Author's Note: Hey everyone, here's the new chapter! This remains one of my favorite AU's to write XD ENJOY!

To bpv229: Lol I know right! Gotta love bonding fluff.

To hinakudo: Lu is so stinking adorable! When Ace gets back, things will happen 0_0 I guarantee it. Thank you so much for reviewing!

To Zaraih: Aw thanks!

To fluffypuppies: Kidd is trouble lol. Sabo and Lu fluff is so fun to write haha, there will definitely be more. Now, when Ace comes back...so many opportunities for fluff and competition XD YES, FLUFF MASTER, I love it. Aw, I'm glad I've given you inspiration to draw! Definitely let me know if you do anything, I'd love to see it :) [P.S. I'm working on getting a drawing of the first pancake scene, but it might still be a while]

To Vongola10: Here's an update for you!

WARNINGS:

- Nakedness

- Some violence

- Possessiveness

- Bellamy 'Hyena' being a jerk/creep

- Our favorite humans do something kind of stupid

As the days went by, Luffy fell into a routine.

They'd have breakfast in the morning, go outside, and get some exercise if the weather was nice. After lunch, they'd play some games or take a nap, sometimes just talking to each other. Luffy was also getting used to Sabo coming to get him almost every morning for his 'walk', which was quickly growing on him.

The pureblood would take him around the citadel, mostly outside, and just…let him roam. He'd gotten some strange looks from other vampires, but with Sabo there, Luffy was never questioned.

Torao came to see him a couple times, but mostly just to do a quick check-up and take blood samples. They were almost never left alone, which irked Luffy as he really wanted to question the vampire further about their 'connection'.

As he had now seen a lot more of the citadel, Zoro started asking him to make notes of the layout and report back. Despite everyone's reservations, the green-haired human desperately wanted to escape and refused to give up trying. Luffy did his best but wasn't sure exactly what Zoro wanted to know.

After all, if they couldn't do anything about their tags, there was no point in planning an escape.

Now, a week and a few days since Ace had left, Luffy stretched his arms up like a cat, waking up when breakfast was brought for them. Though he hated to admit it, living as one of the citadel's humans was fairly comfortable. Granted, compared to what he'd come from, anything was better.

"Morning." Usopp slurred, still drowsy. Luffy smiled and wiped sleep from his eyes, ready to dig into their breakfast. Nami joined them a few minutes later.

He glanced up from his meal to look at Zoro, confused why his friend wasn't eating.

"Are you feeling sick, Zoro?" Luffy asked with big eyes, gaining the older male's attention. Zoro grunted, lip curling up slightly.

"Nah, just sick of being here…treated like a damn animal."

"I know you want to escape, so do I." Nami put in, taking a break from her eggs, "But we have yet to come up with something remotely plausible." Luffy looked down and bit his lip, feeling somewhat responsible. His 'scouting' wasn't very useful.

Before the conversation could continue, a large group of vampires entered the stable, heavily armed. They started opening up cells and taking out all of the occupants.

"What's going on?"

"Finally, I was really starting to smell." Nami said, quickly finishing her plate. Zoro's eyes hardened and he stomped away into the outdoor portion of their cell while Usopp leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"It's time for us to bathe, for real!"

Luffy blinked, curious how that was going to work. They had a small bathroom in their pen, but it didn't have a bath or basin large enough to clean their bodies thoroughly. He'd been just splashing water on his face…he was used to being filthy, so it wasn't a huge deal.

A few minutes later it was their turn, and about six vampires entered, led by the large vampire who worked for Torao…what was his name? Bean or something? At the creature's order, Luffy, Usopp, and Nami were lined up against the bars so their hands could be cuffed behind their backs.

The leader went himself to drag Zoro inside, chains wrapped around his torso and a pole attached to his collar.

"DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU BASTARDS!" Zoro exclaimed, pulling hard against his restraints. Luffy quickly stood up and made to help but was held back by another vampire.

"Stay put." He was warned, the vampire's grip on his upper arm tightening. Luffy's eyes darted anxiously between his friend and the vampires, scared they'd electrocute him again.

"Let's go." The leader said, his big hand around the back of Zoro's neck securely, just barely avoiding the collar. Luffy, Usopp, and Nami were led outside first, surrounded by their dangerous escorts. Zoro took up the rear, dragged along like a rabid animal.

"It's okay…" Nami whispered, cracking a smile at him, "Don't be nervous, Zoro's just over reacting." Luffy nodded, grateful for the encouragement.

As it turned out, the 'human bathing area' was sectioned off right next to the outer wall, complete with tents, outdoor showers, and many large basins full of water. There was an area for men and one for woman. From what Luffy could tell, the vampires had some sort of system to control how many of them went to bathe at a time.

At the entrance to the main and largest tent was Torao, looking tired and done with everyone as usual. He raised an eyebrow at Zoro.

"Do you need any assistance, Jean-ya?"

"No, I got him." The vampire replied, shaking Zoro slightly to emphasize the control he had. Torao nodded and turned to the rest of them.

"You have twenty-five minutes to get yourselves clean, so don't linger." Before he could be led into the large tent with the other guys, Torao grabbed his arm. "I need to do a quick physical exam of this one." The other vampires didn't question their boss' decision and simply pushed Usopp and Zoro forward into the tent.

Luffy was firmly led to a smaller tent to the side of the main one, making him feel a bit nervous. What did Torao want?

"Do relax, Luffy-ya," The vampire soothed, "unless you want everyone to see your pendant?" He flinched, having momentarily forgotten that that would be problem in a public bath…

"Erm…no, I don't."

"As I suspected…so, I'll hold onto it for you." Luffy immediately went to protest but was stopped by the vampire's clawed hand, "I swear that I will return it to you when you're done. Trust me."

Seeing that he didn't have much of a choice, Luffy didn't struggle as the pendant was gently removed from his neck and stored in the vampire's pocket.

A few minutes later, Luffy had joined his friends in the large tent, escorted by Torao. The vampire removed his cuffs and passed him off to one of the guards, who immediately ordered him to strip off all of his clothing. Luffy bit his lip and glanced around, painfully aware of how many other naked guys there were around.

"Come on, we don't have all day." The guard said, sounding a little annoyed. Not wanting to make anyone mad, Luffy did as he was told. He didn't have much clothing, just the shorts, underwear, and shirt provided to him by Torao, the same uniform all of the captive humans wore.

Thankfully, he no longer had to wear any bandages.

When he was free from all his clothing, the guard immediately walked around him, as if checking for something. Honestly, it made Luffy feel a bit…self-conscious, like he was on display or something.

"You're clear." The guard stated, using a device to scan his tag, making it beep. Before Luffy had time to think on what that meant, he was pushed through the back flaps of the tent out into the actual bathing area.

There were quite a few people, all chatting quietly as they stood under the shower heads or reclined in one of the large basins. Thankfully, it wasn't hard to locate Zoro and Usopp.

"Hey, you made it! What'd that jerk want…woah…" The long-nosed teen gaped down at Luffy's chest, eyeing his massive scar, "W-What happened to you?" Zoro also seemed interested, but simply eyed him, saying nothing.

"…a vampire…" Luffy whispered, hugging himself at the memory, "Sorry, I don't really want to talk about it." Thankfully, his friends seemed to understand and moved over to the corner to start getting themselves clean.

It was actually really nice to take a bath. Plus, the water was warm, a luxury he hadn't had out in the wastes (but had experienced with Torao that night he'd taken him away from Ace…granted, he was super stressed at the time and hadn't really enjoyed it). When he struggled to reach around to his back, Zoro offered to do it for him.

Luffy practically purred as Zoro moved up to his hair, gently massaging his scalp. This was nice…

A few minutes later, he was clean and dripping wet. While he sat on a bench and waited for his friends to finish, Luffy scanned the other humans, curious about his fellow captives. Most of them were just a bit older than him.

"Hey, you." Someone whispered, earning his attention. It was a tall blonde guy that seemed…familiar. The stranger moved to sit next to him, eyeing the guards watching them with disguised caution. "I remember you…from the sanctuary."

Luffy furred his brows, trying to remember the man. He had a very 'punchable' face (that the vampires had obviously utilized) with beady eyes and a devilish smirk…wait…

"You're the guy who was bragging about killing a vampire!" Luffy exclaimed, doing his best to stay somewhat quiet. How was he still alive? As far as he knew, the Whitebeards didn't offer mercy to those who harmed one of their own.

The man smirked and put his arm around him harshly.

"So, you do remember! I'm flattered." The guy leaned in, so his mouth was right by his ear, "I hear Roronoa's hatching an escape plan, and I want in." Luffy pushed the larger male away, uncomfortable with how close he was.

"There is no plan." Luffy hissed, getting up to go join his friends. The guy stopped him by grabbing his shoulder and wrenching it painfully to get him to sit back down.

"Oh, I know, that's why I'm offering my services. With me and my team's help, we can get out of here." Luffy growled and finally ripped the man's arm off him.

"Leave me alone!"

He jogged quickly over to Zoro and Usopp, making them look up.

"Something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong." The creepy stalker guy said with a smirk, grabbing Luffy around the neck this time, muscular arm tight around his airway, "I'm just having a little chat with the runt here." Needless to say, at this point, the guards had noticed.

Amidst all the yells and sound of a fight getting started, Luffy's vision was starting to go black. He'd been so frustrated at his weakness against the vampires, but this was a human. Wasting no time, Luffy used all his strength to flip the large man over his shoulder and onto the ground, forcing him to release his grip on his neck.

While he collapsed onto the wet grass coughing, Zoro viciously attacked the blonde man. His friend was strong and pushed him back against the stone wall, only for the other guy to whisper something into his ear as they struggled.

Zoro seemed to consider it for a moment before punching the man in the face.

Luffy didn't move as the vampires rushed them, swiftly grabbing his arms and tearing Zoro off the other male.

"You touch him again and I'll kill you!" Zoro spit, lashing out again at the blonde. Luffy could feel that his friend was genuinely angry, but there was something else there…like…a look of acknowledgment. The blonde cackled and struggled against his own captors.

"Just try it, Marimo! Both you and the runt will regret crossing me!"

The bath area was quickly evacuated until only Luffy, Zoro, and the still unnamed man remained. They were dragged back into the main tent and forcefully dressed, which wasn't a very pleasant experience.

Luffy was placed on a bench, hands cuffed behind him again, while Torao grabbed his chin and tilted it up to look at his neck.

"It'll bruise, but nothing serious." He determined, lowering his hand, "I can't imagine what exactly you and Marimo did to piss Hyena off so much…"

"If I may, Sir." A guard interrupted, one Luffy recognized from the bath area, "Hyena approached this one and started to harass him. Marimo didn't intervene until it got violent." Torao hummed and turned back to him.

"Is this true, Luffy-ya?"

He bit his lip and nodded, remembering how 'Hyena' had grabbed him. Luffy sincerely hoped Zoro and that jerk hadn't come to some of agreement. The last thing they needed was Mr. Jerk-Face pushing Zoro to escape with them. Luffy didn't trust the blonde as far as he could throw him (literally). Before Torao could say anything else, a robed figure rushed into the tent.

"What the hell happened!?" It was Sabo. The pureblood quickly knelt before Luffy and took his face in his clawed hands, tilting it around delicately.

"One of the other humans attacked him." Torao explained, "Hyena, actually. We don't have a clear motive right now…other than the obvious." Sabo growled, making his fangs elongate. Luffy swallowed nervously. Even though he felt a little better about the pureblood, having his fangs so close to his neck was a bit…terrifying.

"What are our options?"

"I recommend we keep them separated, which shouldn't be hard considering they're in different stables." Torao suggested, "He's scheduled to be executed soon after Eustass-ya returns, so there's really no point in additional punishment."

Sabo nodded and released Luffy's face, fangs retreating back into his gums.

"All right, I trust your judgment. Do you need anything, Luffy? Food…or a walk perhaps?" The still shaken boy shook his head. All he wanted was to go back to his friends and rest…put what happened behind him.

Torao offered to take Luffy back to his cell, leaving Sabo behind. The pureblood had an expression of concern on his face but didn't follow them. Just before they entered the stable, Torao slipped his hand into Luffy's, depositing the familiar weight of his necklace.

"Thanks." He whispered, glancing up at the tall vampire. Torao nodded, but said nothing, simply moving his cold hand up to Luffy's upper back and pushing him back into his cell, taking a few seconds to free him from the cuffs.

Once inside, Luffy clasped his precious pendant around his neck (making sure to hide it beneath his shirt) and immediately noticed that his friends were outside, clumped together and speaking in low tones.

"We don't know this guy at all!" Nami hissed, "How can we trust someone who practically molested Luffy in the bath!?" Zoro huffed.

"I gave him hell for harassing Luffy, but it was all a ploy to pass on the information to me without the guards getting suspicious. Even you have to admit that's clever." Nami was about to spit another likely toxic response but stopped when Luffy sat down to join them.

"Hey…you all right?" Zoro asked, looking a bit guilty.

"Yeah, I'm good." Luffy replied, "Did…did he say something to you?"

"Yep, that's what we're talking about." Usopp put in with a frown, "Apparently, the guy has a way to block our tags' signal for a while." The long-nosed teen then pulled out a little packet. "One of his friends slipped me this on our way out, it's a longer version of what that guy told Zoro."

Luffy glanced at the packet but didn't take it. He couldn't read, so he waited patiently for Usopp to explain what the guy had written down.

Sabo was pissed off.

One of the boy's fellow humans had injured and possibly violated Luffy, his human! How dare he!? It took all his self-control to not tear the smirking male's throat out. So, he went for a less permanent option.

The human cried out in pain as Sabo grabbed him by the hair and yanked him off his feet.

"You're very lucky Lord Phoenix wants a public execution," He growled, shaking the man effortlessly, "otherwise, I would tear your limbs off right here and let your corpse rot with the rest of the trash." Doing his best to hold back, Sabo punched the human so hard he flew through the benches and tent wall, making a bit of a mess, but it satisfied his fury…a bit.

He still wanted to tear the man apart, but that wouldn't be proper.

"Take him away." Sabo ordered a nearby guard, who was watching with big eyes. Crap, he was starting to scare some of his still new subordinates.

'I need to calm down.' He thought, leaving the tent.

When Luffy denied food of all things, Sabo had immediately become concerned for the poor thing. Though they hadn't known each other for very long, the pureblood figured out right away that the kid loved to eat and would never deny food of any sort.

Hopefully some time to rest and recover with his companions would help…but Sabo still determined to visit Luffy later, just to check up on him.

It was hard to believe just how possessive he'd become of Luffy in just a week.

Shaking his head, Sabo made his way back into the main building, heading straight for where he had been told the library was. He'd been so busy that he hadn't gotten a chance to go, and now was as good a chance as any. What better way to calm himself than books?

The library itself was located in the basement of the citadel. It took a bit of pressure to push the rusty hinges open, but inside, it was like a wonderland of knowledge. Everywhere Sabo looked, there was shelf after shelf, filled to the brim with books of all sizes.

'Man, Law wasn't kidding when he said Whitebeard had a collection…'

Unsure of where to start, Sabo began to wander around aimlessly, eyes prancing between book titles. There was just so MUCH! Finally deciding he should use his time wisely, he settled himself in a section that held information on the citadel.

Perhaps there would be something about its history?

Luffy swallowed instinctively after hearing Bellamy's (apparently the jerk's real name) plan. It was risky and put a lot of said risk on them.

"I think we should do it." Zoro stated, eyes determined, "We may never get another chance like this. The main soldiers are gone, and these guys have the tools we'll need to escape."

"…and if they betray us?" Nami whispered, obviously not liking the plan.

"We kill them."

They sat in silence for a second, everyone twitching with nerves. Luffy in particular felt scared for a different reason. If they got caught, he would have to deal with Torao, Sabo, and probably even Ace! On top of that, all the other innocent people trapped in the citadel would be punished, something he had trouble stomaching.

"W-When do they want to move?" Usopp asked, hands trembling slightly. Zoro's eyes narrowed.

"Tonight. If we're doing this, we need to decide now." The green-haired man looked between them, urging them to speak up. Luffy chewed on his bottom lip, truly unsure what they should do.

"I'm in." Luffy looked up in surprise when Usopp was the first one to agree, "If this is our only shot, I say we take it!" Despite her harsh resistance, Nami gave in as well, saying she would be stupid to pass up the opportunity to be free again.

Everyone turned and looked at him expectedly.

"I-I…erm…"

"We can do this, Luffy." Zoro encouraged, "You don't have to be afraid of the vampires, the pureblood, 'Ace', none of them. We'll protect you. Besides, once we're out of here, you'll have a place with us, a new home."

All of it sounded wonderful, and Luffy hated being seen as weak and scared. Despite his somewhat complicated relationship with Sabo, Torao, and Ace that made him feel wanted, maybe it was time to escape?

Maybe it was time to be among his own kind again, free of chains and cages?

"Okay, let's go!"

When night fell, they started making their preparations (not that they had much to bring with them). Luffy bemoaned the fact that his bag was still locked up somewhere by Torao, so he'd be forced to leave his sowing kit behind. Oh well, he could just make another one.

The plan was to break themselves out, and then send Nami to the other stable to subtly get their 'allies' out. Apparently, she was quite skilled as a thief and 'locksmith'. From there, they would run to the vehicle depot, steal a van, and drive out the front gate.

Luffy wasn't sure why the guards were going to just let them out, but Bellamy seemed confident enough in his letter. He had his reservations about working with the jerk, but they didn't really have much of a choice.

Just after midnight, they made their move.

Nami swiftly picked the lock to their cell, making sure no guards were around. It was strange, to move around when almost no one was awake (especially considering they were vampires…). Zoro led the way, always making sure Luffy and Usopp were right on his tail.

They snuck around to the front of the citadel, avoiding lights and the sight of guards posted on the wall. Luffy glanced around a corner, only to gasp when he saw that a guard was coming straight for them. Before he could say anything, Zoro pulled him into a shadow, hand over his mouth.

Not daring to even breath, they waited for the vampire to pass, Usopp releasing a quiet puff of air when the guard walked back towards the citadel.

"T-That was close…" Zoro bopped Usopp on the head for speaking before leading them through the shadows towards where the vehicles were parked. Luffy looked around as they made their way through the many gardens, cool air blowing his hair back.

It would be a bit of a shock to go back into the wastes after enjoying the engineered atmosphere…

Luffy flinched as they passed the Blood Depository and the creek where he'd met Stefan. Now that had been an interesting day, riding around on a dog, eating pancakes with Sabo…like he had with Ace. Wait, was he feeling…regret? Why should he feel anything towards the vampires who'd kidnapped him and held him against his will?

Even so, he had been treated kindly…

He was brought back to reality when they reached their destination, a large metal door. Zoro motioned for them to keep watch while he worked on the door. It didn't take long for Nami to arrive, a group of six following after her.

"Where's your stuff?" Zoro asked, finally getting the door open, "This all means nothing if we can't mask our tags."

"Don't worry, it should already be inside." Bellamy replied, glancing to wink down at Luffy, making him glare back. His face was even more swollen and messed up then it had been earlier. This guy was definitely bad news.

Inside, there were a ton of vehicles, but most obvious was the vampire leaning against one of the vans. Zoro immediately got into a fighting position, but Bellamy pushed him aside.

"Relax, he's with me."

The vampire glared at Bellamy but motioned with his head to a bag by his feet.

"They're in there." The cloth bag held wads of…foil? Luffy looked quizzically at the sheet he was given, moving it around in his hands. What was he supposed to do with it?

"Wrap it around your arm, it'll mask the signal. It won't work forever though." Luffy jumped as the vampire addressed him directly, still confused why he was helping them. Bellamy cackled and threw an arm around the brunette vampire.

"I appreciate your help, Doma." He sneered, tongue coming out of his mouth. The vampire glared down in disgust at the human.

"I'm not doing this because I want to, scum." Bellamy laughed again.

"Oh, I know. Don't worry, your little friend will be returned safe and sound once we're all out of here."

Luffy wasn't sure what was going on, but Bellamy obviously had something on the vampire. Zoro quickly ushered him into the van, followed closely by the rest of their group. Doma was forced into the driver's seat, much to his chagrin.

"Drive, vamp."

Doma hissed lightly but started up the vehicle none-the-less. A few minutes later, they approached the main gate. Everyone in the back of the van went completely silent as the guard held a light up to their vampire escort's face.

"Doma? Where are you going so late?"

"Emergency supply run." The vampire replied, "We're almost out of booze." At that, the guard let them by quickly, not bothering to check the back. Wow, they really liked their alcohol…

It didn't take long to raise the gate and drive out into the wastes. Luffy got up on his knees and glanced through one of the small windows, somewhat sad to see nothing but sand once again. He'd enjoyed the coolness and beauty of the citadel, despite his position as livestock.

"See, told you it'd work." Bellamy gloated, moving himself up next to Doma, "Go faster! We've gotta get far away before the bastards realize we're gone."

Next to him, Zoro exhaled slowly, obviously relieved. Luffy felt good too but couldn't seem to get rid of the knot in his stomach. These 'allies' of theirs definitely weren't trustworthy, and the foil wouldn't work forever.

Where would they go from here?

Sabo snorted as he woke up, face plastered to the inside of whatever book he had been reading. Yawning, he looked around, trying to find the time.

'Well crap…it's morning again…' He moaned, hating that he hadn't gotten a chance to check on Luffy. Apparently, he'd been more worn out than he thought, spending the entire day reading and then falling asleep like a child. Still, the library was awesome! Sabo had learned so much about the citadel after going through almost all of the books in the section he'd camped out in.

His memory made reading and retention a simple task.

A little unstable on his feet (understandable seeing it was around 5 AM), Sabo stumbled into one of the bookshelves on his way back up the stairs. He really needed some coffee-

His head jolted up as the citadel-wide alarm began to sound. Instantly more awake, Sabo pulled himself together and ran out to see what was going on. Not everyone was awake yet, but Lord Phoenix stood out on the main steps, arms crossed.

"What happened?" He asked, looking around. Were they under attack or something? Marco sighed.

"A number of humans have escaped, yoi. When the keepers went to feed them this morning, all they found was pillows and blankets."

Sabo blinked, honestly shocked. That hadn't been what he was expecting. Marco turned towards Stable C, where Law excited, flanked by two of his keepers.

"How many, yoi?"

"Ten." Trafalgar replied, straightening his kimono, "Six from C and four from G." Sabo gulped at that.

"W-Was it-"

"Luffy-ya is with them. His whole pen is gone."

Sabo's body went cold. Luffy…had escaped? But why? He knew the boy was still scared of him, but he didn't think the kid would actually run away. Marco put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, they shouldn't be difficult to track down."

"That's just it." Law interrupted, flipping around his pad for them to see, "Somehow, they're masking their tags' signals. We can't get a good reading on their location." The dots on the digital map were flashing and bouncing around erratically.

"S-So what do we do?" Sabo exclaimed, hands clenched, "We have to get Luffy back!" He didn't particularly care about the rest of them, but his Luffy was special. The boy didn't deserve a life out in the wastes. Besides, if he wasn't here, with him, some other vampire could come and snatch him up!

Like hell Sabo would let that happen.

"We'll track them the old fashioned way, and, if I'm right, I imagine we'll get a signal back soon enough." Law said, a smirk coming to his lips, "I can have a capture team ready in twenty minutes. They won't get away."