Author's Note:I hope ya'll enjoy the chapter (things are gonna get crazy real fast lol)!
To fluffypuppies: Lots of bad things! Lu is instinctively stepping into a leadership role in the ranger class ;) and we're so proud of him. What can I say, putting Luffy in tough situations is kind of my thing lol (but he'll be okay since there's always a "Protect Luffy Squad"). Surume is stinking adorable XD As for the traitor...well...you're definitely on the right track *winks* I'm so glad I can make you feel better with my story updates! Thank you, as always, for reviewing and see you next time!
To Matt: Lol Akainu is definitely a bad guy, can't deny that.
To Guest: Thank you! There's too little of Surume in fanfiction, so I decided to change that ;) Can't wait for Arlong to get what's coming to him.
To Sophia Mendes-Coruja: Hey again, and awwww you're always so nice to me XD Poor Lu, he's always getting in trouble :( and yet he makes friends wherever he goes *shrugs and accepts your hugs* Lol Akainu sucks, like a lot, and Nami definitely has had a rough time of it, just gotta keep reading to find out what her deal really is! See you next time!
To Shiho-Akemi: Unfortunately, Luffy does not have a devil fruit or anything, just his normal human martial arts and stuff :( but don't worry, he may be weak right now, but that will definitely change!
WARNINGS:
- Violence/mentions of gore
- Kidnapping
- Being restrained
- Poor Lu gets a beating
- Overprotective brothers
Note: Tesoro is from the One Piece film "Gold", if you aren't familiar with him
Luffy yelped as he tripped over yet another rock, prompting the fishman dragging him along to glare and violently yank his shivering body up.
"Keep moving, human."
It wasn't his fault he'd been taken and dunked in the ocean! What a bunch of jerks. Luffy huffed and focused on keeping up with the fishman whose grip on his upper arm tightened the closer they got to the surface.
He hoped the sun was shining wherever they were going because his body was freezing to the touch and his bare feet were going numb.
After what felt like forever, they arrived at a wooden door that was outlined by light. The fishman holding him motioned to one of his subordinates who quickly opened the door. Luffy immediately shut his eyes in response to the intense brightness now shining on him (though the accompanying warmth was nice).
Once he could see again, Luffy examined the strange place he'd been taken to.
The wooden door led to what looked like natural cut out in stone that was surrounded by tall coral. With the ceiling open to the sun, the cold floor was a bit warmer and his feet soaked up the heat eagerly.
What was a bit alarming were the metal cages inserted into the walls. They were quite large and went up almost four floors up thanks to the unnatural stone staircases and walkways. Luffy swallowed hard and glanced beyond the shortest wall to the ocean beyond.
It appeared Surume's cavern was directly connected to this place. He determined quickly that this was where his fellow classmates would've ended up had he not intervened.
'Do the fishmen live in that boat over there…?' He mused, eyeing the massive boat beyond the coral walls with awe. It was huge!
Luffy continued to look around even as he was dragged forward towards the only actual building in the area. It was very tall with multiple stories and a pointed top. Seated in a chair in front of the main entrance was a muscular fishman with a pointed nose that scowled down at them menacingly.
"Hody, what's this?"
Luffy grunted as he was forced to his knees and into a bowed position by a strong, webbed hand on his head.
"This…well…" Hody stammered, sweating a bit while tightening his grasp on Luffy's skull, "Unfortunately, Sir, this is all the Kraken got…"
"Surely you're mistaken."
"I'm not…the cavern was empty except for this one."
While the two fishmen talked above him, Luffy grit his teeth in pain. His captor didn't seem to care how hard he was holding him, and it was really starting to hurt. It annoyed him that even when he started to claw at the hand keeping him in place, no one even acknowledged his existence.
"How did this happen!?" Sharp-Nose yelled, standing up from his chair, "I promised Tesoro a full shipment of mana-rich brats, and we have nothing!? Hody, give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand."
"I-It wasn't my fault, Sir! Either the Kraken failed, or something went wrong on the human's side-"
"Are you insinuating this is my fault?" Sharp-Nose growled, "That my decision is to blame!?" Before the argument could continue, Luffy cried out in pain and grabbed his captor's wrist tightly. Feeling the creature's mana, he drew it out to the surface of the fishman's skin, making the muscle bubble and boil.
Luffy was released with a bellow, sending both of them to the floor. He glanced up, breathing heavily, to get a look at his work. Hody's arm had been burned by his own mana thanks to his manipulation.
"Oh…?" His inner celebration was short lived as Sharp-Nose grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air, "A ranger then…a talented one at that." Luffy thrashed in the creature's grip, kicking him with his scuffed feet, but it was like the creature felt none of it.
"You brat…" Hody growled, standing up and cradling his injured arm, eyes murderous. But before anything could happen, a voice echoed throughout the coral settlement.
"Now, now, don't be hasty."
Luffy gasped for air as he was unceremoniously dropped like a rag doll. His eyes darted around, trying to find who had spoken. Interestingly, the fish-people also appeared nervous, beads of sweat appearing on even Sharp-Nose's brow.
Suddenly, a column of smoke appeared before the building, billowing up high and flecked with…gold? When the cloud dissipated, a man stood alone, holding a gilded cane. Luffy observed the newcomer with caution.
There was something about him that made his stomach churn.
Channeling his mana sight, Luffy confirmed his fear: this was no human, it was a creature. The strange being had gold all over him in the form of rings and belts. Most unnerving were his dark smile and cold eyes.
"Tesoro, you're early." Sharp-Nose said, eyes narrow. The creature just laughed and swung his cane around as he approached.
"I can't possibly be late to my own party. Though…" He trailed off, glancing at the empty cages, "I see we are missing the main course."
"T-There was a complication-" Hody began, only to be hit in the face with the cane, which sent him flying into the far wall. Whatever this guy was, he was powerful. No one moved as the gold-adorned creature walked up the steps.
"Yes, I can see that." He ignored the head fishman and lifted Luffy's chin with his cane, forcing his silver eyes up, "I can't help but wonder if you had something to do with it, hmmm?"
The boy said nothing and continued to stare up at the creature, earning a dark sneer as he removed the cane.
"This human did?"
"It's very likely." Tesoro replied, never removing his gaze from Luffy's still silver eyes, "Rangers are quite annoying, especially those who can influence mana with ease."
He yelped as smoke came out from the creature again, this time wrapping around him and holding his flailing body in the air. It was tight and restrained his arms against his sides. Luffy physically jolted when the beast grabbed his face and started to use a familiar ability, the same one the golden-eyed monster had used to search his memories.
Before the beast could even start, Luffy erected a mental mana shield, hoping it would hold. This one was shaky and not as strong as the last one, likely because he honestly had no idea what he was doing.
Tesoro clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Tch, none of that now." Luffy screamed as the smoke tightened around him, cracking some of his ribs. The intense pain made his mana control falter and allowed the creature access to his mind. "That's better…"
Wheezing, it was all he could do not to pass out. His body ached and his skin shivered even without the drain on his mana as Tesoro searched his most recent memories. Unlike the golden-eyed creature, this one only went back a few hours, analyzing his performance during the exam.
"I see…" The creature sneered, releasing Luffy's face but not his body, "So you were responsible. Though I must say, rallying the other rangers like that…how very charming." Tesoro chuckled to himself and pet Luffy's damp hair like he was a dog.
"What should we do?" Sharp-Nose, Arlong, put in. The gold-adorned being simply smirked.
"Fear not, my dear fishman colleague, there will be other chances. Hopefully, your little flower will perform better when she's not under so much pressure." Luffy's ears perked up at that. Were they talking about a human? "In the meantime, I recommend moving your headquarters."
"…and why would we do that?" Arlong hissed, hands clenching up. The other fishmen around them (including Hody who'd finally limped back after being sent flying) didn't seem keen on the idea either. "This is not just our headquarters, it's our home."
Tesoro shrugged.
"Do what you will, I'm simply thinking of your wellbeing."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you honestly think the rangers are going to just leave this sweet little thing all alone?" Tesoro crooned while grabbing Luffy's already bruised cheeks and turning his face towards Arlong, "No, I assure you, they'll come for him and I don't need to tell you how dangerous they can be."
The group went silent, some appearing almost…frightened.
Tired of being manhandled, Luffy tore his face out of the creature's grasp and snapped at the fingers as they retreated.
"Let me go!"
Tesoro chuckled.
"My, what spunk!" His pleasant smile dropped however when Luffy continued to struggle and kick at his arms, actually connecting with a few weak thrashes. He yelped as the smoke turned him completely upside down and viciously shook him, rattling his brain and broken bones painfully.
When he was finally flipped back upright, blood spilled out of the corner of his mouth and his vision was a blurry mess.
"You will know your place, human." Tesoro snarled before melting back into his deceptive smile and running a gloved hand through his tangled, raven locks. Luffy squeaked indignantly as the strands were pulled suddenly. "Honestly, your kind always seems to require a firm guiding hand…. shame on you for wrinkling my coat."
He spoke as if Luffy were some disobedient pup.
"Even if we leave, there may not be another chance." Arlong interjected, briefly drawing Tesoro's attention away from Luffy, "That test was one of only a handful of times the entire summoning class is connected to one circle." The golden creature tutted and waved his finger in the fishman's face.
"Do not be so closedminded, my friend. There are other ways to collect those human brats, but for now, it is best for us to regroup." Tesoro shrugged and spun away, taking Luffy with him, "But I digress. It is your home, so do as you wish."
"Oi, where're you going with that human?" Hody put in, making the gold-adorned creature stop walking, "We worked hard for him, so-"
Tesoro cut him off with a threatening twirl of his cane.
"Per our agreement, all of the merchandise belongs to me."
"W-Well, yeah, but he's not a summoner!"
"So? That doesn't mean he can't provide me some…entertainment."
Luffy's breath hitched painfully as Tesoro tightened the smoke and shot him a dark smirk.
"Yes…I know exactly how to make this ranger's short, pathetic life worth my time."
Smoker stared down at the phone on his desk, cursing Akainu for giving him the job. Though he couldn't blame the other faculty members for not wanting it, why did it have to be him?
"Per our policy, we must inform the student's family of what occurred."
He huffed, running a hand through his hair. Who knew how the kid's brothers would react to hearing their youngest sibling was caught up in a Reverse Summon and lost in one of the other worlds?
Steeling himself, Smoker picked up the phone and entered the number shown on his computer screen.
One belonging to Portgas D. Ace.
The line rang four times before someone picked up.
"Hello?" The voice answered, sounding chipper and in a good mood, one Smoker was about to ruin.
"Ace…this is Smoker."
"Ah, Smokey! It's been a while!" Ace exclaimed, "It's unlike you to be friendly or remotely social-"
"Ace." He interrupted, serious tone making the freckled teen go silent in anticipation, "…something happened."
The young summoner listened to his explanation, going completely silent when Smoker explained the danger his little brother was in.
"I'm sorry…WHAT!?" Ace yelled into his ear, making him move the phone away, "What the hell do you mean Lu was TAKEN!?"
"Like I said, there was a Reverse Summon and a Kraken-"
"-and now my baby brother is somewhere in Koràlli, ALONE AND PROBABLY INJURED! That's unacceptable!" The fiery summoner continued; his fury so potent Smoker could practically taste it.
"Akagami and Rob Lucci went after him, so-"
"Sabo and I are coming; we'll be there in a few hours." At that, Ace hung up, leaving Smoker with nothing but a monotonous dial tone. Honestly, had Akainu expected anything less? The brat's family was an overprotective bunch, and would definitely cause trouble when they arrived…
Ace closed the phone violently, almost breaking the screen. How could this happen!? Luffy hadn't even made it through his first semester and had already been kidnapped by a Kraken of all things!?
Stomping back over to Sabo, he knew his mana was currently out of control, but he didn't care. As a big brother, it was his right to be pissed off (and seriously worried).
His blonde brother had heard everything and though he appeared calm, Ace knew he was seething as their mana manifested itself in furious auras all around them, mingling together like flames.
"Calm down, yoi. Both of you." A voice interjected, drawing both of their gazes. It was Marco, their contracted creature. Commonly known as the great Su-zaku, he was known throughout the worlds for his blue flames and incredible vitality.
Some even believed he was immortal.
Of course, Ace and Sabo knew that wasn't quite true, though he had lived (and would continue to live) for a very long time. Preferring to be called Marco, the bird now lived and served Edward Newgate, or Whitebeard, a giant who had carved out his own space separate from the five worlds as a haven of sorts for creatures of all kinds.
It was actually quite similar to how the Mesa was created so many years before.
"How can we calm down!?" Ace spit, growling at Marco, "We trusted them with our baby brother and now he's missing!" The phoenix simply huffed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Marco was currently in his human form as they were working a case in the human world and didn't want to draw attention from normal folk.
It was strange how comfortable they'd become around Marco, despite the fact that he was anything but human.
"If Shanks is going after him, he should be fine, yoi."
"In theory, yes," Sabo put in, grinding his teeth together in frustration, "but I'd still like to see if there's anything we can do. Luffy's just a kid, Marco! He can barely make it to school on time let alone survive in another world!"
As they argued in some ally way of the dirty city they were currently investigating, Ace and Sabo's many gilded arm bands and rings clinked together, creating a pleasant sound. Thankfully, there was a spell on the relics that made them invisible to normal humans, otherwise they'd garner many strange looks.
Together, Ace and Sabo could summon some very powerful creatures, but Marco had taken a lot of preparation. Even now, they had to wear multiple relics to boost their mana to keep him in their world long enough to do their job.
They even had earrings going down the outside of their ears!
Marco sighed.
"…Koràlli, right? I'll talk to Pops and let the family know to keep an eye out for a lost human. Do you have a picture, yoi?" Ace almost hugged him right there, despite that being completely inappropriate and crossing the line between summoner and creature.
He wasted no time in pulling up a picture on his phone. It was one they'd taken the day Luffy had headed off to Red Line to start school.
As with all his pictures, he was grinning brightly.
Marco hummed as he examined the picture, lips curling up into a slight smile.
"Luffy, yes? He looks kind."
"He is." Sabo replied, having come over to look at the picture himself, "Thank you for doing this, it means more than you know. Lu…he's everything to us." Marco nodded before vanishing in a plume of blue fire, not even waiting for them to formally dismiss him.
Well, not that they had that much control over what he did. Su-zaku reported to no one except Whitebeard. Ace was fairly sure he only answered their summons to pass the time.
"All right, let's head to Reverie." Hopefully, with Marco and his clan searching as well, they'd find Luffy in no time.
When Marco arrived back home, he was immediately met by the comforting sound of Pops' boisterous laughter. He'd appeared right where he'd left a few hours before to answer Ace and Sabo's call, the throne room.
"-and then…oh…welcome back, Marco!" Haruta greeted, apparently in the middle of some story with their giant of a father. The phoenix greeted him briefly before approaching Pops' chair.
"How was the human world, my son?" The giant asked, smiling pleasantly, "Are those humans of yours keeping out of trouble?" Unlike most creatures, Pops didn't mind if his children were summoned, that is, as long as they were treated well and had an innate interest in the humans in question.
As far as creatures went, Pops was…progressive, as the humans would say. Most powerful creatures made a show of dominating humans or consuming them (if they had enough mana to be worth making into a snack), all in the name of "retribution" or some other dubious reason.
In Marco's case, he could easily overwhelm both Ace and Sabo, but chose not to. They were quite young still and had good intentions, so he decided to answer their calls on a regular basis.
"Pops, something happened, yoi." He stated seriously, making the giant frown, "Apparently, my humans' hatchling has gone missing."
"What?" Haruta gasped, flitting around and leaving fairy dust all over the floor. Pixies always made such a mess.
Marco quickly explained the situation to Pops (and Haruta).
"Hmmm…I see." Pops said, voice deep and slow as he thought through what he'd just heard, "This little human, he is younger than even your humans?"
"Yes, yoi. By at least a few moons." To Marco, the years always blurred together, making it difficult to differentiate between fledglings like his humans and those who were still babes. He blamed it on their short life spans.
"Very well, I shall inform your brothers and sisters to keep a look out for this missing hatchling." Marco smirked, knowing his father would cave when he brought up the boy's age. Pops was such a sap for little ones.
Unfortunately, they didn't have many family members in Koràlli, but they would do their best.
"Thank you, Pops."
"Gurarara, don't mention it. Though I would very much like to meet these humans of yours…" Marco sighed, knowing that was coming. After everything he'd told Pops, the giant had developed a keen interest in Ace and Sabo, to the point of suggesting he just bring them back with him at some point.
He was quite certain that would be considered 'kidnapping' and was not appreciated as much in the human's culture as it was in theirs. Amongst creatures, it was very common to claim the right to someone as a result of a fight or gamble. Not so much in the human world.
"…Pops, no."
"Yes."
"No, yoi."
"But-"
"No."
"…but if we have their kin here…"
Marco face palmed. Why was his father so stubborn?
Luffy looked around warily as Tesoro brought him through a portal to…somewhere. Leaving the Koràlli behind, they stepped into a new world, one that definitely wasn't his home. The first thing he noticed was that it was dark, but he had no trouble seeing.
Looking up, he realized it must be because of the abundance of stars in the sky. It was actually quite beautiful.
Another thing he noted was that Tesoro had brought out an umbrella that shined a cold, pale light on him. It reminded Luffy of how Kuma brought the shadows with him to their world.
Putting the pieces together in his mind, he recalled how the fishmen mentioned that Tesoro was a djinn.
'Since he likes the light so much…he must be from Fos.' Luffy mused, swallowing nervously as the smoke carried him up what appeared to be a cliff, one that held a large group of lavishly dressed creatures.
"Do you like it, boy?" Tesoro whispered, motioning past the crowd to the forest and rolling hills beyond, "I imagine you've never been to Skotàdi before."
Luffy followed the creature's hand, honestly surprised. This was Skotàdi? But it was so…pretty. From how the summoners and older teachers described it, he'd expected a war torn wasteland.
"…a fitting place for your end, no?"
He twisted back to face Tesoro, growling weakly. What was this djinn planning? The creature simply cackled and waltzed up to the group, holding Luffy up like some sort of prize.
"Welcome, friends and colleagues! I pray your trip over wasn't terribly difficult?" The group cheered and praised Tesoro, all holding the strange umbrella things. The harsh light emitted felt unnatural and a stark contrast to the calm light shining from the sky. "For today's entertainment, I have a special guest with me…a young ranger who worked quite hard to ruin my carefully thought out plan."
Luffy grunted as he was dropped to the ground and held there by Tesoro's foot. At his declaration, all of the Fos creatures booed and one even spat on his head. What the hell was this!?
"Now, tell me what you want!"
"ENTERTAINMENT!" The light creatures screamed; eyes full of bloodlust.
"Oh? Entertainment? You'll have to be more specific?"
"Kill him!" One yelled, spurred on by Tesoro's questions, "Gut the ranger and offer his bones to Solis!"
"That's more like it!" Tesoro bellowed, pulling Luffy up by the back of his neck and walking him towards the edge of the cliff. This wasn't looking good…
He tried to push back with his feet, but every movement made his head spin and his body groan in pain. If only he had the power to protect himself, it was so frustrating to be weak! Tesoro stopped right by the edge, holding Luffy so his feet were starting to slip off the steep incline into the misty forest below.
"Tell me, human," Tesoro hissed into his ear, "have you ever heard of the Apàti Forest?" Luffy, still trying desperately not to fall while clawing at the djinn's hand, didn't reply.
"It's home to a terrifying beast called Balak the Deceiver…a monster even the strongest of this blasted world fear." The name was somewhat familiar to him, but he couldn't place it. Tesoro leaned even closer, so close that Luffy could smell his breath. "I'm sure it will enjoy crushing you into dust, I know we will."
At that, he twirled his cane one last time and used the end the roughly push Luffy off the edge. His eyes grew wide as his feet lost their hold and he fell down towards the forest. The sound of Tesoro and the crowd's jeers filled his head until he hit the ground hard and everything went black.
Drake flew through the skies, gliding on his wings with purpose. He was accompanied by a few of his subordinates, but not too many considering this was simply a scouting mission. His Master, Kaido, had ordered all of his reserve troops out into the field to look for any "suspicious figures".
Though the draconic demon hadn't informed them of exactly what had him on edge, rumor had it the "Straw-Magician" Hawkins had foreseen something (or someone) who could possibly be a threat to their master's rule.
Drake had no idea who could possible be considered a threat to the one known across the worlds as the Great Dragon…except for perhaps Big Mom, but they'd been feuding for ages without managing to surpass each other.
Regardless, his orders were to capture anyone he deemed suspicious and deliver them to Kaido, especially if they were seen attempting to interact with Balak.
Which was why, when he caught sight of a group obviously from Fos partying on top of a cliff right next to Balak's territory, he immediately banked towards them.
"What're they doing?" One of his men asked, hovering in the air beside him. They stopped far above them to decide how best to approach the group without alerting them to their presence. It was rare to have creatures of Fos in Skotàdi as they couldn't survive without that damned light, much like how they couldn't live without the constant pressure of darkness.
"I'm not sure…" Drake hissed, reptilian tongue flicking out of his mouth to give him a sense for what was happening. What he didn't expect was the distinct scent of a human. Narrowing his eyes, Drake slowly approached.
There, on the cliff's edge, was a djinn. Based on his attitude, he must be the leader. However, what truly caught his attention was the injured, tiny, shivering human held tightly in his grasp. He was painfully small and had obviously been beaten severely. Before Drake could even process this, the boy was shoved off the cliff and into the forest below.
"What the hell?" He whispered, following the body's swift descent and listening to the group's cheers when it hit the canopy. What could they possibly gain from killing that human youth?
"Sir, yours orders?" His second subordinate hissed, drawing his gaze back to the group on the hill.
"Call for backup." Drake commanded, tail whipping about furiously behind him, "We need to get to the bottom of this."