Author's Note: Quick update, enjoy!

To fluffypuppies: Yeah, I'm with you. As much as escaping would be great, they've really got to think it through. Lol you probably never expected Sabo of all people to suggest that (selling Lu) huh ;) gotta love SaboLu fluff! Ace is such a sweetheart, he just doesn't want to admit it XD Thank you for the review, as always!

To hinakudo: Thank you so much! Lots of SaboLu bonding in this chapter!

To SvalbardGirl: Hey there! Haha I know how much you like this stuff ;) Ace definitely won't be pleased...he's pretty possessive over his little Lu. You're always so sweet, thanks so much for your compliments! They motivate me and generally make me smile!

To bpv229: Aw thanks! This story is fun to write, lots of mystery and adventure ;)

WARNINGS:

- Fluff

- A dog

- Emotional turmoil

- Poor Lu's scared

Sabo hummed happily as he led the little human along.

He was quite excited for the opportunity to spend time with a human, one that wasn't necessarily for eating. Glancing back, Sabo noted the boy was having a hard time keeping up and slowed his pace. It seemed the kid had injured his legs somehow and had a slight limp to his gait.

Sabo had always been fascinated by the human race but had never been given the opportunity to study them and their habits up close (or at least in a specimen that had enough energy to move). Now that he'd personally witnessed how they could be treated (and preserved), he felt guilty, thinking back on his own family.

Though not of particularly high nobility, they always strove for recognition. This, of course, included importing the "best" humans, not that they ever lasted very long. Most of the poor things died within a week of arriving.

"So, Luffy right?" Sabo asked smoothly, spinning around to face the startled human, "My name is Sabo." The boy shuffled in place.

"H-Hello…"

"Hello." He replied, smiling softly at the boy's nervousness, "Today, as part of your 'outside time' or whatever Trafalgar wants to call it, you'll be accompanying me around the citadel. We'll be going to some important places, so make sure to behave." Luffy nodded silently, absently pulling on the rope.

'He's frightened of me…' Sabo observed, taking in the human's hunched posture and averted eyes, 'I suppose it's understandable after yesterday.'

"Come along now."

Mentally going over his to-do list, Sabo first made his way to Trafalgar's clinic, where he was supposed to go over some files and blood supply reports. Plus, it would give him an opportunity to see how the doctor and Luffy interacted.

Pushing open the door, he tugged the human inside.

"Lord Second, good morning." Penguin greeted, glancing at Luffy who looked around the room with wide eyes, "I see you've got a little follower today…he need a checkup or anything while he's here."

"No thank you, Mr. Penguin." Sabo declined, feeling Luffy tense up behind him, causing the rope to go taut, "Is Law here?"

"Nope, he's over at Stable F. The female he mentioned yesterday went into labor about an hour ago."

Sabo hummed, a little disappointed, but also intrigued. Were human births done the same as vampire's? Leading Luffy over to a chair on the right side of the clinic and tying his rope to the arm, Sabo began signing paperwork.

While it was terribly fascinating to know the inner workings of the citadel, he found his attention drawn to the little human seated across from him. Luffy fidgeted almost constantly, finally coming to a stop on his knees peering into the window that led to the human treatment area (if he recalled correctly).

Sabo put down his pen when the kid inhaled sharply, drawing not only his attention, but the always stationed guard's as well.

"Is something wrong, Luffy?" He called, motioning with his hand for the guard to back up. The human wasn't doing anything wrong, so he wasn't needed.

"It's…M-Makino." Luffy stuttered, a tiny smile appearing on his face, "She's okay…" The boy's tone was full of relief, indicating he knew someone in the treatment area. Curious, Sabo walked up next to him and looked through the window himself.

The human Luffy seemed to know was in the very first bed, a female. She was pale and had a multitude of lines connected to her.

"Could I go see her?" Luffy asked, voice small and timid. Sabo glanced to the guard who shook his head.

"This area's currently under quarantine as a 'clean room'. No one can enter unless they are properly decontaminated." The human immediately drooped in dejection, instinctively making Sabo want to comfort him.

"Maybe we can come back another time."

"Really?" Luffy asked, eyes sparkling with hope. Sabo cleared his throat, trying not to think about how adorable the kid looked.

"I don't see why not."

To keep Luffy busy while he finished with his documentation, Penguin gave the human some paper and crayons, which he immediately took to. It required all of Sabo's will to focus on his work and not watch Luffy draw, which was quite entertaining in and of itself.

The kid kept breaking crayons by pushing too hard on the paper and would subsequently look at the broken utensil with a look of betrayal.

It was quite humorous.

When he finally finished going over and signing the documents, Sabo untethered Luffy so they could move on to his next destination (but not before apologizing to Penguin for his many broken crayons). He took a quick glance at what Luffy had drawn and his eyes immediately narrowed.

"Luffy, who's this?"

The crudely drawn picture depicted four people: two adults, a smaller person, and a strange person-ish blob in the background. Luffy immediately tried to take the picture back, but Sabo held it up out of his reach, making him whimper. This could hold a clue to the boy's connection with Ace!

Taking a breath to calm himself (and inwardly condemning his rash action that obviously upset Luffy), Sabo turned the page around.

"Please, will you tell me?" Luffy's bottom lip quivered and he seemed almost…embarrassed (or maybe afraid)?

"It's my family…" He admitted quietly, almost in tears. Sabo looked back at the picture with a new perspective, this time noting the taller ones must be his parents. So, it wasn't about Ace after all…

"Is this one you?" He probed, pointing at the smaller person. Luffy nodded. "What about this one back here? Sabo continued, moving his finger to the blob in the back.

Luffy huffed, wiping his eyes.

"It's the mystery person."

"Huh?"

"Somebody my parents used to talk about." Luffy whispered, wringing his hands together, "I dunno their name or anything, just that they're family."

"I see."

It was obvious based on the boy's reaction that his family wasn't around anymore, so Sabo didn't probe any more. Instead, he subtly passed the picture to Penguin with quiet instructions to add it to the boy's file. The next question was, what to do to cheer the kid up? So far, this walk wasn't going terribly well…informative, but not so good.

Sighing, Sabo led Luffy out of the clinic, feeling like he'd just kicked a puppy, and the kid's little sniffles weren't helping. Soon, he found himself at the Blood Depository, where quite a few vampires were having breakfast.

Many of them were dressed in kimonos, much like himself.

"Oi, good morning!"

"You here for breakfast, Lord Second?"

Sabo smiled and waved at his subordinates, pleased his attempts to connect with the Whitebeards seemed to be working. Behind him, Luffy peeked out at the other vampires, eyes wide. One of the vampires, sauntered up to them and leaned over the human with a raised eyebrow.

"Ya know, you've got a little pup attached to ya."

Luffy puffed out his cheeks, wiped his eyes, and frowned up at the larger vampire, an expression Sabo hadn't seen before.

"…'m not little…" He muttered, straightening up slightly, "You're just too big." Sabo was actually shocked. He didn't think the kid was capable of asserting himself given his almost perpetually scared demeanor.

The larger vampire laughed (thankfully…Sabo thought for a moment that he was going to have protect the kid).

"Spunky little brat, ain't ya! Better be careful or that mouth will get you in trouble." Luffy shrugged and stuck his tongue out briefly, but the second his eyes met Sabo's, he backed down and returned to his normal submissive posture.

How odd…

The large vampire, who Sabo remembered was a commander named Blenheim, invited him to sit with them which he accepted. Interacting with his subordinates was important after all. Luffy padded after him but didn't seem to want to sit at the table with them.

"Erm…could I go sit by the water instead?" Luffy asked, tugging lightly on the rope. It was obvious by his pale face that he did not enjoy the sight of vampires drinking cups full of human blood. Noting the creek wasn't too far away, he nodded and let the rope fall from his hand.

"Very well but remember what I said and behave. Okay, Luffy?"

The human nodded and quickly trotted away to seat himself by the water.

"So, what's a pureblood like yourself doing toting a human around?" Blenheim asked, guzzling down a mug of blood.

"Law asked that someone take him outside for some fresh air." Sabo explained, watching Luffy use a stick to make circles in the river, "Apparently, he's claustrophobic and has had panic attacks before. I figured this was as good a chance as any to interact with a human and learn more about them."

"Ehhh…" Blenheim replied, "Noble of ya, though those kinds of issues are fairly common among humans. Still, hard to see them haunting a kid that young…no doubt an orphan."

"Why do you say that?" Sabo questioned, having only just learned that fact himself. Blenheim shrugged.

"Unless they're born in a fairly progressive citadel, young humans like him are usually alone, orphaned at a young age. It's sad, but that's the reality of the world we live in." Sabo closed his eyes in thought, chewing on what he'd just been told.

As much as he hated to admit it, Blenheim was correct. Humans were a hunted and dying race with nowhere to go in the wasteland that was their planet. And since small children weren't terribly useful right away, their parents were often targeted instead, leaving the little ones alone or shipped off to farms until they matured a bit.

'What a terrible system we live by.'

Luffy sighed, enjoying the relative peace of the creek. Behind him, the vampires talked and laughed, no doubt savoring their somewhat nauseating breakfast. It reminded him of that time when he was little, a memory he would rather forget or risk losing his own breakfast into the pristine water before him.

Poking at the limp rope still tied tightly to his wrist, Luffy thought on his day so far. He'd found Makino which was good! She seemed to be recovering, but then he'd gone and drawn a picture of his family…which was pretty stupid in retrospect.

It had been kind of strange actually. He hadn't thought about the 'mystery person' in many years…so why'd they come to mind now? Luffy didn't know anything personal about them, just that his parents, Mom especially, always said that they'd come back someday.

'Oh well.' He thought, 'It's not like he knows about my pendant or anything…I don't think. Even Ace knows about my family so it's not a big deal.' Letting his hand fall to the ground, he leaned back to look at the sky…only for his head to plop against something…fuzzy?

Blinking in confusion, Luffy realized a dog (a massive one!) had somehow snuck up behind him and was now looming over him.

"Ruff." It barked softly, eyeing him with interest. Luffy immediately twirled around so he was seated facing the dog and beamed. He supposed it was fairly normal for vampires to have dogs around, but he hadn't seen any yet!

This particular dog was grey and white with cool fur around its mouth that made it look like it had a mustache.

Slowly, Luffy raised his hand and began to pet the dog's chest. Its fur was super soft and sooo fluffy! Unable to help himself, he cuddled up to the animal and completely drooped himself onto its large body. Amazingly, it didn't seem to mind and simply licked his hair.

"Stefan, damn dog…where-" Someone screeched, making Luffy look up. It was a mean looking vampire who stomped towards them, a scowl etched onto his face. He was bald on the top of his head but had long pink hair that flowed from the bottom and sides…which Luffy thought was kind of weird.

Surprising both of them, the dog barked, leaned down to pick up Luffy's rope in his mouth, and walked away. The animal was strong, so he had no choice but to follow after the dog, looking back at the vampire nervously.

What…was going on?

Sabo's friendly conversation with Blenheim and the other vampires was interrupted by a loud bark and screaming coming from the creek. Immediately on alert, he stood up to see what was going on, and his jaw dropped.

Luffy appeared to be getting kidnapped by a dog, and they were both being chased down by a weird looking vampire who he'd had yet to meet.

"Is that…Stefan?" Blenheim questioned, putting his mug down, "Huh, he doesn't usually come out during the day…"

Saving the explanation on the dog for later, Sabo immediately took off after them, concerned the animal would take off in a full sprint and hurt Luffy. For the moment, it was content to lead the boy around, effectively avoiding the pink-haired vampire who was attempting to catch them.

"Why you…drop the human and COME HERE, DAMN IT!"

Stefan barked cynically as if to say 'catch me if you can' before trotting away quickly, bringing Luffy into a swifter jog. That made the unknown vampire angry and his eyes began to burn red.

"All right, you asked for it."

The dog seemed to sense he'd made the vampire truly angry, so he quickly came to a stop, flung Luffy onto his back and took off in a mad sprint into the citadel. Sabo cursed under his breath as they charged through the front door, screams and crashes (the breaking of likely valuable objects) left in their wake.

He caught glimpses of them running around the citadel until the dog finally leapt out of the second story window, Luffy clinging to its neck for dear life, and landed back on the front steps. Sabo ran forward in an attempt to block the dog from continuing its rampage, but the second it saw him it trotted off towards the garden area.

The pink-haired vampire leapt out of the broken window breathing heavily and glaring at the dog. Before it could take off again, someone appeared next to the dog and pet its head gently.

"I think that's enough, Stefan, you've made quite a mess."

It was Izo, another commander. He was dressed gracefully as always in a beautiful kimono and had his hair done up in an elegant bun. Izo was the one who'd made his kimono, for which Sabo was very grateful.

"Don't let him get away, Commander!" The pink haired vampire called, still out of breath, "Damn dog led me all over the citadel!"

"Now, now Squard, I'm sure Stefan simply wanted to have some fun." Izo replied while laying a delicate hand on Luffy's head, "Are you all right, little one? That was quite the ride…" The human took deep breath and sat up on the dog, legs dangling and hands gripping fur tightly.

"W-Wow...erm…yeah, I'm okay."

Sabo finally allowed his body to relax as he jogged up to Izo and the dog, following his instinct to pluck Luffy off the creature's back and into his arms.

"Thank you, Commander." Sabo said, holding the little human close (ignoring how much the kid tensed up), "Had that gone on, someone might've been hurt." Izo chuckled.

"You're welcome, though I doubt Stefan would've hurt anyone. Damaged property…certainly. Speaking of, what do you have to say for yourself?" He demanded, chiding the dog, "Honestly, you're not a puppy anymore."

Sabo raised an eyebrow as the dog barked before coming up to lick Luffy's leg, making the human giggle. Izo huffed and shooed Stefan away, prompting him to bound off back into the citadel.

"I apologize, Stefan doesn't act out like that often, but he did belong to Pops so it's not all that surprising I suppose."

"Belong to-" Sabo gaped, shifting Luffy in his arms, "How old is he?"

"My…I do believe I've lost track…" Izo hummed, manicured hand coming up to rest on his cheek, "A couple centuries at least. As long as Pops lives, Stefan can't die." Sabo had heard about creatures who were connected to their masters deeply enough that their lives intertwined, but he'd never seen a case of it in real life. Fascinating…

Luffy interrupted his musing by twisting in his grip, wanting to be put down. Sabo obliged, but made sure to grab hold of the rope tightly so he wouldn't lose track of him again.

Ace growled to himself as he gazed in the direction of the Moby Dick. He wasn't sure why he was pissed, but he was certain someone was messing with his cute, little Lu. If he wasn't required to stay…

"Oi, you done moping?" Thatch asked from where he was reclining on the top of a ruined building, "Kidd's asking for us." Ace huffed and turned to follow the older vampire, but not before casting one last longing look towards home.

They'd done a lot of scouting already and had mapped the locations of three major human colonies within the city limits. There were a few smaller groups of humans wandering around here and there, but nothing worth noting.

Surprisingly, they had yet to run into any hunting parties from other citadels which was…odd. There were usually at least a few around, not to mention the occasional rogue passing through.

Ace grunted when he hit the ground and quietly followed Thatch into their new Lord's temporary headquarters, a tent pitched around some fallen rubble. Inside Eustass Kidd was pouring over maps flanked by his always serious companion, Killer. Ace didn't like that he always wore a mask…like he was hiding something.

"Thatch, right?" The pureblood asked, looking up from his maps, "You know this area well?"

"Sure do!" Thatch chirped, throwing his arm around Ace's shoulders, "And Acey here knows the city like the back of his hand!" Kidd snorted in amusement but didn't smile.

"Good. In that case, come give me the rundown of our…neighbors."

The maps he was looking at were all of their citadel, the city, and the surrounding area. Some were newly drawn with the locations of the colonies they'd discovered that very day.

"Welp, let's start here then." Thatch began, drawing a circle in red pen to the north of the city, "This is Upper Yard, ruled by a pureblood named Enel. Perhaps you've heard of him?"

"Yeah…all earlobes and narcissism."

"Right on the money. Enel rules his citadel with an iron fist and sends out hunting parties regularly. He hoards 'beautiful' humans, especially females, and demands reverence from pretty much everyone." Thatch huffed, "I pity any human who gets picked up by one of his subordinates…poor things."

Ace frowned, remembering his own albeit brief interaction with the vampire. He made pretty much everyone want to punch him in his stupid face, especially when he insulted Marco for not being a pureblood.

"Moving on." Thatch continued, drawing a second circle far to the east of the city, "This is Rain Base, ruled by Crocodile. As our neighbors go, he's probably the most, dare I say, reasonable. He doesn't send his people hunting very often because his humans are actually treated fairly well, but he did have a pretty big fight with Pops a while back, so he generally doesn't like us."

Ace had met Crocodile as well and remembered feeling intimidated. He'd been newly changed at the time, but against those piercing eyes, anyone would feel the need to bow their head. Ace also remembered Rain Base as a beautiful citadel, pulling from an ancient human culture much like the Moby Dick.

It was rich in gold and water, utilizing the sand all around them to create an oasis. The one thing that really stood out to him though was the humans held there. Crocodile seemed to enjoy dressing them up with collars and pretty silks so he could parade them around like the obvious slaves they were.

The thought of Luffy in that garb made him shudder. Thank goodness the human had been found by him, otherwise…

"Lastly, there's Germa, home to the Vinsmoke clan." Thatch said while circling an area northeast of the city, "They're…well, they're difficult. Any human they take doesn't come out of there alive, probably due to their creepy experiments. Rumor has it they're trying to develop some kind of serum or drug that will replace blood and make humans completely obsolete."

Though he'd never met any of the Vinsmokes, their reputation as a military power was fearsome. Ace knew their citadel was practically a fortress of technology just from observing it but had no intention of ever going inside. On top of their human experiments, they'd work on vampires as well, nearly getting them indicted by the council multiple times.

In other words, they were a clan to be avoided at all costs.

"Damn, a bunch of troublemakers…" Kidd said with a smirk, eyeing the three red circles, "Anyone else I should know about?" Thatch brought a hand to his jaw in thought.

"We get the occasional rogue or group passing through, but not often considering how far we are from the main compounds…"

"What about the human group that's been attacking our supply routes?" Ace put in, drawing everyone's attention.

"That's right!" Thatch exclaimed, grabbing the pen again and drawing a red 'X' just to the northwest of the Moby Dick, "We estimate their main hideout is around here somewhere, but haven't sent anyone to scout the area yet."

"Why haven't you tried to put them down quickly?" Killer questioned stoically, making Ace frown.

"Well…they haven't exactly done any substantial damage and certainly don't have the proper weaponry, so we've let them be for now." Thatch answered, "Plus, your arrival kind of threw a wrench into things, no offense."

Kidd shrugged and returned his attention to the map.

"I'm more concerned with these three…what are the odds of a successful meeting with them? All three of them." Ace's eyes widened and he exchanged nervous glances with Thatch. Was he serious?

"Er…probably pretty low…"

At that, Kidd smirked and waved them out, content to whisper with his masked friend. Outside the tent, Thatch exhaled sharply.

"I certainly hope he's not planning what I think he's planning."

After an interesting breakfast, Sabo decided to take Luffy for a snack and then back to the stables so he could finish his more…sensitive work. He felt bad that their walk hadn't gone terribly well, but he supposed it was a start.

It would take a while for him to break through the wall Luffy'd built up, especially since he seemed more confident around the other vampires.

'Maybe it's because I'm a pureblood.' Sabo mused, taking a turn towards the kitchens. Only time would tell. They were immediately met by a collection of interesting smells, some sour and some sweet. Luffy came up beside him and looked around in awe.

"Lord Second?" A vampire wearing an apron asked, coming up to them, "What brings you all the way here this morning? Want something to go with your blood?"

"No, no, it's not for me." Sabo answered, motioning to Luffy, "Could you get him something?" The chef looked over the boy in confusion but nodded.

"Uh, sure. Anything in particular?" At that, Luffy stepped forward, a hopeful look on his face.

"Ne, is this where the fluffy c- I mean, pancakes are made?" He was practically drooling in anticipation, giving the chef his impressive doe eyes. The vampire chuckled and nodded.

"Sure is! You want some, kid?"

Luffy nodded enthusiastically, practically bouncing in place. He was so excited that Sabo decided to allow him to watch the preparation up close while he observed from the doorway. Another chef came up to him and smiled, equally amused at Luffy's antics.

"Don't worry, we won't let him get burned."

"Much appreciated." Sabo huffed. Having Luffy's skinny arms so close to a searing pan made him anxious. The female vampire held in a laugh as the little human's head went up and down with the flipped dough.

"What an adorable human…I am surprised he knows about pancakes though, it's doubtful he had the opportunity to try them in the wastes." Sabo was also confused about that and intended to ask him before sending him back to the stables.

About fifteen minutes later, Luffy had a plate full of pancakes, all done up with syrup and chocolate chips. His face beamed with happiness as he stuck his fork into it and ate with gusto. Sabo couldn't hold in a smile at the way Luffy's legs swayed back and forth happily and his eyes sparkled.

Happiness suited him.

Once he was done and bowed to the chefs (at Sabo's instruction), they headed back outside towards Stable G. Luffy seemed a little more relaxed then he had been, which was good, a step in the right direction.

Sabo could see Luffy's pen mates in the outdoor portion of their cell, pointing at them and rushing inside, likely to greet their friend.

"Luffy." Sabo said, coming to a stop, "Did you enjoy getting some time outside?" The human hummed and made a small noise of affirmation.

"Erm…yeah, I guess. The fluffy cakes were really good…"

"Have you had pancakes before?" He questioned, watching Luffy's eyes grow wide and his posture become closed off, "Maybe…with Law?"

"Ne, is this where the fluffy c- I mean, pancakes are made?" That statement in and of itself indicated he'd eaten them here in the citadel. Luffy stayed silent though, biting his lip to keep himself from speaking.

"Or perhaps…with Ace?"

Luffy's breath hitched at the name, and he attempted to shuffle away from him. Sabo didn't let him go and observed the kid's behavior closely. Something had definitely happened between the two of them, but what?

"Never mind, I'm sorry for upsetting you." Sabo smoothly put in while ruffling Luffy's hair playfully. No need to cause him more stress, there was always next time. At that, he led the human back into the stable.

Once they got close to the boy's pen, the other occupants were at the bars calling for Luffy in relief. Seconds after the rope was untied from the kid's wrist, the little human knelt in front of the bars and gratefully accepted a quick hug from the female.

Watching them interact, something clicked in his mind.

'Back then…with Ace…he hadn't been drinking from him at all!' Sabo thought, gently maneuvering the human back into his pen, 'He was hugging Luffy…but why?'