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 27: Red-Hair Incoming

"Ne, Ace, did you see that one guy with the funny mustache?" Ace sighed from where he lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"I did Luffy."

"And the one guy that was huuuge~!" Luffy said, stretching his arms out to imitate just how big the person was. Ace nodded.

"Yup."

"Oh, and there was that other guy, the one who was fighting with another guy! He had a really cool sword!" The youngest continued, jabbing the air as if holding his own sword.

"Pretty weird."

Sabo smiled from where he sat at the desk, listening to Luffys ramblings and Ace's half-hearted answers. He was amazed Ace hadn't snapped at Luffy by now, the boy having been going on and on about the different pirates he'd seen out on deck the day before. He didn't seem like he was going to stop anytime soon, but Ace didn't look like he minded either, laying there patiently and answering Luffy diligently.

Shanks was supposed to be arriving tomorrow, assuming everything had gone to plan, and the brothers' anxiety was starting to grow again, filled with unknowns and possibilities. If Shanks didn't come, what were the brothers supposed to do? The best they could do was fight their way off this giant ship, but what then? They'd be stranded with no food or fresh water. Sabo sighed, turning back to look at the desk.

Although all three brothers were back in good health- though Luffy and Ace could use a bit more food, to be honest- that didn't mean they were ready to take on hundreds of pirates who were armed and ready for battle at all times. They especially wouldn't be able to do anything against Whitebeard, no matter how many abilities they had been given by the facility. They would have the element of surprise, but that would only get them so far before the Pirates got over it.

"And there was the guy with the big hair too!"

At least from what Luffy saw yesterday before they got interrupted the pirates seemed to have good colors, which meant that they were somewhat good people. Sabo had figured that the colors around the soul indicated what kind of person someone was, and the grayer or, Kami forbid, black around a person, the sicker and more twisted they were, the more likely they were to hurt anyone just for the fun of it. At least these pirates didn't have that surrounding them.

"What about that one guy who-"

"I think its lunch time." Sabo interrupted, hearing Thatch's footsteps heading their way. Normally Marco told them when lunch was ready though, so he was skeptical. Shouldn't Thatch be in the kitchen making said lunch right now anyway?

While pondering those thoughts Sabo moved towards the door, Ace sitting up in the bed, ready for anything as usual, while Luffy watched curiously, head tilted slightly.

"Doesn't lazy face normally tell us its lunch time?" Luffy asked, and Sabo was reminded of the nickname the youngest had given the first Commander.

"Its Marco Lu, not lazy face, and yes, normally he does," Sabo said before there was a knock on the door and he was swinging it open. Thatch had his usual startled look but got over it quicker than normal.

"Do you guys have haki or something?!" Thatch asked incredulously, and Sabo had to bite back a laugh, tilting his head in mock confusion and furrowing his eyebrows, looking to be in deep thought.

"Haki? What's that?" Sabo asked innocently. Really, it was getting too easy to hide just how strong they were when the pirates asked questions like this. Thatch opened his mouth, looking flustered.

"Ah, you know, its- um- complicated... anyways, lunch is ready!" Thatch said, immediately grinning instead. Sabo nodded, already hearing Luffy and Ace standing and moving closer.

"Thank you," Sabo said pleasantly, the brothers filing out of the room and heading towards the galley, wanting to get the meal over with. Seeing as Shanks was coming it was taking everything they had to keep calm, and meal times were always stressful for the trio.

"Uh, right! So, you guys coming out again today?" Thatch asked as he jogged to catch up with them. Normally the brothers wouldn't let anyone stay behind them, but seeing as it was only Thatch, someone Luffy had gotten a good read on in terms of both emotion and soul color, they were a little ok with him being there, especially since they could still keep an eye on him seeing as he was the only one behind them.

"We might. We haven't really thought about it," Sabo said shortly, shrugging. The brothers actually had thought about it, a lot in fact, but they still hadn't come to a decision. Luffy hadn't gotten to see everyone's soul colors yesterday because they'd been interrupted, but if they did go there was always the chance that they would be interrupted again and have to answer more questions.

"Oh, well I hope you do, I never got to hang out with you yesterday! Jiru got me wrapped up in some business with his division and Pops was thinking of sending a small group from my division to one of our islands." Thatch said, relaxing with his arms behind his head as he walked. They were reaching the galley now, all of them filing in and making their way to the Commander table. Some pirates still stared, but most were used to seeing the brothers in the galley by now and didn't pay them much mind which made it easier on the brothers.

"Wheres Marco?" Namur asked as they reached the table, and Sabo was silently grateful the Fishman had asked the question because he had been wondering the same thing.

"Don't know, said something about extra paperwork this morning that he needed to get done. I gave him some lunch and decided to grab these three on my way back here." Thatch said, gesturing to the trio who were now digging into their lunch that Thatch had given to them. Namur nodded in understanding, also returning to his own food.

"That guy works too much, we gotta take that paperwork away from him," Atmos said, shaking his head. Haruta scoffed.

"We'd be in charge of doing it then," Haruta said, waving a fork at Atmos who cringed at the thought.

"On second thought, let's support Marco and his hard-working ways," Atmos said quickly, digging into his food while Haruta laughed.

"Really though, how does he always end up with so much paperwork when he works so much?" Rakuyo asked.

"He's in charge of the first division, not to mention overseeing all other divisions, including second seeing as we still don't have another commander to fill in for them," Izo explained calmly, the table growing quiet after that. The brothers were listening with interest, trying to learn as much about the Whitebeards as they could without having to ask questions. They didn't know how they operated, but this conversation was giving them good insight into it.

"Well, we know where Marco is, but what about Pops? Nurses at 'em again?" Fossa asked, looking at the empty chair at the head of their table.

"From what I heard Marco sent him there himself before shutting himself away. Caught him drinking again." Kingdew said, everyone nodding in understanding.

"The day Pops stops drinking is the day Thatch shaves his head," Vista said casually, Thatch gasping and grabbing his pompadour almost protectively.

"Never!" Thatch gasped, everyone laughing again.

"Hey, by the way,-" Curiel stopped talking as he turned to address the brothers, only to find their seats empty, the door to the galley swinging closed.

"Ah, damn, missed 'em," Curiel said with a shrug, everyone laughing again.

"Gotta be faster than that Curiel!" Haruta teased.

"They sure do eat fast." Fossa observed, looking at the plates that were practically licked clean.

"But they eat everything, so I've got no issues with it." Thatch said happily, grabbing the empty plates.

"They sure are interesting kids," Izo said fondly, watching the doors that the brothers had escaped out of.

"Yeah, and the blonde keeps doing this weird thing!" Thatch exclaimed, everyone, turning to him with raised eyebrows.

"Weird thing?" Atmos asked, intrigued. Thatch nodded.

"Yeah, every time I knock on their door Sabo opens up the second I knock, like he knows I'm coming!" Thatch explained, still curious about how the blonde did it.

"Haki?" Blenheim asked. Thatch shrugged.

"I asked the same thing, but Sabo didn't seem to know what it was. If he does have it he obviously doesn't know about it."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"What's so funny?" Ace asked with a raised eyebrow as he and Luffy watched their blonde brother stifle a laugh from his spot on the bed.

"Oh, nothing, just something I over heard," Sabo said, waving off his brothers curiosity, tuning out of the Commanders' conversation. Ace shrugged at that, deciding he wasn't going to get anything more out of his brother.

"Well, in any case, we should talk about what we're gonna do today. Do we wanna go back out on deck?" Ace asked, immediately getting down to business, crossing his arms. Luffy was fiddling with his hat which was held tightly in his hands, not looking up.

"It would be nice to get some fresh air again, but only if Luffys up to it. He didn't get a look at everyone's color yesterday. We'd also have to be prepared for someone trying to ask more questions too." Sabo said, weighing their options. Ace nodded, the two of them turning to look at Luffy.

"What do you think Lu?" Ace asked gently. The last thing they wanted was to make Luffy too uncomfortable. Luffy tilted his head back and forth, deep in thought, a serious expression on his face.

"Mm... I wanna... but I don't wanna talk to 'em..." Luffy explained slowly, Ace and Sabo nodding in understanding.

"If someone comes our way you and Ace can head back. I'll distract whoever it is and then follow right after." Sabo suggested though he didn't really like that plan. If they did this then Sabo would be left alone, even if it was only for a minute. His brothers caught this as well, both shaking their heads.

"No way in hell I'm leaving you alone." Ace said sternly.

"Mm! I wanna stay with both Ace and Sabo!" Luffy said, Sabo sighing, somewhat relieved his brothers rejected his idea.

"Alright, then maybe you and Ace can start to head back but go slow. If I don't start heading after you by the time you reach the door then you can head back to me. Ace, you'll be able to see me the entire time, if I need you guys to come back or need help I'll signal for you." Sabo said, imitating their sign for help. This idea seemed to go over more smoothly than the last, Ace and Luffy nodding their agreement to the plan, even if it was with slight reluctance.

"So we're going then?" Ace asked. It went silent for a minute, the three of them glancing at each other, before Sabo sighed again, nodding.

"I guess so. Let's get this over with."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

In the back of Luffy's mind he knew he didn't have to do this. He knew he could just signal to his brothers and they would be back in their room faster than Luffy could eat a piece of meat, which was pretty fast mind you, but Luffy wanted to do this.

More like had to do this.

He felt like, if he didn't do this, he would be letting himself, Ace and Sabo down. It would be like letting the bad doctors win, everyone at the facility smiling and laughing at him because of what they'd done to him.

He remembered when he was back home in his village before he met Ace and Sabo when he would run up to strangers with no hesitation and smile and ask said stranger a wide variety of things. He remembered when he could run up to completely unknown pirates and act as if he were talking with Makino, someone he knew and trusted. He remembered when he didn't feel any of these bad feelings, the nervousness, the anxiety, the nausea. That was the worst, the feeling that he was going to hurl his lunch over the railing. He loved eating, and whenever he felt that way, the last thing he wanted to do was eat.

It was all those doctors fault, and he hated them for that. He just wanted to go back to the way things were, when he could smile and laugh without worrying that he was being too loud and that the doctors would come and punish him because of it.

He and Sabo were sitting on the railing, Sabo keeping up a conversation by himself beside him as he scanned the deck, going over everyone's colors quickly. He had to do this, had to prove to himself that he could go back to how things were, that he could go back to normal.

He knew Ace and Sabo were always worried about him, worried that he would become like he had back in the facility, when he would barely smile, barely talk to anyone, even his brothers. Luffy didn't want to become like that again either.

Doing this would prove he could get better. Going out on deck with strangers, pirates no less would prove that he could handle himself like he used to.

But even as he had these thoughts he could feel his anxiety peeking, nausea churning in his stomach, the nervousness making him twitchy. His feet were swinging in an attempt to vent out some of that nervous energy, his fingers rapping against the railing in a way that showed his brothers that he wasn't signaling something, but rather making the noise just to make the noise.

He was losing focus, he needed to keep his focus, if he didn't he might accidentally let down his other barrier, and he definitely didn't want to start looking into everyone's past, not when there were these many people.

Blue, blue, blue, blue, blue, blue, everywhere he looked there was a blue aura around the pirates mingling on the deck. This was a good sign though, right? This meant that these were good people! But even good people could turn bad. It only took one wrong thought, one wrong intention, for that clear blue to start turning gray. He had seen it happen, one of the new doctors having come to the facility with a clear blue aura, but the longer they stayed, the darker their color got, until it was a stormy gray that made Luffy's stomach churn. It was never as bad as Haru's, he had never seen anyone as bad as Harus, but it wasn't a pleasant sight.

A pulse of warmth coming from his brothers brought him back to the present and he basked in the feeling, allowing his nervousness and anxiety to wash away, letting the warmth in. He was careful with how much he took in, not wanting whatever happened with the giant Captain to happen again, but it was still pleasant none the less.

'Good colors?' Sabo's tapping against the railing caught his attention, but he didn't stop scanning the pirates.

'Yeah, no darkness so far.' Luffy responded slowly, keeping his eyes peeled for even a hint of grey in someone's aura. With his thoughts taken off of the facility, Luffy was able to start focusing more and more on scanning the pirates.

He was nearly finished now. The brothers had been out on the deck for nearly half an hour in the same spot and positions that they had been in yesterday. So far no one had bothered them, but as Luffy was finishing up with the pirates that changed.

'First Commander coming this way.'

Luffy tensed at the taps and was ready to get up and walk away with Ace like they had planned, but he was almost done looking at all the pirates.

'You and Luffy go, I'll deal with it quickly.' Sabo tapped, already turning to look at the Commander with a warm smile. The thought that Sabo was getting good at acting crossed Luffy's mind before he returned to the task at hand.

'No, almost done.' Luffy tapped, scanning quicker than he had before, noticing lazy face was nearly here by now. Ace and Sabo looked at him.

'You sure Lu?' Ace tapped, but Luffy only nodded, determination on his face as he glanced around the deck. Ace and Sabo shared a look before sighing and shrugging.

'Alright, but leave if you have to.' Sabo tapped out and Luffy nodded, focusing wholeheartedly on the pirates rather than the Commander.

"Hello, Commander." Luffy could hear Sabo addressing lazy face but Luffy refused to look that way. If he did he would feel the anxiety again.

"Hello. I'm glad I found you three so easily, yoi." Marco said in his usual tone. Sabo kept the smile on, tilting his head slightly.

"Did you have something you wanted to discuss?" Sabo questioned and Luffy's lips thinned, trying his best to block the words out. Only a few more people left now.

"I did. We just got a call on the den den from Red Hair. He said he should be arriving here tomorrow shortly after breakfast, yoi." Marco explained arms crossed casually as he watched the brothers almost too closely. Luffy had just finished checking everyone's colors when he heard those words, immediately tensing, skin paling a little at the reminder.

Shanks was coming. Shanks was gonna be here tomorrow. Shanks was gonna see him again. He would be breaking his promise. He wasn't a great pirate! He wasn't anywhere near being a great pirate yet! What would Shanks think of him now? He had been captured, he had been tested on, he had been hurt and injured and drugged, and if he had been strong none of it would have ever happened.

But he wasn't strong.

He had gotten captured because he was weak. He had gotten hurt because he was weak. He had gotten injured because he was weak. He had to watch children and friends die right in front of him because he was too weak to save them, too weak to stop the doctors from hurting them.

He had killed.

Luffy shuddered as the memories of the fear in the children's eyes returned. The looks they gave him as he tried connecting to them under Harus orders. The look in their eyes as they passed away right in front of him.

Because of him.

He was too weak to stop himself from killing others.

Vaguely he was aware of Ace grabbing his hand, of his feet touching the ground as he was pulled along. He felt numb though, like he wasn't really moving his body, like it was on autopilot. Maybe people were talking around him, or even to him, but he couldn't hear them, couldn't feel anything, couldn't think about anything but their eyes. The children's eyes as they looked at him, terrified.

How could he face Shanks when he couldn't even face himself? How could he look at Shanks without being reminded that he had failed his idol? That he had gone and gotten himself captured, gone and let people die?

"Luffy,"

How was he going to face his brothers? How could his brothers face him? They knew what he had done, they knew what he could do. How could they look at him and still stay by his side?

"Luffy, calm down!"

He couldn't do this. He couldn't go back to the way things had been, because he would be lying, to himself, to his brothers, to everyone. He wasn't his old self, he was changed, he was different, he couldn't go back to how he used to be, not after all the things he had done.

"LUFFY!"

A harsh stinging on his cheek snapped him from his thoughts, a sharp slapping noise echoing in the room around him as he looked around.

When had he gone back to his room? When had he left the deck?

"Luffy, you with us again?" His brothers' voice had him turning, looking curiously into Aces eyes. He brought a hand to his cheek, the sting already dulling as he realized Ace had slapped him, with haki of course.

"Ace? Sabo?" He asked, noticing the blonde was there as well, both of them sitting on their bed with him.

"Hey Luffy, its ok, we're back in the room now," Sabo said calmly, rubbing his back calmly. He could feel the warmth again, radiating off his brothers along with their worry and concern.

Suddenly Luffys lip was trembling, his hand dropping from his cheek as his eyes began watering.

He tried to stop the tears but once one fell they all began falling, a sob breaking from his throat, and suddenly he was wailing, tears streaming.

"Its alright Luffy we're here with you."

"Yeah, don't worry Lu, we won't let anything happen to you."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Luffy?" Marco turned to look at the youngest who was sitting beside Sabo on the railing, Ace standing at his side and grabbing his hand. The kids' eyes looked glazed over, distant, and Marco wondered what had triggered it. All he had said was that the red-haired brat would be here tomorrow, but why would that cause the youngest to look so... distant?

Before he could voice these questions Ace was tugging the boy off the rail, Luffy moving almost robotically as Ace pulled him away, some of his brothers looking after the two in confusion, noticing the dazed look on Luffy's face.

"I'm sorry Commander. Thank you for the information." Sabo said in a hurry, jumping off the rail himself and rushing off after his brothers, leaving Marco more confused than ever. Everyone else was watching in confusion as well, no one quite sure what to make of what had just happened.

Marco turned, seeing Whitebeard looking at him with confusion in his eyes as well.

"What happened, son?" Whitebeard asked as Marco made his way over to the giant, the other commanders gathering around as well, wondering the same thing. Marco shrugged.

"I don't know, yoi, all I did was tell them that Red Hair was going to arrive tomorrow," Marco explained, leaving everyone just as confused as before.

"But... wouldn't that make them happy? Why did the kid look so... detached?" Blenheim asked.

"Maybe they don't like Shanks after all?" Thatch questioned, still not sure about this whole thing.

"I don't know. If they don't like him why would Red Hair go looking for them for this many years?" Izo asked.

"We're not going to get answers to these questions today. Tomorrow we'll keep an eye on the brats, and when Red Hair gets here we'll keep a close eye on him too. For now, let's just make sure we keep them comfortable." Whitebeard announced, the commanders nodding in understanding.

It was only minutes after this conversation that they heard it.

It was so loud and sudden that it made most of the crew members on the deck jump in surprise, everyone turning towards the sound in shock.

"Was that...?" Thatch murmured from where he stood beside Marco, eyes wide. Marco was frowning deeply, a change from his usual bored look, and nodded. Thatch frowned as well, looking down at the deck as sadness welled in him.

The crew tried their best to ignore the heart-wrenching cries coming from the brothers' room.

Hello again everybody! As you can see, Luffy is most definitely not ok. I wanted to show just how much Luffy had changed after his time in the facility, because even though we all knew he was changed, we didn't know exactly to what it went. In an attempt to show this I used Shanks, someone who Luffy used to think of with only happy and fond feelings, but now those feelings are completely different and Luffy practically had a meltdown over it.

Its not Shanks himself that Luffy is scared or nervous of, its more the promise between them that hes scared of. Hes worried that, because of the facility, their promise is null and hes going to have to face Shanks, someone who he still looks up to immensely.

Also, speaking of Shanks, guess whose finally arriving in the next chapter!? That's right, the man you've all been waiting for will finally make an appearance, and seeing as Christmas is coming up, I've decided that I'll upload both on Tuesday, Christmas, and on Friday, so you get a double update next week!

Thank you all for everything, and I'll see you all Tuesday!