Heyo, I'm back from the land of the dead! GHA! So so so sorry for taking this long to update. It's just been a mess... I was in the hospital for a week, then I came home and immediately began writing only to realize my original idea didn't work so I had to delete everything and change it around, my older sister turned 26, my dad had his birthday too... yea, it's been a little rough, but it's now calm and now finally time to update!
But no excuses from here on out! I sweat the next chapters will not take 2 weeks to get out, ok? :)
Also - HOLY! WHAT IN THE SACRED NAME OF EIICHIRO ODA (who btw, along with Toei animation have all rights to One piece) HAS HAPPENED WHILE I'VE BEEN GONE!? So many new reviews and favs and follows... *sobs* Thanks so much to everyone! I will definitely be leaving some replies at the bottom of the chapter, so definitely look forward to that! (Or just ignore it if you don't care, that's fine too)
Warning, I repeat, WARNING, this story contains some pretty gruesome explanations regarding injuries and is very heavy on death, even of some beloved characters. A bit of swearing too, but not more than what can be expected for a normal One piece fanfic :)
Enough blabbering, here's what you're really here for:
Part 6: A friendly chat
Luffy laid on the ground pathetic, exhausted, and completely defeated.
For the past hours (that's what it felt like at least) Luffy had been non-stop hitting against the bars (not that anybody was worried he was gonna break free in his weakened state, but it was still hella annoying), all the while he had been yelling after Lucci in a desperate attempt to get him to come back and face him again.
Luffy's sudden change in behavior had greatly startled the guards who at first had found themselves dumbfounded and not knowing what to do...
Although they over the years had captured many different people with very varying personalities, they hadn't just magically become experts in the area…
It was only after a few minutes of constant screaming and bashing against the bars that the agents understood… if this carried on, not a single soul on the warship would get a peaceful night's rest.
It would be fine, though, he was just a kid after all. "Just wait it out" they thought. "He'll calm down eventually" they'd thought.
Boy had they been wrong.
Luffy was remarkably tenacious, they'd give him that much despite the crap they threw at him. After realizing that important fact, the guards had immediately begun yelling at Luffy, telling him to shut up.
That certainly hadn't worked. All they had gotten in return was a chilling glare and a demand for Lucci to come back. When they'd refused him yet again, Luffy's tantrum had just gotten worse.
It was like Luffy had suddenly tapped into some sleeping energy source he had been hiding behind those tears and miserable face of his… but what exactly caused him to act like this, the perplexed agents for the love of Oda couldn't (not that they wanted to know anyway) figure out.
Luffy, however, could care less about their obliviousness… he now (at least temporarily) had a reason to resist, a reason to get mad, a reason to fight back.
Ace… Shanks…
No matter what happened to him, he just needed to know for sure these jackasses weren't gonna hurt them too.
He swore… if they planned anymore fishy things, they were gonna pay… he would make them pay. Somehow. Definitely. To hell if he was behind bars and chained by those weird chains that took away his strength.
Of course, all of this had happened a while ago.
Although it had just been 10 minutes, the agents felt like they were about to lose their goddamn minds. They had been just about to unlock his cell, enter and then give him a nice good hard hid across the head to (for everybody's good) put him to sleep.
Fortunately for both parties, that hadn't been necessary, as Luffy in the last moment had suddenly collapsed onto the ground, his strength, stamina, and voice completely past their limits.
It was the exhaustion from not sleeping - Luffy suspected, though he wasn't sure. Luffy had been overcome solely by his exhaustion...
The agents had simply been thankful for the peace (finally!) and chosen to completely ignore that Luffy's body suddenly giving in like that couldn't mean anything freat. They'd left the kid on his own to go spend their time on some more important(*cough* play cards *cough cough*) things instead.
The agents, however, had been fools to think it had been over already…
Luffy had only needed a mere ten minutes of resting on the dirty and uncomfortable floor. Then he'd literally bounced right back up and gone back at it again, yelling, banging and screaming - this time only louder.
Luffy's struggling, however, proved completely useless, as he mere minutes later fell over again in the exact same manner as before. Weak. Useless.
Ultimately, all he had managed to accomplish was greatly pester his captors while also exerting the tiny bit of strength he had had left.
His throat was dried up from yelling… his lungs were burning worse than they ever had before - even more so than way back when when he had still been a short-legged 7-year old foolishly chasing after a much older and bigger boy…
His hands were now also throbbing painfully from his careless punching, and would more likely than not end up swelling even more than they already were.
Luffy innerly cursed the stupid handcuffs. They were making his healing process painfully slow, and he constantly felt like he was gonna tumble if he tried standing, or got extremely tired even just by moving his body in the slightest.
Luffy hated it. He hated being this weak in front of those Cp jackasses, even if (at least to some degree) it was his own fault.
True, he was the one not eating and not even attempting to work out somehow inside his cell, but then again, he wouldn't even be in a situation for this if not for them. It was his fault. His fault for being weak, because that meant he had been unable to protect anybody.
But massively, it was also their fault. Had they just minded their own business, had they simply left him and Makino and Dadan and Dawn Island alone, none of this would have happened. Nobody would have died. He wouldn't even be here in the first place, that's for sure.
"You're a pitiful sight, you know that?"
The insult came from the guard currently in charge of keeping an eye on Luffy. He stared down at him from the other side of the bars, and although he was indeed wearing (in Luffy's opinion, a very ugly pair) sunglasses, the 14-year could feel the man's disgusted look.
Luffy glared sharply back at him. His lungs might be causing him pain so great he couldn't speak, but that didn't mean he couldn't show how much he truly hated the man.
"What's with that look? Surely you've realized that there's no hope for you, right? A weak little child like you never even stood a chance in the first place, so what's the point in fighting like this?"
"...screw that!" Luffy uttered weakly in response - much weaker, in fact, than he'd like when talking back to these guys.
The heartless man said nothing. He already had plenty of experience from just the past few hours that you simply could not reason with Luffy.
He didn't care about ridiculing himself… actually, he appeared to not care about anything concerning himself anymore. The only reason he was still clinging on - still getting worked up at all, was because he (despite everything he had already lost) still had something - someone he could still care about.
But that person - well, those people - were certainly not himself.
Not that he in any way felt guilty for that. He just found it incredibly annoying how this sudden spark had been lighted inside Luffy.
Even if he was completely helpless, and the possibility that he could, like escape or something was certainly out of the question, he still definitely preferred the silence from the past 2 weeks over this.
Their argument, however, was cut short by the sound of a creaking door suddenly being opened in the distance.
Luffy tensed from the sudden unexpected noise, and with his remaining strength, managed to grab onto the bars and force himself up into somewhat of a sitting position. The footsteps that sounded a second later proved that somebody was coming... If that somebody was a certain pigeon bastard, he needed to be ready.
Luffy's view was pretty limited from inside the cell, but still, it very soon became apparent to Luffy that he, unfortunately, had gotten his hopes up for no reason.
A silhouette quickly came into view. It was small, skinny, and unlike every other person on the ship, wore not black but white. A doctor's cloak, it appeared. Plus, this person also had much longer hair so… a woman, then.
"You." She spoke.
Her voice was cold and strict (oddly enough a lot like Lucci's) and was pointed directly at the stumbling guard.
"Move."
The order was clear. Even if the man knew the woman held no ill intentions toward him (at least not yet), he sure as hell wouldn't want to know what would happen if he were to not do as he was told.
"Y-yes ma'am!" He stuttered, hurriedly stepping aside and giving her plenty of space to do her job.
The woman stopped right in front of Luffy's cell and cast a quick glance down at the kid who was staring up at her with big confused (though fearless) eyes. Her body tensed from surprise, but she kept quiet, simply staring at him for a few awkward seconds.
"…"
"Hey, you?" She asked, once more addressing the guard.
"Yes..?"
"..."
"Leave."
"What?"
What was that supposed to mean? Leave..? And go where exactly!? Even if it was her, would that really be alright? He could get in a lot of trouble if anybody saw he had left his post…
"B-but ma'am, I've been assigned to guard the boy… I-I can't just-"
"Now. I'd advise you against making me repeat myself a third time."
She sent an icy cold death-glare - one that probably rivaled even Lucci's - in his direction, giving the poor man shivers. The agent faltered - almost completely lost his balance and fell on his butt, actually, simply from pure fear. The message was horrifyingly clear.
"Y-yes ma'am!" He cried, instantly dashing past the scary woman, past Luffy, down the long hallway. He did not want to be in the same room as her a second longer than necessary.
The woman stared after him (what a coward, even if he very much had reasons to be scared of her) and waited until the distant sound of a door being thrown open and then loudly slammed had sounded and passed to finally let out a deep sigh she had been holding in.
"Morons…" She muttered under her breath, before finally turning her attention to where it should be. Luffy.
"So. I see someone's finally decided to move about."
Her voice suddenly changed. Unlike earlier, she sounded less heartless - less like a monster who could do or say whatever she wanted, and nobody would have the guts to tell her otherwise… she just sounded more… just like a really strict woman with a very unfriendly personality.
Luffy, however, ignored her rough tone of voice. He had more important thoughts popping up in his head… a non-nice woman wasn't the biggest of his worries.
"Who are you?"
Luffy half expected to be yelled at from that question. He had met many mean women in the past… they always yelled.
Surprisingly, though, instead of getting worked up or annoyed, the woman merely sighed deeply at Luffy's ignorance. Strangely enough, it seemed as if all anger left her along with her exhale.
"So it's been that bad, huh..? Tell me, do you remember anything at all clearly from the past few days?"
Luffy shook his head in response.
It was all just a blur, really… a blur of crying, nightmares, and pain… except for Lucci's visit a little while ago, it all just felt the same... all felt equally awful and hellish and unbearable.
But... why would she care about that…?
All the other jackasses he had met only cared about him (scrap that, not about him, just that he was still alive and restrained) just because his father - a man he personally couldn't care less about right now - was somebody bad apparently.
Nobody had been nice enough to actually explain how that worked. Sure, some of the agents really liked to rub it in how he - as the son of some dragon - fully deserved what he was getting, but not once had anybody bothered to tell him why exactly it was important when Luffy himself didn't even care. It was stupid, that's for sure.
The 14-year old kept his gaze fixated on the woman, awaiting her next move. Suddenly, she reached inside her pocket and pulled out a certain shiny object. A key. The key - the one that could unlock his cell.
"I've been told your name's Luffy. I'm Kay, the doctor of this shitty dump, and the one who stitched your sorry as- I mean, the one who treated your injuries," Kay was quick to correct for some reason.
Luffy quietly let the piece of information sink in…. Actually, thinking back now, he had been covered in bandages (they were certainly applied more professionally than he, Ace, or Sabo had ever learned) when he had first woken up, and every now and then when he would wake up, his pain would enough have lessened, and his headache would be gone as if somebody had given him some medicine or something…
Also, he could faintly recall somebody actually stopping by to change his bandages every now and then. He, however, had never bothered reacting in any way, or even lift his head to look at the person who was responsible...
He had just assumed it was another suit-wearing jackass who had been forced to do it, but actually, that didn't make a lot of sense. The touch of the person had been too gentle, too careful and the examinations had been too thorough for some heartless asshole who thought of him as lower than trash for that to be the case.
He would thank her for saving his life like that… if not for the fact that she was working with the exact same guys who caused the destruction of an entire island - his home.
Instead, Luffy remained silent for now, and simply watched as Kay walked over to the door and began unlocking it, also without saying a word. He just now noticed the bag in her hand… knowing that she was a doctor, said bag was probably filled with medicine and doctor tools and stuff.
"Why would you help me..?" Luffy asked.
It just didn't make sense… wasn't she like, these guys' friend or something? Why care that much for him? She could have treated him just so he could manage to get by (it wasn't like he was on his death bed or something anyway), but instead, she went through all this trouble.
"Don't be ridiculous, Luffy. I'm a doctor. That means I treat both the whiny crybabies, the stupidly stubborn nitwits who never admit to being sick or feel pain, but also prisoners - criminals even - who need it. Even if it is a pain in the ass 110% of the time."
The lock clicked. Kay pushed open the door, and completely casually and calmly entered the cell, as if the offspring of the world's most wanted criminal wasn't sitting there, a few mere meters away from her… she even bent down, making herself somewhat comfortable (as comfortable as one can be on dirty hard wooden planks) on the floor beside Luffy.
"Don't move, I'll make it quick," Kay told him strictly.
Luffy did as he was that he needed Kay to tell him to still, as that's what he had gotten pretty used to doing by now anyway… even if (and he was painfully aware of this) it was making him weaker...
It only took Kay 7 mere seconds to notice something was wrong - well, aside from the injuries she had gotten used to seeing over the past few days, that is.
"Hey, Luffy… show me your hands for a sec." Kay asked with a troubled facial expression.
Luffy stared back at her with a puzzled expression in response to that request, once again not understanding the point in that. The doctor, however, send him a warning just-do-what-I-tell-you kind of look, leaving Luffy with no choice but to comply, and hesitantly, stretched out his bandage-covered hands.
Carefully Kay slowly began unwrapping the (currently very loose, dirty, and slightly torn) bandages, only to reveal a pair of bloodied, bruised, and swollen hands. The skin had also, noticeably, turned a bluish color on certain spots, which was anything but good...
Kay's brows furrowed… last time she had checked, it hadn't been nearly this bad.
"What happened?" She questioned.
Luffy shrugged, turning his gaze to the floor.
"I dunno… guess it must've happened earlier when I got mad and punched the door."
Kay silently began examining the hands more closely. It was actually surprising how gentle she was being, considering how crude and unfeeling she appeared to be towards others.
It hurt pretty bad when she pressed on certain extra swollen spots, but Luffy didn't bother to tell her that - didn't even flinch when he felt another painful throb.
"You shouldn't do that."
"Do what?"
"Hurt yourself you little blockhead - even if it's not intentional. You've done well to remain still these last couple of days, which is exactly what your body has been needing to begin healing. Don't be a complete moron and begin to mess up your body now that your injuries are finally starting to heal." Kay scolded.
"Oh and also, don't think I haven't noticed the other kind of crap you pull… you know it's not healthy to lose that much weight over just two weeks, right? And you're still just a young brat - an injured and exhausted brat who needs rest… rest beyond just sitting around on your ass all the time and forcing yourself to stay awake."
The irritated doctor let go of Luffy's battered hands to let her mad gaze to meet the 14-year-old's eyes for a second, just to ensure the kid was really listening to her.
Although he said nothing, the glint of hurt in his eyes proved he had indeed heard, but even so, she doubted he was gonna listen to that command. It wasn't like she could just tell him to stop being sad, and somehow, he would.
Not that she blamed the poor boy… the kid had been just been through hell, so it was truly no wonder his mind was full of crap.
Still, as a doctor - no - as a woman with at least something resembling empathy, guilt, and humanity hidden behind her stone-cold facade, she wasn't gonna sit by idly and let a child hurt, or possibly kill himself like this...
She opened the old dusty bag she had brought, carelessly ruffling through its messy content consisting mostly of syringes, bandages, and a butt load of medicine, searching for the things she needed. She cursed innerly, wishing she was more organized so this wouldn't be such a huge pain.
"Why… why are you nice to me?"
The compliment caused her to freeze. If not for the very grim atmosphere and highly inappropriate situation, she would have without a doubt laughed at such a stupid question.
"Kid, if I'm your definition of nice, then I don't even want what kind of life you've been living up till' now to think something that stupid…"
"That's not what I meant! It's just… why don't you see me in the same way as they all do? You don't call me stupid names or tell me what to do like them... Aren't you supposed to be their friend or whatnot, so why?"
Luffy stared at her with an absolute soul-crushing I-don't-understand look, making Kay's heart drop. He was simply desperate for an answer… she knew that, but still…
For a kid to be asking for a reason for somebody to care…
She couldn't get herself to look Luffy in the eyes. Instead, she chose to focus on cleaning the fresh wounds on his hands. That much she might be able to do without completely losing her composure.
"Oh please, I don't owe those assholes anything. I've seen their true nature. There's no humanity left in any of them… they'd kill anybody without a second thought, all for the sake of their messed up sense of 'justice', though I assume you've seen that already with your own damn eyes, am I right?"
Luffy stiffened considerably at the unsettling question, biting his lip to stop the unbearably painful memories from replaying in his head. Kay understood fully, quickly moving on to save the boy from a thought-provoking silence:
"What happened back at Dawn Island was seriously screwed up… I might have gotten to see a butt-load of crap over the years, but an entire island… just like that… completely lost, just for the sake of a weak snot-nosed 14-year old brat…. how could I possibly not be disgusted by something like that? Even if it won't at all change what's been said and done, I can at least make sure you stay as healthy as possible. Unlike them, I don't enjoy watching innocent children suffer."
Alright. She was now done with the cleaning part (honestly she was amazed at how Luffy hadn't whined even in the slightest. He was sure as hell a lot tougher than some other men she knew, that's for sure)... now she just needed to wrap them all up.
Luffy bit his lip harder - only just managing to stop himself from biting all the way through and making himself bleed again thanks to Kay's earlier warning to cut it off.
Even though Kay's insulting words (in Luffy's simple-minded head) would normally be the equivalent of getting stabbed straight in the heart, he also by now realized just how true her statement was.
He was just a weak kid… this wasn't at all like way back when he Ace and Sabo had still been running around playing pirates together. This wasn't just some game where the worst that could happen was one of them falling down a tree or going hungry to bed because they were unable to catch their dinner.
This was serious… they… Dawn Island… Makino and Dadan and the bandits and the forest and goa kingdom, and Foshia were already gone. All because of that exact factor. Never before had Luffy thought weakness felt so frustrating...
And yet, it was, oddly enough, nice to have somebody else who shared that same frustration alongside him…
"Done." Kay suddenly proclaimed, snapping Luffy back to the current moment.
His hands were now wrapped all nice and tidily with a thick layer of fresh bandages. Although Kay had worked quickly, they weren't at all sloppily applied. They were annoying, though, Luffy immediately concluded. He could barely move his fingers.
Kay quickly noticed the disappointment on the boy's face as he (to no avail) tried wiggling his fingers.
"Don't even think about it. They're broken, through and through, and will need time to heal, plus the fact that your wounds from earlier reopened and could get infected without proper care… under normal circumstances, it would take about 3 weeks, give or take, before your fingers would be fully healed, but in your current condition (she glared with an annoyed expression down on the seastone cuffs), I'd say at least a month or two…"
'Then again… who's to say a couple of broken fingers will even matter at that point…'
Kay sighed yet again, as she so often did these days. Even if she was already doing everything within her power to help Luffy, she desperately wanted more…
For Luffy to have some kind of brighter future to look forward to - one that would not involve pain or the government or his ridiculous heritage or anymore suffering and agony than he had already experienced… no more death… no more watching others get hurt.
But of course, this was a battleship belonging to the marines - the most powerful organization in the world, currently being occupied by Cp9 - a secret group so powerful all trace of their existence was mere rumors...
Escape would be pretty damn hard - no, scratch that, impossible the more logically she faced the facts.
Even if he were to escape the cell now, there was nothing but ocean for the next many hundred miles. Of course, that was troublesome to any human but he was a devil fruit user to boot, an anchor, a hammer - completely useless and defenseless should anything unexpected happen...
His chances of surviving on one of the lifeboats were slim at best, if not completely impossible and immensely dangerous.
Hold on, what was she imagining? She knew it was pointless to imagine something like that to be possible… she knew that some kind of miracle would have to occur. (Since that was the case, guess she had no choice but to start praying to the god above).
Kay shook her head, quickly to pushing aside the silly thoughts. She still had some work left to do.
'Alright. Now all that's left to do is change those other bandages around his torso…'
Silently, the woman swiftly began to do exactly that - once again without any complaint from Luffy, even as she buttoned up his vest (granted his chest was covered in bandages, but still…).
Kay wondered if the boy had ever been taught ordinary human decency considering how unusually little he seemed to care about being half-naked in front of a woman. (He was in that age after all...)
Not that she cared about seeing a little skin… after all, she had seen sooooo much worse during her years as a doctor, but the thought, once again, made her wonder just what kind of life Luffy had been living.
Luffy didn't as much as bat an eye as the huge and ugly (though professionally stitched together) scar across his chest became fully exposed. It ran all the way from his left hip to his right shoulder, and it was still all red and disgusting looking...
Honestly, it was a very horrific sight… such a wound did not belong on the body of a child.
Kay was very quick to find the necessary sterile bandages and carefully start wrapping it up, taking her sweet time to ensure it wouldn't get too tight and was as comfortable as possible for Luffy. Cleaning it and changing the stitches could still wait a couple of days, she concluded. For now, it… just needed time... some more time to heal.
"Sorry to say, but that scar's gonna stick with ya'... like forever…" Kay admitted truthfully. It was a very sad truth, though, but better than lie and say it would somehow magically go away.
Luffy shook his head in response to this.
"It's fine. It's just a scar after all…"
Kay unintentionally began staring like an idiot with enlarged eyes after hearing that.
Fine…? FINE!? That scar would forever serve as a constant reminder of his failure - of the tragedy that befell his home and everybody living there - an unerasable mark literally carved into his flesh to prove how weak he had been!
"... If you say so (*sigh* why did Luffy have to care so little about himself? It was the body he was supposed to be growing in and living in for the rest of his life dammit!)… just don't be going around doing anything too crazy. If the stitches fall out and the wound reopens, you'll start losing a crap-load of blood again. Honestly… this wouldn't be so much of a problem if those morons would simply listen to me and take off those damned cuffs so your body could be allowed to begin healing naturally and in peace-"
"Why are you helping these guys?"
"Huh?"
Luffy's very sudden question (which was completely irrelevant to their current conversation) caught the distressing doctor completely off guard. She blinked in confusion for a few awkward seconds, but was unlike normal not in the least irritated about being interrupted (normally she'd never let such rude behavior slide)…
She was... merely unsure of why Luffy would ask a question with such an obvious answer.
"Well, I'm a doctor you know. Is it really that weird to be treating everybody, despite their history or personality?"
"No, that's what I mean. It's just, why are you even here in the first place? You're a good person, so what are you doing helping out these bastards?"
Ah, so that's what been bugging him for the past few minutes.
Kay waited with answering that particular question. She was just about done re-wrapping the bandages (which also meant her job here was finished) but decided that she would rather continue her chat with Luffy just a little longer before she would have to leave him alone with his nightmares and with the rats again.
At least this way, he wasn't constantly balling his eyes out or sitting in that freakishly depressing manner curled up into a tiny ball in the corner while they were talking. Even if their conversation wasn't exactly doing much to lighten the mood, it was still some kind of improvement, right..?.
"Why am I here? It's… complicated. You see, in the eyes of the rest of the world, the World Government is an organization of good… many people join the Marines in hopes of making a difference, but then eventually learn about the crazy crap that very same organization of 'good' they've been so proudly supporting all this time is pulling behind the scenes… most just turn a blind eye, though, since they're too ashamed to admit how flawed the system really is."
She paused to sigh yet again (maybe it was a bad habit of hers or something…?). This certainly wasn't a conversation she even in her wildest dreams thought she would have to explain to the son of one of the most resourceful and well-informed men in the world.
She didn't judge Luffy for his ignorance, though. No, in fact, she was merely thankful. That meant that he could still have some hope left for this world, despite having already seen the darkest parts it had to offer.
Luffy let Kay's words sink in. Was that how it was…? Good people turned… bad because they wanted to do something nice but were then forced to do messed up stuff like the buster call by the stupid government?
Then, did that mean his grandpa felt the same way? He was (well, arguably maybe…) a good man, but if what Kay was saying was true, did that mean he too really did do things like this? Even if he didn't want to…?
"I was like that in the beginning too…" Kay admitted, barely resisting the urge to shake her head from shame at the thought.
"You were?"
"Yes… I was a naïve young woman... a foolish girl who had just gotten her doctor's degree and decided I was gonna be a hero and accomplish great things. I joined the Marines' medical team, working hour upon hour every single goddamn day until I was about to collapse. Of course, I was fine with that at the time because I, at the extent of my own suffering, saved 10s or 100s of people's lives daily... Clearly, I must have been doing something right, 'cause eventually, the higher-ups sent me to this garbage place…"
Ah yes, that certainly was a day she would never forget. Being the only woman in the entire unit, a few smug and highly ill-mannered gentlemen had foolishly thought of her to be an amazing and 'fun' addition to the team.
Let's just say… not even a week had passed, and those bastards had already learned to watch where they were staring and to also think very carefully before as much as uttering a single sound while she was anywhere within a 100 meters radius.
She was no pushover. While she (duh) didn't have any battle experience, nobody would dare defy her and her fists of fury.
"That's wrong…" Came a sudden angered remark from a worried Luffy.
"What is?"
"That you're forced to do stuff you don't want to."
Kay nearly smirked at that.
'And that's coming from you of all people…'
Honestly, it both amazed and greatly worried Kay how considerate Luffy appeared to be towards everybody (well, everybody who was humane enough to be cared about anyway…) beside himself.
She wasn't good with that kind of emotional crap, but even she knew that kind of thinking was harmful and very unhealthy…
"It's very sweet of you to be concerned about me, but you really shouldn't feel bad. I'm really not as good of a person as you think… I've killed before you know - and not just, by order, letting people under my care die… besides, after everything I've gotten to see over the years, there's no way the government would just let me casually waltz away…"
She would have smiled to reassure him that she, despite that, would really be fine, but smiling really (like really) wasn't her thing, nor something she could ever recall doing, so she decided against it.
"I don't care about what you've done. You're nice and don't deserve this." Luffy argued, now starting to raise his voice a bit from the incoming anger.
Kay felt her heart drop at that statement…
No, it wasn't right for Luffy to say that…
She had met stubborn people before… sadly, they always seemed to live shorter lives because they lacked the ability to give up and to realize the truth.
She sighed for the millionth time, knowing that trying to explain how stupidity and reckless feelings were what led to death would be an impossible task for a thick-headed idiot like Luffy.
She had spent enough time here as it was… even if it saddened her to leave Luffy here on his own again, but she had other duties to attend to.
Without any warning, the woman suddenly carelessly tossed the scattered medical supplies back into the bag (maybe it wasn't such a wonder why it was so unorganized after all…), got to her feet, and hurriedly trudged towards the still gaping open door.
"Wait!"
Luffy tried pushing himself to his feet to run after Kay, but he instead ended up falling flat on his stomach when he immediately lost his footing and his balance failed him.
Fortunately for Luffy, Kay kindly listened to his cry, stopping just as she had placed her hand on the door handle and forced herself to stare back at Luffy - into those adorable, and yet pain-written eyes that made her heart sting.
"Y… you'll come back, right..?" Luffy literally begged to know.
He hated being alone here. The only time anybody else spoke to him was to torment or question him. Not that he cared about that, but these guys were the last ones he wanted to talk to.
Kay seemed to understand that fact very well… her heart throbbed painfully from guilt, and she felt a lump gather in her throat.
Of course she would come back… but truthfully, she wished she wouldn't have to… that she would never ever have to see Luffy's face again if it meant he could be somewhere better - which, really, was anywhere but here; in the filthy hands of a corrupted government that would not show even an ounce mercy, even to a child like Luffy.
"Don't worry kiddo, I'm not crazy enough to leave your well-being in the hands of those gorillas. I'll be back, promise."
'Although I do truly feel sorry that I'm really the best company you can get.'
O-o-O-o-O
For the first time in days - well, weeks Luffy supposed from what he had heard - everything wasn't 100% insufferable.
Even if Kay didn't (and never will) admit it openly, the two grew closer to the extent of becoming (though maybe an odd pair) friends. Granted, her daily visits were really the only ok thing about staying on this horrible ship…
Kay always brushed away any agent - no matter how mean or high in their heels, they always cowered before her - who was in charge of guarding him so they could talk in private.
He was even in for a great surprise when, one day, she spoke straight in freaking pigeon-bastard's face in the exact same manner, earning nothing but an annoyed glare before he had left without a word.
That had felt unexpectedly nice.
He still didn't eat though. Or sleep…
Unlike before, however, when Luffy had been petrified by his grief and as a result not eaten, he not always found himself caught up in other kinds of thoughts…
Honestly, he had been thinking so much over the last few days he wondered if he was gonna start getting smarter or something...
As unbelievably unbelievable as it might sound, he had just recently begun realizing just how much he truly hated - no loathed - these guys and just the world government in its entirety.
Normally, he'd never judge anybody group of people just by the few he'd just so happened to meet, but this time, Luffy had decided to make an exception. The government had ordered this, and these agents were mere soldiers listening to that order. They had no way to redeem themselves after this, though even if they did, Luffy still wouldn't forgive them, he had decided.
Thinking back, Dadan had said something when that ordeal with Sabo had happened… that it was the world - the world itself which had killed him.
Back then, he had really just been too caught up in wailing and mourning his brother's death to even try and understand what that meant… unfortunately, he did now.
Also, the government was the one who dictated Kay's life.
Even if (as cruel as it sounded) Luffy truly was happy that she was there with him so that he at least wasn't completely alone.
She was really just like him. Trapped. Even if she wasn't behind bars or wearing shackles, she was basically a prisoner as well because she had no free will to do anything she truly desired.
That definitely got Luffy's blood boiling every time the thought crossed his mind, especially since she had told him not to worry about her life when he was so much worse off than her.
That was a lie.
That's why he began growling - one time even going as far as biting - at the unfortunate victims who were forced to enter his cell to bring him food.
After Luffy had managed to get a few lucky shots in (one time sending a total of 5 agents to the infirmary in just the span of 2 days) the agents had finally had enough and taken appropriate measures.
Instead of two meals a day, he was fed only once, and the food would just be placed (well, most of the time just carelessly dropped) onto the floor right outside the cell so Luffy would have to reach out through the bars to get something.
That had evoked a fun little game. Sometimes (more often than not), the guards would intentionally place it just outside his reach, and then laugh while watching him struggle to reach, and then step on his broken fingers to try and get him to scream or cry.
Kay had once walked in on them doing so… Luffy wasn't sure exactly what happened to the two perpetrators, but he, oddly enough, never ever saw them again…
It was fine, though. Luffy didn't care about the abuse… he'd rather stay hungry than eat their stupid food anyway.
Luffy used Kay's visits as a way of keeping track of how many days passed. Every time she stopped by, however, she for some reason seemed more and more restless… more anxious or saddened, as if every day, something bad happened to her.
This, of course, made Luffy extra upset, but when he had asked her why, but she had merely stared at him with an "are-you-serious?" kinda look, as if the answer was obvious.
He didn't understand, though... A week. That's how much time had passed, and he still couldn't figure why.
(Yes. A week. That meant that only approximately 1 more week remained and they'd arrive at Enies Lobby. The judicial island. A place where criminals either went to Marineford or Impel Down, the Head Quarters or greatest prison of the Marines. Kay didn't know which of the two Luffy was headed off to, and honestly, she didn't care either. Just that it would then truly be all over… that the tragedy she had imagined countless in her mind would finally become reality and Luffy's life would truly turn to hell...)
To Luffy, it was frustrating that he couldn't find the for his new friend's worry, but at the same time (strange as it was), kind of nice.
He needed to focus a lot to think this through, which meant the other memories were kindly shoved off to the back of his head, now only resurfacing whenever anybody stepped across the line with their mockery - mocking the deaths of people Luffy held very dear.
That always caused another breakdown.
As much as Luffy simply wanted to get mad - to break free go and rip Lucci (well, he was the one to do this most commonly anyway, since he was the only one who had been there personally) to shreds for saying that about his friends, but the hellish memories always got the best of him first…
He had since long ago told himself he would stop being a crybaby… that's what he always though whenever the tears would overflow, but it was to no avail.
The pain was too intense and the visions and sounds stuck in his head way to real, too loud, and too cruel to be stopped.
The nightmares, as well, continued. Luffy couldn't recall a single night ever since it all happened where he wasn't scared...
It was weird… previously, he wasn't even in the slightest scared of the dark. The dark was just the dark after all. Sure, it was annoying that he couldn't see anything, but he never understood what other people found so scary about it.
But now, Luffy hated it. The dark. The night.
He hated how the blackness would completely swallow him up and make him feel even weaker and more insignificant than when hurtful insults were spouted straight to his face...
He hated how it would turn completely silent around him - how only the sound of the soothing waves threatening to lull him to sleep remained, and he, despite his best efforts to stay awake, would still fall asleep and relive that horror all over again.
Coincidentally, that's what he was currently busy trying to prevent.
The two guards (they had increased the number after Luffy's very sudden drastic mood change, just in case) had both long since fallen asleep and were now drooling and snoring away peacefully as if they weren't horrible monsters who Luffy personally hoped would get eaten by a sea king or snatched away by a bird or something in a near future.
Luffy was sitting in his corner, currently rubbing his arms as quietly as he could with the seastone handcuffs in an attempt at getting a little warmer...
It was really cold (like, so cold he could literally see his own breath kind of cold), and while a vest, straw sandals, and shorts were a perfect fit for a lukewarm island such as Dawn, it did very little right now to contain his body heat.
Apparently, the sudden drastic drop in temperature was because they had entered the Grand Line, and the weather here, he had heard, would change faster than Luffy could count. (O, that... admittedly, wasn't that fast, but still…!)
Luffy had only heard stories - mostly from Shanks - about this place.
He had been so excited to get to experience it for himself… to get to go to all kinds of crazy islands he even in his wildest imagination couldn't dream of! To get to stand face to face with the dangers of the world and overcome them alongside the awesome crew he wanted to gather.
This… this was not how he had wanted his first trip to the exciting Grand Line to be…
Locked up.
Caged.
The very freedom he sought, stolen.
What even was the point of traveling the sea in the first place if he couldn't do whatever he desired? If he couldn't even have an adventure…!?
Luffy sneezed, and instantly, all thoughts disappeared. It was too cold to think about that stuff right now...
"Stupid…-" Luffy paused mid his own sentence, unsure of where exactly to direct his anger.
"Everything!"
The comeback was lame, but fortunately, nobody who could make fun of him for that fact had heard it.
Except for the loud snores of the irresponsible guards (but Luffy had by now gotten so used to it that it was basically just some background noise which he currently chose to ignore), it was very quiet.
The silence was bad… it was making him very sleepy, and for some odd reason, he was really really drowsy (more than he would normally be) as well.
He didn't know what time it was (heck, just keeping tracks of the days was a difficult task, so that was definitely out of the question), although he assumed it must be night from how quiet the rest of the ship around him was as well.
No footsteps or yelling from above... no sound of men running around and doing hard labor from the deck… just him, his own shivering breath, the snores of the unimportant agents, and the ocean.
Luffy fiddled a little, adjusting his sitting position so he could comfortably lean his head against the ship's outer wall.
To no surprise, it was icy-cold and wet.
Luffy didn't wanna pull away, though… his body was very heavy, making it a big pain to move even a single muscle.
He could take a little cold... even if freezing cold air was also seeping through the cracks in the boards and just further giving him shivers.
The ocean was calm, though. Luffy could clearly hear the stoic waves thump against the side of the ship… it was calming… probably the only thing aside from chatting it out with Kay that could get him to forget how stupidly awful things really were…
…
…
*BAM!*
A second later - before Luffy's brain even had a chance to process anything - the ship suddenly began tilting strongly to the right. The force was more than enough to send Luffy tumbling across the floor and, with a loud thump, collide with the opposing wall.
It was in moments such as these where Luffy was thankful for his rubber body. He still felt pain - generally from his scar on his stomach - but it wasn't as bad as it would have been otherwise.
The completely unprepared agents, however, weren't let off as easy.. they were abruptly awoken from their peaceful sleep as their bodies were literally flung across the room and their heads smashed against the hard wooden wall...
Yeeeaaahhh…..they would definitely be able to feel that in the morning. Bastards deserved it though...
"GHA! W-what'n hell's going on!?"
In any other situation, Luffy would have silently snickered to himself after hearing that level of distress and panic in his voice, but the question was actually not a stupid one. Luffy had no clue either.
It took another few seconds before the ship straightened, unfortunately resulting in Luffy and the other two agents (thanks a lot gravity) taking another tumble across the floor.
That made Luffy dizzy. Ignoring the sudden throbbing sensation that was now pounding throughout his entire sore body, Luffy pushed himself up into a sitting position with wobbly arms, but immediately case to regret that decision as another wave of nausea hit him.
He shrugged the stupid feeling off, though. It was nothing he couldn't handle, and a little sickness was far from his biggest concerns right now…
"Ugh… you alright?"
Unfortunately, the torches hanging on the walls had gone out during the sharp turn, leaving the prison in complete darkness. With his sight removed, Luffy was almost fooled to believe that the agent was actually talking to him.
"I think so… damn, couldn't they at least warn us before they pull something like that? My neck's all sore now!" Voice A complained.
He should have known. No way were they concerned about him.
"Tell me about it. We were a little lucky, though... could've broken our freaking necks or something…" Responded voice B.
The two agents were talking as if Luffy wasn't there. They didn't care if he was alright after that… they knew he was probably still alive, and as long as that was the case, Kay could always patch him back up.
No, their own misery came first.
Luffy ignored the two selfish men's' pointless complaints to listen more closely around them… he had heard a bang earlier… much like… like the sound of a cannon firing.
Something was up...
Honestly, Luffy had gotten far far too familiar with that sound… after all, it resonated loudly in his head every damn night, nearly giving him heart attacks and always being the very thing to awake him from his nightmares.
That sound was too mortifying to just forget so then… why now?
He must have been mistaken... There was just no way...
*BAM!*
...
Or… maybe… there was.
The two unprepared slackers jumped from surprise, having definitely not expected that.
"A-an explosion!?"
"Just what's going on!?" They cried.
That Luffy would very much like to know too.
His heart was pounding… faster and faster and faster, loud and unstoppable. His breath became unstable, his hands began to tremble, and his mind already clogging with dread.
Why...?
*BAM!*
Another one. Another explosion.
Luffy desperately slapped his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sound.
Of course it didn't work. He'd tried it many many many times before. But apparently, an explosion wasn't just some sound that could easily be ignored.
Usually, however, the sound was just in his head… this… this was… this was real…! Real cannons. Just like the ones that had been used back then.
No. No. How? Why? WHY!? Not now. Not again. He couldn't. It was too painful. It hurt. It felt like a thousand knives were stabbing his heart and his ears were gonna explode. It needed to stop. It couldn't be like this. It couldn't possibly-
Luffy was fortunate enough to have his thoughts interrupted when a door in the distance suddenly slammed open with such force it nearly flew off its hinges.
Once again, the cowardly agents cried from shock, but for Luffy, it had been just what he needed to (even if just for a moment) snap out of his panic attack.
There were footsteps. Somebody - a person who was definitely in a rush considering how fast their pace was - was coming. Somebody who could hopefully tell about what the hell was going on.
"You two! What on this godforsaken earth are you still doing slacking off here!? Get your asses onto the deck right now! The ship's under attack dammit!"
The angered voice was delightfully familiar… so delightful, in fact, that Luffy could have cried just from pure relief.
Don't know if this chapter was worth the long waiting time or not, but hey, I began having fun writing it after getting over the frustration of deleting my original 6K word chapter, sooooooo...
To anybody who can't stand OCs and can't stand the idea of Kay, please know that I only made her up so poor little Luffy's heart won't remain shattered into a million pieces, and so he is not completely alone (at least not yet) ok!? I repeat what I've said earlier, you do not in any way shape or form need to care even in the slightest about any of the OCs. (Yes, sadly there will be more, but I will do my absolute best to not overuse it)
If the OCs make my story insufferable, just feel free to skip past Luffy's entire journey and just come back when we've reached the good stuff, or just simply don't read my story anymore if you've completely lost interest.
Well, here (as promised) replies to every single review I have not yet responded to:
123 (Dec 31): Thanks so much for leaving not 1 but 2 reviews! Yes, as you can see now, poor Luffy does not cope well with everything that has happened. Also, an interesting suggestion about the timeline. I did, in fact, not think of that, so I, as the author who holds all power over this Onefic, hereby declare it to be true!
PirateYonko: (Here's my litteral reaction to your review)
Me: Opens up reviews.
Reads.
Also me: *Laughs out loud* "Yep!"
Greer123: Hey! I recognize you from earlier! Thanks so much for the second and third reviews! I promise to fulfill your wish of seeing Luffy finally escaping in the very next chapter, so just sit tight a little longer! And indeed. Lucci is a smart man, so he's realized what powers are at work here. And yeeaaahh... like I wrote in the chapter, a litteral war could actually break out, don't you think so too?
Sophia Mendes-Coruja: Sophia, can I just stop for a moment to tell you how much I appreciate your support? Seriously, thank you so so so much! I read your message just before going to the hospital, and it definitely brightened my week! Also, you're amazing for reviewing so much and thank you, thank you, thank you, for the sweet things you always have to say! Also, happy to find another person who shares my interest in an AU where the government discovers Luffy's heritage much earlier :D
Sugakookiess: Ajojaosdjfoiasjdfoiajsdofajsoi! GHA! I FULLY 100% AGREE! I CANNOT WITH LUFFY/ACE CENTRICS EITHER, THEY'RE JUST THE MOST ADORABLE! (Or you know, in some cases heart-crushing...) And yes, strangely, I have discovered I have a knack for writing angsty things so... I don't know what that's about XD. And here's the update! I promise to remain focused and keep doing my best!
Guest 1 (Jan 6): Thank you. Trust me, you should be, 'cause it'll only get wilder and more exciting from here on out!
Leska: I knoooooooowwww, aren't I just horrible? But don't you worry, I will keep going! And yea, the lengths of the chapters are already quite vague (the shortest is 4K and the longest over 10K), but there will probably be a lot more semi-long chapters than long ones to be expected in the future.
Guest 2 (Jan 7): *Blushes like crazy.* I-I'm happy that my language is acceptable. I'm still evolving and getting better though, b-but t-thanks a lot for the compliment. (Oh, and me too. #AceandLuffyfanficsforlife)
Guest 3: (Jan 10): In China!? Wow, happy to see that my fanfic is reaching so far! And thank you for your compliment. I do promise this story will get much much longer, and hopefully, I'll someday be able to finish it.
Push23: Yes. They are savage indeed. Just you wait, I have some very pleasant (and shocking too I guess) surprises in store for this story.
And those are the amazing reviews! Shout of to all you amazing peeps who take time off your hands to leave reviews!
Is that all for now? I think so at least... hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Ah well! New chappie can be expected within a few days of waiting time (for sure!)
-Cookie