Author's Note: Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well and taking care of yourselves in this crazy time. Since most of you are probably at home with not much to do, I hope this chapter helps bring a little happiness to your day :) ENJOY!

To RIAEVANS: Thank you so much! No Sabo last chapter, but he is in this chapter ;) Poor Lu, but don't worry, things are starting to look up for him! I hope you enjoy the update!

To fluffypuppies: Aw yes, Ace is so excited 'lil Lu is his little brother. So adorable! Yeah...Sabo is definitely going to be even more jealous XD Marco and Law aren't taking any chances with Luffy, poor guy. You're totally right, caging Luffy is like keeping a wild animal locked up. Hopefully they'll realize their mistake soon ;) Bless Thatch and his oddities lol. I'm so glad you liked it and thank you for the wonderful review! See you next time!

To hinakudo: You're very welcome and thank you! The story is really starting to pick up now!

To clipboardfox22: LOL thank you for pointing this out! I changed it the second I got your review. Whoops XD

To too addicted to fiction: Aw you're so kind! I've worked very hard on this story and I'm glad people can appreciate it like I do. It's sooo much fun to write! I am also a fan of possessive Ace and Sabo, along with everybody else ;) Thank you so much for the sweet review and I hope you enjoy the update!

WARNINGS:

- Vampire/human relations

- Mentions of slavery (see first warning)

- Jealousy

- Thatch's "3 Step Plan"

- Things are starting to unfold

The week after Luffy's return to the citadel were rather uneventful. He slowly regained his strength and was able to move around the room, first with supervision, but now independently. The room was nice and comfortable, but also very lonely.

True to his solitary punishment, the only visitors he received after the talk with Ace's sire was either Torao or one of his 'keepers'. Currently, it was almost lunch time.

'I wonder what they'll bring me today…' Luffy thought, rubbing his stomach with his left hand when it started to rumble. He'd been unwilling and frankly unable to eat the first few days, nausea and malaise keeping him bedridden. It was nice to finally get back on his feet.

Walking over to one of the windows, he looked out over the yard. Most of the time, there wasn't much to see as the stables were still closed, but today, it looked like they might finally be open again! Luffy cracked a smile at the thought. It was about time the other humans got to feel the sun again.

As he watched, a vampire waved his hand and the outer doors to the pens opened, prompting many humans to stumble outside, appearing very happy. Luffy's smile fell, thinking how it was technically his and his friends' fault the others had been punished. He hadn't wanted it to end up this way.

A voice echoing in the hallway drew his attention away from the window. It sounded like his lunch was here!

"Sir? This is a surprise."

Luffy blinked, not moving from where he stood. Wasn't that-

"I have permission, stand aside please."

The two guards that were always outside his door stepped aside and allowed the vampire through, revealing a familiar face he hadn't seen in what felt like a lifetime.

"Sabo…" He whispered, taking in the pureblood's tired smile and new maroon robe. The last time he'd spoken to the vampire was before the escape.

"Good morning, or afternoon, I suppose." Sabo said, holding a tray of steaming soup and some bread. Luffy's eyes immediately locked onto the delicious looking meal. "Feeling hungry?"

"Mn!" He affirmed, making his way over to the couch as quickly as he could. The shackles around his ankles impeded his progress a bit and rattled as he walked. Luffy sat down and scooted over to allow Sabo a place to sit as he gently placed the tray on the table in front of them. He supposed he should feel more wary around the pureblood, but it had been so long since anyone other than the medical team had been there, and he was craving contact with someone.

It was difficult to be alone.

"Dig in." Sabo stated, making Luffy lean forward expectantly. He picked up the spoon with his left hand and subconsciously moved to pick up the bowl with his right, only to stop short. It was hard to remember that the arm was simply gone. The vampire quickly pulled the table closer so he wouldn't need to grasp the bowl, much to his delight. "How are you doing?"

Luffy blew on the soup cupped by the spoon and put it into his mouth, savoring the taste before answering.

"…better…kinda lonely." He admitted, eagerly taking a bite of the bread (after putting his spoon down to free up his hand). Sabo sighed.

"That is the point of solitary confinement…I suppose that means it's working." The pureblood watched him eat for a few minutes before continuing, "Is it true that Ace is your brother?"

Luffy nodded curtly, mouth full of soup. It was pretty weird to readily admit, but it was true, nonetheless.

"I see…" Sabo muttered, bringing a clawed hand up to his chin in thought. Luffy examined him closely, continuing to eat his lunch. The vampire didn't seem upset or anything about the revelation, just…thoughtful.

"Apparently we have the same mom." Luffy continued, frowning at the thought. He missed his parents. "I guess Mom had a kid before she met my dad…I'm not sure why she never said anything about him."

"You're only half-brothers?" Sabo questioned, "With the way Ace has been talking, I never would've guessed…perhaps I should have spoken with Law." Luffy shrugged, really just wanting to focus on his food.

The vampire didn't speak while he finished his meal, allowing Luffy time to finish it and even lick the bowl. The food he was given was 'light' but hopefully it would be upgraded to something more substantial soon…he was ready for some meat. The boy put his bowl down and glanced to Sabo.

"Sabo?" He asked, making the vampire flash a smile.

"Sorry, just have a lot on my mind. I'm glad you're feeling better!" The vampire stood up and moved to take the tray but stopped. He then gently pulled Luffy to his feet and hugged him, breathing out slowly. "I know this has been hard on you…but please endure it. We just want to keep you safe."

Luffy hummed and lightly pushed away from the cold vampire.

"I know." Not that it made him feel any better about his current situation. His relationship with the vampires was strange, but also natural considering he was human. They saw him as a resource, one they wanted to possess and own. He supposed it was nice to be treated so well…but the yearning to escape and have no more bars around him never disappeared. Luffy wasn't just some prized pet to be kept and hoarded.

Sabo looked down on him with an expression of pity before moving to pick up the tray.

"You'll be pleased to hear that Law is considering moving you back into the stables." Luffy's eyes widened in surprise. Really? He'd thought his imprisonment in the tower would be permanent after their successful escape. "He has also decided to re-implement your 'walk', given proper precautions. It won't be as often as it was for a while, and it may not always be with me, but staying cooped up in here isn't exactly healthy."

Luffy cracked a smile, thinking how nice it would be to feel the grass under his feet again. He'd even started to miss the Sun! But…who else would be taking him out if not Sabo? Ace maybe, or Torao?

"Thanks!" Luffy chirped, wanting to show the vampire his gratitude. Sabo smiled in return before moving towards the door.

"You should thank Law the next time you see him. Keep behaving like you are, and I imagine your privileges will slowly be given back to you. But, in the meantime, you should rest. See you later, Luffy."

The boy waved lowly, watching the vampire leave his 'room' and flinching when the lock clicked back into place. The guards outside bade goodbye to Sabo and his footsteps quickly faded away. He huffed and shuffled back over to the bed, suddenly exhausted.

…this was his life now, but hopefully not forever. He wanted to be free.

'Don't take too long, Zoro.' Luffy thought before snuffling into the blankets and falling asleep.

Sabo was concerned.

Naturally, the sudden announcement that Ace and Luffy were siblings had been a shock, especially considering Kidd's suspicion that the former was a 'D'. During the week, he'd spent most of his time in the library, trying to find something on the ancient clan (and also attempting to avoid Ace…he just knew the vampire would rub it in).

Unfortunately, though Whitebeard was meticulous in his record keeping, there was not one mention of the 'D's'. Which was honestly quite disheartening.

'…and Luffy is Ace's half-brother…' Sabo mused, turning a corner. He supposed that was good news, but it still meant that the boy probably had some 'demonic' blood in his veins. They just didn't know enough about the clan to even know where to start! '…and involving Marco is out of the question.'

Kidd and Sabo had had regular conferences together over the last week concerning everything that happened and the progress of his research. Both of them were beginning to notice a slight shift in the behavior of the citadel vampires…like they were wary of them. Kidd suspected it was because of Ace's outburst and wanted to keep everything they discovered between the two of them, for now.

As they knew going in, these vampires were only truly loyal to Whitebeard. If one of their own was threatened, it could spark internal conflict.

So engrossed in his thoughts, Sabo ran right into someone.

"Ah, pardon me…oh, Law."

The tattooed vampire dusted off his kimono and nodded to him.

"Sabo-ya…something on your mind? You seem distracted." The pureblood shrugged.

"Just a lot to think about…" He cleared his throat, "Anyway, tell me, how is Luffy's injury healing? I was just there, and it looked better." The human's residual limb had been wrapped snuggly in bandages, but based on Luffy's healthier complexion, he assumed everything was going smoothly.

"He's healing nicely." Law explained, pulling out his tablet and flipping to what he assumed was Luffy's page, "His vitals continue to be good, though he's lost weight, understandably. I am hopeful that as his diet improves, so will his general health."

"I see…and what about the new tag?" Sabo had been told about the shackles but wasn't sure how well they worked in comparison to the standard, subcutaneous tag. In response, Law showed him the screen, which displayed Luffy's heartrate, location, and other numbers.

"They're fully operational." The doctor said before putting the tablet away. He bowed and went to leave but stopped as if remembering something. "Oh, also, the sign-up sheet I put out for Luffy-ya already has quite a few interested parties."

"Really?" Sabo questioned, recalling what Law was talking about. After discussing it with him, they'd agreed to allow other vampires in the citadel opportunities to take Luffy out of his cell. With how busy Sabo was (with the whole 'D' research thing and Kidd's other objectives) it was clear others would need to be recruited.

Though Sabo had been quite reluctant to allow other vampires near Luffy.

"Take a look."

The pureblood bent down to read over the list Law had quickly pulled up on his tablet, curious who was interested.

Some were obvious like Ace, Doma (Luffy had saved his life after all), and even Law himself. Others were a bit more surprising.

'Thatch, Blenheim…some of Law's subordinates…Marco!?' He certainly hadn't considered the previous Lord would be interested…wait…was that-

"K-Kidd!?" Sabo exclaimed, grabbing the tablet from Law, "He doesn't have time for that!"

"Apparently, he does." The doctor chuckled, taking the pad back from him, "Needless to say, we have no shortage of willing vampires. And, though it may be your desire to keep Luffy-ya separated and…non-integrated, it will be good for him to get used to other vampires in the citadel."

"Y-Yeah…" He replied, running a hand through his hair. Law smirked and brushed past him, whispering to him as he passed.

"Are you jealous, Sabo-ya?"

"Not at all!" He responded lowly, straightening his kimono. He definitely wasn't jealous. Nope, not him. Luffy was just going to go on walks with other vampires…no big deal.

It was just that the walks were kind of their special time…and it wasn't solely theirs anymore.

No big deal.

Sabo huffed and continued along the corridor, wishing with all his heart he had a true connection to Luffy like Ace did. Would…being brothers help bring them closer?

While Ace finished cleaning out the depository tanks (as he did every day until his punishment was over), he went over what Thatch had been teaching him over the past week. Though he wouldn't be able to actually see or interact with Lu for a while longer, he wanted to be prepared.

He was determined not to scare the human, his little brother, anymore. Or come off as creepy, as he had apparently become a master of (according to Thatch). Thankfully, the older vampire had broken it down into just a few simple steps that were easy to remember:

Step 1: Remember how he's related to you.

'Luffy's my little brother first, human second.' He rehearsed, scrubbing particularly hard as he concentrated.

Step 2: There is no need to be the dominant one in the relationship, you are equals.

'No persuasion or talking down to him…' Ace continued, feeling a pit in his stomach form, recalling all the times he'd talked to Luffy like he was nothing but a pet. It was no wonder the boy was still so nervous around him.

Suddenly, Thatch's voice echoed in his head:

'Now Acey, this step may be hard because the rest of us probably won't change. To us, he's human. To you, he's your brother. For now, you'll just have to deal with it…but maybe someday we can do something about it, so that everyone sees him like you do.'

Step 3: If you think it's creepy, it probably is.

Ace rolled his eyes at that one. He wasn't going to be creepy anymore (having sadly concluded that Thatch was right). No more grabbing Luffy by the jaw or demanding respect…no more forcing affection on him. If he didn't want to be hugged, Ace would respect that.

'It'll take time to repair the relationship and build trust, real trust. Be patient, and don't get frustrated. Let him take the lead and move at his own pace.'

The freckled vampire sighed and hopped down, finally finished with his disgusting chore. Yeah, he felt that he was ready to re-start his familial relationship with Lu. It couldn't be that hard! Leaving the Depository behind, Ace began to make his way back to his room for a shower.

Otherwise, he would stink up the whole citadel.

As he walked, he examined the stables, now back to functioning normally after Kidd oversaw some basic reinforcements. Almost all of the humans were outside, some laying in the grass or sleeping peacefully. Ace smiled, figuring Luffy would be pleased things were finally going back to normal.

He glanced at Stable G, smile falling at the sight of Luffy's old pen, completely empty. Would they re-fill it or put Lu back? Only time would tell.

His gaze moved slowly from Stable G to E, which was just on the other side of the courtyard. Ace didn't expect to see anything of interest, but surprisingly, something caught his attention. In one of the outdoor pens closest to him, were two humans that were very familiar.

It was the old man and green-haired woman from the raid, the two that knew Luffy.

Honestly, he'd forgotten they had been captured as well.

Ace immediately changed his course and began to head towards them. If they were close with his newly discovered little brother, this could be his chance to glean some information. Where was Luffy from? How had he survived all this time alone?

Who killed his family?

It didn't take long for the woman to notice his approach, face paling considerably. Though, recalling the last time he saw her, she looked much better. Less…almost dead.

"Y-You're…" She whispered from the chair she sat in, swallowing audibly. The old man stood to his feet with effort, leaning on a wooden cane for support. Both of them wore the required human garb.

"What do you want?" The male asked, glaring at him from beyond the bars.

"Information…if you have it." Ace replied, sitting down and crossing his legs in an attempt to appear less intimidating. The humans glanced at each other before meeting his gaze again.

"I doubt we know anything of value to you…" The woman meekly put in, hands grasping at her trousers.

"I want to know about Luffy, anything you can tell me." He clarified, earning a frown from the old man.

"So that was him they brought back…is he…all right? He looked terribly hurt…" Ace tilted his head before realizing he was talking about when they'd retrieved him from Upper Yard. His initial arrival wasn't quite so obvious.

"He's healing…but it'll take time. A group convinced him to escape and things got…complicated. I won't go into the details, but he's safe now."

The old man hummed while the woman let out a sigh. It seems they were both worried about the boy, and rightfully so. He'd been through hell.

"…now I suppose you want to know what we know?"

"Yeah…please." Ace quickly added, trying to be cordial. The man sighed and sat back down when his knees started to knock together.

"Frankly, you probably know more than we do at this point. He showed up to Red Town the day before the raid, alone and very dusty." Ace nodded and scooted closer, "He seemed like a kind boy and had decent stuff to trade, so I lent him a bed. Didn't even flinch when he saw Makino, so I knew he was the honorable sort."

The woman, Makino, smiled softly at the memory.

"After talking with us and doing some sowing as part of his payment, he discovered that Makino didn't have much time left and was planning on surrendering herself to a nearby patrol." The man frowned, "He objected, of course, but after figuring out it was either that or see her die, Luffy offered to take her outside himself despite his obvious dislike of the idea."

Ace blinked, taking it all in. The old man cleared his throat before continuing.

"Of course, your raid ruined that plan. We secretly hoped he'd gotten away, but apparently he didn't…pity that."

"What do you mean?"

"The lad had obviously lived a hard life." The human said slowly, "But he was cheerful and happy with what he had. However, at the mere mention of vampires, he…how should I put this…deflated, like the very idea of giving up your freedom was equal to death."

Ace bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt he knew about that trait already. Luffy's initial reaction to the tag, his perpetual unhappiness in the citadel… freedom was more important to him than life itself, and he'd stolen it from him.

"I'm afraid that's all we know." Makino added, "We barely knew him for a full day…if only he'd moved on and not tried to help me." The old man moved to comfort the woman when she began to cry.

Realizing he wasn't going to get anything else, Ace stood to leave.

"It wasn't your fault, Makino." The old human assured, chuckling under his breath, "That little Monkey brat chose to stay and help…because he's kind and didn't want to see you suffer. You don't find many people like that anymore."

Ace stopped and mouthed the strange word the human used.

Monkey? Wasn't that an animal of some sort? Why compare him to a monkey…?

Shrugging, Ace jogged back towards the main entrance of the compound, pleased with what he'd managed to discover, meager though it was. Maybe when he got closer to Luffy, he would ask him about his past?

That is, only if he was willing.

Sabo knocked on Kidd's door when he arrived, needing to go over some documents and other economic inquiries with him. When the pureblood Lord called for him to enter, he gently opened the heavy door and closed it behind him.

"Kidd? Where-"

"In here, 'Bo." The red-head said, drawing his attention to the back room, or 'workshop' as Kidd preferred to call it. For as long as he could remember, Kidd had loved machines. He was always working on something, whether it was fixing a broken converter or creating something totally new.

Today, Sabo wasn't sure what the other pureblood was doing. As expected, Kidd was hunkered down in his workshop, covered in grease and other machine fluids. Thankfully, he wasn't wearing expensive clothing that befitted a citadel Lord, but a pair of overalls, a cap, and his signature goggles that hung loosely around his neck.

He didn't look up when Sabo entered, focused completely on typing something onto his holographic keyboard.

"I have some documents here that you need to sign-"

"Just a second…" Kidd interrupted, still typing. Sabo huffed and waited until the other finished, pressing the enter key with a flourish. "…and there it goes."

"What are you working on?" Sabo asked, curious what had so demanded his friend's attention. Kidd smirked, tapping on the projection and swiveling it around for his perusal. He stepped forward and read through the long message, eyes growing wider with each line. "W-What…are you serious!?"

"Yeah." Kidd stood up and pulled a pair of gloves on, "Now that everything's calmed down, it's time to move forward with the plan."

In short, the message detailed an invitation to the three citadels that shared their hunting grounds: Upper Yard, Germa, and Rain Base. Though the reasons were somewhat vague, it was obvious that Kidd wanted to have a conference with their Lords.

"B-But you said the prototype wasn't complete yet!"

"It is now." Kidd replied, placing his hand on a round, metallic machine about four feet in circumference. "When they see this baby in action, they'll be dying to help us out."

"What if it doesn't work!?" Sabo continued, now pacing back and forth, "A-And have you forgotten the tension between us and Upper Yard right now! I know you, Kidd, and I don't think this will end peacefully! As your advisor, I'm advising you to rescind this immediately!"

"Relax, I'm not an idiot." He said, motioning for him to calm down, "I've also sent an invitation to an elder who can oversee and mitigate the conversation. One Phoenix said he and Trafalgar trusted."

Sabo blinked and worked to calm himself down. Okay…that was good.

"…and if this goes poorly? You know there will be a huge influx of hunts and possibly altercations between citadels."

"I'm confident we can work something out." Kidd answered, reclining in his chair, "Enel can kiss my ass, and Germa's unlikely to be interested, but Crocodile…he's a man of vision. Hopefully I can get him on my side."

"…and then what?"

Kidd smirked.

"Then we can start restoring the world and expanding the citadel. Our little corner of the wasteland will become green and thriving again…rich with resources." The red-head hummed, enjoying the vision, "No one will want for blood, all the wild humans will be properly handled…doesn't that sound amazing, Sabo?"

The blonde sighed but smiled back. This had been Kidd's dream from when they were kids. He glanced over to a picture hanging on the wall, a painting that detailed the beautiful, blue ocean and a boat dancing on the waves, something neither of them had seen before in real life.

More than anything, Kidd wanted to see the world like it once was.

It was a crazy dream to many, but one Sabo could respect. Hopefully, the other Lords would understand his conviction and be drawn in by the wonder of his new contraption. The last thing they wanted was to spark a conflict and draw the Council's ire.

Upper Yard

"The nerve of that brat!" Enel screeched, angrily shoving the tablet into Ohm's hands, "He thinks after humiliating me in front of the Charlotte emissary, he can just invite me over for tea!?"

"…he's not inviting you for tea-"

"I KNOW, IDIOT! IT'S A FIGURE OF SPEECH!" His subordinate bowed immediately, knowing better than to incur his wrath. After what happened, Ohm, Satori, and Shura had already been punished, but his fury had yet to be quenched.

Not only had the incident blown his chances of joining the Charlotte family, but he'd lost resources and, worst of all, reputation. Some of his regular trade partners were questioning his honor after hearing rumors that he'd stolen from the OH SO PERFECT AND REPUTABLE clan of Whitebeard!

"How shall we respond, Master?"

Enel snarled and crushed the cup of freshly harvested blood currently in his hand into pieces. Oh, he'd oblige the brat and attend his conference or whatever, but only to exact his revenge. He was much smarter and older, a Master and Lord of many vampires! Akagami's whelp was still a child with no idea how to rule or demand complete obedience from his people.

He would ensure the talk went poorly and ruined that damned citadel!

Germa

"What is it? I'm busy?" A large, blonde pureblood hissed, not looking up from his work. On the table in front of him was a human, though from the looks of it, its usefulness had almost expired. He would need to procure more subjects before the week was over.

"Forgive me, Sir, I will be brief." Hi subordinate replied, bowing deeply, "We have received an invitation to attend a conference at the Moby Dick, lead by their new pureblood leader. It seems he has some important issues to discuss and claims to have something that could…and I quote, 'change the world'."

Judge snorted, adjusting the scalpel in his hand.

"And this concerns us, why? I have no time to spare for newly crowned Lords who have barely reached their second decade of life."

"…he also states that, whatever happens, it will affect the human hunts. If I may speak plainly, Sir?"

"Granted."

"This missive comes across as something of a threat. Whatever he is planning, would it not be prudent to investigate? It would not bode well if our human stores-"

Judge spun around; anger clear on his face.

"Are you insinuating that we cannot defend ourselves against them!? That they are a threat to us!?" He moved to kill the man but was stopped when one of his children blocked his attack. Judge glowered down at Reiju. "Why did you stop me?"

"I believe he may be right, Father." Reiju stated, waving the nervous vampire away, "Eustass Kidd is Akagami's son and should not be underestimated. Whatever he has planned will apparently effect everyone in the area and I feel that we should send someone to hear him out, at least. If he is determined to threaten our territory, then we will kill him."

Judge hummed and studied his only daughter, her pink hair combed and perfect as always. She was the oldest and certainly cunning…perhaps she was onto something.

"Very well, but I refuse to send someone of importance on such a bothersome errand." Judge turned back to the table to resume his work, "Notify Sanji. He will go and report back."

"Sanji?" Reiji questioned, "Are you sure?"

"He's useless to me, who better to send?" Judge scoffed in disgust at the thought of his third son. Though a pureblood, he was incredibly weak and lacked decisiveness. More than once he'd been caught attempting to free their human prisoners or feeding them. Oh, how Judge wanted to be rid of him, but with the Council's constant scrutiny of their work, it would have to wait.

Maybe, if he was lucky, one of Whitebeard's would take care of that for him…

Rain Base

Crocodile took a long sip from his goblet as he listened to reports from his attendants. He sat on his throne with two humans on chains nearby in case he needed a refill. They cowered and lowered their heads to him, as they should.

After all, he was bothering to take care of them.

"Our resources are where they should be, and no issues have been reported among the humans." Daz Bones informed him, "Though the recent activity of the Moby Dick may be cause for concern."

Crocodile hummed and brought a cigar to his lips. Those fools were always up to something…

"They have a new Lord now, correct? What do we know about him?"

"If I may…Sir Crocodile." A female voice interrupted, drawing everyone's attention. A lovely vampiress entered the chamber, heels making a pleasant sound against the floor. She had long, dark hair and mischievous eyes.

"Nico Robin, what do you know?" The beauty always seemed to know more than everyone else in the room, but whether or not she shared her knowledge, was a different story. In Crocodile's eyes, she was dangerous, but her usefulness currently outweighed the risk.

"The new Lord's name is Eustass Kidd, Akagami's only son." Robin reported, coming to a stop in front of the two humans, "Interestingly enough, he has sent us an invitation to join him in one week's time for a demonstration and discussion of some kind."

The woman reached down and pet the hair of the humans, making them flinch.

"What kind of demonstration?"

"I haven't the feintest." She admitted, pulling a piece of dried meat from her pocket and offering it to the young, female human, "But, given the nature of his letter, he seems to think it may upset the balance of power around the old city. Though I am but a humble advisor, it may be worth hearing him out."

Robin gave him a look as she straightened out, one that meant she knew more than what she was letting on but wanted to play with him and see what he did. It also meant that she wanted to go with him. Difficult woman.

He didn't particularly want to go to Whitebeard's citadel, not after their falling out all those years ago. But he was a curious man and didn't want to miss out on the most interesting thing to happen in their quiet territory for quite a while.

Plus, he wanted to hear more about what happened with that idiot, Enel. From the rumors, it sounded like Phoenix had been busy (which was a rarity in and of itself).

"Then send your response." Crocodile replied, motioning for one of the two humans to be brought forward. The young female quickly handed the meat she'd been given to the male and shuffled forward when the chain connected to her collar forced her onto his throne. "Let's see what he has to present, hmmm?"

His eyes turned red and he slowly bit into the neck presented to him, savoring the lovely taste.