Authors' Note
Hello again lovely readers! Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy. Thanks for all of the great feedback, you guys are great :)
Review Responses:
Final Syai Lunar Generation: Thanks for dropping another review (it's great that you invoked the sun god to curse lol). Not to worry there's lots of "juicy comfort fluff" in this story...as well as pain but.. There are indeed two of us! So glad you enjoy the fluff we have so far, we're really enjoying writing it!
Jordansdevil: Frobin is the most chill couple, it's great and we love both of them (which is why we put them together). Appreciate the review and your feedback! :)
Jui-Imouto-Chan: Your personal genies welcome you back to the story! We love all of the fleet but they probably won't appear in this story (just wait, they'll be in the next one ;) ) We both really like Doffy as a villain, we've been messing with him so far because it's hilarious but he'll definitely get his turn to be the evil man he's supposed to be. Can't say we've ever heard that Robin is an "overarching waifu" but that's great and we agree. Let's see...ASL fluff, definitely coming...KataLu cuteness is literally the point of the story (favorite ship lol)...Luffy being loved by mostly everything; he will get all of the love and hugs (and meat) because he is precious. Enjoy the chapter!
Guest: Thanks for the review! It's very true that everyone is VERY scared of Garp and his reaction to this situation. It's not going to be pretty.
Warnings:
- slight peril
- cat drugs
- attempted catnapping
- lots of fluff
LUCCI'S POV
Lucci had always found the sound of thunder relaxing, even if it was louder thanks to his amplified hearing, which, at the moment, was picking up strange noises that put him on edge even as he tried to relax on Robin's front porch.
As the sounds grew louder, he noticed a car driving down the street, coming closer and closer as the sounds became what Lucci could only identify as cries of distress. Before he even knew what he was doing, the leopard had sprung to his feet, racing across the lawn and scooping something small, furry, and wet up into his mouth just before the car, one he recognized as belonging to someone a few houses down, splashed them on its way past.
"...what...just happened?" Lucci wondered, even as he returned to the shelter of the porch, plopping the thing that he'd just saved down onto the welcome mat. The tiny bundle was vibrating, it was shaking so hard from both the cold and the fear that was still evident in the big eyes that stared up at him. Four legs, a tail, two massive ears. "A kitten?" he thought incredulously, "I just saved a cat?" Lucci sighed, "instincts, huh?"
"Th...thanks, for sa-saving m-m-me." the kitten forced out, drawing Lucci's attention away from his thoughts.
"Don't mention it." he replied, though it didn't seem to register to the tiny, shivering kitten. "...I..what am I supposed to do now?" he wondered. Luckily, his instincts answered that for him. He picked the kitten up by the scruff and padded over to the door, proceeding to knock as best as he could with his tail. It took a moment but soon enough, the door opened, Robin staring down at him,
"Oh, hello ." she greeted. Lucci ignored her, walking into the house and to the living room, laying down in front of the fire and plopping the kitten onto his paws before beginning to groom the tiny creature.
"Oh, you've found a friend, how wonderful." Robin said, closing the door, "I'll make some tea while you warm up,"
"What a SUPERRRRRRRR storm!" Franky shouted as he walked into the room, not even glancing at the two felines sitting by his fireplace,
"Franky, we've got company." Robin called back as she went to the kitchen, "could you find them some blankets to help them warm up?"
"Comin' right up!" he replied, disappearing back the way he'd come.
Lucci paid no attention to the people, focusing on trying to get the kitten to stop shaking so hard. He did, however, look up when a pile of blankets was dumped on top of him, growling a little until hands managed to excavate him and the kitten, transforming the small pile into a cozy nest.
"No need to growl Leopard-bro, I know exactly what I'm doing!" Franky assured him, "'cause I'm superrrrrrr!" Lucci rolled his eyes and picked up the kitten, standing and circling a bit before laying back down and placing his charge gently on his paws once again. Robin smiled down at him as she placed the bowl of hot tea inside the nest of blankets,
"Jasmine tea, your favorite, if I recall." she said, Lucci looked up at her honestly not surprised,
"It's Robin, after all. Of course she figured out who I am." he thought, dipping his head in thanks before moving to take a drink of his tea.
"You can talk too?" the kitten asked suddenly and Lucci snorted,
"Yes, obviously." he replied, "Am I to assume that you are a human as well?"
"How'd you know?" the kitten gasped, eyes wide
"...considering you are currently speaking to me…"
"Ah...that's really cool! I haven't met anyone like me since I was turned! My name's Monkey D. Luffy," he chirped, "what's yours?"
"huh…" Lucci replied, "You have no idea how many people are looking for you right now." he informed him.
"Shishishi, yeah." Luffy laughed, though his amusement didn't last too long, "I'm sure everyone's worried…especially Ace and Sabo…but it's not like I'm in danger anymore! Kuri's nice!"
"...and who is this Kuri?" Lucci asked, eyes narrowed. Luffy's head tilted to the side, ears flopping
"hmmm, I think everyone just calls him Dogtooth." Lucci just stared down at the tiny black kitten.
"So he really was kidnapped by the mob…" he thought, "what a surprise."
"What do you remember from when you were taken?"
"Well...I was really excited to see Ace! I ran home and there was a tasty donut on the counter and I figured it was from Ace so I took a bite and I was a cat! Can you believe it?" Luffy replied easily. Lucci nodded,
"Anything else?" he asked
"Then some jerks came and started chasing me around my own apartment! I tried to run outside but they caught me and stuffed me in a bag. Everything after that is kind of...fuzzy...I think Kuri found me, or maybe took me from them? I'm not sure."
"This confirms the fact that the person behind this wants the animals alive." Lucci thought, "but I'm still not sure why…"
"Yes, quite the story." he said aloud, noticing that the kitten was waiting for him to reply, "Now I'm tired, and I'm sure you are as well. Go to sleep."
"But-" Luffy protested, only to find a paw bigger than his entire body pushing him down into the blankets.
"Sleep. These are good people. You are safe."
KATAKURI'S POV
Katakuri was freaking out. He'd left the room only briefly after spending a very fun time playing with King before being unable to find him anywhere. Worse, he hadn't appeared even when food was offered. (He had discovered this to be a major weakness of his new pet).
King had only just started to open up to him, no longer backing away in fear every time he entered the room and now...he was gone?
"CRACKER!" Katakuri shouted, throwing his door open, "CRACKER COME HERE!"
"WHAT?!" his younger brother yelled back, opening the door to his own room and peering out.
"DID YOU TAKE KING?!"
"WHAT?! WHY WOULD I WANT YOUR CAT?! ISN'T HE IN YOUR ROOM LIKE HE ALWAYS IS?"
"NO HE'S NOT AND HE DIDN'T COME WHEN I OFFERED FOOD! SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG!"
"Calm down, Brother." Brulee said, walking out of her own room, "King is a very very tiny cat, he's probably just sleeping somewhere in your room and you haven't found him yet."
"NO, HE DIDN'T COME WHEN I OFFERED FOOD!" Katakuri protested. Brulee sighed and took his arm,
"Come on, let's go look again. I'm sure he's fine. He's probably wondering why you're shouting so much." she soothed, pulling him back towards his room.
As they walked, Katakuri realized just how protective he was over this tiny cat. If something had happened to King it was probably all his fault and he didn't know what he would do...except maybe go find someone to kill...unless he could find the kitten…
When they entered his room, they began to search all of the nooks and crannies, looking even in the most improbable places. It was then that Katakuri heard the loud claps of thunder, realizing just how quickly the storm outside had developed. He then remembered that he had opened his window for King to get some fresh air and decided that he needed to close it to keep the rain from drenching his room.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he got closer to the window and saw, to his horror, that the screen was gone. Katakuri lunged forward, sticking his head...and most of his torso actually...out of the window, noticing the screen on the ground and no kitten in sight.
"Brother, what are you doing?!" Brulee exclaimed, "Get back inside! You're getting all wet! I don't want you getting a cold!"
Katakuri pulled himself back inside, grabbing his coat as he stalked towards the door.
"HE'S OUTSIDE! KING'S OUTSIDE ALL ALONE IN THIS WEATHER! I MUST GO FIND HIM!" he declared,
"Brother, he'll be fine he's-"
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" he interrupted, "KING...King...he doesn't like to be alone, and it'll be dark soon…"
"I understand, Brother, but you cannot go out in this weather!" Brulee said, "King is a smart cat, he probably found shelter somewhere nearby. I'm sure he will be back completely unscathed in the morning." Katakuri sighed,
"...you're right, he's a smart cat." he conceded, "Very well. I will wait until morning. BUT if he is NOT back by then, we will all be out searching for him, no matter what the weather is doing!"
To say Katakuri got no sleep that night was an understatement. He kept envisioning his poor, defenseless kitten all alone in the stormy night.
"What if he fell down a drain? What if some wild animal found him?! What if he was hit by a car?! What if he can't find his way back?! What if he drowned?! What if-" Katakuri had no idea how long he lay there as increasingly horrible (and impossible) scenarios flashed through his mind. He was so lost in his thoughts that the first time Cracker yelled for him, he almost didn't hear him,
"BROTHER!" Cracker shouted, "BROTHER, YOUR CAT IS AT THE DOOR!"
Katakuri practically flew out of his room and through the house to the front door, stopping dead at the sight of King hanging from the mouth of a massive leopard.
"Mrowr!" King cried, obviously annoyed with the larger feline as he twisted and swung in its mouth, attempting to bat at the jaws that held him securely off the ground.
"So...this was not expected…" Cracker commented, staring at the scene, "what do we do?"
At that, the leopard snorted and gently lowered King to the ground, using one giant paw to nudge him towards Katakuri, who managed to overcome his shock at the unusual situation with the sight of his kitten stumbling over his own paws in his attempt to get to him.
"King!" he exclaimed, kneeling to scoop the tiny creature into his arms, "I'm so glad you're safe!" (the latter said as he thoroughly examined him to make sure that he wasn't injured)
The leopard turned to leave, though not before giving the humans a pointed glare, practically strutting across the yard before breaking out in a run, quickly disappearing down the street.
"...did that leopard just threaten us?" Cracker asked in disbelief, turning to look at his siblings in disbelief.
Katakuri didn't see this though and he wasn't really listening, having already turned to head back to his room.
"Brulee, call Hogback and make an appointment for King within the next two hours. Tell him I want him chipped." he called over his shoulder, not waiting for a reply before shutting the door behind him.
Katakuri removed his scarf and carried King into his bathroom first, using a hand towel to gently dry off the parts of his fur that were still wet from being carried around by a leopard. After that, he carried him over to the bed, sitting down and using his fingers in an attempt to straighten out the kitten's frazzled fur. He smiled as King purred, blinking sleepily up at him and yawning.
"When did you become so important to me?" Katakuri asked quietly, gently scratching under King's chin, "I guess it's true that animals can worm their way into the most walled off hearts, not that that's too surprising. I heard that animals are the embodiment of the purest love on earth."
King mewed quietly, almost in response it seemed, nuzzling his face into the man's hand.
"Well, I'm glad you're back and now I think we should take a nap before arrives." he lay back, closing his eyes, only for them to pop open again when he felt tiny paws walking across his chest. "King...wha-"
"Mew." the kitten interrupted, walking up to the man's face and rubbing his side against him a few times before settling down and beginning to knead his torn jaw.
Katakuri didn't know what to do with this. There was a reason he kept his face hidden, even from his family, only Brulee and his immediate siblings knew his biggest secret. He hadn't been worried about taking his scarf off in front of the cat but he'd never thought that King would be so accepting of the gruesome scarring...to the point of licking it apparently.
"No, King, thank you but please don't lick my face, that hurts." he said, bringing a hand up to pet the kitten who merely purred and licked him again before settling into a little ball, curled up under his chin.
A couple of hours later Brulee woke the pair to announce that had arrived and was waiting in the dining room. Katakuri groaned, wishing he'd given himself more time, and put his scarf on before taking King to meet the vet once again.
"Fossfossfossfoss!" Hogback laughed, after listening to the events that had brought him back to Katakuri's house, "A leopard you say? How interesting!"
"Yes, but my main concern is making sure that, were this to happen again, I would be able to find King and not have to to rely on large predators with maternal instincts."
"Fossfossfoss! We can do that easily!" the vet assured him, "In fact, I brought all of the equipment so that I could do it right here. But first, let's have little King relax a bit. The procedure isn't painful but it helps me with placement if he's not tense." Having said that, Hogback produced what looked like an individually wrapped alcohol wipe, "This, when rubbed on King's face and the area around him, will create what I like to call a happy cat space. He'll be very relaxed."
Hogback tore open the packet and pulled out the folded wipe inside, reaching to gently rub it on King's face, focusing on the areas that held scent glands, before he moved to wipe the rest on the table.
"...is he okay?" Katakuri asked, watching as King blinked, disoriented. He stumbled around for a moment before flopping down and rubbing his face on the table, purring loudly.
"He's fine, just enjoying being a very happy cat." Hogback replied, reaching for the tools he would need
Katakuri didn't really pay too much attention to the actual procedure, too preoccupied with King's odd behavior to care much about what the vet was doing. He saw the chip go in, knew that Hogback had activated it and that King was registered under his name, and nodded in satisfaction as his ownership of the kitten was cemented.
"Well, is there anything else that you need while I'm here?" Hogback asked, packing away the last of his various tools.
"He'll go back to normal...right?" Katakuri asked, watching King flop around.
"Yes, yes, the effects were a bit exaggerated, likely due to his small size and youth, but they should wear off soon. He'll be fine. You have a healthy little kitten."
A few hours after the vet left and King was back to normal, Katakuri found himself in a pet store feeling completely out of place, King perched on his shoulder. It had taken a lot of convincing to get this little field trip with King, just the two of them, no guards, no annoying younger siblings. It was just Katakuri and King attempting to look for more cat things to make the kitten feel more at home.
That being said, he had no idea where to start and everyone else in the store was definitely afraid of him.
"Alright King," Katakuri muttered, "I'm going to need you to pick things out, I have no idea what you like." He was almost positive that King nodded in response.
"I have such a strange cat." he mused, walking to the cat section and placing the kitten on the floor.
"Go on, pick out whatever you want." he encouraged, watching as the tiny creature began walking down the aisle, studying everything as he went. Katakuri followed him for a moment before stopping to examine an odd looking toy hanging on the wall.
"Oh well aren't you cute!" someone exclaimed. Katakuri's head whipped around at the answering, mildly panicked mewl that the stranger received in response. Somehow, in the few seconds he had taken his eyes off of the kitten, a young man had appeared in the aisle and picked up King. He frowned and stalked over to where the guy was attempting to calm the struggling kitten, glaring down at him
"That is my cat." he growled, "I would like him back please. I don't believe he likes you."
The young man paled but didn't move.
"I don't think I want to." he sneered, "I've been wanting a new pet and, I don't see a collar."
"Oh trust me, Punk." Katakuri said, moving closer, "you don't want to go there." The two men glared at each other, waiting to see what the other would do while King hissed angrily in the stranger's too-tight grip.
"Yohohoho!" a new voice cut in, "What seems to be the problem here, gentlemen?"
They turned to see possibly the oldest man either of them had ever seen, practically a skeleton with an afro and a massive smile.
"I can call security if needed,"
"Tch." the stranger said instead of responding to the question, unceremoniously dropping the kitten into Katakuri's outstretched hand before stalking off.
"It would seem that the problem is resolved." Katakuri said, pulling King close protectively.
"Yohohoho, well, I'm glad I could be of assistance!" the elderly man laughed, squinting at him, "I see you have yourself a lovely little...beaver!"
"Beaver?" Katakuri questioned, "You mean my cat?"
"Yes! That's what I said! Your cat! Allow me to assist in getting you whatever you need!"
The man, Brook, proved to be very helpful, even if he was a bit slow and almost completely blind. King also seemed to like him, rubbing up against the man's legs a lot, which obviously meant that this was a good guy. Katakuri had found that King was a good judge of character.
After forty-five minutes of picking out anything and everything the cat could possibly want, they came to the aisle Katakuri really wanted to go to, the collars. With what had happened earlier, he wasn't taking any chances. King would have a collar that showed just who he belonged to, one that would only be taken off when absolutely necessary.
King walked slowly amongst the collars, sniffing at some and completely ignoring others. He seemed to like the bright red ones that they passed, pausing to study those the longest whenever he came to one. Eventually, King came running back and climbed straight up Katakuri's pant leg, then his jacket, until he could perch on his shoulder.
"Find one you like?" he asked and King chirped happily.
The man walked over to where he had last seen the kitten stop and turned to study the different ones in this section. He picked up a few of the collars, the cat turning away from each one until he picked up the last red collar in the section on the highest rack. This one was the bright red that the kitten obviously liked more than other colors, made to last no matter how much he grew with some new, insanely stretchy material, a small golden bell in the shape of a...hat?...hanging from the center.
"This one?" Katakuri asked and, if King's purrs were anything to go by, he had finally found the right one.
"If you like that one," Brook said, "we can have the charm engraved with his name and information. It'll only take a few minutes. In fact, if that's all for today, you can go ahead and start checking out while it's being personalized."
"Thank you for all of your help, Brook." Katakuri said,
"Yohohoho! It's my pleasure, young man!" Brook replied happily, leading the way to the front of the store.
The cashier, who had an unusually long nose, was especially afraid of him for some reason, even though Brook assured the young man that there was nothing to fear, loudly. This employee, whose name tag said he was called Usopp, proved to be another person King liked, the kitten weaving through his legs as he finished scanning the last of their items.
When Katakuri finally arrived home from his "field trip" he was exhausted.
"Who knew having a pet could be so taxing."
"Brother, you're back!" Cracker exclaimed the moment he crossed the threshold, "Did you still want to interrogate Morgan?"
"I'll do it later," Katakuri said, waving off his younger brother "I am exhausted."
He made his way to his room, not bothering to unpack most of the things he'd bought, only one thing even making it out of it's bag. The collar.
"King, come here." He practically ordered and the kitten jumped up onto the man's lap as Katakuri sat on the edge of his bed, the tiny cat meowing happily. He held as still as could be expected of a kitten as the red collar was fastened securely around his neck, little hat-shaped bell and the tag bearing his name and owner, displayed proudly in front.
"Glad that's taken care of." Katakuri muttered, breathing a sigh of relief. He then fell back against his bed and fell asleep almost instantly, barely registering the soft tinkling of the bell as King made himself comfortable in his scarf.