Authors' Note: So many new followers! We're so happy (and grateful)! Here, have a new chapter as a present ;)
Review Responses
Jui-Imouto-Chan: As per usual, we died laughing reading your review! Yes, Mihawk has finally solved his case, just took a late student and an awkward puppy! ...please don't break your phone...those things are expensive...Yep, Chopper is now a reindeer, as he should be. Check out this chapter to see how accurate your psychic powers were XD
Final Syai Lunar Generation: Loved the review! We always love the fluff and every once and a while Kuri must activate parent mode (Cracker currently holds the record for most times activated lol) As for the rest of the review...well...better read the chapter ;)
Son of Whitebeard: Thanks for the review! Mihawk's very grateful to have finally solved his case lol.
Jordansdevil: We love your pun and your reviews XD Thanks so much, hope you enjoy the reactions in this chapter!
Yukino76: Appreciate the review! Mihawk is great at diffusing tense situations...especially since he has a giant sword ;)
Shellina123: Yay, new reviewer! Welcome to Outbreak, glad you've enjoyed it so far! Your words warm our hearts, thank you so much for the compliments! We're huge fans of overprotective Ace (and Sabo) and adorable Luffy XD We're really enjoying writing this story! Hope to hear from you again :)
Warnings:
- mentions of rape
- v angry Kuri
- puppies
- kittens
- nudity
- mentions of drugs
- mentions of death
- mentions of animal abuse
- possessive Kuri
ACE'S POV
It really made Ace angry, just how...nervous...Dogtooth made him. He was positive that Luffy was here, he had to be, and this pervert probably had him tied up in his room or something!
"You expect me to allow four strangers, three of which are prominent members of another gang, to roam about my house?" Katakuri asked in response to Sabo's prompting.
"OH? So you DO have something, or perhaps someone, to hide!" Ace exclaimed. Katakuri sighed,
"Does not Whitebeard have places in his home that he would rather not have his enemies enter?"
"He's got a point." Thatch said, ignoring the glare Ace directed at him.
"Well then how do you expect to prove to us that the boy truly is not here?" Marco asked, "Forgive me, but your word likely won't be enough."
"I miss the days where people could simply trust each other." Katakuri mused, "unfortunately, I cannot allow you to search my home."
"That's it." Ace thought murderously, "I'm done with him dodging questions!" he leapt to his feet
"I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, I WILL TEAR YOUR HOUSE DOWN BRICK BY BRICK IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES, YOU PERVERT!" Ace shouted, "I KNOW HE'S HERE! WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING TO HIM OVER THESE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU FOUND HIM NAKED, DOGTOOTH?! IF YOU'VE STOLEN HIS INNOCENCE..."
"Ace," Marco began
"I can take a lot of insults, Boy, " Katakuri interrupted, leaning forward, voice low and deadly "but I cannot sit by and allow you to accuse me of such atrocities. How dare you compare me to those scum!" He stood, looming over the four, "Are you attempting to start a war with me, Fire Fist?" Marco stood, doing his best to shove Ace back down into his seat,
"Please, Dogtooth, I'm sure Ace meant no offense." he began but Katakuri glared at him,
"Do not attempt to cover for him, Phoenix." he growled, "It would appear that you are all convinced that I am not only a kidnapper, but also a rapist. I will not stand by as you tarnish my name and my family's name in this way!"
At this, Ace's anger only grew and he yelled,
"YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE! IF YOU WON'T TELL US WHERE HE IS, I'LL FIND HIM MYSELF!"
Ignoring the voices of Sabo and the others, Ace did the only thing he could think to do at that moment, shaking off Marco's grasp and lunging for Dogtooth with the intent to kill. What he didn't expect was for Katakuri to easily dodge his punch and grab him by the throat, holding him out in front of him.
As Ace's air supply dwindled, the door to the parlor burst open.
"please put Fire Fist down," said Mihawk's familiar voice, "I believe there is still a way we can end this without violence." Ace was confused.
"What is he doing here?" he wondered as he thrashed around, attempting to get Dogtooth to loosen his grip,
"Mihawk?!" Thatch exclaimed, "What are you even doing here?!"
"I will gladly explain, once we are all behaving in a civilized manner."
KATAKURI'S POV
To be honest, Katakuri didn't really want to put Fire Fist down. He'd probably feel better if he just wrung the idiot's neck right then and there. How dare he accuse him of something so atrocious! That being said, it would probably be a better idea to continue to attempt a peaceful solution to the problem at hand. Reluctantly, he dropped the younger man, smirking as he watched him gasp for breath on the floor.
"Who are you and how did you get in here?" Katakuri asked the newcomer,
"My name is Dracule Mihawk, I am a private investigator working with these fine gentlemen to solve the disappearance of one Monkey D. Luffy. I got the address from Phoenix and let myself in."
"I tried to stop him," Brulee commented from the door, "but he has a massive sword and knows how to use it."
"If you have some other solution besides me killing all of you, please do tell." he watched in amusement as the Phoenix dragged Fire Fist back onto the couch by his shirt collar, throwing him on top of the other boy before Twin Blades sat down on both of them.
"Hey! What'd I do to deserve this?!" blondie protested,
"Thatch, one word out of either of them and you have permission to knock them out." Phoenix said instead of answering the question,
"You got it, Bird Brain!" Twin Blades responded cheerfully. Mihawk cleared his throat,
"First, I would like all of you to take a look at this puppy." he instructed, lifting the creature he had been carrying under one arm so that they could all examine it, "Does it look familiar?"
Katakuri was...confused. Despite abnormal swirly markings above the dog's eyes it appeared to be a normal, Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy.
"Mihawk...what is this?" Twin Blades asked, seemingly as confused as he was.
"THIS is Vinsmoke Sanji!" the detective exclaimed, "He was turned into a dog due to a biscuit laced with some unknown drug."
Twin Blades took the puppy from Mihawk and stared at it for a moment before asking,
"Sanji?"
The dog nodded.
"HOLY CRAP!" the man exclaimed, almost dropping the puppy in his shock, as Fire Fist and Blondie gaped
"BE CAREFUL!" Mihawk admonished, "That is a witness you are holding!"
"Umm...okay?" Katakuri said, "What does this have to do with anything?"
"It has everything to do with this case, ." Mihawk informed him, "Have you, in recent weeks, come to possess a small animal of any kind?"
"No way." Fire Fist muttered.
At this point, Katakuri had to admit that he was getting a bit worried. It wasn't possible...was it?
"I did." he admitted finally,
"Could you please bring it out here?" the detective requested politely.
Katakuri glared at the room's occupants as he considered the request. He really didn't want to subject King to the stress of this situation, knowing how poorly he reacted to most strangers...he also just didn't want these lunatics touching his cat. Finally, he sighed,
"Very well," he said reluctantly, "if it will help put to rest these accusations. BUT let me make myself very clear. King suffers from anxiety in the presence of strangers and loud noises. You will all lower your voices and will make no move to touch him." he turned his attention to his sister, "Brulee, please fetch King from my room."
"May I enquire as to what species King is?" Mihawk asked,
"A cat." Katakuri replied gruffly, "Who I registered in my name not long ago. Which reminds me, keep a firm hold on that dog."
A few minutes later, Brulee returned with a familiar black fluffball in her hands. Katakuri gently took King from her and held him up for the others to see.
"This is King. I rescued him approximately three weeks ago from some pieces of trash who were torturing him." Katakuri placed his kitten on the coffee table, still glaring at the others on the couch who had all stood up and moved closer to examine his cat. What he did not expect was for King to meow happily and leap onto Fire Fist's shirt, clawing his way up to thrust his tiny head against the young man's jaw. Fire Fist froze for a moment before he carefully picked up the cat and held him out in front of his face to make eye contact.
"L-Luffy?" he asked, receiving an enthusiastic nod from King.
"You've got to be kidding me." Katakuri inwardly groaned, "I seriously ACTUALLY HAD THE KID the whole time?"
SABO'S POV
Sabo could not believe what just happened.
"Luffy...is a cat? He's been a cat this whole time? Then...then how did he call Ace?"
Ace put Luffy back on the table as the occupants of the room all stared in shock. Sanji chose that moment to run up and...well...attempt...to leap onto the table, though he didn't succeed until Sabo gave him a helping hand. They all watched as Sanji ran up to the now identified Luffy and began to lick all over his face even as Dogtooth glared.
"Perhaps I can shed some light onto this very confusing situation." Mihawk said, breaking the silence, "I believe there have been a lot of...unfortunate...misunderstandings."
"Please, do tell." Dogtooth said, eyes never leaving Luffy
"It has recently been discovered that someone had been distributing different items of food around the city that are laced with a drug that forcibly turns the victim into an animal. As of yet, the perpetrator has not been identified and, of course, we have no idea what the motive could have been. We also believe that there is a connection between the unexplained deaths and this drug. It is likely that the effects vary depending on the compatibility of the victim's blood and the components of the drug itself. We are still not sure if these were random attacks or if specific people were targeted. However, in Luffy's case, it would appear that he was indeed targeted. Isn't that right?"
"I had no idea that Monkey D. Luffy had been turned into a cat." Katakuri said,
"I am not accusing you," Mihawk assured him, "but I would like to hear your side of what happened that night."
"I was...out…" Katakuri began, "we had had some...um...unfortunate occurrences here at the house...these led to me...um...chasing the perpetrators around...in...my territory and the neutral area just outside…"
"He's being so...vague." Sabo mused, "Does he have something to hide?"
"I chased one of the men down not too far from an apartment complex...the kid's apartment complex apparently…and I heard what appeared to be an animal in distress. When I got closer, I saw a man throw a bloodstained bag down the stairs." he then shifted his gaze to glare at Ace and then at Sabo as he continued, "Contrary to what you seem to believe, I could not just stand by and watch a small, helpless animal be abused in front of me. So I stepped in and...rescued him."
"You seem to have left out a few details." Sabo put in, smiling coldly, "Are you sure you don't have something to hide, ?" The man in question sighed, taking a moment to calm himself,
"For the last time," Katakuri said, "I had no idea that the grievously injured kitten, whose life I saved by the way, was your little brother."
"YE-" Ace began, only to be silenced by Thatch's hand over his mouth.
"Based on what you've told us," Mihawk said, "it would seem that they were indeed trying to kidnap him in his weakened state. I wonder how many others were affected in this way...and how many were targeted like Luffy was. Is this some sort of power play?" Sabo frowned, kneeling to gently pet the kitten that was somehow his little brother,
"We can worry about motives later. Right now I just want to get Luffy home and back to normal somehow." There were murmurs of agreement from his companions but Dogtooth crossed his arms and fixed them all with a dark glare,
"I can't let you do that," the man growled, momentarily freezing everyone in place as his words sunk in. The shock wore off quickly and Sabo and Ace exploded simultaneously,
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"
"I will not allow you to take him from this house." Dogtooth said, "As he is still a cat, registered under my name, by law he belongs to me. It is also likely that whoever is behind this is still after him and, if that is the case, the safest place he could be is by my side!"
The next few minutes were kind of a blur for Sabo as they consisted of much yelling (and being held back) by who he assumed was Marco or Thatch, with Ace doing his best to leap over the table once again. He also noticed that a few of the Charlotte siblings entered the room, attempting to calm their brother and get him to sit down, though it didn't seem like he could even hear them. What finally stopped the situation from becoming an all out brawl was the appearance of a very naked, very human Luffy, curled up in the fetal position on the coffee table, hands clutched over his ears as he trembled, eyes shut tight.
"EH?"
LUFFY'S POV
Luffy was so happy to see his brothers...until things started to get loud. To be honest, he wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying, he was too busy talking with Sanji, who had apparently been very worried about him. He didn't understand why everyone was acting so weird, it wasn't like he'd been kidnapped or anything. Though when he mentioned that to his friend, he'd received an angry growl and a few choice curses. Luffy found that it was fairly easy to tune out the conversation going on above his head but when everyone started screaming at each other it became too much.
Luffy curled up, trying to block out the noise as his ears started ringing painfully, his paws not really helping him much. He squeezed his eyes shut and shied away from the noise, whimpering quietly as the pain seemed to spread from his ears to the rest of his body. Suddenly, the room fell silent. Revelling in the lack of sound, Luffy slowly uncurled and looked up to see his brothers' shocked faces along with Marco's gaping mouth and Thatch's very red face. He then looked down at himself and realized that he was human again...and, just like last time, completely naked.
"Here." Kuri's voice said from behind him as a blanket descended on his head.
He fumbled for a moment, finally managing to wrap the thing around his shoulders before turning to face the man,
"Thanks, Kuri!" he grinned up at Katakuri, who merely waved off his thanks awkwardly.
KATAKURI'S POV
Katakuri didn't think this day could get any stranger until his cat turned into a naked kid sitting on his table. The boy, Luffy apparently, definitely looked like he was in pain and he didn't know what to do. If he did what he wanted to do, a scenario that consisted of him scooping the boy up and wrapping him in his scarf, he was almost certain that Fire Fist would literally burst into flames. So he went with...let's say Plan C...since Plan B (picking him up and bringing him to the familiar safety of his room) would probably start a war with the Whitebeards. He grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and threw it over the boy, following the safest, but most unsatisfactory plan.
Luffy struggled to find the edge of the blanket for a moment, bringing Katakuri's attention to the reality of how very small this boy was. He didn't look weak, he was covered in lean muscles and with Fire Fist for a brother, he likely knew how to protect himself, but he was just so...small…
"Well, in comparison to myself he is certainly very very small." Katakuri mused, watching the kitten...wait...no...human….mostly-human...he actually wasn't sure what to call him, noting the large cat ears that looked surprisingly at home in the black mop of hair and the long, fluffy tail that swayed back and forth where it emerged from under the blanket.
"Thanks, Kuri!" the boy said happily, turning to give him a blinding smile.
"Kuri?" the man wondered, waving off the boy's thanks distractedly, "He gave me a nickname? ...I like it."
"Luffy!" that was Fire Fist, lunging to grab his brother, "Luffy, are you okay?!" the boy turned,
"Ace!" he exclaimed, hugging his older brother, "I'm fine, though I'm not sure why I'm naked…"
"You have no idea how good it is to see you, Lu!" blondie said, joining the hug, "We were worried sick!" The brothers embraced as the two older Whitebeards looked on with soft smiles, "So...is there a reason that you still have some of your...cat appendages?" Luffy pulled back and brought a hand up to one furry ear, looking pensive,
"I don't know." he admitted, "This has only happened once before, when I called Ace."
"Ah...so he used my phone," Katakuri thought, "Makes sense how he knew my password."
"Is there a way to fix this yet?" blondie asked, turning to Mihawk, "Last I checked, Sanji is still a dog...and Luffy's half cat!"
"The M.E.'s only recently discovered that it was a drug at all that did this, I'm afraid it will be a while before an antidote can be safely administered." the detective replied calmly, "We should also be considering the reason why Luffy has sporadically halfway changed back, while Sanji does not appear to be displaying the same symptoms. Luffy, can you remember anything about what caused you to turn back?" The boy frowned,
"Well...last time I woke up from a really bad dream," he explained, "and this time you were all being too loud and it was...too much."
"So, intense emotions triggered it then?" Marco put in,
"Perhaps." Mihawk replied, "We will need to study him more to find out for certain."
That caught Katakuri's attention,
"Oh, they still think that just because he's half human I'm going to allow them to walk out of here with him…" he thought, "To me he looks even more vulnerable in this state, and he's obviously still in a lot of pain...not that those idiots have noticed." As the others talked, Katakuri had been studying the boy, noting his pallor and the sweat beading on his forehead, his face occasionally tensing or twitching in discomfort. Something was definitely wrong.
"Regardless of his current appearance," Katakuri began, drawing everyone's attention, "He will not be leaving here while he is in such a state, unless you've failed to notice how pale he's become in the past few minutes?" All eyes in the room turned to study Luffy, whose breathing had become quicker and more shallow, his gaze slightly unfocused.
"What?" he protested, giving them a shaky excuse for a smile, "I'm fine guys, really!" He went to stand, legs so wobbly that it took a few attempts for him to actually stand upright.
Katakuri rushed forward instinctively before his brain realized what his eyes were seeing as the boy fell backward, straight towards him. He caught Luffy with one arm, reflexively putting the other behind his neck to make sure it was stable.
"Did he just pass out?" Katakuri wondered, idly moving to check the boy's pulse and noting that he definitely had a fever.
"See what I mean now?" he asked the shocked occupants of the room, "He is definitely not fine." As though illustrating his point, Luffy let out the tiniest of whines. His brothers winced.
"Is he-" Fire Fist began, stopping short as they all watched Luffy disappear into the blanket.
Katakuri fished the small kitten out of the fabric, holding him close as he turned his attention back to his guests,
"You should leave." he said firmly, "We can continue this conversation at a later date."
"We're not leaving without him!" Fire Fist protested angrily. Mihawk sighed and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder,
"I understand how you feel," he said calmly, "but, at the moment, I believe this is what's best for your brother. We will return tomorrow-"
"No you will not." Katakuri interrupted, "I will contact you when he is feeling up to having visitors. In case you forgot, Gentlemen, this is my house. I make the rules here and, currently, Luffy is under my care, meaning you will be listening to me in regards to his health and any visitation that might occur."
At that, both brothers looked like they had a thing or two to say to him but were interrupted by Phoenix,
"Very well." the man said, "We will wait for your call. Just don't make us wait too long, Dogtooth. He is...precious to us."
Katakuri nodded, watching as they made their way out, the two brothers being dragged away by the two older Whitebeards. He walked back towards his room, King...Luffy?...tucked securely into his scarf.