Chapter 62: King Ludo
Ludo had taken over the castle, he tired to ensure that the people loved him, but of course they were terrified of him. He did take over the kingdom after all.
And hung the real king, his unofficial sons and their friend in the dungeon.
Speak of which…
Ace and Luffy began to wake up.
"Hey looked like the spell is wearing off." Said Sabo.
"Finally!" said King River.
"What happened?" asked Ace.
"Surprise attack." Said Sabo.
"Damn it!" muttered Ace.
"I'm going to punch him when I get free." Muttered Luffy.
"So your cuffs?" asked Marco.
Before Luffy or Ace could say anything, Ludo came in.
"Ludo." Growled King River.
"So your two are finally awake." Said Ludo, "Doesn't matter, now River you're coming with me."
"Why!" demanded King River.
"Because I need you to get the people to like." Said Ludo using a key to unlock King River's shackle .
"Why should I?" asked King River, "I don't even like you! Always shuffling around talking to that wand hand. It's weird."
"Fine then." Said Ludo stopping from un-cuffing him.
He began to put the key around his neck.
Though his head was too big.
They all laughed at he struggled with the key.
"Butter!" muttered Ludo.
A rat gave him butter, and he used it to get the key around his neck.
"Change of plans, 24 hours… I'm giving you 24 hours to tell the people to love me or I will do something to you..." said Ludo.
"Oh I'm so scared." Said King River.
"24 Hours!" said Ludo.
Ludo and the rats with him left.
"Okay… Ludo's gone nuts." Said Luffy.
"As I was saying earlier..." Said Marco.
"The idiot did nothing to our cuffs." Said Ace.
Ace phased though the cuffs with his powers, while Luffy struggled a bit but it was he was going to be able to get out of one of them.
Ace picked up the butter.
He handed it to Sabo who began to slip off the cuffs.
Marco sighed, with Toffee around and not to mention a crazy Ludo, he knew he had to use his trump card.
And he had feel that it was still in his pocket.
"Hey Ace, I need your help." Said Marco.
"What do you need?" asked Ace.
"There's something in my pocket." Said Marco, "I need you to get it out for me."
"Okay." Said Ace.
He grabbed the thing in his pocket and was shocked when he saw when he pulled it out.
"This is a Devil Fruit." Said Ace.
"Yeah." Said Marco.
"Where did you get a Devil Fruit?" he asked.
"Hekapoo gave it to me." Said Marco.
"Her hobby." Said Sabo.
"Yeah." Said Marco, "She didn't want it and after I earned my scissors she figured that it would better if I have it."
"Are you sure you want to eat it?" asked Ace.
"I'm sure." Said Marco.
"We don't know what it might be." Said Sabo, "Unless you know what the Devil Fruit is it's a big gamble."
"We're dealing with a crazy Ludo and Toffee's out there somewhere." Said Marco, "I think I'm willing to take that risk."
"He's going a point." Said Luffy managed to finally getting out of the cuffs.
"Do you want out first or do you want to see if it will get out?" asked Ace.
"I have to learn how to use the powers somehow." Pointed out Marco.
"Remember it tastes really bad." Said Luffy.
"I think I can handle it." Said Marco.
Ace held up the bright red mango and Marco took a bite.
Then immediately began to choke as he forced it down his throat.
"Hey you okay?" asked Sabo.
"How could you eat the whole thing!" yelled Marco to Luffy.
"I was hungry." Pouted Luffy.
"So you feel different?" asked Ace.
"I don't know." Said Marco.
"Maybe you should try to picture getting out of the cuffs." Said Sabo, "It's worth a shot."
"Okay." Said Marco.
He pictured getting out of the cuffs. It took a few seconds, but he was out and landed on the floor face first.
"Looks like you teleported." Said Sabo.
"You okay?" asked Luffy.
"I'm fine." Said Marco.
"So a teleportation Devil Fruit." Said Ace.
Sabo handed the butter to King River.
"It might take a while for you to get the hang of it." Said Sabo.
"Yeah, I get that." Said Marco.
"So River you…" said Sabo.
They all looked at King River and there was butter on his face.
"You ate the butter." Sighed Ace.
"I should have just did it for him." sighed Sabo face palming.
"So…" said Ace.
"I don't' think it's a good idea to try to melt the cuff.' Said Sabo.
"Why?" asked King River.
"Do you want your hands to get fried?" asked Marco.
"You make a good point." Said King River.
"How do we get out of here?" asked Marco.
"Maybe if Marco teleports out." Said Luffy.
"Not a good idea." Said Marco.
"He just got his powers remember." Said Sabo.
Luffy nodded remembering it took him a while to get his powers sorted out.
"Well you can always use the vents." Said King River.
They looked at saw an AC vent.
"You have air conditioner?" asked Marco surprised.
"It's a dungeon, not a torture chamber." Said King River.
They all looked at King River and shrugged going to into the air vent.
They found the royal bedchamber. And the bed was occupied.
"Okay so what's the plan?" asked Marco.
"We get the key while he's sleeping and we get out of here fast." Said Sabo.
"Luffy stay inside and you can be used a ladder." Said Ace.
"Okay." Said Luffy.
They looked out at the room and suddenly Marco found himself face first on the floor of the room.
"You okay?" whispered Sabo.
Marco nodded, relating he accidently teleported.
Ace slowly approached the bed and removed the covers. It wasn't Ludo.
It was a mime!
"What the!" yelled Ace.
"Shush!" whispered a voice.
They turned and saw Ruberiot.
"Ruberiot?" asked Marco.
"Quiet dudes, you're going to get us caught."
That was when they heard a flush.
They saw a dark skinned girl in a jester outfit leave the bathroom.
"Whoo! I didn't know how I could live with out a solid gold toilet." Said the girl who was Foolduke, the royal jester.
"What's going on?" asked Sabo.
"Oh we've been living the vents." Said Ruberiot who was munching on a bird leg, "Eating the royal leftovers."
"Bathing in the royal bubble bath." Said the Foolduke.
And then the Mime began to bounce up and down on the bed.
"Sleeping in the royal bed, tat's what she was miming." Said Ruberiot.
"Yeah…" said Sabo in disbelief.
That was when the door opened up.
They all froze, thankfully it wasn't Ludo but rather a pink haired maid. She saw the strange gathering of people in the room.
"Please tell me I didn't walk in on an orgy." Muttered the maid.
There was an awkward silence as they looked at the maid, however Marco was surprised recognizing the maid.
"Wait… Reiju?" he asked.
"Marco!" said Reiju who indeed the maid.
"You got a job as a maid?" asked Marco.
"Not quite." Said Reiju.
"I don't know." Said Ludo.
"Get out of here. I'll handle him." said Reiju.
Luffy opened the air vent and pulled everyone but Reiju (including the three performers) up into the vents.
"I don't get it, how are these things not flying off the shelves?" asked Ludo wearing a mask.
Then he noticed Reiju there.
"Greetings your majesty." Said Reiju curtsying for him, "Would you like me to prepare a drink for you?"
"Yes, yes that would be nice." Said Ludo.
Reiju went over and prepared a drink, putting something into the drink he gave him, as well as something for the eagle and spider.
"I have also made something for your…" said Reiju.
"Girls." Said Ludo.
"Girls." Said Reiju.
Ludo drank his drink, while the eagle and spider drank something from a bowl.
All three of them dropped from it.
"Seriously?" asked Marco as he and the other watched from the vent.
That was when Marco appeared right out side the vent.
"Hey are you okay?" asked Reiju.
"You killed him!" said Marco recovering from his fall.
"No I just drugged him." said Reiju, "The plan is to drug him, tie him up, free the king and knights."
"Oh…" said Marco blushing a little.
"It's fine, I'm still getting use to my new life." Said Reiju.
That was when the others left the air vents.
"Hey Reiju!" cheered Luffy.
"Good to see you're doing fine." Said Reiju, "I was worried about you two."
"So what are you doing?" asked Marco.
"Using my skills to help my new home." Said Reiju.
"You're not really a maid, are you?" asked Sabo.
"I am not." Said Reiju, "Stole one of the dresses."
Reiju seemed to eye Ace and Sabo, "So the older brothers." She said with a smirk, "Nice!"
"Who are you?" asked Ace.
"My name is Reiju." Said Reiju.
"Wait.. .you're the one they rescued." Said Sabo.
"From my cruel family." Said Reiju she nodded.
"Let's talk about this later." Said Marco, "We need to get the key."
Ludo began to wake up.
"What?" asked Reiju, "The drug is supposed to last hours…"
"Did you take into account his biology?" asked Sabo.
"I did." Said Reiju.
She noticed a bunch of Ludo masks and gave them to Luffy, Marco, Ace and Sabo.
"Put those own and follow my lead." Said Reiju.
They did.
"What's going on?" asked Ludo.
"I apologize your majesty… but they came in looking for a good time." Said Reiju.
"What?" asked Ludo.
"You know…" said Reiju.
"Ew…" said Ludo, "I know I'm a king now, but I don't think I'm ready for that! Get them out of here!"
"Yes, you're majesty!" said Reiju with a curtsy.
She got them out of the room.
"Seriously! Is that the best you could came up with?" asked Ace.
"I got that image in my head and it wouldn't leave so sue me"! muttered Reiju.
"Great, how are we going to get the key now?" asked Marco.
"Eh… it's fine." Said Foolduke.
"What do you mean it's fine?" asked Marco.
Foolduke took out the key.
"How did you get that!" demanded Ruberiot.
"That's none of your business you hack." Said Foolduke.
"Oh I'm the hack with you and your fart jokes." Said Ruberiot.
That was when Marco accidently teleported in between the two.
'All right! We don't need to hear this again…" said Marco, "Let's just go to the dungeon and free River."
"Whoa!" said Luffy, "Looks like you're getting the hang of your new power."
"I guess I am." Said Marco.
"So what's going on exactly?" asked Foolduke.
"Marco just ate a Devil Fruit." Said Ace.
"Ah…" said Reiju.
"I'm going to pretend that means something." Said Ruberiot.
They figured out how to get to the dungeon through the sewer.
"We got the key!" said Luffy.
He un-cuffed. King River, however the king put the cuffs back on.
"What are you doing?" asked Marco.
"I won't abandon my people." Said King River.
"What?" asked Luffy .
"I see…" said Sabo getting it.
"What?" asked Ace.
"It's something I learned as a kid… though it's a lesson that most of my fellow nobles didn't' get." Said Sabo.
That was when they heard Ludo humming nearby.
The three performers and Reiju went back into the sewers, while Sabo used the thankfully still greasy cuffs to make it seem like he was still captured while Ace, Luffy and Marco used their powers to pretend to be still captured.
Unfortunately Marco was still having teleportation troubles. Not only was he facing the wall, but on of his legs was in the cuffs.
Ace and Luffy winced in sympathy knowing how it felt during the didn't fully control stage.
"This is so awkward." Muttered Sabo.
Thankfully they also dropped the key to make it seem like Ludo dropped the key himself.
That was when Ludo came into the dungeon.
"Well, well, well… times up." Said Ludo then he noticed Marco, "What happened to you?"
"I tried escaping… and this is what happened to me… okay." Said Marco.
"Finally! Someone else failed!" mocked Ludo, "As I was saying, times up and…"
Then he noticed he didn't' have the key, thankfully he noticed the key.
"Oh I must have dropped the key when I was last in here." Said Ludo then he turned towards the prisoners, "I dropped it in here and none of your noticed! Wow ho pathetic. You could have been running free prancing around in the field. Spider!"
Spider who was still a little groggy from Reiju drug did its job however and acted like a stand for Ludo.
"So are you going to force the people to love me?" asked Ludo.
"You may have the crown, but you don't' have the people." Said King River.
"We'll see when the people see what I have planned for you." Said Ludo with an evil smirk.
Ludo had his spider and eagle drag him out of the dungeons.
They all got out of the shackles (though with Marco landing face first).
"Come on!" said Sabo.
They went through the sewers and found a spot to watch what was going on with King River.
"Now any last words?" asked Ludo.
"People of Mewni! I am not afraid! And neither should you be!" yelled King River.
"How nice! But don't worry you'll still be here!" laughed Ludo.
He pointed his wand hand as him and smiled evil. King River screamed, he body slowly turned into wood, his body segmenting, his eye becoming lifeless. He was no longer a real boy… uh… man…
And so the people screamed as the king was turned into a puppet (well technically marionette, but still…)
"Well it looks like the old king is now a puppet!" laughed Ludo, "Get it! Puppet king! HAHAHAHAHA!"
The group watched in horror of the transformation.
"Oh no!" yelled the mime in shock (and had a surprisingly deep voice)
However everyone in shock to realize what she had said.
"I'm going to kick his ass!" yelled Luffy.
"Calm down! We need a plan!" said Sabo.
"And what's that." Said Fool Duke.
"We'll come up with something." Said Marco making a motion to put some brown stuff on his face like war paint.
Sabo grabbed his hands.
"Marco… we're in the sewer." Pointed out Reiju.
"Oh… right…" said Marco blushing a little.
However they knew they had to resist the mad tyrant, at least the group consisted of two pirates, one future pirate, a boy who had fighting skills from 16 years worth of training, a former assassin and three performers who probably never really fought in their lives…
Expect for the last three not a bad group… but still…
They were going to stop Ludo and hopefully find a way to reverse his evil spell… no matter what.
Next Time: Star makes her attempts to stop Ludo, warning him about the truth about Toffee, and when he believes her everything will change. And when the worst happens, Toffee will learn, never hurt Star or he will pay. What will happen? Find out next time!
A/N: Marco's teleportation is only one of his abilities. That's all I will say for now...