Author's Note: Look who's back with a quick update ;) Things will really 'hit the fan' this chapter *laughs maniacally*. I originally had it all in one chapter, but it got too long...again lol. Part 2 will probably be up sometime later this week or this weekend. I hope ya'll enjoy it and are staying safe!
To All the names are taken: Hi there! Aw, you're so sweet to me :) Thank you so much for the many compliments! Luffy will definitely have a power buff and beat up some vampires in the future ;) Haha no worries, I love long reviews (and the emojis didn't make it weird at all XD) Once again, thank you so much for the review and I hope you enjoy the update!
To BlueHeartNina: It definitely is!
To Uhuhnuhuhdichotomy: Hey there. I'm really glad you enjoy my other stories! As for your thoughts on this one, I totally respect them. It's true that this story is dark and Luffy is OOC (at least, for now). He's been through a lot and I wanted to make it accurate for the level of trauma he received while remaining as true to his character as possible, which is difficult sometimes given the setting. If it makes any difference, we're getting very close to Luffy not being a prisoner anymore and regaining what makes him "Luffy". Yes, the vampires have a lot to answer for and they will get a reality check here soon as well. Because, whether they think so or not, they gave in to the Council's ideology and became, as you said, "racists". Things will eventually be resolved between them and they'll get smacked around a bit but I understand your frustration for it taking so long. Anyway, thanks for the review! I do appreciate constructive criticism and never want to make a reader "feel sick" when reading my story. I hope you are having a good holiday season and are staying safe :)
WARNINGS:
- Violence/gore/death
- Tense meetings
- Superiority complex
- Humans treated like slaves
- Mystery 'D' powers
So, I wanted to write a little something here after a review I received. This story is dark and has some triggering themes in it. I try to write relevant warnings at the beginning of each chapter, but please be aware of your own mental health when reading stories like this. I never, ever want to feel like I've caused my readers any mental or emotional distress. I also wanted to address Luffy's characterization. While he is a bit OOC right now, it won't last forever. My goal was to write a fairly accurate response to the trauma he's suffered while staying true to the setting and his character (which is quite a challenge). Please know that we are getting very close to Luffy returning to the Luffy we know and love :) He won't be locked up forever!
Anyway, sorry about the ramble, but I thought it was important to say. I love my readers very, very much and value your feedback, mental health, and general enjoyment of my stories more than anything.
On to the chapter!
'Today is the day…' Sabo mused, standing on the steps of the citadel's main building. Everything was in order and they were as prepared as they could be, but he was still nervous. What if things went south?
"Relax, yoi." Marco said, eyeing him from his place at Sabo's left, "Everything will be fine."
"But what if it isn't?" He shot back, picturing Upper Yard's symbol in his mind. After what happened to Luffy, Sabo held great disdain for the older vampire Lord and honestly wasn't sure he'd be able to control himself if the situation escalated enough.
"Then we'll deal with it." The Phoenix Lord continued, facial expression neutral as always. Sabo was jealous of his ability to remain calm in such a stressful situation, though he supposed it came with experience. "We've spent the last few weeks preparing for this day, yoi. Luffy is secure and Ace is his usual self. It'll be fine, yoi."
Sabo swallowed at the mention of Ace's name. He was embarrassed to say that he'd been purposefully avoiding the D ever since he'd discovered his heritage. Perhaps he was so nervous because of what Marco said about his past? That if (or rather, when) he remembered, things were bound to get violent.
What exactly had the Whitebeards done that would piss Ace off so much?
"Sir, you called for me?" The two vampires turned to greet Doma when he walked up the steps towards them. Marco nodded.
"Yes, I have a special task for you during the meeting. I want you to stay with Luffy, yoi. Make sure he stays safe and out of trouble."
Sabo hummed, understanding why Marco was being so cautious. The Lords that would be arriving soon were powerful and they couldn't afford to let them discover Luffy's existence. Doma bowed, causing his monkey to squeak in surprise and wrap his tail around his neck.
"Of course, consider it done."
"Good, yoi. Now go, I believe our first guest will be here shortly."
Just as Doma scurried away, a bell sounded, one that Sabo knew alerted the citadel to new arrivals. The pureblood shuffled nervously and straightened out his kimono. Unfortunately, it was his job to greet their visitors and make sure they reached the meeting room without difficulty.
A few minutes later, the gates opened and allowed a transport vehicle inside. Sabo's gaze immediately went to the side of the car where the sigil of the Charlotte Family was emblazoned. He'd never met anyone from that particular clan but heard that they were…an odd bunch. Still, Marco and the others seemed to trust the pureblood 'Katakuri' or they wouldn't have requested him as moderator.
"Welcome, old friend." Marco called when the vampire exited the vehicle, "I'm glad you could make it, yoi." Sabo noticed that there were some escorts in the car that the newcomer waved off, like he didn't need them.
"I'm honored to be invited." Charlotte Katakuri replied, inclining his head to both Marco and Sabo, "Your citadel appears to be doing well."
"Thank you, yoi." The Phoenix replied, lips curling up into a teasing smile, "Though part of the credit should go to our new Lord and Second. Please, allow me to introduce you to Outlook Sabo."
The blonde pureblood started at the sudden introduction and he hastily made to bow, cheeks warming in embarrassment at his blunder.
"I-It's a pleasure, my Lord. Thank you for making the long trip here." Honestly, Sabo found himself a bit intimidated by the elder vampire. Not only was he quite tall, but he held an aura of power around him that was similar to Marco's. Katakuri bowed slightly to him.
"It was no trouble. Now…" He took a few steps towards him and lowered his voice to a whisper, "How is the young human? The last time I saw him he appeared close to death."
Sabo frowned, suddenly remembering that Katakuri had been present when Luffy lost his arm.
"He's recovering…physically at least." Marco replied lowly, "Law is concerned about his mental health, yoi."
"Have you done anything to address it?"
"…we seem to be making it worse, yoi." The Phoenix admitted, much to Sabo's surprise. It was true though. Everything they tried only seemed to worsen the boy's emotional instability and feed his fear of them. He supposed it was rather unnatural for them to have to worry about a human's mental wellness. Most of the time, they just had to make sure their bodies were healthy. "After the meeting, Law wants to speak with me and the Lord so that we can brainstorm ways of addressing the problem."
"I see." Katakuri replied, straightening up to his full height, "Well, let me know what you intend to do. Perhaps now is not the right time to seal him."
"It is the only time, yoi." Marco continued with a huff, "Law has already witnessed his ability beginning to develop. We cannot afford to let it grow any further."
Sabo opened his mouth to give his two cents when the bell sounded again, drawing his attention back to the gate.
"Why don't we continue this in the other room." Katakuri suggested, "It seems another guest has arrived."
"Very well, yoi. Sabo…will you be all right?"
"Y-Yeah…sure." He said shakily, watching the two older vampires retreat into the citadel proper. Now he was alone. Great. But he was the Second! He could handle it…hopefully. The next vehicle that entered was sleek and well-maintained despite being a bit dusty from the drive. Sabo took a deep breath when he recognized the mark of Rain Base, the citadel far to their East.
It was easy to pick out Crocodile from the group that excited the vehicle. His eyes were piercing and he wore a rather elaborate fur coat over his shoulders. Well, that and the giant golden hook was a dead giveaway.
"Welcome to the Moby Dick, my Lord." Sabo greeted, bowing to the vampire when he approached him, "My name is Outlook Sabo, I am the current Second of this citadel."
"Yeah, I know who you are, brat." Crocodile replied, making Sabo's eye twitch at the remark, "Damn, this place brings back bad memories…"
Sabo cleared his throat awkwardly when one of the vampire's attendants gave him a large cigar, which he promptly began to smoke.
"O-Of course. I pray you had a pleasant journey?" Crocodile snorted.
"Sure, if you call traveling across the desert pleasant."
"Now, now…you're being rude." A vampiress put in, stepping up beside Crocodile. She was quite beautiful with tan skin and dark black hair. "Please forgive him, Lord Second, he is simply a bit tired from the journey. My name is Nico Robin, one of his advisors."
"A pleasure, my Lady." Sabo stated, trying his best to maintain his composure. What was he supposed to do next? Oh right, lead them to the meeting room-
"Yo, Crocy! Been a while." A voice interrupted cheerfully, causing Crocodile to sneer in displeasure. Sabo jumped in surprise when Thatch clapped him on the back, almost knocking him down the stairs, "Why don't you give Sabo here a break? He's new."
"Twin Blade Thatch." Crocodile growled, rolling his eyes when the commander grinned at him, "You're just as annoying as I remember."
"Just living my best life, brother!" Thatch continued, winking at Sabo, "Listen, let me show you around! We've got a designated spot for your people to wait while we have the meeting and I just finished brewing some coffee-"
Sabo sighed in relief when Thatch led Crocodile and his group away. The pureblood was just as intimidating as Katakuri…
Unfortunately, he didn't get much time to rest. About thirty minutes later, the bell rang for a third time. This time, unlike before, Sabo heard the distinct rumble of a motorcycle. Moments after the gate opened, a bike cruised inside, stopping in the middle of the courtyard. He blinked in confusion at the two occupants. Was that…one of the Lords? The vehicle had no identifying marks on it.
Curious, Sabo walked down the steps towards the pair, now identified as a male and a female. The man removed his goggles and scarf, revealing wind blown blonde hair and a curly eyebrow. The woman, much to Sabo's surprise, was a human. She was breathing hard and wasn't wearing much except a long jacket. Had they made the whole journey like that?
'But to bring a human…' Sabo mused, 'It was my understanding that they weren't supposed to.' It was considered quite rude to the host citadel.
"Ah, good morning." The blonde vampire said, brushing sand from the human's hair, "Looks like I made it on time."
"Yes, though…I'm afraid you'll have to enlighten me. Who are you?"
"Vinsmoke Sanji." The pureblood practically spit 'V' in Vinsmoke, "My Dad couldn't come, sorry."
Sabo made a sound of understanding. This was the third son of Germa's Lord. He'd heard about him, but Sanji wasn't nearly as well-known as the others. Thankfully, their names made it easy to remember their order of birth.
"…and this is?" Sabo asked, eyeing the trembling human. Sanji ran a hand through his tousled locks.
"Er, uh…this is Cosette. I couldn't leave her at the hands of my brothers, so I brought her with me. Actually, I was hoping you all could take her in?" Sanji put a steadying hand on the girl's shoulder, "I know it's not customary but…"
Sabo wasn't sure what to say, but thankfully, he was saved at the last minute (again).
"A human? I'm surprised your Father was willing to let her go." Law put in, walking up to their group with a few of his keepers, "Apologies for eavesdropping, my name is Trafalgar Law, I'm in charge of human care here."
"Nice to meet you." Sanji stated, inclining his head to the newcomer. Law approached the girl and looked her over with a frown.
"She's in pretty bad shape…Cosette-ya, correct?" The girl nodded, clutching at Sanji's jacket in fear, "I suppose we can take her in so long as this won't cause any issues with your Father."
"You don't have to worry about him." Sanji scoffed, taking a cigarette out of his pocket, "I doubt he'll even notice her absence."
Law closed his eyes for a second before motioning for the girl to step forward. She looked up at Sanji who smiled encouragingly at her.
"Don't worry, you'll be safe here."
"I-I-If you say so, Master Sanji." She stuttered, reaching out to take Law's hand. Sabo and Sanji watched as the tattooed vampire led the girl away, no doubt taking her to the infirmary for a checkup. Law was going to be attending the meeting, so he'd probably give basic instructions and then let his men do the rest.
Sabo's eyes widened when he turned back to Sanji. The other pureblood's gaze was full of sorrow for the human, and it was genuine. Considering what he knew of Germa, it was surprising.
"We'll take good care of her."
"Yeah, I know." Sanji said, puffing out smoke from his cigarette, "…she's still just…well, never mind. We heading somewhere else now? I want to change clothes before the meeting." Sabo gave the other instructions and called one of the lower ranking Whitebeards over to show him around. Once he was gone, Sabo hummed, unsure what to think of the newcomer.
'He's different somehow.'
It was then that a loud horn blared, causing Sabo to yelp in fright. What the hell was that!?
Ace glowered down at the approaching caravan, baring his teeth. It was extravagant, loud, and dangerously excessive. It had to be the group from Upper Yard.
He'd stopped by Luffy's room before coming to perch on one of the stone outcroppings above the courtyard, pleased to see the kid was becoming more and more comfortable around him. Luffy had been particularly excited about a 'new arm' Kidd was apparently making for him, which was a surprisingly thoughtful gift.
It made Ace (mostly) forgive the pureblood for scaring Luffy so badly.
On his way out, he'd run into Doma who was going to be staying with the boy during Kidd's meeting, which Ace approved of. His little brother would probably get lonely and a little extra protection certainly wouldn't hurt.
'I can't believe Kidd is okay with him coming!' Ace thought angrily as the caravan entered the citadel. That bastard had allowed his subordinates to kidnap, torture, and maim his baby brother. If this wasn't a diplomatic meeting, he'd tear him apart right then and there. A glance below him revealed that Sabo was also having a hard time keeping a friendly façade up, his eyes flashing scarlet.
Though Sabo was annoying as hell, at least he was just as protective of Luffy as Ace was.
"Ugh…what a dump." Enel stated (much louder than necessary) when he stepped out of the vehicle, dragging about four humans behind him. Ace grit his teeth at the obvious attempt to insult them. "Tch, and no one is here to welcome me. How rude."
"Thank you for coming." Sabo managed, stepping forward with a very fake smile on his face, "Enel, I presume? You are the last to arrive."
"…and who're you supposed to be?"
"Outlook Sabo, the Second-"
"Oooohhh right…the other whelp who had the misfortune to come to this citadel." Enel interrupted, looking down on Sabo like he was somehow inferior to him, "Where's Akagami's brat? I need to have words with him."
"This way…Sir." Sabo hissed, motioning with his hand for Enel to follow him into the Citadel. Ace could barely control his fury. All he could think about was Luffy's pain and the missing limb, courtesy of that bastard. He was walking right below him…it would be easy to-
"Ace, dear." He jumped in surprise at the voice right next to him. It was Izo. The older vampire had apparently climbed up and seated himself next to Ace without him noticing. "Let's try not to murder our guests so soon after their arrival."
"He deserves it." Ace growled, scarlet gaze following the group inside, "You know what he did to Luffy, Izo."
"I'm aware, but we must try to be civil…at least for now." Izo continued, make-up and hair perfect as always, "Now come, Marco sent me to find you. The meeting is about to begin."
"I don't understand why I have to go." Ace muttered, wanting more than anything to take Doma's place and spend a few hours hanging out with Luffy. Izo chuckled softly.
"For whatever reason, Lord Eustass feels that your presence is necessary."
Ace sighed and jumped down to the courtyard, followed closely by Izo.
'Let's get this over with.'
Kidd straightened his coat and brushed out his hair one last time, annoyed the dark circles under his eyes wouldn't go away no matter how much make-up he put on them. He'd been so anxious about the meeting (not that he would ever admit it to anyone) that he'd stayed up all night working on the human brat's new arm.
It wasn't quite done yet, but pretty damn close. Hopefully he'd be able to finish it after the meeting.
"Kidd, you ready?" Killer asked, poking his head inside his room.
"Yeah, I guess." He muttered, throwing his comb in the sink, "Is everyone here?"
"Unfortunately." Killer huffed, crossing his arms, "Sabo looked like he was trying very hard not to punch Enel in the face. Oh, that's right, Judge didn't come…he sent one of his sons instead."
"That's fine, I figured he wouldn't." Kidd replied, moving out the door to start the walk to the meeting room, "Which one did he send?"
"The third son, Sanji."
'Never heard of him.' The red-haired vampire mused with a shrug. Oh well, so long as Germa was represented. He'd worked very hard on his invention and was excited to show it off. Hopefully, it would be enough to convince the other Lords that his plan was worth their time.
"May I ask you something?" Killer questioned, voice low. Kidd grunted an affirmation. "Why have Ace there? Isn't that dangerous?"
"Sure, but he's also an important member of the citadel." He replied seriously, "I asked Marco about it and he recommended having him there because that's what he would've required. We don't want to make him suspicious or anything."
Killer hummed but didn't verbally reply due to their closeness to their destination. Kidd stopped in front of the door and took a deep, calming breath. This was it, his first official debut as a citadel Lord. His brother nodded to him, letting him know that he would be there to support him no matter what, which gave Kidd great peace.
When he pushed the doors open, all sets of eyes landed on him, watching as he walked to his seat at the head of the table. Kidd immediately noticed that Enel (the bastard) had taken the other end of the table and had a group of scantily clad humans behind him. He was also the only Lord that brought guards into the meeting with him.
Katakuri sat to Kidd's left and nodded to him when he entered while Crocodile simply puffed on his cigar. The Rain Base Lord was leaned back in his chair, looking either very relaxed or very annoyed (it was kind of hard to tell). He had a beautiful vampiress standing at his back, likely his attendant or something.
Vinsmoke Sanji had taken the seat to Crocodile's right, unfortunately close to Enel. He was fairly young, likely around Kidd's age and had a cigarette between his teeth.
On their side, Kidd was pleased to see Marco and Law in attendance, both leaned up against the wall to his right. A few other commanders were present, mostly for security purposes.
'And to keep Ace in line.' He thought, eyeing the D who was securely nestled between Marco and Law. If something went wrong, they had plenty of support available to them. His gaze then swept to the left and met Sabo's, his Second standing near Katakuri on the only side of the room that had windows. He looked a bit stressed but was managing to hold himself together.
"Welcome, everyone. I'm glad you could all make it." Kidd said, bristling slightly when Enel rolled his eyes, "We…have much to discuss."
Sabo made himself comfortable against the wall as he watched Kidd take a seat. It was infuriating how rude Enel was being.
'He's acting like he owns the place!' He thought, scowling at the vampire in question who yawned obnoxiously, making it abundantly clear that he did not want to be there. 'Why did he even come?'
"Care to elaborate on what was so important that we all had to gather?" Crocodile asked, leaning forward so his hook was resting on the table. At least he seemed somewhat interested in what Kidd had to say.
"Yeah…do tell." Enel sneered, "I would hate to be disappointed." Kidd glared at the other Lord when he pulled a young, female human roughly by her collar, causing a sound of pain to escape her lips.
"Oi, asshole." An unexpected voice growled, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Enel looked at the young Vinsmoke in confusion before laughing loudly.
"Hoh, what's this? Another young pureblood who thinks he can speak to his betters." Sanji blew out a plume of smoke and, faster than Sabo's eyes could follow, ripped the chains from Enel's hand. The older vampire's guards reached for the weapons while Sanji pulled the women away from him.
"You touch them again, and I'll kill you." Sanji snarled, causing Enel to swivel around in his chair and hiss lightly.
"Don't test me, boy. Those humans are my property and-"
"Enough." Sabo shuddered at the tone in Katakuri's voice. The elder vampire had yet to stand from his seat but could command the room with ease, "Enel, you should've known better than to bring your own humans."
"But-"
"See that they're removed at once so we can get on with our discussion."
Enel growled but allowed Izo to step forward and gently guide the poor humans out the door. Once they were gone, Sanji took his seat again, but not before sending the Lord of Upper Yard a few harsh glares. Recalling the female he'd brought with him, Sabo couldn't help but wonder if the young pureblood would help any woman he came across, human or otherwise.
It was rare to find a gentlemen in the world they lived in.
"Now that that's taken care of…" Katakuri added, turning back to Kidd, "Please continue."
"Right." The red-head muttered, pressing a button on the table to bring up the built-in keyboard. After a few seconds of typing, the middle of the table morphed to reveal a projector. It rotated to face upwards and displayed the schematics for Kidd's invention. The device wasn't scaled down and appeared to be realistic to its dimensions (approximately four feet in circumference). "I call it…Punk Gibson."
Sabo cringed at the name. Why did Kidd always have to add 'punk' to the front of whatever machine he was making?
"P-Punk…what?" Sanji whispered, eyeing the device with confusion, "What does it do?"
"It's an environmental modification device, similar to what we use in our citadels." Kidd explained, punching a few buttons that caused the hologram to expose the inner workings of the machine, "Except, instead of changing the environment, Gibby restores it."
'G-Gibby…dear Lord.' Sabo thought with a huff, 'He's given it a nickname.'
"What, exactly, does it restore?" Crocodile questioned, eyeing the device with skepticism. Kidd smirked.
"I'm so glad you asked."
Sabo looked up when a screen lowered along the right wall, forcing Marco and the others to scoot so they could see. Once fully extended, a picture of the wastes was displayed.
"This is a location just outside of our back door. As you can see, it's dry, desolate, and very, very sandy." Kidd said before pressing a button on his keyboard to change the slide. Sabo's eyes widened at the picture shown there. He admittedly hadn't been paying much attention to Kidd's research and hadn't bothered to go check his 'test site'…but maybe he should've. "And this is after one week of exposure to Gibby's special waves."
There, sprouting up from the desert, was grass, and bushes, and…was that a tree!? After just a week, the difference was staggering!
"I'm sure you are all smart enough to figure out what my plan is." Kidd stated, eyeing the other Lords with anticipation, "I want to restore the world, starting with the territory around the old city, and to do that-"
"You require our cooperation." Crocodile put in, looking over the picture closely, "If this is real, you've created quite the device, Eustass."
"Yes, IF it's real." Enel scoffed, "I for one, am not so stupid to be drawn in by what has obviously been fabricated. We all know there is no 'restoring' the world after the Fall. Our only havens are our citadels."
"But…we do modify the environment inside citadels, why is it so ridiculous to move that technology outside?" Sanji asked, eyes big and full of excitement. It seemed like the young Vinsmoke was quite taken with 'Gibby'. "This would change everything!"
"I'm glad you think so." Kidd replied, motioning with his head out the window to the left of the table, "For those of you who are skeptical, take a look outside. You can see my test area from here." Sabo knew that this was why he chose this room for the meeting. There was no way the more rational Lords would accept such a device unless they saw the change firsthand.
Crocodile and the others stood from their chairs and walked to the window where they were directed to the now green area in the distance. Sanji's grin grew the more he looked and even Katakuri seemed impressed. Enel didn't bother to get up.
"I must admit…I'm impressed." Crocodile stated once he was seated again, "However, I am concerned how this will affect the hunting grounds. Are they harmful to humans? For that matter…do you have plans to make more than one?"
"They're perfectly harmless to both humans and vampires, though they might cause a bit of extra hair growth here and there if you're exposed for too long. As for making more-"
While Eustass answered Crocodile's questions, Sabo found his gaze drawn back to Enel. The Lord appeared to be getting more and more…suspicious, with every passing moment. Like he had something planned and was waiting for the right moment to reveal it.
'Maybe I'm just being paranoid.' Sabo thought, tuning back into the conversation.
"-an alliance? Are you serious?"
"Completely." Kidd answered, "In order for this to work, we need to work together and pool our resources. Otherwise, we'll just be stepping on each other's toes and the restoration will take who knows how long."
Sanji and Crocodile seemed to be considering the offer, but Enel burst out laughing, making Sabo scowl.
"Ha, like I would ever ally myself with the likes of you! The mere notion is laughable!"
"So, what, you don't want your territory restored to the way it was?" Kidd shot back, "I mean, honestly, that's fine with me. After what you pulled, I wouldn't trust you to honor any agreement between our citadels." Enel growled slightly at that and the other two purebloods turned to stare at him with raised eyebrows.
"I heard about this." Crocodile sneered, enjoying Enel's discomfort, "Tell me, what happened? You trespass or something?"
"I did nothing of the sort-"
"He stole from us." Kidd explained, drawing a sigh of reservation from Sabo. He just had to go there, didn't he. "Not only that, but you also massacred a group of our humans and knowingly took ones that were already tagged. When we finally caught up, you were trying to hide the evidence by cutting off his bloody arm."
Sanji gaped at Enel while Crocodile chuckled to himself.
"Is that so, and yet you still came? Trying to redeem yourself, Enel?"
At this point, the whole room was on edge. Marco and Law looked like they were having a great time holding Ace back while Enel's guards were casually reaching for their weapons. For his part, Enel just started to laugh again and abruptly stood to his feet, causing the chair to fall backwards.
"Redeem myself? No, no, no…nothing so honorable. I came for revenge." Kidd stood up to face him at that, eyes scarlet in challenge, "You see, I have never been so humiliated in my life, and now you dangle alliance in front of my face simply to mock me? I will not stand for it!"
Suddenly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a small, black box.
"I will ruin you and your damned machine!"
Sabo's eyes widened when the box flipped open, revealing a button. Oh no, was that a-
He pressed it, causing the air in the room to displace. Sabo gasped as what felt like a wave of air spread out like an explosion, breaking the windows. However, after a few seconds, it was over. Enel didn't seem perturbed and continued to cackle to himself, even as the commanders prepared to surround him.
"That was the weakest bomb I've ever seen." Kidd mocked, fixing his hair. Katakuri, Crocodile, and Sanji were all on their feet, eyeing Enel with caution when he continued to laugh.
"Oh, that wasn't a bomb. I simply lit the fuse."
Suddenly, a scream of pain reached Sabo's ears. Swiveling around, he was shocked to find Ace on his knees, gripping his head as wisps of flames began to appear all over his body. Just as he was about to call for Law to do something, the doctor also collapsed, leaning against the wall and clutching at his temples.
"No…y-you didn't…" He whispered, meeting Kidd's panicked gaze.
"What did you do, yoi!?" Marco exclaimed, the older vampire forced to step back as Ace's flames crew larger. Enel smirked.
"Well, well, look at that. I got two right off the bat. Tell me, un-pure, did you know that it is possible to overcharge a D's abilities to the point where they can no longer be controlled? It's quite fascinating and, from what I understand…deadly." He then crushed the box in his hand and allowed the pieces to fall to the floor, "Once the damage is done, the Council will crush you. Your love of the demons will be your downfall! Yahahahaha!"
Sabo's stomach dropped as Ace's flames wrapped around him and the entire citadel began to shake. This wasn't good.
Marco watched in horror as Ace's body was shrouded in flames, the heat coating him like a cocoon. There was no knowing what monstrosity would be revealed if they let it go for too long. They needed to do something now.
Glancing to his right, he grit his teeth at Law's obvious pain. If he hadn't been sealed, he'd probably be in a similar state to Ace right now…but Pops' seal was holding.
For now.
"M-Marco-ya…" Law managed, bursts of electricity shooting through the air around him, "Put me out, now." Not needing to be told twice, he swiftly hit the doctor on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious almost instantly. Thankfully, the lightning stopped when Law dropped.
'If only I could reach Ace!' Marco thought, carrying Law's limp body away from his fledgling's steadily growing shield of flames.
"What the hell is going on!?" Sanji exclaimed, slowly backing away from Ace. Beside him, Crocodile observed the situation calmly but did have a crease in his brow. He was worried.
"He's awakened his primal state." Katakuri said, making Marco swallow nervously, "I suggest we evacuate before-"
He wasn't given a chance to finish. All of a sudden, Ace's cocoon exploded, singing the floor, ceiling, and anyone that was too close. Inside, a beast emerged, one that truly gave meaning to the misplaced name of 'demon'. He was so large, his head touched the ceiling and his demonic wings brushed both walls. His horns framed his animalistic face and his claws were easily big enough to rip a body in half.
Ace had turned into a demon and when he roared, fire emerged from his mouth, catching the room on fire. Marco dived out of the way and coughed as it quickly became difficult to breathe.
"Is this what you meant when you said it'd 'get violent'!?" Kid screamed over the noise, back to the broken window. Marco bit the inside of his cheek.
"No, yoi! I've never seen him like this before!"
While it was true that they'd managed to capture Ace even after he'd awakened his abilities, he most certainly hadn't turned into a fiery demon from hell. This was all new and he wasn't entirely sure how to deal with it.
"Yahaha, how wonderful!" Enel laughed as he marveled at the giant creature, "Yes, this is what I wanted! Destroy your family, demon, kill them all-"
He was cut off when a pointed tail impaled itself in his chest. Enel choked, spitting up blood as Ace's tail lifted him up off the ground and twisted itself around his rib cage. Marco whispered Ace's name when the fire spread across his tail and burned the vampire Lord, causing him to release a choked off scream.
His subordinates tried to help, but the second they touched the flames, they were also engulfed. With one last wrench of his tail, Enel died, disintegrating into a pile of ash right before their eyes.
"Oh crap." Kidd managed, unable to hold back his shock at the vampire's sudden demise. To be able to kill a Lord with such ease…
If they didn't do something, there was a good chance Ace would kill them all.
A few minutes before Ace's rampage…
"Do you have any three's?"
"Hmmm…Go Fish." Luffy pouted and took yet another card from Doma. This new game the vampire wanted him to try was hard. Still, it was nice to have something to do.
The monkey in Luffy's lap yawned and nuzzled its head into his knee, asking for pets. He smiled and put his cards down so he could pet it. Unfortunately, it was a bit hard to multitask when you only had one hand to work with.
"Ne, do you think I could have a snack soon?" He asked, feeling his stomach start to rumble.
"Sure, I could get you something." Doma answered while organizing his cards, "What're you in the mood for?"
"Uh…something sweet?"
"Sounds good to me!" The vampire said with a wink, "I bet I could pilfer some ice cream from Thatch's stash. What do you think?"
"Shishishi, sure." Luffy answered, unsure who 'Thatch' was, but very much liking the sound of 'ice cream'. "Is it like pancakes or-"
Suddenly, Luffy was hit with a sense of wrongness, so much so that he thought his heart would stop. Within seconds, he stood to his feet and looked in the direction of the 'bad', accidently sending the monkey to the floor.
"Luffy, what's-"
It was then that the wave hit him, sending him flying back into the side of his bed. All the windows around him shattered into pieces and the chains hanging from the ceiling clinked together like an earthquake had just shaken the citadel.
Luffy groaned in pain and slowly sat up, holding his head. He could see Doma prying himself off the floor not far away while attempting to avoid shards of glass.
"D-Doma…I feel weird." He muttered, the pain in his head not getting better. If anything, it was steadily increasing with each breath, like something inside him was going to explode. The vampire spoke to him, but Luffy couldn't understand a word of it. Everything was getting blurred and out of control and scary and-
Luffy. Calm down.
His head shot up at the voice. Was that…
Luffy blinked to clear his head but the next time he opened his eyes, he was in a strange place full of white. It was quiet and all he could hear was his own breathing. What happened? Wasn't he…at the citadel?
Luffy…
"D-Dad? Is that you?" He called out, turning around to try and locate the man, "Wait…does this mean I'm dead-"
You're not dead. His father said, suddenly appearing in front of his face. Luffy yelped and stumbled backwards, honestly scared out of his mind. The last time he'd seen his father was…was… Listen to me, you're channeling.
"I'm what?"
Channeling. It means that you've subconsciously called a segment of my memory to you and…you know what, never mind. Listen, all you need to know is that I'm here to help, albeit temporarily.
Luffy was very confused but couldn't help the tears from forming in his eyes. It'd been so long…and now his Dad was here. He sobbed and threw himself at the cloaked man, hugging him tight.
"D-Dad, I was so scared and now I'm a prisoner and-and I can't get out and-" All of his jumbled emotions and fears were released at once as he cried against his Dad's chest. He'd pretended that he was okay, but he really wasn't…not truly. Nothing at the citadel was safe, not even Ace, but now…he felt safe. His Dad would help him.
Luffy…it sounds like you've been through a lot.
"Mhm." He affirmed, snuffling along his father's cloak, "They h-haven't hurt me or anything, but…Dad, I can't leave. Even my brother won't-"
Brother? Ah, you met Ace.
Luffy's head shot up.
"You know about Ace?"
I did yes…unfortunately, he left just before you were born and never returned. We don't have much time but tell me what's happened.
Luffy gave him a severely abridged version of everything from his initial kidnapping to the revelation that Ace was his half-brother. His Dad closed his eyes and hugged Luffy close.
I'm sorry, Luffy. No one deserves to go through what you have and I am sorry that I was unable to help you in your time of need.
"B-B-But, you're here now, so-"
Luffy. Dragon said softly, cupping his cheek. I died a long time ago. The only reason I am here now is because of the channel. I will have to return to the other side…with your Mother.
Luffy sniffled and clutched at his Dad's cloak even harder. He didn't want him to leave…not when he got to see him again after so long.
I know it's hard, but we need to take a look at your current situation. If you subconsciously channeled my spirit, it must be pretty bad.
With that, Dragon closed his eyes again and hummed, sending visions through Luffy's mind. He gasped at the damage to the citadel and the panic among the vampires. Were they under attack? Luffy's blood went cold at the sight of the monster. Currently, it was crawling its way out of a room and about to reach the courtyard.
Where the humans were.
I see…someone has gotten their hands on a forbidden device. Dragon mused, gently removing Luffy from his chest. Oh Ace…what have they done to you?
"That's Ace!?" He exclaimed, unconsciously jolting when the beast roared, "What happened to him?" Dragon didn't answer right away and turned to grab Luffy by the shoulders.
Listen to me, Luffy. At this rate, Ace will kill everyone, even the humans. You need to stop him.
"Me?" He questioned, swallowing nervously. Sure, he was pretty strong, but his strength was nothing compared to a vampire's and he was down an arm. Besides, Luffy was fairly certain giant fire-breathing monsters from hell far surpassed your average vampire in strength.
You can do this. Use your pendant. Luffy inhaled sharply when Dragon placed his scarlet pendant in his hand. Hadn't Torao taken it away?
"But I thought you said I shouldn't use my powers!?"
I know, but right now, you are your brother's only hope. Dragon shot back, curling his hand over Luffy's so his fist was closed around the pendant. Ace is a good man who has suffered much in life, similar to you. Save him and bring him back to the light.
When Dragon began to fade, Luffy reached for him only for his hand to go right through him.
"Wait, wait, don't go!"
I love you so much, Luffy. Your Mother and I will always be watching over you. Now, show me how much you've grown.
Luffy's eyes shot open and, after a few painful breathes, he realized he was back in the citadel and Doma was kneeling before him, appearing very concerned.
"-ffy, Luffy! Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah." He whispered, turning his head when the monster (now identified as Ace) roared in the distance. Luffy set his jaw and opened his hand, revealing the scarlet pendant. For whatever reason, the pain wasn't so bad now and he could feel his Father's encouraging gaze on his back.
Save him.
Ignoring Doma, Luffy stood to his feet and dropped his head back so his face was towards the ceiling. He took a few deep breathes, preparing himself. This likely wouldn't be easy, but he needed to do it. Ace was awkward and sometimes confused him, but was family, nonetheless.
Besides, this would be a good opportunity to get him back for kidnapping him in the first place.
Smirking at the ceiling, Luffy dropped his head forward again and ripped the pendant off its chain, startling Doma.
"O-Oi, Luffy, what're you-"
"Sorry, there's something I have to do." He smiled at the vampire before bringing the pendant to the side of his mouth and biting into it, the scarlet orb cracking under the strength of his jaw.