Authors' Note: Hope everyone's having a wonderful break (for those in school) or just a good week in general! Enjoy the update :)
Review Responses:
myzmsandraa99: Sorry for the wait, thanks for the review! Doffy has been traumatized from his time as a flamingo in solitary confinement...he's more or less actually lost his mind. Katakuri's coming! XD
yukino76: Yep, we all hate Teach. Good riddance! Doffy...yeah, he probably shouldn't be poking the bear. Law's okay, just regretting his familial relations. Thanks for the review!
12tailedninja-demon: Thank you so much for your sweet compliments, we are both very glad that you are enjoying our story! :3 Hope you enjoy the new chapter!
Aelyanne: You're welcome for introducing you to the cuteness that is KataLu ;) Thanks so much for the compliments! Hope you enjoy the new chapter!
WARNINGS:
- Mentions of drugs
- Violence
- In case you haven't caught on, Doffy's lost his mind
- Traffic
- Road rage
- Doffy
- Mild panic attack
CORAZON'S POV
Corazon was not entirely sure how his paperwork kept multiplying but there always seemed to be more waiting for his attention. Maybe if his brother would take a break from his illegal activities, there wouldn't be so much to do…
"Why can't his hobby be something innocent like...stamp collecting or something? But noooo he has to do things like run drugs and kidnap people!"
He heard a lot of...suspicious noises from the other side of the house and sighed. It was best if he just ignored it...as long as Law wasn't in any danger from whatever crazy scheme his brother had concocted.
Just then, Vergo threw open the door to the study and unceremoniously deposited an unconscious Law on the couch. Corazon jumped to his feet and rushed over to his son,
"What happened?!" he demanded, searching for any injuries. When he discovered a nasty welt on the back of Law's head, he straightened up to his full height and glowered at who he assumed was the perpetrator, "HOW DARE YOU LAY A HAND ON MY SON!"
Said man was already backing up towards the door, beads of sweat betraying his calm demeanor,
"Doffy's orders," he said before quickly retreating out of the room. Corazon spent another second or two glaring at where the man had been before turning his attention back to Law.
After a few minutes of basically turning Law into a mummy with bandages and blankets, just to be safe, his attention was drawn back to the door when Doffy strutted into the room, disturbingly happy.
"Doffy," Corazon started, "Doffy, do you see what you have done to my son?"
"Oh he's fine, he's young and has a thick skull," Doffy replied, waving him off as he took a seat across from them. Corazon's eyes narrowed as his brother began to hum something unrecognizable. There was definitely something going on with him.
"So...has injuring your nephew made you incredibly happy for some reason?" he asked calmly,
"First, Vergo was the one who merely...tapped...Law on the head," Doffy protested, "Besides he could use the sleep anyway-"
"There's a difference between being unconscious and sleeping…" Corazon mumbled but his brother kept speaking,
"But no, my joy is mostly from having finally taken back my Lashaka," Doffy grinned at that and Corazon frowned,
"You're still obsessed with that kid? Why can't you just let him live his life? I'm sure there are other fighters out there."
"No! Lashaka is a gem! A diamond in the rough! He is my unparalleled fighter, his own plans are irrelevant. I can't wait until he wakes up!"
"Oh did Vergo "tap" him too?" Corazon couldn't resist asking,
"Oh no, that one was me," Doffy replied proudly, "I have him restrained in his old room,"
At this point, Corazon was becoming increasingly concerned with literally everything coming out of his brother's mouth.
"Yes, it was quite easy, it seems he's a bit out of practice. Of course, I'm not worried about it at all, it won't take long to get him back into shape now that he's where he belongs...even if he does come with some baggage…"
"I'm sorry...baggage?" Corazon questioned, "what kind of baggage?"
"Oh nothing serious," Doffy assured him, "it's just...I may have antagonized Dogtooth...who is currently on his way here to kill us all...no big deal."
Corazon wasn't sure how to respond to that but all he could think of was his precious son being impaled on the mob boss's massive trident.
"What did you do to make him so angry?!" Corazon exclaimed when he finally found his voice again,
"Well, it seems he's become quite attached to my little fighter and didn't take too kindly to me threatening him," came the blunt response.
"You threatened him?"
"He wanted my Lashaka back, I wasn't about to let him think he could get away with that. He was coddling him, not using him the way he should! That's such a waste of talent, don't you agree, Roci?"
After that...illuminating response, Corazon began mentally making plans for his and Law's escape...considering Doffy probably wouldn't survive the night.
"Yes...I agree, we are all going to die and it is all your fault."
KATAKURI'S POV
Katakuri was quite aware of how...dangerously he was driving but he really couldn't care less. So what if Fire Fist and the blond one were screaming in the back seat? It was inconsequential compared to saving Luffy as quickly as possible.
As Katakuri drove recklessly down the highway, he contemplated the many ways birds could be barbecued and skewered. It didn't really calm him that much...
"GET OUT OF THE WAY! MOVE, SLOWPOKES!" he yelled even though he knew they couldn't hear him. He really wished his medium-sized sedan would go faster.
LUFFY'S POV
Luffy groaned as he opened his eyes and blinked, the room slowly coming into focus. He immediately wished he was still asleep as he recognized his old room in the Don Quixote household. Luffy, reacting in the only way he could to the situation, started thrashing around and screaming insults to the stupid bird who had taken him back to this place, demanding that he release him.
Of course, this brought the man himself into the room, an unsettling smirk plastered on his face.
"Ah, you're awake, Pet!" he practically purred, "And just as loud as I remember. Do shut up." Luffy paused at that,
"What did you just call me?" he asked in disbelief, "I am not your pet!"
"Ah, but you are! You belong to me, Lashaka, and I have so many fun things planned," Mingo cackled, "Don't worry, you'll come to accept it in due time...but first, we need to see about shortening this tail of yours. It'll be quite the handicap in the ring if it isn't dealt with before your first fight."
Luffy immediately pulled his tail in close to his body, ears flattening against his head as he glared up at the man.
"Wait, what?!"
"Don't interrupt me, Pet." Mingo snapped, "As I was saying, Caesar has also given me a few ideas to make you even stronger, nothing strictly legal but who cares about that. I've heard doping can be quite effective, though addictive in some cases...oh well, you can handle it, right? Of course you can! We're going to have sooo much fun!"
Luffy didn't remember Bird Guy being quite so scary the last time they met. That didn't change the fact that he was not staying with him.
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO ME!" Luffy shouted in protest, "LET ME GO YOU CRAZY FLAMINGO!"
Luffy was not expecting the response he got for that outburst as one large hand grabbed him by the face and pulled him as far up towards the man as the restraints would allow. Mingo was no longer smiling as he growled,
"You watch your mouth, Brat. I'm your master now and you will show me respect or I will allow Caesar to alter you to make you more manageable."
Luffy futilely tried to pull away from the man's iron grip, still shouting protests.
"You know, I rather like this," Mingo said, a thoughtful look crossing his face, "the silence, that is…" he trailed off as Luffy managed to get free enough to bite his hand. Mingo's only reaction to this was a raised eyebrow and a swift backhand to Luffy's face.
"You've grown quite wild in your time out of the ring," Mingo commented, "it seems we will have to put some effort into retraining you. Not to worry, you're worth the time it will take."
Luffy, in response, spat the blood that had accumulated in his mouth at Mingo's face.
His sense of satisfaction upon seeing it hit its target died quickly as the man pulled out what looked like a mouthpiece with leather straps and some sort of mask thing.
"W-what is that? What are you doing?" he asked, now trying to back away from Mingo though the restraints kept him in place, "Keep that thing away from me!"
"Just relax," Mingo said, "this is all part of your training." With that, he grabbed a fistful of Luffy's hair and yanked it backward, forcing his head down and his mouth open from the pain. Mingo shoved the mouthpiece between Luffy's teeth and quickly fastened it before he could spit it out.
"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Mingo said soothingly, "Now one more part," He held up the mask looking thing, "Just need to keep you...muzzled, I suppose, as an extra precaution."
Luffy tried to avoid the mask though he knew the restraints wouldn't let him move very far. Unfortunately, his second kidnapper had apparently splurged on some quality restraints.
"He must've gotten better ones since the last time I ripped through them…"
There was nothing he could do to stop the mask from being placed over the bottom half of his face, including his nose. Luffy felt his chest tighten as he heard the clicking of a lock behind his head. All he could think about was suffocating and the lack of oxygen, just like the fire all those years ago.
"Now, now, calm down," Mingo cooed, "you can still breathe, though I imagine it is a bit harder. Just breathe through your nose, it's alright."
Attempting to calm his breathing, Luffy almost missed the door opening and a familiar figure entering the room.
"Everything going alright?" Caesar asked, "I see the muzzle works well."
"Yes, I quite like it," Mingo replied, "It's one of your best creations so far...however, I would prefer something that would allow him to eat without us risking losing a hand every time we need to put it back on."
"Well...I could change the design to include space for a feeding tube at mealtimes?" Caesar suggested. Mingo shook his head,
"No, too complicated, and we'd have to take it off to make the changes. Do you have any...more permanent solutions?"
Luffy's eyes widened and he shook his head, horrified by their conversation. Permanent solutions? Mingo, apparently seeing his movement, reached over and patted Luffy on the head a few times, not really sparing him a glance as he continued speaking.
"I do prefer my pet silent as opposed to screaming his head off all the time. Plus, silent fighters intimidate their opponents more in the ring." Caesar considered that for a moment before he said,
"Well, we do have a few options...though they might take some time…"
"What's the fastest option?" Mingo interrupted,
"Well...um...sir, the fastest methods may not be...safe…"
"Will he survive?"
"...yes."
"Do it."
"But sir!" Caesar protested, "The procedure is not necessarily...safe...though effective, I recommend an alternative option if you want him to be able to fight soon. Since the fastest option is the most invasive he would need time to recover and heal before anything else…"
"Do it," Mingo ordered, ignoring Luffy's increased thrashing on the bed, "He'll be fine."
At this point, Luffy was honestly more than a little bit scared. It had been a long time since he'd been trapped in a situation like this with the threat of something so serious looming over his head.
"Kuri please get here soon! I don't want to lose my voice!"
KATAKURI'S POV
"Honestly though could these people drive any slower?" Katakuri fumed as he sat in his car, frustrated.
Fire Fist shifted slightly in the backseat and Katakuri glared at him in the rearview mirror. He required absolute silence in his vehicle so that he could focus on controlling his rage...and the traffic of course.
"Hold on Luffy. I'll be there...eventually…"
LUFFY'S POV
Luffy eyed the medical equipment being rolled into his room with apprehension. There were now many more people around, all scientists that Caesar had assured Mingo were the best in their fields.
"Hold still now," one scientist said, "I need to take a, um, scan of your neck."
Luffy shook his head instead of following that order, now even more apprehensive as these "nurses" did not seem to know what they were doing. Mingo merely sighed and held Luffy's head still so that they could x-ray his neck. As he listened to the scientists talk anatomically he became extremely concerned as it became apparent that they did not know what they were talking about.
"Kuri….where are you?"
KATAKURI'S POV
Katakuri was stuck in traffic and it sucked. He had to continuously remind himself that getting into an accident...or causing one...would merely mean Luffy was waiting longer, something that was completely unacceptable.
Thankfully, his two passengers were keeping quiet and not getting on his nerves.
LUFFY'S POV
Luffy was past being concerned at this point, he was decidedly scared watching a scientist sharpen scalpels as another one drew lines on his neck. He had already attempted to at least slow them down by batting at them with his tail, but that had stopped when Mingo very seriously threatened to remove the entirety of it if Luffy did not keep it still.
"Good boy," Mingo had said, "See? The training is already working!"
Luffy merely glared at the man for a moment, then went back to watching the scientists prepare.
KATAKURI'S POV
He'd finally broken through traffic and was now speeding towards Don Quixote Mansion. He could only wonder what Joker was doing to Luffy while he dawdled.
As Katakuri saw the mansion in the distance, he could only hope that he wasn't too late.
LUFFY'S POV
Luffy thrashed around so much that Mingo and a few of the scientists had to hold him down as the IV was inserted into his arm, even though the restraints were still in place. As his vision blurred, all he could think about was Kuri...and his brothers...but mostly Kuri, hoping that they would save him in time...that they would be able to stop the procedure.
"That's it, Pet," Mingo crooned above him, petting Luffy's head and ears, "just go to sleep."
The last thing Luffy heard was the man's deranged cackling as his vision went black.