Chapter 1- Kyrie Eleison

It hurts!

It hurt so much!

Luffy grasped at his throat where everything felt very wrong. Blood seeped into his mouth from out of his throat and past his lips, dripping onto the floor as he writhed. And worst of all, he just couldn't get enough air!

He tried his best to try to breathe, taking gasping breaths, but it just wasn't enough. He felt like he had a lump of hot coal lodged in his neck that wouldn't move and burned like fire!

Laughter cackled above him as the nobleman who had just kicked him hard in his throat, kicked him again, this time in his back. More tears fell down Luffy's face at the pain and he curled up on himself, making his already short stature even smaller. He couldn't even find enough air to cry out.

"That will teach you to talk back to me you little worm. I will take a lot of pleasure in teaching you manners."

The noble, Lord Reginald turned to the guards. "Throw him into the hold with the others and let him suffer. Make sure he's the first to get branded. I already have ideas for my new slave."

Luffy's eyes widened at the words and he tried to struggle against his captors, but he learned it winded him quickly and it was all he could do to keep the air coming into his lungs.

But he just couldn't let them brand him! They could call him a "slave" all they wanted, but it wasn't real until they branded him. He had to find some way out of here!

For the hundredth time that day, Luffy wished his big brothers were here. They would know what to do. They always knew what to do.

But then again, if they were here, they'd be stuck just like him and probably get hurt trying to protect him. Luffy didn't want that!

Oh, why couldn't he be stronger? He had been training really hard, but these guys had taken him by surprise and they were just so much bigger! Plus he was used to working as a team with his brothers, not fighting alone.

The guards carried him to another deeper level of the ship that had a hall with several doors, each with a small window with iron bars across it. One of the guards opened one to the left. The dim light from the nearby lanterns barely lit up the dark and shadowy corners of this deck. The splash of the waves against the hull was even more apparent here as the ship continued on its course. It was a sound Luffy would have loved if this had been a normal adventure, and he was not completely alone and in pain, barely able to get any air into his lungs!

His thoughts were interrupted as the guards unlocked one of the cells. Luffy could barely make out the inside but he glimpsed movement from within just before they threw him inside.

Luffy instinctively yelled out in pain, though that turned out to be a horrible mistake as pain flared from his throat and he found it even harder to inhale! Landing hard on the straw-strewn ground, his injuries, and especially his throat, burned in agony.

A hand came to his shoulder and Luffy jumped, only to see that it belonged to a young woman. She was pretty. Perhaps even prettier than Makino! (though he would never tell that to Makino herself!) In the dim light, he could see lush dark brown ringlets that fell down her back, and large emerald green eyes that were looking at him with horror and concern. Her touch was soft and kind as she went to his side instantly, at least as far as the chain on her ankle would allow. Carefully she pulled him to her lap, but her eyes were on the receding guards, just as they were moving to slam the cell door shut. The green orbs flashed with blazing hatred and furious contempt.

"Cowards!…think they are showing strength by injuring women and children for their own pleasure! You are nothing but craven pigs!" she spat out in anger.

The guard who had been about the lock the door growled before marching forward and slapping the lady hard across the face, "Shut up, slave! You better behave if ya know what's good for ya!"

The woman fell to the side hard, but when she looked back up at the man, there was no fear. Instead, she snarled back, her gleaming white teeth gnashing in anger, even as she kept Luffy stable in her lap the entire time.

"I am no slave. And you shall be damned for what you do. Make no mistake about that."

The guards only jeered in response. "Soon enough we'll put a mark on your pretty back that says otherwise, girly. Then we'll see what kind of mouth you've got on ya, if ya catch my meaning."

The man seemed to give the woman a look that held a hidden meaning that Luffy didn't quite understand, though he knew he didn't like it, whatever it was.

He'd seen that look before…

He remembered when he, Sabo, and Ace were scrounging around in Gray Terminal, he had found some really tasty food that a weird man was cooking. He had asked politely for some (since Sabo said that it was better to ask rather than simply take, even if they basically took food from each other all the time) and the man said that he would trade him for it.

At the time, the man had had the same look in his eyes as the guard, and Luffy had felt disgusting and chilled on the inside. He knew immediately that the man was bad, even if he wasn't quite sure how.

Sabo and Ace seemed to understand it though.

He didn't think that until that moment, he had ever seen Ace so angry. It was like a raging volcano was hidden beneath his skin, just barely being kept from erupting.

Sabo was the opposite, his eyes were like two chips of blue ice. He had gone completely silent, his posture was that of a deadly predator about to strike, and the entire atmosphere around him had dropped to subarctic temperatures.

His brothers had told him to go home and to stop for nothing, their tone was quiet, but held no room for argument. Luffy had left and gone back to the treehouse, for once not being distracted by anything.

His brothers had come back late after it had gotten dark and he had drifted off to sleep. They had settled down to sleep and while neither said anything about what happened, Sabo simply told him that if he ever met anyone with that look in their eyes, to run away as fast as he could, or to get one of them.

As they tried to settle down to sleep, no one–not even Luffy–brought up the fact that the smell of blood permeated the air.

The woman seemed to have a similar response to the look as his brothers had and growled loudly at the men before spitting at their faces.

They only seemed to laugh harder before slamming the prison door shut.

The two of them were left alone in the gloomy cell, Luffy continued to struggle to get air into his lungs. Somehow it felt like his throat had a huge lump in it and every time he attempted to breathe, it was like he had swallowed a bunch of jagged glass!

The brunette woman turned her attention to him and her eyes became soft and concerned. "What happened to you, little one?"

Luffy couldn't tell her even if he wanted to, but it didn't seem like the nice lady needed his response. She spread her skirts wide along the floor and pulled Luffy closer to lay upon them. Luffy had just turned 13 not long ago, but he was still pretty short for his age (something Ace continued to tease him about, the stupid meanie!), so he was able to lay almost completely across her lap. The nice lady looked over many of his injuries with a concerned and analytic eye, taking stock of the cuts, bruises, and even slight burns before glancing up at the most egregious of all the wounds at his throat.

She looked up and smiled at him reassuringly, "I'm going to examine your throat okay? It'll hurt a bit, but only for a second. Don't talk or nod, but just blink once if you understand?"

He did as she asked only to then winced horribly as she felt lightly around his neck.

Swearing under her breath, the brunette grimaced for a moment before her gentle smile returned. "Okay sit tight, kid. Take small, shallow breaths from your nose. Try your best not to swallow or move your throat at all. And whatever you do, don't talk!"

She placed him gently on the ground before going over and gathering the straw in the cell into a large enough pile. She guessed the hay was supposed to serve as a sorry substitute for bedding for captives. It smelled mildewy and horrible, but it would serve its purpose of keeping the kid comfortable and stable for a while.

Luffy felt himself being picked up before being placed back down on a bed of hay. The lady had even made the pile next to him high enough that it shielded him a bit from anyone looking through the cell bars. He looked over at the green-eyed nice lady who was being so nice to him, and he was so glad that he wasn't stuck here in this dumb, dark place all alone. It was a comfort that even though the woman was as trapped as he was, she was doing her best to help him! The way she continued to help and look after him reminded him a lot of Makino from back home.

The straw kept sticking into his back and he would have tried to get comfortable if it wasn't for every movement hurting so much! But again, his new friend came to help and pushed his body over carefully, and helped him to settle. She leaned his head back and angled his neck a bit propping it up with even more straw. Happily, Luffy found that this allowed him to breathe just a tiny bit better, even though it still felt like he could never quite get enough air into his lungs.

The woman finally took a seat by his side and looked at her charge. "I hope that makes you feel at least a little better. If I had my medicine bag I could do more."

She looked away, a sad look on her face. Oh no, Luffy didn't want the woman to think he was unappreciative! His first instinct was to tell her so, but the pain flared up quickly, putting a stop to that.

She quickly settled him back down, her face once again showing concern. "No, no, no! What did I say? No talking! Your trachea is cracked into several pieces and your larynx too. You have to concentrate on breathing, you understand?"

He tried to do what she said, though because he couldn't nod or talk, he moved to take her hand in acknowledgment.

The nice lady gripped his hand and gave a comforting smile. "I know it will be hard, but you won't be able to talk for a while. The last thing we need is for your windpipe to completely collapse. It's hanging on by a thread as it is."

She looked at his arm and casually touched the light gray metal that formed a cuff around his wrist. A matching one was on his ankle. She glanced up at him, "So you're a devil fruit user?"

He squeezed her hand again, confirming her words. He hated the fact that whatever those stupid guys had done had taken away his rubber powers. His body felt wrong—so tired!—since he'd woken up with those stupid cuffs on.

She sighed, before caressing his arm in comfort, "I know this has to be extra draining for you, kid. If only…"

The look on the pretty lady's face seem to get so sad again all of a sudden and Luffy decided that he didn't like it. He might be having trouble breathing, everything hurt a lot, and they were stuck in a cage, but he wasn't going to give in, and the nice lady couldn't either.

He squeezed her hand, and when she looked up at him, he tried his best to give her a reassuring smile.

It seemed to do the trick and she smiled softly in return, her fingers carding gently through his hair. "Ya know, it's annoying that I don't even know your name. And no, you can't tell me. No talking."

Luffy stopped himself from shouting it out just in time, the sharp sting a severe warning. Man, not talking was hard!

The woman's red lips perked up at the idea though, "Oh! You know what? I didn't get to tell you my name!"

She smiled down at him, her green eyes glistening, "My name's Marguerite. I know I don't know your name, but perhaps later when you're better? Trust me, kid. My family's going to come for me. And when they do, we'll get you all healed up, okay?"

Luffy was happy that Mar-Marguo-li? Margo! Margo had family that would be looking for her. He knew his brothers would be coming for him. He had to believe that.

Even with how wide the oceans were and the distance that was sure to be growing between them….or the fact that he didn't even know if they were all right…

He hoped they were okay, they had to be! When they had grabbed him from the island, he hadn't seen them during all the chaos. He was sure they would come after him. He just had to be brave and hold out till then. Maybe even his—

A sudden coughing fit hit his throat, it felt like knives were trying to cut their way through!

And then the air stopped.

He panicked as he struggled to breathe, gasping out desperately, but—nothing. Pressure built up in his chest and his hands scratched and scrambled at his throat.

Nothing worked.

He couldn't breathe!

There was NO AIR!

Luffy began to jerk and convulse and Marguerite immediately came rushing to his side. She leaned his head back, her eyes serious with barely hidden dismay. It was annoying that s he somehow was able to act calm even though it felt like his entire torso was on fire.

"Okay, okay hon, I need you to listen to me even though I know it's hard. Ya got that?"

The boy couldn't even answer her back. It was worse than that time that he had dared Ace to a hold-your-breath contest. His vision was getting hazy and Margo sounded further and further away. His heartbeat was so loud. It was like he was trying to hear her through rushing water.

"I'm going to try something, little one. Just stay with me a little longer, okay? Please, kid, stay with me…"

Her fading voice was the last thing that Luffy heard before losing consciousness…

Larkspur Island, New World

The small island was a pleasant retreat, it was a mild summer island that was popular with many for the lush larkspur fields that were spread throughout the land. A few small villages had prospered here and some came here for a restful respite. This time of year, it was usually covered in beautiful waves of violet, royal blue, white, pink, and periwinkle…

Instead of the desolate black and ashen gray that was now widespread across the land. The remnants of a widespread fire that was only just now, getting put back under control. What buildings were left standing were smoldering. The festival booths that had lined the streets were overturned and trampled. The pier was a wreck, and several boats were scuttled, on fire, or damaged.

Marco, 1st Commander and vice-captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, surveyed the damage from on high, his phoenix quietly stewing as he cataloged the damage. Moving over to a nearby cliff face, he swooped down, transforming back into human form just as he landed.

His usual stoic expression held traces of concern as he watched members of the crew continue to do search and rescue. The villages on Larkspur weren't completely destroyed, but much of the infrastructure had been damaged. And many of the people had been hurt, killed, or trapped by rubble. He frowned as he looked at a placard that had held their emblem burned to ash.

Larkspur had been a Whitebeard territory for the last 2 years now, the people were friendly with the pirates and were happy and prosperous under their protection. In return, they had used the land as part of their supply chain, as well as a place they could come to and rest when needed. There had never been any big problems considering it had been such a small out-of-the-way island.

At least until now…

Why the heck would anyone raidLarkspur island? And especially why would they do so, knowing that it was under their protection?

Marco had a pretty good idea that it wasn't any of the other emperors making a move. Kaido and Big Mom wouldn't bother with such a small location and it wasn't really either of their styles. If they wanted to come and challenge Pops, they would do so directly, knowing that's how it would end up in the end anyway. Shanks wouldn't do this either, the whole raiding an innocent village of civilians thing, was basically anathema to his entire being. He might be the newest of the four emperors trying to make his mark, but he believed he knew the redhead well enough to know that he wouldn't resort to this.

No, it wasn't any of the other emperors, which left the other option that is either some idiot foolhardy rookie group of pirates who thought they could do whatever they wanted now that they had made it to the new world. Or perhaps they thought this was the best way to challenge an emperor, wanting to make a big splash in doing so by challenging the most renowned of them all?

If it was for any of those reasons, they would soon learn exactly why the Whitebeards had kept their power, prestige, and prestige for as long as they have, and that they had made a huge mistake.

The last option was simply the unknown factor. Some other party that wasn't an imperial presence nor ill-advised rookies, but instead something other.

And that was the option that concerned the Phoenix the most.

Either of the first options would be easy to track. Unknowns introduced a whole new set of problems.

Marco watched one of his brothers walk up to him from below, his usually jovial features were marred with both disconcertment and outrage. He knew the fact so many innocents, some having been women and children, had been killed, or worse—had gone missing—had hit his younger sibling harder than with the rest of them.

Thatch stepped up near him, his white outfit smeared with dark streaks from having worked through the blackened, ash-filled remains. His hair had begun coming apart from its usually perfectly coifed appearance, but he didn't seem to notice all that much. He was currently way too pissed off at the moment to care.

"We've gathered the dead to be buried in the northeast clearing. The injured have been put inside the town hall, we've got nearly the entire medical squad helping out."

Marco quietly nodded. He'd probably make his way over there to help once he had gotten a full picture of the situation at hand. "How many missing, Thatch?"

The commander answered through clenched teeth, "It's hard to tell since the island had so many visitors thanks to the annual flower festival, also taking into account people we simply haven't found bodies for yet. We can tell at least 15, maybe more, men, women, and children from the village are legit missing. So, the number is actually probably higher."

The blond was afraid of that. "So, we're looking at either an extremely rogue rookie pirate crew that's trying their hardest to catch our attention, or…"

"...Or we're looking at a group of ballsy bastard slavers." Thatch finished for him. "You know how I am about kids Marco. I have 3 siblings back at home in the North Blue, and the fact that at least 4 of the dead and 5 of the injured are around their ages is pissing me off. These people were supposed to feel safe, Marco."

The blond nodded solemnly, his eyes turning understandingly towards his younger sibling. "I know, Thatch. We sadly can't be everywhere at once, but indeed these people did look to us and we did fail them in this."

The other man tightened his hold on the hilt of the sword at his side. "Pops is pissed. He's already got Haruta and his entire division scrounging for clues on who is responsible and how to find them."

Marco didn't doubt it. Pops hated slavers with a passion and the fact that one had decided to attack a land that had obviously been under his flag? It was basically a declaration of war.

Speaking of Haruta, their youngest sibling was running up the cliffside, an alarmed look on his face. Marco could only inwardly sigh. What had happened now?

The two turned to the kid, letting him get his bearings and catch his breath once he had joined them. After a few moments, he looked up at Marco, a steely glint in his eyes. "We've got a big problem, Marco."

The blond narrowed his eyes, "Another one?"

"The ship records and the medical division have both confirmed that this is the home island of Marguerite, one of the medical assistants."

Both Marco and Thatch frowned, knowing this particular sister rather well. She was one of the most well-liked of the nurses, though she was a bit of a spitfire, she knew her stuff and had a great bedside manner. Marco had hoped that she was heading up working with the injured kids, helping to keep them calm, but if this was her home, she had probably had other things on her mind.

"Is she having trouble looking for her family?" Thatch asked in concern.

Haruta shook his head, "That's the thing. According to records, Marguerite left the Moby a week ago for leave time at home—here at Larkspur."

The first division commander felt a cold chill make its way up his spine.

No.

Thatch had gone white, he had worked with the lady often as they bonded over their families left at home and their similar enjoyment of food. He often helped the dark-haired woman when she had younger patients that needed calming. The idea that she–that his sister was…

"That can't be right. She wasn't among the dead when I checked! I would have noticed!"

Haruta shook his head vigorously putting a full stop to that kind of thinking. "No, she's not dead as near as we can figure. We were able to find her family, they said that she had hidden them all away under the house while the raid happened. When they were finally able to make it out again, Marguerite was gone. They can't find her anywhere and neither can we."

The Phoenix felt his inner raptor cry out in enraged indignation. One of her nestlings had been taken from her and she wasn't going to stand for it. Marco felt his eyes begin to glow blue and wisps of flames arc along his limbs.

He pulled his other half back under control.

Easy, easy. We'll get her back. I swear.

Many of his siblings complained about the commander being a "mother hen", and while he himself would deny it, he did know that the predator inside of him had long ago adopted all of his siblings as her own hatchlings, to watch over and take care of. It often ended up with the two of them sometimes at odds with how much care was too much.

However, now, the two were very much on the same page. He looked over at Thatch whose eyes also held a new deadly layer within them.

He spoke quietly, just to confirm. "So, they took her?"

Haruta had been watching the reactions of his fellow commanders and responded gravely. "She's not on the island, and she wouldn't have left her family. So everything points to that being the most likely case."

The blond nodded closing his eyes for a moment, making sure he was fully back under control before turning back to his brothers. "Thatch gather the commanders back to the Moby unless they are involved in a life-or-death rescue operation, tell them we have an A-1 emergency. Haruta, get your men to make a complete list of all the people that are missing as well as a full, comprehensive list of the poor wretches who were responsible for this and their vessels. And hurry, time is of the essence."

The kid nodded, saluting before running off. Thatch moved to do as he was tasked as well before stopping and turning back. "And you, Marco?"

The mythical-zoan fruit user allowed his predator to take over, his arms transforming into fiery wings. His voice clashed like steel. "I'll go tell Pops."

Thatch winced as he watched his elder brother and leader flying off, not envying the man having to deliver the bad news.

People often made the mistake of thinking that Pops' old-fashioned ideals meant that he didn't care about any of the women–his daughters–who were under his command. However, anyone who ever messed with one of his sisters soon realized that it was actually quite the opposite.

To Whitebeard, he held each and every one of his children as his treasures, but while the man showed off his sons, the old man had the strongest soft spot for his daughters. Practically every Whitebeard daughter was a "daddy's girl", and woe be it to anyone who even thought to hurt any of them.

One had not seen the emperor truly pissed off until they had seen him rage over the mistreatment of one of his little girls. Not only did every one of his sisters have hundred-plus brothers who would defend her, but the strongest man in the world would move heaven and earth for any one of them.

Those slavers had better pray to whatever god they believed in that he strike them down now before the Whitebeard pirates had a chance to catch up with them.

They would have chased the men down regardless, but now they had just made it personal.

Twenty miles off the coast of Larkspur Island, New World

A small boat that had stolen from the devastated pier back on Larkspur, was making its way across the waves at a pretty good speed, though the cloudy sky and the increasing winds did suggest a squall was on its way.

On the bridge, at the helm, two young men stood. One was steering the ship while the other stood at a nearby table gazing at a map, navigating equipment spread across it.

The two teenage boys held a very interesting dichotomy, both very similar in baring and in self-assurance, their stance spoke of a very close familiarity, a camaraderie that was as second nature as breathing. And yet at the same time, the two seemed to be complete opposites. One was rough and rugged, his corners still holding their dangerous edge. The other was clean-cut and polished, his movements as practiced as the deceptive grin that lit upon his face. One blond, the other with wavy black locks, one light, one dark, and while both wore black, their manner of dress was also at odds.

The blond was dressed in black slacks and knee-high black leather boots, his white shirt was loose around his sleeves, his collar also slightly unbuttoned, with his white cravat slightly undone around his throat. His black waistcoat was still buttoned in place, the holster on his back was empty as the silver pipe it usually held was in the corner next to his discarded blue jacket. Piercing blue eyes continued to scan the map before his black-gloved hand, picked up the tophat sitting on the table nearby. A strip of blue wrapped around the brim, the pair of silvery-black goggles attached glaring in the remaining light of the sun as he placed the hat back on his head.

The blond walked over to the other boy, whose slivery eyes were deadset on the seas ahead. Unlike him, the black-haired boy wore simple black khaki shorts with an orange, red, and black woven belt, with a simple unbuttoned black shirt. A pair of black daggers were sheathed on each side of his waist, one with a red jewel in the hilt, the other with a blue. The male's belt matched the woven band around the brim of the dark cowboy hat on his back that was held on his neck by a silver buckle, and ankle-high black boots completed the casual ensemble.

The only thing that didn't seem to belong was the worn simple straw hat that was tied to the dark-haired boy's belt.

The two appeared to be complete opposites on the outside, but if one would only look closer, at the actual parts that mattered, they carried the same look in their eyes. It was a look of fierce determination, tenacity, and desperation that would not go ignored.

The blond stood next to the other—his brother…his twin—hands casually behind his back. "We're on course for Lislewood, the next closest inhabited island."

The brunet nodded in acknowledgment though he didn't speak aloud, every muscle in his body was tense. The blond didn't expect him to respond, so he continued anyway. "This is going to take a while if we have to comb island to island, Ace."

The slightly elder of the two glanced over, his mercurial eyes flashing like steel blades, a savage bite to his voice."We do what we have to do, 'Bo."

The other was in no way bothered by his brother's aggressive tone. "Yes, Ace. But perhaps we need to be smart about this. We have no idea where those bastards went and where they took Luffy. We need help."

Ace growled in irritation even though he knew the other was right. "Ugh, we can do this ourselves! I don't want him to be distracted by….by…"

Suddenly Ace's eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he rapidly began to slump forward, his fierce grip on the wheel loosening. In a long practiced motion, Sabo caught his brother in his arms, hoisting up his body weight as he listened to the 16-year-old's soft snores.

Sighing, the blond tossed the idiot's arm over his shoulder and began to move him down to the cabin in the hold. "See, this is what you get for trying to do too much, while you're still injured, you dummy."

He looked down at the bandage along the side of Ace's abdomen, wrapping around from the front to the back, that was barely hidden under his shirt. Blood was just slightly seeping through. The injury, not having had a chance to eat today, plus the stress and desperation of having their little brother torn from them had caused his brother's narcolepsy to get the better of him. It hadn't been such a big deal in recent years since he had started taking medicine for it. But of course, situations like this would be the exception.

But Sabo understood his brother's feelings more than most.

That sense of urgency, and how every moment that Luffy was away from them, was a moment wayyy too long.

Sabo knew very well what people like those who took their little sunspot away were capable of. He also knew that it was tearing Ace apart that he hadn't been there to protect him. But Sabo couldn't let his brother's still pervading feelings in regards to his self-worth and his stubborn pride, impede them from rescuing their brother.

After he had dropped Ace in the one bed in the cabin, he had returned to the deck before fishing out from the messenger bag on the table, a box holding two transponder snails. One was a standard one, but the other one was a rare white snail.

As blond connected one to the other, gathering the memorized numbers from out of the recesses of his mind, he spoke vindictively to himself as well as to his absent brother.

"Don't worry, big brother. We'll find the bastards, I promise. And they had better pray to their gods for mercy…"

As the snail rang softly, Sabo looked off into the dark horizon, his eyes as cold as twin pools of glacial water.

"...because they'll receive none from us."