Warnings: Dark themes, lots of mentions of death, strong language, human experimentation, experimenting on children, child abduction, graphic descriptions of experimenting, lots of needles, lots of violence, poor descriptions of panic attacks, descriptions of blood, rated M for safety.

*If I need to add anymore warnings please tell me in the reviews or a PM and I'll be sure to add it!*

Chapter 14: Freedom At Last?

He needed help. He had to get help. He had to help his brothers. He had to help the children! He promised, he couldn't break his promise! If he didn't have his brothers, what was the point of freedom?! They were supposed to be free together!

Luffy ran as fast as he possibly could using the energy he had gotten from removing the seastone. Trees flew past him in a blur, twigs scratching his arms and legs. He was tripping over roots and rocks, but he ignored that, following the scent of the people.

Maybe he shouldn't be doing this. Maybe he should find out how to get them out on his own. What if these people locked him back up in the facility? What if they were more doctors? Or guards?

There was no backing out of the plan though, because Luffy suddenly crashed through the trees, nearly running down the two he was after.

"Hey, woah there!"

Luffy looked up at the man with big hair, huffing and puffing, trying to catch his breath.

"You ok kid? You don't look so good." Big hair gave him a look and Luffy gulped, backing away from the two. They didn't look like doctors, but he hadn't really gotten a good look at what the guards looked like, so maybe they were them, going to take him back.

"Do you need help, yoi? You lost?" The one beside big hair spoke. What was he going to do? He promised Ace he wouldn't talk to anyone, but he really needed help! What if they were bad though? What if they hurt him, or his brothers?

Luffy suddenly had an idea, tearing down one of his many mental walls.

The colors that he could see around people popped up, both of the colors around the two being blue.

That was good, right? None of the doctors at the facility had been blue, all of them had been gray or black, so he could trust these guys to help, right? There wasn't much choice, so Luffy swallowed, silently apologizing to Ace.

"Do you think he can talk Marco?" Big hair asked after Luffy remained silent. Luffy searched for the man's emotions, finding no darkness, only concern. He did the same to 'Marco' as big hair called him and found the same thing.

They had to be good people! They weren't going to hurt him!

Luffy looked to Thatch, answering the question he had asked his friend with a shake of his head. He wasn't going to talk like he promised Ace, but he was going to get their help.

"Well, that makes things harder..." Thatch mumbled. Luffy hesitated. How was he going to get their help if he couldn't talk? He didn't have much time to think so he grabbed big hairs sleeve, pulling him back towards the way he came, pleading in his eyes as he looked at the man.

"Woah, where are we going? Aw man, how does this stuff happen to me?!" Big hair asked as Luffy dragged him through the forest, Marco following closely behind.

"Can you tell us anything, yoi?" Marco asked. Luffy thought, still running as he did. He turned to the man, hoping he could read lips.

'Help!'

The two gave him a confused look and he repeated the word a few times.

"Help?" Marco asked, and Luffy nodded quickly.

"What do you need help with, are you lost?" Big hair asked. Luffy shook his head. He may not know where in the world he was, but that wasn't his priority right now.

'Brothers!'

He mouthed the word a few times, waiting for the two to understand.

"Brothers? Your brothers need help?" Marco asked, Luffy nodding that he was correct.

'Bad people.'

Luffy was hoping the two would get the two words. It took them a little longer but they got it.

"Bad! That's the first word, right?" Big hair asked proudly as Luffy nodded.

"Ok, bad what? Bad... pete? Bad... pimple? Bad..."

"Bad people, yoi?" Marco asked, Thatch, pouting at him as Luffy nodded.

"Aw, come on Marco I almost had that one!" Big hair whined while Marco rolled his eyes.

"It's not a game Thatch," Marco said. Thatch. So that was big hairs name.

"So bad people have your brothers and they need help," Marco concluded, Luffy nodding again.

"Well, if that's the case, we'll definitely help you out kiddo! Promise!" Thatch said with a smile as the trees thinned. Luffy looked at the man, wondering if he would keep that promise. The straw-hatted boy watched as the facility came into view, and he nearly froze as they got closer. He was about to willingly enter the hell he had gone through for seven years.

"What is this place, yoi?" Marco asked.

"HA! I told you there was something on this island!" Thatch shouted. Luffy stayed silent, fear in his eyes as he glanced at the building. Prying his gaze away he looked at the two, mouthing another word.

'Basement.'

As the two slowly understood the word they walked closer.

"Oh, basement, they're in the basement?" Thatch asked, Luffy nodding.

"Alright, let's go save your brothers!" Thatch shouted happily, filling Luffy with hope. Maybe this would work.

His body went numb as they pushed open the big glass doors, nausea filling him instantly. He hadn't really looked at the room when he escaped, but as he did now, he felt confused.

The wall was covered in painted clouds and animals in light, pastel colors. The floor was a familiar pure white and there were two couches beside the doors on either side with tables beside them. Colorful rugs covered the floor and in the corner, there was a bunch of toys for kids. In front of the doors, there was a desk with a woman sitting behind it, smiling warmly to them, but Luffy could feel the darkness creeping off of her, only making his nausea worse.

"Ah, you've brought our patient back!" She said cheerily, pressing a button on the desk. Marco and Thatch shared a confused look as the woman continued smiling.

"He escaped just recently, had everyone in a panic! In just a moment Doctor- ah, here he is!" Luffy felt his blood go cold as he swallowed heavily. Out of a door behind the desk, Haru emerged, an unsettlingly calm smile on his face.

"There you are! Everyone was worried about you-you know!" Haru said, walking up to Luffy and kneeling in front of him. Luffy backed away, trying to get closer to Thatch and Marco who were still confused.

"What's happening?" Thatch asked, noticing Luffy's fear, Marco too. Haru looked away from Luffy, standing to look at Marco and Thatch.

"You, my friends, just found yourself an escapee!" Haru said cheerfully.

"An escapee, yoi?" Marco asked. Haru nodded.

"That's correct. You see, this is a hospital for children with mental problems. Our friend here has very serious issues that we try and take care of. He's highly delusional and sometimes dangerous. Just today he took down ten guards during one of his delusions and ran out before we could get him!" Haru said, and Luffy could only stare in shock. He wasn't delu- deludi- delly- whatever the word was!

"I see," Marco said slowly, looking at Luffy who looked back, pleading in his eyes.

"Mhm, now, I must get him back to his room before he becomes dangerous again. Thank you for returning him!" Haru said, grabbing Luffys hand and pulling. Luffy tried to fight back, but it didn't work.

"Can we come with you, to make sure he gets back safely?" Thatch asked, Luffy giving them more pleading looks, terror in his eyes.

"That won't be necessary, besides, he needs to go take his medicine, he'll be a little out of it," Haru said, basically dragging Luffy to the basement door.

'Help!'

Luffy mouthed the word as much as he could, hoping the two would help him, keep Haru from taking him back into the basement. They seemed to understand it, Thatch giving Marco a look. Marco, who was frowning, sighed, shook his head and muttered something before running up to Haru, kicking him to the side and forcing the man to let go of Luffy.

"Alright! Seems we're doing this then!" Thatch said in excitement as the woman at the desk gasped, pressing a button. Within moments the alarm was ringing again.

"Ok kid now's a good time to take us to your brothers! You better not be delusional like that doctor guy said!" Thatch shouted, Luffy practically crying in relief. They were helping! They would be free! Luffy beamed at the two, nodding, and quickly flung the basement door open, grabbing both their hands and rushing down the stairs, into the dark labyrinth.

"Woah, it sure is dark down here!" Thatch said. Before anyone could say anything more on the subject a blue light flared and Marco's hand was covered in blue flames, lighting the room.

"Better, yoi? Do you know where your going kid?" Marco asked. Luffy nodded, ignoring his awe at the flames, and began running to the door in front of him, the two following close behind. All he had to do was follow Ace and Sabo's waves! They would lead him back to his brothers!

"It's like a maze in here." Thatch said in awe as Luffy pushed door after door open. Then he smelled it, guards behind the next door. He backed away from it, Thatch and Marco giving him a look.

"What's wrong?" Marco asked, both watching as Luffy lowered into a fighting stance.

"Ah, a fight, that's what all those people are then, huh?" Thatch asked, having sensed the people behind the door. It was flung open, guards rushing in, and Luffy didn't even have to worry about fighting as he watched Marco and Thatch charge ahead, knocking down every guard in their path with ease until they were all down.

"Let's go, kid," Marco said, Luffy watching in awe before nodding. He ran ahead again, following the waves, and after fighting another group of guards they were at the cell hall door. Luffy jiggled the knob, but it wouldn't open. It was locked again.

"Watch out, I got it yoi," Marco said, moving forward and kicking the door down. Luffy felt a rush of adrenaline as he ran into the cell hall, looking down and seeing the wave leading all the way to the end where their cell was.

"What the hell..." Thatch said in disbelief as he looked at all the cages. Luffy ignored him and bolted down the hallway, nearly crashing into the wall from his momentum.

"Is that 11097?"

"Did he get caught?"

"Hey, '097, let us out too!"

Luffy ignored the children calling his number, opting for getting to his brothers.

"11097? Is that the kid?" Thatch asked Marco, who only shrugged. They looked at the children in cells, gripping the bars with pleading eyes. What the hell was happening in here? Luffy waved his hands, needing Marco and Thatch to get the cell open for him. He could see Ace and Sabo in the back of it, but they looked unconscious which only made Luffy more worried.

"These your brothers, yoi?" Marco asked, peering into the cell. Luffy nodded quickly, wishing they would open the cell faster.

"I'll open the cell and then go get some more help. Thatch, find some keys and get everyone else out." Marco ordered Thatch, giving a nod of affirmation. Luffy decided not to mention the set of keys he had. He needed to get Aces cuffs off before they found out he had a devil fruit. Ace had been adamant about keeping things secret, and he would make sure he did just that.

There was a blast of blue flames, shocking Luffy momentarily until he noticed that the cell was now open. Marco and Thatch both ran back down the hall, but Luffy didn't mind as he rushed over to his brothers, shaking their shoulders.

"Ace! Sabo! Wake up! Wake up!" Luffy yelled in a whisper. He didn't want Thatch and Marco to know he could talk, not until his brothers were up and told him it was ok. He may have dubbed them as good people, but what if they turned on them now that they saw what was happening here? What if they ended up wanting to test on them too?

But they had kept their promise, so they weren't bad, right? Luffy wasn't going to risk it.

"Come on! We can go and we can be free and we can keep our promise to Emily!" Luffy urged as he unlocked Aces cuffs, throwing them into the corner, hoping his brothers would open their eyes. They weren't dead, he knew that much. He could still feel emotions coming off of them and he could still see their waves, even if they were fainter than normal. The two remained motionless though, only their chests moving as they breathed. Luffy fell silent, worry filling him.

He could hear Thatch running back in the hallway, sounds of fighting, cells unlocking, and children escaping. Luffy ignored it all though, staring at his brothers, shaking them every few seconds. He didn't dare speak anymore, fear that someone would hear him overwhelming him, pushed on further by the fear that there was something wrong with his brothers.

"Hey, kid?" A familiar voice spoke behind him but he ignored it, shaking his brothers' shoulders.

"Kid, come on, we're getting you all out of here. We can take your brothers to our doctors, they'll help them." At the word doctor, Luffy's heart dropped, spinning to face the man with wide eyes. Thatch wasn't the only one there, two others were as well, one that looked like a lady but wasn't, and another one who was really big.

They had doctors too? Then they weren't really good guys after all?! Luffy felt terror take form, his breathing quickening as he backed away from them.

They were almost free, they couldn't be caught again! They couldn't go back to more doctors! Doctors hurt them, and fed them horrible food, and left them in dark cold cells, and they were mean, and Luffy definitely did not want to see any more of them!

"Woah, hey, calm down, what's wrong?" Thatch asked, raising his hands in the air. Luffy wanted to scream at them, but now he knew they were bad so he couldn't let them know he could talk, they would try and hurt him more! Ace said not to talk to people, and now Ace and Sabo were both sleeping, and they wouldn't wake up!

Luffy was practically hyperventilating.

"Its ok we're not going to hurt you," Thatch said, voice steady and calm. They had kept their promise before, so they had to be good people, but they had doctors, so they had to be bad people! The conflicting thoughts made Luffy's head hurt.

Without warning, Thatch took a step forward and Luffy flipped.

They were going to take them away! He might get separated from his brothers! He couldn't let that happen!

Luffy didn't know what happened, but suddenly everything turned a weird shade of blue, the world freezing for a moment, and then Thatch and the two others were stumbling back a bit, looking like they were in pain.

"D-did that kid just-?" Lady, yet not lady, started talking, shaking Luffy from whatever had just happened as he grabbed Ace and Sabo's arms, pulling them closer to him.

"Yeah, and it was damn strong too!" The other really big guy said, giving Luffy a look.

"I don't really know what's going on kid, but trust me, we're not gonna hurt you, your brothers, or any of the other kids. We're gonna get them help. Promise." Thatch said, getting over whatever had happened. Luffy hesitated. He sounded sincere, and when Luffy focused on him his emotions felt only sincerness, no traces of darkness in them.

But if he was good, why would he take them to doctors? Did he not know how bad they were? That they had done this to the brothers?

Luffy was like a cornered animal, trapped and afraid, only wondering how they were going to escape the mess they were in. Thatch seemed genuine, but there were doctors where he wanted to go so they couldn't be good!

"I don't know what I can say or do to get you to trust me, but from the looks of it your brothers really need some help, and I can get that for them, you just have to come with us." Thatch said, his voice going soft, eyebrows slanted in worry. Luffy watched the man with apprehension, glancing at his brothers who still hadn't woken up, their waves more transparent than they had been before.

Biting his lip and fighting the tears Luffy looked at Thatch again, nodding slowly. The man sighed in relief, but moved slowly, hands still up as he grew closer. Luffy was practically trembling in fear, wondering what he'd just agreed to. Ace was going to kill him when he woke up.

"I'm not gonna hurt 'em, promise, I'm just gonna carry one, Jozu, the big guy there, can carry the other. Can you make it back to the ship? You look pretty tired." Thatch said. Luffy nodded, getting to his feet shakily, watching Thatch's every move as he bent down to pick Ace up, Jozu coming over and grabbing Sabo.

The straw-hatted boy's heart rate increased at seeing his brothers now at the mercy of these strangers. He was hoping he'd made the right decision as he followed the two out of the cell. The hall was completely deserted, all the cell doors opened and the cells themselves empty of any children.

"I'm Izo." Luffy was shocked out of his musings as he turned to look at lady-not-lady who was walking beside him, giving him a small smile. Luffy searched their emotions, not finding anything bad, so he waved to them, giving them a wary smile in return.

The group continued to make their way out of the facility, Luffy taking note of the many doctors and guards who laid unconscious on the ground.

"Damn it, I almost forgot, now we have to get out of this damn maze!" Thatch cursed as they came to the first set of doors.

"You didn't leave any hints?" Jozu asked incredulously, glancing at the doors.

"I didn't exactly have much time to leave breadcrumbs!" Thatch whined in self-defense. Luffy looked at the two doors, remembering when he escaped this morning with Sabo. Without interrupting the two who were arguing Luffy walked to the door in front of them, opening it and walking through it.

Izo, seeing this, smiled and followed the young teen, leaving the two arguing in the room behind them.

"Seems you know the way out, huh?" Izo asked, laughing a little. Luffy, still highly uncomfortable but feeling the amusement rolling off the lady-not-lady, smiled back a little, nodding.

"-Besides, why didn't you leave breadcrumbs?! Izo, tell him-... Izo?" Thatch finally noticed they had been left behind, seeing his brother and the boy in a straw hat passing through another door in the next room.

"Wait for us!" Thatch shouted, running after the two, Jozu following and grumbling all the meanwhile. After the two caught back up Luffy led them through the maze, remembering every turn they made. When they reached the stairs Thatch cheered.

"Finally, we're out of that horrible darkness!" Thatch said happily. They had been using a lighter that Thatch had had in his pocket to see, but now that they were out Izo, who had been holding it, closed it, placing it back in the chefs pocket.

"Yes Thatch, we're out, now let's get back to the Moby, we don't have all day," Izo said, glancing at Ace and Sabo. Luffy did the same and noticed with slight fear that the wave hadn't stopped in getting more transparent. They were getting worse.

"Alright, alright, come on, it shouldn't take too long if we hurry," Thatch said, the group heading back in a brisk walk, Luffy doing his best to keep up.

"You know, I'm sure Jozu wouldn't mind giving you a ride if you wanted, you look tired," Izo said to Luffy who only shook his head in response. He wanted to at least be able to fight on his own terms if it came to it. Izo sighed, but nodded as well, focusing back on Thatch and Jozu who were in the middle of talking about who knew what.

"Almost there now," Jozu said when they reached the path leading to the beach. Thatch smiled brightly.

"I'm gonna have a lot of cooking to do today! I wonder what I should start with? Maybe a broth? I'm sure Whiskey'll tell me when we get there. They must have looked over the other kids by now." Thatch rambled, more to himself than to the group.

Luffys uneasiness only increased the closer they got to the beach. Soon, he was going to have to decide if he really did trust these people to help them, or try and fight them and somehow get away with his brothers.

"There it is, the Moby Dick!"

Its official, the brothers are finally out of the facility, as well as all the other children too! Its been a long time coming, and now that it finally happened I can't wait to move on to everything else that I have planned for this story. I know how eager you've all been for this moment and I hope it lived up to your expectations!

The brothers are a bit worse for wear, that's for sure, but Thatch has promised Luffy they would get them help so we'll see how that works out. With this chapter, the Facility Arc is officially over and we can move onto the next one within a few chapters.

Anyways, I don't have much more to say about this chapter. Thank you all for the reviews, favorites, and follows as always! I hope to see you again next week!