Author's Note: Hey everyone! Get to find out what happened to Luffy this chapter along with some other stuff, so I hope you all enjoy it ;)
To Guest: Haha I'm so glad you're enjoying my story! This is definitely one of my favorite AU creations :) See ya next chapter!
To ImGolden: Aw thanks! It's going to be an interesting (and very fun) story XD
To Shiho-Akemi: I can say that both Kuma and Hawkeye will be making appearances very soon lol ;) Thank you for the review!
To er kebbabaro: Hey there! I do have plans for Boa Hancock, so she will be showing up eventually :) Big Mom, Kaido, Whitebeard, and Shanks will all play big parts in my story, though obviously Shanks isn't a creature, but a ranger. There will be someone later on who will be very important, but I don't want to spoil too much ;) Thank you for the review and I'm so glad you like my story!
To fluffypuppies: Tesoro always causing problems lol and yes Ace/Sabo are coming! They wouldn't leave Lu by himself ;) Everyone's looking for poor Luffy, so it won't be too long until he's found. As always, thank you for leaving a review and I'll see you next time!
To SvalbardGirl: Hey, it's been a while! Yes, I am pretty mean to poor Lu-chan, but what can I say *shrugs* he'll be saved soon haha! (It seems to be my thing XD hurting and then rescuing little Lu!) Thanks for your words about Tesoro, I've never written him before so it was all new for me :) The Whitebeards are the best (as always) and he will be adopted by many people lol. Thank you for the review!
To Sophia Mendes-Coruja: Hey there! Aw no, exams suck :( been there, friend. Thanks for your kind words! Your reviews always make me smile!
WARNINGS:
- Violence/gore
- Hallucinations (that are a bit traumatizing)
- Balak the Deceiver (an OC created by my twin brother...it's pretty darn creepy)
- Retching/gagging
When Luffy woke, he tasted blood in his mouth. His head pounded as he tried to move, pain shooting up his spine in the process. It took a few minutes to sit up, his legs crumbling under the strain. One glance down to his feet revealed a swollen ankle at the end of his right leg, hopefully not broken.
His body felt like it was one big bruise.
Thankfully, his left leg seemed okay…or rather, as okay as it could be after falling from such a height. Luffy looked up, squinting in an attempt to see the silhouettes of his captors through the dense canopy. The trees were so thick that his vision was completely occluded, he couldn't even hear their raucous jeers anymore.
Groaning from the effort, Luffy used a nearby tree as leverage to pull himself up onto trembling legs. He quickly shifted his weight to his left leg after putting weight onto the right one sent sharp pain all the way up his body.
Turning his head side to side, he examined his surroundings.
The forest was dark, dense, and misty, making it difficult to see more than a few feet in front of his face. It was also unnervingly silent. There were no sounds other than that of his own breathing… no birds, no bugs, nothing. Swallowing hard, Luffy thought back to his time up on the cliff and tried to create a mental map. Something told him he needed to get out of the wood, and quickly.
As he started limping away in a direction, he hoped would lead him out onto the open plain he remembered opened up to the east of the forest, Tesoro's words haunted him.
"Tell me, human, have you ever heard of the Apàti Forest?" Luffy knew he'd heard that somewhere, possibly in one of Shanks' lectures. "It's home to a terrifying beast called Balak the Deceiver…a monster even the strongest of this blasted world fear. I'm sure it will enjoy crushing you into dust, I know we will."
He froze, suddenly feeling something's eyes on him. Trying to keep his breathing even, Luffy scanned the darkness before and around him, finding nothing. As calmly as possible, he channeled his mana up to his eyes. What he saw only served to confuse him more.
The mist continued despite his mana sight enhancing his vision, leaving everything with a strange, static filled hue. Occasionally, he'd fixate on a tree trunk that appeared to be monstrous, but it would vanish before he could truly focus on it. What kind of forest was this?
Luffy jolted when what appeared to be a golden dragonfly buzzed down through the canopy above him, floating just beneath a branch of a nearby tree. It was the first noise he'd heard in forest aside from himself. The bug beating its wings sounded enormously loud in the silence. Its eyes were big and on its underbelly was a seal, one he recognized from Tesoro's clothing.
They were watching him, hoping he'd die a gruesome death from whatever was in the forest with him.
Glaring at it, Luffy continued his trek, pushing thistles out of the way. He hobbled forward for what felt like forever, finally coming to a small clearing, one he recognized.
'Have I been going in circles?' Luffy thought, gritting his teeth. He was positive this was the same clearing because it still had the pile of broken sticks from where he fell. Though he couldn't hear them, he knew the creatures from Fos were laughing at him. The bug followed him diligently, never letting him out of its sight.
Deciding to try another route, Luffy started another path, this time walking a bit faster (as much as his bruised body would allow). His stomach dropped and rolled with every step, fear seeping in. It was like no matter where he went, something was keeping him from escaping.
Just as he thought that, a low, inhuman chuckle sounded through the darkness, bringing him to a dead halt. It was like a hiss or a groan that sent shivers down his spine. Then, something nudged him in the back, almost sending him flat on his face. Thinking it was the dragonfly, Luffy whirled around with a glare, only for his jaw to go slack and all blood to drain from his face.
There was an eye staring back at him, one twice as large as his body.
It was cloudy and yellow with veins that bulged. The eye belonged to a monster that could only be Balak, the beast Tesoro mentioned. Luffy didn't dare to even breathe as it looked him over, a sick sort of glee forming on its face that was mostly obscured by the mist. From what he could tell, it was leaning down over him, taunting him and enjoying the fear Luffy knew was coming off him in waves.
When he dared to blink, the monster was gone, leaving Luffy alone in the mist. But he knew he wasn't alone in the dark, he was being hunted by something.
Something evil.
Drake observed the group of Fosians closely from his position on an adjacent cliff, the bodies of him and his men hidden by dense piles of brush. They all had those obnoxious looking umbrellas that fed them light from their home world, a pale, lifeless brilliance. He was grateful he found life in the comforting darkness rather than the raucous light.
The djinn laughed out loud at something on a projected screen, likely from a spell or magical instrument.
Though they were a good distance away, Drake could tell the creatures of light were watching the human stumble around in the Apàti Forest, lost and confused. To them, this was obviously a form of entertainment. Typical of the haughty citizens of Fos.
"Sir, reinforcements have arrived." One of his subordinates whispered, motioning with his head to the group of scaled creatures flying in low to avoid detection. Drake was surprised to find the 'Straw-Magician' among them, perched on the back of one of the larger soldiers. It was rare for the demon to leave Kaido's fortress.
When they touched down, Drake walked forward to meet them.
"I must say, this is a surprise."
"Yes…" Hawkins replied, straightening his tunic, "Forgive the intrusion, but when I received word of Balak's involvement, I needed to come see for myself. Have you identified the person in the forest?"
"Only that he is human." Drake informed him, leading him back over to where they were watching the creatures of Fos, "His dress didn't reveal any allegiances, but I suspect he is from that school the humans are so proud of."
"A summoner then…"
"No, definitely not a summoner." Drake corrected, making Hawkins look up in surprise, "I confirmed he has mana, but it so miniscule it was barely worth noting." For his kind, the scent of mana was obvious and easy to smell.
"A ranger?" Hawkins breathed out, brow furrowed in thought, "Interesting…and most definitely a young one. How will you approach them? Master Kaido will probably want to see the Fosians."
"Now that we have more men," He said, hefting his sword, "I am confident in our ability to capture them. We will surround them from the air-" Drake was interrupted by a monstrous screech that made his blood go cold. Balak was on the hunt.
He wasn't one to sympathize with humans, but to be tormented and eventually killed by Balak was a horrible way to die. It would probably taunt the boy for days before finally giving him the death he craved. At the bellow, the creatures of Fos cheered and laughed at the screen, where the boy was now limping as fast as he could with a look of terror in his eyes.
"It's a pity we cannot bring Kaido the human as well…" Hawkins put in, watching the far away screen. Drake sighed, feeling the veiled sympathy from the demon. No one deserved death at the claws of Balak, but there was no way to extract the boy. He supposed if they had someone powerful enough, they could rush in and rush out before the deceptive magic set in, but it was not something they could do lightly.
Whoever went in to save the human was likely to become trapped in the child's place (or die in the attempt). A risk not many would be willing to make.
"Indeed, but we must focus on the task at hand." The human was lost, it would be better to resign themselves to that fact. "The Fosians can tell us more once they are in chains." Hawkins nodded and turned towards their target, prompting the men behind him to bolster their weapons.
It was time to attack.
Luffy ran as fast as he could, not daring to look back.
The monster was huge and continued to stomp as close to him as possible, just barely missing him each time. He suspected Balak wanted to frighten and steer him around using his legs (that were as big as trees). When he made a sharp turn in an attempt to avoid getting crushed, Luffy ran straight into another leg and was immediately sprayed in the face with some sort of gas.
The boy coughed, instantly feeling woozy. His vision went in and out of focus and his legs began to shake. He could still hear the dragonfly hovering somewhere above him, but the sound started to become muted, like he was underwater.
Stumbling forward, Luffy found himself helplessly lost in the maze of legs and trees. Balak seemed to be enjoying toying with him and poisoning him with whatever was growing on its legs. As the monster chuckled darkly above him, he started to see things.
He knew they weren't real, or couldn't be real, because his brothers weren't there. Not five feet from him were Ace and Sabo. They both looked terrified and were covered in blood. Luffy shook his head and wiped at his eyes, but they were still there.
"L-Lu…help-" Ace whispered before Balak crushed him underfoot, leaving a smear of blood on the forest floor. Instinctively, Luffy gagged, tears falling from his eyes. It wasn't real, it couldn't be real! He could feel the monster's glee as it did the same to Sabo, twisting his massive foot into his brother's body.
Luffy fell to his knees and sobbed, reaching forward to where his brothers used to be. What if this was real, and his brothers really were gone? It didn't feel fake! He curled his arms around his waist, feeling so alone. Balak was watching him, he knew, circling like a vulture and waiting for the right moment to strike. Somehow, he knew it wouldn't kill him right away, it wanted to play with him first.
It was terrifying and he was starting to lose his grip on reality. Was this where he died? Trapped in a dark forest completely alone…
Don't give up.
Luffy looked up, startled by the calm voice in his head.
It's what Balak wants. It won't kill you until you're completely broken.
He swallowed and swiveled his head, searching for the unknown speaker. Was it possible that someone else was in the forest with him?
Stay strong for a little while longer, my friend, I'm coming.
At that, the voice went silent, leaving Luffy on the forest floor huddled in a tiny ball. He frowned, feeling that the voice was familiar somehow. With the encouragement of mystery person fresh in his mind, he stood shakily to his feet. Whoever it was, they said they'd come save him, so he wouldn't give up!
'I don't want to die.' He thought, sending a glare up to where he thought the monster's head was, 'I want to go back to my friends and finally make a pact, so do your worst!'
He'd survive until help came.
Drake and his men descended upon the Fosians from above, taking many of them by surprise. Per his instructions, they landed and swiftly surrounded them, efficiently cutting off all of their escape routes. But he knew victory wasn't guaranteed, not with a djinn there.
Their kind was tricky and held powerful magic.
"How drab of you all to ruin our party." The djinn mocked, smirking at Drake and Hawkins who'd come to stand beside him, "Can't you see we're in the middle of something?"
"You mean trespassing in Master Kaido's territory?" Drake shot back, "Or perhaps finding entertainment at the expense of a human child?" The djinn simply shrugged.
"The lad messed up my plan, I needed to punish him properly. Besides, everyone knows Balak makes for a marvelous executioner." As he said that, the monster screamed in glee below them once again, dust floating up from the ground. A quick glance at the still active screen revealed the human just barely avoiding the legs crashing down around him. He was doing surprisingly well for how injured he appeared, but Drake knew that wouldn't last. "So, what're you going to do, arrest us?"
"We are under orders from Master Kaido to capture all suspicious parties." Hawkins informed him, "All of you have not only trespassed, but agitated Balak. That in and of itself demands retribution."
The djinn waved him off.
"Oh please, he's just a mindless beast-"
"-a beast who is capable of causing great damage to our world." Hawkins interrupted, making the djinn scowl in annoyance, "I suggest you come quietly. Master Kaido will not be pleased, and it is in your best interest to not anger him further." The djinn stood up and stalked towards them.
"I'm not afraid of the Great Dragon, he doesn't rule our kind and most certainly has no control over Balak. So, why don't you-"
"Shall I add 'human smuggling' to your list of offenses?" Hawkins interrupted yet again, making the djinn bristle, "As I'm sure you're aware, here in Skotàdi, humans are a rare sight. The fact that you brought one in and didn't offer him to Master Kaido…well…such rudeness will not be tolerated."
Drake could tell that the djinn was angered by Hawkins' comments. He seemed the type to want control and always be the dominant one in the conversation. It would be best to move in before things got violent. A flick of his head had his men step forward; spears held dangerously in front of them.
"Surrender or die." He wasn't one for lengthy speeches. However, before either side could make a move, Balak bellowed, this time in pain. Immediately, everyone's gaze turned to the screen. The ranger's eyes were glowing silver with mana, and it appeared he'd done something to Balak's leg that was now smoking.
Drake knew it wasn't enough to do any real damage, but it definitely ticked the monster off. The kid would probably be dead soon. Balak was normally a patient creature, but the second it stopped having fun, your time was up. Just as he thought that, the screen bounced around as if hit by something and went black.
"I believe that's our cue." The djinn sneered, taking off his hat and bowing, "Give my regards to your Master, perhaps we can go into business together someday." With that, the creature snapped, generating a bright light that made him and his men cover their faces, momentarily blinding them. When they looked up again, the group was gone.
"Damn." Drake spit with a click of his tongue. He'd underestimated how powerful the djinn was. To be capable of bringing such a large group through a portal to their world and back again…the being was quite strong.
"Sir, what should we do?"
"…let's head back, there's nothing more for us to-"
"Wait." Hawkins interrupted, moving to the edge of the cliff that jutted out over the Apàti Forest. Drake narrowed his eyes but joined the demon, nonetheless, watching the hunt play out below them.
"Why?"
"I had a vision," The magician admitted, "of a challenger to Balak, one that was human. I was given no details, only that the human was more than he appeared."
"You want to see how it all plays out."
"I do." Hawkins affirmed, seating himself cross-legged in the grass, "Should he escape, we must deliver him to Master Kaido just in case…"
"…in case what?"
The Straw-Magician crossed his arms and fixed Drake with a serious stare.
"In case this boy is the one he is looking for…the threat to his throne."
Luffy's breathes came quickly as he ran from Balak, the beast right over him so he could pen him in with his ridiculously large legs. His body was in a lot of pain, but he couldn't afford to stop. One misstep and he'd be crushed to a pulp.
Unfortunately, he wasn't sure how much longer he could go on. Being so close to the monster's legs had created a cloud of poisonous gas that was slowly taking a major toll on him. At first, it'd just been his vision (and a few hallucinations), but now he could barely see at all and his hearing was all but gone. All of his senses were becoming numb.
'Without my eyes, I can't see its legs…' Luffy thought, licking over his chapped lips and grimacing when he felt something warm. He couldn't taste it anymore because of the poison, but he knew it was blood. The only thing keeping him alive so far had been his mana sight, though it was still difficult to find the legs in the confusing forest.
He was certain there was something in the air interfering with natural mana flow.
The voice hadn't come again, and Luffy was starting to think he'd hallucinated that too. Thinking back on the horrific visions he'd seen, the boy retched, almost falling to the forest floor, barely managing to catch himself.
Balak roared and stomped a leg down right in front of them, breaking the ground and sending him flying backwards. Apparently, the burn he'd given it had only succeeded in pissing it off. The monster's bloodlust was almost tangible.
Luffy pushed himself up only to collapse down into the dirt, body betraying him. As he lay there, his vision became so foggy he might as well have been blind, and his world went completely silent. The poison finally got into his nervous system.
He was paralyzed.
It was all he could do to keep breathing as the ground shook around him, indicating Balak was there and ready to finally kill his prey. He'd fought as hard as he could, but it wasn't enough…
The sky darkened above him and Luffy knew there was a tree-sized leg hovering above him. He could feel Balak's gleeful gaze boring into him as the hunt ended, bringing with it his death. The monster didn't seem to hunt for food, but pleasure. His mangled body would probably lie in the dark forest, exposed to the elements until it decomposed.
Luffy felt a tear fall down his cheek. His death would bring with it so much sorrow from his brothers, grandpa, and friends. Would they search for him, to no avail? He didn't want that; they needed to move on and live their life even when he wasn't in it anymore.
Hopefully, someone would find his body so they could have closure.
Strangely enough, here at the end of his life, Luffy wasn't afraid. Balak had terrified him, but now…lying in the dirt about to die, he'd never felt calmer. His lips curled up into a smile.
'Sorry, everyone…I'm dead.'
When the foot came down, it was in slow motion. He kept smiling, determined to die with dignity, but surprisingly, the crushing blow never came. Something scooped him up just in time, darting out from underneath the monster's appendage.
Luffy couldn't see who it was or hear if they were saying anything to him, but the being was warm, definitely breathing, and felt…furry? Unable to move even an inch, he was reclined against the fuzzy thing's chest, and felt incredibly safe for some reason.
'…are you the mystery voice?' He thought as consciousness swiftly left him. The last thing he felt was a massive hand (paw?) cupping his neck protectively and the furious vibrations of Balak's roar.
"Oi, what's that!?" Hawkins said suddenly, drawing Drake's attention. Balak was roaring again, this time in anger or perhaps frustration, as something that definitely wasn't the small human boy tore through the forest.
It was much larger and traveled at incredible speed. Whatever it was, it had to be a creature. They watched closely as the newcomer just appeared outside of the forest, a black cloak obscuring his entire body. There, in his arms, was the human, cradled close to its chest.
"Wha-" Drake started, eyes darting back and forth between the stranger and the forest, "How did he…who is that?" The cloaked creature glanced up at them before turning and sprinting away, covering ground at high speeds. For all his bulk, he was light on his feet and very fast.
"We must follow him!" Hawkins exclaimed, now standing, "He's taking the boy-" The demon didn't get to finish as trees collapsed at the edge of the forest, giving way before the beastly Balak when he began to literally claw his way out.
"Oh no…" Drake whispered, laying eyes on the monster's legs for the first time in his life. Balak never left the forest and they certainly weren't equipped to keep him there. If it got out, there would be chaos and unthinkable damage. "Contact Master Kaido! This is an emergency!"
They'd have to locate the human later, containing Balak came first.
The cloaked figure watched Kaido's men scramble on the plateau in the distance with a neutral expression. Hopefully, they'd be too busy with Balak to come after them for a while. He looked down at the human, Monkey D. Luffy.
The boy was injured badly and had obviously inhaled quite a lot of the poisonous gas. He was pale and wheezing with every breathe. There were probably more injuries under his torn clothing, but he'd have to look at them later. First, he needed to get him to safety.
Hefting him higher in his arms, he huffed. The human had grown up quite a lot since the last time he saw him but was still so very light. Carrying him was somewhat nostalgic and brought back memories of the first time they met.
As he turned to go, a voice stopped him.
"That was impressive…and risky." He turned around to face the familiar hawk-demon. "Is that boy worth angering Kaido?"
"He is…my friend."
"Oh?" Dracule Mihawk chuffed, slowly approaching them. "You have strange friends, Bartholomew Kuma."
Kuma shrugged, not backing away. He didn't feel any violent intent from the golden-eyed hawk, so he allowed him to approach and examine his bundle. Luffy was completely limp with his head nestled in the crook of his elbow.
"Do you intend to stop me?"
"…no." Mihawk said after eyeing the boy for a few seconds, "I am not Kaido's subordinate so I have no reason to expose you, though this may call into question your loyalty should you be caught." The Ursa knew he was right. He ruled his own territory (small as it was), but he technically fell under the Great Dragon's authority as one of his 'governors'.
"I am aware, but I must keep him safe…help him heal. He is my friend. We exchanged names."
"Yes, as you keep saying." Mihawk responded, golden-eyes flicking back down to Luffy, "Where will you go?"
"Home."
"They may find him there. If I may…suggest an alternative?" Kuma nodded. "I know of a place far to the south, somewhere small and unassuming. They have healers as well; the boy will be well taken care of." The Ursa tilted his head slightly.
"Why?" The question hung in the air, simple but heavy.
"Let's just say your little 'friend' happens to be close with someone I am keeping an eye on." Mihawk replied, "I'm afraid I will say no more than that, but know this: you can trust me, he will be safe."
Kuma nodded, feeling in his heart that the hawk-demon was telling the truth. He was a strange being, one who lived at Kuraigana, the ancient training ground of the Demon King. It was in ruins now, but Mihawk refused to leave. Perhaps he felt he had a duty to that place as a former advisor to the royal family.
Mihawk held out his arms.
"May I take him?"
For a moment, Kuma hesitated. He wanted very badly to be there when Luffy woke so they could talk like they did that day in Lumina. But he also knew that his absence from his territory would raise questions and put the boy in danger. If Mihawk took him to this 'safe place', there would be no trail to follow, at least for a while.
That and Luffy would receive treatment much faster. For all his speed, Kuma could not fly.
"Very well…just…give me a moment." Mihawk inclined his head respectfully and retreated a little ways away. Kuma gently placed Luffy on the ground and reached into his pocket. He'd felt the human's presence the second he'd entered Skotàdi and had been excited to see him again (though he wished it was under better circumstances). The Ursa had an astounding memory and would never forget a scent or a mana profile for all his days.
Their encounter had been brief, but very meaningful for him. His first friend…a small human child.
Kuma delicately lifted Luffy's head and slipped a message locket around his neck. He'd prepared it beforehand just in case he wouldn't be able to be there when the human woke up. When he opened it, it would let him know that he had an ally in Skotàdi.
"Dracule Mihawk." He said, picking the human up once again, "Give me your word he will not be harmed and will be safe in your keeping."
"I swear it." The hawk-demon affirmed, taking Luffy from him, "You should go before Kaido's forces recognize you or other more powerful officers come."
"Yes, thank you." Mihawk spread his wings and made to take off but stopped.
"Don't worry about your friend. He will be with the dark elves; they know how to treat him." With that, the demon leapt into the air and began to fly south, Luffy captured snuggly in his arms. Kuma huffed and glanced back towards the Apàti Forest where the soldiers were struggling to keep Balak from emerging. It wouldn't be long before others arrived. With a snort, he transformed into his animal form and galloped away from the scene, determined to take a roundabout route so that it would be difficult to place him there.
Once he had confused them enough with his tracks, he would create a portal and go home.
'Be well, Luffy.' Kuma thought, remembering how he'd found him under Balak's leg. The human had been smiling. 'You are something special, my friend.'