A/N: This was satisfying to write.

Warnings: Violence, Death threats.

Chapter 4: Meander through the dark

Luffy sank into the wall, not daring to breathe. The silhouette wobbled past him towards the bed, oblivious and muttering words Luffy didn't want to hear. The door stood ajar.

He wouldn't have a better chance.

With a pang of regret at the thought of his bag that he was forced to leave behind, since he couldn't grab it discreetly, he cautiously slid through the door and into the pitch-black corridor. Remembering the path the marines had taken to bring him down here, he walked the fastest he could without making too much noise, a hand to the wall to guide him. He didn't know how the man (who he was almost certain was Jerk) would react when he'll realise Luffy wasn't there any more. He didn't want to be there when it happens.

Turning a corner, he arrived at the foot of the stairs that led up a floor. Before he could go up, though, he heard footsteps approaching from above. He doubled back swiftly.

A loud "Shit!" traveled through the corridor. It was Jerk's voice coming from his cabin. No doubt he had found out about Luffy's disappearance.

He needed to hide, fast.

He opened the first door that he came across, praying nobody would be behind it, and rushed inside, closing it delicately. It creaked nonetheless.

His heart was trying to escape his ribcage through his throat. He stayed still as a corpse, eyes tight shut despite the total darkness of the room. He had no idea what or who could be behind him, he could only wait for the marines in the corridor to either find him or go away. Preferably the latter.

Running footsteps were advancing towards him, and he jumped when a voice spoke up not too faraway, on the other side of the door.

"Horn? What the fuck are you running for in the dead of night, and without any lamp! You spooked me to hell!" It was Jerk's friend. Opening his eyes, Luffy saw a ray of light coming from under the door. The running footsteps had stopped. "Gosh, are you sloshed again?"

"I-I no, just had a drink that's all…" Jerk's voice was slurred.

"It's really starting to become an issue Horn! I can't spend all my nights babysitting you! Horn, we're supposed to be on guard right now. If someone finds out…"

"I-we have a problem… I…"

"Is it the kid? Please tell me it isn't the kid…"

"Well, see… I…"

"The fuck did you do!? You went back to see him?"

"N-no! Was just checking on him… but he slipped away, somehow…"

The other let out a roar of frustration.

"You fucker! You let him escape?" He hissed out. "If it gets out, it'll be all our heads on the line! Shit!" They both fell silent.

"Wha-what we gonna do?"

"Find him. Bring him back to his room, and make sure he understands how bad it would be for him to tell anyone about his little walk outside, or about us. He can't have gone too far, he's got seastone on, must be a bitch for him to run."

"Alright, yeah… can't be too far…"

"Go grab a lantern, I'll check around his cabin, see if he's hiding there."

Two sets of footsteps went on their separate ways, and Luffy let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as the ray of light faded.

When he deemed them far enough, he exited the mystery room and headed up the staircase. Jerk's friend had a point, climbing the stairs was a bitch. (As in, he knew a few sex workers from the grey terminal, and they were working real hard to survive. It was a tiring job.)

He finally made it to the top, and turned left, but he wasn't entirely sure it was the right direction. He's memory of the ship's layout was blurry at most, and travelling through the dark was disorienting.

The corridor ended on a set of double doors. He opened one to investigate. The room was large, lit by the pale moonlight filtering through the many portholes on the walls. Long tables were distributed between him and a counter. Behind the counter stood what could only be the kitchen.

Joy. Pure unadulterated joy ran through Luffy's body at the sight of the food's temple. Sure, he was in the middle of escaping, chased by nasty marines, but at the same time, he needed as much strength as he could get. And if-when he'll be far away, on the boat he would steal, he won't know for how long he'll have to go without provisions.

Yes, emptying the fridge was definitely the appropriate course of action right now. Wasting no time, he went straight to it.

It was a large one, stuffed with shelves of raw ingredients, precooked meals for the day to come, leftovers from earlier. A small light had turned on when the door had opened. He picked up one of tomorrow's meals and started to munch on it.

It was nice, filling. A rich dish of meat with tender vegetables. He licked it clean, then grabbed a few desserts. It had been a while since he had eaten to satiety. It felt glorious.

After closing the fridge, he headed back to the double doors. He was halfway through the kitchen when everything went to shit.

In the time he had spent bathed in the light of the fridge, his eyes had adapted to the brightness. Now that it was out, he was temporarily blinded by the darkness, thus why he didn't assess the distance between him and the shelf full of pans and pots that he bumped into. A few of them came toppling down in a resounding clank of metal.

He ran. As fast as he could, so not that much, but he ran. He was at the doors when he heard people hurrying towards the kitchen. Too late, he went back on his steps, and had just the time to slip behind the counter when the doors opened, filling the room with the lanterns' light.

They didn't talk, they didn't rush in.

Luffy could perceive the rustling of their uniforms as they slowly made their way towards the kitchen. Towards him. They took their time, meticulously checking under every table, every hiding spot. They had cornered him and they knew it.

Luffy had crawled between a sink and a wall. A pair of legs came into his line of sight, walking to the pots and pans scattered on the floor. The relief that washed over him for not being spotted was snuffed out as a second pair of legs stopped right in front of him. The man crouched in agonising slowness, and the face of Jerk's friend appeared, an evil smile stretching it.

"Hey Horn, look what I've found."

Jerk hurried to his friend's side.

"Well, hello there…" His smile was even uglier. "Nice of you to call for us like you did. Feeling lonely?"

Luffy wanted to knock his teeth in.

A sharp pain erupted on top of his head as a hand grabbed his hair, and he let out a cry as he was wrenched out of his hiding spot. He was forced into a standing position before being sent to the floor by a knee colliding with his stomach.

He writhed from the pain, barely able to hold the food he just ate and that threatened to come out. Jerk's friend yanked him up by a fistful of his t-shirt and waited until Luffy's focus was on him.

"Hey little guy, having fun strolling around and destroying kitchens?" He spoke as if addressing a child, but his gaze was murderous. "You know what will happen if the Vice-Admiral learns about it, though. I'm sure you don't wanna be locked deep in the bowels of the ship, right? Nasty things down there, cold, dark and damp." He marked a pause, letting the description of the place sink in. Jerk took over.

"So lucky it was us who found you. We wouldn't like a sweet little child like you to be sent to rot down there."

They looked so smug, proud of their lie. Luffy glared at both of them, considering his options. He was caught and stupidly weak. He couldn't run. If other marines were involved, they might be fucked, or at least be reprehended, but he was sure he would be sent to the brig. On the other hand, if he let them lock him back into his cabin and didn't tell on them, it felt like losing. He didn't want to play into the hands of those assholes.

"So, what do you say, kid? You'll be nice and quiet when we bring you back to your room?"

He made his choice.

"If you bring me back, I'll tell everyone that you're the one who let me out, and I'll tell them about the other night."

A fist went crashing into the side of his face. Shit, he missed being rubber. It hurt, though it was mild compared to a fist-of-love.

"You'll tell shit!"

"Horn, calm down!"

"Let me escape! Just put me on a boat and nobody will know!"

"Then what? You think the higher-ups won't blame us for your disappearance? We're on guard duty, you…"

"Stop arguing with him, it won't lead anywhere." Interrupted Jerk's friend.

He really ought to find a name for him. Like Meany. Yeah, it suits him.

Meany grabbed his t-shirt with both hands and pulled him closer to his face, almost snarling.

"See, you will go back to your cabin one way or another, cause if you don't we'll be in trouble. The thing is, it doesn't matter to us in what state you are, just that you are there. For example, if the next person who brings you food tomorrow morning was to find you hanged up by the neck to the bars of your porthole… Of course the higher-ups wouldn't be happy, but the blame wouldn't be on…"

Luffy interrupted his monologue by headbutting him. It wasn't powerful, but it was truly satisfying, and a surprise enough for Meany to drop him to clutch his nose.

Luffy didn't dawdle and made a dash for the doors. The two marines didn't seem to have expected that and were slow to react, but when they did they rushed after him.

He was about to reach the door when one of them gripped his already abused t-shirt. The man's torso collided with his back, and one arm slithered around his waist while the other went around his neck, almost choking him. His feet weren't on the floor any more. The distinctive stink of alcohol wafted over him, and he knew it was Jerk. He had to repress a shudder.

A very angry Meany appeared in front of him and decked him, sending his head crash into Jerk's shoulder. He tasted blood in his mouth from his lips that had busted at the impact.

Luffy looked at Meany and at the sight of his deranged face, with a trickle of half-smeared blood running down his nose, he burst out laughing.

He couldn't help it, it was too good. After weeks of being powerless, unable to get back at anyone, finally being able to do something, it felt amazing. Especially if it was derailing those two bozos' plans. It didn't matter if they hit back harder. He didn't want to die, but better die fighting than giving in to them!

After being shell-shocked at Luffy's outburst, Meany went into a rage.

"I'll fucking kill you, you little piece of shi-…"

"That's enough!"

The doors burst open and the lights went on, stopping Meany mid-air while he was reaching for Luffy's throat.

The man who had spoken stood in the opening, a hard look on his face. He was wearing a chef's outfit.

"I was going to wait for the Vice-Admiral to arrive, but I won't let you kill the kid we're supposed to bring back to headquarters alive."

Jerk was wobbling on his feet, and Meany deflated.

"Wait, n-no… It's not what it looks like! He tried to escape but we…"

"Don't waste your breath, I heard everything. And anyway I've already sent a cook get Vice-Admiral Momonga. He should arrive soon."

They waited in awkward silence, nobody moving from their place, Luffy still dangling in Jerk's arms. It was unnerving, but Jerk seemed too preoccupied with how fucked he might be to be paying Luffy any attention.

After a moment, footsteps could be heard and every head turned to watch the Vice-Admiral enter, accompanied by a handful of marines. Luffy noted one of them looked like Makino-Marine (his memory of the time they met was too blurry to be certain it was her).

The Vice-Admiral observed each detail of the scene, from the uneasy expressions of the two marines, to the bloody faces of both Meany and Luffy, before turning to the chef.

"What's the meaning of this?"

The chef straightened.

"Vice-Admiral, I was on my guard since a few nights because a thief has been stealing food from the pantries. Tonight, when I heard a commotion I came with one of my cooks and we hid behind the door. Through the portholes we saw these two men dragging the kid from somewhere in the kitchen. That's when I sent my cook to get you. Then they started talking, attempting to convince the boy to come back to his cabin. He said something like, if they didn't let him escape, he would tell everybody that they let him out, and then something about another night. They threatened to kill him, and he struck this one and got away. He was grabbed back and this one actually tried to kill him, so I stepped in. Also they hit him on multiple occasions."

The Vice-Admiral's expression was tensed with suppressed fury. Meany took an anxious step forward.

"V-Vice-Admiral, if I may recontextua…"

"Don't. Say. A word."

Meany let out a pitiful squeak.

"Hum…" A different voice pitched in. It was Maybe-Makino-Marine. "Vice-Admiral?" He looked at her and when he didn't interrupt her, she continued. "I think it's about the "other night" he was speaking of, okay. I was on guard duty the night of his first escape attempt, okay, and I went to check on him afterwards. And I saw… he wasn't okay at all, Sir, trembling and crying. And when I touched him he flinched, and… well I think something happened between the time he was dragged down and when I found him…"

Luffy wasn't looking at anyone. He had started shivering but didn't know when. He let out an involuntary whimper when Jerk shouted out.

"That's a whole bunch of lies! It wasn't me, I didn't touch the boy! I just…"

Momoguy interrupted him.

"Drop the kid, now!"

The arms released him like he was burning white-hot, and he collapsed on the ground in a heap. He got back to his feet as fast as he could and stumbled forward until he reached Makino-Marine. He clutched to her and she put protective arms around him.

"Do you have any idea of who this boy is?"

Luffy looked at the two men.

"His name is Monkey D. Luffy, the grandson of Marine Hero Monkey D. Garp."

The effect was instantaneous. Both men blanched, then veered an interesting shade of green. Meany was gaping, while Jerk's lower lip was trembling.

"I won't give you any punishment, directly. I'll let Garp decide what to do with the two of you."

It was like seeing a man get told he was sentenced to death. Meany collapsed to his knees.

Momoguy turned to Luffy.

"As for you… I told you the last time that, should you step out of your cabin, I'd send you down to the brig. I won't come back on my words. However, considering the circumstances, I will allow you the cover from your bed and a pillow."

It was a bummer, but Luffy would survive. Though he hadn't escaped, he was almost happy with how the things turned out. His Gramps would destroy them.

"Now go and take him down." He simply said, and Makino-Marine took Luffy in her arms, not caring about protocol. Two marines followed her, none of them talking, as they carried him down to the depths of the ship.

A/N: Thank you for reading!

It was a fun chapter to write.

I find it hard to write Luffy in seastone, especially since he is still so young. In my head it should really weaken him. But I like when he fights back, and wanted ways to do that while being true to the amount of energy I imagine him having. I hope it came out okay.

Unrelated. This week I was on holiday with my lover, for my annual family gathering, and it was a special year since I turned thirty (we celebrate the decades). I had a tonne of things I wanted to do, lots of people I see only once a year... So of course, me and my lover got the covid just at the beginning of it, and we spent the whole time half dead confined in a small room. Now we're coming back home after two weeks of being sick, and I had to vent a little, so here you are, reading about my personal life. The one good thing about all of this is we didn't contaminate anyone.

Anyway, next chapter will be a change of scenery. Here, have a small teaser, it will be called "pineapple and bananas". I can't help but think it would funnier in french, "ananas et bananes" or "ananas and bananas"...

Unanium: Yep, Garp will definitely hear about it

Favs and reviews are greatly appreciated. If you feel I should add different or more warnings, please let me know.

Until next time folks!