Authors' Note: Hello again, faithful readers! Before anything we just want to remind you that we love you even though this chapter might...hurt...um...have fun?

Review Responses:

Final Syai Lunar Generation: Hey again! You were first this time, we're so proud of you XD We really appreciate all of your support for our story! Ace and Sabo kinda messed up...it needed to be done. Yes, Sunny is a massive stuffed lion that Luffy likes to snuggle with (isn't that just the most adorable thing to picture?) We have no idea what Lucci's doing right now, probably still chilling on Franky and Robin's porch tbh, though we'll catch up with him later.

Jordansdevil: Yeah, Kinesiology is a very interesting field, it happens to be what Author Lu specializes in. You are so right that it's strange for Luffy to be using his head for something other than as a weapon but we thought it fit well :) Thanks for the review!

Yukino76: Ace realized he'd messed up so that helped him keep his calm, especially after Thatch and Marco called him on it. Yes, Law is definitely a mother hen towards Luffy...but who isn't? As for Doffy...well...we'll see. Good to hear from you again! :)

Jui-Imouto-Chan: Jui! Hello, how are you? We're glad you liked your one shot :) If you have any others you want, just leave a review in the one shot story and we'll try our best! Wishes? *Author Foo whispers to Author Lu* Was there a number?
Yeah, one look at Luffy's disappointed face and they'd be groveling for sure. Yes, Marco is great, not only is he the king of ending chapters dramatically, but he also has the ability to calm the raging inferno that is Ace...mostly with drugs...but whatever works right? Law is...a bit...more worried than he lets on...and for good reason... cannibalistic threats huh? Well, if it's not a big deal to you, it's not a big deal to us...we are genies remember ;)

Shellina: Sweden? That's epic! We were just a little bit off lol. Yes, Sabo is definitely British, he's very refined after all...and Ace...well...he tries to be refined, it's kind of adorable. XD Yes, the interactions with this group won't be ending any time soon, as much as Ace would like them to. Ideas for one shots can be left in a review on the one shot story we've posted :) See you next time!

sdkop21: New reviewer! Hello! Thanks for checking out our story, hope you keep enjoying it as you stick around :) Thanks for the review!

Warnings:

- animal abuse
- mentions of drugs
- angst...lots of angst
- Luffy is a bit out of character...pls remember he's dealing with physical and mental health issues and all the weirdness that comes with being forcibly turned into a cat and back into a human multiple times.

TEACH'S POV

"And this is the holding facility where we are keeping the two hundred animals we've managed to capture." Teach said, "As you can see, we have been working very hard to meet your quota." he gestured to the mountain of cages, stacked on top of each other precariously. "In the state they're in, they won't be going anywhere! Zehahahaha!"

"By your own estimate that would leave around three hundred still on the loose." Jack pointed out, following Teach into the smelly room and kicking the nearest cage out of his way, startling the quivering ferret inside.

"Well, yes….but we are working around the clock to capture the remaining subjects!" Teach assured the man,

"I don't need your excuses." Jack sneered, "You promised the boss drugs that were three times more potent than any other in existence and all we've seen so far is a pathetic excuse for a street drug! What about the special strain you were going to give us?"

"W-well...we have four targets that we are….erm….working on capturing that will provide us with what we need." Teach's eyes widened as Jack suddenly grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him close to glare down at him,

"Don't forget the position you're in." the man warned, "the only reason Whitebeard hasn't found you yet is because we are protecting you. We can and will throw you to the wolves the second you are no longer useful. Kaido needs more than some little steroid to achieve his dreams and you promised us that. You had better not disappoint him." Teach thrashed in the larger man's grip, trying in vain to get away,

"B-but, Do-Dogtooth's been interfering!" he protested. Jack snorted,

"Dogtooth? He's nothing but a spoiled mama's boy who spends his days running after toddlers! Just get it done on time and you may still live to rule one day." with that, he threw Teach into one of the stacks of cages, knocking quite a few of them over in the process, before spinning and stalking out of the room.

"Do we really need to take this?" LaFitte asked, appearing from where he'd been waiting deeper in the room, hidden behind the cages. Teach sat up, glowering at the door Jack had disappeared through as he wiped a bit of blood off of his cheek,

"For now." he growled, "We'll give him what he wants since he's keeping the old man off my back. But one day, I will rule this city and his city and anyone else's I desire! I will be the most powerful man in the underworld! Get Caesar to work faster and get Burgess in here."

"Of course." LaFitte said, before turning to do as he was told.

"Wow, he really gave it to ya, huh Boss!" Burgess laughed as he entered the room. Teach glared at him,

"Shut up, Idiot. None of this would have happened if you'd actually managed to do your job!"

"We've captured over two hundred animals!" Burgess protested, "I would say I'm doing my job pretty well!"

"Yes, two hundred animals, which means three hundred are still out there! You aren't even halfway done! Take what money is left in the reserves and hire more men. Kaido is loaning us some of his forces but I don't want to take more than I have to from him, especially not when he's already angry with me. Burgess, we have to capture at least one of the primary targets. What's their status?"

"Well, the zoo sucks." Burgess informed him, "Their security's tight and all of our attempts to get in have failed miserably. Smoker's a challenge, he's moving constantly and we can't exactly storm the police station, or the hospital for that matter...he's too unpredictable in his movements. Dogtooth….um...we've located his base, well, we thought we located his base...but we were completely wrong. Then we decided to follow the Phoenix and they led us right to his base! Kinda weird that he lives in the suburbs…"

"They didn't see you did they?" Teach asked, inwardly cursing.

"No, no!" Burgess assured him, "Of course they didn't see us! We stayed very far back! Anyway, we're assuming that they went to see Dogtooth about Fire Fist's brother, who's still there. What do you expect us to do in this situation? Dogtooth is very powerful." Teach sighed and buried his face in his hand,

"...put more people on them, if they see even the slightest opportunity, they take it, no matter the cost. We have a deadline, Burgess, we need one of them before the month is out."

"Aye, aye, Sir!" Burgess replied, taking his words as the dismissal they were and leaving quickly. Teach groaned,

"If only I had the funds to hire men like Kaido's."

LUFFY'S POV

Ever since Kuri had found out that his cat was actually a human he had been acting really, really weird and Luffy just couldn't understand why. He still made sure Luffy was fed and taken care of but he'd been moved to a guest room and was no longer permitted entrance to the man's personal room or office unless absolutely necessary. There were no more cuddles, or bellyrubs...or anything other than the occasional pat on the head. On top of that the nice collar he'd picked out had been taken away and Kuri no longer smiled at him, hiding most of his face with the heavy scarf that Luffy had come to dislike. He only enjoyed the scarf when he was able to sleep in it, not when it was covering Kuri's nice smile.

"...did I...did I do something wrong?" Luffy wondered, "Does Kuri not like me anymore?"

He stared at the door to Katakuri's room, taking in the many shallow lines he'd gouged into the wood trying to get the man to let him in. He spent a lot of time just sitting there, trying to figure out a way to make Kuri like him again, though he hadn't gotten much farther than meowing loudly and clawing at the door until one of the younger Charlotte's came and took him away or he got tired and returned to his own room to try and sleep.

"...what if I….oh...my stomach is growling...can't think without food…" Luffy stood and slowly made his way to the kitchen where he knew Brulee was waiting.

He shuddered, remembering when she'd found out about all of the nasty pills he was supposed to be taking...for that thing he had that made him hungry all the time...that had not been pretty and he had already decided his brothers would be paying for telling anyone about his meds. They knew how he felt about telling people! Anytime anyone found out, no matter who it was, they would begin treating him like he was fragile, which only made him angry since he knew he was anything but. Luffy stopped walking briefly as a thought occurred to him,

"Does Kuri not like me because he thinks I'm weak?" he snorted in annoyance and started walking again, "Once I turn back into a human I'll show him just how weak I am!" with this thought, not paying attention to where he was going, Luffy managed to trip over his own paws and roll a bit before quickly standing up and aggressively licking at his chest fur. His eyes widened when he realized what he was doing and he shook his head,

"No, don't do that. You're a human, not a cat!" he told himself sternly, walking as quickly as he could down the hallway and hoping no one saw that. He walked passed his new room, catching a glimpse of his lion plushie, Sunny, who'd been a gift from Shanks years earlier to help keep the nightmares at bay.

"With the way Kuri's acting, I'm glad they brought me Sunny...I wouldn't have been able to sleep otherwise...don't know what Sabo expects me to do with my textbooks though, it's not like I can read them when I'm this small."

Luffy's stomach growled even louder as he finally reached the kitchen, a delicious smell wafting out to greet him.

"Here for your nightly snack, Little One?" Brulee asked, "Remember, no food until you have taken all of your medicine." Luffy growled at her even as she picked him up and placed him on the counter. "Don't you use that tone with me," the woman scolded him, "I only found out a few days ago. Do you understand how important it is that you manage this disorder? You could have died, you probably would have died had your brothers not told us! I will not have your death on my hands, mister."

"I don't think it's as bad as all that…" Luffy thought, but sighed as Brulee put the plate of medicine in front of him.

"You're going to have to be a lot nicer to me if you want me to put peanut butter on them." she informed him, "No, don't roll your eyes. Stop moping and give me a cuddle if you want it to taste better."

Luffy purred and jumped into Brulee's arms. He missed all of the cuddling he'd gotten used to over the past few weeks. Brulee's cuddles were fine but Kuri's were better, he was warmer and...was somehow able to make Luffy feel safe.

After cuddling for a bit, Luffy forced himself to eat the pills, thankful for the little bit of peanut butter Brulee had given him. He ate his snack, which was a small bowl of leftover brisket, and meowed at the woman.

"No, no more tonight. I'll give you a big breakfast in the morning." Brulee said, smiling at him and placing him back down on the floor. Luffy huffed but went on his way. Kuri's sister had become rather strict with his meals after learning about his metabolic issues.

Luffy went back to his room, pausing for a moment to stare at the closed door to Kuri's room before sighing and making his way to his bed, jumping as high as he could and clawing his way up to the top. Luffy shivered noting how much colder it was in this room, or any room really, without Kuri. He looked over at Sunny, then at the warm blanket on the other side of the bed, and sighed as he heard the AC turn on.

"I need that blanket or I might actually freeze to death tonight…" Luffy thought, making his way to the blanket and sinking his teeth into it in an attempt to drag it over to Sunny. The thing didn't move. He growled and readjusted his grip on the blanket before pulling as hard as he could only to go flying backward as he suddenly grew, white-hot pain shooting through his bones. Luffy landed on his back and lay there for a few seconds, just breathing as the pain lessened to a more bearable level before he slowly moved to rearrange the bed.

Not bothering with clothes, Luffy burrowed into the blankets, hugging Sunny tightly as he tried to relax, knowing that when he woke he would likely be a cat once more.

Feeling more alone than he had in years, Luffy held back tears as he muttered,

"I will fix this...I have to...whatever I did...I'll make it right."

BRULEE'S POV

Brulee did what she did every night and had done for as long as she could remember, check on each of her younger siblings, making sure they were where they were supposed to be: lights off, technology turned off, and sound asleep. Walking down the hallway, she made her way to where Luffy was staying, hoping that he had managed to get onto the bed okay. (She'd caught him sleeping on the floor once before and did not want a repeat of that). She moved to open the door, knowing she would need to turn his light off for him, but stopped when a quiet, unfamiliar voice said,

"I will fix this...I have to...whatever I did...I'll make it right." the voice was weak, accompanied by a few sniffles that had her opening the door before she could stop herself.

Luffy sat up in bed, clutching that stuffed lion his brothers had brought for him and looking miserable. His ears drooped, laying back against his head and his eyes were red and puffy though no tears had managed to fall. Brulee felt her heart break as she moved into the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Aw, Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked, "Are you in pain? Do I need to get you something?"

"N-no, I'm fine…" Luffy replied quietly, dropping his gaze to his lap.

"Well, if it doesn't hurt, why are you crying?" Brulee asked carefully, moving to sit on the edge of his bed. Luffy sniffed once, twice, and suddenly she had a sobbing teenager in her arms. One of his hands latched onto the side of her shirt as he buried his face in her chest, the other still held on tight to his lion. "Oh, sweetheart…" Brulee sighed, holding the shaking boy close and stroking his hair. After a moment, he began to try to speak through his tears,

"I...I...d-did some-something wrong." he managed to get out, "w-why else wo-wou-would K-Kuri not wa-want t-t-to see m-me anymore?"

"oh, no-" Brulee tried to reply but Luffy wasn't done yet,

"He-he- he was so nice be-before b-b-but n-now...d-do you thi-think he ha-hates me n-now? I-I've got- I've gotta f-fix it…"

Brulee's eyes widened as she listened. Her idiot brother had pushed this poor kid away without so much as a word of explanation. This was completely unacceptable. Carefully, Brulee pushed Luffy back until she could see his face, keeping him close and wiping away his tears with her sleeve as she said,

"First of all, I need you to know that this is not your fault." Luffy opened his mouth to protest at that but she kept going, "No, you have done absolutely nothing wrong and I am going to fix this." she smiled reassuringly at the boy and pulled him close again, "Katakuri is just...a bit surprised...don't worry, I'll make sure he's back to normal in no time."

"Really?" Luffy asked hopefully,

"Yes, really." Brulee assured him, "and until then, no more tears, okay?" she waited until she felt the boy nod before she continued speaking, "Let's get you to bed then, I'm sure you'll sleep well with that off your chest."

Luffy reluctantly let go of Brulee and lay back as she fussed over him, making sure he was comfortable and warm enough before tucking him in and moving to turn off all of the lights. He didn't protest to the overhead light or the lamp on his nightstand turning off but he stopped her as she moved towards the small lamp on his desk,

"Could you leave that one on, please?" he asked quietly and Brulee smiled,

"Of course,"

As she went to leave the room, Luffy's voice stopped her,

"...don't tell Kuri I cried...please?"

"I won't." Brulee assured him, "I promise."

At that, she left the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

"I wonder if Katakuri knows what he's done by pushing Luffy away." she thought furiously, "That idiot needs to know just how much he's hurting the boy."