…There's not really anything I can think of saying, so…ON WITH THE STORY!

Chapter 2: Catalysts Act 1

Luffy P.O.V

This is revenge. It's obvious. Beckman is milking this for all he could JUST so he could make me squirm. I woke up around two hours ago. Makino knocked on my bedroom door at seven thirty in the morning and as I was coming around, she dragged me onto my feet and almost literally flung me into the shower, to make sure I was ready for school. The water was cold and it woke me up almost instantly. That was the first sign I had that today was going to be difficult. After I had gotten showered and dressed, I skulked downstairs. Makino was waiting for me at the breakfast table and was sitting there talking to Ace. Before I could say anything, Makino had ushered me into a seat and placed breakfast in front of my plate. It was only one helping. I could tell Makino was still mad at me, mainly because of how she immediately retreated away from me and instead, decided to busy herself with washing the dishes. Ace didn't talk to me either through breakfast, though he did at least give me a supportive smile. Straight away after that, it was seven fifty…and that was when Makino shooed me out of the house. She then made me get in her car and she drove me to school. I arrived half an hour early for school. Makino was DEFINITELY showing concern about how late or early I was getting to school. I still remembered exactly what Makino said as I tried to step out of the car. She grabbed my arm and pulled me close and then, she whispered into my ear

"Luffy, I trust you. Don't screw up"

And with that, I was left alone on the pavement watching her silver Vauxhall race away. I gave out a loud sigh before turning around and entering Dawn High…with thirty minutes to go until school started…

Oh this is so boring…

Further punishment came later, when Beckman entered his classroom and found me sitting at my desk…twenty minutes before school started.

"Luffy...what are you?"

"Makino" I interrupted before he could even ask. Beckman nodded in understanding and then walked towards his desk with a sly smile. After a few awkward minutes of silence between the two of us, more punishment followed.

"LUFFY!"

"HANCOCK, I WILL GET A RESTRAINING ORDER ON YOU IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH ME! I AM NOT IN THE MOOD TODAY!" I replied bitterly. Strangely, Hancock actually recoiled away from me as I yelled this, stopping herself from embracing me into a hug.

"…Okay" she mumbled, sinking into her usual seat at the other side of the class room with a sad frown. Her sister's Sandersonia and Marigold gave me a glare as I did so but I responded with a glare of my own. As I had told Hancock, I was just not in the mood for anything to go wrong today. I'd already had a lot of stuff go wrong already. I had made my friends worry about me, I had disappointed Makino and now, to add further insult to injury, I was now grounded. Somewhere out there, someone is laughing at me.

Now, fast forward one hour and twenty minutes and I've just finished that biology test Beckman told me and the class about yesterday. Everyone's eyes are glued to the front of the room as Beckman is scanning over the papers. This is why Beckman is torturing me. He's going to hand out our papers but he's going to make sure to do it slowly AND to wait until last, to give me my score. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Beckman finally stands up and starts walking around the tables. Every time he passes my table, he 'forgets' to drop the paper down, trying to keep me in suspense…AND IT'S WORKING!

Eventually, on his final return to his desk, Beckman places the paper in front of me, making sure to do it slowly, before he finally walks off. Almost immediately, I scramble for my paper, almost pushing the paper off of the desk in my panic. Luckily, I manage to grab the paper in both hands. It is then that I realise that, unlike usual, Beckman has decided to place the overall score at the back of the paper. Angrily, I flip over the paper to see my score painted in big red numbers.

"Ninety per cent…" I read off the paper, before looking up to Beckman, who has already dismissed the class without my knowledge. Beckman nods at me with a smile, amongst the rummaging of the pupils in the class.

"Does…does that mean I aced it?" I asked, smiling myself.

"Well, to be honest, you're barely scraping that A but…yeah, I guess you did…" Beckman replies, giving me a wide grin. Happily, I leap out of my seat with a shout of joy, picking up my bag and sliding it onto my back.

"See you later Becky"

"I TOLD YOU TO NEVER…" Beckman starts but I interrupt him with a sigh
"I ACED IT! Let me have one moment of fun!" I yell with a wink, before racing out of the room to catch up to the others, leaving Beckman alone to enjoy his next class.

Straight away, I ran in the direction of the changing rooms for P.E. When I arrive, everyone else has already gotten change and have already headed into the large hall we have. I may be late, like always, but the fact that I'm actually there makes Lucky Roux smile.

"Get in there as soon as you can Luffy" He said, taking a bite out of some meat in his hand "we're having a game of Dodge-ball today, and you need to get in there before the teams are picked" As always, I give a mock salute before reaching into my bag to pull out my P.E kit. The P.E kit for Dawn high is basically just a white t-shirt with black shorts, so it doesn't take long for me to get changed. With a spring in my step, I sprinted out of the changing room and skidded into the large hall. Silently, I weave my way between all of the students standing in the room until I'm standing behind Kaya and Usopp. They don't notice my appearance, so I have to poke Usopp on the shoulder, for him to finally turn around and notice me.

"Luffy, you're in Science AND P.E? Is this a sign of the apocalypse?" he asks with a sly smile on his face.

"Very funny" I mumble "so, have we picked the teams yet?

"Not yet" Kaya admits, turning around to me with a smile "but we've already chosen the two captains" Looking over to see the two captains, I let out a chuckle seeing Sanji and Zoro standing opposite each other, spouting insults at each other.

"Alright you two" Lucky Roux said, standing between the two hot headed males "now, the rules are that if you get hit by the ball on any part of your body, other than your hands and your head, that means you're out. You can be brought back in if you manage to catch a Dodge Ball with your hands before it hits you but if you drop it, you'll go out instead. If you manage to hit the team leaders, then the whole team goes out. Any questions?" There is silence in the room.

"Alright then, Zoro, you get first pick" Lucky Roux concludes, stepping aside to allow the game to begin.

"Luffy…" Zoro shouts, pointing in my direction. Happily, I walk out of the crowd and stand beside him.

"Oi, shit head, get over here!" Usopp sighed loudly and went over to Sanji's team with a loud grunt. Usopp is by no doubt one of the best dodge ball players I've ever seen. Not only does he always dodge the balls, but his aim is perfect.

"Johnny" Zoro calls once more.

"NAMI-SWAN!" Sanji announces happily, dancing around as the orange haired woman sighs, walking out onto the game field.

"Yosaku"

"ROBIN CHWAN!"

"Conis"

"KAYA MY DALING!"

"Er…Keimi"

"VIVI MY SWEET!"

"…Hancock…" I turn to Zoro as soon as he says the name, giving him a death glare.

"Look she's a good player" Zoro whispers to me "It's just a game Luffy. Just forget about her" I growled but nodded my head in acceptance.

"SANDERSONIA MY BEAUTIFUL ANGEL!"

"Chopper"

"RAN MY GORGEOUS GODESS!"

"Marigold"

"DAISY MY LOVE!"

"ALRIGHT!" Lucky Roux shouts, as he places around six dodge balls in the centre of the pitch "When I blow this whistle, the game commences!"

Straight away, we all got into position, our eyes focused on the balls and our legs ready to run. After a small while of waiting, Lucky Roux blows the whistle.

The game is on…

Straight away, we all start running for the balls…all except Hancock, who I actually notice seems to be walking very shakily. For a brief moment, I wonder what's wrong but the adrenaline flowing through my body soon snaps me out of my daze. Whilst I'm not one of the first people to grab a dodge ball, Zoro is and he passes the one he picks up to me. I smile as I catch and turn to my nearest target. Usopp or Sanji are the guys I want to get out, seeing as Sanji is the team captain and Usopp is essentially a king at sniping. Luckily, I do spot someone distracted in the chaos. Vivi is aiming at Zoro on the other end of the court and hasn't noticed me. So, with a cocky grin, I lightly throw the ball so that it hits her on the leg. As it hits her, she shakes gently and then looks over to me with a glare.

"Sorry Vivi" I call, as she heads to the 'out' area "Maybe you'll actually defend yourself next time" As soon as the words come out of my mouth, a dodge ball hits me in the chest and I grunt, turning to see none other than Usopp, looking at me with a smile.

One of these days Sniper King…one of these days…

Reluctantly, I retreat towards the 'out' area and Vivi laughs at my entrance.

"There there Luffy" she says, patting my back playfully "maybe YOU'LL actually defend yourself next time…"

"Ha ha ha" I muttered, giving her my best sarcastic glare. Of course, it didn't work and Vivi just chuckled at my obviously fake anger. Both of us then turned to watch the dodge ball match, smiles on each of our faces. This is what I missed the most about being in school. These moments where I can just stand around and relax with my friends are pure perfection. Just at that moment, I could see that Nami was walking over to the two of us.

"You two were the first out? I thought you were more focused that this Luffy" she chastises me with a light smile. I pout at her in reaction to this and grumble to myself.

"I told you I was going to be more focused with school work but that's not going to happen over night" I say with a shrug. Nami slowly nods at me and then stands beside Vivi.

"I forgot to ask" Vivi suddenly realises, turning to me with a worrying frown "how did things go last night with Makino? She phoned up my house last night to say you weren't home yet. Where were you?" I could feel the sweat building up on my neck and so, as always, I had no choice but to avoid the subject.

"Well, that's the thing. Things went horribly wrong and now, I'm grounded" I explain with a sigh. Nami and Vivi stare at me in surprise.

"Seriously?" they ask unanimously. I nod in reply.

"For how long?" Nami questions.

"I don't know. Makino's probably keeping it a secret so she can teach me a lesson" I speculate with a scratch of my head "but as long as I'm grounded, there's no hanging out with you guys after school and I've got a curfew. So far, she hasn't taken my laptop off me, but I do share that with Ace, so it's possible she could just ban me from using it"

"It sounds rough" Chopper acknowledges, as we all jump at his presence.

"H…how long have you been here?" I ask in confusion.

"Only a few minutes" Chopper explains, smiling widely "I took a dodge ball for Zoro, so he's still in"

"YOU TOOK ONE OF SANJI'S DODGEBALLS? DID IT HURT?" Vivi yells as she crouches down slightly to Chopper's level. As much as we treat Chopper like one of the group, he is a few years younger that us. We're not underestimating him for being fifteen, but it does bare considering that Chopper is really a book worm, not the strongest guy in our group, and he just took a ball thrown by Sanji, probably the third strongest out of all of us. I don't say it, but Chopper has just impressed me.

Nami, on the other hand, is far from impressed.

"HEY MOSS-HEAD! HOW COULD YOU LET POOR INNOCENT CHOPPER TAKE A BALL FOR YOU?" she shouts at Zoro angrily. Zoro grunts as he sidesteps a ball thrown by Usopp.

"He did it before I could stop him, besides, if I was hit, the game would be over" Zoro reasons, this time jumping up as Sanji's dodge ball whizzes under his legs.

"HEY SHITHEAD! FOCUS ON THE GAME!" Sanji replies, throwing another dodge ball at the green haired man, only for Zoro to catch it in mid-air.

"Zoro's team 1 Sanji's team 0" Lucky Roux announces, blowing his whistle as loudly as he can. With a shrug, Chopper, Vivi, Nami and me all walk back onto the pitch, ready to resume the second half. As usual, I take my place standing next to Zoro, who's already waiting to run over to the centre of the pitch and grab a dodge ball.

"So, if you're in this class, will we still see you at lunch?" Zoro asks me with a hopeful smile. Unfortunately, I have to shake my head.

"Sorry, but I've got somewhere I have to be later" I explain sadly. Zoro nods in understanding but I can still see a sad look in his eye.

"Alright then Luffy…but at least we'll be able to talk after school right?" he asks. I shake my head at Zoro and sigh.

"Yeah about that…there's something I've got to tell you about that…"

If I hadn't realised it before hand, then I definitely would have realised it now.

Being grounded was going to SUCK!

Nami P.O.V

After our P.E lesson and follow up lessons of History with Professor Clover and a lesson of maths which, due to our lack of maths teacher, was taught by none other than Principal Rayleigh, Luffy says goodbye to us and then, he just sort of races off somewhere. I watch as he runs away and I can't help but feel slightly depressed as I watch his retreating back. Even now, after we've had our talk, I still think there's something going on with him. The way he always disappears on us is getting a little confusing. I'm definitely going to have to find out what he's doing one of these days. To be honest, it has me worried. I can even tell Makino's concerned as well. When she phoned our house that night and I talked to her, I could almost tell she was on the edge of tears. To be honest, I was almost the same. Luckily for me, Bellemere didn't get hurt and she was soon home…though as soon as she arrived at home, she immediately shooed us both off to bed. She wouldn't have any of Nojiko's complaints about her having her own apartment and instead, Nojiko slept over that night. Bellemere may be a little overprotective, but I was really glad that she was alright. Shaking my head suddenly, I realised I had gotten distracted from the situation at hand and Kaya had been talking to me for I don't know how long and I haven't heard. Now, she's looking at me as if she just asked a question of some kind and I shudder with as a nervous chill runs down my spine. Hoping she asked me a simple question, I nod nervously. Kaya giggles at me and smiles.

"I knew it" she said with pride "you two are so cute together" Immediately, I stop walking.

"What?" I ask in confusion,

"You weren't listening again were you?" Kaya replies with a knowing stare. I attempt to defend myself but unfortunately, Kaya's gaze is too disarming and I sigh in acceptance.

"Sorry" I mumble, but Kaya shakes her head

"It's alright Nami. You did look like you had something important on your mind. Let's catch up to everyone else" she suggests, looking forward, revealing that everyone is already far ahead of us in the corridor.

"Okay then" I say with a grin, speeding up my walk and following Kaya along.

Luffy P.O.V

The thing I hated most about being grounded? Curfews! Curfews meant that I couldn't spend a lot of time on patrol like usual…plus I have to factor in that after my battle with Predator, my costume has been torn to shreds so if I do save people, I'll look like I did in my early superhero days, with nothing but a domino mask, a red hoodie, a pair of black gloves and my trademark straw-hat perched on my head. I would look ridiculous…though come to think of it, that would look slightly less odd that my usual outfit. Anyway, as many of you may know, I am no tailor…but I know someone who is!

And that's where I'm heading now, swinging around in my old hoodie costume as my straw-hat billows behind me. Finally, arriving at my location, I swing over to the roof of a small shop and land gently on the roof. I'll tell you what, these pain killers are amazing. Pop one in your mouth and BAM! Scarlet Wind is good and ready for a total of three and a half hours. Slowly, I walk over to a small door on the roof, leading into the shop itself. I swing open the door casually and carefully creep down the stairs. I can hear his voice before I see him.

"~Another one of your suits Mr. Shiki? Alright, I'll have it done by tomorrow for you sir~" I chuckle slightly at how Bon is singing almost everything he says. Bon Clay and I go way back. It all started when I began looking for a tailor to make costumes for me. As always, I turned to the internet for the answer. I did find my answer (as well as a video, which I think I added to my favourites). After that, I visited the tailors that was advertised…only to be mistaken for a robber and attacked. That was the first time I met Bon Clay and at first, I didn't really make a good impression. Luckily, I soon convinced Bon I was a customer and he listened to my proposal and made a deal. I'd give him the money for the costume at a later date (basically when I could afford it) and when I did, Bon Clay would make me the suit. Overall, everything seemed to be going well. However, several things happened in the following weeks and I realised it'd be best if I just abandoned the deal because I couldn't find the money. However, when I told Bon about this, he burst into tears. That confused me but, as it turned out; Bon was crying because he was admiring my desire to do good and, therefore, he made a new deal with me and said he would make my costume free of charge as long as I gave him full authority over the suit design. I agreed and from then on, I and Bon Clay have been partners. He makes me new suits or fixes them and I go off and do the hero thing. I really grew to like Bon Clay quickly too. He's a nice guy and loyal but, most of all, he's extremely dedicated. He always works hard on my costumes and, now is no exception.

As soon as Bon sees me rounding the corner and smiling at him, he immediately turns back to the phone with a smile.

"Sir, I'm going to have to call you back" he says and slams the phone down.

Somewhere out there in Dawn City, Shiki is shouting profanities as loud as a sonic boom.

Ah, it's the simple things in life that bring a smile to my face.

"Well, well, well" Bon yells with a grin "if it isn't my favourite customer! Scarlet, my friend, how are you? Still fighting the good fight?"

"Do you even need to ask?" I question in return. Bon Clay, of course, shakes his head and chuckles.

"So, I take it you've come to pick up that second costume you wanted made?" he asks again, getting excited at the possibility of showing me his new craftsman ship.

"To pick that up…and to drop this off" I explain, pulling the old school bag I keep my costume in off my back and pulling out my damaged suit. Almost immediately, Bon swipes it out of hands in a gasp of horror.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BABY?" he yells loudly, cuddling the torn fabric in his arms.

"HEY! I didn't do anything!" I shout in return "There was this cat and he had claws and teeth and…"

"You got beat up by a cat?" Bon responds, his eye brow cocking at my description.

"HE WAS A SUPER VILLAIN CAT! A HUGE LEOPARD GUY! DON'T YOU WATCH THE NEWS?" Bon's reply to this was to sulk and fold his arms.

"Please! I would never watch a program with outfits so…so…TACKY!"

"Whatever" I interrupt with a groan "You can keep your 'baby' and I'll just take my new suit then thank you" Quickly, I stretch my arm away in attempt to grab hold of what I presume is my costume, lying on a desk. Bon Clay, however, stops me from picking it up by delivering a mighty kick to my arm.

"IT WOULD BE A CRIME TO FASHION TO LET YOU DESTROY ANY MORE OF MY PRECIOUS WORK!...speaking of crimes to fashion, what are you wearing?" Bon asks. Nervously, I look down at my old outfit and I shrug my shoulders.

"It's a nostalgic outfit" I reason with a shrug.

"It's a hideously old abomination" Bon counters with a scowl "I CANNOT LET THIS CRIME AGAINST FASHION STAND!" With that loud shout, Bon throws me the new completed costume and literally flings me into another room.

"Get dressed!" he instructs me "If I'm going to let you have that suit, then you're going to have to at least try it on to see if it fits all right" Reluctantly, I nod and as Bon shuts the door, I start getting changed.

"I've got to say Bon, you are legendary at this" I comment, looking over the finished product in the mirror. Bon chuckles slightly.

"Of course, your super suits are my little pet project. I always love working for you my friend because your suits are a challenge to create, seeing as they need to be both functional and fashionable. The fabric for the suit is made of a special polymer fibre like usual, which is more flexible and more durable, allowing it to take the strain of your body when you stretch and do those athletic stunts of yours. The gloves that cover your hands from the tip of your fingers to the wrists have been made with function in mind as well and have therefore been made from this same polymer fibre, but they have also been altered in order to provide more grip. We wouldn't want you losing your grip on a ledge or a criminal, would we? The same fibre and grip have also been applied to your boots in order to keep you grounded when you need to be. The cape over one shoulder is just my attempt at adding a little style and flare to the overall thing. That black cloth is practical as well, though, as it's short enough to not get in your way in a fight, but at the same time, it's long enough to give you a certain hint of style. I mixed things up a bit from your old outfit so instead of those large upside down triangle patterns I added to your top, I've instead dyed the area around the chest black, whilst keeping the stomach, the legs and the arms red. Overall, I'd say this is one of my better versions of your outfit and I hope you won't break it so quickly this time" Happy with the result, I place my straw-hat on my head and turn around to Bon with a grin.

"I'll try but I don't think crooks will keep that rule in mind whilst they're trying aiming at me with their pistols" I say. Bon smiles at me and then, his eyes wander up to my head.

"Why do you always wear that straw-hat?" he asks curiously "No matter what suit I make for you, you've either got it draped around your back or you're wearing it on your head" For a moment, I'm silent before I continue speaking in a low tone.

"It's…a family heirloom" I admit with a sad frown. Bon sees my sadness and shakes his head.

"Say no more Scarlet" he interrupts with a small smile "It's nostalgic and, whilst an odd style choice, I do thing it goes well with the outfit"

"Thanks" I mutter in reply, a smile of my own coming to my face.

"I'm just saying the truth…" Bon says reassuringly.

"Not about that" I admit happily "thanks for doing all of this for me. You're a good friend Bon. I owe you loads for this and I'm glad I've got your help"

"You better get going now" Bon replies turning away from me and raising a hand to his eye.

"…Bon, are you crying?" I ask with a smile.

"~WHAT YOU SAID WAS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL!~" Bon shouts loudly, tears falling down his face "~GO MY FRIEND AND PLEASE RETURN SOON!" I smile at Bon in return and laugh with glee.

"Will do Bon and thanks again!" I shout before bounding up the stairs leaving Bon to his tearful state, whispering something about 'memoirs of a summer's day'…whatever that means…

Luckily, I arrive in school on time for my final lesson, English once more with Pell. Pell seems surprised to see me in class but is never the less quite happy. He doesn't make a fuss as I walk into the room followed by a few late comers and carefully, I take my seat beside Nami, looking over to her with a smile. In a matter of minutes, we've started work on another horror book Pell is teaching us about, Frankenstein and the lesson is soon underway as he hands out questions on a sheet of paper about the book. In all of the loud conversations the other students are having as they do their work, I'm able to lean over to Nami and copy some of her answers that I didn't know.

"So, what did I miss at Lunch?" I ask, trying to make pleasant conversation and cover up my copying attempts.

"Not much" Nami reveals with a sly grin, blocking the answer to Question five with her hand "The food was nice though…how was visiting Sabo's grave?" I winced slightly at the question, remembering the lie I had told Nami yesterday.

"Same old same old" I whispered, trying to tilt my head in order to read Nami's answers.

"Is that where you were last night?" Nami questions, once more blocking my vision of her paper with her other hand.

"Not really…" I lie, sweating a little at the intruding questions Nami was asking me, whilst I continued to lean my head back and forth.

"So where were you then? Makino said she thought you were at my house" Nami retorts, once more blocking her work but this time, giving me a glare as her other arm tried to push my head away from her desk.

"Well…I was at yours" I admit with a mumble. For a moment, Nami freezes and I take my opportunity to copy out one of the answers.

'Frankenstein expresses the theme of family through the relationship between fathers. Whereas Frankenstein's father was kind to his son and nurtured him, Frankenstein was cruel to the monster, who could be considered his son, showing a stark contrast between the two relationships and the characters'.

"Hey Nami, what does stark mean?" I ask, pointing to the spot of the question I just copied. Nami, however, ignores my question.

"You were at my house last night?" she questions in confusion. I nod in reply.

"You got my flowers right?" Nami's eyes widen.

"I thought that might have been you. Why did you give them to me?" I shrug.

"You helped me like the card said, so I wanted to thank you for that" I explain, looking down at the sheet of paper for the next question.

"Luffy" I tilt my head and look up at Nami. Her face looks a little pinkish as she smiles at me and murmurs a quiet 'Thank you'.

"No, thank you" I reply, smiling back at her.

"LUFFY!" At the loud yell, I snap out of my distracted state and realise that Pell is standing at the front of the class ready to begin. Everyone has stopped talking and now all eyes are on Nami and me, leaning over to copy her work.

"I'm sorry Luffy" Pell announces with a scowl "Is Nami more interesting to you than my lesson?"

For a moment, I am silent.

I look over at Nami, then back at Pell.

"Yes"

Nami promptly slaps me around the head with a groan and hides her head between her arms on the table.

Ace P.O.V

"Thanks again for the lift Marco" I say with a smile, taking in the music coming from the car stereo.

"No problem Ace" Marco replies "I was already giving Jozu a lift, so I figured since you lived nearby him, I'd be able to drop you off as well" Jozu, in the back seat, nods at Marco's statement, still tapping his foot to the beat of the music. Lazily, I relax in my seat, my hand reaching over to touch the stereo. I turn the dial with a click and suddenly, another song floods the car.

"HEY! I WAS LISTENING TO THAT" Jozu grumbles angrily, leaning forward to look me in the eye.

"Not anymore obviously" I reply with a chuckle, nodding my own head to the beat of the music. With a growl, Jozu leans forward to grab the radio dial and I grab hold of his arm to stop him.

"ACE! LET GO!"

"WE ARE NOT LISTENING TO THAT PIECE OF CRAP YOU WERE LISTENING TO!"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP OR I WILL TURN THIS CAR AROUND!" Marco interrupts our argument, turning to us with an angry glare.

"Yes Mum" I and Jozu say in chorus. Marco sighs at our antics and then, slowly, he turns right at a corner and suddenly, I can see my house.

"Your stop Ace" Marco says, pulling over onto the side of the street.

"Thank you Sherlock, your power of deduction knows no end" I reply with a roll of my eyes. Jozu chortles at my statement but Marco just gives me a cynical stare before pointing to the car door.

"Just get going hot head" he orders. Doing a mock salute, I exit the car, waving to the two as they pull away from the pavement. In a moment, they're gone, leaving me alone on the side of the street. With a small happy sigh, I turn to the door and insert my key. I turn the key in the lock until the loud click calls out to me, as if saying 'Come on Ace, push now'. I do indeed push on the door, looking at my watch as I enter the porch. It's quarter to five. Luffy's curfew is soon, so he'll probably be on his way home soon. Gently, I close the front door and turn around, opening the door that leads into the house.

"MAKINO, I'm back!" I call, stepping onto the clean wooden floor.

"ACE MY BOY! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN!" At the sound of that voice, I feel my whole body shake. I know that voice…

Windows too far away to jump through…

Door is too difficult to open…

I can't get away in time.

With a mutter of a curse word under my breath, I accept the large thick arms that embrace me, like a bear trying to crush my body under its mighty grip…it almost works…

Luffy…run…you don't want to come home…

Luffy P.O.V

I was really excited for coming home today. Finally, I can return home with an A- in my pocket and a perfect day's attendance under my belt. Makino'll be happy and I won't be grounded anymore. I'm in a good mood today and absolutely nothing could ruin it. Seeing as school ended at three, I decide that I had around an hour and a half to try out the new Scarlet costume before I return home. It works like a dream. Bon REALLY has outdone himself. There's no friction as I move in the spandex and no problem stretching with it. I'm really glad I have Bon. I couldn't imagine making a super suit like that without him. Maybe I'll get him a present one day. After all, I did for Nami…though getting flowers for Bon would be kinda weird. He'd probably of into one of those monologues like he usually does.

With a shudder, I continue my walk home, having changed into my school uniform after a while on patrol. I managed to foil a mugging and a robbery but the mugger escaped before I could catch him. Still, overall, it's not a bad hour's work. With a proud smirk on my face, I march along towards the door to my house and I quickly produce a key from my bag and open the door. I push the door open with a victorious grin and then, I practically leap into the house.

"HEY MAKINO! GUESS WHO GOT AN A ON HIS SCIENCE TEST…well technically, it's an A minus but still, IT'S A SOLID A" I bellow happily.

"Really Luffy, that's great!" A womanly voice calls out, as Makino runs out of the living room and hugs me tightly "see, I knew you could do it"

"AN A? THAT'S AMAZING!"

At the new voice, I felt a sudden twinge of fear.

It couldn't be…

Not here…

WHERE WAS BELLEMERE WHEN YOU NEEDED HER!

Then, before I could move, I saw him rounding a corner. What did I spot first? Was it the small stubby beard that spread out from underneath his nose, around his mouth and finally ended inches off his chin? Was it the battle scar that patterned his left eye like a tattoo? Or was it the large wide grin that I was sure by now ran in the family?

However I recognised him wasn't the point, but the point was that I had. He was wearing that black shirt with the large white collar that he often wore whilst off duty.

It was him.

"HEY LUFFY, DON'T JUST STAND THERE LIKE AN IDIOT! COME GIVE YOUR GRANDPA A BIG HUG!"

It was Garp…

And I thought being grounded was the worst thing that could happen to me this week…

3rd Person P.O.V

"ARE YOU SURE THIS IS SAFE?" the whiny man shouted up to the control room from within the glass casing, which secured him in place.

"Don't worry Mr. Galdino…" a soothing voice reassured him from the shadows "We've tested this procedure enough to know that it'll work" Galdino breathed a sigh of relief.

"How many times have you tested it then?" he asked nervously.

"Including this time? Once!" the voice said, cackling like a madman. Galdino nodded his head for a moment, but then suddenly started to panic as he took in what the man said, tugging frantically on the large golden collar around his neck.

"WAIT WHAT? WHAT DO YOU…?"

"Calm down Galdino" Spandam commanded from his spot in the chamber "Everything will be all right. We chose you because we saw potential in you. You were smart, but you couldn't match that Scarlet bastard in terms of strength…until now…Doc, give him the rundown!" At the order, the mysterious voice cackled louder.

"Well, you see sir, after the collar administers the injection into your body; we will then begin the process of coating you in your armour. The armour will be made of a thick coating of wax which, due to the injection, will not only be bonded to your skin, but you will also be able to manipulate the wax into a variety of shapes due to the injection, a special elemental manipulation serum. However, I will warn you. You may be able to morph your armour into anything but be aware that you do have restrictions. You can't create more wax to your armour, you can only control the amount you have. Do you understand?"

"I…suppose..." Galdino stuttered, shaking slightly and overall, unsure of what he was being told "So…I'll be essentially a walking statue?"

"More like a walking and FIGHTING statue" the voice concluded with a laugh. Spandam shook his head and then, walked out of the chamber and into the control room, withdrawing a phone from his pockets as he did so.

"We're ready Mr Zero" he said into the phone.

"Then proceed!" Mr Zero replied. Spandam clicked the phone off with a smirk and nodded towards the silhouette of the man near the computer console.

"Bring the thunder Doc" he instructed with a calm voice. The shadowy figure began to cackle at this and, with extreme excitement, began to tap on the keyboard in front of him. As he did so, two long pipes slowly protruded from the wall and attached to the glass case with a loud click as they are locked into place. At that moment, the collar began to hum loudly and the lights on either side began to turn on and off.

"WAIT!" Galdino called suddenly "IS THIS GONNA HURT?" The cackling voice soon replied to him.

"You can't make an omelette without breaking a few bones" Galdino's eyes widened and he let out a scream as a hissing sound came from the collar.

The process had begun.

With a large smile, the shadowy figure flicked another switch and, with a loud clank, wax began to pour into the glass casing from the pipes, beginning to coat Galdino in a thick armour. The timid man screamed loudly as this happened, though he was unable to move, due to the confinements of the casing around him. The wax continued to cascade into the casing and, in a blink of an eye, the only thing that remained of Galdino's old body was his head, trapped inside the large wax armour. When the glass casing was filled to the brim, the loud clanging stopped and the hissing subsided. Slowly, the glass casing opened as steam filled the chamber. In excitement, Spandam dashed down to the chamber, staring at the large blurred object in the chamber, hidden behind the steam.

"Galdino?" Spandam called into the room, awaiting a reply. In response, the figure in the chamber moved. Unlike before, he was now coated in a large set of light grey wax for armour. As he stirred, multiple robotic arms came out from the wall, brandishing large white bazookas.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING VEGAPUNK?" Spandam yelled angrily, looking up to see the scientist had joined him "HE'S WORKING FOR MR. ZERO, WHY ARE THOSE WEAPONS POINTED AT HIM?" Vegapunk chuckled to himself.

"Weapons? No, no, no…those are paint guns" The metallic arms then twitched and then, a spray of paint emerged from the barrel of the bazookas, covering almost all of the wax armour in colour.

"Then…what are you doing?" Spandam asked again. Vegapunk laughed once more.

"I may be a scientist but I DO have a sense of fashion Mr. Spandam. You see, I'm giving our friend here a makeover, to make him look less dull" he explained.

It was true. The amour now looked more colourful than before with thick purple paint around the torso, whilst the large wax hands and feet were coated in a red colour.

"How do you feel about your new look Galdino?" Vegapunk asked the armour as the man inside it moved once more.

"I…I'm not Galdino anymore…" the man said, stepping out from the chamber and ultimately towering over the two others in the room "Now…point me in the way of the door…"

"BECAUSE WAXWORK HAS A SCORE TO SETTLE WITH THE SCARLET WIND!"

To be continued in Scarlet Wind Chapter 2: Catalysts Part 2

Until then I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.

Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.