Author's Note: Hello friends~ Here's an update for this one as I'm trying to get back into a good groove for updating my stories that haven't gotten a lot of love recently. Enjoy!

To Zinlo34: You're very welcome!

To Irene Sharda: I've always liked Kidd so I'm going to have fun with his character ;) Yas, they're adorable and I love them! Thanks so much for the review and I hope you enjoy the update!

To Abehsi: You're welcome! I'm so glad you're enjoying this little story of mine!

To Guest: I am okay, sorry about the wait! Life kind of knocked me down for a while. I hope you enjoy the update!

WARNINGS:

- Kidd being himself

- Rude humor

- Law is really annoyed

It didn't take the Victoria Punk long to catch up to the escaping boat. Kidd wasted no time ordering his men to wreck some havoc with their cannonballs, caging the strange man and whatever treasure he was escaping with in. He smirked as the oddly dressed man, their target, became more and more distressed. Pillaging was one of his favorites parts of being a pirate.

"Looks like he really is controlling these creatures." Killer said while kicking aside yet another collared animal when it leapt over the rail and attacked him. Kidd's smirk faded into a snarl as the unknown man continued to bark orders to the creatures. They were now close enough that he could hear what was being said.

"You stupid beasts! I don't care if you get hurt or killed, it's your job as my pets to protect me! So get in there and be good distractions!"

"He's a real piece of work, isn't he?" Wire put in after tossing yet another sea creature back into the ocean.

"No kidding." Killer answered, "How do you want to handle this?"

"…delicately." He replied, smirk deepening as a plan formed in his mind. Activating his ability, Kidd began to pull large amounts of metal from their enemy's ship as well as from the stockpile they had on the lower decks of the Victoria Punk. With arm up in the air, he willed the metal to him and formed the scraps into his favorite image: a large metal hand.

The sight of his creation clearly made his enemy nervous and he began to desperately row away, but it was no use. He was within his grasp.

Using his giant hand, Kidd reached forward and grabbed hold of the small ship. Careful not to spill any treasure or occupants out, he lifted the entire ship up into the air and pulled it back towards their ship. Once it hovered over Victoria's deck, he dropped it, causing the odd man to go sprawling onto his face. Kidd's crew wasted no time pointing all their weapons at their new guest even before he'd managed to right himself. Up close, their prey appeared to be dressed like some sort of ring master, like he belonged in a circus, and had a nasty glare on his face.

"Tch, damn humans."

Kidd found it odd how the man cursed them as 'humans' and not 'pirates'. He was used to the word 'pirate' being used as an insult.

"Welcome aboard." He called, plastering a confident smirk on his face as he held his still metal hand aloft, "I'm guessing you're the Captain of that vessel? Or at least…you used to be." As if on cue, one of their cannonballs made contact with the massive ship's mast, causing it to topple over.

"Eustass 'Captain' Kidd, correct?" The man said after a few seconds of silence, his gaze darkening by the second.

"You know me! I'm flattered."

"You were foolish to try and intervene in my business, stupid human!" The stranger yelled, making Kidd's eye twitch in anger, "Come, my pets, and take care of this-"

"Even if you order them to…I don't think they'll be coming to help you." Killer interrupted, motioning towards the ocean. The man followed his hand and scowled. The creatures in question were pretty beat up and most of them had fled underwater, though Kidd could still just barely see the green of their collars.

"Damn, damn, damn. You'd better come and help me, blasted beasts, or you'll regret it!" The man made a show of brandishing his whip, but nothing happened. Kidd glanced to the water again. The creatures still circled his ship and remained underwater. Now the man was just making a fool of himself, yelling and posturing as he was.

Annoyed with him, Kidd decided to put an end to it and sent his metal arm forward without warning. The stranger screeched when it grabbed him and held his body away from the little boat, arms pinned to his side and legs dangling.

"Don't you ever shut up?"

"You bastard! I am Breed, you cannot-"

"Oi, Captain! He's got some pretty weird stuff in here." Kidd's men, led by Heat, casually interrupted and drew attention to the fact that they were rifling through his things. "Doesn't look like a lot of proper treasure though…figured he'd have a lot given the size of his ship."

One of his men chuckled and sent their prisoner a snide glance.

"…ya think he's compensating for something, Captain?"

Kidd laughed at the rude comment while the man, 'Breed' apparently, went red in the face and began to spout off all the ways he was going to make them regret messing with him.

'Guess he's pretty weak without his 'pets'.' Kidd thought while expertly encasing the man in metal and tossing his trussed-up body down onto the deck. Unfortunately, even the rough handling didn't make him shut up, so he motioned for Killer to take care of it. His first mate nodded in understanding and ominously walked towards their prisoner.

"Y-You can't…" The man spluttered as Killer approached, shaking like a leaf now, "I-If you mess with me, it'll mean messing with Joker!"

Killer stopped at that and glanced over his shoulder at him, waiting for instructions on how to proceed. For his part, Kidd hummed and considered what to do. He'd heard of Joker of course, who hadn't? The enigmatic and charismatic 'king' of the underworld. No one knew his true identity, just that every underground transaction probably went through him at some point.

'If this bastard is dropping Joker's name, could he be a courier of some kind?' Kidd thought, recalling his men's description of odd items in the man's possession. He found himself grinning at the thought of getting his hands on some prize goods wanted by Joker himself. He'd never been one to shy away from danger.

"Joker isn't here to help you, now is he?"

At his statement, Killer resumed his steps and stopped in front of the now squealing man. He raised his weapon and went to bring it down on the man. Instead of killing him, his first mate slammed the blunt end of his weapon into their prisoner's head, knocking him unconscious instantly.

Kidd grinned at the sight and began to carefully disassemble his metal arm, making sure not to misplace any piece.

As he tucked away his precious metal pieces, Kidd's eyes moved to the ocean. That ominous green glow had faded as soon as Breed fell unconscious, meaning it really was a devil fruit ability that was controlling the animals. Kidd was pleased that the creatures were free and no longer under the control of a piece of crap like Breed.

Anyone who abused animals was lower than dirt and deserved death. He couldn't wait to wring Breed dry and make him suffer for the pain he caused. It would be a shame to allow him an easy demise.

"Uh…Captain?" Heat called, raising a hand to get his attention, "I think you should see this."

Curious, Kidd finished meticulously tucking away his metal scraps before approaching his crew. They were crouched around the small boat and had dumped out most of the man's meager belongings on the deck. He raised an eyebrow at the distinct lack of treasure and odd instruments that looked like they belonged in a science lab. Wire tapped him on the shoulder and pointed towards what looked like a carrier.

With a frown, Kidd knelt down to peer inside and was met with the terrified gaze of a cat.

"…what the hell?"

There was a lump of fur on the floor of the carrier, indicating possibly another cat, but it wasn't moving. With shadows obscuring their view into the cage, it was difficult to tell how many others were in there. The one cat that was awake had a pretty bad scratch over its eye that had bled all over its face.

It hissed at him and attempted to melt into the back of the carrier.

"More of his 'pets', I guess?" Killer said as he approached, putting his weapons away, "Looks like he was pretty rough of these little ones."

"Yeah…" Kidd muttered, frown deepening, "You guys keep digging and see what else you can find. Get rid of the boat when you're done. Oh, and one of you throw him into the brig."

"What're you gonna do?"

He stood to his feet and grabbed the handle of the carrier.

"See what damage that bastard caused. Killer, Heat. You're with me."

His men followed him into the heart of their ship. As they had no proper doctor or infirmary on the Victoria Punk, Kidd led them to the galley and placed the carrier on one of the three tables located there. It was no sterile clinic, but it would at least give them space to work.

"I'll go get some towels." Heat said before jogging off towards one of their supply rooms.

"Thanks." Kidd answered while casually breaking the lock that held the carrier's door closed. He half expected the cat to rush out and try to run as soon as an escape route was available, but it didn't move from the back of the carrier. Now in better light, he could see the lump of gray fur was indeed another cat.

And it looked bad.

Not wanting to get bitten or get blood on his hand, Kidd pulled a thick, black glove out of his pocket. He usually wore them while tinkering with sharp metal, so he figured they would be sufficient against a cat's teeth and claws. His metal arm obviously didn't need any protection. Reaching inside the carrier, he gently pulled the gray cat out and laid them on the table. Despite the myriad of injuries, the cat (a Bengal, he identified), had a very beautiful coat covered in dark spots.

"Oi, Kidd! There's another one in here!"

He looked up in surprise when Killer tenderly grabbed a dark shadow and held it up for him to see. It was yet another cat, this one a kitten. Kidd's eyes widened in shock at the number of scars the dark-furred kitten had. Even Killer seemed surprised and gently ran a finger over them after placing the cat next to the Bengal. Both were unnervingly still though appeared to be breathing. The kitten was much smaller than its friend and he quickly noticed that one of its hind legs was bent in an unnatural way. Probably broken.

"I found some basic medicine, bandages and stuff." Heat said, a bit out of breath, as he rushed up to the table with arms full of towels and supplies. "What should I do?"

"See if you can splint the black one's leg." Kidd ordered before turning his attention to the last remaining cat, "I'm going to try and get the last one."

As expected, the hairless cat attacked him as soon as he was in range, but the glove did its job and it couldn't damage his metal arm no matter how hard it tried. Holding it by the nape and around its waist, Kidd carried the cat out and placed it on the table. He was forced to hold it down when it tried to run. A glance to his men revealed that Heat had managed to create a makeshift splint for the black kitten and Killer was trying to clean some blood off the gray one.

He raised an eyebrow when his first mate took a glance between the cat's legs.

"…this one's a male."

"So's this one." Heat put in before taking a damp cloth to the kitten's bloody fur, "Looks like that bastard didn't hold back on these three."

Kidd nodded and began to clean blood off the hairless cat's face. It was difficult considering how much the cat fought, but he did his best. The cat howled when he rolled him so he could check its gender.

"They're all male, huh?" He muttered to himself before allowing the cat to roll back onto his stomach, "Is it just me or does this one not seem as injured?" Killer looked up from his work and hummed in thought.

"I think you may be right. Maybe he didn't fight as much?"

Before Kidd could reply, Wire entered the galley with what looked to be one of Breed's bags in hand. He took a moment to examine the cats with curiosity before placing the bag next to the carrier.

"How are they?"

"Not great, but alive." Kidd answered, passing the hairless cat over to Killer so he could give Wire his full attention, "So? Find anything good?"

"Not exactly…but we did find something odd."

"Besides cats?"

"Yes…even stranger." Wire replied while opening the bag. He reached inside and pulled out two items that made Kidd's eyes widen in shock. Hats that made his stomach drop.

A straw hat and an annoyingly familiar spotted one.

"Those look like…" Killer managed while Kidd just stood there in silence. It wasn't possible. They'd just seen Straw Hat and Trafalgar on that broadcast and they'd been wearing their iconic headwear!

"They have to be fake." He growled, reaching forward to grab the spotted hat, "There's no way that bastard Breed got his hands on them." He tossed the spotted hat back into the bag and reached for the straw one.

Against his will, he found himself being gentle with it. It just felt so…delicate and was already a bit tattered with three noticeable lines across the top. An obvious sign of repair. Though he was certain it couldn't be real, he still found himself unable to resist the desire to treat it with respect.

"Could Breed have stolen them?"

"Unlikely." Killer answered, addressing Wire who looked unconvinced, "Trafalgar and 'Straw Hat' Luffy are not weak by any means. Though I suppose if he somehow did manage it, we might be setting ourselves up for a confrontation."

"Just put them away for now." Kidd ordered, closing the bag over the two hats, "Even if they do come, we'll just crush them." Killer chuckled at his confidence while Wire nodded in understanding.

"We also found this." Wire added, holding up what was obviously an Eternal Pose. Kidd took the small item from him and held it up to the light. It seemed to lead to an island called 'Refuge'. "Could it be where Breed was heading?"

"Probably." Kidd answered while handing the item back to him, "Go ahead and change our course. These cats need to see a vet."

"Are you sure?" Killer said while still holding the squirming hairless cat down, "We don't know anything about this place." Kidd just chuckled.

"I was just getting bored and could use a change of pace! Besides, I don't think we're qualified to treat these little guys." He glanced down at the three cats, cursing Breed for what felt like the millionth time. What kind of person hurt animals? Hopefully the sea creatures they'd repelled earlier hadn't been injured too badly. He'd ordered his crew to go easy on them. "Get the deck cleaned up and let's get these three to my quarters."

Killer raised an eyebrow.

"…your room?"

"Well, yeah. Where else are they gonna go?"

"You just want to win them over."

"Of course I do!" Kidd shot back while crossing his arms and looking away from his first mate, "You know I've always wanted some mousers."

"…you mean a pet to cuddle with-"

"Shut up and just do it!"

Law woke up slowly, like he was wandering through a fog. Blinking the blurriness away, he instinctively yawned and stretched, only to wince in pain. Cursing, he relaxed his muscles and found himself reaching back towards his hind legs with tongue ready to lap at his wounds. That is, until he stopped himself.

'No! I'm not a cat, I'm human!'

Through sheer willpower alone, he got his tongue back into his mouth and batted at his head with a paw in an attempt to re-orient himself. His feline instincts seemed to hold more power over him when he was in a weakened state.

Finally back in control of himself, Law observed the unfamiliar space he found himself in with sharp eyes.

He located Luffy quickly. The hyperactive Captain was also still a cat and was curled up on the same blanket as he was, still unconscious. Law tilted his head as he examined the rudimentary splint someone had placed on Luffy's back leg. Perhaps they had been rescued by the Straw Hat crew after all!

Unfortunately, he found his hopes dashed when he looked around the room a little more. There was nothing in it that looked familiar or like it belonged on the Thousand Sunny. Unlike the warm, welcoming, and often playful atmosphere of the Straw Hat's ship, this place looked like it belonged to a moody teenager. Black and maroon colors dominated the space along with feathers, spikes, and quite a few decorations made to look like skulls.

Sniffing the air, Law crinkled his nose in distaste. The smell of leather and iron was strong wherever they were.

Where had they ended up?

Just as he readied himself to stand up, the door opened. Ears flat against his head, Law turned to examine whoever had rescued them and immediately felt his stomach drop.

"Oh hey, look who's finally awake."

'You have got to be kidding.' Law thought, mouth curling up into a warning growl as Eustass 'Captain' Kidd approached their makeshift bed. Of all the people who could've come across them…why did it have to be him.

They hadn't seen each other since the incident at Sabaody Archipelago, but he'd kept up with his career over the past two years as a precaution. His bounty had grown as had his reputation for being a ruthless troublemaker. Apparently he'd also lost his arm somehow, given the metal monstrosity attached to his left shoulder joint. Law couldn't help but wonder how that happened.

"Aren't you a pretty one…" Eustass muttered while leaning down, looming over him. Law hissed at him and scratched at his hand when it came towards his head. He did not like being cooed at like a child or called 'pretty'.

Especially when those words came from a rival captain of the same generation.

"Feisty, aren't ya?" Eustass said with a chuckle before turning his attention to the still unconscious Luffy. Law eyed the pirate cautiously as he poked at the kitten's splint and ran a finger down his spine, petting his fur gently. "Wonder when your friend will wake up? Hopefully soon. And where's the hairless one?"

Law had been wondering that himself and looked around the room for Caesar. It didn't take him, and Kidd, long to locate the hairless cat. He'd hidden himself underneath the pirate's elaborate bed, forcing Kidd to get down on the floor to get a good look at him.

Inwardly, Law hoped the pirate would roughly wrestle Caesar out from under the bed, but surprisingly, he left him alone and stood up without doing anything about it.

"Suit yourself." Kidd said after stretching out his back, "You guys are probably scared so do whatever the hell you want. Now…let's take a look at these things Killer found in that damn carrier."

Law frowned when Kidd activated his power and pulled two metal tags out from his pocket and levitated them just above his palm. Eyes widening in recognition, he instinctively brought a paw up to his neck. The collar, and tag, was gone. He hadn't even thought to check given how disoriented he felt. Had Eustass actually beaten Breed?

He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Corpse and…Bound? What kind of crap names are those?" Law watched curiously as Kidd crushed the tags like paper in his hand and willed them to fly into what looked like a small stockpile of metal on a nearby shelf. He supposed it made sense to have metal always accessible, given his ability. "I bet I can come up with something better."

Law bristled at the thought and decided to focus on Luffy for a moment to distract himself. Grimacing and shaky from pain, he managed to get on all four paws and limp over to the small, black kitten. Luffy's breathing was a bit shallow, which worried him. Breed had greatly enjoyed torturing the teen and now he was gravely wounded…probably sick too.

If only he was human, he could treat him properly.

Law sent Kidd a glare when he caught the pirate staring at them, expression curious. Cats or not, he wouldn't let the bastard take advantage of their position. That being said, it was also probably a good idea to keep their identity a secret.

There was no telling what Eustass Kidd would do if he discovered exactly who he'd unknowingly rescued.

Later that evening, after managing to successfully avoid being touched or pet by Kidd, the pirate captain finally went to sleep. He'd been shockingly patient considering how Law remembered him, never forcing his hand. Paws tucked tightly to his body, Law watched the man intently, taking mental notes of anything that could be useful in the future.

'A stomach sleeper, I see…' Law mused, rolling his eyes when the man almost choked on his own snore and snuffled deeper into his ugly, leopard print pillow. Another (unfortunate) thing he'd discovered was that Kidd apparently liked to sleep in the nude. He would probably never get that image out of his head and would be scarred for life.

Surprisingly, Kidd seemed to value hygiene and skin care more than he'd expected. He spent an impressive amount of time standing at his vanity meticulously removing his make-up, washing his face, and applying a number of oils.

With a quiet huff, Law blinked his eyes, still not used to how visible everything was despite the darkness. He supposed being a cat had its advantages.

"Oi, Caesar." He whispered, careful not to make too much noise, "Get up here!"

"Don't order me around!" The scientist replied, making Law growl. This seemed to convince Caesar that it was a good idea to join him and he clumsily managed to crawl out from underneath the bed. While the scientist attempted to find the best angle to jump up on the dresser their 'bed' was placed on, a quiet whine caught Law's attention.

He whirled around and found himself gazing into Luffy's dark eyes, now barely open.

"Torao…?" The teen managed, voice quiet and scratchy. Law found himself sighing in relief at finally hearing his ally speak. It felt like ages had passed since he'd been conscious.

"How do you feel, Straw Hat-ya?" He asked, placing a paw gently on the kitten's side when he tried to stand up. The pressure seemed to annoy the other Captain for a moment but he gave into exhaustion and plopped back down on the blanket.

"Like someone hit me with something." Luffy answered, wincing as he stretched his paws out, "It's kinda hard to breathe too…" The teen looked around the dark room and his eyes eventually landed on Kidd's sleeping form.

"Ne…who's that?"

"You don't recognize him?"

Luffy frowned and focused in on Kidd, eventually catching sight of his red hair underneath the comforter. His eyes widened.

"Hey, it's Jaggy! Shishishi, I didn't recognize him with his hair all flat."

Law chuckled at that. After observing their rival Captain's nighttime routine, he now had a pretty good idea of just how much gel Kidd used to get his signature look. It was a lot. His smile fell when Caesar finally managed to get his hairless butt up onto the dresser after multiple attempts.

"You have a plan right!? We've got to get out of here!" The scientist hissed, sending fearful glances at Kidd. "I-If he finds out who we are-"

"I'm working on it." Law interrupted, sending Caesar an annoyed snarl, "For now, we'll need to lay low and not make him, or his crew, suspicious. Killer-ya in particular is very astute. They'll have to land eventually…we'll make our move then."

"Why not steal a boat?"

Law rolled his eyes.

"Caesar…are you seriously suggesting we row with these bodies?"

Luffy giggled at the scientist's sputtering before stopping to cough. Law didn't like how wet it sounded. They all, but especially Straw Hat, needed medical attention. Unfortunately, he knew for a fact that Kidd was an idiot who didn't have a doctor on board his vessel. They'd have to pray that either one of his crew had some hidden skills or that Kidd was smart enough to take them to someone who could help.

Seeing as the door was closed and they were all sore, Law settled down on his side next to Luffy. Some proper sleep would do them some good. After forcing Caesar off the blanket, telling him to find somewhere else to sleep, he laid his head down on his front paws. Though an odd position in his human mind, his feline body seemed to think it was quite comfortable.

"Ne, Torao?"

"Hmmm?" He replied, eyes already flickering closed.

"Are you okay? You look like you're in pain."

Law huffed and turned his head so he could look at his ally. Luffy looked exhausted but had a serious expression on his face. He was always so observant.

"I'll be fine. Sleep. Who knows what kind of crap-show we'll wake up to."

"Shishishi…it'll work out. I like Jaggy. He has a good dream."

With that, Luffy readjusted himself and curled into a ball, paw over his face and hind legs practically turned up towards the ceiling. Law huffed in amusement at the odd position and went silent when his ally began to snore quietly. Re-settling on his paws, he thought about what Luffy said.

'A good dream…huh?' Law mused, thinking back to Sabaody when Kidd declared he would find the One Piece as well as his respect for Luffy who'd had the guts to shout out his goal to the world. They were rivals in every sense of the word, but Luffy seemed to see both him and Kidd differently.

As friends, despite their positions.

As the mature, realistic one in their alliance, Law supposed it was his job to compensate for Luffy's innocence and protect both of them from threats. Even if Luffy 'liked' Kidd, they were still enemies. Rivals for the title of Pirate King. They would need to step lightly and escape before things got out of hand.

…before Kidd decided to name them.