Author's note: Hello everyone, I'm very sorry that it took me so long to finish this story. A lot has happened in my personal life in the last couple of months but things are starting to get a bit more steady and I'm getting back into writing. Following this story I'm going to be leaving the one-shots for a bit and starting a more extended plot driven story. If you'd like to see that when it comes later next week make sure you're following me. It will of coarse be Luna, a duh. But it will be a modern AU adaptation of One Piece, I will likely release plot teaser as the first chapter in the next couple of days. Thank you for your patience and for reading my work. It's much appreciated.

The Pale Green Light: Part 3/3

Luffy and Nami shot through the air. Nami had become accustomed to Luffy's favourite method of transport and no longer screamed, but the action still turned her face white and her breathing rapid.

"Hey Luffy, what if there's nothing up there! We'll just crash into the ceiling!" Nami yelled with a shake in her voice.

"Nah we'll be fin-"

Luffy was interrupted as his head hit the ceiling and smashed through the stone, leaving his body dangling by the neck. He had managed to stretch his arms down just in time to stop Nami from being crushed, and she now bobbed in the air a few metres below him.

She could hear Luffy's muffled yells above her, trying to tell her something that was lost in the dense stone that separated his head from the rest of his body.

"I can't hear you Luffy! Just get yourself out!"

Luffy wrapped one arm around Nami and gestured with an open palm in frustration with the other. He made the hand into a fist and coated it with haki. In a single swift motion he punched through the ceiling a few metres away from where his head was, the force of the punch created a large hole in the concrete.

He released his haki and grabbed onto the edge of the new cavity. Using it to leverage himself, He pulled down and his head was released with a "pop!" suddenly the two Strawhats were pulled up into the ceiling.

Luffy collapsed onto the concrete and rubbed his neck.

"I was trying to tell you, there's a room up here."

Nami relit her staff and looked at their surroundings. Much like the rest of the building everything was made of concrete and darkness dripped from every corner and crevice. On the wall across from them, was a small service hatch. Nami pointed at it.

"Looks like that's the only way. We better hurry if we want to get the boy back, who knows what that creep is going to do to him."

Luffy nodded in agreement then pouted. "He hardly said anything. Just slashed me and flew away. I don't like him." He stood up and brushed off his pants, then walked over to the hatch. Gripping the hand-wheel either side, Luffy opened it in a single motion. He then stepped aside and motioned with a bow to the dark hole. Nami twitched in anger, now was the time he chose to be a gentleman?

"As if! You got first!"

Luffy shrugged. From his point of view, he'd made a pretty good effort. He pulled himself into the hole and began crawling through the small service-way. Nami followed closely behind him. As they crawled along noises began to softly echo around them. The muffled sounds of screams, shrieks and horrible laughter seeped through the tunnel.

The two pirates shared a glance and then quickened their pace, scraping their knee's on moist concrete. Nami was beginning to feel like something was off. She had wanted Luffy to be in front but now she felt like something could be just behind her. She hadn't thought about the fact that she'd be exposed to a surprise attack.

Luffy yelped happily then spun his head around to face Nami.

"I can see a-"

A line of red flashed through Luffy's eyes and in an instant, he had picked up Nami and launched them down the tunnel. As the tunnel rapidly flew past them, Nami saw two blades come out of the walls and swing down right she had been crouched a moment earlier.

Luffy's back skidded off the ground as he wrapped himself around Nami to protect her. After a couple of bounces they came to a stop. Nami lay panting on top of Luffy, she turned over and pressed her chest against Luffy's, once her face was only an inch from his she smiled sweetly.

Luffy started to wriggle under her weight, as his chest wound was aggravated.

"AH! NAMI STOP! I HAD TO!"

Nami lifted her weight off Luffy by placing an arm either side of his head, with an apologetic smile she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

Luffy scowled back at her which made her sigh.

"I know, I know, I just get a huge adrenaline rush when you do something like that, especially when it's out of nowhere. It scares the hell out of me."

Luffy flipped back over and looked down the tunnel. While he was busy inspecting their route, Nami quickly reached over and tightened the knot on the sash. She didn't want his wounds to actually get worse.

"As I thought, there's a light down the end." Luffy commented.

Nami glanced past his shoulder and sure enough, a ways down the tunnel, was a pale green light.

"Let's hope the kid is there." She replied.

As they reached the cavity a horrible sight greeted them. The hole came out 10 metres up on a wall in a great chamber. Below Luffy and Nami was the beast that had attacked them earlier. A giant bat covered in scars and blood. Its fur was filthy and matted, making it look like a rabid wolf. It paced around a large stone slab where the boy lay chained.

The boy was writhing, his wrists looking as if they were going to snap against the cuffs at any second. Froth poured from the edges of his mouth and his eyes showed only white, the pupils having retreated inside his mind.

Nami didn't make a sound but Luffy could feel her nails digging into his shoulder. Without taking his eyes off the bat, Luffy spoke to her calmly.

"I'm going to kill it."

Since having a child, Luffy had developed the belief that there were certain creatures that should not be allowed to exist. His body, mind and soul were all saying this was one of them. It was unnatural, running on instinct but with human cunning hidden behind a thin facade.

"While you deal with the bat, I'll get the boy." Replied Nami, not questioning Luffy's decision to be executioner. Luffy nodded in return, then activated second gear. Steam billowed off his body and his face took on a vicious snarl as he shot out from the pipe. Covering the distance between him and the bat in an instant, his head connected with its body and it was slammed into the floor.

Luffy jumped off the creature and landed on solid ground. The impact had created a small crater where the bat lay twitching.

"You're not done yet…" Muttered Luffy.

A loud screech erupted from the bat's mouth and it's eyes glowed a fierce red as it picked itself up and faced the Pirate King.

"Ssssssoooo, you esssscaped my children. You musssst die." The creature rasped while prowling towards Luffy.

Luffy ignored the comment and shot at the bat again. This time the bat was ready for the attack and leapt to the side in a blur. Luffy's fist flew through the space the bat had been moments earlier. He retracted his arm, then tapped his feet rapidly against the ground and changed directions.

As he was flying towards the bat, Luffy saw Nami land gracefully from the vent and begin running towards the stone slab where the boy lay thrashing. Luffy turned back to the beast and snarled as he threw back both his arms. The outward power of his fists halted his forward momentum and he came to an abrupt stop as he hailed punches onto the beast.

The bat snarled back, quickly wrapping its wings around itself like a shield. Luffy's fists forced the creature back but they couldn't penetrate the sickly brown leather. It didn't matter though, he just needed to buy Nami enough time to get herself and the boy out. Then he could properly unleash.

Ignoring the clap of Luffy's gatling breaking the sound barrier, Nami rushed over to the boy. Despite his injuries and constant shaking, she was relieved to see that he was still breathing steadily. Looking down she found that the cuffs that held the boy were made of leather, Nami grinned as she pulled a knife out from her skirt.

Luffy halted his gatling and began shooting long range punches, each one slamming into the bat at lightning speed. The creature held its defensive posture, releasing sickening gurgles from behind its wings.

With the boy now in her arms, Nami ran towards the only door in the chamber. Luffy saw her on the opposite end of the room and increased the pace of his punches. Just as she passed through the door, Nami yelled at Luffy without looking back.

"GO WILD!"

Luffy grinned at the words then halted his attack. The bat slowly unfurled its wings and glared at him with furious eyes. Lifting it's head up, It let loose a high-pitched screech, which rattled the entire chamber. Luffy fell to his knees and covered his ears as the noise ravaged his mind.

The noise suddenly ceased and although his head was throbbing with pain, Luffy sent out a wave of observation haki. He sensed Nami and the boy still running away, knowing they were safe he tried to steady his breathing.

Above him the bat had taken flight and was now circling Luffy crouched below. The pirate stood back up, then reactivated second gear. He pushed his blood even faster than normal, heating his body to almost boiling point. Steam gushed from his muscles, making his messy black hair billow around his head.

The bat dived as fast as a bullet. But not fast enough. Luffy connected a punch mid-air, faster than the creature could see. The bat was hurtled into the concrete walls. Before it could even start to slide down Luffy had closed the distance. He appeared instantly in front of the creature and grabbed it by the neck. In a heartbeat he tossed the bat down into the centre of the room. It's massive body smashed into the stone altar where the boy had lay minutes earlier, the entire chamber shook and a storm of dust and rubble flew throughout the room.

Luffy landed neatly on the floor and walked calmly towards the hole where the bat lay. He heard a sharp intake of breath come from the beast, Luffy hit it with a wave of conquerors haki. The beast stayed quiet but still rose from the hole.

Before the beast could recover from being dazed Luffy launched himself again. He darted around the room at breakneck speed, stopping every other instant to throw a punch. Each fist hit the bat like a cannon, tossing it around the room as if it were a ragdoll. Luffy continued his onslaught despite the bat making no effort to fight back. It was helpless before the King of the Pirates.

When Luffy stopped, the beast stumbled uneasily. It's wings were broken and tattered and it's face was bloody and swollen from the beating it had just taken. Luffy took a deep breath to steady himself, then threw his arms behind him. Preparing his final attack to kill the hopeless creature.

Just as he shot his arms forward a frail voice cut through the air.

"PLEASE STOP"

Luffy's arms snapped back to his side and he turned to face the voice. Standing in the doorway where Nami had exited earlier was the butler. His brow was heavy with sweat and his chest heaved. Luffy frowned at the man.

"This bat-guy is hurting people and being a creep. I'm going to remove him."

The bat had now collapsed into a heap on the ground and was twitching unnaturally. The old butler looked at it and shook his head.

"The young boy your lady friend took, is the bat. If you kill the bat you'll kill him."

Luffy frowned at the man again. Then rubbed his temples. This was exactly the kind of weird nonsense that he hated dealing with. He decided to cut to the chase.

"Tell me how to kill the bat and save the boy. I don't care about the other details."

The old man gave Luffy a defeated look and hung his head.

"I don't how, please let me explain what happened, then maybe you can help?"

Luffy sighed but resigned himself to trying to understand the situation. He glanced back over at the bat and found it still laying relatively still on the floor. Then he strolled over to the butler. The old man smiled with his rows of brown teeth and gestured for Luffy to sit down.

"Many years ago; that boy was the prince of a great and powerful kingdom. I was an advisor to the king."

Luffy gave up on finding a comfortable seat and squatted next to the butler. The butler knelt, to be level with Luffy.

"The king was growing greedier with every year. He taxed the citizens to the point of poverty and gave back nothing but suffering to his people. I tried to reason with him, but it was pointless. He was gone. So, I devised a plan to save the kingdom. I heard rumours of a devil fruit on the country's black market, a fruit that would be essential."

Luffy's eyes drifted close, a flick to the nose gave him a rude awakening. The butler cleared his throat and continued.

"The fruit was the para-para fruit. It allowed the user to enter another creatures mind and control it like a parasite. I acquired the fruit and brought it back to the palace, intending to eat it. That night the king called an unexpected council and I had to rush from my chambers. I must have forgot to lock the door, because while I was occupied the prince ate the fruit."

Luffy scratched his head.

"Huh, this story sounds kinda familiar." He commented.

The butler flicked him on the nose again and ignored the pirate.

"When I returned from the meeting, I found the prince passed out on my chamber floor. I checked his pulse, he was still alive, but I could not wake him up. I feared the king would think I poisoned him, so I bundled up the boy and fled the palace, hoping to find the cause of the problem."

The butler looked at the bat lying on the floor.

"You see, without maturity or proper training I knew the prince would not be able to control his new power. His mind would have bound to the first creature it found and become trapped, without the knowledge to release the bond. If I found the creature, I could unbind the boy, and no one would know what happened."

"I circled the castle from a distance, hoping the creature would reveal itself. I thought the boy would be attracted back to his own body regardless of the vessel. Sure enough, as the sun was rising a large winged creature landed before me. I was filled with dread as I realised it was a giant vampire bat; a species unique to our kingdom."

Luffy was focused on rolling a piece of rubble in his hands, but still feigned a sound of interest at the information. The Butler ignored Luffy's rudeness this time and continued.

"Usually these bats are dangerous but nothing more than beasts. Too stupid to even hunt effectively, they prefer to target docile cows instead of humans. But his one was different, it's red eyes were cunning and intelligent, it looked at me with such thirst that my blood became stone cold."

The butler shivered.

"The situation was worse than I could have imagined. The boys conscience had been overpowered by the bat, although it was using the boys human intelligence, it's intention and hunger was still that of a beast. I had no idea how to release the prince, so I offered to serve the bat, hoping one day I would figure out a solution and save him. But alas. All these years I've done nothing but serve it human travellers to feast upon. I was too weak to do anything."

The butler hung his head in shame. Muttering under his breath. Luffy just felt relieved that the story was finally over. Standing up he smiled down at the old man.

"Well I'm here now and I'll help. Just tell me what we need to do."

The butler clenched his fists and looked up at Luffy.

"We need to force the bat to release his hold on the prince."

Luffy nodded and walked over to the bat. He knelt down next to the damaged creature and started slapping its head.

"Oi! Let go of the boy you bat-creep."

The butler rushed over and swiped Luffy's hand away.

"Don't aggravate it. There is only one way, I must eat it's heart while it's still alive!"

Luffy grimaced at the idea.

"Are you sure that's the only way? It's pretty gross."

The butler nodded.

"The bat must die before it's mind stops, as the mind fades it will naturally let go of the boy. If it dies instantly the boy will be sucked into the void with it."

Luffy still felt sceptical.

"Can't I just punch it's heart? Why do you have to eat it?"

"Quiet boy! It must be done, hold the beast down!"

Luffy shrugged and complied. He wanted to save the boy and if this was the only way, then he'd do it. He twisted a limb around each of the bat's and firmly held the creature in place. The butler stepped forward and pulled a long knife from inside his suit.

"I've waited 20 years for this part…" He muttered as he stepped forward.

The bat began to shriek and writhe as the butler cut into it's chest a pulled out a beating heart. He looked at the organ hungrily then bit into the soft red flesh. The bat began to spasm and with each second, they grew weaker and weaker. Until the creature lay motionless in Luffy's clutches. He let the lifeless body go and it crashed to the ground in a heap.

The butler stood panting, blood ran down his chin and stained his perfectly white shirt crimson. A large smile came across his face, his brown teeth were now red and dripping. He turned to Luffy.

"The plan worked perfectly. Thank you for your help young man. We should find your lady-friend, I must take the prince back to his kingdom."

Luffy looked at the butler warily, something about the butler made him not like the idea of giving up the boy. The butler smiled at Luffy, revealing his dripping red teeth again.

"Worry not, he his safe with me. It's what is best."

Yes, thought Luffy. It's what is best.

"Come pirate, I'll show you the way back to your ship, I imagine your friend is waiting for us there."

Luffy followed the man out of the chamber and down a long, dark hall.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Out by the boat, Nami quickly prepared the rigging, just in case they needed to make a fast getaway. She had placed the boy on a bed in the cabin and was desperate for Luffy to reappear. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard a startled yell from inside the quarters. She rushed in to find the boy sitting up and rubbing his head, looking very confused. Nami approached him and smiled sweetly, revealing rows of pearly white teeth.

"It's ok, you're safe, I promise."

She knelt next to him and placed a hand on his forehead.

"you feel alright…. Do you have a name?"

The boy looked at her blankly, fear consuming his eyes. Nami sighed and stood up.

"I'll get some water and food for you."

After preparing some dried porridge and a glass of water for the child, Nami went back outside to finish the rigging. As she was tying the last knot, Luffy and the butler came through the mist. Luffy smiled widely at his navigator and waved a hand.

"Oi Nami! Has the boy woken up?"

Nami smiled back warmly and nodded her reply. Luffy gave a little whoop and jumped in the air with excitement.

"He's inside the cabin, be careful though he seems confused and scared."

The Butler reached the edge of the boat and jumped onto the deck. Nami eyes him suspiciously but let him pass.

"The boy knows me, let me speak to him." The Butler said as he passed through to cabin door.

Luffy leaned on the boat railing next to Nami and watched the old man enter their boat.

"You know Nami, I'm really glad you and the boy left. It got super weird." Luffy's face took on a look of disgust as he remembered the Butler cutting open the bat's chest.

"I had to hold him down while that guy pulled out a long knife and slice-"

Nami put a finger to Luffy's lips.

"I don't need to know. Please."

Luffy nodded and then laughed.

"Oh well, it's all solved now anyway. The old man wants to take the boy back to their kingdom, apparently he's a prince or something."

Nami gave Luffy a questioning glance.

"Are you sure it's ok to leave him with the boy? Do they even have a ship?"

Luffy shrugged.

"I think it's what's best. He seems to have a plan."

At that moment the cabin door swung open, revealing the butler cradling the boy in his arms. The boy seemed more relaxed and even gave Nami a wary smile.

"Thank you very much for your help pirates, we would have been stuck in this hell for much longer had you not come." The butler said.

Luffy smiled back at him and rubbed the back of his head.

"We have an old ship moored on the other side of the platform; we must return to our kingdom in haste. The prince has been missing for far too long." Continued the Butler.

Nami raised an eyebrow at the old man, something about him seemed as sinister as the bat.

"Are you sure you don't want us to take you? Your ship must have been sitting there for years, what if it's no longer seaworthy? You could be trapped here."

The butler waved a hand dismissively.

"I have checked the ship regularly over the years, it's still perfectly functional. Trust me, it's what's best."

A warm wave came over Nami and her mind felt numb for a moment.

Yes, she thought. It's what's best.

"Very well. If you are sure." She said.

The butler smiled his brown teeth at her then vaulted back over the edge of the boat.

Luffy ran over to the railing and looked down at him.

"You should at lease stay for a drink to celebrate."

The butler spun to face him.

"No, we must be going."

"Yes…. You must be going…." Replied Luffy.

Before he could get another word in the butler and the boy had disappeared into the fog.

Nami clicked her tongue then turned to Luffy, the sash on his chest had held but blood was beginning to seep through, and she was worried about how much blood he was losing.

"Come on Luffy, let's get that would dressed properly then we can go."

Luffy followed Nami into the cabin with a skip.

"Don't forget to clean the sash!"

Nami sighed. She'd told him that she would, but she had always known that blood rarely washes out.