Author's Note: Here's an update for ya'll! Thanks so much for the response to the last chapter (it was AMAZING)! I appreciate your support so much and hope everyone is having a fun holiday season~ Enjoy!
To Merry Gallehl: Shanks has indeed screwed things up, big time :') You're very welcome for the update!
To Zinlo34: Thanks so much for the compliment! I hope you enjoy the update!
To Wishfull-star: He is indeed very dumb. Shanks definitely made some questionable decisions. Ace, Sabo, and Luffy shall be reunited soon ;)
To Sabrina-nee: Haha, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Lots of drama ;)
To nagareboshi1249: You're very welcome and I'm glad the chapters seem to be fixed! I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
WARNINGS:
- Ace doesn't trust people easily
- Mentions of kidnapping/trauma
Ace woke slowly, like he was crawling through a thick fog. The first thing he noticed was how white everything was. He frowned in confusion and tried to blink the blurriness away. The Happy Rabbit had a warm and inviting atmosphere…what was-
All of a sudden, everything came back to him. The fight. Losing.
Shanks.
"Luffy!" He exclaimed while sitting up abruptly, startling a young lady who stood next to the bed he was laying on. Breathing heavily, he winced and grabbed at his side. Though he ached, he knew he couldn't just lay around when Luffy was in trouble.
"M-My goodness…you scared me." The girl managed as she tried to catch her breath, "I'm so glad you're awake!" Ace examined her briefly, noting the pink scrubs. A nurse perhaps? Had someone brought them to a hospital?
"Where am I? Where's Sabo?"
"Ah, excuse me for not explaining." She added, taking a moment to straighten her clothes. "Your beta and friends are here as well, behind the curtains." Ace grimaced slightly while keeping the unfamiliar girl in his sights. She walked around the bed and pulled the curtain to his right towards the wall, exposing another bed. He exhaled in relief when he recognized Sabo sleeping soundly with white sheets pulled up to his chest. His brother had a bandage wrapped around his head but was breathing evenly.
Ace scowled when something moved uncomfortably in his arm, drawing his attention to an IV embedded in the crook of his elbow.
"Please leave that alone." The nurse put in when Ace started to reach for the annoying needle, "We aren't quite done administering-"
"You didn't answer my first question." He interrupted, making the girl tense slightly, "Where are we?" Based on the fact that the nurse knew who they were and that they were lycans, he suspected they weren't in a normal human hospital. It was hard to identify any scents in the stark, white room because of the strong medicinal smell…and it was starting to make him nervous.
"Well…"
"Hey now, don't go scaring my nurses, yoi." Ace looked towards the door in surprise when someone entered the room, eyes widening when he recognized the blonde lycan. It was Marco, though he looked a bit different than he was used to. The older man had glasses on along with a white coat. "It's good to hear your voice, Ace. You've been asleep for a while now."
Startled into silence at Marco's appearance, he simply blinked at the lycan in confusion for a moment. That is, until the gravity of their situation became clear to him.
"A-Are we…?"
"In our pack house? Yes." Marco added while approaching his bed, brows furrowing the closer he got. "Thatch and I found you four unconscious and brought you here for treatment. Thankfully, your injuries weren't as serious as I initially thought, yoi."
Ace cursed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The last thing he wanted was to get Whitebeard involved, but it seemed there was no avoiding it now.
"…if you don't mind me asking, Ace. What happened?"
He lowered his hand and grit his teeth in frustration as memories of the attack played out in his mind.
"Your friend Shanks happened."
After providing him with a drink of water, Marco sat on a stool next to his bed and listened quietly while Ace explained the incident. He didn't leave out any details.
"Shanks is Luffy's sire!?" Marco exclaimed with big eyes, clearly surprised, "We had no idea…all he said was that he was looking for his missing pup. I didn't even consider they could be connected."
Ace frowned when Marco closed his eyes and bowed shortly to him, bending at the waist as well as he could in a seated position.
"I'm so sorry, yoi. If only we'd been more vigilant-"
"Don't." Ace put in sharply with a huff, silencing the other lycan. "There's nothing you could have done, so please don't bow to me. We don't need your sympathy." He shuffled awkwardly in the bed when Marco straightened, knowing his face was red. It was weird to have people bow to him, even if he knew that was technically wolf etiquette for alphas.
The corner of Marco's mouth curled up into an amused smirk at his expression, making his cheeks warm even more.
"My apologies, yoi. I know you're not one for tradition."
Ace shrugged and took another drink of water, taking a moment to scan the room. His eyes moved from Sabo to the other two occupied beds in the infirmary. Kidd and Killer were still unconscious and also covered in bandages. The sight made his stomach curl into knots. He couldn't help but feel guilty they'd been hurt trying to help them.
"If you're feeling okay, Pops wanted to speak with you when you woke up." Marco continued, prompting Ace's grip on the cup to tighten. "No rush though, yoi."
"Let's just get it over with." He replied, wincing when he moved to kick the blanket off his legs, "I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to." Marco sent him a sympathetic look before moving to assist him up to the edge of the bed and then onto his feet. Ace groaned when a wave of nausea hit him and he unintentionally leaned into the older lycan for support.
"Take it slow, yoi. Your body's mostly healed now but you're probably still sore."
Ace begrudgingly accepted Marco's help and they slowly made their way out of the infirmary. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be many pack members around so their route was mostly undisturbed. He glanced out a row of windows when they turned down a long hallway and noted the sun was high in the sky.
How long had he been unconscious…?
"We're almost there." Marco whispered, making Ace inwardly sigh with relief. His aching body made walking difficult. After what felt like ages, the older lycan stopped in front of an intricate door with wolves engraved on it and knocked, causing an eerie echo.
"Come in."
Marco pushed the door open and assisted Ace over the threshold, revealing a parlor of sorts. He instinctively frowned when his gaze fell on Whitebeard who was sitting on a leather sofa in the center of the room. The Alpha put the document he was looking over down when they entered and smiled softly at him.
"I'm glad to see you're awake, Ace. Why don't you come have a seat so we can talk."
He didn't respond and simply allowed Marco to help him hobble over to the seat nearest the alpha. Ace was grateful the blonde chose not to leave the room and stood a respectful distance away where he could oversee the conversation. Though he didn't think Whitebeard would try anything, he felt better knowing he wasn't alone with the old Alpha.
"How are your wounds?"
"Fine." Ace answered shortly while trying to make himself comfortable on the couch. He did his best to hide how sore he was but he bet the old man caught a few of his pained facial expressions. "What did you want to discuss?"
"It is my understanding that Shanks was the one who attacked your pack house…" The old man's warm expression hardened as he spoke, showing his anger. "…though I'm certain Marco has already offered his apologies, I do feel somewhat responsible. I was the one who allowed him into San Faldo, after all."
"I already told Marco to stop with the apologies and blame." Ace put in with a wave of his hand and a sigh, "We can't change what happened, so let's just move on." Whitebeard observed him for a moment before closing his eyes and inclining his head in agreement.
"Very well, if that's what you want. I do, however, want to help you resolve this matter if I can."
Ace frowned and glanced at Marco in confusion. The blonde just shuffled a bit and motioned for him to return his attention back to Whitebeard.
"Thatch and Marco have informed me of what occurred with the young pup you took in…Luffy, was it?"
"You told him!?" Ace snarled, quickly turning back to the blonde lycan. Marco huffed and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Only after we found you injured and noticed Luffy was missing, yoi. I'm sorry, but we felt it was necessary."
Ace grit his teeth and settled back against the couch. He supposed it would be wrong to blame them after what happened. If he was in their shoes, he might've done the same thing.
"…how much do you know?"
"I know he has some unusual 'features' as a result of an experimental drug given to him by the Shikari." Whitebeard answered while crossing his arms, "You and your beta rescued him from the lab and have been protecting him ever since, correct?"
"That's…mostly right." Ace replied, gaze lowering down into his lap, "Luffy's father gave him to me of his own free will. He wanted to protect Luffy from his men, but also Shanks' pack…though I didn't know that at the time."
Whitebeard's frown deepened at the mention of Shanks but he said nothing, allowing Ace to continue.
"Apparently Shanks is Luffy's sire and was responsible for turning him into a lycan who knows how many years ago." Ace felt his claws curl into a fist at the infuriating thought. "He said Luffy was the reason he came to San Faldo and he intended to take him into his pack. When Sabo and I refused…well, you saw what happened."
Whitebeard didn't respond right away and crossed his now tense arms, expression full of anger and regret.
"I see…and now Shanks has taken the pup with him, I assume?"
Ace nodded.
"Tch, the fool." Whitebeard growled, eyes glowing slightly, "In all the years I've known Shanks, he's never done anything quite so brash and violent. His list of crimes and accusations only grows. I assume you intend to confront him regarding young Luffy?"
"Damn right." Ace snarled, "Luffy's under my protection. I'm not going to let that bastard get away with kidnapping him."
"To be expected, however, it might not be as simple as you think."
"What do you mean?" He asked, suddenly feeling wary. Both Whitebeard and Marco seemed concerned about something…but what?
"Unfortunately, Shanks may fall back on the same ancient rule that Teach did in an attempt to justify his actions. I'm sure you know what I mean."
Ace felt his body grow cold at the mention of Teach's name and his turning mark started to ache. He remembered how the bastard had tried to make the case that he was entitled to what was essentially ownership over him and the other newly turned lycans simply because of his status as their sire. Thankfully, this hadn't stopped the allied packs from freeing them and taking him down…but it had made things difficult.
Because if one adhered to ancient lycan law, the relationship between a sire and pup was sacred and elevated above all others.
"He has no right to Luffy and you know it."
"Yes, I do. However…Shanks may not see things through the same lens." Whitebeard explained with a stoic expression, "This is why I wish to offer you my help, Ace. I would like to act as a mediator between your two packs to hopefully resolve this matter without further violence. I can also offer you protection during any negotiations that will likely occur."
Ace went to object but was stopped short by Whitebeard's raised hand.
"I know how you must feel about me but it's important to be logical in situations such as these. You and Sabo cannot hope to contend with Shanks' pack in power or resources. To go up against him on your own would be foolish. Please…let me help you."
He huffed and brought a hand to his face in frustration. Deep inside, Ace knew the old Alpha was right. Shanks' pack was much larger and full of strong fighters. It would be stupid for him and Sabo to confront them alone. However, accepting Whitebeard's aid could come with invisible strings attached.
'But still…' He thought, picturing Luffy's smiling face in his head. The pup deserved the world and to be free. Ultimately, if it meant saving Luffy…there wasn't any price that was too steep.
Even humbling himself before Whitebeard of all people.
Swallowing hard, Ace removed his hand from his face and bowed low at the waist before the old man.
"I would be grateful if you would help us. Anything to get Luffy back."
He could feel Whitebeard's beaming approval even without looking up as well as Marco's quiet support, but all he could think about was what the next step was. Being the Alpha of a small pack meant he didn't dabble much in politics but he wasn't naïve enough to not understand the gravity of their current situation. One wrong step could mean war between their cities.
"What should we do?"
"First, we need to ensure you and your companions' health." Whitebeard answered while Ace straightened up, "I imagine this will not take long but it will give me some time to gather the men I'd like to bring with us and decide on a negotiation strategy."
"Y-You're coming yourself!?" Ace exclaimed, causing the old man to chuckle.
"Of course, my boy. Though I may be aged, I am one of the only Alphas in this city who can claim equal status to Shanks."
"Okay…I guess that makes sense." He muttered, forcing his feelings of shock that Whitebeard himself was coming with them deep inside. "When do we leave?" The old man hummed and tilted his head slightly.
"I can be ready in two days."
"Not any sooner?"
"I'm afraid that's the minimum time I'll need to ensure all matters are taken care of prior to our departure." Whitebeard continued, "You will also need to decide who will look after your territory in our absence. If the Shikari discover we've left San Faldo, they might take advantage of it. As Alpha's, we must always be prepared and protect our packs."
Ace settled on the couch and clenched his hands into tight fists. As much as he hated to admit it, Whitebeard was right. They had to make sure things were in order before leaving the city, especially with the Shikari around and always looking for weaknesses.
It just proved that he had a lot to learn. In situations like the one they found themselves in, the purposeful isolation of his pack revealed its flaws.
"All right, we'll go with your plan then. I'll be ready."
Zoro awkwardly shifted his weight on the seat of his Dad's car as he waited anxiously for the man to return. Mihawk had parked the vehicle in front of their destination, said 'wait here', and left him about thirty minutes prior. Needless to say, Zoro was getting antsy. He believed the building was the main Shikari headquarters in San Faldo, so maybe his Dad was gathering weapons? Or information?
Honestly, he had no idea. Mihawk hadn't told him much.
He'd only visited the building once before and still couldn't believe it housed some of the most dangerous hunters in town. To an unknowing gaze, it just looked like another typical office tower. It wasn't even all that tall, maybe eight floors at best. Of course, Zoro knew they also had multiple tunnels under the building that expanded their base out who knows how far.
With a huff, he turned his attention from the building to his phone. More than a little bored, he'd started texting with Usopp. His curly-haired friend was worried sick about Luffy, even more so now that Zoro had let it slip he was missing.
"Do you have any leads or anything?"
Zoro responded with a curt 'no' and received a notification that Usopp was typing. He tried not to reveal too much given that his friend didn't know about the hidden world of their city.
"You don't think he was kidnapped or something…do you?"
He sighed as Usopp went on about the mafia, witness protection, and other 'theories' about what could have caused Luffy's sudden disappearance. Zoro wished he could tell him that it was probably lycan related, but he didn't want to get in trouble with his Dad. Before he could reply, he caught a glimpse of Mihawk's dark coat and quickly put his phone away. The man looked deep in thought and didn't say anything right away when he lowered himself into the driver's seat.
"…um…so did you find anything out?" Zoro asked, unsure what to say. So far, Mihawk had only told him the bare bones of the situation. He knew that Luffy's Dad, Dragon, was in trouble after trying to protect his son, and that Luffy himself was probably with a lycan pack, but not much else.
"They've set a date for Dragon's trial." Mihawk informed him while pulling out of the parking lot. "It seems we have five days to locate Luffy and figure out a way to stop both of them from being executed."
Zoro gaped at his father.
"Why do they want to kill them!? Luffy didn't do anything wrong, right?"
"His existence is a crime in Akainu's eyes." Mihawk continued, "I didn't mention this before, but Luffy is a lycan."
Zoro's jaw dropped even more.
"What the hell!? Why didn't you mention that before!?"
"Not enough time, I guess. To be fair, I don't believe Luffy learned of his blood until recently. Dragon tried to keep it under control but failed. In an attempt to keep him safe, he had no choice but to look for assistance amongst a local lycan pack. I've been trying to dig up information on them based on Dragon's description of their Alpha but haven't had much luck."
"So…if we find this pack, we'll find Luffy?" Zoro asked, still reeling over Mihawk's casual declaration that one of his best friends was a werewolf. Hopefully Usopp wasn't secretly a vampire or something.
"Hypothetically. However, as I said, they seem to be a fairly remote pack seeing as we have no helpful records on them." Mihawk frowned in frustration and turned their vehicle towards downtown. "It may be time to switch tactics."
Zoro glanced down at his phone when it vibrated, alerting him to another one of Usopp's texts. Mihawk frowned at him with that look that said, 'what are you up to?'.
"I'm just texting with Usopp."
"Hopefully not classified information."
"I…don't think so?"
Mihawk sighed deeply but before he replied, he just as quickly went silent and turned his attention to something along the side of the road. Zoro let out a rather unmanly noise of surprise when the man suddenly sped up, went down a side street, and turned around.
"What're you doing!?"
The dark-haired man didn't reply and simply parked their car so it was concealed along an underpass. Mihawk took out a pair of binoculars and peered through them at something. Zoro tried to follow his gaze and stared at a rather unassuming, white building with large double-doors to enter.
"What is it?"
"There seems to be an unusual amount of activity here…" Mihawk answered while adjusting his binoculars, "Tell me, Zoro. Do you know who lives in that building?"
"Uh…no."
"This is the pack house of Edward Newgate, also known as 'Whitebeard'. He's the most powerful Alpha in San Faldo." Zoro gulped instinctively, suddenly a little nervous. Was it okay for them to be loitering around? "There is no one who knows the local packs better than him."
"So we should ask him to help us?"
"No, of course not." Mihawk quickly replied, "That would be stupid."
Zoro felt his eye twitch in annoyance at the instant response.
"Okay…then what're we doing here?"
"…surveillance, for now. Something in my gut tells me we should stick around and see if an opportunity to gather information from them arises. Make yourself comfortable, we may be here for a while."
Zoro groaned and slumped in his seat. Who knew doing Shikari work with his Dad could be so…tedious.
When Ace returned to the infirmary with Marco, Sabo and the other two were awake. His brother, already sitting on the side of his bed, swiftly stood and stumbled his way towards them.
"Thank goodness you're okay!" He exclaimed while pulling him in for a gentle hug. Ace exhaled in relief as Sabo's familiar scent filled his nostrils. It helped calm him like nothing else, especially while in Whitebeard's pack house.
"How are you?" Ace asked when they separated, hating how pale Sabo looked. The blonde just smiled and shrugged.
"As good as I can be. I'll be fine with some rest."
Ace glanced over to Kidd and Killer who stood silently and watched their exchange. He nodded in appreciation to the former before looking away, suddenly feeling the guilt of their injuries crash down on him. As if sensing his negative emotions, the red-haired lycan walked towards them and clasped Ace on the shoulder.
"Don't worry about it. We wanted to help you of our own free will, consequences be damned."
"Yeah, I know. Thank you for standing with us." Kidd smirked down at him and released his shoulder so he could stretch, wincing only slightly.
"Anyway, where did that bastard go? I want to give him a thrashing he won't ever forget!"
"Returned to his pack house most likely, yoi." Marco said while motioning for them to take a seat at a white table in the corner of the room. Once they had all claimed a chair, the blonde lycan accepted an old map from one of the nurses and rolled it out across the table. Ace leaned forward to examine it in confusion, unsure why Marco was showing it to them. "This is Walden, where Shanks resides. His pack house is here, right at the foot of the mountain."
They all followed Marco's finger to the location in question. Ace quickly noticed that it was quite a ways outside of town and practically hidden in a forest.
"How accurate is this map?" Sabo asked politely while tugging on the frayed edges of the parchment. "With all due to respect, wouldn't a digital representation of Walden be more convenient?" Marco shrugged.
"Perhaps, but Shanks is very private and has done whatever he can to stop humans from accidentally stumbling into his territory. You won't find a map online that shows a specific route to the mountain, yoi." Sabo hummed in understanding and went silent.
"Well, what're we waiting for?" Kidd exclaimed with a feral grin on his face, "Let's go get him!"
"Not yet." Ace put in quickly, making the other Alpha stare at him in confusion. "I…I made a deal with Whitebeard. He's going to help us with this and needs some time to prepare." Sabo's eyes widened in surprise at his statement but he said nothing. Kidd frowned in displeasure.
"You sure you want to wait? Blondie told me that bastard took Luffy."
Ace bit the inside of his lip at the mention of the pup but he held his ground.
"Yeah, I'm sure. No matter how much I want to go get him, we have to be prepared. Besides, even though Shanks attacked us…I seriously doubt he'll hurt Luffy."
'At least not physically.' Ace added to himself, thinking of how the pup reacted to Shanks at the bar.
"Kidd, I was also hoping to ask you for another favor." He continued, turning fully to face the red-haired lycan, "Sabo and I are going to leave San Faldo with Whitebeard and need someone to watch over our territory while we're gone. Seeing as we don't have many options-"
"Are you seriously telling me you want us to stay behind while you two go after that bastard?" Kidd interrupted, making Ace incline his head nervously. He knew it was a lot to ask and wouldn't be surprised if the man told him no. The red head stared him down for a minute before exhaling in a long breath and leaning back in his chair. "Oh all right, fine. Can't say I'm not disappointed but I get it. We'll protect the bar, but."
Kidd paused for a moment and his eyes seemed to glow.
"You make that bastard hurt for what he did."
Ace chuckled and felt his lips curl up into a half snarl.
"Count on it."
After spending some time going over Shanks' territory with Marco, they all walked to the entrance of Whitebeard's pack house. Kidd and Killer expressed their unease being in another powerful lycan's home while injured and wanted to return to their own pack house as soon as possible. Ace and Sabo decided they would stay for a little while longer until more specific plans were made regarding their departure.
"Once again, we are in your debt." Sabo stated while clasping hands with Killer, "Thank you for helping us."
"It's our pleasure."
"You have our contact information, so let us know when you're coming back." Kidd added, "We'll have a party for the pup." Ace smiled at the thought.
"Sounds good. Thanks again."
Kidd nodded to him and they left, the two lycans limping their way down the sidewalk. Apparently they'd already contacted their pack and they were on their way to pick them up. Ace gave them details about the boundary lines of their territory along with Sabo's spare key to the Happy Rabbit. Though they intended to go by the bar before leaving to confront Shanks, they weren't sure when they'd have time to see Kidd again prior to that day.
Ace felt a great sense of relief knowing his territory would be protected while they were gone, though the idea of relying on other packs was a bit foreign to him.
"Friends are a nice thing to have, aren't they?" Sabo asked quietly while they re-entered the pack house.
"Yeah…I suppose they are."
Mihawk looked at his son in exacerbation as they continued their surveillance. Zoro had barely lasted an hour before falling asleep in his chair. He supposed he shouldn't have expected more seeing as the teen wasn't exactly trained as a Shikari, but it still irked him. With a sigh, he turned his attention back to the lycan stronghold in front of them just in time to see a group exit the building.
Leaning forward, Mihawk examined the four closely. Two he recognized immediately given their rather outrageous fashion choices and the distinctive red hair of the Alpha. Eustass Kidd and his beta called 'Killer'. His research into local packs was coming in handy. As a vampire specialist, his knowledge of lycans was limited at best so he'd spent quite some time since his meeting with Dragon educating himself as best he could.
The other two lycans were not so familiar. They both appeared young and looked like they'd been in a fight.
'Wait a minute…' Mihawk thought as he focused his lens on the raven-haired one. Suddenly, he recalled the description of the lycan Dragon had entrusted Luffy to.
Dark hair.
Freckles.
Silver eyes.
Could it truly be him? But what was he doing with Whitebeard? For that matter…what was Eustass Kidd doing there?
Mihawk took out his notebook and began jotting down questions, notes, and observations of the group in front of him. It seemed they'd finally found a worthwhile lead that would hopefully take them straight to Dragon's son.