Author's Note: Hi everyone~ I hope you're all doing well and had a fun Halloween :) I'm excited for where this story is going to go and definitely dropped some important plot bunnies in this chapter. Keep an eye out for them and I hope you all enjoy it!

To Irene Sharda: Yeah, Shanks is being a bit possessive for sure. More to come on his history with Luffy and Dragon that will shed some light on the situation. ASL cuteness is the best and I love writing it XD That smell was definitely poor Luffy but it shall improve! Thank you so much for the comment and I hope you enjoy the update :)

To Wishfull-star: Thank you so much!

To Urutiyori: Yeah, poor kid XD Luffy's having a rough time.

To too addicted to fiction: ASL is my jam lol. They're just too precious!

To Chai Chandler: I'm so glad you're enjoying my story so far! Look forward to drama, fluff, and much more in the future ;)

To bimarian: Aw thank you so much! Haha yeah, there are lots of questions that need to be answered. More to come on Shanks' history with Lu and the circumstances that occurred before Luffy was turned. I hope you enjoy the update and are doing well :)

WARNINGS:

- Minor injuries

- Ace's protective instincts

- Emotional distress

Also, just a side note, if you're still in the Halloween mood, check out my short story: The Monster Fair :)


"I don't understand why I have to do this." Luffy whined, seated in a grassy clearing along the edge of the Happy Rabbit bar (his current prison). Sabo sat across from him with an amused smile, parts of his blonde hair pinned back from his face.

"Because you're stressed and it's affecting your scent."

"Why do you care about how I smell?"

"Your scent is reflected on us," Sabo continued while adjusting himself, crossing his legs gracefully, "and that's dangerous. Now then, let's begin."

Luffy huffed and begrudgingly brought his furry hands to rest on his knees as he attempted to follow Sabo's breathing. The clothes he wore belonged to Ace so they were much too big for him, making it easy to bunch the fabric into his hands (an easy distraction from the 'relaxation exercises' Sabo was leading him through).

Why they thought yoga was the answer to his stress…Luffy had no idea.

"That's it…lift your leg high into the air while exhaling." Sabo muttered in a calm voice while Luffy struggled to focus. It wasn't that he wasn't flexible or strong enough to do the pose, his tail was just super distracting! He let out an annoyed whine and drug his fingers through the dirt, attempting to lift his one leg higher.

How did anyone find this relaxing…

"Don't fight your tail, Luffy." Sabo put in, noticing his struggle, "It's a part of you, just like your legs."

The boy let out a deep sigh of frustration and flopped onto the ground, blinking as blood rushed out of his head.

"…can we go have breakfast now?" Sabo athletically moved himself out of the yoga position and exhaled, bringing his hands in to his chest as he did so.

"I suppose."

Luffy sniffed and pulled up his baggy pants as they walked back into the bar. He could tell that the two lycans were trying their best to help him feel better but all he really wanted was to go home. Unfortunately, he knew that wasn't possible. Ace and Sabo were annoyingly good at catching him no matter how fast he ran.

Ace was sitting at the bar when they entered, eyes darting between a laptop and whatever was simmering on the stove. Luffy's ears immediately perked up when he smelt sausage and he trotted over to get a closer look. At least his kidnappers had good food.

"How'd it go?"

"…about as well as you predicted."

The two wolves were whispering about him, Luffy was sure of it, but chose to focus on sniffing the meat instead. He couldn't help but wonder if Ace was making eggs too…or pancakes. He loved a good sweet and savory breakfast.

"Told you yoga wasn't a good idea." Ace muttered, causing Sabo sigh.

"Well I thought it was worth a shot. What're you looking at there?" Luffy glanced back at them when the blonde lycan leaned over Ace's shoulder, suddenly interested in something. "A job request?"

"Yeah, from the Donquixote Coven." Ace answered, making Luffy tilt his head in interest, "Their Lord wants us to guard his nephew…apparently he's attending some fancy gala and they're worried someone might try something."

"Is the pay good?" Sabo put in, a curious expression on his face, "Doflamingo, huh…I don't believe we've ever taken a job from him."

Luffy felt his tail wag ever so slightly behind him. Were they talking about…leaving?

"Y-You guys are bodyguards?" He put in, trying not to let his excitement show. If he could just convince them it was okay to leave him alone, he could make his escape! Ace sent him a knowing look.

"Sorry, 'Bo, but you know we can't take it. A certain pup would run away for sure." Luffy immediately went to protest but stopped when he felt his tail droop, giving away his feelings. Damn feather duster! Sabo chuckled under his breath before turning to face him.

"To answer your question, we freelance as bodyguards for many of the local covens. Vampires don't do so well during the day, so they hire lycans for protection. It's a good way to make extra money and help pay the bar's expenses." Luffy hummed at the explanation, trying not to think about how it was kind of cool. "Why don't you go wash up while Ace finishes breakfast?"

He nodded and trudged up the stairs, ears and tail drooping sadly.

Was he ever going to escape?


"He's clearly miserable." Sabo groaned, allowing his head to fall onto the bar, "I mean, did you see those ears? His tail? I think we may be horrible people, Ace."

"Hey, don't forget that everything we're doing is for his benefit." The alpha quickly shot back while stirring the sausage in the pan, "I know he doesn't like being here but we can't exactly let him go. He'd be killed for sure."

Sabo knew Ace was right. If another pack found Luffy, they'd see him as a threat and the humans would be even worse.

"Surely there's a way we could give him more freedom."

"I don't think it's a good idea to let him out unless he learns to control his forms." Ace answered, wiping grease on his apron, "Right now he's a walking liability." Sabo then sat up, eyes bright with an idea.

"Then let's teach him how! It can't be that hard, right?"

Ace raised an eyebrow.

"…Sabo, just teaching you was a massive pain in my ass."

"Then we'll do it together." He insisted, moving to stand next to his brother, "Luffy needs our help, Ace, and we can't keep him cooped up forever." Sabo could tell that the alpha was considering the proposition.

"All right, we'll give it a shot."


After a hearty breakfast, Luffy followed Ace and Sabo back out into the woods, much farther than they normally let him go. His ears went back when a frightening thought went through his mind…were they gonna get rid of him? Wasn't that what people brought their captives into the middle of nowhere to do?

When they finally stopped, Luffy's bottom lip trembled.

"Please don't kill me! I-I'll do better!" The lycans looked shocked at his outburst and glanced at each other with big eyes. "I'm sorry I ate your lunch and-and used your towel-"

"Woah, woah…get a hold of yourself." Ace interrupted, hands held up placatingly, "We aren't going to kill you, pup. What the hell made you think that?" Luffy hugged himself and shuddered despite the warm sunlight in his fur.

"I-I dunno…"

Sabo sent Luffy a sympathetic look and approached him carefully, placing a hand on his shoulder when he was close enough.

"If nothing else, remember this: we would never lay a hand on you, Luffy…ever. Promise." Luffy sniffled and looked up at the lycan.

"P-Promise?"

Sabo crossed his heart with a finger.

"I swear it."

Luffy looked past him to where Ace stood and the other lycan crossed his heart as well. For some reason, the promise made him feel a little better. Though deep down he knew the werewolves probably wouldn't hurt him, he kept thinking about how his Dad had described them…as monsters. But now, maybe he could relax at least a little knowing Ace and Sabo weren't going to eat him (or leave his body in the woods where no one would find it).

"Well, now that that's taken care of…" Ace put in while coming to stand in front of a slightly less tense Luffy, "Let's get down to business. Sabo and I are going to teach you how to be a lycan."

"What do you mean?"

"Luffy, if you can control your forms," Sabo stated with a hopeful grin, "we might be willing to let you be a little more independent. Granted, we don't know much about what drug was used on you, but maybe all you need is a little guidance."

His eyes lit up at that, tag wagging happily.

"Really!? Then let's do it!"


Ace watched from across the clearing as Sabo attempted to show Luffy how to walk on four legs. Both were in their true form, though he'd given the pup some help getting into the form. As he was, they suspected Luffy wouldn't be able to voluntarily enter into his wolf state, so Ace had used some of his alpha pheromones to stimulate the change.

It worked surprisingly well (though Luffy had immediately flopped onto his face the second the change was complete). Normally, his sire would've taught him all about his true form during his first full moon…but Luffy hadn't had that luxury and was seriously behind on pretty much everything.

The pup could barely walk let alone control his transformation.

'We have a long way to go…' Ace thought, sighing when Sabo scooped the little black pup into his mouth by his scruff and set him back on his paws. Still, despite his difficulties, Luffy's scent had started to normalize the second they started working on his forms. They should've started training him sooner…been more aware of the stress Luffy was under.

Anyone would be unhappy if they were being held against their will, taken away from their family. Ace knew that better than anyone but had chosen to ignore it, telling himself he was 'protecting' the pup.

Luffy didn't need to be coddled right now…he needed to accept his lycanthropy.

"That's it…" Sabo encouraged in his wolf form, walking alongside a bumbling Luffy who seemed to have gained some balance (finally). "See, it's not so hard."

Luffy yipped at the comment, tail wagging, but it threw him off balance and he fell back onto his rump.

"Aw…I was doing it."

"Good job," Ace praised, stretching as he prepared to stand up, "but we should head back. The bar won't open itself." Luffy's ears drooped at that but the alpha wolf found himself to be more encouraged than anything else. At least they were seeing some progress.

He transformed into his true form and the three headed back. Luffy quickly fell behind but was slowly getting used to walking. The pup even romped a little when he found a butterfly (which was actually kind of cute). However, Ace was eventually forced to carry Luffy back in his mouth so they wouldn't open late.

The pup didn't squirm between his teeth but his ears were twitching, indicating Luffy was trying to take in all the scents around him.

When they returned to the bar, Sabo transformed back into his human form while Ace gently placed Luffy on the ground. He gingerly bit into the back of the pup's neck, forcing him into a position of submission so he'd unconsciously accept his pheromones, allowing Ace to force Luffy back into his human form. It wasn't ideal but it was the only way to move Luffy between his forms at the moment.

Hopefully someday, he'd be able to do it himself, but for now…Ace could act like his sire.

It was a bit unnerving to watch Luffy turn 'human' again as much of his fur and wolf-like features remained. Ace sent Sabo a look when the pup sat up, ears and tail still very much attached. He'd been right in his assumption that Luffy's human form was compromised.

Stepping up to the front door, he raised an eyebrow at a few delivery boxes placed on the porch.

"What's this?"

"Oh, I ordered some things for Luffy." Sabo explained with a wink, "Special delivery."

The pup rushed up to the boxes while Sabo opened them, revealing what looked like clothes and footwear. Thank goodness his beta could multitask otherwise Luffy would be wearing his stuff forever.

"Wow, thanks!" Luffy chirped, tugging out a sweater.

"They should be your size but let me know if they don't fit."

The clothes fit perfectly, of course, because Sabo was a perfectionist. While Ace started prepping to open the bar, Luffy modeled some of the clothes for his brother, looking happier than he had ever looked in their company. The outfit he ended up choosing for that evening was a slimming black sweater with a knit pattern and maroon capris. He paired them with sandals (oddly enough), but the strange set seemed to suit Luffy somehow.

"You look great." Sabo praised, making Luffy's tail wag even more than it already was, "How's the hole in the pants? Wide enough?" The other lycan was referencing the hole he cut in the back of Luffy's pants to allow his tail room to breathe.

"It's fine." The pup answered, clearly pleased with the new clothing, "Thanks again!"

While Luffy moved his new collection upstairs, Ace leaned on the bar counter deep in thought. Sabo eyed him curiously but didn't say anything, knowing he'd speak when he was ready.

"I have an idea."

"Oh?"

"It's a terrible idea," Ace clarified, "but I think it would be good for Luffy." Sabo hummed and leaned on the other side of the counter, clearly interested in his proposition.

"What do you have in mind?"


Meanwhile…

Edward Newgate, also known as Whitebeard, greatly enjoyed his family. They were energetic and sometimes wild, but he didn't mind. If anything, he loved spunky pups, they made him feel young again.

Currently, he was seated on his favorite love seat listening to his Commanders go over various pack topics, not that he was listening. No, Whitebeard's attention was on the beautiful sunset he could see out the window. The view was quite exquisite. If only their pack house was located in a less 'central' location…maybe something a little more rural-

"Pops, are you listening, yoi?"

"No, not really." He admitted, drawing amused chuckles from his adopted children. Marco, his beta, huffed at his admission but continued his briefing regardless.

"Thank you for your honesty, I suppose. As I was saying, there haven't been many disturbances in our territory recently with the exception of some nosy pups looking for trouble." Whitebeard chuckled at that, remembering how the teenagers had run with their tails between their legs. They should've known better than to enter their territory. "The Shikari have been quiet, meaning we've had a pretty uneventful couple of weeks."

"Great, can we go now?" Thatch put in excitedly, standing up like he intended to leave, "We've got somewhere to be, Marc."

Whitebeard grinned at the brunette lycan's enthusiasm. Marco and Thatch had taken it upon themselves to convince Portgas D. Ace, a young alpha of his own (albeit small) pack, to join them. Of course, this was easier said than done. Ace was spirited and had no intention of calling anyone alpha.

Well, that and the fact that his sire had originally been part of their pack.

Whitebeard's smile fell at the thought of Teach, that slimy backstabber. He used the power and infamy he received as part of a large pack for his own gain, eventually breaking away from them. During his departure, he stole quite a lot from them and even injured Thatch when he came across him.

'I only wish we discovered what was going on earlier…' Whitebeard thought sorrowfully. To bolster his new pack, Teach began turning human children against their will. It was a terrible practice that they went to war to abolish. All packs in the area united against Teach, forcing him to stop.

However, the damage was already done. Whitebeard only hoped they could help Ace trust them…that they were different from Teach and would welcome him with open arms.

"Yes, I know, yoi." Marco answered, waving for Thatch to sit down, "But we actually have one more thing to discuss. I received an interesting message from Shanks this morning and we need to decide how to respond." Whitebeard nodded, having already received a brief on the message, while the others whispered amongst themselves.

'Red Haired' Shanks was a powerful alpha who operated out of a town that was a few hours from San Faldo. They generally didn't come around often and hadn't ventured to their territory for quite some time.

"What did he want?" Izo questioned, gracefully crossing one leg over another, "He hasn't reached out to us in years." Marco adjusted the glasses on his nose before replying.

"Apparently he's coming to San Faldo with pretty much his entire pack and wanted to give us a heads up."

"What!?" Blenheim exclaimed with a low growl, "He can't just-" Whitebeard raised a hand, silencing the Commander.

"Please let Marco finish, Blenheim. There is more to the story." The wolf nodded and quickly sat down, allowing their beta to continue.

"According to Shanks…the Shikari in San Faldo are holding his pup captive, and they're coming to rescue him."

Everyone's jaws hit the floor.

"Wait, what!?"

"Shanks has a pup!?"

Whitebeard allowed his children to voice their confusion while he retreated to his inner thoughts on the matter. His knowledge of Shanks was slim at best, but he did remember receiving an announcement that his mate was pregnant about fourteen years before, only to learn they'd lost the baby prior to their birth in a tragic event. He'd sent the alpha his condolences but hadn't heard of any new pups since then.

Perhaps he'd kept them secret for fear of losing another?

"What should we do, Pops?" Marco asked, calm and collected as always, "Shanks may be lying to get us to let our guard down…your love of pups is legendary, yoi." Whitebeard hummed and considered how to respond.

"Let him come. If he wishes to wage war on the Shikari, I will not stop him."

"And the pup, yoi?"

Whitebeard turned towards Izo.

"Gather information on this so-called pup. Shanks is generally not the crafty type, but something doesn't feel quite right. See what you can find, Izo." The Commander bowed, accepting the job. "The rest of you be vigilant…we will not be caught off-guard again."


Once their meeting had concluded, Marco drove Thatch over to their favorite evening hangout: The Happy Rabbit bar. Most humans didn't even try to drive there given its isolated location in the woods, and he knew Ace liked it that way. Since their pack was so small (with only two members), it alleviated some of the stress of guarding their territory.

Packs that lived in urban areas had to be a lot more active in protecting the boundary lines simply because of the amount of people around.

"You're quiet, yoi." Marco put in, glancing to his brother. Thatch was normally a chatterbox of excitement on their way to see Ace and Sabo.

"Yeah…I'm just thinking about Shanks." The brunette lycan answered, "Do you think he's telling the truth?" Marco shrugged as he pulled into a parking spot near the front porch of the bar.

"I don't know. Pops seems to think something's up but all we can do is stay alert."

"But what if a pup really is being held captive?" Thatch questioned, closing the car door, "I'd feel terrible if we didn't do anything and it turned out to be true." Marco just sighed and adjusted his shirt collar.

"We'll know more once he actually comes, yoi. For now, let's enjoy the evening." That seemed to spark something in Thatch and his bright grin quickly returned. There was nothing more his brother enjoyed than giving Ace a hard time.

As they walked up the steps to the front entrance, Marco noticed the bar was pretty busy. Lycans were bustling around laughing and generally having a good time. Some they recognized raised a glass to them when they passed, acknowledging their presence. Thatch practically bounced through the door, causing the bell to ring and alerting the alpha wolf to their arrival.

Ace immediately scowled at them from behind the bar, his usual greeting. However, it was then that something out of the ordinary happened.

"Hello~" Someone chirped, drawing their attention. It was a young lycan with a winning smile who appeared to be…greeting people? Marco blinked at his face for a second before registering the Happy Rabbit apron and pink bandana in his dark hair. Had Ace…hired someone?

"Uh, hiya kiddo." Thatch replied, recovering faster than Marco, "Haven't seen you around before."

"Ah, he's new." Sabo put in, quickly approaching to put a hand on the pup's shoulder, "Luffy, this is Marco and Thatch, two of our regulars."

"Nice to meet you, yoi." Marco greeted, lips curling up into a smile when the kid waved. He seemed sweet.

"Why don't you go see if that couple is done with their plates?" Sabo sent the boy off and Marco found his gaze following him. There was something…odd about him. Discounting the fact that his scent wasn't quite right, he was covered in clothing despite it not being cold outside. The pup even wore gloves and had an extra sweatshirt tied around his skinny waist.

"Sooo…what's the story with him?" Thatch immediately asked as they followed Sabo to their usual spot at the bar, "I didn't think you two would ever hire someone."

"We don't pay him." Ace explained when they sat down in front of him. Thatch frowned at that and spun around in his chair to watch the pup clear yet another table.

"Why not?"

"Luffy isn't a new employee." Sabo put in, "He's more of a…ward, I suppose."

"A ward?" Marco echoed, "Does he live here?" Sabo and Ace didn't answer right away, which made Thatch gasp excitedly.

"Wait, wait, wait…is he gonna join your pack!? Holy crap, I didn't think this day would ever come." Ace immediately rolled his eyes at Thatch's statement while Sabo just continued to smile.

"Think whatever you want, old man, but I-" He stopped speaking when a loud crash came from the main bar area. The young pup Luffy was sprawled on the floor, but what was most disturbing was the obviously drunk man who still had his leg out. Had the bastard tripped him? "Sabo, the bar's yours."

Ace threw down the rag he had over his shoulder and stalked over to Luffy who was trying to clean up the mess. Marco could smell that his scent had soured, poor thing.

"I-I'm sorry, Ace-"

"Don't be, it wasn't your fault." Ace replied, going over his hands with controlled movements. Marco hoped he hadn't cut himself on the broken glass. "Are you okay?" When the pup nodded, Ace stood to face the obvious culprit who was still laughing.

"Do you think this is funny?"

"Hell yeah, it is!" The man shot back, cheeks red with alcohol, "He was just asking for it, ya know? Balancing all those plates like that-"

Ace didn't let him finish. The alpha wolf grabbed the customer by the collar and held him close, baring his teeth. All the lycans nearby immediately barred their necks in submission to the angry alpha.

"Oi, oi, it was just a joke!" The man tried, flailing in Ace's iron grip. That just seemed to piss him off more.

"Apologize to Luffy, now." Ace demanded with a low snarl, forcing the man to face the pup who was still on the floor. He'd moved to his knees and held his arm like it hurt. Marco decided right then and there he'd offer to look Luffy over just in case he really had been injured by the sudden fall. "Well?"

"I…I'm sorry." The man spit, clearly more worried about his own well-being than taking responsibility for his actions. Ace pulled him back up so he was standing and turned his attention to the man's companions.

"Get him out of here."

The group wasted no time high-tailing it out of the bar behind Ace's angry stare and, soon after they left, conversation started up again. Marco stood up from his seat and approached the pup who had yet to stand.

"Could I look him over?" He offered while Ace helped a shaky Luffy to his feet. The alpha's grip on the pup's hand tightened ever so slightly and he, surprisingly, shook his head.

"Thanks, but Sabo and I can handle this."

Though Marco was inclined to argue for the well-being of the pup, he backed down. Ace was still riled up from the incident and he didn't want to burn any bridges. Instead, he and Thatch assisted Sabo with cleaning up the glass while Ace took Luffy upstairs. When they settled back at the bar again, Marco decided to pitch a question to the beta wolf.

"Ace seems protective of your new…ward. Where'd you find him, yoi?"

Sabo looked up at the inquiry before continuing to mix the drink he was working on.

"We rescued him from a Shikari base." Marco's eyes widened at that while Thatch gasped.

"You're kidding!"

"It's true. They were transporting him through the woods and we heard him…howling." Sabo explained, eyes softening at the memory, "So we tracked Luffy to the base and got him out."

Marco frowned at the lack of exposition about the rescue. Sabo was hiding something and, strangely enough, the story seemed to line up with what Shanks' message said. Could it be that Ace and Sabo had unknowingly rescued Shanks' pup?

"Surely it wasn't that easy."

"Well, it certainly wasn't as difficult as we were expecting." Sabo continued with a huff, "If you'll believe it, Luffy's father just gave him to Ace without a fight."

Marco froze.

"His…father?"

"Yeah. Luffy's father was one of the Shikari at the base. Apparently he didn't want Luffy to be hurt by his associates, so he gave him up."

'There goes that theory.' Marco thought, taking a sip from his drink. So it was just a coincidence then…

"Damn, that's quite the story." Thatch said after whistling softly, "Is Luffy okay after all that? He's so young…" Sabo sighed.

"He's handling it as well as he can. Ace thought it might help get his mind off things if he started helping out around here…hopefully that idiot didn't ruin everything." Just as he finished speaking, Luffy came trotting down the stairs with a smile on his face, Ace right behind him. He didn't seem injured, so that was a good sign.

"You okay, kiddo?" Thatch asked, prompting Luffy to nod.

"Yeah, I'm good! Just a few scratches, that's all."

"You can take a break if you need to." Ace stated seriously but the pup shook his head.

"No, I wanna keep going."

Marco smiled when the pup bounded off to continue his newfound responsibility. He really was cute and had thankfully been found by two lycans of good character. Inwardly, he wondered if it would be a good idea to question the pup at some point. Perhaps he'd seen other prisoners during his captivity…

'Another time.' Marco decided, tipping back his cup, 'No need to sour the mood again.'


Later that night, after the bar closed, Ace sat on his bed listening to the even breathing of the pup on the bunk above his. Overall, the plan had gone well enough. Luffy had taken to the work well and seemed to enjoy being allowed on the floor even when other lycans were around. Thankfully, no one had noticed Luffy's extra appendages thanks to Sabo's clever camouflage, but they had gotten some questions about his odd attire.

Ace barely stifled a growl when he thought about Luffy being knocked to the floor. It had pissed him off more than he thought it would, plus they'd lost quite a few of their glasses and plates…which wasn't good. Given their location, it was difficult and often expensive to replace glassware.

But, more importantly, Luffy had only sustained a couple bruises and scratches from the event. His layers had managed to protect him from the majority of the shards. Ace was grateful Marco had offered to help, but he didn't want to risk exposing Luffy to a prominent member of a rival pack. The good news was that it hadn't been anything serious.

"Well, I've run the numbers." Sabo whispered as he approached, careful not to wake Luffy, "It's not good, Ace. Our budget won't cover the replacements."

"Damn it." He cursed, not mad at Luffy, but the customer who'd caused the incident, "What should we do?" Sabo slipped his pencil behind his ear and turned the laptop in his arms around to show a familiar screen.

"I think we may need to accept Mr. Donquixote's request after all."