Lion's Acceptance (An Emperors Protection)

--Authors Note- if you want to know more about this fic and this universe, please go to my Ao3! you do not need to be registered to read it there and it is under the same username and title! the beginning and end notes explain more and if your still curious, comment! I will love to answer any questions, only catch is if you want to comment on my Ao3, you do have to be registered. Enjoy!--

Shanks smiled as the cuffs were locked on his wrists, not panicked whatsoever from the 'kidnapping' these idiots seemed to think they were pulling off. Based on how tight they were making the restraints, his smiling seemed to tick them off.

He was yanked forward, being practically dragged as they led him to his prison, or 'Lab' as they liked to call it.

The people in the city watched with wide nervous eyes as yet another morph was taken away. Shanks did his research on this island, well, as much research as he could do. He knew that the people here were too scared to go against whoever ran the lab to call for help or, heaven forbid, actually help the morphs themselves.

Shanks hoped Benn and his crew got that message he sent them. It would be a pain in his ass if they didn't, he didn't feel like being stuck in this 'Lab' any longer than necessary. From what he could tell, it was not a nice place.

The men pulling him, led him into a run-down and seemingly abandoned house on the outskirts of the city he and his crew had docked at. The men led him towards an inconspicuous wood door, but instead of going through said door, two of the men stepped forward and moved the carpet in front of it. Revealing an iron trapdoor.

Both men tapped a pattern on the door and watched as it opened. Revealing a light gray tiled staircase leading into a white hallway.

Shanks raised his eyebrows at that. This was their super secret lab entrance? He was honestly hoping for something cooler, like an invisible door, or an elaborate secret test to show that they are who they say they are, not some lame code on a hidden in-plain-sight iron trapdoor. This was just disappointing.

He even said as much! But... that just earned him an annoyed glare and a whack on the back of his head from one of their weapons.

Rude.

The men dragged him down the stairs and into the hallway walking past many white doors with random numbers printed in black, and Based on the screams and whimpers of pain he can hear on the other side, those must be the 'experiment rooms' he had heard about.

A particularly loud scream made his ear twitch and his smile fade. Curse his advanced hearing. It was a blessing and a curse.

The men led him further down til the white faded into a dirty gray and Cells started appearing, revealing many shivering or crying forms of Morphs. All with features of animals, ranging from just ears and a tail, to full-on transformations. Shanks winced in sympathy at the pure cruelty he could see from just a glimpse alone.

Hell, some of the prisoners were even trying to reach through the bars, either cursing or begging the men leading him to let them out, or feed them.

Shanks had to lower his eyes at the sight, his straw hat covering his expression. No one deserved this treatment, especially not for how they were born.

They eventually made it to an empty cell that was surrounded by many more empty cells, further away from the occupied ones from earlier, where Shanks was tossed in.

The cell was nothing much, it was surrounded by bars except for the back wall, and it also had a thin blanket in one corner and with a rusty bucket in the other.