, and she'll surely drag Buffalo with him to go to the warehouse for us. They'll meet Law and fly him over here, and then we can have our final little showdown."
"What are you gonna do when Law comes here?" Viola asks, just curious.
Dellinger snorts loudly. "Kick him in the balls."
"Put a bullet or five in his skull," Pica growls.
"Knock him into next week," Gladius grunts.
Viola stares at the men at the table in shock. She shouldn't be as surprised as she is, but she can't help it. Their animosity towards Law was astounding. Sure, he fucked up by bringing down the man that brought them all together, but for them to feel so strongly about hurting him made her fear for her former brother's safety. But then again, she also feared for her Family members themselves, seeing as they took away Law's partner. The man was sure to make them pay dearly. The coin could be flipped either way.
"He's been lying lower than any of us," Diamante scoffs, "and when he finally shows himself, he takes down our benefactor? What did he think we would do, take that shit lying down? Just who the hell does he take us for?"
"We all respected Doffy," Pica continues, "and Law goes to beat the shit out of him and gets him arrested. We probably won't ever see him again. I can't forgive him."
"He practically half raised the guy," Señor pipes up. "He's biting the hand that fed him. We have to put him in his place."
"'Put him in his place'?"
Viola turns to the doorway, and a certain pair of shadows step into the room, looking annoyed.
"Why are you here, Baby 5? Buffalo?" she asks, surprise filtering into her voice.
Baby 5 narrows her eyes at her. "I'm here because I thought you guys would be scheming something behind my back, and sure enough, you guys are."
Buffalo nods from behind her. "Baby 5's gut instincts are almost always right."
"And I want to make something clear." Baby 5 walks up and glares at each Family member in turn. "I'm not on Law's 'side'. I simply understand him. The guy had a shitty childhood and the one person that showed him an ounce of love was killed by his own brother. Can you really blame him?"
"I don't give a shit about that bitch Corazon," Pica dismisses easily. "It's Doffy I care about, and Law knows that. He did this knowing damn well the consequences."
Gladius nods. "I want to feel sorry for him but I can't. I feel more sorry for Doffy because he had to go through that. Law isn't the only one here with a sob story, you know."
"Exactly," Señor Pink says around his pacifier. "It ain't right that he takes out a man who brought us all together and then just gets to roam free. I owe my life to Doffy."
"Doffy helped me get my revenge against this shitty world."
"Doffy provided me with a roof to sleep under and a bed to lie on."
"Doffy gave me a reason to keep living."
Baby 5 glances around a little helplessly as each Family member states their reason for being in this ploy against Law. Viola watches her knowingly, saying not a word. They had a point and she knows it. Doffy helped them all when they were at the lowest point of their lives, and now he was just gone.
"But Doffy didn't die," Buffalo points out. The Family all quiets as they listen to him. "He's only under arrest. Corazon is dead. That's a big difference, I think."
"Look," Baby 5 huffs, "we appreciate Doffy just as much as you guys do, but kidnapping Law's lover and forcing his hand will only make the situation worse. You guys should've just brought him here to talk shit out or something."
"Talk shit out?" Dellinger laughs aloud. "The man would've killed us on sight."
Baby 5 shakes her head. "I don't think so. He seemed different when I met him."
"Think carefully," Pica tells her, "was he different? Or did he only seem that way?"
"Well…now that I look back on it," Baby 5 muses, placing a hand over her mouth as she thinks, "we were right outside the place where Luffy worked. Maybe he came off as nicer because of him?"
Señor nods. "That's possible."
"Speculation isn't going to help us," Diamante asserts to the table. "Baby 5 and Buffalo are escorting Law here from the warehouse. That's final."
Viola's gaze cuts over to Baby 5, who seems to want to put up a protest but is stopped by Buffalo's hand on her shoulder, holding her back. Frowning, she turns back to Diamante begrudgingly. "Fine. I'll do it."
"Good," Diamante smiles wickedly. It makes dread pool in Viola's stomach. "This evening will be eventful, I'm sure."
Okay, Luffy admits, that was the best breakfast he's had in awhile.
As soon as he relaxes back into bed, satisfied, the door to his room opens again. This time it's not Viola, but another woman, with thick black hair and dark blue eyes. She looks at him with something that looks scarily close to pity, then enters into his room more fully.
"You surely have questions," she begins, and Luffy only scoffs. Questions was only one facet of the shitshow he was in. He wanted to leave.
"I heard you had a mouth on you, so I was sent in Viola's stead." She goes to his bed stand and takes his empty tray, satisfied at the lack of food there, and hands it off to someone behind her. The taller man with buck teeth takes the dishes with a raised eyebrow in Luffy's direction before traipsing off. "She's a little bad with your kind, you see. I'm much better at handling all types of people."
Sensing she was kinder than his earlier visitor, Luffy tries asking her point blank about his situation. "Why have you taken me?"
The woman fixes him with a look he can't quite place. "It's a long story."
"Then where am I?"
"You don't need to worry about that."
"Can I leave?"
"No."
This was getting him nowhere.
"Viola promised she would answer my questions after I ate though!" Luffy frowns.
Baby 5 looks at him sharply. "We would never promise shit like that. She probably said just to talk, right?"
A quick dig through his memory tells Luffy that she was in fact right. No such promise was made.
"Talking is fine, but it certainly doesn't mean we're answering any questions." She chuckles and gives him a soft smile. "Don't get your hopes up, kiddo."
Deflating, Luffy turns his attention to his lap. He couldn't think of anything else to say to ask, he would only get shut down regardless. And he felt himself starting to get used to this ridiculous situation, which was bad; he had to stay on his toes and try and look for an opportunity to try and get away regardless of the possible risk.
"Ah, I'm getting a headache," she murmurs, rubbing her temples. "This room reminds me of him."
"Of who?" Luffy inquires before he can stop himself.
She looks up tiredly. "Of Law. This used to be his room."
Luffy's brows climb to the ceiling as he looks around to the abundance of hearts and various shades of red and pink in the room. This looked nothing like what Law would live in. "Seriously?"
"Yes. When he was a child.." The woman beckons him out of the bed. "Anyway, I have a suggestion. Come on a walk with me. I feel like Law's breathing down my neck if we speak in here."
At the prospect of leaving his room, Luffy perks up. "A walk?" He could try to run. He had enough stamina, he was full, and he had enough energy.
Baby 5 smiles ruefully. "Don't even think about it, kiddo. I know hundreds of ways to make a fully grown man cry. I can't put bullets in ya, but I have ways to make you wish you were dead."
Luffy shudders at the threat, and it's the second time his life has hung in the balance over the thought of him trying to escape. Maybe he should actually heed the warnings before something awful happened to him.
Baby 5 eyes him carefully. "I've been in this game for too long. I've dealt with criminals far more dangerous than you. Handling you would be as easy as taking candy from a baby." A wicked smirk takes over her features. "Don't misunderstand. I'm nicer than any of my siblings, but I wouldn't test my patience."
"Okay." Luffy takes a deep, shaky breath. "I won't try to leave."
"Good boy." She procures his shoes from under the bed and motions for him to put them on. "I'd hate to put you in cuffs or a collar. I'm not into that kinky shit." She throws him a shit eating grin that makes his skin crawl. "I'd rather just break a bone or two. That usually gets the message across just as well, don't you think?"
Luffy nods stiffly. Alright, he gets it. She's physically stronger than him and won't hesitate to show off the fact if he tries anything. No need to keep the threats coming.
Baby 5 tilts her head, turning endearing. "You're very understanding, you know that? Now come, let's go. It's a beautiful day out."
Luffy throws his shoes on and trails after her, uncertainty following him like a shadow, stark fear following close after.
A/N: Thanks for reading!
P.S. luffy is in a room in doflamingo's castle from dressrosa. thought it would be a nice touch.
