Wishfull-star: Thanks!

There was nothing solid there, so he had nothing to grab, climb, tear, or bite at. He was just there. In the nothingness. If only he'd had some blood. He started shouting for someone to let him out of there. He was completely helpless, a sitting duck for anything or anyone that came in. The only explanation was a devil fruit.

Ahhh, he was hungry. He sat down, after nothing he did worked, to wait for anything to happen. He knew Zoro would be trying to save him somehow. He was foolish, wasn't he? That's why two of his members left. He laid down on his back, looking at the nothingness above him.

Somebody entered, and he shot up. It was the guy Luffy smelled with Robin. And then there was Robin. "You were supposed to let all of them go!"

"We miscalculated with him." He had to have been there for over an hour before now. An hour of trying to find a way out but coming up with nothing. Luffy was then on the carpeted floor of something. He heard water and waves outside. The whole thing was moving, and there were seats on either side.

"Where's Zoro and Nami!"

"They're back in Water 7. You'll never see them again. Sit," Lucci said. Luffy didn't.

"Fuck off," Luffy said simply.

He was kicked in the head and thrown forward and into the other wall. That secretary lady. "You really are ill mannered. And in no state to fight. What happened to you? You're like a completely different person from before."

Luffy didn't reply, but demanded for Robin to tell him what happened. "She's coming with us to protect your crew. Be grateful your other members will be fine," Kalifa replied. Luffy knew they would come after him no matter what. He asked where he was going. "Enies Lobby, and then to Impel Down while you're figured out."

Luffy knew of Impel Down, and felt cold. He wasn't going to Impel Down. He punched through the door in the car, planning on getting Robin back later, now that he knew where she was going. He would go back while he could. He was in no shape to fight any of them now. He didn't get much of an explanation, but Robin left for them.

He was not okay with that. But he was exhausted, still wounded from Usopp and then Franky's fights. He ran through the car train, and found Usopp and Franky there. What the hell?! They were both tied up and in burlap sacks. "You assholes are the reasons I'm so weak!" he shouted. But then he ran into Blueno, and backed away. He was grabbed roughly on the back, punched in the spine as his hands were casually cuffed.

"Don't! Don't do it!" Usopp shouted, remembering what happened when he touched seastone in Alabasta, in the cage with Smoker there. The moment they touched him, Luffy's pupils shrunk into pinpoints, and everything around him went red. He started to breathe heavily, and gave off warning feelings to them before he was made to go back into the other dimension. No fucking way!

He turned and bit down on the guy's hand, kicking him in the gut. He ripped a finger off with his teeth, snarling rabidly. Blueno screamed, and Luffy ran back the way he came, still cuffed. "Get him! Now!" Kalifa shouted at the two others in the train he'd come into first. Robin looked shocked, and Lucci was pale in the face. He snarled at them all, all but Robin.

Blueno's blood was on his mouth. He went to chomp down on Lucci, biting his hand even when he covered it in some thickness. When he yanked, he bit off a sliver of his skin, and was then kicked out of the nearest window and into the sea.

"LUFFY!" he heard Robin scream.

He landed in the waves hard, thrown about but coming to his senses. He looked around frantically, not sinking due to being caught in the waves. He landed on something hard and metal, and wrapped his legs around it. It was high on the surface, so he was partly above the water. It was the rail way they had almost been stuck on before.

Managing to stand up, he knew which way he'd come from. He needed blood, food, allies. He wasn't strong enough to fight anymore, now. He would go and get Robin back. He wasn't obligated to save Franky or Usopp. He walked along the railroad, and didn't know how to get out. He crouched down and got a mouthful of seawater before he put his lips to the key slit and spat the water in a concentrated stream so hard the mechanism turned, and the cuffs fell off.

He wasn't affected and weakened by them, but he was managing not to be insane anymore. He had gotten a finger. He chuckled weakly. He really freaked them out.

He had to get stronger, now. It was clear he was not normal at all, he would be targeted. So he had to get much, much stronger. He would use that rage. Luffy would be stronger, stronger than anyone. To protect his crew after he got Robin back. And to then go back out to sea while feeling he was strong enough to keep his crew safe.

He saw sea kings fleeing the storm he was walking towards. He started to run along the railway tracks into the waves. Then he saw a sea king below him, and demanded it come to him, or he'd hunt him down and kill him. The beast complied, and surfaced next to him. "Take me back to Water 7! Follow this railroad!" he shouted, and jumped onto the beast. "Now! Once we're there, I'll leave you alone forever!"

The sea king sped forward along the tracks before Luffy heard the sound of another train. He heard his own crew in there, along with some others he didn't recognize. He had the sea king throw him, and crashed through one of the windows, slamming into the side. He was breathing heavily, and the whole cabin shouted in shock of his appearance while Zoro grabbed him and hugged him.

Nami demanded to know what happened. Luffy explained. "So you threatened a sea king and it took you here?" Luffy nodded. "And you bit off Blueno's finger." He nodded again. "How the hell did you not die being thrown out the window?!"

"I found the railway tracks!"

"Why didn't you wait for Sanji-kun to get to you?!" Nami demanded, grabbing his ear. Huh, Sanji? "He was on the train to rescue you and Robin!"

"Oh. Well, we're heading to the same place. Robin only went with them because they promised to let us be left alone, until they took me and broke the rules, but she's stuck there, now," Luffy explained. "Can I have some privacy with Zoro?" Luffy asked. Nami started to undress behind them.

"You look and I'll kill you," she told all of the people facing her sweetly. They turned away immediately. Zoro glady let Luffy drink from him, his wounds healing and bruises fading. He felt strength surge through him and it was great, he felt a million times better. He pulled away, and wiped his mouth, smiling at his boyfriend warmly. He hugged him back.

Nami was dressed again. She wasn't shy about being naked in front of Zoro and Luffy, it seemed. After all, they clearly didn't care and had no interest. "You look much better, now," Zoro said, Nami smiling next to them. "We were so worried. A lot happened after you were taken, but we managed to get some people together in time to follow you and Robin."

"Now that I know I didn't fail Robin, too, I feel much better. Plus, I don't hurt anymore or anything. I feel a lot better," he said, nuzzling Zoro's neck. Nami was glad, and scolded him about being stubborn and now looked at what happened. "I didn't even put up a fight before. But I'm different now. I know what we have to do.

"They know something is off about me from the seastone reaction. Things might get busier now. I feel like I've been exposed, finally," Luffy said honestly. Zoro knew it was always going to happen. Eventually, somebody else would catch onto his differences. "Yeah. Is there any food here?"

There was a trunk behind them, and Nami left to bring out a smallish sack of meat. "It's all we have right now. We do have water bottles, though. Fill them up and have them in your pockets to refresh during fights. We'll be fighting those asshole CP9 guys." Luffy gladly ate the meat, tearing into it. The foremen had no idea what was going on. How he healed from his wounds.

"Zoro, can you lose anymore?"

"You didn't take too much, I'm good for more." Nami offered, too. It was going to be a hard battle, and they needed him to keep up. She told the others to look away again. Zoro cut his arm and dripped a lot of blood into the smaller bottle. It wasn't a big water bottle, more like the mini ones.

But enough for a refresh. Nami didn't like being cut, and seeing that much blood coming from her own arm made her uncomfortable. But she filled up a good portion, and soon he had two nicely sized bottles of blood. There was a first aid kit and they both had bandages pinching the skin together on both sides of the cuts. He stuffed them both in his pockets.

"Thank you," Luffy said sincerely. They nodded. He asked who else came. "The Franky Family?!" Luffy asked in surprise.

"They'll make good distractions to save you and Robin. They said Franky was taken, too, and wanted to come. Then the foremen came to take revenge on their former friends and help us out in thanks for helping them," Nami explained. You guys really messed up the Franky Family. They're in tatters."

Luffy nodded. They'd been furious. "Too bad it didn't really accomplish anything in the end but anger relief." Nami nodded. "I saw Usopp in there with Franky. They were both tied up. Robin is sitting more comfortable, last time I saw her," Luffy explained. Zoro sighed.

"What is that idiot doing with Franky?" he said in irritation. Luffy shrugged. "You don't have to forgive him if you see him again," he said sternly. "He's not part of our crew anymore." Luffy nodded. He knew that. They were going for Robin.

"You know we can hear you, right?" the Franky Family leader guy snapped. Luffy scowled at him. "We're allies now, let's move on from what happened. We have a common goal, but we don't gotta be friends."

Luffy smilked, liking this way of thinking. "Okay. We're accomplices together. You better be prepared for this."

Lulu said, "Well, you bit off his finger. Shouldn't be too hard to take him out if that happened." Zoro said it was only because Luffy surprised them. Now they most likely thought he was dead.

"Robin probably thinks this as well," Nami said sadly. "Poor Robin. All alone with a bunch of bad guys."

"Better for her that Luffy wasn't there, even though he was thrown into the sea during an aqua laguna. Though we're getting close to being out of it. I can't believe you walked along the tracks and then bullied a sea king," Zoro snorted. Luffy laughed, a real laugh, and it made Nami and Zoro smile in true relief.

Luffy was himself again. Healed and ready to fight for another friend, like usual. How many times had they don't this by now? "What if I could train an army! And they all attacked at the same time!"

"I doubt sea kings would work together, even on their own," Kiwi said. He was introduced to the few Franky Family members inside the train. Kiwi, Mozu and Zambai. "They aren't exactly creatures who travel in packs or pods."

Mozu agreed. She asked how Franky looked. "A little beat up, but not too badly," Luffy said. "Shishishi, Nami pushed him into the water!" Nami smirked, saying it was his own fault. He should have been paying more attention. "I sucked in that fight, though."

"None of us exactly performed as well as we'd wanted. Besides Nami," Zoro admitted. "You, Zambai. Why couldn't I cut Franky's chest? Cause he's a cyborg?" Zambai nodded. "So he's invincible?"

"No, Big Bro Franky made his own body. He couldn't focus on the back, so that's the vulnerable part of him. His front is all steel." Luffy thought it was really neat. He hated Franky, but he didn't want to hate anybody. It seemed Usopp reconciled with him after leaving them. He wondered if Marry perished in the waves. Taken far out to sea. The whole fight meaning nothing with the Merry gone.

Zoro kissed his cheek. "Don't think of useless stuff," he said.

"Awww," Nami said, though she was joined by Kiwi and Mozu. Zoro yelled at them to not act like that.

"But it's so touching. The big, powerful pirates are soft with one another. So sweet," Mozu said. All of the men there were uncomfortable. The formen quickly explained what Luffy didn't know. Who CP9 was and how they were affiliated. Luffy felt bad for them. Their friends were not friends at all the entire time. It must hurt. It did hurt.

"I'll take out that pigeon bastard. What is his power? He smelled weird." Zoro explained he was a leopard zoan. That it was probably a bad move to "you know". Luffy did know. It was possible that drinking from him could trigger the reaction that came from drinking from that horse. He never wanted to repeat that experience again.

Then the den den mushi then rang in the middle of the room. Nami picked it up, and the one on the other side was Sanji.

"Nami-san, I found Robin and Usopp. It seems Luffy was thrown out the window and into the sea," Sanji said in shame.

"I'm here! I walked along the tracks until I bullied a sea king in taking me back. Then I ran into Zoro's group."

"No fucking way," Franky's voice said in the background. Zambai shouted if he was okay. "Yow! For now, I am! But damn, Straw Hat, that's badass! No hard feelings?" Luffy was silent, and the den den sweat, before Luffy said okay. He was still mad, but didn't hate him. "Super!"

Zoro asked where they were. "On top of the train. Shit went down with Luffy, but the rest of the train is full of marines and government officials. We're on top one of the cars. Luffy, you pissed these guys off bad, so it's lucky they think you're dead."

"What do you mean?"

"You bit off the finger of one of them and then took a chunk out of another's arm. No to mention the fact you damaged their special cabin. When you reveal yourself, I can't wait to see their expressions.

"You back to being 100%?"

"Yup! Ready and willing to fight to save Robin for sure!" Luffy said with conviction. "We're not letting her go that easily. Feel free to go wild, Sanji!"

"You bet I will. I'm glad you're alive, captain," Sanji said with a sigh. Luffy just laughed. Once they hung up, Luffy went and looked out the window, sticking his head out. "Ooh, that looks fun!" he said and climbed up to straddle the front of the rocketman. He wrapped his limbs around it to hold on. The water sprayed on his face, and he was in awe.

He'd survived being handcuffed in the ocean during a raging storm. He couldn't wait to see stupid CP9's faces when they found he was alive and more than capable of biting off a few more fingers. He grinned widely. It was lucky seastone didn't hinder him and make him vulnerable, but he also did like having control of his mind and body. So seastone was a no-no.

When they made it out of the storm, the waves were calmer, but it was still the open ocean. It was so weird being on a train. Being on a ship was a lot better, though more difficult to maintain, it seemed. Luffy turned around and saw the huge sea kings that the rest of the family Franky was riding on. Amazing! They were like giant yagaras. And wearing goggles, too, weirdly.

"Robin, we're coming for you. You don't get to run away from us like this," Luffy said, finally once again confident in himself. If he could survive being thrown into the raging ocean handcuffed, he could take care of himself and his crew. He'd be more observant, too. He just needed to train his attention and senses even more.

He wouldn't let an Usopp situation happen again.

He looked ahead and could see before he smelled the train. He stretched his neck down far enough to be in front of the window, and said the train was in front of them. "It's not smoking or moving, though. Just sitting there!" he informed them.

They could see it was two single cars from the train, stranded and trapped on the track, not able to move without an engine. Was it going to hit the Rocketman? And they couldn't stop the thing, it had no brakes apparently. "There are a lot of people in it!" Luffy added helpfully. "I'll see if Sanji's inside, just to be sure!" he said, and rocketed himself forward and into the car.

"Sanji! Sanji here!?" He smelled deeply. He'd been there, but was not anymore. He made his arms in an X position, confusing the marines and government officials as they shot at him. When the Rocketman was coming closer, Luffy called, "Cut it! It's in our way!"

"Okay," Zoro said, and sliced the cars in half as they passed right through them. The guys were shocked by Rocketman. Luffy jumped back onto the train and kissed Zoro passionately before they almost fell off. "Idiot!" Zoro said.

"Shishishi, I couldn't help it! Zoro being strong is really attractive," he said lightly. Zoro flushed and climbed back inside. When asked what made him so red, he said it was nothing. Nami knew better than that, obviously by the knowing giggle, but said nothing about it.

Zambai asked, "So, you and Straw Hat?"

"Don't. I am not talking about that with you people," Zoro said, settling back against the wall. Luffy snickered. When they came across a sliced apart sea king not too long later, Luffy called Zoro back out. There was something weird. He looked out the window and saw the sliced apart, huge creature. Zambai said he still couldn't imagine Luffy scared one into submission. Zoro's face hardened and he climbed back out, putting the bandanna on, Luffy watching him do so happily. He looked so badass like that. Dangerous and strong. They saw the guy there, standing on the tracks.

The ship butcher was his name, a ranking marine who could cut things and ships in half. "Prepare to fire the cannon!"

"Are you blind? Zoro's got it!" He was on the front of the rocketmen while Luffy was wrapped around the chimney of it.

"I'll say this once! Get out of our way or die!" Zoro called loud enough to hear him. The guy, the ship butcher, didn't move. He said "justice, blah, blah, justice, marines" and then Zoro cut him down easily, unaffected by his attack. They all stayed on top of the Rocketman for now if anything else came up.

Luffy sat next to him. "Zoro's so pretty when he wears his bandana," Luffy said. Zoro couldn't help the snicker. "He should wear it more often."

"I did promise that didn't I?" He had, a long time ago. He kissed Luffy on the cheek. Zambai asked if they were nervous. They were acting so calm. "Why do you think we're acting like this? We know it'll be a dangerous situation," Zoro said in irritation. The others said, "Oh", understanding and backing off.

Then they both looked on and saw that big frog from before, when things were still good, appeared on the tracks. They yelled at him to move out of the way, but the bastard slapped the rocketman and they were disconnected from the tracks! "You stupid frog!" Luffy shouted. "Look what you did!" he raged.

The frog wasn't bothered by Luffy's anger, and instead went to talk to Kokoro about something as Nami tried to find a current to take them back to the train tracks. Once they found it, they first got back the Franky Family that had been disconnected when the stupid frog hit them. He was an ally now, but he could have caused them a ton of problems. Then they got onto the tracks once again.

They saw Sanji and a masked Usopp on their little ship. When the two got onto the Rocketman, Sanji was glad to see Luffy, and asked if he was all better. "Yup! I'm actually in shape to fight." Sanji grinned. "Don't worry us like that."

"You're acting like you're happy one of the guys is safe," Nami said happily. Usopp was wearing a mask, calling himself Sogeking. Luffy wished he could play along with it, but he could smell it was totally Usopp, and could tell his stories were lies. Not bad ones, but still lies. But Chopper believed it, and Luffy didn't want to ruin that for him.

Luffy just didn't want to talk to him right now. Maybe it was immature to hold a grudge. Zoro said it was okay to still be upset. But they should put their feelings aside to save Robin. "Yeah. I will. I'll try not to think about it," he replied, looking back out the window. Chopper asked Luffy if he'd ever met a hero like Sogeking.

"Hmm… I don't think so," Luffy said, playing along to make Chopper happy. He'd been very quiet on the train. Luffy scooped him up. "Now we have another ally, huh?" Luffy asked. It was nice not seeing Usopp's face.

"We're definitely going to save Robin." Zoro asked how Robin had acted in the train cars. And Franky, too.

"Robin-san was very upset with what happened to Luffy-kun. Very angry. She made a deal with them and they broke it. Everyone thinks you are dead. But she still didn't fight to get free, regardless of their deal being broken," Usopp explained.

Sanji said, "She blames herself for what happened to you. I think she needs to see you to ever want to be free." He blew out a puff of smoke. Luffy frowned. He understood why Robin would feel that way, but Luffy was the one who was obvious about it. "They tried interrogating her about it, but she refused. They sort of gave up as you are presumed dead and all."

Luffy mused, "Then it's a good thing that happened. They won't expect me. And now they can't stop me by seastone. I just have to not die." Zoro scowled at that. "I won't die, we're getting Robin back and getting a new ship for new adventures!" Luffy said positively.

"Hang on. Robin blames herself for your death and doesn't want to escape due to that, but there's a larger problem at hand. The real reason she left in the first place. Her terrible past." The cabin grew silent. Until Sanji started talking, and Luffy bluntly said he didn't want to hear. "Why?!"

"Because it doesn't matter! Robin isn't her past. Her past doesn't matter, we're all going to save her even without knowing, right?" Luffy challenged. "I just wanna save her and get even with those jerks. Grr, I hate them!" he shouted. "I'm gonna use everything against them! And then I'll have my way with Zoro later," he said firmly.

Everyone's faces went red and some looked kind of grossed out. Zoro said nothing, but his face and chest were bright red. Nami and the square sisters snickered.

Sanji asked if they really didn't want to hear. "I'm sure." Zoro nodded, and Nami and Chopper agreed. They didn't need to know to save Robin. Plus, they'd all voluntarily given their childhood stories. The way Usopp and Sanji learned was without her permission... Luffy wouldn't do the same. It didn't matter right now. If Robin felt comfortable saying something later, then that was great.