AUTHOR'S NOTE
Here's the next chapter (longest one yet!)
Special shout out to Jui-Imouto-Chan for pointing out that we didn't give Thatch much...er...screentime...we'll be working on that in the future since he's amazing.
WARNINGS
- panic attack(s)
- mentions of sexual assault
- mentions of human trafficking
We hope you enjoy! And, as usual, please feel free to give us feedback! :)
THATCH'S POV
Thatch had no idea what to do with a crying Ace. Angry Ace he could deal with, and that was something that most people couldn't say. It wasn't that he wasn't willing to, but he was not prepared to hold Whitebeard's second division commander as he cried, soaking the shoulder of his coat. He had never seen Ace so vulnerable and the sight honestly scared him which is why, after leaving Ace with Marco, Thatch set off into the city.
The situation was...not the best. Thatch knew Moby like the back of his hand. He knew every alley, every hideout. He knew who ran the city and every branch of shady activity that took place. But Water Seven was completely different, with its warring gangs and unchecked dealings. He needed to know how the system worked which is why he was tracking down the information broker known as The Magician. Maybe, if he was lucky, the broker would have information on the location of Ace's little brother. He needed Ace to smile again and would do anything and everything it took to wipe the despair off of his little brother's face.
As he entered The Scarecrow, a rather rundown fortuneteller's shop, he assumed that the only man in the room was the person he was looking for.
"I've been expecting you," the man said as he shuffled his cards, "Not to worry, there is a 92% chance that the boy is alive, though there is only a 45% chance that he will return unscathed."
"...you must be The Magician." Thatch replied, "If you know where Luffy is, you'd better tell me right now."
"The dog keeps him safely tucked away in his den, although he must keep constant watch for the jealous hyena's game."
"Man, when they said you talk in riddles they really weren't kidding," Thatch groaned, "can't you just give me a straight answer? A kid's life is in danger!" The Magician shuffled his cards again, showing no interest in his visitor,
"Did I not just tell you that he has a 92% chance?" he replied calmly, "The cards never lie, the odds are in his favor." Thatch sighed,
"Alright, fine. Then who's this dog?"
"There are many in this city, all vying for the same throne."
At this moment, Thatch was almost completely certain that tearing his hair out and slamming his head into a wall would be of more use than this man's mutterings but he did his best to remain calm.
"I need information about the leaders in the city." Thatch tried again, "I need to know who runs what and how the city is split up. I also need information on all recent black market deals in the area, or even passing through the area. Anything that could get us closer to finding the kid."
"You ask for much," The Magician mused, "And if I were to tell you all that you wish to know, the chance of my death is 100%." he briefly glanced up from his cards before returning to shuffling the things, "I will tell you this. There are two main powers in the city, both of which are extremely dangerous, but a third darkness grows stronger with every moment it spends hiding in the shadows. The balance of power is shifting rapidly and the boy is at the center of it all, hence the 42% chance that he will come out unscathed."
"You lowered the percentage." Thatch said, frowning.
"Did I?" The Magician asked, unconcerned.
"Yes. You said 45 earlier and now it's 42." Thatch drawled, absolutely certain that he was wasting his time.
"Well, the cards never lie." came the calm response
"Yeah, yeah, alright." Thatch turned to leave, calling over his shoulder, "Thanks for the...help."
"Before you leave," The Magician began, making the other man pause, "I will point you in the right direction. Follow the trail of blood and you will find him." Thatch gaped,
"...oh yeah, that makes me feel sooooo much better about this situation."
"I am merely giving you the help you asked for." The Magician said, "Do be careful in your search. There are many dangerous players involved."
"I'll...keep that in mind." Thatch said, finally leaving the dingy little shop.
"yeah...that was...disturbing. He obviously knew more than he was letting on. Whoever the major players are in this city, they're dangerous enough to scare even the information brokers into silence...great…" he frowned for a moment, trying to make sense of the encounter before sighing, "well, I'll tell Marco and see what he thinks. Good ol'Pineapple Head always knows what to do! And...I think I'll let him tell Ace…"
LAW'S POV (a few hours earlier)
Law wondered just how long Crocodile was going to sit on the floor laughing at their predicament. It didn't make it any better that Doflamingo kept trying to yell at him but every time he did, it only came out as SQUAWK, accompanied by the furious whacking of the laughing man with pink-feathered wings.
"Alright, alright." Crocodile wheezed, trying to get his breath back as he stood, "I get it, but…" he snorted, "this is just too much."
Law watched, fascinated, as Doffy seemed to snarl, something a bird technically wasn't capable of doing, but before he could attempt another lecture (and trigger another round of laughter), the door burst open revealing two men with massive guns followed by approximately eight more with what appeared to be cattle prods.
For a moment, the men froze under the intense glare of a furious flamingo before Crocodile broke the silence,
"Are those my guns?" he asked, voice deadly serious.
"...TAKE THEM DOWN!" one of the gunmen yelled, signaling the beginning of a very...odd fight.
It consisted of the awkward flapping of Doflamingo as he screamed insults in the form of squawks and screeches, attempting to do damage of any kind to their assailants...before slipping and falling sideways on the slippery floor. Kidd, for his part, attempted to...bear...as shown in documentaries on tv, but misjudged his weight to mass ratio and fell backward, where he was stuck for the next few minutes as Law attempted to help him roll over, griping the entire time.
"...why the heck are you so fat?" he asked, attempting to push at the large body
"I'm not fat you jerk! It's fur! This is just how I'm built." Kidd replied angrily, to which Law snorted,
"You settled in quick, Eustass-ya."
The only person who actually managed to do some damage to the enemy was...the only actual person they had. Crocodile, angry at the sudden turn of events, managed to shoot down half of their force before they knew what hit them, gravely wounding a few more with his massive, poison hook before one of them managed to shoot and hit him with some sort of dart.
The next thing they knew, their odd group had been joined by an actually, infuriated crocodile.
"...I suggest we retreat." Crocodile said as calmly as he could, "I can no longer fight."
"You don't have to tell me twice!" the newly righted bear grumbled and proceeded to throw himself out of the nearest window. The others didn't even think before following him.
TEACH'S POV
Teach threw his radio against the wall as hard as he possibly could.
"YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!" he roared, "HOW HARD IS IT TO TAKE OUT FIVE TARGETS?!"
No one met his gaze or dared to move a muscle.
"FIRST, YOU MISS SMOKER AND HINA IS NOT EVEN AFFECTED BY THE SERUM. THEN, YOU MIX UP THE BAIT FOR DOGTOOTH AND THE MONKEY BRAT! WHICH APPARENTLY COST SIXTEEN PEOPLE THEIR LIVES! AND THE BRAT IS IN THE HANDS OF DOGTOOTH, WHO IS, MIGHT I ADD INSANE! OH AND THEN, AS THOUGH THAT WASN'T ENOUGH, YOU HAD TO GO AND LOSE JOKER, WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE EASIEST TARGET SINCE HE WAS A GIANT PINK BIRD!"
"Now, now, Boss. We'll figure this out. You've already managed to kill thousands of people in the city, even if the main targets are still at large." Lafitte, put in placatingly, "We'll still have plenty of chances to catch them, we've already caught a good amount of animals anyway."
"I guess you're right," Teach admitted, "The plan isn't...completely ruined. HOWEVER, I need more firepower if I'm going to go against the Charlotte family."
"We have our allies, Boss." Burgess pointed out,
"Zeehahahaha, you're right! Contact...him."
LUFFY'S POV
Everything hurt and he couldn't move. That was literally the only thing Luffy knew as he struggled to open his eyes. He could tell that he was surrounded by something very soft, and beyond that, there was something that looked like...wood?...and beyond that...a dark room.
He attempted to shift one of his arms, wondering what exactly had happened, but immediately regretted that decision as his muscles protested. That was when he looked and realized that he no longer had arms. Instead, he had four legs covered in fuzzy black fur that could barely be seen between thick layers of clean bandages.
Ignoring the pain, Luffy attempted to force himself to his feet, once again regretting the motion, as he swore he felt something tear under one of the pieces of gauze.
"Owww." he groaned, settling back down, panting from the momentary exertion.
As he lay there helpless, alone in a strange, dark place, Luffy felt as though the walls were closing in on him. If there was one thing he hated, it was being alone.
"...oi, Ace…" he managed to get out past the lump forming in his throat as his breathing quickened, "Ace? Sabo? Oi….where…..help! Please….please...don't leave me…" he cried, completely breaking down until words were no longer making their way into what would have been great shuddering sobs had he been human.
He wasn't expecting the sudden brightness that made him blink in shock, eyes trying desperately to adjust. "Ace? Sabo?" he tried again, but the concerned face that appeared above him was not familiar, did nothing to stop the panic trying to strangle him.
KATAKURI'S POV
Katakuri was alerted that his new cat was awake by the sudden, heartbreaking mewls coming from his bedroom. He quickly dropped what he was doing, rushing into the other room to see what was wrong. He assumed that the kitten was in pain, thanks to the extensive injuries inflicted by those...scum. The vet had insisted that he would be fine but had warned Katakuri that he would likely be in a lot of pain when he woke up.
Thanks to the vet, he had expected the mewls of pain. What he hadn't expected was the clearly terrified look in the kitten's eyes, the rapid breathing, and the panicked reaction to his presence, the tiny creature trying his hardest to back away and escape the basket he'd placed him in.
"Shhh, come now," Katakuri said quietly, calmly, trying his best to appear non-threatening, "Come now, it's okay."
That...didn't seem to help much...if anything..it might have made it worse. Katakuri's eyes widened in shock as the kitten's breathing somehow sped up even more, tiny patches of red beginning to show where his movement had torn wounds open.
Acting on instinct, and remembering when he'd been on babysitting duty...one of the MANY times... Katakuri scooped the tiny animal up and held him against his chest, awkwardly attempting to calm the kitten like he would a baby, swaying and quietly speaking, anything to calm the distraught little cat.
That still didn't quite work. Katakuri sighed and sat on his bed, laying back and cradling the kitten to him, gently stroking along his spine with one careful finger.
That was where he stayed until the kitten calmed, his breathing evening out as he fell back asleep, exhausted by his own terror.
"Can't believe this…" Katakuri thought, "a few days ago I was rampaging through the city, mutilating people...now I've got an injured kitten on my chest...it's...nice." at that moment, the kitten yawned, drawing the ghost of a smile onto Katakuri's face.
"I think...I think I'll keep him." he decided, closing his own eyes, content for that brief moment.
ACE'S POV
Over the past couple of days, literally some of the worst of his entire life, Ace had spent hours with Captain Jonathan going over every detail of the crime scene. The blood on the staircase had been identified as Luffy's, which he would not admit he spent two hours crying over in the bathroom, and both Marco and Thatch had repeatedly had to keep him from stomping on the already mutilated face of the now identified, Don Krieg.
As far as the police could tell, the crime had happened around the time Ace had been supposed to meet up with his brother. It was likely that someone had been waiting for him in the apartment and had waited to make sure he was alone before striking, catching the teen unaware. There was a fight, that much was obvious from the state of the room and the blood spatter around the overturned furniture. The pile of clothes, twisted and wrinkled, along with the small droplets of blood found primarily on Luffy's shirt, blood that was identified as belonging to Krieg, led the police to believe that, once the teenager was relatively subdued, he had been sexually assaulted before being dragged from the scene, at least one wound bad enough to leave the trail of blood down the stairs to the sidewalk. From there...they were less certain on the events.
It was entirely likely that Krieg had not been working alone, which left the police with more questions. Had his partner turned on him at the end of the deal or was there a third party that had made an appearance as they attempted to make their getaway. Had the motive been trafficking, there might have been a falling out among those involved, tensions rising with the question of how to split the money or who would get the boy.
Basically, Ace was very tired. Tired of worrying, tired of crying, tired of everything.
"You've gotta sleep, Ace, you're no help to the investigation if you're dead on your feet." Thatch pointed out, concerned.
"I can't sleep." Ace replied, voice dead, hollow, "not until he's safe." Marco frowned,
"...Ace.." he began, putting a hand on his shoulder, only for the younger man to slap it away.
"You don't understand!" he shouted, "You just...you don't get it!" he glared at them, trying desperately to ignore the tears welling up in his eyes once again, "this IS MY FAULT! If...if I had been there! IF I WAS AN ACTUAL GOOD OLDER BROTHER AND SHOWED UP ON TIME I COULD HAVE HELPED HIM!" he gasped for air, "If I was there...this wouldn't have happened! He wouldn't have ended up on the black market being sold as some...possession...this...I...I just…." he cut himself off, shutting his eyes against the bleak reality that threatened to overwhelm him, "I...I can't rest until he's safe. Even if it kills me."
*SLAP*
Ace stared in shock at Marco as the man withdrew his hand, blue eyes alight with fury.
"Don't you EVER say that again!" he commanded, "This is NOT your fault, this is the fault of sorry excuses for human beings that targeted your brother in the first place." he made sure the younger man was looking him in the eye when he added. "Ace, we will find your brother, and when we do, we will make sure every person that dared lay a hand on him will wish they were never born."
"...thanks, Marco." Ace muttered, "that...that helps…" Marco sighed,
"Go get some rest, Ace."
Ace stood to make his way to his bed in their shared hotel room, only making it a few steps before he stopped, going unnaturally still.
"Ace?" Thatch asked, "What's wrong?"
"I...I forgot to call Sabo." Ace whispered, face pale.
"You...YOU WHAT?!" Marco exclaimed in disbelief, "Ace, did you call ANYONE but us?!"
"...no...I forgot, with everything that's going on," he admitted,
"Call him." Marco ordered grimly, "he has connections that might be useful if we really are investigating a trafficking ring. Just...leave the rest of us out of whatever punishment he has in mind for your forgetfulness. Call anyone else who needs to know as well."
Ace nodded and continued on his original path to his bed, plopping down and staring at his phone as though it was a bomb that might go off at any second. With a sigh, he scrolled through his contacts and found Sabo's name, hitting the call button as dread shot through him. He was almost relieved when his brother didn't pick up on the first ring, but that relief was short-lived, as it connected on the second.
"Hello? Ace?" Sabo's voice, familiar and reassuring came through the phone and the stupid tears he'd been trying (and failing) to keep away once more filled his eyes.
"Sabo…" he said shakily,
"What's wrong?" Sabo asked, knowing instantly that something bad had happened.
Ace haltingly explained every detail of the situation, including the current assumptions made by the police force, no matter how hard it was to force the words past his lips.
"...and why didn't you tell me the moment you found out about this?" Sabo asked, his voice deceptively calm. Ace winced,
"I panicked." he answered honestly, "I wasn't sure what to do and...I...I was ashamed...this is..how could I face you having lost our brother? I...it's my…"
"No. Ace, calm down. No matter how angry I am that you didn't tell me sooner, you need to realize that none of this is your fault." Sabo informed him, "None of it. At all. You can't help Luffy by placing blame."
"...okay…" Ace didn't quite believe him, as he hadn't quite believed Marco, but he said the words anyway.
"I'm buying a plane ticket as we speak, I'll be there in the morning. Ace, you need to sleep. I can hear how exhausted you are." Sabo told him, "I swear, I will find the individual, or individuals, who have done this and I will gladly watch as the life drains from their eyes." his voice went cold towards the end, finally giving away a fraction of the fury flowing through him.
"Okay then, I guess I'll -"
"Oh, hang on, Dragon's here. I need to tell him." Sabo interrupted.
"Tell me what?" Ace went silent, listening as Sabo handled the situation.
"So I have a plane ticket, I need to pack and head for the airport as soon as possible." Sabo finished,
"...why?"
"Luffy is...missing," Sabo said and Ace could have sworn he felt the anger radiating through the phone, though no voices were raised.
"What happened?" Dragon asked, voice hard.
"Basically, he was abducted. I'll tell you the rest while I pack. Ace, call whoever else you forgot to tell about this and get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."
"Alright, see you then." Ace replied, hanging up and staring at a name further down on his list of contacts. His next call likely wouldn't be so...calm.
Shanks answered on the first ring with his usual cheerful greeting,
"Ace! What's up, man, haven't heard from you in forever!" the energetic man didn't wait for an answer before he plowed on, "Is Anchor there? I meant to call him last night to tell him to look at how big the moon was!" Ace felt as though his heart had stopped but he managed to get out,
"Hey, um, is Benn there?"
"What? Yeah, he's right here, you're on speaker." Shanks answered happily,
"I'm here. What happened, Ace?" Benn asked, like Sabo he instantly knew that something was wrong.
"What do you mean?" Shanks asked, and the other man sighed.
"Ace never asks for me, never calls, and you think something isn't wrong?" Benn drawled, "Ace, start talking.
And so he did, telling once again, the events of three days previous, followed by the suspicions of the police. For a moment there was silence, but then...
"What did you just say?" Shanks asked, sounding as though he was trying (and failing) not to shout.
"Yeah...Luffy's...gone...we have no leads, no idea where he could possibly be...and the police force is currently assuming that he's a victim of some trafficking ring." Ace spat out, the words leaving the taste of bile behind.
"Shanks, sit down!" Benn exclaimed suddenly,
"No! Don't try to stop me, Benn! I'm going over there RIGHT NOW!"
"To do what?!"
"TO KILL 'EM!"
"...to kill...who?"
"EVERYONE WHO EVER LAID A HAND ON MY ANCHOR!" Shanks roared, followed by a crashing sound that Ace assumed was...a chair maybe?
"We need more information, Shanks, we can't rush over there knowing nothing!" Benn reasoned,
"WE'D BE MORE USEFUL TEARING THE CITY APART THAN SITTING AROUND TWIDDLING OUR THUMBS!" Shanks shot back,
"Shanks, I understand that he's your godson but you're the leader of one of the most powerful mafias in the state." Benn pointed out, "You can't just waltz into another city like that! You could make it even harder to find Luffy! We MUST approach this rationally,"
"...FINE." Shanks spat out grumpily,
"Ace, we'll do everything we can from this end," Benn said calmly
"BUT, if you get a lead and need help, call me and I'll be there as soon as possible." Shanks interrupted,
"...thanks, that...that means a lot, I'll keep you updated." Ace replied, glad the conversation was drawing to a close.