CHAPTER 5
OMG OVER 100 REVIEWS (squeals to death)
Sorry for the long wait, but sometimes it's just so hard to pump out these chapters. I want to post at least two a month, but who knows.
Longest chapter, over 13,000 words.
It's pretty angsty in here.
DISCLAIMER
Luffy is back in the cells.
Beside him is Makino, chained up but still smiling through all the worry and pain she's no doubt experienced.
He looks ahead, there's the mayor and bandits. Dadan keeps grinding her teeth together, a habit she has picked up to keep the tobacco cravings at bay. Woop Slap fiddles with the cuffs on his wrists and glances worriedly at the very still form beside him.
Luffy looks down at himself. His clothes are very worn and have several holes and tears. The sea stone cuff is still there, sapping Luffy's energy away and making it harder than ever to do the work he is forced into.
Suddenly, a hand grasps his and he looks up at Makino.
But he can't see her face. Luffy is sure he can, but the harder he tries the blurrier it looks. Baffled, he turns back to the mayor and bandits.
Oddly enough they look the same as Makino. Actually, so does everyone else in the room. But now all their nonexistent gazes are trained on Luffy.
Makino says something, but it's garbled and unclear. Luffy searches her face desperately for anything he can understand. Instead, she grasps both of his hands and shakes them roughly.
Hold on, two hands?
And it's burning hot. The intense heat tears at Luffy's skin and he cries out in surprise. Magma pours out of the walls and pools on the ground.
It flows in continuous stream, coming closer and closer to his chained feet. He struggles against his binds, but they are too strong and he's too weak. Too weak!
Makino's hands are still grasping his in a death grip. He yells at her to let go, but realizes his voice won't form any coherent words. The magma comes closer to both of them and Luffy inches to the back of the cage, pulling Makino along.
But before they can move any further, Makino jerks him forward so that his face is right in front of hers.
"YOU TOOK TOO LONG!" She screeches. Until now, Luffy has never heard her use that tone in his life. "NOW WE'RE ALL DEAD! WE TRUSTED YOU BUT YOU LEFT US BEHIND!"
Luffy's heart cries in utter anguish and he tries to tell her. He tries to say he is trying, that every single moment away from them is a moment of agony. He tries to apologize and beg for forgiveness.
But nothing comes out. And now she is just screaming at him without a mouth, without a face, and he can't do anything but listen to this damn nightmare.
More voices chime in and Luffy sees it's Dadan and the others. They're all saying the same hurtful things as Makino and, Luffy realizes dully, at the same time.
They're all sitting and the magma finally reaches the top of their hipbones. Luffy screams but the others don't seem to feel it. Makino's nails draw blood on Luffy's wrists, but compared to the incinerating heat on his torso, he doesn't even register it.
"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY MAKINO! EVERYONE!" He tries to drown out their words but his voice just sounds like a series of broken sobs. As their words get louder, the magma rises higher until it is up to their mouths. Luffy howls and cries from the mental overload.
Then it stops. He gasps in the fresh air and coughs hoarsely. After a few seconds, Luffy glances around him. He's under a flag, a Whitebeard flag to be precise, and it is on fire.
"Luffy."
Said teen snaps his head around because he can't be hearing that person yet.
"Ace?" His voice is working now, but he doesn't care. All of his thoughts are on his brother, and how he is standing right there. Luffy stands up and takes a step forward with a relieved smile.
But then he stops. Ace's face doesn't look happy at all. His frown is deep and the hate in his eyes makes Luffy still.
"You destroyed the pride of my crew. What kind of stupid bastard does that? You even left the village behind! Why would I help them? Come on Luffy, tell me exactly why." Ace taunts. Luffy is shaking, but he doesn't know why he feels like this in front of his brother.
"Because we need you Ace! I need you-"
"Ha! Please Luffy, like I would take your word. Such a worthless crybaby who was always a waste of my time. I regret not killing you as a kid. I should have just..." Ace slides a finger across his neck.
"Why are you saying these things Ace?" Luffy's voice shakes along with his body. The words hurt him so much and he fears what Ace will say next.
"Why? Because these things are the truth. Leaving you was the best thing that ever happened to me, I'm finally feeling something other than annoyance and loathing everyday." Luffy winces and to his horror, Ace starts laughing.
"Look at you, actually thinking I liked you and would help you. IT'S PATHETIC! If only the nobles sold you off earlier so I didn't have to look you in the face again." Ace sneers, and he waltzes closer to Luffy.
"Stop! I know you don't feel this way!" Big silent tears tumble down Luffy's face. He's hurting so much, this is a million times worse than the lava.
"Shut up and don't talk to me ever again!" Ace reaches forward and grabs Luffy's bicep. To Luffy's horror, it starts to crumble away and Ace is just standing there, but his face is gone now. Luffy blinks once, and suddenly everyone from the cages is behind Ace. He blinks twice and their faces disappear. His whole arm crumbles away, and there's a sharp pain to his shoulder.
"HOW COULD YOU LUFFY?"
"YOU LEFT US TO DIE!"
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT."
Luffy grips his shoulder and curls into a ball on the ground. He squeezes his eyes shut and tries to block out the screams of hatred.
"I'm so so so so sorry...please...please..." He begs weakly, burying his head into his knees. When the shouts fade away, Luffy remains curled up on the ground.
Then he hears a ticking sound. It's slow at first, but then the tempo builds. For some reason Luffy feels like he has to look up. So when the ticking goes so fast it's a steady stream of noise, he shoots his head up.
Ace is there, and he grabs Luffy's face.
"LUFFY!"
Luffy's eyes fly open and he gasps for air.
"Did you guys hear anything?" Someone asks. He wipes away the tears on his face and forces his breathing to settle.
"No man, just the ocean." Someone else responds. The tears tumble down Luffy's face again and he wipes at them furiously this time.
'That's the worst one yet.' He thinks shakily. With one last shuddering breath, Luffy settles back down on his stomach. He feels hot, feverish even, and sweat gleams on his skin.
He has changed from his previous hiding spot to the wagon that he is currently inhabiting. Honestly, he thought it would be more comfortable than laying on coins, but it turns out it's not much better.
Luffy was lucky he didn't get caught; these pirates are highly attentive and he has hardly been able to move let alone change positions all night.
Even when the ship docked once, he couldn't escape because they were so high on alert. After being nearly caught twice, Luffy has been more quiet and still than he has probably ever been in his life.
As a result, he feels like complete and utter shit. He's so starving and his arm stub hurts a lot. Luffy fears one of his stomach growls will alert the pirate's of his presence.
But he'll get out soon. He hears the pirate's talking about how they are close to shore.
Willing himself to forget the nightmare, Luffy gathers his bearings and prepares to spring outside.
Line here
It's a very nice night, the stars are shining and the air is warm. Everyone is out on the town, shopping and partying. Lanterns are strung up everywhere and the scent of cherry blossoms flows in the breeze.
Three men walk from a local weapons shop. One has a large pompadour hairstyle and speaks loudly, causing others to shy away from him. The lady-no, um, man next to him wears a purple kimono and face makeup. He yells at the boisterous man to shut up and proceeds to smack said man on the head.
The third man looks relatively calm with his lazy eyes and lax expression. His hair looks similar to a blonde pineapple and his companions always seem to comment on it.
"Marcooooooooo?" The pompadour man moans to the pineapple head.
"What is it now Thatch?" Marco replies, clearly irritated.
"How much longer until we find this guy?"
"I don't know-yoi, that's why we are looking." He grits.
"If you spent less time complaining and more time searching for suspicious behaviour, this wouldn't be taking so long." The makeup wearing man says.
"But Izou! Shouldn't we just wait by the flag until he shows up instead of wandering around without an idea of what this guy looks like?"
Izou rolls his eyes. "If we did that then it would be obvious what we're planning. So until then, stop acting like a spoiled child." Izou karate chops Thatch on the head and he falls over onto the cobblestone street. Marco sighs and shakes his head at their bickering.
"Maybe we should check the docks. We haven't been around there much." He suggests.
It doesn't take long to get there, just a few minutes at a leisurely pace. As the threesome approach, they notice the many fishermen packing up for the night.
The pirates immediately set to patrol the dock. Thatch, for once, remains silent as they look for anything odd. Marco extends his observation haki in all directions and uses his phoenix senses to boost his range.
'I don't feel anything suspicious...' he observes. Everything in his radius seems clear with no unusual activity.
"Excuse me?"
All of them look curiously to their left. There is an old man bent down tying his boat to the dock with a thick rope. He has paused in his task but is still knelt down with his eyes focused on Marco, Thatch and Izou.
"Can we help you-yoi?" Marco asks, expression neutral as they walk up to him.
"You're all Whitebeard pirates right?" The elder asks, gesturing to the tattoo visible on Marco's chest.
"That's right, is there something you want?" Izou asks, putting his hands on his hips. The old man shakes his head.
"No, it's just I take it you're all here to catch the brat that's been taking down your flags?" He returns to tying his knot. Thatch nods.
"Yes, you wouldn't happen to know anything about him would you?"
"I'm afraid I know only as much as the papers tell us. But it's about time you pirate's got here, we don't want our only source of protection gone." With a final tug on his rope, the old man stands up.
Just then, Marco feels something odd with his observation haki.
"You guys sense that?" He asks his friends. They nod in return and focus their haki on an area further down the docks. Marco pushes his haki until he concentrates on a single vessel.
'He's on that pirate ship!'
Suddenly a small figure in black springs out of a wagon on the ship. One of the pirates spots him and slashes down with his sword. Luckily, the figure dodges to the side and jumps onto the docks. Marco notices how he stumbles when he lands.
"C'mon-yoi!" Marco says to his friends. But just as he turns around, the cloaked figure sprints past all of them and heads into the city.
"I've got this." Marco says, and he chases the figure.
The cloaked man up ahead doesn't notice him at first, he's just concentrated on getting away from the scene.
But as soon as Marco gains ground, that's when the figure seems to know he's being chased. He ducks into a dark alleyway in hopes to lose his pursuer.
'Oh no you don't-yoi!' Marco zooms around the corner and is surprised to see the man jumping off of the close walls to gather momentum. 'Clever, but you can't get away from me.' Marco does the same and the chase resumes.
The cloaked man has already gotten a head start so Marco senses his path with observation haki. The commander speeds up when he confirms where the figure is, springing from wall to wall.
When he jumps around a corner the cloaked man finally comes into view. At first glance he's like a fox, swift and fast. But Marco sees how his ankles twist oddly when he lands with too much force and how he sometimes skids across the ground.
Before Marco can confront him, the figure looks back quickly then springs onto the rooftops. He wastes no time bounding from one roof to another at a faster pace.
'This guy's nimble.' he thinks, mildly impressed as he follows behind. Marco lands delicately on the rooftop just in time to see the figure disappear back down into the maze of alleys.
Not hesitating another second, Marco dashes on the rooftops and plunges down to where he last saw him. As expected, the figure is nowhere to be seen.
'At this rate, I'm going to be chasing him all night.' Marco realizes with a sigh. 'I think I'll wait until he tires himself out.' To get a better range, Marco goes on the rooftops once again. He closes his eyes in concentration and releases a wave of observation haki.
'There you are...' Marco springs back down and runs on the path towards his target. Once he is about three alleys away, he slows his pace to follow the offender, but not so close to be seen.
Marco follows him for about fifteen minutes then decides to catch up to the brat.
'He can't possibly still have enough energy to get away now.' Jumping onto the rooftop again, Marco follows along the alley to where the figure should be. But there's no one there.
'Crap!' He's not where Marco had anticipated. In fact, he's not anywhere.
'Where did you go?' Marco wonders, eyes narrowing. He takes a deep breath and once again searches the area with his haki.
But Marco can't sense him anymore. Not even a hint of his presence remains.
'Damn! I got careless!' Marco lands on the ground and stretches his senses further.
'No good, he's out of my range.' He clicks his tongue in anger then walks back through the dark alley and into the city.
Marco blinks at the sudden lantern light that invades his eyes. He rubs them for a moment. Partially for relief, partially to delay going back to his potentially angry crew mates.
Then he walks down the street with his hands shoved in his pockets. As Marco passes by, he notices the curious looks directed at him and guesses they are wondering why he barrelled through town earlier.
When he returns to the port he is immediately glomped with questions from Thatch.
"Marco! Where is he? Why didn't you catch him? Did he threaten to cook you up and eat your chicken-OW!" He's cut off when a nail polished hand smacks him on the head.
"Let the man speak will you?" Izou chides. He turns his unimpressed gaze to the first division commander. "Well, let's hear your explanation." Marco sighs in exhaustion and rubs the back of his head.
"I was careless-yoi. I tried to tire him out but he got too far away without me knowing."
"Why didn't you just use your phoenix form? You could've swooped down and nabbed him in no time." Thatch asks, now sporting a large bruise.
"When we got here I had a word with the mayor. He told me specifically not to frighten the citizens with my powers at any time. If I did it now, at night, I'd be clearly visible-yoi."
"I guess that makes sense, he only wants the best for his town. But still, it's making it harder for us to catch this guy." Izou says, sticking his nose up.
"Sorry about all of this-yoi." Marco apologizes. Izou waves his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about it, we'll just stick with the original plan. He always strikes at night, so we'll just stay here until he does. But for now..." Izou walks up to Marco and buttons up his shirt.
"What are you doing?"
"If there's a good chance the offender hasn't seen this mark or recognized it from the different design, then he doesn't know who we are."
"But he has probably seen Marco's face while he was being chased. He'd know we are after him anyway." Thatch points out.
"Like I said," Izou says, doing up the last button, "if he doesn't know who we are, he'll think we're just a bunch of angry citizens wanting to catch him for ruining our town's flag. Nothing different than what he's used to. Even if he did see Marco's face it wouldn't matter."
"He won't think of us as much of a threat compared to anyone else." Marco says, building on Izou's thinking. Izou nods.
"Exactly. Then when he lets his guard down, it will be the perfect time to strike."
"But what if he does know who we are?" Thatch asks. Izou brushes the stray hairs away from his powdered face.
"Then he will come to us. After all, he has something he wants to say, no?"
Line here
'Thirty minutes ago'
Luffy hears the thump of the boat hitting wood and knows the pirate's have docked. They mill around him, totally oblivious to the fact that they have a stowaway hiding pretty much in plain sight.
He snickers and squirms forward on the wagon so that his nose almost touches the front. Cautiously, Luffy pulls on his hood and raises his head so that he can peek over the top. The green tarp raises slightly with his head but not so much to be noticeable.
'Where's a good escape route?' Luffy scans the area around him. It doesn't look too bad; he can probably sneak by.
"Hey!"
If only those pirates weren't so damn alert!
Not giving the pirate enough time to strike, Luffy springs out of the wagon. Just as his feet touch the ground, another pirate swings his sword down. Luffy swerves to the side just in time and the sword imbeds itself in the wooden deck.
"Get him!" Someone shouts. Recovering from his previous move, Luffy leaps over the ship's railing and lands on the docks some feet below.
As soon as he lands a wave of dizziness hits him and everything seems hotter. Luffy totters dangerously to the side but catches himself. The once dull pain on his shoulder is now burning hot and throbbing intensely.
Another shout snaps Luffy out of his trance. He whips his head around to see the pirate's jumping over the railing after him. On the other side, citizens near the port have gathered to see what is happening.
'Damn!' Luffy pulls the hood down to cover more of his face and sprints toward the city. He runs past the gawking crowd before they register who he is.
Just before Luffy reaches the city, he registers passing someone with a pineapple head but zooms by without a backward glance.
His breathing is laboured, more so than he likes. But Luffy forces himself to run faster so he won't get caught. The citizens still haven't realized who he is, and he wants to get away before they do.
Eventually when he is further into the city, Luffy hears footsteps trailing him at a running pace.
'Crap! Those pirates caught up!' Without a backwards glance, Luffy ducks into the nearest alley and pushes his body further.
'These walls are pretty narrow...' Luffy grins as an idea comes to mind. He kicks off of the wall to his left and then does the same to the right, so he ends up bounding from wall to wall high up in the air.
'Shishishi it's just like the trees in Mount Corvo!' Luffy snickers internally. This method brings up his speed and makes it harder for his pursuer to catch him.
Luffy jumps through the alleyways, but suddenly notices how darker they are becoming the further he goes. He wonders about that for a second, but soon forgets about it.
Straining his ears, Luffy can hear quiet pitter patter of the person chasing him. He scowls to the sky through his harsh panting.
'I've got to get away before I can't see anything at all.' Luffy pushes off the walls with all of his might and forces himself to go faster.
However, as he turns a corner he realizes how much he can't see. Luffy's foot catches the edge and he immediately loses his momentum. His foot twists against the wall, making him fall and slide across the dirty ground.
'Ugh...' On a shaky arm he brings himself upright. It's then that the full extent of his exhaustion hits. Sweat pours off his brows and runs into his eyes. Luffy feels something wet on his shoulder but can make a good guess of what it is. He realizes that the darkness is from his own vision, not the alley.
'But I've got to keep going.' He forces himself back up the walls and continues at a pace albeit slower than before.
The chase seems to go on forever in Luffy's opinion. Every time he thinks he is home free those steps return, louder each time.
So when Luffy stumbles over his feet yet again, he risks a quick glance over his shoulder. To his surprise and disappointment, he can see the figure just a few meters away.
'Damn it!' Luffy looks up and then springs onto the rooftop. 'I shouldn't be in the open like this for too long.' So Luffy dashes over a few rooftops then goes down into an alley again.
This time when Luffy lands, there is a ringing in his ears that makes his eyes go wide. On shaky legs, he rises and escapes.
Not trusting himself to jump properly on the walls, Luffy decides to run on foot blindly into the increasing darkness.
'Don't pass out, don't pass out!' He screams at himself. 'I've got to go faster!' Somehow his legs speed up and he centres his mind on 'running' and 'nothing else.'
The corners don't feel like they appear anymore. To Luffy it's like he's running in a straight line with the thumping of his heart loud in his ears. Everything blurs at the edges of his vision and eventually he can't make out details because it's so dark.
"You left us here to die!"
Luffy grimaces and presses a palm to his ear.
"I should have killed you when I had the chance!"
He shakes his head and shuts his eyes tightly.
'Its just my mind playing tricks on me.' Luffy tells himself. 'The voices aren't real, it's all in my head.' Yet the harsh comments keep coming.
"It's your fault we're stuck as slaves!"
"Ace isn't the devil child, you are!" Luffy runs faster, trying to escape the jeers around him.
"Whitebeard will kill you before you even have a chance to say a word!"
"Who would want a whiny, snivelling, weak brother like you?" He speeds up even more. Luffy isn't looking where he's going anymore.
"Sabo would agree with me. He only tolerated you so he wouldn't have to hear you complain." Just go faster!
"We hate you and wish you didn't exist." FASTER!
"You should just die."
Luffy's feet are suddenly off the ground. He doesn't have enough time to bring up his arm when he skids across the earth, kicking up a mountain of dust.
He tumbles across the alley, gaining several cuts and bruises on stray rocks. Eventually, Luffy's body slows and he is left lying on his side.
Dust clouds rise from around his still figure. The voices have stopped, and Luffy lays in complete silence. His eyes are closed, and he focuses on filling his lungs with much needed air.
After awhile, his head clears enough so he can think straight. Luffy strains his ears to listen for the pirate after him, but he hears nothing.
'Was there even someone after me? I don't know anymore...' Luffy sighs and rests on the ground, just trying to recuperate.
The cool ground feels magnificent on his overheating body. He presses his cheek further against the cool dirt, trying to push away the sickness threatening to dominate him.
'I need the stuff from my bag.' Luffy thinks blearily. With a considerable amount of effort, he sits up and drags himself next to a large green dumpster.
He groans as his back rests against the grimy brick wall. The dizziness returns from the sudden motion and Luffy feels close to heaving.
When the sickness passes, he reaches into his bag for the remaining bottle of medicine.
Popping off the cap, he immediately grimaces at the smell. It's almost bad enough to bring his nausea back. Luffy shakes his head and tries not to gag as he swallows the substance whole. Hopefully the small amount of medicine does something for him.
The wetness of his shoulder is next on the examination list. He pulls the bandage off and sucks in a sharp breath. The skin is really sore and it swells around the stitches.
The liquid that Luffy once thought was blood is actually something yellow, and it oozes from his wound. He promptly wipes it off with the inside of his cloak then rips a piece off with his teeth. The straw hat teen wraps it around his shoulder and secures it tightly.
Feeling drowsy, Luffy leans back onto the brick wall and closes his eyes. His stomach grumbles loudly but for once, Luffy ignores it. All of his money has been lost and he has no energy whatsoever to do a dine and dash.
With a groan Luffy realizes he needs to hit the flag. The sooner he does it, the sooner the Whitebeard pirates will come.
'But I'm just so tired...' His breathing slows and Luffy realizes, with a start, that he can't move anymore. His body is already shutting down from exhaustion, willing him to get some rest.
With a quick mental sorry to his friends in Foosha, Luffy falls into a deep sleep under the cover of darkness.
Line here
Mid-afternoon sunlight peeks out from the top of the buildings, bringing light to the alley Luffy is currently residing. The sun glares on his eye lids, urging them open, but he moves his head away.
Luffy's mind bleakly registers something on his cloak and chest. Half asleep, he brushes the unknown thing away with a wave.
He sighs in content when the feeling goes away and then relaxes against the wall again.
Then it returns, more aggressive and Luffy frowns. He swats his hand but this time it doesn't go away. Groaning, he swings harder and this time it retaliates by pushing his hand away.
'What the?!' Luffy is done with whatever is disturbing his sleep and opens his eyes. To his shock, the thing on his shirt is hands. They are digging through his pockets trying to find something of value.
Immediately, Luffy jumps up with a yell (he refuses to say he squeals, pirates don't squeal!) and kicks the raggedy pick pocketer into a building.
Luffy immediately runs from the scene. Suddenly feeling compressed, he makes for the first opening into the city. It isn't very far, just a few corners away until he can see the main street.
He bursts into the open and breathes in the fresh oxygen that is no longer tainted with must and steel. A few passerby's glance at him curiously, gossiping to their friends.
After sucking in as much air as he can get, Luffy calms and thinks of yesterday's events.
'I was so out of it, now I can't tell when everything stopped being real.' He realizes. 'Was someone chasing me? Or was I just going crazy?' Another question pops into Luffy's mind. 'And why was I like that? Did I get a fever?' Luffy feels his head experimentally.
'I definitely don't have one now, maybe it's because of the nasty stuff I took last night.'
Someone bumps his bad shoulder and mumbles an apology as they walk away. Luffy just bites his lip to stifle a cry of pain. Damn Akainu!
Just then, Luffy's stomach growls loudly. He looks around the area for a quick grab when his eyes land on a shish-kabob stand across the street. It is bustling with customers and the man at the station is busy handing out the delicious snacks.
Luffy sneakily makes his way over to the side (and empty part) of the stand. He glances upwards at the vendor, but he seems occupied with the overflow of customers.
Quickly, Luffy snatches the meat off the barbecue when he isn't looking. Grinning to himself, the teen walks away unnoticeably from the crowd. He grins even wider; he hasn't had kabobs in forever!
Just before he can sink his teeth into the savoury meat, Luffy feels a pair of eyes upon him. He looks up and his gaze meets one of a man with pineapple shaped hair across the street.
Luffy blinks in surprise. The man is quite some ways away, yet he has still managed to spot Luffy's theft from that far. However, the aura around this guy seems kind of familiar, but overall very powerful.
Meeting his gaze defiantly, Luffy stuffs the meat in his mouth all at once. He chews deliberately slow, unspoken challenge in his eyes.
The man just stares back blankly, not moving an inch. Luffy begins to think he is a statue until two men step beside him.
The newcomers don't notice him yet, but judging by the way they interact with each other Luffy guesses they are comrades. In a matter of seconds, they follow pineapple guy's line of sight and start watching Luffy too.
Not up to staring down three seemingly powerful people, Luffy ducks back into the crowd. He navigates through the hustle, avoiding stray limbs until he reaches freedom.
Their stares unnerve Luffy. He ponders this as he walks onto a path leading to the forest.
'Are they marines?' The thought has Luffy stopping in place. Did they find out he wasn't dead and sent people after him? Marines can't be on these pirate protected islands, but maybe that isn't enough to keep them away.
Luffy shakes his head, why hasn't he given more thought to this earlier? Sure, those people have a weird appearance, but that can be all part of a disguise. Maybe the person chasing him yesterday wasn't an illusion and was one of those men.
'Maybe I'm just paranoid.' Luffy says mentally, but the deep look in the pineapple guy's eyes makes a stronger argument.
He starts walking again. Luffy doesn't know who these people are, but if they are marines he is staying as far away from them as possible.
Soon enough, the straw-hatter reaches his destination.
The forest is what Luffy considers 'cute' in comparison to his own. The trees are smaller, and the biggest predator here is the size of a small dog.
After a bit of walking, he comes across a good size water basin. Bushes surround it, offering cover from any onlookers. As a matter of fact, Luffy almost falls into it but he manages to grab an overhanging branch before it happens.
It creaks eerily under his weight and bends, but Luffy swings his feet backwards. His tip-toes catch the ledge and he leans backwards onto the safety of land where he can let go of the branch. Luffy whistles.
'That was close.' Wiping the sweat off his brow, he realizes it's been awhile since he last bathed.
Being extra careful not to drown, he strips and sits on the edge of the basin. Luffy's straw hat rests preciously tucked under the bushes so it won't be blown away.
A good scrub down later, Luffy removes the makeshift bandage on his arm. There's no more puss, which is good, but it's still sore and sensitive. He gently cleans the wound then reapplies the bandage.
With cleaning done Luffy risks lowering himself into the water. Just in case, he ties a vine from his waist to a tree so he can pull himself out if needed.
The teen sinks into the warm water with a sigh. The sky above is as blue as can be with birds chirping overhead. A few squirrels scuttle on a tree nearby, stopping on a branch to nibble on nuts.
Despite the relaxing atmosphere, Luffy can't help but let his mind wander.
'When are the Whitebeard pirates going to show up?' He wonders idly.
'Will I have to take down all of their damn flags before they notice?!'
Line here
Being on an island that's protected by a pirate is odd. Especially if your the pirate that has to do the protecting.
It's like a role reversal. The pirates uphold order, prevent any trouble, while the marines are the ones they keep away. A weird phenomenon.
So when Marco sees the kid swipe a shish-kabob without paying, he plays marine and moves to stop him. However, a glance at the boy's wrist holds him back.
On it and clamped tightly is a dark blue shackle with a small broken chain link attached to the side.
'Most likely sea stone,' Marco thinks, recognizing the material and colour. 'I wonder if it's on the other wrist too.' But the other arm is hiding in the kid's poncho.
He moves his eyes to the straw hat peeking from the kid's hood on his back. It looks vaguely familiar, but Marco can't put his finger on it.
Then the boy looks directly at him. Marco has to contain a chuckle at the look of surprise he receives. The kid's childish eyes are blown wide and his mouth forms a silent "oh".
It's like a switch, the surprised look is quickly masked into a rebellious one as the boy eats the meat. He chews slowly, daring Marco with his eyes to try stopping him. Marco barely muffles a snort.
He gets a better look at him now. The boy seems pale and a little too skinny for Marco's liking. A thought that he's a slave crosses his mind just as Thatch and Izou approach, fighting as usual.
"Hey! Earth to Marco!" Thatch shouts, abandoning his previous argument. "What are you looking at?"
Marco just points his chin forward. They both turn their heads to the kid who suddenly looks very uncomfortable.
"Who? Him?" Izou asks, eyes curious. But before his question is answered, the boy slips into the crowd and disappears like a shadow.
"Who was that?" Thatch asks, turning his gaze to Marco. The phoenix's eyes linger on the spot the kid was just a second ago, then back to his companions.
"Based on the rough shape that kid was in, I think he may be an escaped slave-yoi." Izou hums in understanding.
"That's a big possibility. The cuff on his wrist was made of sea stone, wasn't it? So that means he's a devil fruit user right?" Marco nods.
"A slave in the West Blue? Do they even have that kind of market here?" Thatch asks in disbelief.
"It's pretty uncommon, but not impossible. Someone might have brought him over from the Grand Line." Marco says, a far away look in his eyes.
"Or he came himself." Izou says. "I don't like seeing kids being forced into slavery, it doesn't sit right at all."
"If we see that boy again, I want to talk to him and give him a decent meal. Maybe even bring him on the ship." Thatch says, eyes lost in the crowd. Izou smirks.
"Thatch, that is probably the best idea you've had in a long time."
Line here
It's a few hours later, and after taking a much needed nap, Luffy feels a little refreshed. He has started feeling dizzy again, not to mention drowsy. Although blaming the dizzy spell on his dip in the water, he can't excuse the way his head suddenly flushes with heat.
'I need more medicine. But first I'll need to make some money.' Luffy grumbles a little. He wishes he knew stuff about medicine so he could just swipe it off the shelves without a doubt.
'Here I thought I liked doing this.' And he does like singing, just not today when he feels like crap.
So here Luffy is, going into town on a warm summer night in search of a restaurant to sing at. Eventually he finds one with a big stage at the front. When Luffy enters there is already someone up front strumming a guitar.
He hums along with the tune (even though he doesn't know the song) and approaches the hostess.
She's a nice lady, although Luffy thinks she might be taking pity on him when she lets him sing.
"You can go after the person up now. In the meantime, have a seat at the bar." She says cheerily, gesturing to the wooden structure next the stage. Luffy grins back.
"Thank you!" Suddenly he's glad he bathed, Luffy doesn't know if they'd let him sing otherwise.
He sits at the bar, swinging his legs back and forth. Beside him is a large man hunched over his drink. He wears a large green poncho that is frayed around the edges.
Luffy, being the friendly guy he is, wants to say hi.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
His head snaps to the bartender in front of him. The man is drying a bourbon glass, and his eyes are focused on the hunched figure beside Luffy.
"Do what? Say hi?"Luffy asks, head tilting to the side. The bartender nods and turns his gaze to Luffy.
"He's been like this for awhile, sulking on his lonesome. I've tried taking to him but he just doesn't want anyone near." Luffy pouts.
"Then that's all the more reason to talk to him! Oi! Poncho-ossan!" He pokes the hunched man. The bartender shakes his head.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Then he walks away to serve another customer. Luffy continues to poke his victim.
"Oi! Why are you sad?" He stops poking him. Luffy realizes he can hear the guy mumbling to himself. It's so quiet he can only make out a few key words.
"... couldn't...he...get me...need another...other...escaped...but where?" Luffy's face looks as confused as ever.
"Where what?" He asks rather loudly.
The poncho man sits up abruptly, almost making Luffy fall out of his seat in shock. He whips his head to Luffy and stares at him with wide eyes. The teen just stares back, unsettled.
"Um, ossan?" He asks uncertainly. But suddenly the poncho man has a big grin on his face, not the good kind mind you. Instead of talking to Luffy, he sinks back into his original position but this time with an air of happiness and relief.
Luffy just looks away from the man, puzzled. The bartender comes back and ushers Luffy to a seat further down the bar.
"Congrats! You got him to move!" The bartender cheers. Luffy chuckles.
"Yeah I guess so."
"Here, you're singing right? You can eat right now if you want." He pushes a steaming steak in front of Luffy. The teen's mouth waters immediately.
"You're sure? What if I'm no good?" The bartender waves a dismissive hand.
"Just by looking I can tell your something special. Don't worry about it, eat up!" Luffy grins in signature D fashion.
"Thank you!" He tackles his meal full on, leaving no trace after only a few seconds.
"Woah! Slow down!" The bartender says in mock horror. Luffy licks the plate clean then slides it back to the man.
"Slow down? But I'm hungry, and if I'm hungry I should eat." Having experienced Luffy-logic for the first time, the bartender looks baffled. Soon enough, he breaks into laughter.
"I was not wrong, you're special alright!"
At the corner of Luffy's eye, he sees poncho man shuffle. A large grin is hidden in his sleeves.
"Special indeed." He says, words muffled by his arm. Luffy watches him for a few seconds, then turns back to the bartender.
"You know what, I'll give you a little extra food in your pouch if you sing well." he says, offering a hand. "Deal?" Luffy smacks his hand just as clapping fills the room. "Deal." The bartender nods to the now empty stage.
"Your turn." Luffy grins and walks confidently on stage. He steps to the center and removes the straw hat from his back. He places it on the ground in front of him and looks at all the people staring at him expectantly.
For some reason, he feels several pairs of eyes burning into his body. He looks around the room but can't see anyone who stands out.
With a mental shrug, he starts to sing.
Luffy chooses a song Makino used to sing whenever she did the dishes. He and Ace would sit at the bar after a long day of training and just listen to her sing. It was very soothing and they would both fall asleep right after the song ended.
The memory hits him like a bullet and threatens to choke his words. Thankfully, he refrains from ruining the performance.
Makino's voice was the best, it was like angels.
'No Luffy!' He yells mentally. 'Not was. She's still alive! Stop saying things like they will never happen again! You're doing this to save her, to save everyone!' He finishes strong, gaining massive applause from the audience. Luffy does a little bow with flourish, then bends to collect his hat that is filled with money.
It's then that Luffy notices poncho guy staring at him maliciously, clapping slowly. Then he gets up from his seat and leaves the restaurant.
Luffy straightens with a troubled expression. All of a sudden that guy just doesn't sit right with him.
Off to the side, the bartender waves him over. Immediately brightening up, Luffy jumps off the stage and hops to the bar.
"Beyond what I expected kid, here's what you earned." The bartender digs under the bar and pulls out a pouch. "It's got bread and cheese in there, enough to last you a bit. By the looks of you, I don't think you'll be sticking around this town long." Luffy shakes his head, attaching the pouch to his shorts. He dumps the money in his other pocket.
"No, I've got something important I need to do." He says, slipping the straw hat on his neck.
"Well I wish you good luck on your journey." Luffy grins widely.
"Thanks! See ya later!" He waves, practically radiating happiness. The people here are so nice!
Luffy practically skips out of the restaurant. Suddenly, he gets the same sensation that he felt in the market. He turns his head slowly and his eyes widen when he recognizes the three men sitting there.
'The marines!' Luffy internally freaks. The men seem to notice his gaze on them, and that's when Luffy decides it's time to go.
He runs out the door, just as they call out to him.
'I won't be caught by marines before I see Ace!' Luffy makes a break down the street, revving around corners to get out of sight.
A sudden blast of nausea has Luffy tripping. He catches his feet and clutches his mouth with his hand. The street is grey and empty, a thick coat of fog hovers above the ground.
'I ate too much...' But the meal was so good and he was so hungry. 'I should have known I was going to regret it later.' Luffy sucks in a mountain load of oxygen and tries to block out the nausea.
'Better...nope!' He leans up against a building and breaks into a coughing fit. It lasts for a long time, which surprises Luffy. When it ends, he takes the time to catch his breath then removes his hand from his mouth.
'Gross.' There's some dark stuff on his hand and he wipes it on the ground.
A sharp prick invades the back of Luffy's neck. Eyes widening, he scrabbles for it, but his arm feels sluggish. Eventually all the strength fleets him and he falls face first on the ground.
'Marines!' Is the first thought that crosses Luffy's mind. Instantly panicking, he urges his muscles to move but they won't budge an inch.
'No! No! No!' Pure dread fills Luffy's body. His eyes, the only things that function, flick around desperately.
Boots appear in Luffy's vision and he looks up. To his surprise, it's the poncho guy from the bar.
"Hello my treasure." He says, crouching down to Luffy's height. His voice is scratchy and high. "I thought it would've taken more effort to catch you, but you've made this easy for me."
Arms surround Luffy's torso and he is lifted from the ground. He's thrown unceremoniously over poncho guy's shoulder, leaving his arm and feet dangling helplessly in the air. Unaware to Luffy, his straw hat slips off his neck and flutters to the ground.
"I suppose I should introduce myself." Poncho guy says, walking away with Luffy in tow. "My name is Ralph, the slave trader." Luffy's heart thuds in his chest.
"And you're about to make me very rich."
Line here
"He went this way-yoi."
Marco, Thatch and Izou have followed the slave kid from the restaurant. The streets are even more congested with fog, making it harder for the pirates to navigate.
"This fog is so thick. No wonder there's nobody out here." Izou says, trying to peer through the murk.
"Did you guys hear him sing back there? It was so sad and beautiful at the same time!" Thatch swoons, wiping a stray tear from his eye.
"Yeah, who knows what else that kid is capable of." Izou comments.
"We can't let him slip away again-yoi." Marco says, squinting. "This fog is too thick; I can't sense anything." Thatch releases a strangled cry just as hissing splits the air.
"Can't sense anything, I can't 'see' anything. I feel bad for all the cats I step on tonight." Thatch's complaint dies in the night as they creep forwards.
"We're sitting ducks out here. Let's just go back to the restaurant until the fog clears up-" a crunching sound interrupts Izou's talking.
"What kind of cat was that?" Thatch asks incredulously.
"I stepped on something." Marco says, bending down. He feels around his feet until his fingers come upon something straw.
"What is it Marco?" Izou asks. The first division commander holds the object up so all three of them can look.
"That's the kid's hat!" Thatch exclaims.
"He must've come this way." Izou points out.
Marco examines the hat in his hands. It's definitely well worn, for starters. The edges are a bit frayed and there are tatters around the top. He flips it with his finger tips. Inside the hat the straw is compressed, indicating it has been worn a lot.
'It still looks familiar! Where have I seen this?' Marco racks his brain but comes up with nothing, to his frustration. A nudge to his shoulder makes him lift his head.
"What is it-yoi?" He asks absently.
Izou rolls his eyes. "Stop zoning out. If you were paying attention you would have noticed the fog lifting."
Marco looks around, and while visibility is still low, they can at least see along the street. He experimentally taps at his observation haki. "It's blurry, but I can pick up a trace of his presence nearby."
Izou closes his eyes and tries to sense it himself. "I can't pick anything up. It must be your phoenix senses that can trace him."
Marco concentrates on the slave boy. His presence seems...dimmed. Another presence, much stronger than the boy's, is overwhelming it. They don't separate at all, but move in unison.
Funny, to his knowledge the kid doesn't have a companion.
"I think there's something up-yoi. The kid might be in danger." Izou and Thatch stiffen.
"If he really is a slave, I guess that would make him a target for some people." Izou says angrily, hands reaching for his pistols.
A serious look crosses Thatch's face and he turns to Marco.
"Lead the way."
Line here
"Can you believe it?! I found another one!" Ralph paces back and forth on the dusty ground. In one hand is a green snail phone and in the other is the speaker which is now pressed against his ear.
Someone says something on the other line and Ralph laughs boisterously, spit flying from his chapped lips. "I know; the boss won't even notice!"
Just a few paces away is Luffy, tied to a thick tree trunk. Right now they are in a secluded part of the city surrounded by low-hanging trees. Nearby is a shabby little shack, most likely used as some sort of base for Ralph.
The slave trader had carried Luffy all the way to this location while the straw hat teen was still drugged. After tying him to the tree, he had pulled the snail phone from his poncho and called someone unknown to Luffy.
"Yeah, yeah, what are the chances? In the West Blue even!" Luffy listens to him babble on. Upon observation he quickly determines that this man is not as terrifying as he seems. If anything, he is extremely annoying.
Overconfidence seems to ooze from Ralph in his every action and word. He believes that he has got Luffy good, and that there's no escape for the straw-hatted teen. The thought alone has Luffy pouting, he hates being underestimated! He only got caught by a cheap trick!
But the drug is wearing off, quickly too. Eventually Luffy gains feeling back in his limbs. He flexes his fingers and toes experimentally yet discretely, not letting Ralph know he lost his advantage.
Not too far from Luffy's foot is a sharp thin rock. He shoots a quick glance to Ralph, who is preoccupied with talking on the snail phone.
Stretching beyond his limits, Luffy's toes almost touch the shard.
'Cmon!' Sweat forms on his skin from the effort and he pulls the stone closer just a liiiittle bit-
"Hoohoohoo kid, I must thank you for showing up when you did." Luffy hurriedly pulls back into his original position and glares at Ralph.
"What do you want from me?" He demands, feigning helplessness.
"Well, I was in a particularly rough spot. I captured a devil fruit user in the North Blue and then told my boss I was bringing him back to the Grand Line. We were going to sell it to those Celestial Dragon fellas." Luffy darkens at those words.
"Unfortunately," Ralph continues, face turning sad. "there was an incident, and my fruit user was lost. I thought I was done for; the boss would surely kill me if I couldn't bring him what I'd promised. The first time you saw me, I was drowning my sorrows in liquor." He suddenly perks up and grabs Luffy's face in his hand, squeezing his cheeks together. Luffy growls, but can't do anything to fight back.
"But that is when you, my beautiful saviour, appeared!" Ralph says lovingly, shaking Luffy's head from side to side. "At first I thought you were some brat, but then I recognized the sea stone shackle on your wrist. Others who have not seen one before probably think it's some sort of bracelet, but alas, it's not." He releases Luffy's face and Luffy scowls.
"If that's all, then take it. I don't want it." He says. If possible, Ralph's malicious smirk stretches even further.
"No, no, no. What I want is not the shackle, but you! Of course since you are wearing the sea stone it indeed means you are, in fact, a devil fruit user. Am I right?" Ralph places a finger on his chin and a sly look crosses his face.
Luffy says nothing.
Ralph cackles then pulls out his snail phone again. "Time to call the boss and tell him I'm coming after all."
Luffy just glares holes into Ralph's skull. He has no intention of going back to where he escaped from, so the teen impatiently waits until Ralph is distracted.
"Yes boss, I will be near the Grand Line shortly...the cargo is still with me too." Ralph speaks into the phone. His tone is eager, excited even.
Luffy again attempts to drag the rock closer. This time his toe hooks around the top and he can move it slowly.
"I'm sorry I took so long...no, I wasn't trying to run away! I was just...caught in a storm! Yes! A storm!"
The rock is flicked next to his fingers. Luffy grasps it and works on sawing the tight rope binding him.
"I understand...you don't want any excuses..."
The bottom of the rope thins; the cut slowly expands as he saws.
"You want him where?"
The rope stretches, the stress almost too much for it to stay together. Luffy cuts faster.
"With the other devil fruit slaves then? Alright boss."
Luffy stops cutting. The stone drops from his fingers and lands with a soft 'thud' on the ground. Eyes wide, he turns slowly to look at Ralph. Honestly, he doesn't feel annoyed with the situation anymore.
He feels pissed. Others? How many more people are out there like him, who have their lives destroyed and torn apart by Celestial Dragons?
Those users the slave traders have, those people the slave traders have, they probably don't have any family left that can help them. At least Luffy has Ace that he can depend on, those people may very well have no one.
Luffy grits his teeth and balls his hand into a fist, rage slowly building.
He really wants to punch this guy in the face.
"What's up kid? Feeling angry? Too bad, it won't help you much where you're going. Hoohoohoo!" Ralph laughs, skipping in place. "I'm going to be rich~! I'm going to be rich~!" The burning anger in Luffy settles into something colder, scarier. Ralph sings on, oblivious to the change in the atmosphere.
"I'm going to be rich~! I'm going to be rich~! And it's all going to be because of-!"
A loud cracking sound interrupts Ralph's singing. He screeches and runs out of the way just in time when a gigantic tree falls in the clearing. Dust kicks up and fills the air, blocking all visibility.
"Cough* cough*, what the hell was that?" Ralph says angrily, hand covering his mouth. Luffy buries his mouth in his shoulder and closes his eyes to shield himself from the onslaught of dust.
"So this bastard is the one who took him." Says a voice coming from the direction of the fallen tree.
The dust settles and Luffy looks up to see three men. Three familiar men, he realizes with a scowl.
"Was it really necessary to knock down the tree Thatch?" Says the pineapple head to the pompadour man.
"Of course Marco! We've got to make a grand entrance to surprise this fool." Thatch gestures to Ralph, whose mouth is open in astonishment. The man wearing a geisha sighs and twirls his gun.
"Well it worked, but it wasn't necessary." He says in mild annoyance.
"C'mon Izou, I know you wanted to scare this guy as much as I did." Thatch says teasingly. Izou shrugs, but smirks lightly.
"H-hey!"
They all turn to Ralph, who has gotten over his shock and stands on shaky legs.
"What are you doing here?!" He demands. Izou points to Luffy, still tied to the tree.
"We're here to save the kid."
Luffy can barely contain a snort of contempt. 'Looks like they couldn't keep their marine natures undercover.' But a small part of him is fearful, are they going to save him just to bring him back to Foosha?
Something cold presses against Luffy's jugular. With a quick glance down, he realizes it's a long sword. Ralph is the one holding the weapon and he clutches it like his life depends on it.
And judging by the faces of the trio, it does.
"Lower your weapon, or Izou here will shoot you right between the eyes." Marco threatens. Luffy could have sworn he saw neon blue flash in his irises.
"N-no way! Take one step closer and I'll slice his head off!" The sword presses further into Luffy's neck, drawing a bead of blood.
"You wouldn't do that; you need to deliver him to your boss." Izou sneers, clicking the safety off his pistol.
"What?! You've been spying on me! How long have you been here?!" Ralph asks in disbelief.
"Long enough to know you're a complete asshole." Thatch unsheathes his sword and Ralph flinches as it makes a sharp 'shing' sound.
"I said don't come any closer!" Ralph is really shaking now.
Even if the sword is cutting him, Luffy's face holds an unimpressed look. 'What a coward.'
"I'll really kill him!" Ralph yells. "I don't even need him! I've got plenty more slaves that are worth a lot more than him!"
Ice cold fury washes over Luffy. He keeps it hidden carefully under an expressionless mask. Unknown to everyone else, he pulls against his restraints, slowly weakening the rope until they are close to snapping.
Marco's gaze flicks over to the boy who has yet to utter a word. Not even his eyes speak, they are shadowed and cast towards the ground.
When Ralph makes another movement Marco focuses back on him, but not without noticing the movement of ropes against the boy.
"Don't bother faking it." Marco says, voice smooth and eyes like ice. "We heard your explanation. Your boss is going to kill you if you don't hand him over."
Ralph just glares at them, teeth gritted and head held high despite his situation. A weak man hiding behind a strong facade, pathetic really.
"So that means you can't kill him. You have no leverage."
The clearing turns silent. Marco, Thatch and Izou all stare hatefully at Ralph with their weapons unsheathed. Ralph has gone quiet, his gaze trained to the ground. Luffy's face is hidden completely from view.
The trio's eyes widen in surprise when a snort escapes the slave trader's mouth. Then it turns to full blown hysterical laughter and he is clutching his stomach trying to calm himself.
"I-I never," another burst of chuckles escapes Ralph's lips. "I never thought I would be killed by a bunch of no name thugs. I thought my death would be something a little more dramatic."
"You don't have to die today. You can give us the boy and live." Says Izou. Ralph shakes his head.
"I'm a dead man either way. If I let him go, the boss will kill me. If I stay here, you'll kill me." He lowers his sword off of Luffy's throat and the commanders relax a little.
"But if I'm going out, might as well bring one down with me."
The trio's eyes widen as he plants a foot on the ground and swings his sword at full strength. Wind splits as it delivers right in the direction of Luffy's neck.
Before the pirate's can even understand what is happening, Ralph is hurtling across the clearing. He smacks into the fallen tree with a sickening crack and falls to the ground, unconscious. His face is a bloody mess and there is a clear fist imprint in the centre.
All three look away from Ralph's battered body to the kid who is standing, now free from the ropes. Luffy's fist is raised at his chest, blood drips off of his knuckles and drips down his arm.
No one says anything as he makes his way over to Ralph. When he stands over him, he spits directly on the man's face.
"You shouldn't have underestimated me."
Izou and Thatch gape like fish while Marco shows only mild surprise. That was definitely not what they were expecting. Luffy turns in the direction of the commanders and walks straight for them without making eye contact.
They think he is going to jump in their arms, begging for help. But instead, he walks straight past them as if they aren't there. Luffy only pauses to snatch the straw hat from Marco's hand. Marco swears he hears a light growl.
Luffy heads for the forest, eager to escape all of it. This day is just too messed up and he's just so damn tired of being mad.
"Wait!"
He stiffens as one of them calls to him. This is it, these stupid marines are going to capture him. Why is it all so unfair?!
"Are you a slave?"
Not expecting that question, Luffy turns back to the men. He makes sure to keep a safe distance away.
"So what if I am? Wouldn't you like to care?" He sneers, temper flaring. The stress of the night builds up and he can't help but feel angrier. The men look slightly baffled at his outburst.
"Look-yoi," Marco says, raising his hands in a calming gesture. "We just want to help you."
Garp's false promises and marines beating his friends flash through Luffy's mind. His eyes blaze in fury and he can barely stop himself from lashing out at them.
"Help? What a joke! Like you can help me!" They're just going to do the same as Ralph would have done to him. But these idiot marines think it's justice, which just makes them all the worse.
"You just got kidnapped, what's to stop it from happening again? That guy was weak, but there are way stronger guys out there who can take you easily." Izou reasons.
"You're a walking skeleton kid. We can give you food, then you can come on our ship." Says Thatch.
Luffy shakes his head and takes a step back. Why does everybody want slaves?! Why can't they just let him be free?!
"No! I'll never trust you for as long as I live! I'll never trust anyone!" He shouts, pain evident in his voice. Luffy turns back around and resumes his walk into the woods.
"There's only one person I'll ever trust." He says quietly.
'Ace.'
Line here
Marco is rooted to the spot as he watches the kid walk away. His spine is straight as an arrow but Marco can feel the pure rage radiating off of his skinny body. The phoenix clenches his fists in frustration as the boy's words replay over and over in his head.
'Won't trust anyone? Shit, kid what happened to you to be this angry at us?' But Marco realizes he wasn't angry at them specifically, but at the world.
That cold look in his eyes made Marco shiver. He's first division commander, yet one look made his calm facade break. What scares him is the fact that someone so young can make that kind of expression.
The phoenix takes a step forward, ready to chase the kid and wipe that look off his face when Izou grabs his shoulder.
"Leave the kid. Going after him will just make everything worse. He's in no mood to talk to us."
"But if he leaves the island-"
"He'll be okay. If that punch is anything to go off of I'd say he's pretty strong." Izou says amusedly, trying to lighten the mood. When he doesn't succeed, he sighs.
"Look, we've been going about this the wrong way. He's noticed we were following him around and felt violated. The kid was a slave for goodness sakes, the last thing he wants is to be trapped. It's totally natural for him to feel paranoid."
"What are you saying Izou?"
"I'm saying exactly what I said before. Leave the kid alone. How would he react if a bunch of pirates abducted him and stole the right for him to choose, just like the beings who owned him?"
Hearing that just makes Marco want to keep the kid even more, to show him not everyone has to be bad and untrustworthy. He wants to show the kid what freedom is like, what being a 'pirate' is like. He wants to see those round eyes of innocence that were focused on him in the market.
He wants to show him how to be a kid again.
"Guys..." Marco and Izou turn to Thatch who looks very dejected.
"He won't last out there. Not being that angry." Thatch brings a hand to his mouth. "I didn't realize it then; the emotion I was feeling when I heard him sing. But now, I realize I was feeling sadness. That kid is so hurt and it kills me inside. Having so many younger brothers and sisters makes me feel protective of the young'uns you know?" He sniffs and wipes his eyes.
"Oh Thatch." Izou says, going up to Thatch and placing a reassuring hand on his back.
"And you know what?"
"What?"
"Those cold eyes and angry attitude, they remind me of Ace."
Marco has already realized this, from the moment he locked eyes with him. That is why even if he never sees the boy again, he won't ever forget him.
Line here
Luffy crashes through the forest, enraged at those stupid marines and happy they didn't chase after him.
'Guess they decided I wasn't worth the effort.' His arm and legs entangle themselves in vines and Luffy rips at them furiously for getting in his way. Nearby wildlife hears the commotion and scampers away.
'It's all their fault I'm like this.' They made him think about how Ace isn't here, and possibly too far away to hear his cries for help. What if he's taking too long? Luffy feels the loneliness and helplessness threaten to suck him under.
'I can't keep going like this for much longer.' The difficulty of the situation finally sinks into him. Even Garp wouldn't help him, his so called 'justice' was the Celestial Dragons. What if Ace turns him down too? Maybe he already knows that the village is doomed and left him alone.
"Would Ace do that to me?" An array of negative emotions shoots through Luffy. 'I don't know anything! Would someone just explain to me why this is all happening?! Why everybody is so scared, and mean?!'
Luffy stops in place and screams to the sky. He runs up to a boulder and kicks it until it reduces to rubble. Then he turns on the nearest tree and punches it as hard as he can.
'Why?! Why?!' Luffy punches the tree continuously, pretending it's a noble, Celestial Dragon, Garp, and Akainu. "Someone just help me! I CAN'T DO THIS ALONE!" He socks the tree as hard as he can and it flies through the forest.
Luffy stops, panting harshly and standing in a hunched position. Tears fall down his face but he wipes them away quickly. He can pretty much hear Ace and Sabo calling him a crybaby.
Then he looks around the clearing, at the result of his temper tantrum.
He shakes his head and groans out loud.
This rage isn't helping him; it's just taking all his energy. Energy that he could be using to save his village. It isn't like him at all.
Taking a deep breath, Luffy sinks against a tree. He closes his eyes and counts back from ten.
10..
9..
8..
7..
6..
5..
4..
3..
2..
1..
He sighs out loud. That feels better.
The frustration, worry and pain has all been taken out on the marines and Ralph, he reminds himself. Now he has to remember his priorities, like destroying the flag.
'I've just got to focus my mind on finding Ace and saving the village. Not on all the bad stuff that will make me mad.' Carefully, Luffy removes the straw hat from his neck and gazes at it fondly.
'If I want to be Pirate King, I've got to learn how to handle situations like this.' Luffy frowns to himself. 'I didn't notice I dropped my hat when I got kidnapped. That Marco guy brought it with him, but why? To return it to me?' Instead of getting angry at the thought, it merely leaves a bad taste in his mouth. He doesn't want any marine touching Shanks's hat.
'Another thing too.' Luffy returns his hat to its original place. Then he removes a bandage from his sac and ties it around his arm with the help of his teeth. 'Everyone is targeting me because they know this is sea stone. If I don't want to draw attention to myself I need to cover it up.'
He pushes off of the tree and examines the bandages which are now on both arm and stub. Luffy blinks for a few seconds, then chuckles to himself. He looks like a mummy! Mummy's are awesome!
'Anyway,' Luffy pulls on his hood. 'I've got something I need to do.'
He sprints through the forest and towards the village. In the teen's pocket are all the materials he needs for the plan.
It's the middle of the night, so not one person is outside. Simple torchlight creates limited visibility on the street.
Spotted from his time on the pirate ship, Luffy knows what boat he's going to escape on. Even if it takes awhile to leave he thinks he can find a good hiding spot on deck.
Just down the street is the flag, sitting flat from no wind. Luffy ducks behind a house so he won't be seen. He looks around for the guards, but the weird thing is, there's nobody defending the flag.
Luffy feels suspicious, every island before this has had at least some form of defence. What makes this one any different?
Shrugging, he sticks the matchbox in his mouth and holds the match and paper covered rock in his hand.
He's an expert at this now.
The teen peeks out from his hiding spot once again and checks for clearance. Despite the slight chill he feels, Luffy runs out in the open when he sees no one there.
This process has to be done as quick as possible. He drops the rock on the ground and with smooth efficiency he strikes the match against the box in his mouth. The match is placed on the rock and it bursts on fire.
Spitting the box out, Luffy covers his hand with the cloak and grabs the burning rock. The fire sears his skin through the fabric yet he does not drop it. He pulls his arm back and closes one eye, aiming right for his target...
"That's dangerous-yoi."
Luffy drops the rock in surprise and looks behind him, the cloak still covering his face.
'No way.' It's those marines again. All three are standing there with hard expressions and their weapons out. 'They came back for me.'
"We finally got you." says the kimono one, Izou, he thinks. Luffy's heart thuds in his chest and he gets into a battle stance.
'Their going to bring me back to Foosha!'
"I won't be caught by marines!" He shouts, getting ready to fight them if necessary. They exchange looks and Marco steps forward.
"Marines-yoi?" He practically spits. "Is that who you think we are? You destroyed our pride and honestly think marines are after you?" Luffy blinks in bewilderment, not that they can see. Then he realizes, they don't recognize him from before, they just think he's the offender.
"Then who are you?" He demands. Just then, he notices that Marco's shirt is unbuttoned, revealing a tattoo on his chest. It's different, but Luffy recognizes the symbol immediately.
"The Whitebeard Pirates. And you've caused a lot of trouble for us-yoi."
...
...
...
... finally.
Something clicks in Luffy's mind and he almost starts sobbing in relief. But it is quickly overtaken by a desperate need to see Ace.
"Obviously you were trying to send us a message," Marco continues. "would you mind telling us why you went through all this trouble to get us this pissed off?" The pineapple head stumbles back in surprise when Luffy grabs his shirt and clutches it.
"Do you know Ace?" he asks, his voice so quiet they can barely hear it.
"Uh yeah we do, he's our crew mate." Luffy's mouth opens in a silent gasp and he clutches the shirt tighter
"I need to talk to him. As soon as possible."
They stay silent, looking at the now childlike figure attached to Marco.
"Are you some sort of crazy fan?" Izou asks, raising a well groomed eyebrow. Thatch grunts in agreement.
"Yeah, cause this messing around with our flag isn't a light matter." Luffy growls in anger, not wanting to put up with this now.
"I'm not messing around! I need to see Ace as soon as possible! It's really important!" He needs to convince them now, if he lets them go he'll never get to his brother.
"What do you guys think?" Izou asks his friends. Thatch shrugs.
"Well we need to bring him to pops anyway, plus he went through the trouble of burning our flag just to see us. I think we should take him along." Luffy brightens up and removes his hand from Marco's shirt.
"Thank you!" He says brightly, bouncing on the spot. The Whitebeard Pirates are baffled, what is up with this mood change?
"Uh, no problem. My name is Izou. The big haired guy over there-"
"Hey!"
"...is Thatch, and the pineapple hair over there is Marco." Marco remains silent.
"Got a name?" Luffy nods his head enthusiastically.
"Yeah, it's Luffy."
"Okay Luffy, our ship is docked over here. Don't think we've forgotten about what you've done, so don't try anything funny." Izou says, twirling his gun then putting it back in the holster.
Their boat is mid-sized; it can hold four people comfortably. Marco steps over the railing and Thatch follows along. Luffy just stops and stares at the small vessel. Something prods his back.
"What are you waiting for? C'mon." Izou ushers Luffy on board.
"Do you get boat sick or something?" Thatch asks, untying the rope from the dock.
Luffy shakes his head and snorts in laughter. "No," he says, barely suppressing a laugh. "this is the ship I was going to hide on." They all roll their eyes as the boat starts to sail into the rising sun.
"It'll only take a few hours for us to reach the main ship. So until then you can go rest somewhere-yoi." says Marco.
It's no smiles from there, Luffy huddles up on a bench at the port side. He wraps his arm around his knees and stares at the water ahead, waiting for the ship to come into sight.
After a few minutes Luffy can barely keep his eyes open. He yawns loudly and settles on closing his eyes until he can just see through his eyelashes.
Upon observation Luffy notices that the group seems a bit unsettled. It becomes clear when Thatch stumbles over a crate for the fifth time and his friends have to tell him to get some rest.
"He'll be fine." The teen hears as they walk away. Off to the side Luffy can hear Marco calling someone on his snail phone.
Luffy shivers as the cold ocean breeze stings his skin. He curls further into a ball and tries to muster some body heat.
"Yeah pops he's here."
There's some garbling on the other end.
"Well, there was this one thing. But I'll talk to you about it later-yoi. It's been a long day."
More talk that Luffy can't hear.
"Is Ace there by the way? We kind of need him, it's important." Luffy's ears perk up.
"Okay, maybe he'll be back by the time we return."
'Pops' says something else, quieter this time.
"Alright-yoi. Goodnight pops." Marco hangs up and sighs deeply. Luffy shivers again and suddenly Marco turns to look at him.
Luffy closes his eyes immediately, but he can still feel the powerful gaze trained on him. He stiffens when the footsteps approach and then pause right beside him.
Warmth surrounds him and Luffy realizes it's a blanket. He immediately snuggles into the fabric with a heavy sigh.
The teen hears a light chuckle, and Marco walks away below deck.
Luffy watches him leave with one eye open. When he disappears from sight, Luffy smiles softly and then closes his eyes.
"Ace has good nakama."
THANKS TO ALL YOU AWESOME PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED, FAVED AND REVIEWED!
Writing the chase chapter made me want to vomit, but there is a lot of Marco in here so I hope you guys liked it!
There is a lot of Marco in here, hope you guys liked it.
Responses:
Phonenix: *whispers: "Next chapter…"
Valeries26: Lolz I hope you enjoyed this chapter full of Marco, Thatch and Izou! Ace will be coming up soon.
Guest (one who likes the title): Literally when I wrote that he was gone on a mission I did an evil laugh. They were just some no name pirates but he saw the Whitebeards soon afterwards! Thank you for reviewing!
SEllen23: Buggy was actually a last minute touch, but I'm super glad I did it! Hope this chapter didn't disappoint!
StarliteOracle: Thanks mn
Guest (One that feels for Marco): Heh Ace did miss out, thanks for the review!
RedHeadsRock1010: Haha thanks for the outside reaction, it makes me smile. Thanks for reading!
xXGwenStacyXx: Your entire review made me laugh (not in a bad way), but there's a lot of Marco in this chapter and hopefully you are satisfied!
Fandxms: LAUGHS EVILLY that would be next chapter mon ami
GreenDrkness: Did you die from waiting? Sry b'out that so I hope you liked this chapter.
MeganRouth: That sea stone is such a bother, both for Luffy and for me. Thanks for the review!
Wanderer of the Sky: THANK YOU!
Jamestheghost19: Thank you so much!
Kagome11: A kabob (shish-kabob) is an array of cooked meats and veggies stuck on a stick. They didn't notice the leak because the cannon grazed the bottom and they thought it missed. Thanks for the review and I hope this meets your expectations!
Muffin2234: Sorry if it took too long! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Starelight: Your enthusiasm makes me really happy! Thank you so much for reading this story!
LongPastMidnight: Hahaha I like to add in a pinch of funny here and there, thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Vanimelde Melindel: Thank you!
Resha Tsubaki: Here I'll tackle your points one by one lol:
-Okay thank you for the information, I wasn't sure how it worked. There shouldn't be any more money mentioned, but if there is I'll keep that in mind.
(both 2nd and 3rd pt) -I added a little more Luffy angst in this chapter. In the story it's more like he has been bottling up his pain for the sake of helping the village. But in this chapter he's struggling to hold it in.
-When I picked where everything ended up I just chose a random Blue, if it bothers a lot of people I'll change it if enough people say so.
Thank you so much for your input and it was definitely put to good use on making this chapter!
NovaTheHedgehog7500: Yay someone noticed Larry! Thank you for reading!
Lunaxel: Aw thank you! I'm sorry again I couldn't make it work, but I'm glad you're still sticking with the story! Hope you liked the chapter!
EnixFairy: Thank you! Yeah the Whitebeard pirates aren't very happy, but hopefully they will forgive Luffy!
Everlight18: Glad you like the OC's, I never really like them but I'm happy to hear I'm doing okay writing them. The next chapter will show how the Whitebeard pirates are handling the situation, unlike in here where they just catch Luffy. The medicine only keeps him from getting drowsy and super weak, it's something special that Alice came up with to help. I was wondering when someone would ask about the brand and the answer is; no. In the market the nobles can choose any slave they want and then brand them with what they choose so no one is previously branded. Thanks for your questions an I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
King-Elsa: Thank you so much and thanks for reviewing!
Monkey : At the beginning of this story I was choosing which tense to use and since I wrote my notes mainly in present tense I decided to go with that. It's a little challenging but I don't want to switch tenses in the middle of the story just in case it interrupts the flow of it. So right now I guess this is just good practice! Thank you so much for the compliments and the review!
ParrotsRAmazing: Thank you so much for the review it made me smile a lot! I'm deliberating adding Shanks in here, I really would like him in here but I'm trying to see where I can fit him in. I am going to do an epilogue with the crew and others just to fill in the empty spots at the end. So if you wanted to see the crew I guess they will appear.
Alexzandria747: YAY thank you for reading this story and I hope you like it!
Gothic-Wolf-Hart: Haha hope you enjoyed the Marco in this chapter!
Zeynab: IM SORRY IM TRYIN' MY BEST
Lauren: IM TRYIN'
Straw Hat: Aww I'm happy to provide!
xx-AnimeGirlz-xx: Thank you so much!
Axxit: You honestly make me blush like an idiot, I honestly hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Next time: Ace.
~when I force myself to do it