Sanji and Zoro were gone soon after. It was a devastating loss for Deadhouse and the keepers remaining. 4 Keepers and the new director were killed within the first two months. Germa Six Six and the D Foundation were scrambling once again to staff the unit.
The Ds were in mourning. And no matter how fiercely the research department pushed, they couldn't torture them into getting over it any faster. It just wasn't possible to fill the gigantic hole where Zoro and Sanji had been.
The Ds were kept insanely busy under the new director; a man named Terry Gilteo. He had them performing again; but it wasn't the same; running impossible tests and forcing them to complete unmanageable feats. It was different, more subtle. "Idle hands… Idle hands," he would repeat in mantra. "Idle hands are the devil's workshop."
"Can one of you just eat him?" LUF muttered under his breath.
LAW exhaled heavily and TCH grimaced. The larger man shrugged apologetically, "Not this week."
"These are skill sets," Terry announced, walking up and down the row, "That every man must possess." He stopped in front of LUF and leaned over, nearly face to face, "It's time to put away childish things."
"You're not taking my treehouse," LUF informed him, dropping the toolkit he had been holding, "I've never killed a man, but I will fucking kill you if I have to. It's mine."
"I don't want to take anything from you, LUF," Terry said simply, straightening up slowly. "I want to give you abilities that money can't buy."
"I don't understand what we're doing," LAW admitted, looking at all the disassembled pieces in front of him. "What am I looking at? I'm following the directions but I don't see the end goal…" LAW was frustrated, he hated losing.
"That's because it's not easy to see," Terry explained, continuing to pace around the room, "You don't have the whole picture."
"Why not?" TCH groaned, sitting down.
"Because I'm not allowed to bring guns into Deadhouse," Terry said simply. "Only two people in Deadhouse may be armed, Caesar and, when he visits, Mr. Donquixote."
LAW and TCH both leaned in closely, examining the pieces of metal on their tables. LAW nodded silently, continuing his work. TCH snorted, "You're teaching us how to assemble guns?"
"No," Terry denied, "I'm teaching you how to follow directions. If you were to remember this practice, I'd honestly be surprised." Terry checked his watch, "And besides, that's only part of a gun. It's not enough to hurt anyone."
"But we did this exact thing yesterday," LUF complained, assembling the pieces without looking at the directions. "And the day before…"
"And tomorrow we'll do something different," Terry said, disassembling LUF's work. "Keep practicing."
"Maybe I'll eat him," LUF grumbled, picking up the first piece. Suddenly an idea came to him and he smiled brightly, "Do you think if we eat enough people they'll ask Zoro and Sanji back?"
"Nope," LAW breathed out, focused on his assembly. "They don't remember us. They don't remember this place."
The next day they were running drills. Up the rock wall, across the monkey bars, down the rope ladder. Up the other side, jump across the gap, and repel down with the rope swing. Over and over and over again.
"It's cute that you thought you could make me do this," TCH chuckled.
"Honestly, TCH," Terry said, sparing him a momentary glance, "I don't care what you do."
Terry smoked like Sanji did, except he didn't bother with the fancy cologne. The odor of smoke was much stronger. TCH wrinkled his nose, "Do you smell on purpose so I won't eat you?"
Terry nodded, "Sure."
TCH rocked in his massage chair. He watched Terry watching the other two. And suddenly he felt an odd anxiety. What did the new director of Deadhouse have planned for the residents?
"And time," Terry called out, clicking his stopwatch. "Now the treadmill."
"What?!" LAW groaned, rolling his yellow eyes.
"Now the treadmill," Terry instructed firmly. "TCH, if you want to reach your required exercise time you should do so now."
TCH stood up to his full, imposing height and stepped on the treadmill. He placed the oximeter on his finger and started the machine to a brisk 5 mph walk. He smiled at the other two, sweat dripping off of them already, "Hi."
"Hey," LUF panted, running.
"No fucking talking," LAW barked, matching LUF's pace.
LUF smiled, pushing his speed up a little more. LAW rolled his eyes but a moment later he increased his speed as well. LUF snickered, "Competitive today, Law?"
"I'm always competitive," LAW dismissed.
"I'mma do me," TCH said loudly, smacking the sides of the treadmill. "Low and slowww."
And then the next week they were doing something else entirely. LUF watched as Terry and his (sometimes) shift partner, Absalom, carried plant after plant into the gym. Terry thanked Absalom and the other man left. There weren't enough people to staff Deadhouse, they couldn't even pretend.
"What's this?" TCH asked, "Gardening?"
"These are milkweed," Terry explained gesturing to the first section of plants, "And this is dogbane."
"Can we eat it?" LUF asked.
Terry shook his head, "Milkweed is poisonous unless it has been boiled. Has this been boiled? No. Don't eat it. And dogbane," Terry gestured to the reddish stemmed plant, "Is extremely toxic to livestock. No reported human deaths."
"What we're working on this week, "Terry explained, "is cordage."
"I've heard of bondage," TCH joked, "Is it similar?"
Terry stroked his beard slowly, his eyes blinking open and closed, "Nope."
"My mistake then," TCH murmured, stepping back.
"You are going to learn how to construct rope from everyday plants, like this milkweed and dogbane," Terry announced, "There are many, many plants suitable for rope, I've simply chosen the two easiest to procure from the mall upstairs."
"There's a mall upstairs?!" LUF scoffed.
"Here's a pile of rocks, select two," Terry said, ignoring LUF's outburst. "You're going to take a plant, cut the stalks with the rocks and leave them to dry out a bit."
The next day they pulled the fibers from the dried stalks; and then the wood from the fibers. The day after, they worked the fibers until they were fluffy and frayed. And finally they learned to reverse wrap the cord, holding it between their teeth as they worked.
"How'd I do?" LUF asked, displaying his thin, little rope with pride.
"It's a shitty rope. You need practice," Terry answered.
LUF grew frustrated, kicking over the nearest potted plant. Soil spilled across the tile and it began to wriggle. A large insect fluttered its wings causing a loud rattling noise. The residents of Deadhouse panicked. When was the last time they'd seen a bug?
Terry reached down and picked up the bug in his hand. "This is a long-horned beetle," Terry decided, "Edible and packed with protein." He popped the beetle into his mouth and chewed. "Protein is important."
The Ds all screamed in horror and disgust. They squirmed uncomfortably, shaking their heads and walking away. LUF returned a moment later, his face scrunched up with curiosity, "Was it good?"
Terry shrugged, "Like eating a nut."
"This is better than trying to kill us, don't get me wrong," LAW said, "But why are you doing this?"
"I was recruited because I'm a wilderness survival guide," Terry explained, "It was my job before. And when I leave, I'll keep doing it."
"Do you have an indoor survival guide?" LUF asked, "It's more relevant."
"Idle hands are the devil's workshop," Terry said simply.
"Did you have a terrible meth addiction and kick it with nature?" TCH wondered, "Cause you act like that guy."
"I finished," LAW rasped, tossing his thick, neat rope across the table.
"Alright," Terry murmured, gesturing to the garbage pail, "Toss everything out. There was some concern among upper management that someone would hang themselves or garrote one of the keepers."
"What're we learning next?" LUF asked, running and catching the bottom of the monkey bars. He swung back and forth, his shirt sliding up his abdomen.
"Sensory awareness," Terry answered, "And learning to sneak."
"Hell, he already knows how to sneak," TCH barked, "He's too sneaky. Our first keepers taught him already. It's a bitch. If you ever wanna find him again, you'll leave it alone…"
"I'll teach whoever participates in my class," Terry replied with a shrug.
Another month passed.
It was night. The residents of Deadhouse were asleep. The lab was quiet. Caesar was delivering T serum to the Nostrum unit. It was boring and calm until the explosion.
The first bomb went off in the security office, trapping everyone inside the reinforced walls. The second bomb blocked the hospitality staff from entering the lab. The third and fourth bombs were in the gym.
"What's going on?" LAW demanded, waiting at the door. The back-up generators whirred to life, casting them all in a strobing silver light.
"Come on," Terry instructed, buzzing open their door, "Before lockdown."
"What's lockdown?" LUF asked, stepping through the door.
The second door wouldn't buzz open. Terry cursed, "That's a lockdown."
"What's going on?" TCH asked.
"We're headed to the gym," Terry breathed, pulling the Taser out of the compartment.
"But the lockdown…" LUF breathed out.
Terry fired the Taser, blasting the door. "Glass is a poor conductor," Terry explained, "Use enough electricity and the glass will shatter every time."
"Why are we going to the gym?" TCH pressed, following in line.
They turned the corner and came face to face with men in black body armor. They had rifles and grenades lining their chests. Instinctively, LUF checked for a patch, they wore red, triangular flags on their sleeves. Terry raised his hands, "It's Gilteo. And this is Deadhouse."
The gym was in shambles. The side and ceiling had been blown off. Although the power had gone out, it was still blindingly bright. LUF ran past the armed men, his heart broken. He touched the top of his burning treehouse as it smoldered on the floor.
"You ruined it," LUF shouted, turning toward the men. "You ruined it!"
"Luffy, they have guns," LAW hissed, gesturing with his hands for LUF to cease.
Terry placed his hand on LUF's back, "I'm sorry, it was the easiest way."
"The easiest way to what?!" LUF demanded. He looked from Terry to the armed men to the huge hole in the side of the building. It took him a few more seconds to realize that it was sunlight streaming into the gym.
"We have to move," one of the soldiers barked, shoving TCH toward the opening, "We're all in danger."
"Who are you?" TCH demanded, staggering forward. "Why am I coming with you?"
"This is a rescue," Terry said, grabbing LUF's arm. "We have to go. We don't have any time."
"A rescue from what?" LAW murmured, hesitating to be swept along with the traffic of the others.
"From Deadhouse," one of the soldiers replied, gesturing LAW onward, "From the D Foundation and Germa Six Six."
"And who are you?" LAW questioned.
TCH pushed past everyone, climbing through the hole, "Ain't time for that. Move your asses. We can figure it out as we go…"
LAW and LUF were flushed out of the gym and through the hole. The sun was glaring and hot. It was loud. Unbearably. The bugs and birds were screaming. The wind was harsh and the ground was all wrong to walk on. The air seemed wet and sticky.
"What is this place?" LUF asked, covering his face with his shirt.
"This is the D Foundation compound," Terry explained, helping LAW over the rubble. "Just ahead there's a Jeep. Hop in."
Five black Jeeps were parked in a line. Men stood in the back, manning the machine guns. Soldiers rushed to open the doors gesturing them inside. "I don't know," LAW breathed out, digging his heels into the soft earth. "This looks like…"
"Changing ownership," TCH murmured.
"I don't have time to explain," Terry groaned, "You're going to have to trust me."
"We don't really do that…" LAW replied.
"Luffy, Law!" A man shouted, pulling off his mask, "Teach!"
LUF's face transformed. His eyes were black and wide. His lip moved up and down rapidly before splitting open into a slack position. He stammered in shock, "Sh-Sh-Shanks!"
"In the Jeeps," LAW decided, sliding into the first vehicle.
"There's room in here, Big Guy," a soldier shouted to TCH. He jumped into the next Jeep.
"Wait…" LUF murmured, looking between the Jeep LAW was in and Shanks.
"Come on, Luffy!" Shanks called out, waving his hand. "There's room with me."
"Hurry," Terry exhaled nervously, ushering LUF to the third Jeep.
There was gunfire as an onslaught of Humvees rolled over the hill. They were D Foundation soldiers and they had no qualms about opening fire.
Terry was hit. He shoved LUF into the Jeep, slamming the door shut. He slapped the side of the door, "GO! GO! GO!"
Someone threw him a rifle. He turned and immediately started firing into the D Foundation gunmen, blood leaking down his arm.
"Why didn't he get in?" LUF asked, his head slamming into the glass as the Jeep floored it.
"He'll get in the next one," Beckman said, adjusting the rearview mirror to get a good look at LUF. "You got big."
"You got old," LUF murmured, staring at Beckman's long, silver hair.
Beckman and Shanks laughed, "Yeah. People do that."
"Where's Law?" LUF gasped, remembering suddenly.
"He's in Jeep One," Shanks answered, "It's too dangerous for us to give them one target. So we have five. Two of them complete decoys. They won't know who's where."
The Jeep bounced violently over the ground, trees slashing at the windows and scraping against the side. LUF was unaccustomed to it and he thrashed around the inside of the cab until Shanks buckled him in. He held him by the shoulders, holding him against him.
"I can't believe it's you," LUF breathed out, closing his eyes. He inhaled Shanks's woodsy odor.
"We had to come back for you," Shanks said softly, squeezing LUF affectionately.
"FUCK!" Beckman growled, slamming on the brakes. A D Foundation Humvee collided roughly with another Jeep. It slammed the Jeep headfirst into a tree, the cab completely smashed. "Was it a decoy?!"
Shanks shook his head, turning to look at the wreckage, "I can't tell. I think it's a decoy."
"This is too jostle-y," LUF complained, covering his mouth with his hand. "You're shaking me too much."
Beckman reversed several hundred yards through the jungle, hitting nearly 60, "Sorry, Luffy." He threw the car back into drive and headed a different direction. A Jeep cut across their path, skidding through mud. "Shit. What now?"
A mortar screamed through the air, hitting a mess of trees. Fire erupted through the leaves. The trees seemed to moan in pain as they snapped in half, collapsing on top of one another in a heap on the forest floor.
"What was that?" LUF asked, turning around to look.
Shanks clicked his tongue, turning LUF's head gently by the chin, "They're very angry at us, but it'll be okay." Shanks smiled, winking at Beckman's reflection in the mirror, "Benn's the best damn driver in this car."
"I'm the only damn driver in this car," Beckman murmured, twisting the steering wheel.
"And you're doing marvelously," Shanks said.
"My stomach hurts," LUF complained, pressing his hand against the back of the passenger seat.
The Jeep sped through the jungle, bobbing nauseatingly over and over again. There was another explosion and over a hundred rounds of gunfire. The jungle burned. The Jeep finally made it to a paved road.
The road was blocked by a barricade; the jungle on the right and a steep drop off a guardrail to the left. "Well damn, they're persistent," Shanks exhaled. The men at the barricade opened fire. Shanks pushed LUF's head down, "It's armored, but it'll only hold so long." He smiled at LUF reassuringly before turning to Beckman, "Another way out, Benny?"
Beckmann smiled, flipping the Jeep into reverse. He floored it, reversing down the center of the road. "That's the wrong way," Shanks pointed out, nearly shouting over the raucous of gunfire.
"Don't be a backseat driver," Beckman replied, shifting into drive.
"Wait… are you just gonna charge through?" Shanks wondered, "Will it work?"
"Buckle up, Shanks," Beckman breathed.
Beckman suddenly swerved and the Jeep dropped off the edge of the road. They fell for several hundred feet before landing on a small dirt road. The Jeep bounced and shook, tossing the people inside around violently. The engine began to smoke and Beckman cursed.
"Everyone okay?" Shanks asked, grabbing his rifle from the floor.
"Jeep's overheating," Beckman said, turning off the air conditioner, "But I'm fine."
LUF vomited all over the backseat. He groaned loudly, "I'm okay."
"Jeep's dead to us," Shanks teased, kicking open his door. "And… on foot…"
"We've got company on top," Beckman growled, pulling his gun.
"Don't sweat it," Shanks said, pulling LUF from the Jeep. "We've got cover."
The wind picked up. It whipped LUF's hair all around, and slashed his face. The noise was deafening. He dropped into a crouch; his hands held over his ears, his eyes clamped shut. The rapid gunfire seemed to rattle through his teeth and to his bones. "Come on," Shanks shouted, grabbing LUF around the waist. "You gotta climb."
LUF opened his eyes. A rope ladder dangled in front of him. Shanks held it in place, "Come on, Luff," Shanks encouraged, "One foot then the other."
He started to climb. It was terrible. It was loud and the ladder blew with the wind. He finally reached the top, pulled in by some stranger; Shanks and Beckman right behind.
"What about the others?" Shanks asked, harnessing LUF into the seat.
"What is this?" LUF asked, shouting over the noise of the blades.
"A helicopter."
LUF nodded, holding onto the straps of his harness, "How come you guys aren't wearing the straps?"
The other men laughed, "Because we can hold on."
"What about the others?" Shanks repeated more loudly.
The other man shook his head, "Jeep Two."
"That's it?" Shanks asked, his jaw tightening.
"Yes, Sir."
"What's that mean? Where's Law and Teach?" LUF yelled.
"We'll see when we land," Shanks replied.
They were in the air for only a few minutes. They landed on a strange cement square in the middle of the forest. It would be easy to miss. They climbed from the helicopter, Shanks pushing his head down low as they walked.
Shanks led him into a green canvas tent. There were people standing inside. They stared at him. LUF had never felt more small and pale and awkward than in that moment. He wiped at the vomit on his shirt and brushed his hand through his messy hair. "I was sleeping," LUF murmured, shrugging.
"Is it him?" one of the men asked, looking LUF up and down.
Everyone looked to the man in the center of the tent. He stood in front of a table, maps and charts spread across it. He was big and broad. He had long, black hair and a sharp nose. Half of his face was terribly scarred and he'd tattooed heavily over it.
He walked around the table. He lifted his large hand, brushing his rough thumb over the scar under LUF's eye. He had dark eyes and a dark, expressionless face. LUF looked to Shanks uncomfortably, "Who the hell are these people?"
Shanks and Beckman were speaking with another soldier in hushed whispers. Shanks and Beckman didn't look pleased.
"You look like your mother," the man said, lightly touching LUF's hair. He pulled away suddenly and nodded, "It's him."
"I knew it was," Shanks said simply. "I told you. They even used part of his fucking name."
"What do you mean? What are you talking about?" LUF demanded.
"Your name is Luffy Monkey," Shanks explained, "And this is your father."
"We thought you were dead," the man said slowly. "But they took your body. They took all of you…" he shook his head, "It didn't make sense."
"Where's Law?" LUF whispered, turning to Shanks and Beckman. "I want to see Law."
"Teach is landing right now," Beckman said, nodding toward the pad.
"And Law?" LUF pressed.
Shanks shook his head, "I'm sorry, Luffy. He didn't make it."
"What do you mean he didn't make it?!"
"He turned. The driver died and they crashed, killing the passenger," Beckman explained.
"Turned?" LUF shook his head, "He'll be fine in a few days. It'll be fine. Let's go get him."
"We can't go get him," Shanks said gently.
"Yes we can. Teach and I can hold him for sure," LUF argued. "It'll be fine. He's stronger than normal people, but I'm way stronger than him… I promise…"
"We can't," the large man interjected with finality, "We don't have the immunity you do. I can't risk the infection spreading through our camp."
"But we're not contagious!" LUF maintained, "Tell them, Shanks! Tell them!"
"You weren't contagious to the people in Deadhouse because they were inoculated, Luffy," Shanks explained.
"Then let's in-cu-late!" LUF snapped.
"We don't have the cure," Beckman sighed.
"I'm sorry about your friend," the man's voice nettled, "But the entire world is at stake. The D Foundation and Germa Six Six and the Government funding them are going to kill hundreds of millions of innocent people."
"Ah, I see," TCH murmured, stepping forward, "This wasn't a damn rescue mission. This was sabotage of the enemy."
LUF looked to TCH unsurely, "What do you mean?"
"Pay attention, Luffy," TCH barked, "They want to stop the D Foundation. They went in to steal their weapon."
"But they left Law!" LUF shouted angrily, his fists curling.
"And they took the antidote," TCH pointed out, winking. "Two big, healthy vials of it." TCH laughed humorlessly, "It actually worked out much better for them. Law was too unpredictable anyway."
"That's a gross overgeneralization," the man refused. "I wanted my son's body back."
"Oh, yeah?" TCH murmured, unconvinced, "And how did that work out for you?"
The man shook his head, "Not how I imagined."
"How so?" TCH pressed.
"I thought I'd feel closure," the man breathed out, "But it's like looking at a stranger."
TCH laughed loudly. He sat down on the chair by the door, flopping his arm outward, "Take my god damn blood and get me the fuck outta here."
"We have hopes that you'll join us," Shanks proposed, "Revenge for your suffering. Save the world. Another chance to save Law… Sound good?"
"Count me out," TCH barked. "I want to get as far away as I can."
"Luffy?" Shanks asked.
LUF chewed on his lip, "I won't give it to you."
"What?" the man asked.
"My blood," LUF answered, "I won't give you a single drop until I find Law."
"Fair enough."
"Is there a way to help without being a lab rat?" LUF asked.
The man finally smiled, he nodded, "There is."
"I'm going back for Law," LUF insisted, "Right now."
"Wait," the man refused, "If you want to succeed, you'll wait."
"For what?" LUF asked.
"Deadhouse is moving."
"What?"
The man nodded, "That's why we moved today. You were being shipped to an undisclosed location tomorrow night."
"Where?" LUF demanded.
"We'll figure it out."
"When I want to leave, I'm leaving," LUF negotiated.
The man nodded, "I can agree to that."
LUF spit into his hand, "My name's Luffy."
The man smiled, humored, spitting into his hand to shake, "I know. I named you. My name's Dragon."
"Wait," LUF exclaimed. "Your name is Dragon and you named me Luffy?!"