Sorry if you're really freaked out with my story but the rating changed for a reason and its going to get a little worse. If you are seriously not old enough to read this or have never had any knowledge or experience of the sick and demented things in this world we live in then I implore you not to read on. Also don't worry for Luffy's life; he's not going anywhere anytime soon. I've revealed the theme to a few of my reviewers so if you know it don't spoil it please! Oh, and I'm getting better at the length of my chapters being longer, this chapter the longest so far!
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece
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"LAND!!"
Zoro cracked open one eye to peer at the small reindeer who was sitting on Luffy's spot upon Sunny's massive head. Chopper had one outstretched hoof pointing straight forward looking back at each member on the ship waiting to be acknowledged for his discovery. Usopp and Franky quickly threw down their cards from their game on the deck springing up from the floor to run to the railing of the ship jumping up and down out of relief and excitement. Robin simply put down her book next to the tropical drink the cook had brought out a couple of minutes ago on the small table and strolled over to Nami who already had her maps out staring intently out to the ever growing mass of land.
The crew had decided to find the nearest island in order to restock on supplies and establish a plan to find there missing captain. It has been a week since he was taken away and it was apparent that each member was dealing with some sort of stress due to the kidnapping of their leader whether it be as a friend or more but the sight of land did give some comfort for all. Yet, it was obvious that the navigator was taking Luffy's absence the worst in the group. She was now wearing his hat upon his head and hadn't let it out of her sight since she found it.
"Navigator-san" whispered Robin lightly tapping her on the shoulder to bring her out of her trance on the island, "it seems that you aren't as happy to see the island as the others." Robin waited for her to look up at her. "You should at least show a little enthusiasm."
Nami sighed as she turned to listlessly stare at the glistening water then to the boys happily climbing the rail to get a better look at the land ahead. "Why should I be any happier if we're not getting anywhere close to finding him?"
Chopper had jumped off of the headpiece and was now sprinting to where Zoro sat moving as fast as his little legs would let him. His hooves tapped on the ground in a consecutive pace warning the man of his arrival while he made his way across the floor. "Zoro!! What should we do now? We're getting close to the shore!"
Nami looked out to the island then back to the lower deck where the other members were staring at the swordsman who was now fully awake and slowly getting up. "Wait, why should he give the orders? He's not fit to be in charge!" she yelled making her way down the stairs to the lower deck.
"Eh? Why the hell not? I AM the first mate and since Luffy isn't here then I'm in charge!" Now standing straight with his arms crossed, Zoro's unblinking eyes followed the girl stomp her way down towards him.
"Don't you dare yell at my Nami-swan you damn moss head!" yelled the cook who had just stepped out of the kitchen due to curiosity of all the yelling out on the deck.
"Mind your fucking business I'm in charge and that's final!"
Nami walked up to him until their bodies were only mere inches away from each other as she looked up into his rock hard stare with her own cold glare. "I'm in charge until Luffy is found, got that?" she whispered in a bitter tone.
Chopper, Usopp and Franky watched in anticipation while Nami jabbed her finger into Zoro's chest provoking him even more to take swing at her even if she was a woman. "Just because you're wearing his hat doesn't mean you can run this ship." Zoro threateningly put a hand on the sheath of his sword while Sanji jumped off the railing.
Before a fight could occur between the three hotheads onboard, multiple hands popped out of the wood planks and their own bodies. Sanji fell from mid-air as he jumped down to the lower deck to try to kick Zoro away from Nami with his arms and legs restrained to his body by the hands. Zoro and Nami were struggling with the limbs trying to swing at each other although they were now bolted down to the ground and bound.
"Stop this all of you!" yelled Robin from above them. They all turned in disbelief to the sound of her stern voice that they hardly heard ever since the incident on the balcony at Enies Lobby. "We will not get anywhere with you three fighting when there are bigger problems other than who is in charge on this ship." The hands disappeared in a flurry of flower petals leaving the three to gather the small fragments of pride they had left behind. "Luffy-san wouldn't want to know that his nakama was fighting while he was away now would he?"
Nami suddenly ran down to the women's quarters while Robin signaled Sanji not to follow. The crew stood in silence from their respective spots until they were woken up by the sound of the swordsman's voice.
"Franky tie up the sail, Usopp climb up the mast and take down the jolly roger before they learn we're pirates, we can't take any chances of being chased at a time like this, Chopper take an inventory on your medical supplies so we can be ready when we find Luffy, and you, ero-cook, can also make sure to take an inventory on what you need in your damn kitchen." ordered the swordsman as he walked up the steps towards where Robin was standing. "Now get moving!"
The crew members scrambled all over the ship obediently following orders, even Sanji who walked into his kitchen with a small grunt. Zoro rested his arms on the railing next to the archeologist leaning forward to gaze at the island. "I knew you can be a little more responsible if you were put in the position to."
Zoro sighed while a small smile danced upon his face. "I told all of you that I can be smart if I wanted to but all I need is a reason."
A short silence fell between the two as they both stared out across the sea. "You have to keep your temper down… Everyone is taking Luffy-san's absence really hard and I just need you as his first-mate to keep the rest in check." Zoro looked at her with a questioning look on his face. "…I fear that the crew might tear each other apart."
X
"Can we get another round over here?!" yelled Zoro to the bartender. The crew had successfully landed on the island and were all seated at a local bar in order to settle down and form a plan to find their stolen captain. The bartender brought a platter of mugs full of beer for the members of the table except for Robin who was content with a cup of coffee.
"We have no clues at all of this girl or where she took Luffy," stated Robin after taking a sip of her beverage, "not one of my books has any information, whatsoever."
"Don't give up so easily! Luffy never gave up on you when you were locked up at Enies Lobby!" exclaimed Nami slamming her mug down. Robin was shocked that the girl was so wound up about Luffy's capture as to bring back such horrible memories to use against her.
"What the hell! What gives you the right to even bring that up?!" exclaimed Zoro also slamming down his mug.
"Settle down Nami we can't do anything if we don't know where to go. We need a plan," said Usopp.
"Baka! Luffy could be hurt right now and we're just sitting here!"
"So what do you want us to do? Sail around aimlessly? For all we know we could end up drifting farther away from him without any direction'" interjected Zoro. The table became silent as the busboy came to pick up the empty mugs from the table.
Zoro wasn't an idiot like the majority of the male members of the crew and everyone knew as the first mate he did have authority while Luffy was gone. It was interesting to actually see him revealing this newly discovered capability and it hadn't gone unnoticed by the individual members of the Straw-hat pirates. All began to easily adjust to his orders without any fuss other than the incident on Sunny. With the table silent, the group began contemplating on the next step.
"Hey what's all this talk about saving Luffy?"
The voice startled the crew out of their thoughts as they twisted in their seats rapidly looking in each direction around them, searching for the source of the voice. Four of the members' eyes widened at a certain table while the other two followed their eyes and stared curiously at who they were looking at.
The crew turned to find their captain's older brother, Portgas D. Ace, at another table with piles of plates around him rubbing his eyes awake. The Straw-hats sweat dropped realizing that he had just woken up from one of his narcoleptic episodes. Ace stood up and stretched his muscles as he made his way over to their table.
"Ace? What are you doing here?"
"The usual, I got a lead that Blackbeard would be around here but apparently I just missed him so I took a break in this bar."
Robin and Franky studied the man since this was the first time they ever laid eyes on Luffy's older brother. They took in his physical appearance which was completely opposite than their captain. Robin's eyes fell on the tattoo on his back which sported the mark of a member of the Whitebeard pirates.
"Hey there! I don't believe I have met you two the last time I ran into my little brother's crew," said Ace as he turned to Robin and Franky stretching his hand out in polite welcome.
"Hello Portgas-san, my name is Nico Robin," returned the archeologist shaking his hand, "I can't help notice your tattoo on your back and coming to the conclusion that you must be the infamous fire-fist Ace of Whitebeard's second division I have heard so much about."
Ace smirked at her while shaking Franky's hand. "Why yes I am and you are the infamous woman that was the center of the whole Enies Lobby commotion that I heard you were all involved in." he lightly laughed as he settled himself in a spare chair from a nearby table, "Well now that we're properly acquainted and know that we're both in the same boat of pirate infamy what's going on? Where's my little bro, running around the city as usual?" asked Ace smirking slightly.
The crew all looked intently at the floor, the ceiling, the candles, anything to avoid the gaze of the questioning man. Ace's smile dropped at the reaction to his question as he asked again the whereabouts of Luffy.
Zoro bravely looked up at Ace. "Ace, Luffy was kidnapped."
"What are you talking about? My brother isn't weak enough to be kidnapped! What's really going on?!"
"He was recovering from a battle when …some girl stole him using sea-stone," informed Nami.
"It's true Portgas-san, Captain-san has been taken by a 'fallen angel,'" said the archeologist. The name suddenly caught the attention of the whole bar and Ace himself.
"..What did you say?" he whispered clenching his fists.
"'Fallen angel'" she confirmed keeping a cool composure.
He banged his fists on the table causing his whole body to ignite from anger making all the heads of the bar turn quickly back to their drinks to avoid eye contact with Ace. Usopp and Chopper cowered down in their seats while Franky put up an arm to shield his face from the intense heat. Zoro and Robin both had their arms crossed and eyes closed calmly while Nami looked up into the rage filled eyes of Luffy's brother. "This can't be happening… Mina, this is serious. We have to find Luffy fast before it's too late."
"Why what's going to happen?" asked Chopper curiously.
"I'll just say that we could lose Luffy forever." Ace waited for the news to sink into the crew's mind yet the table didn't question the man further knowing that whatever he knew it was not to burden them.
"But we have no clues to where he is, He was taken in the middle of the ocean and there was fog everywhere so we couldn't see the ship she was on…if she had one," said Usopp.
"Poor Luffy!' sobbed the small reindeer.
X
Everyone including Ace was situated on Sunny along with the supplies they had bought from a few stores they had passed on the way to the ship except for Robin. The crew waited patiently for their missing nakama to return from her run to the town's library to do some research on the historical files and periodicals. Soon they saw her with a newspaper under her arm and a few books under the other walking towards the ship. As soon as she got on deck they all followed closely behind her and crowded around the coffee table outside where she laid down the paper to show a picture dating back 17 years in the past. An ashen town lighted by the rays of the sun appeared in black and white under the headlines: "Kyuushuu Island Massacre". Smaller pictures were dotted around the front page of mangled bodies found on the dock and around the city. Everyone's eyes laid on the picture of a girl around the age of 5 with bandages covering her eyes struggling with the doctors trying to help her. Everyone gasped reading the caption that revealed the only survivor of the pirate attack, a young girl named Itazuki Cai.
"Is that her!?" asked Chopper.
"I believe it is seeing that she fit's the description of what we do know even if she is a child in this picture."
Nami ran to her room and came back with a bundle of maps. She came back fumbling with a few rolled up maps looking up at the others around her with a troubled look. "I don't get it. I don't see that island on the maps at all nor have I ever heard of that island to begin with."
"Well of course you haven't, you were barely 1 when this disaster occurred," stated Robin, "the island was taken off of the newly produced maps and out of most history books in order to keep the catastrophe on the down low." She began to pull out a random book from the pile she brought onto the ship and flipped it open to the back where a few pages showed the discovered islands dating back 50 years. "The mystery of what occurred on the island, how the people died including the captain of the supposed pirates who attacked the island except for 1 child, forced the government to erase it from the maps so that further examination could be implemented in the case without distractions."
Robin pointed to the island with the label "Kyuushuu Island" in elegant letters. "From what I know, the case has been dropped by the government and now it is left as a deserted island with nothing but the crumbled remains of the city."
"Well that seems like the perfect place to hide Luffy seeing that no one is there and its whereabouts were erased from history." stated Ace gazing at his log pose on his wrist.
"And on the map it's only two islands away from the one we're on now!" exclaimed Usopp.
Franky stepped back into a celebratory pose with Usopp and Chopper dancing beside him. "SUPA! We have a clue to where Strawhat is!" The rest of the crew sighed in relief while Ace glided over to Nami's side.
"Even though we know where my brother might be we still have to realize that the island is going to be hard to get to with no directions getting there. You guys just got here so you don't know that this island takes 20 days to re-adjust to point to the next island but lucky for you I've been here for 15 days already." He pointed to the next island before Kyuushuu: "Hitoya Island" in the same elegant letters. "Now this little island has a catch to it which should be clear just by looking at the name."
The Strawhats gathered around the book to get a better look at the name. "You must be kidding me!" groaned Sanji as he took a step back to pull out a cigarette and a matchbook.
"Damn it, can this get any worse?" growled the swordsman while plopped down leaning his head against the railing. "Why in the world does the next island have to be a god damn penitentiary and marine base?"
"Well, they were established there to keep an eye on Kyuushuu and detour any incoming ships to the island after it and my guess is that it just evolved over time to be a prison." informed Robin.
"Wow, you know a lot about that island don't you?" asked Chopper.
Robin lightly smiled to the young reindeer while handing the book with the map to give the navigator a closer look. "Well, I was already 11 when the news spread around the Grandline so I once researched it for awhile out of my child-like curiosity."
"I guess were going to have to pass by this island and rough it out for Luffy's sake," sighed Nami as she put the book back down onto the table, "We have to still wait another five days here and who knows how long it will take to get to Hitoya…"
"We're just going to have to rough it out like you said, Nami," said Usopp patting her shoulder reassuringly, "Don't think about it. We will find Luffy in no time."
Everyone on the deck nodded in agreement before dispersing to get ready for lunch. Sanji retreated into the kitchen while Robin took a seat inside the kitchen to relax with new books she had bought. Usopp, Franky and Chopper were surprisingly napping along side Zoro most likely out of exhaustion from the excitement of the new plan. It was already past noon and everyone just wanted to settle down to try to get their minds off the task at hand yet, Ace was not calm at the fact that his brother was a prisoner of a mysterious enemy.
X
He had been held captive for a week already but to him, who had no mode of telling how many hours have passed let alone days, it had felt like an eternity. He was back in the small cell with his wrists locked above his head while he sat on the cold stone floor. It was dark. All he could see was black but then again it wasn't really because there was no light shining in the room. His eyes were covered tightly with white bandages that wrapped around his skull weaving through his black locks that prevented him from seeing anything around him. The dressings were soiled with his blood from his eyes that just never seemed to cease to burn and bleed. His anger grew towards Cai as he thought of the last time he had seen her in that white room a few days ago and how much she was putting him through for something he was not guilty of, for making his crew worry for his sake, and for the girl herself.
In all honesty, he felt sorry for how ignorant Cai was herself and what she had been through all the years of her life. Luffy was not one to jump to conclusions on a person and actually took time to contemplate and understand each person he came into contact with even if they weren't willing to do the same for him. Yet, he was so confused about who he should blame for the way she had turned out. He knew she had her reasons from when she let it slip about her family when he first met her but not all devil-fruit users were evil…right? His mind couldn't help drift to her words that she said to him on different occasions.
".. an insatiable lust for blood and eventually death"
"I'm talking about what you all inflict on other people who are not like you: fear of pain and pain itself… deep down all of you are the same."
It was true that he had a reason to fight and that was because he was doing it for his nakama yet, he always had so much fun in his fights and always targeted the strongest of his enemies without a second thought. Luffy's mind began to spin as he thought of the possibilities of him actually enjoying the thrill of battle as a personal gain more than for the reason of helping someone dear to him. As he began to go into further depth of these possible assumptions his mind floated back into unconsciousness.
X
Some heavy footsteps followed by another lighter step came down the hall in a quick pace towards where Luffy slept. They stopped in front of his door and began to exchange a few words that only came as mumbles through the thick wood. The door opened and only one pair of boots stepped into the cell. Gaije walked in leaving his companion to walk away from the door while he made his way in front of the boy on the floor. He put a container on the floor near Luffy's legs and lighted the candle above with a matchbook from his pocket.
Gaije looked down at the smaller form before him taking in his appearance by the flickering light of the lit candle above him. The boy's body looked horrible with the inflamed areas around the various injuries still covered in dried blood and the purple and black tint coming through his skin on his hand from when he had broke it a week ago. His whole body was covered in dirt and blood. He bent down on one knee and lifted Luffy's head to inspect the bandages around his eyes. The sudden movement on his neck caused the boy to fall into a fit of coughs that brought up small amounts of blood that trickled down his chin. Gaije looked at the trail of dried crimson on his cheeks then up to the bandages soaked all the way through with same color. He began to unwind the bandages slowly while carefully supporting the boy's head with his other hand until he reached the section that had first hand contact with Luffy's face. He gently peeled the section off trying very hard to cause as little pain for the kid as possible. He opened the container he had laid on the floor and pulled out a clear bottle of water and washcloth. He thoroughly soaked the cloth and began to wash the blood off of Luffy's closed eyes.
As Gaije wiped off the last few traces Luffy's eyes began to flicker open. The man's eyes widened when the young captain looked up at him. Although his blood shot eyes were startling enough but what really caught Gaije off guard was the severe color change in the boy's iris. Luffy's eyes had turned to a pale blue color.
"Well it seems that the chemical is now in at the point of affecting the pigment in your irises," stated Gaije in a low whisper while regaining his composure.
"What are you doing?" asked Luffy in a feeble whisper. Gaije did not respond but began cleaning off a few of the minor cuts and scrapes around his body.
"Why are you helping me I thought you were on Cai's side?" questioned the boy again while he tensed every so often from the sting of the alcohol that Gaije was now wiping over his wounds.
Gaije paused for a second before unlocking Luffy's cuffs causing him to fall forward into his arms. "Look, you have no idea what Cai has in store for you so she asked me if I could clean you off giving me the reason that she thinks she might be going to far that she could possibly kill you if a little of your strength isn't recovered."
"Why are you being so gentle?"
The man simply sighed while readjusting the boy to lean on the wall once again. "She told me to be gentle." While Gaije spoke Luffy thought he saw that same look of compassion that he had before in the hall but once again it disappeared in a flash as he got back to work on his wounds.
Before he could say anything back to the older man his whole head was filled with an intense pain that felt like his skull was being crushed inwards and his brain was about to explode. Like it has been for the past couple of days the sensation traveled down to his spine and even through a few lines around the peripheral nervous system causing his body to involuntarily tense up in quick reaction. His eyes began to burn behind his tightly shut lids feeling the warm liquid build up.
Gaije watched him in self interest of his sadistic nature as Luffy began to squirm chaotically about once again causing the many injuries to bleed out again. As soon as he saw the bight red streams running down the boy's body he snapped back into reality and swiftly dove into the container and pulled out another test tube and syringe and transferred the blue liquid though the needle. He grabbed the thrashing boy, who instinctively latched on to him, and held him close to his own body with one arm around his back while the other stuck the needle near his spine between his shoulder blades. In a few seconds Luffy's body began to settle down while Gaije ran his fingers up and down his spine to loosen the tension and calm the connecting peripheral nerve cells. He pushed Luffy away from his own body and looked into the half lidded pale blue eyes to see the blood running freely down his face. Luffy stared back into his impassive eyes waiting for some sort of explanation.
Luffy ignored the silence getting straight to the point. "What was in the shot this time?"
"It was an antidote for the spasms but not eyes."
The young captain figured that Gaije was a man of few words but this was getting ridiculous. "Could you at least explain?" he asked already irritated.
Just then, the door slammed open and Cai suddenly walked through the door. Gaije promptly stood up crossing his arms in the process. She bent down and ran her fingers over his body running over the fresh blood on his skin. "What happened? I thought you were actually fixing him up not beating him around, Gaije."
"He had an episode."
"You put in the antidote?"
"Yeah."
Luffy watched intently as the blind girl ran her fingers over his body debating on whether or not to attack her now. Even if he was severely weakened by the lack of nutrition and blood as well as the sea stone collar he could possibly get her through surprise attack and he did have his arms free…but then again, he couldn't move.
"Don't even think about it, I know you're awake." Luffy's eyes widened with disbelief. "I can feel your heartbeat quickening and can guess that you're ready to try to catch me off guard." She reached out her right arm to his neck and slammed him against the wall behind him with her abnormal strength. "I had a feeling that you would be to rowdy to let Gaije treat your wounds gently so I came up with another brilliant idea that's a little more uncomfortable but effective."
"It's not my fault that my body spasms out to the chemical that you put in me! Didn't you hear your friend say I went through an 'episode' or whatever you call it!" protested Luffy while feebly trying to fight the grip strangling his breathing.
"Oh, don't go blaming other people when you know it's your fault," she said mockingly. Doll came through the door and stood beside Gaije passing something behind their backs to him. "It's ok we're going to get you all washed up soon."
She threw Luffy face down in the middle of the room where Doll jumped on his back and pressed her knee down in between his shoulder blades causing his head to shoot back from the pressure and contact with the slashes. She took this chance to wrap his eyes with the blindfold she had hidden behind her back tying it tightly around his head. Luffy mentally cursed his close proximity to the power of the sea stone collar draining every drop of his energy to even move on his own will.
"We're ready for you, Doctor," giggled Doll bouncing over to hook her arm through Gaije's free arm.
"Good job, nurse," laughed Cai as she played along stretching out her hand towards Gaije's general direction in which he placed small bag filled with fine white crystals, "it's time for our patient to take a little dose of medicine." Ripping the bag open she compressed the crystals into a ball with the circumference of about that of a dime. She didn't even bother to try to ask him to open his mouth but rather stuck her finger nails into the barely healed welts on his back causing him to scream out as she planned. She popped the ball into his mouth and held it shut while rubbing the outside of his throat, forcing Luffy to swallow to his dismay.
He was suddenly scooped into Gaije's arms and slung over his shoulder while the other two girls walked ahead of them lightly giggling to one another.
X
Suddenly Luffy's heart was beating at a pace to what seemed like a thousand beats per minute as he began to sweat excessively feeling oddly hot while his blindfold began to feel unbearably itchy. His mouth was so dry that it reminded him of his walk through the hot Alabasta desert but ironically he had lost his appetite for anything in his stomach despite the week of starvation he had already experienced. His breathing increased along with his alertness as each little sound around him, whether it was the sound of a distant water drop falling to the ground or the actual heartbeat of each person around him in the narrow hall. His mind was fully awake now and restless to move around but still restrained by his physical limitations at the time while he waited impatiently to figure out where the three were taking him. Unexpectedly, his unprotected skin was met with a bone chilling gust of wind in which he somehow felt each of his cells scream out from the contact with the bitter cold. He could hear the crunch of snow beneath the feet of his captors but heard nothing further other than the soft howling of the wind, not another foreign voice. His fascination with his suddenly enhanced hearing was abruptly shortened as a scent caught his attention that he knew all too well…
He was thrown roughly down onto what seemed to be a wooden floor that was frozen to the touch and dotted with patches of ice. His heightened senses made the sting of the ice feel more like spikes penetrating his skin and the wind like the lashes of a whip. He involuntarily curled into a ball while the three loomed over him.
"It seems as if his body has reacted pretty well," stated Cai, "can you go get that rope over there and tie it somewhere secure?" Gaije grunted in reply while his boots reverberated through the wooden planks as he moved about. Luffy felt a tug on his collar and the material of the rope scraping against his neck. A quick yank to test out the strength of the knot and all moving around him ceased.
Cai turned to the shivering boy at her feet with the rope knotted tightly to his collar. Doll stepped forward and took off the blindfold to expose his wide eyes. She smiled at the sight of his now dilated eyes that were quickly darting around trying to take in his surrounding. His vision was slightly blurred but the unreal speed that his mind was registering everything around him was what really captivated him. Since his eye sight was poor he could not take in the detailed characteristics of the main part of the island in the distance but could only make out that it was covered in snow. Just as he thought, they were by the ocean by the strong smell of the salty air and he was sitting on an ice covered dock. From what he could see, the rope attached to his collar ran behind the trio hovering above him and laced itself around a rope tie that usually stopped ships from drifting out with the current.
"What are we doing out here?" he asked with a raspy voice from his dried throat.
"Heh, before we actually get to treating you I wanted to show you something." Said Cai as she knelt down beside him. She bent his neck in an uncomfortable position towards the open sea and pointed out to the horizon. "What do you see?"
Luffy raised a brow at the question. "Nothing but ocean and clouds…"
"Exactly, nobody has been out there for this whole week you have been here and nobody ever will be, including your precious nakama." She proclaimed letting go of his neck. Luffy's eyes widened in shock but soon narrowed in anger to her words.
"No! You're wrong they will come for me!"
Cai stood up straight and walked to the edge of the dock. "What makes you so sure? It's obvious that you would go after them and risk your life but did you ever stop to think if they would do the same?" The boy exhaled deeply as his breath came out in a white cloud before him. "Who will come? The shooter who barely has any courage to save himself? The archeologist, who has always lived her life alone and survived by manipulating people in her favor?" She turned back around walking slowly back to him while naming each of the rest of his crew. "What about the young doctor? Do you really trust him or the shipwright who just joined you? And what about the cook and swordsman? They both have extravagant dreams that they don't necessarily need you to accomplish. Oh, and this is my favorite. The Navigator who treats you like an idiot and still hasn't bothered to say "thank you" to you despite all that you have done for her, for your crew. How much faith do you have in them?" Luffy stayed silent. He knew that she had to be wrong but then again all she said had some truth to it and could possibly be very well true. "You're so naïve to even believe that they cared for you the way you do for them. Have you ever thought to think that they were just using you to fulfill their own dreams under your protection from any danger they might run into?"
"That can't be true…"
"Oh, but you don't know that for sure and for all you know I could be right. All they have been doing is using you as their machine to defeat whatever gets in their way and as one of the strongest devil fruit users why wouldn't they take advantage of your naïve nature?"
Luffy stared blankly forward as he took in the poison that Cai was feeding him without a fight. His body was in so much pain right now from the injuries and cold around him but it didn't hurt as much as his heart did. Could his "nakama" actually be nothing but smoke and mirrors before his eyes? No, it was all just a lie … damn this headache! He wanted to deny all her words but she had finally found the sweet spot in his self defense: his friends. He still had faith that they would come but his doubt was beginning to form.
Cai took note of his silence while Doll bent down examining his face for why he stopped fighting out of immature curiosity. A sadistic smile formed on her lips as she realized that she was finally dead on in what could finally break this kid's will as she listened to his heavy breathing .
"No…you're wrong they will come." Responded the boy but Cai sensed the doubt in his voice.
"Suit yourself," she said while she placed her heel on the boy's chest, "that's enough of that anyway. We need to treat those injuries!" she exclaimed through her obvious sarcasm. Luffy found himself falling off the edge of the dock towards down to the icy water below from the force of her kick.
As he hit the water below his whole body screamed out from the new sensitivity of his skin. It felt as if his body was being engulfed in flames from the intensity of the low temperature making each of his cells cry out again. His mind began to move rapidly again as it started to panic from being in the water like every other devil fruit user's fear. Looking up through the murky water he watched the light slowly fade coming through the surface while his body became an anchor dragging him down through the depths. When he was kicked off the edge he didn't have enough time to take a breath and his lungs were paying the price. He already began to feel the suffocated feeling constricting his lungs, yet he was helpless as his body stiffened from the effects of the devil fruit and the cold. Suddenly, he began to understand what Cai meant when she said that she wanted to treat his wounds. Each of his injuries began to sting with the contact from the salt water around him as the crystals began to embed themselves in his skin. He wanted to scream so bad but instead he closed his eyes trying to bear with the pain. It felt like when Cai had twisted her hand into each of his gashes but this time each of his injuries felt it at the same time rather than one by one. To make matters worse, his neck abruptly felt constricted as he stopped his decent down the water.
He didn't understand why his body was acting so strange making everything that touched it seem worse than usual. His eyes widened underwater in sudden realization as the tug on his neck increased and he felt himself being pulled back up to the surface. When he was dragged to the top of the deck he was already gasping for air while at the same time coughing up a little water that had gotten into his lungs.
"Well, look at that! You look better already!" exclaimed Doll jumping up and down, "Isn't this fun!?" Luffy's body was shivering uncontrollably now and was looking unhealthily pale. His wide eyes were fixed on their feet while he curled into a ball again before them.
"Yes, look at that, all his blood washed off in the water and his wounds aren't bleeding out that much. Isn't salt just the amazing?" said Cai bending over the shivering form, "What's wrong? Don't you like the water?" Luffy didn't answer but instead, tightly shut his eyes, further curling into himself. "Does it hurt?"
"Wha-a..what's wro-ong with by body?"
Cai put her head in her hand in an action of mock thoughtfulness. "Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Th-the wuh-white stuff."
"I don't really know if it's white, but I think I know what you're talking about!" she declared, "Hehe, that is one of my favorite drugs, the amphetamine. It's quite an interesting stimulant drug that mainly speeds up your nervous system so that you would be able to feel every bit of torture times three! I'm pretty sure you can guess the other effects in your first trip."
Doll hopped over to him quickly scanning his body. "Talk is boring….I wanna do it again!" she squealed pushing his body back over the edge. Luffy fell back down into his watery descent overwhelmed with the extreme pain once again. This time, they left him under water for just over two minutes before dragging him back up.
"Let's go back in I'm getting tired of this cold," said Cai turning on her heel back from where they came, "Gaije, can you please take care of that thing?"
Gaije grunted in reply turning back to the boy on the deck. As he moved to touch him the boy whimpered causing him to back away. Frowning somewhat, he scooped Luffy into his arms with careful consideration of his fragile state. Luffy instinctively sought warmth from Gaije's body turning into his chest. Gaije let him do as he pleased walking behind the girls trying to ignore the intense shivering from the form in his arms.
X
Ace was pacing up and down the floor at the back of the ship with a look of deep concentration plastered on his face revealed by the light of the full moon. "With a bounty like his it's no wonder that 'angel' went after Luffy." he whispered to himself, "Luffy's strong and his will is even stronger but everyone has a limit and I can't take any chances."
"You really do care for him don't you?"
Ace spun around to find the navigator of the ship watching him with her arms crossed and her own look of concern in her eyes. "Well of course I do, he's my little brother." he said with a slight hint of annoyance.
"What exactly did you mean by 'we might lose Luffy forever' back in the bar?"
Ace quickly crossed his arms and looked away into the ocean. "It's none of your concern as long as we get to him soon." he whispered. He walked past her down into the kitchen leaving Nami to contemplate the ever growing secrets that held Luffy captive.
"Is he going to die?" she whispered.
Hitoya – means prison or penitentiary
I'm sorry if it sounds rushed but I've been jumping all over the country and have been having a hard time getting some time to type this up. If there are typos or hard to read areas then just pass it by me and I'll try to clear it up. Yes I did make Zoro a little more knowledgeable that he really is because I can't make Robin do all the mature talk and of course I needed Ace in there, I mean his brother's life is on the line so a little sibling love goes a long way and stuff. There is no yaoi between Gaije and Luffy so get over yourself but I'm sure you can guess what role Gaije will be taking up soon. This is a LuNa fic anyway. Yes, drugs do seem to be showing up a lot here but if you know about amphetamines or their close cousin ecstasy than you know a little more. So seriously please review if you think I should continue or not because they actually give me more incentive to actually try and give me a little push to actually update sooner if people want me to. The ones I've received so far are great so thanks!