Authors' Note
Here's chapter six, hope you enjoy!
Review Responses
Son of Whitebeard: We appreciate the reviews! Katakuri is very scary but we love him anyway. Thanks for stopping by!
Jui-Imouto-Chan: We love all of these characters so much and it warms our hearts that you feel the same. Luffy is indeed adorable! As for what Katakuri will do when Luffy turns back...we'll just have to wait and see ;) Cat Luffy gets his name VERY soon, hope you like it! We are big fans of both Lucci and Katakuri as well, definitely agree that they're "hot villains" as you put it. As always, we appreciate all of your feedback XD
Jordansdevil: Thanks for reviewing again! As for your question, the goons aren't actually running around shooting random people (though that would be funny) they only shot Lucci because he witnessed/got in the way of their mission to capture Doffy's group. They...aren't well paid...or the brightest...
Warnings:
- mentions of drugs
- panic attack
- animal abuse
CORAZON'S POV
Corazon was freaking out...to put it mildly. It had been ten days since his son vanished along with...a bunch of other people, not to mention the massive amount of people that dropped dead all around the same time. To make things worse, Law's roommate was apparently kidnapped and, while he was glad that Law wasn't there when it happened, it was likely that he had been kidnapped anyway.
"...must be a serial kidnapper that targets young men with...black hair...that's about all they have in common…" Corazon reasoned before he groaned and banged his head on his desk. "there's literally no connection is there? I hope they're both alright."
"Did you look over the surveillance tapes I sent you?" Vergo asked from the doorway, startling the other man.
"The what?"
"The...the tapes that I sent over? You know, to look for your brother? The young master?...or...to look for Law…?" Vergo drawled,
"Oh!" Corazon exclaimed, "those! There...wasn't much to see…we honestly need to get better cameras so that this kind of thing doesn't happen again. Honestly, how did a bear even get into Doffy's parlor in the first place?"
"We should be out looking for the young master." Vergo said,
"WE SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR LAW!" Corazon shot back, "Doffy is a grown man and can take care of himself! Law is probably scared and alone and crying for me right now!"
"...you...you realize this is Law we're talking about?" Vergo asked in disbelief, "...Law who enjoys dissecting living people as a torture method? The same young man that enjoys ripping people's hearts out? The Surgeon of Death?"
"He's a child who's probably crying for his father!" Corazon cried, "He's probably so scared right now!"
"...you're...okay, well...they're probably together...since they disappeared at the same time?" Vergo pointed out, "So...we should be looking for them."
"I have been!" Corazon replied indignantly, "You're just going to trust me as the acting head while Doffy is away."
"...while he's...away?"
"...I will find Law if it's the last thing I do!" Corazon continued, ignoring Vergo,
"And Doffy."
"...and Doffy…" Corazon agreed, though it was obvious that he still wasn't quite as worried about his brother as he was about Law.
Vergo sighed and left the room, allowing the door to slam shut behind him. Corazon reached for his phone the moment he knew for sure that the other man was gone, glancing at the clock as he did so. The phone rang for a moment and then connected, Corazon not waiting for a greeting to begin speaking,
"Lucci, have you found anything?" he asked,
"...this is Kaku." was the response he received, "I...don't know….that is...Lucci is MIA…"
"HE'S WHAT?!"
"Haven't seen him in a few days." Kaku replied, "He was following up on a lead and vanished, leaving a bunch of corpses for us to make disappear in his wake. Found his gear and his phone there too, but he was nowhere to be found."
"Why am I just now hearing about this?!" Corazon growled, "This seems important enough to tell me as soon as humanly possible."
"...sorry, had a lot to do on my end as well." Kaku offered, "The gov's been asking questions about why I'm not on my assigned mission."
"Just...just work it out. Try to find Lucci but don't forget, I called you in to find my son, that's still your top priority." Corazon didn't wait for an answer, hanging up and slamming his phone down on the desk in frustration. Things just kept getting more and more complicated.
"Law...where are you?"
LAW'S POV
First of all, it had obviously a set up. No one with facial hair that manicured could possibly be trustworthy...especially when they were spewing such nonsense as "trust me" and offering to do them a favor expecting nothing in return.
They'd been caught within an hour and been kept under close surveillance in individual cages until morning when they were transferred first into a van and then, to their horror, the city zoo.
A few days later, Law was in what he assumed was the vet's office, trying to watch the news as he was poked and prodded, growling at the man every time he attempted to make him turn away.
The biggest story was the massive wave of death that had swept through the city, claiming thousands but leaving no evidence behind. Medical personnel around the world were shocked, terrified, and generally baffled by this mystery. Next, there was a story on the hundreds of people missing, including billionaire tycoon Don Quixote Doflamingo and his nephew, Law.
"...I bet there's a connection...probably between all of them, but I just don't have enough information." Law thought, finding it odd to hear himself listed among the famous missing persons, not that he could focus on that for very long as the vet decided to prod him in an...unfortunate...place, prompting another growl from the annoyed snow leopard.
"...this man...he's so dead when I get out of here."
He turned his attention back to the tv in time to hear the details of a case with sixteen brutally murdered individuals turning up in one night.
"...based on the location...definitely the Charlotte family...but"
"Fifteen bodies were found in various locations around Tottoland Parkway, and one found in front of the Sunnyvale Apartment complex." the news anchor said,
"Sunnyvale? That's...MY place!"
"A young college student living on the second floor of Unit C was reportedly abducted from his home a little over a week ago. Even with police working around the clock, no headway has been made in this case. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of one, Monkey D. Luffy, shown in the top right corner here, please call the number on your screen. Any information you have could help to save a life."
"Luffy-ya?!" Law's eyes widened at the news, a low growl escaping him without him realizing it, "who would be brazen enough to take him of all people right out of our apartment?!"
"Alright, all done. We can put him back in his enclosure." the vet said, relief obvious in his voice.
Law didn't pay much attention, lost in thought, as he was led back out into the snow leopard enclosure,
"...who would target Luffy-ya? Is it connected to the other disappearances? Was he turned into an animal too? ...if he was I'd bet it's something hyper...but still, of all the people to target…"
"Law."
"...I need to get out of here and do some investigating...I bet everyone is going crazy with Luffy-ya missing...oh, and the rest of us I guess...but…"
"Law!" Doffy's voice cut through his thoughts, making him look over at where the flamingo had decided to awkwardly perch on the fence of the enclosure,
"What?!" he snapped,
"Now, now, Lawsy." the bird "soothed"
"Call me that again and I will rip your wings off." Law growled, receiving a laugh from Kidd in his enclosure at the thought, "Do you have any idea what's going on in this city? It's CHAOS out there!"
"Yes," Doffy replied seriously, "Croc's been gathering information so I have a pretty good idea of what's been happening in absence. Ah, maybe it's the smallest story that has you lost in your head...I heard that little roommate of yours has been...abducted, I believe was the word they used...how unfortunate." Law snarled at that,
"He may annoy you but Luffy-ya is possibly the only friend I have."
"Oi, what does that make me?" Kidd called,
"...an acquaintance." Law replied as Doffy said,
"the repairboy."
"Oi!"
"In any case," Law continued, "we need to get out of here as soon as possible."
"Easier said than done." Kidd snorted, "the security for everyone except Old Feather-butt over there is tighter than a jail!"
"What did you just call me?!" Doffy squawked indignantly as Crocodile laughed,
"Don't worry," the reptile put in suddenly, "I have a plan"
TEACH'S POV
"That's it?" Teach asked, unimpressed
"What do you mean that's it?!" Caesar protested, "It's proving to be quite the promising drug!"
"...and how is that supposed to help me?! I won't make the amount of money I need with a meth substitute! You promised me more than this!"
"...I was kidnapped…" Caesar muttered, but kept going before Teach could respond to that, "I need more samples from the animals! All you've brought me is a wombat and a mix of rats and squirrels that might not have ever been human in the first place! ...if this was Joker's plan, he would not have allowed the main targets to escape...the city would have been his within a day…"
"DON'T YOU DARE BRING UP THAT FOSSIL!" Teach roared, "HE'LL BE GROVELLING AT MY FEET SOON ENOUGH!" he spun away from the scientist, "Van Augur! Contact Akainu!" he ordered, "we need to get our hands on any relevant blood samples the police have collected. I want all available hands out walking the streets. You see a stray animal, you bag 'em! Get moving!"
KATAKURI'S POV
"...you should name him...Bagel." Cracker suggested, "since that's what started all of this."
"No." Katakuri snapped, "I would rather die than name him something so...demeaning…"
"How about-"
"We have other things we should be discussing! I will name my cat on my own time, thank you very much." Katakuri interrupted his brother, gently stroking the tiny ball of fluff that lay purring in his arms, dozing. "Mont D'Or, report."
"Our scouts have reported a large amount of men bearing odd tattoos snooping around our territory recently. In fact, within the past few days their numbers have almost doubled."
"Are they part of the same group we massacred?" Katakuri asked, ignoring Cracker's muttered "we?"
"Most likely." Mont D'Or replied, "we have yet to learn who they work for."
"And our...friend?"
"Oh, he's not the most helpful of people." Cracker said, "He keeps claiming that he doesn't know who he took the job from."
"Job?"
"To kidnap some kid," he clarified, "You know, that one that's been in the news lately?"
"The child?" Katakuri asked,
"He's nineteen, Brother." Brulee put in, "not quite a child anymore."
"May as well be," Katakuri replied dismissively, "he's tiny, look at his picture!"
"...by the way, did you happen to see the kid while you were...you know...murdering one of the supposed kidnappers?" Cracker continued,
"No, I only stepped in to save...Shadow? ...no...that's not quite right." he glanced down at the kitten again, "There was no one else there."
"Well, it appears that the police have made you their main suspect in his case." Mont D'Or commented, "what should we do about that?"
"Me? I promise you that I did not abduct the kid, even if I did murder someone outside his apartment. That's...that's really not our main problem right now. I would never kidnap someone without reason nor would I be stupid enough to kidnap Garp's grandson." There was a murmur of agreement from his siblings as he finished speaking, still stroking the tiny warm cat. "...I pity the poor soul who dared to pick a fight with that crazy marine and his family."
"Next subject...Doflamingo's people have gotten...restless, in his absence." Mont D'Or continued, "Should we make a move on his territory while we have this opportunity?"
"...not with this unknown variable thrown in." Katakuri replied, "we need to take care of any immediate threats before making any rash moves." his attention was drawn away from the conversation momentarily by the movement of the kitten in his arms as he stirred, yawning and stretching before squirming, obviously wanting down. Katakuri leaned over to place the tiny creature on the floor before giving his attention back to the meeting, "With or without their leader, the Don Quixote family is strong. I don't want to put any of you at risk by inciting unnecessary conflict while this unknown group is still at large."
"...understood."
"Mont D'Or, continue investigating this group. I want to know why they're snooping around here, who's in charge, anything you can find out." Katakuri ordered, "Cracker, continue attempting to get relevant information out of our guest."
"What, specifically, do you want to know?" the younger asked,
"Anything you believe is relevant to the current situation, including information on the kid."
"You've got it Big Bro!" Cracker replied, "This'll be fun."
"Then, if there's nothing else, this meeting is over." Katakuri stood, along with his siblings, instantly noticing that the floor was suspiciously free of any black fluffballs and the door to the meeting room was wide open.
"If you're looking for your new pet, he looked like he wanted out so I opened the door." Brulee said. Katakuri frowned,
"He's injured. He shouldn't be walking around on his own, not without me nearby."
"Already overprotective, Brother?" she teased. He sighed, deciding not to answer in favor of finding his cat.
"...he really can't have gotten far." he muttered as he walked down the hall, peeking in any open doors as he went, "he's tiny and covered in bandages…" As he finished that thought, he heard a crash from Brulee's room, making him turn and race to throw the door open.
There, covered in jewelry, was the cat, staring up in alarm at Flambe. While Katakuri was glad that that look was, for once, not directed his way, he was immediately concerned with the scene before him. The cat's bandages showed splotches of red, spreading from reopened wounds, and his sister stood over the mess, holding Brulee's jewelry box upside down. The poor thing also had new cuts on and around his body and, though it made no sense, Katakuri could have sworn that the tiny creature was crying.
"Brother, I-" Flambe began, only to be cut off by his enraged roar
"NOT ANOTHER WORD!" she shrank back as he stalked forward, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO SUCH A TINY CREATURE WHO HAS DONE NOTHING TO YOU?! HE IS WEAK, ALREADY GRAVELY INJURED, AND COMPLETELY HELPLESS YET YOU DO THIS?"
Flambe trembled under his tirade, looking up hopefully when he took a large, steadying breath, only for that hope to be replaced with horror and disbelief as he continued in a low voice that was almost more terrifying than his enraged shouts,
"Not only have you disrespected me, but you have brought harm to the newest member of my family, and in doing so, broken your promise to obey me while under my roof. Pack your things. You're leaving first thing in the morning."
"B-brother, please!" Flambe protested, "I only wanted-"
"Did I ask for your excuses?" he interrupted coldly, "Cracker, take your sister to her room."
Cracker, knowing it was too late to pretend he (and the others) had been watching the drama unfold and not wanting to earn his older brother's wrath, quickly entered the room, grabbed Flambe's arm, and did as he was told, pretty much dragging the girl down the hallway.
Once their audience had left, Katakuri turned his attention to the poor, crying kitten at his feet.
"what did she do to you, you poor thing?" he asked quietly, carefully beginning to extract the kitten from the pile of jewelry, "I'm sorry, she's my responsibility…" he picked the creature up and carefully examined him, knowing he would likely need to call to visit in the morning.
The kitten blinked up at him, meeting his gaze without fear, an oversized ring perched precariously on his tiny head, slipping down over one ear. Katakuri smiled,
"Ah, I've got the perfect name now. You're a little King, aren't you?"
"Mew!" the kitten...King, said in response, nuzzling his face into the crook of Katakuri's arm as he carried him out of Brulee's room and back towards his own.
LUFFY'S POV
Luffy was warm, comfortable, sleepy, and purring...and that was not okay. Even though this man had been nothing but kind to him and he could sense no evil motives, he was still wary. The stories Shanks had told of the "dreaded Dogtooth" painted a very violent, very bloody, picture that didn't quite match up with the person who currently held him.
He yawned and began to wriggle, attempting to fight off his own drowsiness and get out of the man's massive hands. Fortunately, Katakuri noticed and set him down before focusing his attention back on...whatever they had been discussing. Luffy attempted to stealthily make his way to the door, weaving through massive feet, barely avoiding being stepped on once or twice. He had almost reached his destination without drawing any attention to himself when he managed to run into one of the legs of the older woman's chair and lose his balance, falling over clumsily.
The woman looked down at him and raised an eyebrow before reaching down to grab him by the scruff to help him get back on his feet. This, however, made Luffy see flashes of an insane grin, his entire body stiffening as he remembered the last time someone had grabbed him like that, his captor shaking him violently. Because of this, when she opened the door and put him down, he bolted, nearly running into the wall in his haste to get away.
He only went a little ways down the hall before he had to stop and catch his breath, trying to ignore the protests of his partially healed wounds.
"Oh! It's the mangey little rat that's been taking all of Big Brother's attention." a new voice said, "you're not even that cute, are you?" Luffy didn't like that voice, didn't even attempt to stick around and see who it was that was talking. His instincts said that the speaker was bad news, so he ran.
"ha, little cripple wants to play!" sang the voice, accompanied by odd, skipping footsteps, "run away, Little Rat, the further you go, the easier it will be to play with you."
Luffy glanced briefly over his shoulder, taking in the sight of the young girl skipping after him down the hallway. He knew he couldn't escape her with his tiny, clumsy legs, still stiff and bandaged. He had to hide. The next door in his path was closed but the one after that, just a bit further, was cracked open wide enough that he could run inside and, hopefully, find somewhere to hide.
Just as he reached the doorway, Luffy was yanked back, yowling in pain as the girl lifted him by the tail.
"Caught you!" she laughed, "Let's play, Little Rat."
The world swung and twisted as Luffy was carried upside down into the very room he'd been attempting to reach in order to hide. If his wounds had been protesting earlier, now they were screaming. He could feel the warm, wet patches on his bandages, uncomfortable against his fur.
"What to do, what to do…" the girl sang, "what to do with a rat like you!" She spun in a circle, before her gaze fell on the open jewelry box and she gasped. "I know! Pet rats belong in dark cages." she informed him, carrying him over to the vanity and peaking inside the box.
"Yes, I think this is perfect! In you go." she said, stuffing the disoriented Luffy down onto the bed of hard and sharp objects before slamming the lid to the box, leaving him alone in the dark.
Instantly, it was no longer the pain of his current wounds that plagued him, instead it was a fierce, suffocating heat. The air filled with smoke carrying the screams of unseen people all around and an unforgettable stench as white hot pain lanced through his chest. Luffy couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, couldn't make a sound. He was completely and utterly alone.
The sudden shaking of his prison brought Luffy back to the present, though it did nothing to calm his racing heart and confused mind. He felt many different sharp objects scratching him in the dark, something wrapping around his neck making the situation even more unbearable for a few moments before he found himself falling onto the unforgiving ground as the girl laughed above him.
Suddenly, the door burst open and Luffy had never been quite so glad to see Katakuri. The man was livid, shouting at the girl before having her forcibly removed from the room. Luffy was amazed. From what Shanks had said, family was everything to the Charlottes, yet Katakuri had defended him, someone he had known for a week, against his own sister. He was even more amazed when the man picked him up and apologized as though it had been his fault that the girl had attacked him.
"Maybe...maybe he's not as bad as I thought." Luffy mused as he stared up at the man, for once, completely without fear. Katakuri smiled in response, his eyes softening even though the scarf hid his mouth,
"Ah, I've got the perfect name now. You're a little King, aren't you?" he said and Luffy had to laugh,
"King? Whatever you say." he replied, snuggling into the man's arms and, for the first time in what seemed like forever, was able to completely relax, trusting that Katakuri would watch over him.