Author's Note: New chapter, enjoy!
To Shiho-Akemi: They will start going to the other worlds pretty soon! Now that I've got the basics of mana and summoning down, we'll do some little time skips to the point where they'll go the other worlds. Good question!
To fluffypuppies: Lol yep, lots of questions, which means more fun for me haha XD Who is the offspring of the Demon King? Welp, it wouldn't be any fun if I told you ;) Also gotta love Lucci and Lu interactions, they're great! Thanks for always reviewing!
To Sophia Mendes-Coruja: Aw thanks, that warms my heart :) haha it will definitely be getting darker *insert evil laugh*, I like to say my stories tend to be in the genre of "dark fluff" lol. Isn't Greek great!? I too am an avid Percy Jackson fan, so I couldn't help myself! Thank you so much for the sweet review and I hope school goes well for you!
To verday: This actually isn't a continuation of The Monster Fair, though they do have similar themes don't they? I will say to expect a sequel to The Monster Fair soon as we're once again approaching October ;)
To Guest: Thank you so much!
WARNING:
- Some bullying
A few weeks had passed since school started, and Luffy was really starting to settle in. Though perpetually sore from Realm Combat, he felt that he'd learned a lot and truly enjoyed being a Ranger.
True to his word, Lucci had become his main sparring partner in class, challenging him to surpass his limits. The older ranger was ridiculously strong, and Luffy had yet to beat him once. Shanks was also a great instructor, teaching them new things every time they entered the 'Ranger Headquarters'.
Today, they were working on mana sight, refreshment, and switches, something Luffy discovered he was really good at (according to Shanks, it was because his mana level was so unusually low).
"All right, Luffy, you're up." Shanks exclaimed, turning to smirk at his summoner 'volunteer'. Mr. Buggy didn't seem pleased to be there.
"Why do I always have to be your guinea pig…?" The clown-looking man mumbled under his breath; a bit pale from summoning two creatures earlier. Shanks just laughed and pranced over to Luffy.
"You know what to do, sport. Remember to sense his energy and track where his mana pools…then begin." He nodded, having been taught the basics during their first week of class.
Rangers had the ability to see mana, all they had to do was focus it into their eyes. Summoners had too much mana to be able to manipulate it in the same way. Luffy closed his eyes for a second, focusing his miniscule mana from its source in the base of the stomach, up his spine, and forward to his eyes.
When he opened, Luffy could see everyone's mana, the magic energy appearing blue in most people. He also knew that he looked pretty awesome, as a ranger's eyes would turn silver when utilizing mana sight.
Turning to face Buggy, Luffy observed the summoner's mana, noting it appeared depleted. It was hard to explain exactly what he saw, but it was like the man's torso was an almost empty bowl. As mana originated in the stomach, that's where they were instructed to start.
Following his teacher's instructions, Luffy tracked Buggy's natural flow, something that tended to vary from summoner to summoner. If you attempted a mana switch or regeneration without taking that flow into account, a ranger could accidently force the person's mana somewhere it wasn't meant to be.
(For example, when he'd tried it on Sanji for practice, the summoner's mana naturally pooled in his legs, forcing Luffy to draw it up and out instead of straight out via the stomach. You never siphoned mana against its natural flow.)
Apparently, it caused a lot of pain and could actually kill someone if severe enough. Mr. Buggy's mana flow was fairly standard, out from the stomach, meaning Luffy would need to start there.
Stepping forward, he placed a hand on the summoner's chest and siphoned what mana Buggy had left, following a path from the stomach up to the chest and into his own body, where he refreshed it. Taking someone else's mana into your mana system felt a bit strange, like it didn't belong there.
Luffy then took a deep breath, infusing his life energy with Buggy's mana before forcing it back out through his hand, successfully filling the summoner's 'bowl' all the way to the brim.
The whole process took only a few seconds.
"Nicely done!" Shanks praised, patting a now more energized Buggy on the back. According to his teacher, Luffy was able to refresh summoners so quickly and accurately because of how big a space he had in his mana reserve. More room to take in other people's mana.
In other words, his 'bowl' was just really empty, making it easier to draw in large amounts of mana.
Mana switches were similar, but it occurred when a ranger took two summoners' mana and literally 'switched them', giving one the other's mana reserves. The technique was most often used on the battlefield.
"Class," Shanks began, jumping up onto his desk like he usually did, "now that you've learned the basics of mana, what do you think an enemy creature's response to you would be? Or rather, what is the easiest way to incapacitate a ranger?"
The class was silent, unsure.
"Take out your eyes." The red-head stated seriously, a hand coming up to trace the scar over his eye, "Don't forget, many creatures are intelligent and know very well how to counter our techniques. All it takes is a well-placed knife and no more mana sight."
Luffy gulped, thinking how the summoners in their company would be affected if they couldn't refresh their mana. Though they could regenerate mana in their world, in the other worlds, it was stagnant, unmoving. The more they summoned, the weaker they would become, until they had no mana left to spend.
And, unlike rangers, summoners weren't given specialized combat training. They'd be sitting ducks.
"Is that why Mr. Lucci has been teaching us to guard our faces so much?" Kaya asked, raising her hand. Shanks nodded.
"That's right. Your eyes are your most valuable resource…take them away, and you become vulnerable." He huffed before smiling, "It is possible to become a great ranger without your sight, but it's rare and much more difficult. Anyway, that's all we have time for today. Make sure to keep collecting research on the race you want to make a pact with, fieldwork will be here before you know it!"
As he seemed to make a habit of, Luffy stayed behind, remembering Shanks had wanted to talk to him after class. When it was just the two of them, the red-head beckoned for him to approach.
"How's your search coming?"
Luffy huffed, feeling a bit frustrated. He'd gone through almost every book in the Ranger Headquarters and even some in the library but had yet to find a race with an offering of less than 5. Being a talented mana manipulator didn't amount to anything if he couldn't make a pact…
"So far…no luck."
"I see." Shanks hummed, "Well, don't give up yet! You've got a private lesson with Lucci today, right? Ask him, he may have some ideas." Luffy thanked Shanks and left the building, picking up his pace towards the gym, where Basic Combat was held.
The class was taught by Smokey, his Residential Master, and included both summoner and ranger students. Though, to the rangers, it was significantly easier (or…less dangerous) than Realm Combat. Lucci didn't pull his punches when it came to their 'survival training'. He was determined to prepare them for the worst possible scenarios in the other worlds.
Luffy whined as Zoro pushed him down over his outstretched legs, flattening his chest to his legs.
"I'm sooo sore."
"You're freaking flexible is what you are." Zoro retorted, leaning over his back to help him stretch and warm up, "What kind of training are you doing in that other combat class?"
"…running, sparring, weapons training…" Luffy rattled off, turning so his cheek was pressed against his lower leg, "The other day he made us balance on a beam over a muddy sink hole…while it was raining…and he was throwing rocks at us-"
"-is that even allowed?"
"-then when we fell in, we had to climb out…which was even harder."
Yep, he was definitely the sorest he'd ever been in his entire life, which was really saying something when you grew up with a grandpa like Luffy's. Still, it was nice to know he would be well-prepared for his fieldwork, if he could ever find a race or tribe that would take him.
His summoner friends had their own concerns. Their midterm exam was coming up, which was a massive group summon with their entire class. According to Zoro, they'd be summoning a Level V creature, a big one, and they all had to contribute mana and to the circle.
One mistake, and the summoning would fail.
Luffy and the other rangers would be there, but just to observe their fellow students' mana and (he assumed) to dismantle the spell if it got out of hand. If the summoning went wrong, like a Reverse Summon, it was up to the rangers to break the summoners' connection to the circle before they got pulled into the other world.
Dismantling a spell was like pulling thread out of a sweater, just with mana. Using mana sight, you just…pulled it apart. The more complicated spells took time, but it wasn't terribly difficult when you could see and disconnect the important branches.
As usual, Smokey gave them exercises and obstacles to run at a much more leisurely pace than his other class. Much to his fellow students' chagrin, Luffy finished the routine almost fifteen minutes before everyone else.
"Ne, Mr. Smokey, could I go ahead and leave?" He asked, using his shirt to wipe sweat off his brow, "Lucci wants me at the Arena in like…ten minutes." Smoker huffed.
"Go ahead, I imagine he'll be more of a challenge for you."
As Luffy packed up his stuff and prepared to rush over to the Arena (not wanting to be late), some of the summoner students started mocking him.
"…what a freak…"
"Seriously, though…"
He thought it was a bit presumptuous of them to call him names when they were huffing and puffing their way through the course, but it still made his stomach drop a little. Luffy was used to people messing with him, and he generally just let it go, but that didn't mean he was completely insensitive to their bullying.
Freak.
That word in particular hurt more then they knew. Luffy forced a smile and waved at his friends before trotting out of the building to his private lesson.
Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it in time.
"You're late." Lucci growled, waiting for him on the grounds.
"Sorry…" He managed, getting into a fighting stance. There was no point in trying excuses with this particular teacher.
Their spars were always a challenge, and quite painful. Lucci was fast and ridiculously strong, even without tapping into his creature abilities. Luffy grunted as he took a hit directly to his gut, sending him sprawling onto the ground.
"You're distracted today." Lucci observed, lowering his arms, "Something bothering you?" Luffy huffed and pushed himself up into a seated position.
"Just got a lot on my mind…could we keep going?"
They fought for almost an hour straight, with Luffy on the losing side the entire time. By the time Lucci finally let up, he felt like his body was one massive bruise. Even though it was difficult, Luffy greatly appreciated the teacher challenging him (despite it leaving him supine on the ground like an idiot).
Fighting was his passion, something he'd always done, and this intense training was helping him get stronger.
Lucci tossed a water bottle to Luffy and lowered himself down next to him.
"So…what's on your mind?"
"I can't find a creature race to make a pact with." He spilled, focusing on his breathing to slow his heart rate down, "Shanks said you may have some ideas…" Lucci hummed as he pulled the tie out of his hair, letting the dark locks cascade over his shoulders.
"I recommend you visit one of the librarians, Nico Robin. She has a vast knowledge of creatures…though I would prepare yourself for a very limited selection."
Luffy nodded, a little disheartened. Why was it so difficult to find creatures that would take him? Everyone else in his class had already chosen two or three possible tribes to visit, whereas he had yet to find one…
Later that day, after taking a brief break to play some soccer with his friends, Luffy headed to the library, one of the largest buildings on campus. He gulped as he headed in, feeling somewhat intimidated and out of place.
Though he'd been there before, it'd been for something Usopp needed…never by himself. Due to his active and energetic personality, Luffy didn't really like the quiet and subdued atmosphere. Once inside, he immediately went up to the front desk where a sharply dressed woman sat.
"Can I help you find something?" She asked, smiling sweetly.
"Um…I was wondering if I could meet with Nico Robin?" He replied, curling in a little as older students walked by and starting whispering. Was it really all that weird for a ranger student to visit the library? Or maybe it was his somewhat ragged backpack and hair that drew their attention…
"Well-"
"You're right on time, Mr. Monkey." A different lady interrupted. Luffy looked up in confusion as the dark haired woman smoothly stepped forward and took his hand. "Thank you, I'll take it from here."
Luffy blinked as he was led swiftly through the library, past lots of shelves, and to the offices on the second floor. He hadn't made an appointment…had he?
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Monkey D. Luffy." The lady said, motioning for him to take a seat in front of what he assumed was her desk, "My name is Nico Robin, and I understand you're having trouble finding someone to make a pact with."
"Yeah…how'd you know?" She chuckled.
"I know many things, it's my job after all. Now, tell me a little bit about yourself."
They talked for a few minutes about his new job on campus (which was super fun!), brothers, and friends. Robin was easy to understand and Luffy felt himself relaxing right away.
"I see…and would you say you enjoy long-range or close-quarters combat?"
"Definitely hand-to-hand!" Luffy chirped, leaning forward excitedly, "I've always sucked at using weapons…" Robin nodded and suddenly sprouted four extra hands! He watched in awe as the hands went through her drawers and shelves, looking for something.
"You're a ranger!"
"Yes, though long retired now." She said with a smile, taking a book from one of her hands that, on closer inspection, was made of tightly woven silk. "I believe I have some ideas for you, just let me know which ones sound plausible."
Robin opened the book and flipped through it, stopping occasionally to read off the creatures listed and their cost. Unfortunately, most of them made Luffy cringe at the mere thought.
Lava Slug: offering of 1.
Myriad Beetle: offering of 1.
Muddy Shrike: offering of 2.
"Um…Robin? Do you have anything…erm…better?" He interrupted, prompting her to close the book, "I really don't wanna have to make a pact with a slug." Robin chuckled and pushed her glasses farther up her nose.
"I do have an option that may appeal to you more…though I must warn you, no student that's ever attempted to make a pact with them has returned." Luffy gulped but nodded. Anything was better than a slug…
One of Robin's hands gently transferred an ancient book into her real hands, causing a cloud of dust to fly into the air. Luffy coughed and waved at the air, trying to get a better look at the really old text. The librarian flipped to the very end and turned the book around so he could see the pictures.
"The Kuja ad Valera. They are two tribes of creatures that have a sort of…symbiotic relationship with one another." Robin explained, pointing first to the picture on his left that depicted what could only be described as a snake-woman, "The Kuja are lamia of the purest sort, vicious predators. While the Valera…"
He turned to look at the other picture, depicting humanoid creatures with…rabbit ears?
"…are essentially rabbits. Though their kind in our world are predator and prey, deep within the forests of Louloùdi, they work together to survive."
Luffy gratefully took the book from Robin to have a closer look. His eyes immediately gravitated towards the offering cost. The Valera required 2, while the Kuja required 5.
"From what you have told me, I believe the Valera may be your best option." Robin continued, "They specialize in hand-to-hand combat and their ears give them enhanced senses…though, if you'll look closer…"
The librarian took a delicate finger and drew his attention to both pictures. At first, Luffy wasn't sure what she was pointing at, that is, until it hit him.
"Wait…are they all…female?" Robin nodded.
"That's right. The lamia by birth are a female only race, using males of other species to procreate on occasion, while the Valera live by a matriarchal system. From what I understand, their men are seen as the weaker sex while the women protect and lead the tribe as fierce warriors. I'm not sure how receptive they would be of you seeing as you are a man."
'Like Amazons…' Luffy mused, eyes darting between the two pictures. Still, he greatly preferred being a rabbit person to a slug.
"So, why haven't people come back?"
"They either don't survive their trials or offend them somehow." Robin informed him, "At least, that's what we assume. Outsiders generally aren't welcome, even to collect remains."
After talking it over with Robin, Luffy decided he'd focus his efforts during fieldwork on the Valera. Despite all the difficulty he would probably have just getting there (not even considering how he would convince them to make a pact), it was his best option. Though, he'd also have to consider the Kuja.
Apparently, the two tribes had competitions every few years to decide which one would be in charge. If the Kuja were the dominant tribe, he'd have to convince them to…well…not kill him.
All in all, it was very exciting! He finally had a goal in mind!
That evening, when he finally made it back to Quiet Creek dorm, Zoro had already returned and was practicing drawing circles.
"Yo, how was your day?" His friend asked, never once looking up from his drawing. Luffy shrugged and threw himself down onto his bed.
"Libraries are scary, but Robin was nice. What about you?" Zoro chuckled slightly at his comment, almost messing up the line he was drawing so carefully.
"Fine. We're all preparing for the midterm…according to the older students, it's going to be pretty tough." Luffy giggled, turning over onto his stomach to face Zoro.
"Shishishi, you're all so smart though! I bet you'll do great."
"Whatever you say…"
Not wanting to bother Zoro any further, Luffy skipped out of their room and into the bathroom to take a shower. He stunk! Once he was clean, and in his pajamas, he trotted back towards his room, admiring the stars he could see through the window at the end of the hall.
That is, until a hooded face appeared.
Luffy froze, foot halfway up in the air. The eyes staring at him were a brilliant gold and almost seemed to stare right into his soul. Unsure of what to do, Luffy didn't move, swallowing nervously and chiding his heart for beating so loudly. When the figure didn't move either, he slowly channeled mana up to his eyes, to see if he could get a better look at whatever was staring at him.
Using his mana sight, Luffy could immediately tell that the being was a creature of some kind. Its own mana was gold, a reflection of its eyes, which he'd never seen before. Shanks had told them that humans usually had blue mana while a creature's color would vary depending on its power and where it was from.
'Now would be a great time for someone to come up the stairs or out of their room…' Luffy thought, lips going dry. Staring right at the creature's mana, he was starting to think the being was dangerous. Would it attack him?
Just as he though that, the being was in front of him, inches from his face.
Luffy couldn't even breath. The creature radiated power, keeping him from moving. It grabbed his face with clawed hands, bringing him closer to his eyes.
"Be still." It commanded, holding his head securely.
Almost immediately, Luffy's vision glazed over. He could tell that the creature was using some sort of ability, images flashing across what vision he had left. Was it…searching his memories? He tried to fight it, but his body wouldn't listen to him. As a last ditch effort, he forced all of his mana into his eyes, creating a make-shift shield from the creature.
That actually caused the being to pull back with a raised eyebrow, though it didn't release him.
"Interesting…" It hissed, "To think, he would choose a companion like you…for one so weak, you intrigue me human." After one last look, the creature disappeared, letting Luffy fall to the floor, legs turning to mush in an instant. His heart was racing, and he was honest-to-goodness scared.
That creature had held him in place with just a look! What did they want with him?
"Luffy? What're you doing?" Usopp asked just as he stepped off the top step of the stairs. The teen's voice prompted Zoro to stick his head out of their room as well.
"U-Uh…I-I…" Luffy was finding it hard to even speak. His two friends immediately rushed up to him, concerned looks on their faces.
"You're burning up…should we take him to the infirmary?" Usopp asked Zoro, who frowned. Luffy immediately waved them off.
"N-No I'm okay…just…did either of you see it?"
"See what?" Luffy swallowed hard.
"There was a-a creature! It grabbed me and-" His friends listened carefully to his story, Zoro's eyes getting bigger and bigger.
"Gold eyes, you're certain?" Luffy nodded, finally able to stand up. His green-haired friend's face was looking paler by the minute.
"Should we go get Mr. Smoker?" Usopp suggested, looking around nervously. Zoro shook his head.
"No, it's gone now. You gonna be okay, Luffy?"
"Yeah." He chirped, feeling a little better already, "It didn't hurt me or anything, so maybe it was just lost? I don't really know…either way, I'm tired. Let's go to bed!"
Zoro spent the rest of the evening creating talismans to place around their room. He'd learned how to make them from his father who'd always been the superstitious type. These particular talismans would hopefully keep a certain Skotàdi demon away.
Thankfully, Luffy had fallen asleep quickly despite his rattling experience.
'Why would he target Luffy?' Zoro mused, putting up the last of the talismans on their window. It wasn't foolproof, but it would at least ward him off, if it had been him at all. There were lots of golden eyed creatures…right?
The Mesa was supposed to be fiercely protected from creatures crossing over except through a formal summoning, so it couldn't be him, he hoped.
Zoro wasn't near ready to face him.
Still feeling uneasy, he fell into a restless sleep clutching his swords tightly to his chest. If anyone came back for more, he'd protect the both of them.
The hawk-demon sat on a nearby roof, watching Roronoa fall asleep. Honestly, the boy was just as paranoid as he remembered. Did he really think those flimsy little talismans would stop him? It was almost insulting!
These humans thought their in-between world was safe, but not to those powerful enough to create their own portals. Most just chose to leave them alone, not seeing humans as a threat.
An annoyance or midday snack perhaps, but certainly not a threat.
The cool night air of the Mesa blew against his hood, prompting him to pull it forward or risk exposing his glowing eyes. Not that is really mattered, he was sitting on top of a roof cloaked in darkness…no normal human would be able to pick him out without the use of a creature's nose or the mana sight of a ranger.
Dracule Mihawk's eyes slid right to where the little ranger was sleeping, having obviously been shaken by their encounter.
For one so young to successfully shield himself against his memory probe was quite an accomplishment, though he imagined the boy did it unconsciously. The human didn't have much mana either, so Mihawk had to give him at least a little credit.
Even so, he'd gotten a good look at the human's memories, and hadn't found what he was looking for. Mihawk didn't move as a portal opened just to his left and another creature stepped through.
"Pardon me." The demon said, taking a seat next to him. Mihawk pushed his hood back out of respect for the newcomer.
"It's been a long time, Katakuri. What brings you all the way here?" The other demon was smaller than he normally was and covered in a cloak similar to his own.
"Forgive me for the abrupt visit, but things have become somewhat turbulent at home." Katakuri said, flipping his hood back as well to reveal curved black horns. Mihawk knew that the creature's great wings were hidden underneath his cloak. "Mama and Kaido can both be very difficult…and stubborn."
Mihawk snorted, feeling for the demon. To have parents as powerful as his…it was only natural for him to get stuck in the middle.
"So, you come to me for what, relief?" Katakuri shook his head.
"I received word that some of Kaido's scouts have been sniffing around Kuraigana. As that is your home, I thought to inform you."
"Meddling oaf…" Mihawk whispered, not bothering to mince his words in front of Katakuri. He considered the demon something of an acquaintance. The larger creature looked down at him before following his gaze to the window of the two human youths.
"Sightseeing? I've never known you to take an interest in humans."
"I have something of a history with that one." Mihawk explained, pointing a clawed finger at Roronoa, "He intends to challenge me someday…so I thought I'd check up on his progress. The other one is a ranger with hardly any mana at all. No idea how he even got into this bloody school."
Katakuri hummed and let his scarlet eyes pan over to the smaller boy, observing the gentle rise and fall of his chest.
"I see. Well, don't let me interrupt…it's probably best that I return before Mama suspects I'm gone." Mihawk glanced to Katakuri, noting the way his fangs dropped.
"Don't go stopping for a snack now…there are some troublesome humans here."
"I'm aware." Katakuri chuckled, "Perhaps another time." Mihawk knew his pain; coming to a school full of delicious, mana-rich humans was a temptation for any creature…especially an ancient demon like Katakuri who was of mixed bloodlines. The desire to feed off of an energy rich human was sometimes difficult to ignore.
Mihawk took his leave soon after Katakuri did, needing to return home. It wouldn't do to have Kaido's men sneaking around Kuraigana unsupervised. After all, it was his sacred duty to protect the place of awakening from anyone other than those of the proper bloodline…that of the Demon King.