Author's Note: Things are going to start picking up now, hope ya'll enjoy it ;) I really appreciate everyone who's reviewed! Ya'll keep me going~

To Merry Gallehl: Aw thanks! Haha, yeah Doffy is creepy even when he's somewhat nice XD I love Roci and Law's dynamic and couldn't help myself lol! Akainu definitely needs to be taken out :) You're very welcome for the chapter and I hope you enjoy the update!

To Wishfull-star: Thanks so much for the sweet review~

WARNINGS:

- Alcohol

- Brotherly bonding

- Shanks is struggling

After what felt like ages, Ace and Luffy left the Donquixote Blood House and started making their way back to the Happy Rabbit. The pup was clearly exhausted and drooped slightly as they walked down the wet sidewalk towards the edge of town. Ace sent him a sorrowful look before glancing up at the sky. Thankfully, it had finally stopped raining just before they left, though there was still an intense humidity to the air.

"You good?" He asked, prompting Luffy to nod. Law had loaned the teen a hooded jacket to help hide his ears and tail while they traveled home. It was a bit oversized and occasionally covered his eyes.

"Yeah…just tired."

To be expected considering everything that happened. Ace hummed and looked around for a more secluded area. When he located a shadowy spot behind a closed shop, he tugged the exhausted pup over to it.

"Give me a second."

Luffy watched him closely, eyes widening when he transformed back into his hybrid form, bones crunching and fur eclipsing his human form. Ace cracked his neck when the transformation was complete and hunched over so his front claws scratched the pavement.

"Woah…" Luffy whispered, wasting no time coming up to pet the fur on his shoulders. Ace let him, happy the teen wasn't scared. Though he'd shown the kid his true form regularly, he'd never actually let him see his body like this before. "You're so big!"

"I guess so." Ace answered before lowering his head even more, "Come on, you can hold onto the fur at the base of my head while I run." It took Luffy a few moments to catch on to what Ace was offering, but as soon as he realized he was being offered a ride, the pup scrambled up onto his back with a barely hidden exclamation of glee.

"This is so cool!"

"Just don't fall off." Ace warned while flexing his back legs to ready himself for another long run, "I'm probably going to take a different way back since the humans will be getting up soon."

They'd spent so much time with Law's coven that the night was nearly over. Sunlight was already starting to peek over the horizon, letting Ace know it was time to get out of San Faldo and back to the safety of the forest. Sabo would be waiting for them, likely with a change of clothes and a warm bath for Luffy.

Like the mother hen he was.

"Hold on!" Ace growled before jumping into the air and using his claws to make his way to the top of the nearby building. Luffy yelped at the sudden change in position but didn't fall (thankfully), just dug his fingers deeper into Ace's scruff. He didn't slow down even when he made it to the top and started to run along the skyline, leaping from roof to roof with ease.

Ace glanced over his shoulder when Luffy's grip tightened, surprised to see the pup with his hood flapping in the wind behind him, eyes glowing with wonder. When he followed his gaze, he saw the beginnings of sunrise, shades of pink and orange streaming across the sky.

"It's so pretty up here…" Luffy muttered, making the corners of Ace's mouth curve up into a soft smile.

"Sure is, pup."

The two didn't talk much on the way back to the bar, but that was okay with Ace. They were both tired after the night they'd had. He was looking forward to getting Luffy settled and climbing into bed himself. By the time they arrived, the sun was almost fully risen and the birds were chirping in the trees.

The atmosphere was very peaceful and different from the city, reminding Ace why he chose the forest as his territory.

There weren't any cars out front, indicating Eustass Kidd and his pack had already gone home. He also noticed that Sabo had done some cleaning in the now charred shed, getting rid of some things that couldn't be salvaged. Ace let out a low howl to let Sabo know they'd arrived before lowering his chest towards the ground so Luffy could climb down from his back.

"Ace, Luffy!" Sabo exclaimed as he ran out onto the front porch and down steps, hair a bit unkempt and dark circles under his eyes, "I'm so glad you're okay…"

Luffy let out a quiet sound of surprise when Sabo pulled him into his arms, hugging the pup tightly to his chest.

"Please don't scare me like that again…"

"S-Sorry." The teen managed, not fighting back when Sabo ushered him inside. Ace quietly followed, changing back into his human form. He could tell that his brother had been stressed while he was gone as the bar was immaculately clean. Sabo was the type that worked hard to keep himself busy when stressful situations occurred.

"Do we need bandages or-or food?" Sabo said with a stutter, brushing hair out of Luffy's face as he examined the pup for injuries, hovering over the areas Law had already addressed and the band aid on his cheek.

"Law took care of that, for the most part." Ace put in, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder and squeezing firmly as a silent 'it's okay, you can calm down now'. "I think all Luffy wants to do right now is sleep, 'Bo."

The blonde took a deep breath at his statement and nodded.

"I see…good. That's good."

"Why don't you get him upstairs while I make us some drinks?" Ace suggested, eyes flicking to Luffy who's eyes and ears were drooping heavily. Sabo blinked down at the pup, mouth curling up into a soft, affectionate smile.

"Sure, sounds good. I'll be back in a minute."

Ace exhaled slowly when Sabo disappeared with Luffy and made his way behind the bar. Though it felt wrong to drink so early in the morning, that didn't stop him from mixing himself a margarita and pouring his brother a whiskey sour. After the night they had, he felt they deserved a reward.

After about ten minutes, Sabo re-appeared and joined him at the bar, taking his drink in hand with a grateful expression.

"Luffy fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow…poor thing. Will you fill me in on everything that happened?"

"Yeah, of course."

So Ace told his brother everything, starting with the reason why Luffy ran and his desire to see his father again. He detailed Law's report of his timely intervention, the pup's injuries, and his promise to help Luffy. Sabo listened quietly, sipping on his drink.

"I see…then I suppose I should see what I can dig up about his father. He never told you his name, right?"

"No, he didn't." Ace answered, thinking back to the day Luffy was thrust into their lives. "You sure you're okay with this?" Sabo chuckled and sent him an amused look.

"Do you even have to ask? You know I'll always support your decisions and, frankly, I'm glad we're going to give Luffy more freedom. Maybe now he won't steal our lunches anymore."

"Wouldn't count on it." Ace added with a laugh, almost spilling what was left of his margarita. "Thanks 'Bo…for always understanding and helping me, even when I'm an idiot."

Sabo lifted his glass in a mock toast.

"Anytime, dear brother."

Marco watched closely as Shanks paced in front of the group of Shikari they'd captured, the Alpha tense as he looked the humans over. Beside him, Thatch had his arms crossed and was uncharacteristically silent. Thanks to the intel they'd provided him with, Shanks had now raided close to ten local Shikari bases around town and didn't show any signs of stopping.

"I'm starting to think we aren't looking in the right place…or maybe just getting really unlucky." Thatch whispered to him as Shanks grabbed one of their captives by his shirt and growled something that sounded menacing, "…still no pup."

"Yeah…" Marco answered, frowning when Shanks dropped the restrained hunter rather roughly, "It may be time for another strategy, yoi."

They both straightened up when the red-haired Alpha turned and approached them, appearing frustrated.

"Damn it, he's not here either! What outposts are left?"

"Not many, though there's a few on the outskirts of town." Thatch responded with a shrug, "I mean, we don't know where all of them are-"

"How about their headquarters? They have one here, right?" Shanks interrupted, gesturing wildly, "Maybe he's there!"

"We can't just walk up their main headquarters, yoi. That would be foolish." Marco stated firmly, not flinching when the red-haired lycan almost snarled at him, "Maybe it's time we took a break, Shanks. We've been at this almost non-stop since you arrived."

The Alpha went to reply but stopped when Benn Beckman placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I think that's a good idea. The men could use some rest."

Shanks' fierce expression softened at the insistence of his beta and he huffed in defeat.

"…fine. Send everyone back to the hotel. Maybe later we can go get something to drink."

Benn nodded and barked orders to Shanks' pack members, prompting them to release the still tied up Shikari, forcing them all down onto their stomachs. Thankfully, the red-head's men didn't try to kill anyone, otherwise Marco and Thatch would've had a major problem on their hands. Pops was very particular about not spilling blood unless absolutely necessary.

The two lycans followed Shanks outside the now ruined Shikari base, stepping over rubble as carefully as they could. Marco found himself a bit surprised by how aggressive the red-haired wolf was being as they searched San Faldo for his missing pup. He supposed it made sense, but the man typically presented himself as carefree and unfazed by unexpected obstacles.

…he'd changed since the last time they met.

"Do you have any other clues that could help us narrow down the search, yoi?" Marco asked, stopping Shanks before he could step toward their car. The Alpha simply closed his eyes and scratched at the stump that used to be his arm.

"No…unfortunately not."

Marco didn't miss the knowing glance Benn sent their way but decided not to say anything further, choosing to accept the obvious lie and follow Thatch towards their own vehicle. It was clear Shanks and his pack mates were withholding information from them…the question was, did his suspicions warrant any true concern.

He didn't want to force Pops in the middle of a different pack's dispute with the Shikari.

"Well, I guess that's it for today." Thatch said while starting their car. Marco's eyes tracked the multiple vehicles that followed Shanks' back towards downtown. "Should we head back and update Pops?"

"Yeah. I'm curious if Izo has dug up any information for us."

Luffy was expectedly sore when he woke up but also felt happier than he had been in a while. He rolled onto his side and felt his fluffy ears twitch on top of his head at the change in position. Ace and Sabo were going to help him find his dad…he could hardly believe it!

Finally, he could see him again and get some answers.

'I hope he's okay…' Luffy thought as he climbed down from the top bunk and slipped on a change of clothes, choosing a simple outfit of capris and a t-shirt. A quick glance at the clock revealed the bar wouldn't open for a few hours, so he should be okay without his 'protective layers' for a bit. Ace and Sabo didn't get many visitors when the Happy Rabbit was closed.

When he reached the first floor, he saw Sabo deeply engrossed with something on his laptop while Ace was arranging chairs.

"Morning." The raven-haired lycan greeted, sending him a tired smile, prompting Sabo to look up from his work.

"Don't you mean, 'good afternoon'?" The blonde teased, making Ace shrug.

"Considering we slept most of the day away…I'd say 'morning' still applies."

"Shishishi!" Luffy chuckled, earning him two surprised looks.

"You're in a good mood." Ace added while coming up to him and flicking his forehead playfully, "Must be feeling okay, then." Luffy pouted and rubbed his head.

"I feel pretty good, a little sore is all. Just wondering when…um…" He trailed off, suddenly nervous under the lycans' questioning eyes. "…w-when do you think we can start looking for my dad?" Ace and Sabo looked at each other before smiling down at him.

"We're already working on it, actually. Maybe you can help us out?"

Luffy nodded excitedly and wasted no time plopping himself down on the stool next to Sabo. He leaned in to see what the blonde lycan had pulled up while Ace sat on the stool to his right. It looked like some sort of map…maybe of San Faldo?

"There are quite a few Shikari outposts in and around town." Sabo explained, pointing to a few dots on the map, "We first found you way out here…so we figured that might be a good place to start." Luffy followed his finger to a place labeled 'lab' with a question mark just outside the boundary lines of Ace's territory.

"Do you have any idea what part of town his office was in?" Ace asked, making Luffy's hum in thought.

"I'm not sure…he usually worked from home when I was around, and whenever he went out, I was at school. I guess I figured he didn't really have an office since he worked as a salesman."

Or at least he thought Dragon was a salesman.

"That's all right, there are other ways to narrow things down." Sabo put in cheerfully while pulling up a new page and clicking on the search bar. "Let's start simple. How about you tell us his name? Us lycans have all sorts of information gathered on the Shikari, so something is bound to come up about him."

Luffy inclined his head in agreement and grinned brightly.

"His name's Monkey D. Dragon."

Sabo's fingers froze on the keyboard and his eyes grew wide.

"…I beg your pardon?"

The teen blinked owlishly at Sabo's reaction and looked over at Ace in confusion. The Alpha also appeared shocked and stared down at Luffy with a dumbfounded expression. He yelped when the raven gripped his shoulders and turned the stool to face him.

"Luffy…what's your name? Your full name."

"M-Monkey D. Luffy. Why?" He managed, unsure what was going on.

"You're a member of the Monkey clan!?" Ace exclaimed, suddenly releasing him and standing to his feet, "Wow, I can't believe it…how did we not notice?"

"Because he's nothing like his family." Sabo added, voice low, "At least, what we assume they're like."

"What's going on? You guys know my Dad?" Luffy asked, worried and confused. Why were they reacting so strongly to his name? Ace brushed his long hair back behind his ear and took a deep breath before leaning down so they were eye to eye.

"I guess it makes sense that you wouldn't know this, kid, but your family is pretty famous around here. Honestly, there probably isn't a pack on this side of the nation that hasn't heard of Monkey D. Dragon or…" Ace swallowed hard before continuing. "…Monkey D. Garp, who's even scarier."

"You mean Gramps?" Luffy asked with a tilt of his head, picturing the always laughing, goofy, ridiculously strong old man who definitely wasn't someone you wanted to mess with. His 'fist of love' always hurt. "Yeah…he's pretty scary, but Dad didn't let him come over very often because he tried to hit me."

"H-Hit you…yikes." Ace muttered, unconsciously rubbing his own head. Sabo cleared his throat when the raven-haired lycan stopped speaking.

"Anyway, I suppose this means our best bet to find Mr. Dragon would be at the main Shikari headquarters. They probably keep their top lycan hunters close to the top."

"Wow, is he really that famous?"

"Infamous may be a better word." Sabo continued with a huff, turning back to his computer, "Your family has hunted lycans for generations, which really makes me wonder why Dragon gave you to Ace so easily…well, we can ask him when we find him."

"Y-You'll still help me?" Luffy questioned with tail brushing the floor of the bar anxiously. Ace and Sabo just smiled down at him, the former ruffling his hair affectionately.

"Of course we will, pup. Scary family or not."

With that, all three of them gathered tightly around Sabo's computer, trying to come up with ideas for getting into the Shikari headquarters. Luffy didn't understand most of what they said, but tried to contribute where he could. He wished he knew more about Dragon's job so he could actually be helpful, but just the knowledge that they were finally going to track him down made his tail wag.

"Okay, how about we try to locate a side entrance or something."

"Hmmm…maybe, but I'll bet it's heavily guarded."

Luffy giggled, enjoying how invested Ace and Sabo were in their task. Though they'd met under unfortunate circumstances, he decided they were good people…he could trust them. Eventually, they did have to end their discussion as it was almost time for the bar to open, and Luffy quickly volunteered to help out.

"Are you sure?" Ace asked, brows furrowing, "I think it might be a better idea for you to rest." He shook his head immediately.

"I've already had lots of rest! Please, let me work."

Ace and Sabo looked at each other for a moment before the latter shrugged.

"I don't see why not, so long as he's feeling well and wants to try."

"…all right. Go put on your uniform." The raven-haired lycan said with a sigh, causing Luffy's fluffy ears to straighten up in excitement. "Just promise me you won't work too hard."

"I promise!" He exclaimed while turning to rush back up the stairs. His 'uniform' as Ace called it consisted of a pink bandana in his hair (to cover his ears) and a white Happy Rabbit apron, complete with their signature pink rabbit on the front. Luffy also changed his clothes so he wore a long-sleeved black shirt that covered the fur on his arms and brown cargo pants.

Once he had a hoodie tied around his waist to mask his tail, Luffy was finished and did a quick once over of himself in the mirror to make sure no fur was showing.

'Seems okay!' He thought, all but jogging down the stairs just as Ace unlocked the front door and flipped their sign to 'Open'.

"You ready?"

"Mn!" Luffy affirmed, grinning brightly. Since Ace and Sabo were finally being so helpful to him, he wanted to return the favor however he could.

They didn't have many customers that evening but Luffy still worked hard bussing tables, taking orders, and helping where he could. Some of their regulars recognized him from the last time he made an appearance and were very kind. One old man even tipped him! He quickly took the ten-dollar bill back to Ace who placed it in the cash register with a wink.

"Good job, kid."

Just before the sun went down, Eustass Kidd and his beta (whose name escaped him) showed up. Didn't it start with a 'K'?

"Oh, hello!" Luffy greeted, smiling up at them. The red head smirked and gave his shoulder a brief squeeze as he entered the bar.

"Hey, pup. Glad to see you got home in one piece. You didn't catch a cold from that rain, did ya?"

"Nope, I'm okay." He responded, leading the two up to the main bar. Most of their other guests had already left so he figured it would be good to seat them nice and close to where the drinks were made. "Ne, Ace, Jaggy's here!"

Kidd blinked in confusion at the nickname while his companion barely stifled a laugh.

"Uh, who?" Ace asked with a teasing smirk.

"Jaggy! You know, because of his hair." Luffy explained while pretending to straighten 'spikes' of hair on top of his bandana. Kidd blushed and the blonde lycan chuckled to himself, clearly amused.

"He's not wrong."

"Shut up, Killer."

After about thirty minutes had passed, Kidd and Killer were the only ones left. Luffy peeked over the counter, eyes wide, as Ace finished mixing yet another drink. He made it look easy and everything he made was delicious!

At least according to his customers and Sabo. Luffy had never tried one since he was still underage. Kidd downed the drink Ace made in a few gulps, adding a little more red to his already flushed cheeks.

"That's damn good! We really need to come here more often, Killer."

"Agreed." The beta replied, sipping on his drink with more grace than his friend.

"You are very kind." Sabo answered before passing them their bill, "I do believe you've drank more than any other customer tonight. We appreciate the business." The red-haired alpha eyed the bill and glanced around at the otherwise empty establishment.

"You gotta close?" Kidd asked, sliding the bill over to Killer, "We can hit the road if ya need us to."

"Soon. Finish your drink first." Ace added before motioning for Luffy to come closer to him. He padded up to the Alpha so he could hear what he whispered. "Could you go wipe all the tables down for me? I think these two are going to be our last customers of the evening."

Luffy nodded and gave him a salute.

"Aye, aye!"

Ace chuckled at his antics and gave him a playful push away from the bar.

"Thanks, kid."

Luffy grabbed a rag and trotted towards the tables closest to the main entrance of the bar. Humming happily, he went to spray cleaner on the polished wood, but suddenly the doors right next to him opened. Startled, Luffy yelped and backpedaled, falling onto his bottom. He dropped the cleanser and rag, causing the bottle to spill open.

"Luffy, you okay!?"

He pouted down at the mess he'd made and straightened up on the floor with a huff. Just as he was about to respond to Sabo, a familiar scent wafted into his nostrils. His eyes widened when he recognized the odd savory nature of the scent…disliking how the spicy sensation seemed to stick in the back of his throat.

Swallowing hard, Luffy looked up and immediately locked eyes with a man who the smell clearly belonged to: a lycan with hair like Kidd's and menacing scars across one eye. He seemed…familiar somehow, yet Luffy was certain he hadn't met him before.

He winced and pinched the skin between his eyes as his head began to pound and the mark on his neck throbbed.

Who was this person?

Somewhere behind him, Luffy could hear Ace and Sabo calling his name, but it was so hard to focus when the man's scent all but enveloped him. He blinked, trying to clear his vision, as the red-haired lycan knelt down in front of him and reached forward to grab to his chin, lifting it slightly. He stared at the man's face, recognizing an expression of surprise, though it was difficult to see through the blurriness and black spots. Was he going to pass out?

The red-haired lycan squeezed his chin just a little, as if to make sure he was real.

"…Luffy?"