One Piece: Grand Endeavours

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Illusions

Kuro
Several days have passed but I am not sure exactly how long. The amount of times the gas has been pumped in the cell, time I have spent unconscious and being experimented on and the time lost in thoughts. Not even my thoughts for once which makes the whole thing even more horrible. More painful. More headache inducing. Aside from unconsciousness I haven't been able to sleep meaning I'm even more drained than what just the experiments would cause. This 'round' isn't as painful or having bad effects as others but the constant mind reading makes it much worse. I can hardly think straight, let alone focus singularly on Keizo's which is probably precisely why he turned off the blockers.

I have recently come to from another round of experiments, including electrocution, various drugs and the old water experiment where he'd flood where I was and see how long it took me to pass out. My head is ringing and despite how hungry I am even looking at the unappetising rolls makes my stomach twist. I sip reluctantly at the lukewarm water, even that tasting weird with the constant sour taste in my mouth after all the time out of it.
"Kuro, you need to drink more than that," Luffy says, breaking me out of the murmured chorus echoing constantly in my mind subduing it to background noise.
"Don't want to," I mutter. "It's making me feel worse."
"Kuro, you are being constantly experimented on," he argues with a pleading look. "If you don't drink enough your energy could completely drain and you could die." The pleading look and adorable expression he gives me makes me give in and I finish the bottle, smiling slightly when he grins at me. No matter the situation Luffy at least sheds a little light. Honestly he pretty much is a walking beam of happiness until you mess up and piss him off.

As he often does which is always comforting he brushes my hair from my eyes, hands warm against the cold.
"Any escape ideas yet?" he asks.
"Even if I did, Luffy, I couldn't say," I point out wearily. "But no." A lie but the idea is lose so I need to work on it without Keizo having any suspicions. The intensifying thoughts worsen and I glare at the door. 3...2...1...It opens and Keizo comes in with someone whose presence is the last thing I wanted to see. Carl. Illusionist. In many ways worst than mind readers and at times worst than mind control. They can rip apart your sanity, make you see the darkest images, leave you in a padded cell with a straight jacket for the rest of your life. Back when I was here, before the experiments rendered me immune to illusions he would use them on me to leave me...I don't know. Shattered. Too lost to escape. It was around then that nightmares became constant. Although why is he here n-oh fuck.

"You know, we should have thought of this as soon as you arrived," Keizo comments. I don't reply and he scowls at me. "Back, recently after making you immune to illusions I also made you a shield but had no way to test it. Now you have been stupid enough to care about people you have given us an....opportunity." I just cross my arms and scowl at him. "I'm assuming you know what a mental shield is?" I still don't answer. "Answer the damn question or the next lot of poisons go into him." He points at Luffy. "And I won't give him the antidote."
"Fine," I mutter. "A mental shield is someone who can create a barrier to multiple people so they are all immune temporarily as long as they focus hard enough."

He smirks.
"So, ever heard of learning on the job?" he asks but doesn't pause for an answer, lips curling into a smirk. "Well that's exactly what you will be doing. All we need to do is plant the worst kind of illusions into their minds...If you want them to survive the experience mentally intact then figure it out." Oh shit. No. I can't do that! Especially with that many people. I don't even know where to begin. "Carl, get on with it. This ought to be amusing." Black fog springs from his hands, slowly snaking through the cell towards us.
"Kuro, I don't know how you do this but you can do it," Luffy says as the fog covers them before vanishing.

The response is instantaneous. They all fall to the ground in foetal positions, hands blocking their ears, visibly trembling. I may be immune to illusions but I am a mind reader and can see it all, thankfully controlling it enough though to be seeing it from a third person perceptive. Their worst fears, loosing everyone they love, amplified. Black fog that creating ants that bore into eyes and mouths, it shifting into first person. Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop! White burns the edges of my vision and heat spreads across my vision. I'm black in the cell, the illusion pushed from my mind, but they are still under it. I concentrate on Keizo's mind, desperate enough to actually have control, ripping the knowledge of how to do it and imagine the ribbon spreading to them. Exhaustion and dizziness overwhelm me and I vaguely realise that they are free from it just in time. I collapse to the ground, everything spinning, a burning pain in my head and the room is suddenly much colder.

"Kuro!" Luffy exclaims, coming to my side. "Are you okay?"
"Mhm," I mumble. "Or no. I don't know."
"Very interesting...first try," Keizo says. Then smirks. "If you learn to control your mind reading you will be one of the most dangerous weapons possible."
"Kuro is not a weapon!" Luffy snaps.
"Not yet he isn't," Keizo agrees. "The issue with making him immune to mind control...He isn't controllable. Instead we need to find a way to make him snap." I glare at him. "And he needs to learn he isn't in charge." Once again the gas begins to filter into the room and quicker than usual I begin to black out.

---------------------------------------------------------

I come to restrained to the table again, the room still spinning. The thoughts are pounding around my head again and the temporary control it seems only comes when the situation absolutely demands it.

"Took longer than usual," he comments. "I was worried you wouldn't wake up."
"Fuck off," I mutter, unsurprised when the scalpel twists into my palm. The cold blade of the metal goes above my left wrist where the tattoo is, creating a strike down it.
"So, someone as pathetic as you got a boyfriend," he comments. "Funny. Someone as pathetic and as unlovable as you doesn't deserve it." The implication burns anger into me.
"Stay out of Luffy's head. Stay out of all of their heads," I mutter. He smirks.
"Or what?" he mocks. I focus my mind reading ability the best I can, rooting into his thoughts and concentrate. Then am ripped away by his hand tightening around my throat.
"Hmm..learning to direct it. Impressive," he says. "Although it is pretty clear you cant be not distracted...Or be a weapon. We need you to snap." Again with that. I was looking for how he plans to do that but it is pretty obvious so he probably knows.

The injection continuing whatever the last few days round has been pierces my neck and I feel the same weakness as before but a sudden surge in how many voices I can hear. Make. It. Stop! Mind readers who control should get out of people's heads but now I want everyone out of my mind. Maybe by snapping me he wants me to go insane? I feel like I am. I need to think but I can't! Nothing is working! Everything I don't want to think is filling my mind, filling my head...I'm only seeing the worst of it as well. In a way, despite knowing how much it would hurt the others especially Luffy, I almost want the experiments to kill me.