: 6 :

At the sound of keys jingling, Ace lifted his head, slowly attuning himself to the world of wakening. It was much too dark for it to be near morning, and he blinked sleep-heavy eyes as he wondered what exactly he'd heard to wake up.

"You can't be that angry…it's not your fault."

"People should be nicer to me."

Ace lifted his head again, unsure of who was talking. The voices were different from each other, speaking so low that they were either down the hall, or whispering amongst themselves in the next room. But that would mean they were in Ussop's room, and none of those voices were Ussop. He wiped his mouth, sitting up slowly.

"They won't if you do this."

He furrowed his brow, unsure of the content. But it sounded a lot like Law talking – to himself? There was another voice that was nearly his, but it was a little lighter. It suddenly occurred to him that, while Law was considered a psychopath, he hadn't heard the doctors talking about any diagnosis. They all had labels – but Law's hadn't been definite. Was he talking to himself in his room, much like how Zoro communicated with himself? Or was there somebody else with him?

At the same time, Ace knew he couldn't just call out – if that man was the one killing everyone, he couldn't draw attention to himself. He was defenseless without a weapon, and if Law had an accomplice – he could picture the man going about his torture in a different way. He tensed, laying back down on his bed, clutching his pillow. He was wide awake, eyes staring at the darkness, listening to the sound of movement.

Laughter rang out as someone ran past the doors, but it caused his skin to ripple. It was the sound of a kid, and it sounded otherworldly. Like the voice came from a radio someone carried – but the one they had was located downstairs, in the medical ward there. The voices drove Zoro crazy, so it had been banned to a different location. Ace listened, and he could identify the sound of voices talking again, and he strained his ears to catch the content. It was as if two people were sitting close together, hiding their conversation behind one hand as they whispered to each other. It was difficult picking out most of the words, but the content came together after much concentration.

"Let's just go home."

"There is no home to go to."

"Ha! Ha! You're right."

He's definitely crazy, Ace thought to himself with building horror. He was starting to convince himself that it was only one person talking. The voices were too similar, with barely any spaces in between. Maybe the man had a multiple personality syndrome – it would explain the crazy switches in mood and expression. But at the same time, Ace had to wonder if it were just his personality that was that extreme.

He heard the jingle of keys, and the sound of footsteps in the hall once more. Ace wondered where Sengoku was, where the police officers were. There was too much freedom in movement in the halls, and he heard the sound of the boy laughing again, from further away. He swallowed tightly, unsure of what to think. He wondered if he should panic, if he should get up and say something. Then he clutched his pillow tight with resolve, and pushed away from his bed. As he did so, he saw someone take a step back towards his window, as if they had intended on walking towards his bed. It startled him to see that movement, so he performed a double take, noting that he could only see shadowy legs just below his window – the sight itself didn't make any sense at all. Where was the upper body?

Squinting hard, sure he was only seeing things, Ace turned to face that direction.

Those legs shifted away from the window, side stepping towards the right, further into the shadows of his room. Before he could say anything, taking in the sight of bodiless limbs, he heard a hard exhale behind him. He turned to see how someone managed to step up to him in that moment and realized he was hearing the sound of Apoo breathing hard behind him. He wouldn't ever forget that sound. The sound ceased very suddenly before launching into a high pitched scream, similar to that one released when Law had spoken to Apoo that one day.

Ace screamed back in reaction, leaping away as the sound pierced his ears and rattled his insides. He automatically struck out to get space between them, and his hand swept through hot air. Apoo laughed, and the sound faded away, the sound of someone heavy running through the hall catching his attention. Ace struggled to catch his breath, his hands moving to his ears as the residue of the sound lingered. He looked over to see that he was completely alone, but those voices had started up again.

"They'll never accept us there. We just have to find another place to stay."

"We can't go that far."

"It's not fair."

"It's not fair to us."

"It's not fair that you're doing this."

"This is bullshit."

"Leave us alone."

"Leave us alone."

"Let me talk to him in peace, please."

"Goddamn it, shut up!" Ace shouted, driven slightly on edge as the voices argued amongst each other, each of them similar in tone, but different in manner. All of them silenced at once, and the stillness afterward made his skin crawl. He looked back towards the shadows, brushing his hair from his face, looking for those legs. They were gone, and the more he stared, the more he wondered if he'd even seen what he had at all. He looked back towards the door, listening for Apoo. Wondering if he were dreaming.

Wickem had never been considered 'haunted'. He didn't recall ever running into unusual situations, or even hearing the staff whisper about such things. All he knew of the place was that it was for 'crazy' people, and that their only horror was receiving treatment – from staff, from other patients. The only 'ghosts' were those Zoro spoke to – Zoro was the only one that spoke to himself and to things that were beyond anyone else's vision.

But Ace was sure of what he heard. He was sure that Apoo had been behind at him, and he was positive those legs were moving on their own.

Those voices…he was sure they were coming from Law.

He looked over to the door and rushed it, banging against it as he pressed his face against the mesh wiring of the window, looking out in the hall. The only light visible to him came from down the hall, near the medical ward. Something squeaked as it moved, and he craned his head to see that someone was pushing the wheelchair through the darkness towards him. He blinked heavily, wiping his eyes. No one was pushing the thing. The spokes glittered with the faraway light as the chair stopped just outside of his door.

"It's too bad you're awake," Law said from just out of his line of vision, and Ace whipped his head around to see the shadow of the man standing just off to the side, playing with a large ring of keys. He tutted, shaking his head from side to side. The more his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the more Ace could pick out his individual features.

"You fucking bastard! How did you get out? I knew it was you, all this time!" Ace shouted at him, hitting the door with a fist. "Everyone knew it was you!"

"Everyone had their speculations, yes, but did anyone see me actually do those things?" Law asked on a low purr, smirking. "Was there anyone alive to point their fingers at me, and say that it was me?"

Ace felt his breath building in his chest, and became conscious of his fists curling at his head as he glared at the other man. "Where's Sengoku?"

"In my room. Why? Do you need him?"

"You killed him, didn't you?"

Law opened his mouth to answer, speaking with no trouble at all. Ace had to wonder if he'd really been hurt in the first place. It was too dark to tell if he still wore injuries.

"I admit to this one," Law then answered slowly. "It was a necessary action. He woke me out of a sound sleep, intending on attacking me. After what happened to me the other night, I did not appreciate having a man looming over me so suddenly."

"Whatever that means, jerkoff! You did something to him to cause that action! You must've set him up! Excusing your fucking actions as 'just cause'! You're insane!"

"Well, this is Wickem, after all…but in all honesty, Ace-ya, there's nothing to pin me to it," Law said, smiling lightly as he jiggled the keys once more.

"Bring it on, jerk. Bring it on!" Ace snarled, hitting his door. "Come in here! Come in here right now! You fucking coward!"

"Unfortunately, I'll have to wait for another time and place. I've already have a mouse loose," Law said, flipping the keys over and over in his hand. "I can only do two at a time per night, unless there's a more unusual circumstance. Like last night."

"Fuck that! I'm going to wake everyone up!"

"First off, Ace-ya, hold that thought – as easy as it is to whip everyone here in a frenzy, know this. I have a friend taking care of them, to allow them to sleep easy. Most of them are terrible sleepers. You, yourself, have difficulties, too, sometimes."

"What the fuck does that mean - ?"

Finger to his lips, Law whispered, "Shh. Listen."

With much doubt, Ace crinkled his forehead. As he attuned himself to the silence around him, quite aware that he should've woken someone up, he started to hear soft voices around him. There was a woman humming a tune over and over, a lullaby with ghostly weight to it. 'Brahm's Lullaby', he realized. The more he focused on that singular noise, the more definite it became. The hum grew with sound, a slight buzzing surrounding it, as if the woman was humming from a field of bees. It made him sweat nervously, pressing his forehead against the mesh wiring of his window, vaguely picking out the tune without words. But he couldn't tell which direction it was coming from – whether it was from the rooms, or from a short distance away, the sound was easily lost amidst the activities happening in front of him.

"Who the fuck is that?" he asked himself, bewildered. He couldn't imagine it to be Dr Hina, or any of the nurses from the first floor. Most of the women were afraid to venture around the patients, and wouldn't do so unless there were orderlies to hold the patients in check.

"Now, hold your turn," Law said, turning away from him. He started towards the wheelchair, asking aloud, "Are you done playing with this?"

"No one wants to push me," a boy said petulantly. The voice was so loud, distinct, that at first, Ace thought Law had made the sound himself. He stared at him, wide-eyed, sure that this was the appearance of a different personality.

"You know what they say. If you do, you'll wind up in one, yourself. Come along, let's catch this mouse," Law said lightly, pushing the wheelchair out of Ace's view, moving down the hall. A small hand slapped hard on the window Ace was looking out of, startling him. The boy laughed in delight, and Ace opened his eyes just in time to see the shadowy form of a child racing after Law – a blur of movement caused him to look to the side, just in time to see a man walking past, an impatient gait to his stride.

"Hey! Hey!" he called out with startled action, pushing against the window. It had been too dark to see exactly who it was – just that he was around his height, thin, wearing their clothes. It happened so fast to get a good look, but horror and dismay left him shaken for a moment. He sputtered before yelling out, "Sanji! Sanji, you bastard! Come back! Come back!"

: :

Ussop shook violently with terror as he listened to the noises around him. He'd only visited the medical ward twice since he'd arrived at Wickem, and it wasn't the place he wanted to spend any more time in than he had to. It had once been the master bedroom, but it extended outward to take up two more bedrooms – in it were three twin sized beds, various shelf spaces with human and animal brains floating in jars of formaldehyde. There was a whole room dedicated to intense medical procedures, with a stainless steel bed within the center, thick straps dangling from the guard railings. The adjustable lights within the center of the room were only operational upon consistent winding from the generator box near the front door. There was a large sink, shower stall and tub off to the left of that. A hydrotherapy tub off to the right. On the other side of the room was an iron lung.

He was hiding in the biggest cabinet, holding the doors shut by the edge of his fingernails. Penguin was brought weekly to this room, where Dr Smoker routinely tried coaxing responses to him. Nothing 'inhumane', he said. Just a prick of a needle here, a shock of cold water there, hot water here, a jab there. Ace and Luffy had visited it before – Ace to have his burn wounds treated, Luffy because he was always breaking or shredding something. While it never looked quite so menacing during the day, at night, it looked entirely different. There was a one sided mirror just off the operating room, where the mirror there allowed visitors to watch demonstrations from a safe distance, communicating to the surgeon from outside via intercom.

Ussop remembered that Sanji had been here a few times, before, too. He'd had a bad habit of pretending to take his mood inhibitors, and, as Luffy wasn't a fan of pills, he often gave Sanji his share; Sanji had ended up collecting enough to overdose until the orderlies were able to find his stash – but after a few times in the medical ward, Dr Smoker had weaned him off his chemical dependency, working one on one with him in order to soothe this black period in his life. Sanji now only spoke of this area with derision. He had a fantastic memory of where things were located and how they operated, Ussop remembered. He would list off the machinery available, their uses, which cabinet the pharmaceuticals were locked up, where the medical supplies were, how much of them were stocked, and how the one-sided mirror had a secret entrance off from the first floor. When Dr Smoker asked him why sharing this information was relevant to the others, Ussop remembered Sanji shrugging it off.

"I just like knowing where things are," he'd muttered.

"It's almost as if you're sending off valuable information to persons interested in the setup," Dr Smoker had continued. "No one asked for this information, no one prompted you to share it. So why even speak of it?"

"Is the medical ward that much of a secret?" Sanji had shot back. "I wasn't aware that speaking of it and the operations inside of it were to be kept hush-hush, or I would've kept my goddamn mouth shut! If you didn't want me talking about it, then be specific!"

"It's not a secret, I just find it suspicious that you'd relate such irrelevant information so uselessly to others that don't care for it," Dr Smoker had retorted, chewing on something that Ussop couldn't identify.

Ussop remembered thinking that Dr Smoker was right. But he did note in that memory that Law wasn't present at that time. In fact, it had only been a month after when the man was introduced to the others. Law would have found the information valuable. After all, he was a suspected murderer. Ussop tried to recall if Law had ever visited the medical ward. But nothing violent had ever happened to him, and whatever did happen to him last night, he was treated downstairs.

Ussop swallowed tightly, trying to control his shaking.

He grew aware of the sound of movement coming from the hall, and gulped in deep. But he was already hot and sweaty, his clothes sticking to him, and he heard the sound of water moving. Someone had turned on the hydrotherapy tub, and the sound of water hitting the tub built with strength, causing him tremendous distress. Then the shower turned on, and the tub next to it began to fill with water. It alarmed him that all of these things were turned on – they needed a hand pump to generate the power to do so. If all of them were moving at once, then there was more than one person out there. The sink's taps turned, and, soon, that, too, began to fill.

To his horror, the sound caused his bladder to twinge. He bit his lips inward, closing his eyes tight. A cabinet opened, and the sound of something falling hit the floor, splattering. Whatever it was caused multiple sounds of impact. Something else fell, and another – glass shattered.

He heard the sound of heavy breathing, a familiar sound that caused him to open his eyes wide. He was positive that it was Apoo. He was positive that it was – the man had been much too big, deformed in a way, and he'd had trouble with his lungs. Gigantism, Ussop remembered Dr Smoker saying. Not only was his mental illness not yet identified, but he suffered from gigantism. As a result, his body was slightly mangled to fit the size of his frame, so his lungs were tightly fitted into a deformed ribcage that made it difficult for Apoo to take a proper breath. Because of his unusual shape, his body had taken on an unusual and uncomfortable form, which had left him walking heavily, with breathing difficulties.

But when he threw a tantrum, he often breathed through his nose, creating a lack of properly gained oxygen and sometimes causing himself respiratory distress. Ussop heard that sound now, and he fretted, trembling violently as his ears grew warm. It couldn't be… Apoo had died over a month ago. Strangled himself with his own innards. Why would he be back? Was he haunting the place? Was it really him killing people, and not Law?

But Law was the murderer – he had a way of words that made Ussop severely afraid of him. He'd spoken of the detail he took in taking human beings apart, to gathering hearts to deposit across the island in some sort of twisted treasure hunt. It agitated Ussop that, while Law spoke of these things, there hadn't been enough 'evidence' to pin it on him. There was just something off about him that made Ussop want to avoid his general direction. It was almost comparable to being eyed upon by a big predator, considered for a meal.

He heard the sound of the wheelchair moving up the hair, coming his way. Once rubber met the floor, he listened for the sound of Apoo greeting whomever it was behind the device. But instead, all of the water shut off at once.

"Ussop!" Law called out, in a near jovial tone. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Ussop squeezed his eyes shut. He tried not to breathe – holding his breath for as long as he could. He heard weight fall onto the wheelchair, and a childish giggle. The wheelchair took to the wide open space of the ward, scooting quickly over the floor. There was a crash of sound, Law snickering as a boy laughed – it truly gave Ussop pause as he opened his eyes, furrowing his brow. For a moment there, both voices had given away to one. Was it only a coincidence that both voices merged, or was the man capable of creating totally different tones in his own speech?

He tried to think back, trying to pick out moments in time where Law's diagnoses were given away by Dr Hina or Smoker. Was he schizophrenic like Zoro, or did he have multiple personalities? But there hadn't been a speck of time where Law had shown a completely different personality. If he wasn't laughing in the face of literal danger, he was calmly threatening lives, challenging authority, or giving anguished protest of mistreatment. All of it fit one person – there hadn't been a change in tone or characteristic, but then again…then again, he was quite capable of switching emotions too quickly.

Ussop bit the inside of his cheek.

"Ussop!" a boy called out merrily. "Want to play a game?"

He shook his head tightly in response, squeezing his eyes shut. The wheelchair coasted too close to him. Again, Law chuckled, giving Ussop the thought that he was pushing himself in the chair. There was a terrible screech of rubber against tile as it stopped suddenly, twisting violently.

"Ussop…I can hear you breathing," Law taunted quietly, near the operating room.

Before Ussop could react, the boy said, "I'm going to knock on the wall six times. Okay? The further away I get from you, you have to knock three times very quickly, and I will take those steps back. Okay? Understand?"

Ussop shook again. He didn't want to play any game. He didn't want those two – that man – in the medical ward with him. What happened if they caught up?

He heard the knocking on the operating room doors – six rapid knocks. The wheelchair screeched slightly. Ussop's thoughts raced with panic. It was Law. It was Law talking in these different voices. He was still in the wheelchair, Ussop was sure of it.

The wheelchair screeched a little as six more knocks sounded on a metal room divider. Ussop could see three of them lined up against the wall of the operating room – still far away from him. He refused to play this game. If he were wrong, if there were two people in the ward with him, then the other would find him. The other would seek him out, and kill him. He was sure of it.

He couldn't breathe.

He exhaled as slow and tightly as he could, eyes watering as his heart pounded. Six knocks sounded out again, closer, at the edge of the bed nearest the operating room. The wheelchair squeaked noisily.

"Ussop!" the boy called out in sing-song. "Ussop, where are you?"

"Maybe he's not here?"

"The door's locked."

Ussop's heart continued to pound noisily. He was sure of it. Law was only talking to himself. The voices were too close together, and he heard the distinct switch of breath and tone as personalities spoke to each other. He was positive Law had more personalities.

How was he supposed to reason and appeal to that?

"Usssssoooooopppppppp!"

Six knocks sounded on the second bed as the wheelchair squeaked forward. His fingernails scraped against the wood of the cabinet, and the sound stopped.

"There needs to be three knocks, Ussop," Law chided gently. "Three to allow us space from you, six to let us in close. Isn't that how it works? You take three bites in, six bites out. Three knocks in, six knocks to return. Or are you upset that we're taking the opposite route towards you?"

Ussop clenched his teeth tight, trying not to cry aloud. His mind raced. Fear caused his skin to sweat abundantly. His back ached from crouching in this position. He felt himself shaking violently as six knocks sounded on the next bed. Growing closer to him. He did not want to answer. He didn't want to knock. He didn't want to participate.

But at the same time, that urge hit him to respond. That damning, relentless urge that kept him thinking doom would fall upon him if he didn't create the right beat. If he didn't create the right taps, the right knocks. If he didn't do this, he would fail. He would die. He knew he would – and the knocks burned at him, his fingers curling tightly into fists, releasing the hold on the cabinet doors. A slight sound left him as he heard the wheelchair grow closer to him. Six knocks rapped at the shower stall. Water gathered in the tub was given a quick swish.

"Don't play in that," he heard Law scold quietly.

"I don't know what it feels like, anymore," the boy replied carelessly.

Six more knocks appeared closer, the wheelchair moving closer towards Ussop. He couldn't help but suck in a large breath, trembling as his fingers opened, spreading against the cabinet door. He could hear the other man breathe, a quiet exhale of impatience. He heard the sound of a child giggle, six knocks sounding against the support beam closest to the bed. Ussop felt his fingers moving, but there wasn't any strength in them. Six more knocks rapped hard on the bed frame, and he could see candle light moving into view, through the slits of the cabinet door edges.

He held his breath. Another few feet, and they – he – would be right on him. His fingers tapped out again, just barely audible.

"Aw!" the boy cried in disappointment. Ussop was incredulous to hear the wheelchair inch backward. But the six knocks sounded again on the bed frame, and he returned with three knocks of his own. The wheelchair continued to move backward, and the boy gave another sound of complaint. Ussop heard himself breathing heavily at this moment, sweat dripping into his eyes.

He could picture his escape route. He could shoot away from the cabinet and run for the door – that would take him into the hall. Law could intercept him, but that door closest to him was a heavy monster to lift. Ussop could use those extra two seconds to run to the breakroom. He could use the books as weapons – he could use it to hit the man, grab the keys, and get to Ace. Somebody stronger than him. Even Luffy. Maybe even Zoro. Anybody that could overwhelm that terrifying man.

His plan was good. He knocked three times and listened to the wheelchair move further back.

"This game sucks!" the boy whined. "We're losing!"

"Shh…"

Once he heard the wheelchair bump into the operating room doors, Ussop pushed out from the cabinet, and ran for his life for the hall. But tapped six times on the doorframe, panting heavily. He had to do it. He had to do it or something terrible would happen. He had to make sure that he had his way out.

"No!" the boy cried, and as Ussop ran for the break room, he heard that heavy metal door open and crash wide. He heard someone move after him, and he couldn't help but utter a sound of distress.

"USSOP!" Ace shouted. "Ussop!"

Knowing that Ace was awake made Ussop feel better – but he needed those keys. He just needed to get those keys from him. He ran into the break room without tapping on the doorframe – not even thinking of it – and found the heaviest book – a bible, and turned. He grabbed another book, and watched the doorway. Once he saw the shape of a man moving in through the open door, he hurled the book at him. The spine landed directly into the man's face, causing him to curse with surprise.

Ussop hesitated, a chill racing through him. That voice was familiar. He'd heard it, before.

But he reached for another book, still holding onto the bible. He threw that book, watching as the man stumbled. He tripped over one of the chairs, then hit the floor. Ussop watched the doorway – there were two men, then. Two people were loose. That wasn't Law on the floor – he heard the lazy rotation of the wheels, and he grabbed another book before running for the door.

With urgent action, he drew his foot back and slammed it into the heavy shadow man on the floor. He connected – he was surprised to connect – and he used that same motion to push the man off balance. The man was very thin, and Ussop heard the wind leave his mouth in a pained gust.

Panic and bewilderment set in, and he was rocked enough to hesitate, looking back at the man he'd felled.

"….Sanji?" he asked, voice high and tight as disbelief laced his tone.

Before he could get his answer, the sound of the wheelchair grew closer. He heard the sound of Apoo breathing, again. That struggle for breath, gusty releases through a clogged nose. Ussop abandoned his question and shot outside, not even thinking to tap six. He threw one book at Law, the man reacting with a startled sound as his hands went up to protect his face. Seeing that he was seated in the wheelchair, Ussop charged him. He jumped up and plowed his feet into the man, and both of them jerked towards the floor as the wheelchair flew back and twisted violently, dumping both him and Law down. Ussop screamed noisily as he battered him with the bible in one hand, Law cursing and yelling as he tried to protect himself from the barrage.

But Ussop found the keys, and he jerked the large ring away from Law's pants pocket. He was up on his feet and running away, hearing the other man slowly rise to his feet, breathing hard. Ussop didn't question or look back – he raced to Ace's door, struggling to find the right key to open it. Ace pushed frantically at his door, looking beyond him to see where Law and his accomplice were.

He heard the sound of the wheelchair being righted, wheels turning noisily before corrected. He heard Law muttering to himself, the answer of another voice.

"Owie."

"Times two."

Ussop tried key after key, and it was when the lock shifted that Ussop found himself grabbed. He shrieked noisily as Ace pushed against the door to get out, but the door suddenly refused to budge, pushed back against him with tremendous strength. Ace couldn't see what was happening, but he heard the low tone of Law's voice making some admonishing noise, and a strange wheezing. He was sure it was Ussop.

Ace shouted his name, desperately surging up against his door. He hadn't heard the lock click, yet. He heard the jingle of the keys, but he was pushing so hard against it that the latch of the door hadn't yet caught. Whoever was pushing the door from the opposite side had just as much strength as he. Ace couldn't, at that moment, imagine that it was Sanji. The man wore himself out walking up the stairs. There was no way it was him fighting his own strength.

He heard the sound of a man in distress. A wheezing sound that caused Law to chuckle.

"Don't play with your food," Ace thought he heard him say when a horrendous crunch sounded out. That wheezing sound died instantly, a collection of crunches ringing out in the hallway. Ace was so stunned by the noises that he stopped pushing, and the door slammed shut. The keys jangled as the lock was activated. In the darkness and silence just outside of his room, Ace looked out the mesh wiring of his window. He couldn't see a thing.

He couldn't hear anything.

"….Ussop?" he called, just barely above a whisper. Heart thundering noisily with apprehension, he struggled to hear from the other man. It had gone so still and silent that it felt he'd just woken from a bad nightmare. But he pressed up against the door, looking out into the darkness.

Seconds passed, and as he made to call again, the sliding cover to the mesh wiring snapped open, and he was looking eye to eye with an orderly that he knew was schedule for morning shift. Bewildered, Ace pushed away from the door as the orderly gave a startled sound, pushing away at the same time. At that very moment, Ace realized that it was early morning – sunlight lit everything around him, gave his room warmth. His ears were ringing, as if he'd listened to continuous screaming, and was suddenly released.

"You okay, buddy?" the orderly asked, peering in on him again. "You okay?"

"…'Sop? Ussop? Where's Ussop?" Ace asked, utterly confused by his surroundings. It felt as if he'd blinked, and suddenly was transported through time. Too much time had passed since he'd heard that horrendous sound, and now, nothing made sense. Absolutely nothing. Was he only dreaming?

"How long were you up?"

"Most…most night. Most…where's Ussop?"

"Sir, this one's awake," the orderly said, looking away from the door. And then Ace was aware of voices from down the hall, a collection of upset and urgent voices that told him Sengoku had been found, and the medical ward was being cordoned off. A woman was crying hysterically, demanding to be released from her job. He didn't think it was Dr Hina. There was too much distress in that voice.

A few moments later, another face peered in at him.

"What's his name?"

"This is Portgas D. Ace, sir."

"The pyromaniac."

"Uh…yes."

"Lock it up until we have the scene cleared. I don't want any of these men spoken to by anyone else until I have absolute control of the situation."

"Yes, Dr Akainu."