My first multi-chapter One Piece fic, which takes place after Whole Cake Island idk. It's being written to indulge my Sanji-centric heart, so...it's gonna be a long ride...
~Major WCI and Sanji's backstory spoilers. It's...the whole premise here.~
.:Chapter 1 - Hollowell:.
The first thing Sanji was aware of was an incessant buzzing ringing in his ears.
A hum of machines, he realized.
Meaning he was no longer on the Thousand Sunny, which was the last place he remembered being. He had come out from the galley carrying a tray of snacks for the crew. They were in range to dock at their next island – Lunacliff, Nami had called it. Sanji had only taken a couple steps when he noticed it was too quiet, but before he could question it, his arms and legs gave out. The tray clattered to the floor as the chef did the same, feeling like his body had been instantly turned to lead. When his head hit the floor, everything went black.
Now, as the fog in his head lifted, the feeling in his body returning, he could feel cold metal wrapped around his wrists, which laid against his lap. Cuffs were tightly locked just beneath the sleeves of his dress shirt. He was leaned against a solid surface, sitting up, as the coolness seeped through his jacket into his sore shoulder blades. He let out a low groan as he tried to stretch away the fatigue, realizing his thighs and ankles were also restrained. That was more of a problem.
When Sanji opened his eyes, he was greeted by a massive room covered in dim, cool lighting. Stark white tiled floors connected to equally bland walls, all glowed a faint blue from the mass collection of intricate screens and whirring gadgets lining the room. Most of the machinery Sanji couldn't even put a name to as silvery wires snaked from one monitor to the next, outlined by lines of turquoise light. Rows upon rows of elaborate levers filled multiple set-ups, with an array of buttons that blinked white and red and yellow. Counters were organized with beakers, flasks, and a variety of scopes Sanji had never seen before.
It was a pretty hi-tech laboratory, that was for sure.
At the dead center of the immaculately complex room was a large modular desk holding a single lamp. Beyond it was a medical bed encompassed by a strange, circular contraption, perfectly nestled into a colossal screen that stretched from floor to ceiling. The desk was set up to face the bed and screen, and Sanji realized – where he sat behind that main desk – that there was a glass wall separating him from the rest of the room. It hummed as if alive. A futuristic prison cell wired with some kind of current.
Beside him, Sanji noticed the rest of his crew lying or sitting in similar positions as himself, hands and legs secured. The Straw Hats were split up into groups of three, each trio shackled in their own cell, barred off from the others with what definitely looked like an electrical field. Franky, Usopp, and Robin were in the cell to his left, and beside them was Luffy, Chopper, and Brook. That meant…
Sanji glanced to his right. Chained with him was the idiot swordsman and sweet Nami.
The chef didn't know if he was glad his crew was trapped here with him, or simply glad he knew they were alive and unharmed. Whoever brought them all here hadn't been rough. The stretches of Nami's bare skin seemed unmarked and as flawless as ever, thankfully. Even the patches of Zoro's scarred skin showed no signs of fresh wounds or swelling. Well, except for the bruising crescent shape peeking just above the man's opened collar. Sanji had placed that there himself, along with similar marks up and down that tanned body. He couldn't help that Zoro tasted so good, even if he did have algae for brains.
Handsome brute.
It wasn't long until the rest of the crew began to stir and groan.
"Is everyone okay?" Sanji asked, voice gruff from disuse. Mumbles, and more groans, was the response he got, as well as a shaky thumbs-up.
"Captain Usopp's never been better…"
"I can't feel my legs," said Brook. "Though, I suppose it's because I don't have any nerve-endings…"
"Feels like I've been hit by a train." Franky let out a loud yawn.
"What happened?" mumbled Nami. She was laying on her side, straining her neck up to take in her surroundings.
"Don't worry, Nami-Swan~! I'll keep all harm away from you—"
Chopper interrupted with a squeak. "Ahh! Where are we?"
"It seems to be an isolated cell within a lab," Robin analyzed. Her smooth voice seemed stiff. She glanced down at her bound wrists and legs and realized the problem. Sea Prism Stone.
"Aww, we didn't even get to explore the island first," Luffy complained.
Usopp grumbled. "Right. We should ask for the tour first next time."
"S'fine. I still have my swords," said Zoro, peering down at his side. Only his wrists were bound, not his hands; however, the swords, too, were wrapped to Zoro's waist so tightly that the swordsman couldn't grip a single hilt.
"They must not see us as a big enough threat to disarm us." Robin glanced down at her cuffs again. "Aside from our devil fruit powers, at least."
Zoro was unphased. "That's their mistake." He pushed himself easily off his back into a sitting position, then used his bound legs to help Nami do the same.
"Thanks," she muttered.
"Who do you think 'they' are?" Chopper asked, scanning the lab with obvious curiosity. Franky was also eyeing the impressive setup.
"There's some crazy stuff in here," he said.
"Doesn't matter who they are." Luffy brows knit together as he wormed his way over to the glass door of his cell.
Nami let out a whine. "Whatever you're planning to do, Luffy – don't." Sanji recalled how much their lovely navigator hated being locked up with their captain, for reasons she had described as 'reckless' and 'traumatizing'.
"The glass holds some kind of computerized current," Sanji warned, but the rubber idiot wasn't listening. Luffy threw his head back as far as he could, before ramming it into the glass. There were several screams as the Straw Hat was zapped backward in a flash of blue light. Luffy hit the wall and slid down, skin smoking.
"Huh," he said.
Usopp gawked at Luffy, and then at the glass wall. "Geez, what the hell was that?"
"Most likely the same technology used for the bars at our sides," Robin said, watching the thin lines of electric blue zig-zag from floor to ceiling between her, Franky and Usopp, and the rest of their crewmates.
"Seems a bit dramatic," Brook murmured in a sing-song voice.
"It can't be electricity if it affected Luffy," said Franky. "Don't know what the hell they're using, though." That revelation seemed to upset the cyborg.
Before anyone could comment further, or try another risky escape tactic, lights began clicking on throughout the lab. The Straw Hats squinted, adjusting, as the dim blue hues brightened to whites and yellows. To the far right, a set of metal doors rushed open. Three people in pristine white lab coats strolled in. Two men. One woman. Each sporting an ensemble of expensive, violet fabric beneath their buttoned-up coats. Without a word, they began flicking switches, pulling levers, and typing on keyboards without a single glance at their pirate prisoners.
"Oi, who are you people?" Luffy demanded. He got no reply, and no matter how many attempts at grabbing their attention he tried, there was no response from them. He glanced at his crew. "I don't think their ears work."
Then, two more men entered the room. They were talking amongst themselves.
The first was a tall scientist of a man, with hair as white as snow sticking in every direction. He was reading off the tablet he held in his black-gloved hands. His eyes – as blue and cold as ice – sat above a trimmed white beard and handlebar mustache. He wore his white lab coat buttoned up to his neck, a deep purple stripe across the chest and an odd emblem embroidered on his left breast pocket. A strange mechanical headband sat just above his hairline, goggles attached to them, connected with bulbs and gadgets. Wires cascaded down one side in loops onto his bony shoulder.
The second man wore his lab coat draped open, a dark purple dress shirt underneath and a black tie. He wore equally purple glasses atop his wide nose, so opaque Sanji couldn't see his eyes. His dark hair was lacquered back, not a single strand out of place.
"Hey!" Luffy yelled. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, future Pirate King! Now tell us who you are!"
The exasperation from every other Straw Hat was palpable, but Handlebar-Mustache paused. The man curiously approached Luffy's cell. His arctic eyes widened as he observed the Straw Hat, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His gaze roamed over the rest of his captives.
"My, my!" He waved over his purple companion, excitement evident. "Look at today's catch, Ashvin." His orotund voice turned amused. "None other than the infamous Straw Hat Pirates! ~Teeshishishishi."
The other man – Ashvin – seemed unimpressed.
"You mean that's not why you captured us in the first place?" Nami asked.
"Oh, no. My specialists bring in anyone who ventures onto this side of the island. You merely happened to dock in our perimeter, rather than the side with the city. And nobody escapes our gas. ~Teeshishishi. Perhaps we will call it Fate."
"Or a certain navigator," Zoro grumbled.
Nami hissed at him. "Don't put this on me!"
Luffy addressed the scientist again. "What do you want with us then?"
The unnerving scientist smiled. There was something about his too-light eyes that creeped Sanji out. It wasn't that he seemed to see too much; rather, that he could if he wanted to.
"I am Doctor Trillian Hollowell, your esteemed captor! ~Teeshishi. Also, founder of Hollowell Mind Tech, where you have so fortuitously found yourselves. My assistant and I work tirelessly with all my specialists to further advance our mind technology here. Call it a hobby." The creepy smile was back, showing a row of unnaturally perfect teeth that seemed to stretch too wide for his narrow face. "Many of our…guests hold little to no information of value to us. However, they make for excellent guinea pigs. ~Teeshishishi. With them, we have nearly perfected our technique to extract the information we seek from more knowledgeable visitors."
Usopp gulped. "How do you know if a visitor is knowledgeable?"
"Fear not, young one." Hollowell's eyes gleamed. "Your crew is exactly what I and my specialists have been waiting for."
"But that's exactly what I was fearing," the sniper squawked.
"What information could scientists possibly gain from a band of pirates?" Robin asked lightly.
Perfect distracting question, Sanji thought. Leave it to Robin-chwan~. The more information they could extract from them, the better. The snowy-haired scientist seemed eager enough to talk. He said their so-called hobby was technology. Farming for information or not, that didn't exactly put their crew high on the list for their particular interest. Except maybe Franky. Sanji frowned at the thought.
Hollowell moved on from the first cell to examine the next three prisoners more intently. Franky, Robin, and Usopp stilled under his gaze.
"Nico Robin," said Hollowell. Everyone stiffened. "I am sure you, out of anyone here, are aware that pirates can hold a wealth of secrets. ~Teeshishishi."
"Pirates tend to travel far beyond the ranges of average people," Ashvin suddenly cut in, tapping away at his tablet. He wasn't looking at anyone in particular. At least, Sanji didn't think so. It was hard to tell what was going on behind those purple glasses. "They meet people. They see things."
Hollowell clapped. "And it is within those memories that valuable information can be buried, waiting for the right person to dig up. ~Teeshishi." Without elaboration, Hollowell moved on to examine the last of the three cells. Each occupant glared back at him. There was nothing he could possibly see in them. They were a cook, a swordsman, and a navigator. Surely, he'd realize this was all a waste of time and let them go.
Sanji's hope faded, however, as the man seemed to linger. He tilted his head, hovering in silence, strange eyes roaming over Sanji far longer than the blonde man was comfortable with.
"See something you like, pervert?" Sanji griped.
The strange man blinked slowly. "That's quite interesting," he muttered, more to himself than anyone. Sanji had no idea what the man was talking about, what he saw. But he didn't like it. With a sudden shout, Hollowell was laughing, the gleam in his gaze wild. "And the hand of fortune strikes again! Fate, indeed. ~Teeshishishi."
Hollowell clicked his tongue at his specialists and pointed a sharp, gloved finger at the Straw Hat cook.
"We will begin with that one."
Poor Sanji has the worst luck. (Not that I - the writer - intentionally set him up for this situation or anything.)
And yeah I gave the BadGuy a laugh. Felt like he needed one.
Thanks for reading! Please let me know your thoughts.