Author's Note: Hi friends~ Hope you're all doing well :) Here's an update for ya'll just in time for the anime's return this weekend *celebrates* XD Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoy it as we get closer and closer to the end of this story. Have fun and maybe leave a review/fav/follow on your way out~
To Wishfull-star: Thank you so much for the review and for reading :) I hope you enjoy the update!
WARNINGS:
- Violence/blood
- Surgery/anesthesia
- Mentions of possible child abuse
- Emotions
Shoulder still throbbing, Luffy tensed his muscles and readied to defend his father if necessary. His eyes followed Shanks and the others as they clashed with the Shikari on the other side of the room. Marco and Benn were slowly overwhelming the mean one's lackeys while Shanks and Ace had managed to separate the leader from the group.
The man with the hat was clearly stronger than the others, though the one with dark green hair and a cold glint in his eye looked to be holding his own despite facing two lycan betas at once.
Luffy shivered when the Shikari leader chuckled darkly, even while wiping blood from his cheek.
"I knew this day would come, Dragon! You were destined to betray us thanks to that mutt of yours! I should've killed both of you when I had the chance!"
"Shut up, Akainu!" Dragon yelled back, struggling against Sabo's grip even as the lycan attempted to unlock his cuffs. "You've been saying that crap for years even though you know it was your fault! All of it!"
Luffy looked over his shoulder in surprise and then back to 'Akainu'. What was his fault?
"You knew that provoking local packs would bring their anger down on my head! Because of you, Luffy-"
"Don't you dare say another word, Dragon!"
He didn't really understand what they were arguing about, but their loud disagreement clearly drew Shanks' attention. The red-haired alpha stopped his attack for a moment and turned to stare at Dragon with a furrowed brow. Luffy's father went silent under his questioning gaze.
Scent flaring up enough to make his eyes water, Shanks roughly grabbed Akainu and drew him close with claws embedded in the collar of his shirt.
"…care to elaborate?" Shanks all but hissed, eyes glowing silver and teeth elongating. Akainu struggled against his grip but couldn't free himself. To the Alpha's right, Ace stopped his attack and simply watched the exchange, confusion clear on his face.
"Ryokugyu, come help me! What the hell are you doing!?"
The green-haired Shikari cursed under his breath but was forced to retreat a few steps thanks to some well-placed attacks by Benn. Shanks then crushed Akainu against the closest wall, raising his body up off the ground.
"I'll ask again." Shanks growled, "What exactly did you do?"
Luffy swallowed nervously as Shanks' angry scent filled the whole room. Worried the lycan would lose himself in his anger, he struggled upright.
"S-Shanks, wait-" Unfortunately, he couldn't withhold the cry of pain that escaped his lips and he instinctively held a hand over the wound on his shoulder. Between his body language and vocal response to the pain, everyone quickly caught on to what he was trying to hide.
"Luffy, are you hurt!?" Ace exclaimed, leaving Shanks to rush to his side.
"It's nothing." He managed, not resisting when Ace tugged the red hoodie off his aching body. Leaving him just a short-sleeved shirt, his injury was obvious for the room to see. Luffy bit in the inside of his cheek when he got his first proper look at the wound and couldn't help but feel a bit queasy.
There was a lot of blood coming from the hole in his shoulder.
"You shot him!?" Shanks snarled darkly at his prisoner, "You-"
"-bastard! I'll kill you!"
Luffy glanced behind him in surprise when Dragon added his voice to Shanks' while being gently placed on the ground by Sabo. The blonde wolf had finally managed to free his father from his restraints. Though obviously weak, Dragon stumbled forward until he could kneel next to Luffy.
"T-There's a first aid kit behind the podium."
"I'll get it!" Sabo said while agilely leaping over the seats and approaching the judge's desk. Said judge simply cowered in a corner as his things were riffled through.
Luffy barely withheld a whimper as Ace ripped off a piece of his shirt and tied it around the wound.
"The bullet's still in there…Marco, what should we do!?"
"Perform basic first aid and then take him outside, yoi." The blonde beta called, still engaged in combat with the remaining Shikari soldiers, "I'll need to remove it as soon as possible, preferably back at the pack house."
"What, no!" Luffy protested even as Sabo arrived and began to bring out other items from the first aid kit, "I-I want to stay!"
"Luffy, I agree with them." Dragon put in with a serious expression, "It's dangerous to leave silver in your body for too long."
He continued to protest, but then another shadow loomed over him and he met the sorrowful gaze of his Gramps. Luffy didn't think he'd ever seen the powerful man look quite so…distraught.
"…listen to your father, Luffy."
He felt his bottom lip tremble with emotion but silently nodded under Garp's piercing stare.
"Might I suggest we all retreat?" Sabo added, "I believe we have what we came for."
"Not quite."
Luffy's gaze returned to Shanks. The red-haired Alpha still held Akainu tightly and sounded very, very angry.
"I still need answers."
The room went silent at that and no one seemed to know how to respond. Luffy looked back to his Dad who was simply staring at Shanks' back with an unreadable expression. Finally, the lycan's Beta spoke up.
"Shanks, now may not be the right time." Benn said in a firm voice, "Perhaps we could-"
"Then when is the right time, Benn!?" Shanks shot back while digging his claws further into his prey's skin, causing him to grimace in pain, "I need to know!"
"If I could make a suggestion, yoi." Marco put in after successfully catching the green-haired Shikari in a head lock, "This is not the best place to have important conversations. Let's all regroup back at the pack house with our…guests." He tightened his grip on the Shikari, causing him to start to gasp for air.
"Sounds good to me." Ace added before scooping Luffy off the ground and standing to his feet. Dragon also stood up, though listed to the side for a moment, looking dizzy. Thankfully, Sabo was there to steady him. "Let's get out of here."
Ace kept a tight grip on Luffy as he carried the pup downstairs, honestly a little worried he'd try to rejoin the fight. The teen continued to look back and over his shoulder, where his father was. Sabo hadn't left the Shikari's side, which was a very good thing given his condition. The man probably would've fallen down the stairs by now if not for Sabo's steadying arm.
Ace glanced down at the wound on Luffy's shoulder. Though bandaged to the best of their ability, he could already see the tell-tale signs of silver-sickness seeping out from the bullet and into the pup's blood. The spider-web-like lines were still light but would continue to darken as the poison spread.
They needed to hurry.
"Dad!" Luffy called when the pale man slipped and almost fell. Thankfully, Sabo caught him before anything disastrous happened. Ace felt the pup's body tense up in pain at his sudden movement.
"I'm fine, Luffy. Just try to stay still, okay?" Dragon answered after catching his breath, "Movement will cause the poison to spread faster."
The man's statement seemed to help as Luffy immediately relaxed against Ace's chest, almost going completely limp.
"We're almost to the ground floor. Just hang on." Ace whispered, earning him a pained nod from Luffy. The pup's ears had long since fallen and rested against his now sweaty hair. He was almost as pale as his father…which was not good. Both of them were in bad shape.
Ace hadn't been sure what to expect when he finally laid eyes on the infamous Monkey family. Based on reputation alone, he figured they would probably be the scariest humans he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. Given the situation, however, reality fell far short of his imagination. The youngest Monkey was in his arms, pale and poisoned, while his father could barely make it down the stairs.
As for Garp…the old man had stayed behind in the remains of the court room.
"I…I cannot help them. Please…take them away from here. Don't let my son and grandson die senseless deaths!"
Though he hadn't directly helped them escape, he also hadn't assisted the other Shikari in pursuing them. Ace supposed they should be grateful for that. Monkey D. Garp was an infamous monster. He also suspected that Mihawk was subtly aiding their retreat as the number of pursuers swiftly dwindled to a suspiciously low amount.
After what felt like an eternity, they reached the main lobby on the first floor. Thankfully, the area was still under their control and they were immediately met by allies. As a precaution, Ace pulled the hood of Luffy's over-sized jacket he was currently bundled in up over his ears. Though draped over the pup's body like a blanket, it still offered good protection from any unwanted attention. The last thing they needed right now was to have to explain his 'features' to curious lycans.
"Woah, what happened!?" Thatch exclaimed as he ran up to them, eyes big as he took in Luffy's condition.
"Silver bullet." Ace replied while pushing past him, "We need a car, now!"
"On it!"
Many of the lycans watched curiously as Dragon emerged from the stairwell with Sabo at his side and Benn not far behind. The Shikari's eyes watched the crowd carefully as he was led to sit on a chair to rest until the car arrived. He appeared…uncomfortable. An appropriate response, given the situation.
"Oi, we taking prisoners now?"
Ace turned to face Kidd when he appeared. The young Alpha all but growled at Dragon, though the man didn't seem affected by his 'intimidation'.
"…sort of." Ace responded, taking a moment to shift Luffy's weight slightly, "It's…hard to explain."
"Should we restrain him?" Killer said in a quiet voice, prompting Ace to shake his head.
"No, that's not necessary. He won't resist."
"Why not?"
In lieu of replying, Ace simply motioned towards Luffy with his head, making Kidd's frown deepened even further.
"Because of the pup? Why?"
"…not here, okay? I'll explain later."
He didn't want to discuss Luffy's heritage so openly when there were many lycans around who he didn't know…or fully trust.
Before Kidd could get too curious, Shanks and Marco emerged from the stairwell with prisoners in tow. It appeared that the blonde Beta had simply decided to knock Akainu's subordinate unconscious and had him slung over his shoulder like a sack of flour. Shanks had Akainu's arms twisted painfully behind his back and forced him forward with surprising ease.
"Let go of me or you'll be sorry!" The Shikari bellowed even as many of the red-haired Alpha's officers approached to help Shanks properly restrain the furious man with coarse rope.
'I can't believe he was able to get him all the way downstairs with one arm.' Ace thought, suddenly reminded of Shanks' strength. They were lucky he'd decided on negotiation and remorse instead of trying to keep Luffy by force. There probably would've been casualties if they'd had to fight him.
"Akainu, huh?" Kidd muttered, mouth curling up into a smirk, "I hope we get a piece of him too."
Before Ace could respond, Luffy groaned in his arms and attempted to re-position, obviously uncomfortable. Kidd turned his attention to the pup and his expression softened.
"…silver?"
"Yeah." He replied, frown deepening when Luffy coughed, "Marco will heal him though…I'm sure of it."
Annoyingly persistent or not, Marco was definitely a good doctor and someone he could trust to take good care of Luffy. He'd long since proven himself.
Thankfully, it didn't take Thatch long to get the car ready and he soon had it pulled right up to the front of the building. Ace rushed forward and gently placed Luffy in the back seat. As he moved to buckle him in, the pup grabbed his arm.
"W-What about my Dad?"
A quick glance over his shoulder revealed that Sabo was way ahead of him.
"Don't worry, Sabo's helping him over here right now. Marco will fix him up too."
Seemingly pleased, Luffy released his arm and allowed Ace to fasten the seatbelt across his body. Minutes later, Sabo assisted Dragon into the seat next to Luffy and closed the door.
"I'm going to see how else I can help."
"Sounds good. I'll go with them back to Whitebeard's pack house."
Marco jogged past Sabo on his way back into the Shikari headquarters and wasted no time jumping into the driver's seat. Ace slid into the passenger seat seconds later.
"What about-"
"Shanks, Thatch, and the others are going to handle them and finish coordinating with the vampires, yoi." Marco explained, "For now, let's get back so I can get that bullet out."
Ace nodded and glanced at the back seat as they pulled away from the building. Dragon was holding Luffy's hand and whispered soothing words to him while the pup had his head on the older man's shoulder.
'He really doesn't seem like a bad guy.' Ace considered, thinking back to Shanks' description of the man. He'd painted Dragon as a villain but…was that really true?
…they'd find out soon enough.
"Luffy, I really think you should let him-"
"No! I don't want to be asleep when Shanks and the others get back!"
Ace watched father and son argue while Marco prepared his instruments on a nearby table. Luffy was adamantly against being put under for the procedure, something Dragon was clearly not a fan of. He stepped to the side as one of the blonde's nurses approached the pair and began to cut the pup's shirt off.
"What do you think?" Ace asked Marco in a hushed whisper. The doctor just huffed.
"It would be easier and safer if he let me use anesthesia, but I understand where he's coming from, yoi. He wants to be there when…you know what, happens."
"Can you give him less than normal or something?"
"Yes, but it will definitely hurt more if I do that."
Tools prepped and ready, Marco turned and approached Luffy, drawing his attention away from his father. Dragon sat on a chair nearby, still pale as the moon, and obviously worried about his son.
"Please, just take it out!" Luffy said while leaning forward slightly. He sat on the edge of a padded exam table. "I don't want to miss anything!" To his right, Dragon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"This is not a simple procedure, Luffy. Removing a bullet needs to be done with utmost precision! If you move, even a little, it could cause serious, lasting damage."
"How do you know!? You're not a doctor!"
"I've been shot before. A couple times, actually."
"Enough, yoi." Marco interrupted, quieting both of them down, "Luffy, I empathize with you, but your father is right. It's for the best that you be unconscious for this."
Ace's heart when out to the boy, especially when his ears drooped sorrowfully and his tail fell across the bed behind him. He looked up when Marco knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Listen, I've done this more than a few times. I can probably have you patched up and at least mostly awake in a couple hours. I'll even make sure no important discussions happen without you…okay?"
Under their supportive stares, Luffy finally nodded.
"…okay." The teen then turned to Dragon with a somewhat downcast expression. "Dad, you'll be here when I wake up, right?"
The dark-haired Shikari smiled softly at the pup and gently ruffled the hair around his fluffy ears.
"Of course. I'm not going anywhere."
Marco grinned at their interaction before giving out instructions to his nurses.
"All right then. Let's get him back to the operating room, yoi!"
"Thank you." Dragon said to a young, female lycan who'd just finished tending to a wound on his forehead. The lycan nodded in response before getting up to remove her gloves. It had been about thirty minutes since Whitebeard's Beta had taken Luffy for his procedure. True to his promise, Dragon made himself at home in the infirmary and took the opportunity to rest his aching body.
It was odd to be in a packhouse without any weapons and for the atmosphere to be so…peaceful.
"Here."
Dragon looked up when the young Alpha, who he'd discovered was named 'Ace', held out a steaming mug of something hot to him. Based on the smell, it was some sort of tea. He took the drink and inclined his head in thanks.
"I…appreciate you taking care of Luffy all this time." He said as the young lycan sat in a chair across from him. They'd moved from the exam area to a small lounge on the other side of the room. "…and for going along with my rash decision."
Ace eyed him for a moment before taking a drink from his own cup.
"Luffy didn't make it easy. Tried to escape every time we turned out backs."
Dragon couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"Yeah…I'm sure he caused trouble for you. He can be difficult to handle sometimes."
"He's a good kid though." Ace continued, eyes glancing to the door that stood between them and Luffy. "Hard working, sincere, loving…as I'm sure you've noticed, we're all quite fond of him."
'So I see.' Dragon mused, still in shock at how many lycans came to his rescue. Luffy had always been friendly, but to endear himself to so many packs in such a short period of time…it really was amazing. Even a certain red-haired Alpha had come. Something Dragon still couldn't wrap his head around.
Though he wasn't sure Ace would know, he decided to ask him a question.
"Do you…do you know if Shanks-"
Dragon went silent when the infirmary door opened and another one of Whitebeard's lycans entered. It was the one known as 'Thatch' and he had a plate of food in his hand.
"Yo! Brought ya something to eat. Figured you'd be hungry."
He blinked in surprise when the tray was placed in front of him. It was quite a spread with soup, bread, greens, and even a little bowel of fruit.
"Are you sure you should be giving a prisoner food like this?"
"Who said you were a prisoner?" The lycan replied with a wide grin, "As far as we're concerned, you're our guest. We went through the trouble of rescuing you, after all."
Still unsure how to respond, Dragon turned back to stare at the lavish display of (delicious looking) food. He instinctively swallowed hard as his aching stomach growled. His instincts as a Shikari told him to be careful, but these people had been nothing but good to both him and Luffy.
…a few bites couldn't hurt.
Both Ace and Thatch watched him with silent smiles as he ate. Though he only planned on sampling a few items, his appetite betrayed him. Soon, he was placing his utensils back on the now empty tray.
"I-I…thank you."
It felt like that was all he could say to these lycans. Over and over again.
"You're very welcome!" Thatch replied while picking the tray up, "If you need anything else, just holler."
"Did everyone get back okay?" Ace asked, prompting the lycan to turn from him to the young wolf.
"Yeah, not long ago. Heard about Luffy's procedure and everything, so Shanks said he was happy to wait until he woke up to confront Akainu and…" Thatch trailed off, prompting Dragon to close his eyes and take a deep breath to calm himself.
To be under the same roof as your sworn enemy was a surreal thing. Especially considering said villain helped save you from certain death. His heart was a swirl of emotions.
"Got it." Ace answered, "Does Sabo know where I am?"
"I can tell him."
"Thanks."
Soon it was just the two of them again. Dragon brought a hand up to his face, feeling a headache coming on as horrible memories came to the front of his mind. Did they actually expect him to sit down and have casual conversation with the one who was responsible for not only turning his infant son into a beast, but then hunting them down for years after?
"I know it won't be easy, but it's what Luffy wants."
Dragon looked up to meet the serious gaze of the one who'd looked after his son in his place these past few months. He owed Ace so much.
"…I'll try."
"-uffy. Luffy! Wake up!" A voice called, drawing him out of the fuzzy darkness that consumed his vision. He blinked and opened his eyes, revealing a few familiar faces. "Welcome back, yoi."
Exhaustion still clung to him even as he moved his gaze from one person to another. Ace, Sabo, and Marco (of course) were there. His lips curled up in happiness when his Dad leaned over his supine form. His skin had a bit more color to it now…he supposed the Whitebeards were doing a good job looking after him.
"…g-good morning." Luffy managed before yawning. He instinctively brought a hand up to his eyes to rub them but was stopped by Marco's quick reaction.
"Let's use a clean cloth, yoi. Sabo, do you mind?"
Sabo wasted no time wetting a cloth with warm water and gently dabbing at Luffy's face. As the lycan continued his ministrations, he brought a hand up to his shoulder that was now securely bandaged.
"Did you get it…out?"
"Yeah, it's gone." Marco answered with a fond smile, taking a moment to ruffle his hair, "You'll be back on your feet in no time, yoi." His tail wagged almost automatically at the tender affection.
A few minutes later, his Dad helped him sit up and adjusted the bed he lay on so he was more upright. The movement made him a bit dizzy but closing his eyes seemed to help. Luffy glanced at the window and noted how late it was. The sun was almost completely down. He didn't miss anything, did he?
"Don't worry, nothing's happened yet." Ace said, noticing his distress. His Dad nodded in agreement before looking away with a concerned expression on his face. "Everyone's waiting for you."
"Then let's go!" Luffy exclaimed before attempting to get out of bed. His head immediately spun and he probably would've hit the floor if not for his Dad's timely intervention. "Wow…'m really dizzy."
"You'll need time for the anesthesia to wear off." Marco said in a stern voice, "That means bed rest for a while, yoi. There's no need to rush."
"But…"
"Rest." Ace all but ordered, flicking him on the forehead, "We'll help you to the conference room when you're ready."
Pouting with ears drooping, Luffy laid back against the mattress in defeat. He supposed he was pretty tired. When Dragon pulled up a chair and sat next to him, he couldn't help but grin. After so long without him, it felt good to have his Dad's steady presence back in his life.
"You'll stay with me?"
"Yes, of course."
"…you'll go with me to see Shanks?"
His Dad's expression fell at the Alpha's name but he nodded, nonetheless.
"If that's what you want, son."
A few hours later…
Shanks sat in the conference room with a cup of coffee in his hand. Though the sun was down and their battle long concluded, Whitebeard's pack house had yet to go quiet for the evening. There was much to discuss, and a certain someone was still recovering from surgery.
After taking a sip from his drink, Shanks glanced to his right where Makino sat. She looked tired but refused to retire to her room. She was determined to be present for the impending discussion, just like Luffy.
"Miss Makino, is there anything we can get you?"
"No, I'm fine. Thank you."
Whitebeard's men were taking good care of them, all things considered. Even providing them with medical supplies after the battle that Hongo was very grateful for. Given the restrictions on them, they weren't able to bring as much as he would've preferred. Shanks took a moment to examine the room Whitebeard had chosen for the 'confrontation'.
It wasn't huge, but big enough that a good number of people could fit inside. All of his officers were present and there was still room to spare. The table they all sat at was the main piece of furniture in the room though there were other chairs lining the walls. The windows along the right wall helped to brighten the space and gave them a nice view of the back garden that was currently lit up thanks to various light fixtures.
Overall, it wasn't a bad place to hold a serious gathering.
Shanks' attention was drawn to Whitebeard himself when one of his men entered and whispered something into the old lycan's ear.
"It seems that young Luffy has recovered enough to participate and will be here shortly."
"Good." He answered, still disappointed in himself for allowing the pup to be injured in the first place. Though he doubted anyone could have predicted Luffy leaping in to protect Dragon…and with such speed. If it was under any other circumstances, Shanks' would've been impressed with his reaction time. "Benn, Lucky…go get the prisoners, would you?"
"Of course, Boss."
Shanks had many questions for Akainu and his subordinate after hearing Dragon's all but screamed words back at the Shikari headquarters. He needed answers from them as well as Luffy's father and could feel his impatience growing with every hour that passed. His attention was drawn to his lovely wife when she placed a gentle hand on his leg.
"Please promise me something, love."
"…anything."
"Regardless of what we learn tonight…let this be the end of it. I'm so tired of-of everything."
Shanks' expression fell at his wife's obvious exhaustion and anguish, both physical and mental. Most of which was caused by his actions. He squeezed her hand tightly before bringing it up to his lips and kissing her knuckles.
"You have my word."
Soon after, the room began to empty of lower ranked lycans and fill with those who would be present for the discussion. Whitebeard was there, of course, along with Thatch, Izo, and a few others. Shanks' eyes brightened when Ace and Marco appeared and helped Luffy into the room. Though still a bit pale, he looked well enough and sat in a chair on the opposite side of the table from him.
Luffy smiled at him, which helped ease any residual guilt he felt regarding the pup's injury.
His smile fell when Dragon entered the room with Sabo at his side. It took all his self-control to not growl at the man and keep his scent in check. After so many years…they finally came face to face again, and not in the way he imagined.
Shanks felt Makino's tender touch and took a deep breath to calm himself. Now was not the time to lose himself to rage. He told Luffy that he would make an attempt to at least speak to Dragon and he had no intention of going back on his word.
"How are your wounds, little one?" Whitebeard asked, drawing Luffy's attention. His tail wagged lazily behind him.
"I'm good! Just a little sore and tired, shishishi."
"He'll need more rest once this meeting is concluded, yoi." Marco added while moving aside so Dragon could sit next to Luffy. "I'll get you two some water."
"Thanks!" The pup chirped, almost downing the glass in a single gulp when it was placed in front of him if not for Dragon's quiet scolding.
His instincts and inner wolf simmered at the sight of Dragon so close to Luffy…acting like a proper father. Memories of the bruises on the little boy's body and the neglect he likely endured came to the front of his mind. How dare he-
"Boss, they're back."
Shanks managed to hold himself together and turned over his shoulder to watch his subordinates drag the two prisoners in. They were both tied securely and appeared very angry. He couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his face when he noticed that someone had gagged the two of them, smothering their frustrated complaints. Once they were forced into chairs at the end of the table, Whitebeard cleared his throat.
"Well, I believe we're all here now. Are we ready to begin?"
Everyone nodded and Shanks met Dragon's gaze with his own.
It was finally time to find out the truth and hear his side of the story.