A/N: Warnings for graphic descriptions of abuse in this chapter.

Chapter 2: Marks

First and second period ended quickly for Luffy, so now he and Usopp were walking towards the gym for their P.E. class. In Luffy's English class with Zoro, he'd met Nami, Vivi, and Sanji, who all turned out to be really nice people. Luffy couldn't wait until he could see them all again at lunch.

The two guys arrived at the boy's locker room, where several people were already dressing in their practice outfits. Usopp was telling Luffy about this time when he went snow skiing and how he was attacked by a giant bear. "Thankfully, the bear had an allergy to pretzels, so I was able to defeat it."

"Wow~ that's amazing, Usopp!" Luffy's eyes were wide and sparkling.

"And that's not all, the bear was a mother, so its cubs came after me next!" Usopp continued his tale as he began taking his shirt off.

"And then what happened?" Luffy began unbuttoning his shirt but hesitated. I can't let people see... Luffy frowned inwardly. Got to come up with something, quick. "Um, hey, Usopp. I gotta use the restroom, so I'll just change in there."

"Aw, okay. But hurry back so you can hear how I handled the cubs!" Usopp's face fell, knowing he would have to put his story on hold for a little while.

Luffy grinned. "Okay, be back soon." He grabbed his bag and left the changing area to go to the restroom stalls, which were still connected to the locker room. Once inside the stall, Luffy shut it behind him, and leaned against the door, sighing. Of course, Luffy didn't even have to go to the bathroom in the first place. He just didn't want to go through the same trouble as last time. At his old school, people found out his secret, and he was forced to leave. I don't want to have to move again, Luffy thought, shaking his head.

In the safety of the stalls, Luffy finished unbuttoning his uniform. He wore a plain white shirt underneath, so Luffy pulled the clothing over his head, revealing a mass of scattered bruises and scars. Luffy flinched; the movement hurting his wounds from yesterday. "Damn," he whimpered. Scars criss-crossed the delicate skin, some old and fading, while some fresh and tender and all varying in size. The bruises were spread throughout his entire front, back and arms, and he frowned at the damage. There was an almost black bump on his ribcage, and Luffy knew that a rib was still broken and poking his skin. His icy fingers traced the bluish purple marks, which were darker and more prominent than they had been a few hours ago. The coolness of his fingertips soothed the sore areas, and Luffy sighed in momentary relief.

He slipped on his workout shirt, followed by a sweatshirt, and removed his pants. His pale legs were also covered in an array of dark blue blotches, much like his torso. Since he realized earlier that he couldn't wear the assigned P.E. shorts, Luffy brought a pair of sweatpants to wear. He pulled the fabric up slowly, not wanting to irritate the injuries any worse than he already had.

Once all the marks were covered, Luffy exited the stall, coming face to face with his new friend.

"Are you okay, Luffy? You sure took a while in there." Usopp said worriedly.

Luffy blinked, forcing the smile to come back. "Yep! Just fine. Let's go!" Luffy threw his bag back over by the lockers and hurried out of the changing room. He left a confused Usopp who followed shortly behind.

Luffy could feel Usopp's eyes burning into his arms and legs. "Why are you wearing sweats today? It's really hot and we're going outside to play soccer."

"Um, it's because I get cold really easily." Luffy felt terrible for lying to his friend. It didn't even matter though, because unfortunately for Luffy, he was a terrible liar and Usopp saw right through him.

"But you're sweating."

"And I'm not feeling that well, so I might ask the coach if I can sit out," Luffy continued, though this part was actually true. The more Luffy thought about it, the more he supported his decision to avoid participating in any type of sport. His legs could get hurt again, and Luffy wanted to stay away from any potentially painful situations.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Usopp murmured.

Panic went through him. "Why not?"

"Well, we have Smoker-sensei for a coach, and he's a really scary guy. Even scarier than Kuro-sensei!" Usopp shuddered.

Luffy frowned again, "Kuro-sensei isn't that scary..." Really scary people were both tall and muscular, and did drugs, and drank... like someone Luffy knew. Still, their algebra teacher was terrifying in his own way, as he reminded Luffy of his cold and heartless ex-boyfriend.

"But Kuro-sensei is nothing compared to Smoker-sensei. He's really tall, even taller than the bear from my story! And he's big, with a very broad chest and big muscly arms!" Usopp made giant hand gestures, as if he was describing a monster.

Luffy's heartbeat picked up at the thought. He hated big men like the one Usopp was depicting.

Usopp continued as the boys walked out of the gym and to the field outside, "And he isn't called Smoker for nothing. He loves to smoke some cigars, he even does it at school!"

Luffy could practically feel his heart stop. A tall man with big muscles who smokes a lot?! "D-does he drink too?" he stuttered, unable to keep his voice straight.

At his question, Usopp shrugged, almost indifferent at the thought. "I don't know what Smoker-sensei does outside of school. But it is true that he smokes while directing classes. I'm still wondering why the school staff and principle let him do it. But anyways, I don't think you should approach Smoker-sensei about wanting to skip today's activity. When he's mad, you better watch out!" Usopp rose his hands on either side of his face, attempting to scare Luffy with his story of their teacher.

And it worked. Luffy began breathing heavily with wide eyes as fear built up inside him.

"Hey, calm down Luffy. I know Smoker-sensei is scary, but he's not all that bad!"

"Who's scary?" A gruff voice sounded from behind the two, who quickly turned to face the man Usopp was just talking about.

"Eep! It's the monster!" Usopp yelled, and promptly fled the scene. Luffy wanted to follow after his friend, but his legs stayed rooted to the grass.

"Well, boy?" The tall, intimidating man crossed his arms, as he blew out some smoke from the two cigars wedged in between his stained teeth. Luffy broke out into a cold sweat as the man and him stared at each other. Flashes of memories came to Luffy, and he began to tremble noticeably.

'Well, boy? Are you going to answer me?' A tightly clenched fist slammed into Luffy's side, and he flew across the room, coughing and winded. 'When I ask a question, I expect an answer!' The powerful voice roared.

'I-I'm s-sorry!" Luffy pleaded, but it was too late. While he was down on the ground, a foot connected to his ribcage with a sickening crack. Luffy cried out in pain, and he crawled into a ball, gripping his aching sides.

His attacker leaned down and pulled Luffy up by his school tie, which was fastened around his neck. 'I'm still waiting!' Luffy was given no time to speak as he was dropped, and the barrage of kicks and punches continued. He was then grabbed by the hair and forced to look at his grandfather in the face. 'Give me an answer, dammit!' A sharp blow was felt in his chest, and Luffy screamed. Another crunch was heard, and by the throbbing pain, Luffy could tell he had another broken rib. As the fingers loosened their grip, Luffy fell crippled to the floor once more.

He clutched his sides, desperately gasping and wheezing for breath. But Luffy didn't have a chance to speak as he was harshly yanked up by his arm. 'Ouch! Please, stop!' Wrong choice of words.

'Stop?' The figure froze in silent rage. That didn't last long as it bent over the teary-eyed Luffy. 'Stop?! Did you just tell me to fucking stop!? No one tells me to do anything!' The next hit was hard and fast, landing on his right cheek. Luffy stared, eyes wide. This man had never hit him in the face or other easily noticeable place where people could see the bruises.

A large foot connected to him, getting him square in the chest. The force snapped an already cracked rib clean through and knocked the remaining breath out of the boy. No recovery time was allowed as Luffy was dragged by his hair towards the kitchen.

'W-what are you doing?' Luffy felt complete panic and fear as the man pulled out a dangerously sharp knife. He was used to kicks and punches, even broken bones, but cuts were new. Stumbling, Luffy made a pathetic attempt to get away as the man smacked his foot down on Luffy's front, holding him in place.

'Stay still, and this won't hurt as much!' The laughing voice pounded in his eardrums as the tip of the blade sliced downward on the bruised chest, earning a blood-curdling scream from the teen. He felt as the knife made shallow cuts, which would only bring pain, but no permanent scarring. He clenched his eyes shut, tears streaming, waiting for the torture to finish.

'Stop crying and shut the fuck up!' The man bellowed as he made a deeper incision. Wine red blood spilled from each cut as the man dragged the blade across his aching flesh.

Luffy bit down on his cheek to keep himself from crying out. This pain was completely different than anything that he'd ever experienced before. It was much more intense. Shutting his eyelids even tighter, Luffy forced the tears from spilling. Doing as the man said would mean a shorter punishment.

The smell of rusty metal filled his nose, and Luffy recognized this as his own blood. Other scents circled around him, like the thick odor of cigarettes and the heavy aroma of cheap alcohol. Luffy gagged, only to his attacker's pleasure. 'Aren't so tough now, are ya?' The booming noise of laughter continued as the slashing of the knife did as well.

The movements slowed, and Luffy could tell the end was near. He tensed again as he felt the blade's tip resting on his stomach. 'This will teach you some manners.' The voice whispered before plunging the knife deep in his flesh. Luffy shrieked one final time, and his vision blurring to darkness. As his consciousness faded, Luffy could hear the menacing laughter echoing.

"Hello, kid? Are you okay?" Smoker placed his hand lightly on the teen's shoulder, who wrenched it away violently. Smoker quickly pulled his hand back, surprised at the boy's sudden reaction.

Luffy's eyes began to clear away from the remembrance of that night horrible a few months ago, and it took him several moments to figure out what was going on. He found himself standing alone in the grass, next to his new coach. Usopp had run away from the man, and was currently awaiting his arrival on the nearby soccer field. He took a deep breath, clearing his mind of the unwanted memories. "F-fine. I'm just fine." Luffy's voice trembled a bit, and he avoided the gray-haired man's concerned gaze.

He had been trying to forget that night for so long. Garp was more aggressive than usual that day, and after Luffy blacked out, he had woken up in a hospital. There was a crying Garp by his bedside, and for once Luffy thought that his grandfather was feeling guilty, but then he realised that there were cops in the room. Apparently, Garp had told them that Luffy had been mugged. The old man was only crying to put on an act in front of the policemen.

It had been hard, lying straight to the cops' faces when they asked him to describe the incident and anything he remembered about his attacker. Garp had given him a look, which basically translated to: mention anything that I did and I will kill you. Needless to say, Luffy had made up some story about how he was mugged on the way home from school, and came up with some vague description of his alleged mugger. After the sketch artist showed Luffy the picture, the cops told them that they would be in touch, and left. Garp sighed, and fixed Luffy with a heated glare. "You're paying for your own damn hospital bills," he had muttered, before pulling out a cigar and stalking out of the room.

"Then are you Monkey D. Luffy, the kid who transferred here today?" Smoker continued, looking at a clipboard with the class list on it.

Luffy blinked several times, trying to push those horrible memories away. Finally all back, Luffy turned to the coach, perfect false smile in place. "Yep! Monkey D. Luffy, nice to meet 'cha!" Luffy refrained from offering the coach his hand, scared that the large man would take the opportunity to hurt him.

"Well, Luffy-kun. Today we're playing soccer, but if you aren't feeling well, then you can sit out." Apparently this teacher could see right through the fake 'everything is fine' act.

Luffy's grin fell, and though the smile was still there, it was a sad one. "Thanks," he murmured, truly grateful. "I'll just go wait inside."

Smoker nodded, looking worried, but let the boy rush off to the locker room. Luffy didn't look back as he tried to run back to the building. Only now that the dull throb in his legs was back, Luffy made an awkwardly slow progress.

As Luffy finally made it inside, he wasted no time as he went straight to the bathroom to throw up.

Ω Ω Ω

Zoro was already waiting for the game to start on the field by the time Usopp came running towards him. "What's wrong?" he asked the usually loud and obnoxious teen, who now held a terrified expression on his tan face.

"It's Smoker-sensei! He heard me talking bad about him, and now Luffy's gonna get punished!" The teen waved his arms frantically, wide-eyed.

"What? Where is he now?" Zoro couldn't believe that his new friend was already finding trouble.

Usopp pointed in the direction he'd just come from. "Over there!"

Once he spotted them, Zoro was about to run towards the pair, but stopped short upon seeing the raven-haired kid move away. His feet felt heavy, so he just stayed in place and watched how Luffy attempted to hurry back in the gym, stumbling and tripping all the way. Is he okay? Did he get hurt? Zoro's mind was overcome with thoughts for the seemingly happy-go-lucky teen he'd just met that morning. He then focused on how Luffy started covering his mouth as he neared the door. Is he going to be sick?!

Smoker walked calmly over to the soccer field where the rest of the P.E. students were waiting.

"Sensei, is there something wrong with Luffy?" Zoro asked politely, surprising even himself.

Smoker, equally surprised at the usually rude teen, frowned at the mention of the boy. "He wasn't feeling well, so I let him go inside."

Panic rose in Zoro, and he somehow knew that he needed to go help Luffy. "Can I go and check on him, to see it he's okay?"

Smoker blinked, regaining his composure. "That's fine, go ahead."

Temporary relief flooded through Zoro, so he nodded and hurried after the boy, leaving a confused and worried Usopp behind. Zoro made it inside the gym after a short sprint, and he slowed as he neared the locker room. He slowly opened the door, heart steadily pounding in apprehension.

The first thing he noticed was the sound. He could hear someone retching, with soft whimpers mixed in. Is that Luffy?! The next thing that came to him was the smell. Yep, someone was definitely puking their guts up.

Zoro rounded the corner to where the restrooms were, and was faced with an open stall and a little Luffy bent over the toilet. Tears were streaming from the startled boy's eyes, which were quickly wiped away with a shaking hand. Zoro could see the teen trembling, and poor Luffy was still gagging, so he whirled back around to the toilet bowl to release more vomit.

Zoro's feet felt frozen on the bathroom tile; he wanted to move and help Luffy, but he couldn't move because of fear. Yes, Roronoa Zoro was actually scared. Scared for his new friend, at the least.

Somehow in this confusing mess Zoro managed to find his voice. "A-are you okay, Luffy?" His tone was unsure and worried, which was just what he was feeling.

After he had emptied the pitiful amount of his stomach's contents into the toilet, Luffy wiped his mouth off with some toilet paper. He coughed and flushed away the disgusting barf. Giving a heavy sigh, Luffy turned to face the green-haired man. "Yeah," he gasped out.

Zoro narrowed his eyes in concern. Normal students didn't get sick that fast unless something was terribly off. And his gut told him that something was terribly off with Luffy. "No, you're not fine." After a short moment of silence, he continued, "I'm taking you to the nurse's office right now."

Luffy looked like he wanted to argue, but was too tired to do anything but give a slight nod. Forcing his legs to move, Zoro came forward and easily picked up the teen, carrying him bridal style to the clinic. He gaped at the feel of Luffy's small body hugged tightly against his own. He was so tiny, and weak, and frail! The baggy clothes actually made Luffy seem bigger than he was, but once they were pressed against him, his real form was felt.

Zoro quickened his step, wanting to get Luffy to the nurse as soon as possible.