Future

Chapter 8: Luffy - Beatdown

Their solitary march to the only large facility on the island was tense in a way no march had ever been. All Luffy could think about was how skinny his Torao had been as he melted into his arms, how he'd sobbed like the world was ending, how there'd been bruises and scrapes all along his wrists and hands. The images caused him to seethe, and he could tell Zoro was feeling much the same way at Sanji's state.

Led by their haki, it was easy to find the building their husbands had been held in. It was a large three-, no, four-story building. One story was half underground, which had nearly tricked him. Nearly a third of it, on the side with the cliffs leading into a long sharp drop into the sea, was battered and crumbling, probably from cannonfire, but the rest was intact — and imposing in a boring, boxy way. Maybe 75 people inside. Several tall ships, battle scarred themselves, could be seen in the water below the cliffside, but not many. Not even as many as had escaped from their ill-advised battle with Luffy's crew.

Whether that meant some of them were off on another mission or were just in another port wouldn't matter. They'd hurt his Torao and made him cry. There would be no mercy today.

So he charged towards the building, Zoro matching his pace perfectly, as always. A well-aimed punch slammed open the doors, and the next few minutes would be intimidating to any bystanders that might have been watching. But there were no bystanders to watch — they'd come to the conclusion that everyone in that building, everyone who worked with the strange markless crew, was guilty. Zoro's swords flashed as Luffy's punches thudded, enemy after enemy falling before them. Blood spattered on their clothes, bones crunched under their shoes.

But after a few minutes, the desperate bloodlust faded, just a little, as they came across a row of rooms that were used as prison cells.

There were really only a few of them. Maybe a dozen. And worse, not all of the prisoners were shackled, which was more painful for Luffy to see, because they still cowered into corners as he and Zoro made their way down the hall. The unshackled ones had given up on regaining their precious freedom. Given up on all hope, it seemed.

With a growl — no, a feral snarl like a wild cat — that echoed down the concrete hallway, Zoro's swords sliced through the doors of two cells. Another two slices cut perfectly through the manacles of the three prisoners in one of the rooms. But they dropped back, away from the new entrance, looking up at Zoro in fear.

"Get up!" Zoro growled, and only Luffy knew how calm that was for Zoro's current state. "You're free now. Find the keys, free the rest, go home or whatever. We'll take care of the monsters."

Luffy charged forward with a stern nod, an armament-laden punch opening a couple more cells. But still, none of the people inside moved to make a break for it.

Together he and Zoro tore through that building, killing anyone who wasn't a prisoner without a shred of mercy. None of them begged or taunted or were even much of a challenge. But some of them looked at him with haunted eyes, like they'd been expecting their death for too long. Some part of him wondered if they should've been allowed to live. But then he remembered his too-skinny husband's cracking sobs, and his doubts were gone.

He found Torao's fluffy hat in a tiny room that was stained rust-colored from blood that had dried long before he and Zoro had gotten there, and that was what finally calmed him down. It was dirty now, and a little bit more battered, but Luffy put it on top of his own signature hat.

A wide scan with his observational haki told him that everyone else in the building was most likely prisoners — terrified, huddled in corners, and still not moving, though their hearts still beat fast like a rabbit's. He turned to Zoro. "I think we're done. Ready to go back?"

Zoro thought for a few seconds, probably scanning the area himself. "Yeah, okay."

They'd almost made it back out of the building when that reassurance changed as a barrel-chested man charged at them from a shadowed corner, flicking a whip at each of them in turn. Luffy dodged easily, but Zoro grabbed it in one steely, armament-covered hand with another feral snarl.

Zoro examined the braided leather in his hand for a long minute, pulling it from the other's grip with ease. Then he pushed the assailant against the wall.

"... the whip marks on his back... were those your doing?"

Luffy had never been afraid of Zoro, but he felt the slightest twinge of fear now as Zoro's presence became more demonic than Luffy had ever felt. Like Zoro would tear this guy apart with nothing but his teeth. Like Zoro — protective, caring but stoic Zoro — hated.

It was worse than the bloodlust that Zoro could present in battle. Then, Zoro could usually find a point of respect for his enemies. This disdain and disgust and hatred was new. And as much as he understood what had driven Zoro to this point, Luffy didn't like it.

And if Luffy was almost scared of him like this, it was no wonder the guy who was the current focus of Zoro's ire lost control of his bladder. But the idiot still tried to bluff, even as wetness visibly spread down his legs and the unmistakable scent of urine filled the air. "Wh-who do you mean?"

"Roronoa 'Blackleg' Sanji. Did you use this whip on my husband?!"

The words were animalistic, something far more than a growl or a hiss. Something far darker, as if, in this moment, Zoro had every creature that had ever been out for blood trapped within his throat all at once.

The smells around the burly guy intensified, indicating that he had lost control of his bowels, too. Luffy felt a little embarrassed for the man. He wouldn't show it though. He was still too mad to actually show anything but anger. Especially if Zoro was right and this man had contributed to his friend's pain.

"I -, I'm, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, it was orders, it wasn't-"

"Shut up," Zoro ordered, sharp as his swords.

"Wait." Luffy's voice came out cold and dark as he remembered what Sanji had said before they left... about 'the wrong blond'. About them being after his last living brother.

Zoro shifted his weight off the man, two swords against the man's fat neck in a blink. But he waited for Luffy's order, the killing intent still present, but held at bay for a moment.

"Who's orders? Why did you take them?"

"I, I, um, I mean, um I -"

"He asked you a question, swine," Zoro growled, the blade of Kitetsu pressing in just enough to draw a bead of blood.

"I don't know! I, I wasn't high enough to, to be privy to that! All I know is they grabbed the wrong blond, it, it was supposed to be the Flame Emperor! The leaders all got called away because of it!"

Luffy held the terrified man's gaze for another long minute, Conqueror's haki carefully applied to try to force any additional information from him. But though the man stuttered and stammered a little longer, he said nothing else important. Nothing else about the dangers his brother might face.

Luffy finally broke the eye contact and released the haki. He nodded at Zoro, giving him permission to continue.

"I'm going to kill you now. I'll even be merciful enough to make it quick. But I want you to know why," Zoro threatened in that scary voice that probably made the man glad that he had nothing left in his bladder. "Because whoever you work for may not have deemed him important enough, but Roronoa Blackleg Sanji is my most important person. And you hurt him. That is why you're going to die."

The guy never had a chance to take a single step, much less run from his fate. In a flash of swords, he was in bloody pieces on the floor. Too many pieces for Luffy to count. And his blood had covered Zoro, who now resheathed his swords.

"Back to the Sunny now?" Luffy asked quietly. He would need to have Robin relay a message to Sabo, warning him that there might be some of this unmarked crew still out there and maybe coming for him.

Zoro didn't speak, just nodded once and began walking the wrong way.