Stolen // One Piece

chapter twelve

Luffy was chained to the wall of Bluejam's new ship. Under normal circumstances, assuming normal was Luffy being kidnapped and chained with metal, he would have already escaped. However, the chains binding Luffy's wrists and ankles were made of Sea-Prism Stone, and so he could not really do much about it. So, fairly annoyed, he sat back against the wall, with his hands raised above his head, and his legs sticking out in front of him. Sure, he could try to get himself out of that situation, but he figured resistance would only cause him bodily harm, and more bodily harm than the amount already done to him by Bluejam's goons would not really help his situation at all.

Irritated, Luffy sighed. This wasn't ideal. For the fifth time in ten minutes, the absence of his hat resting upon his head nagged at him, and he wondered if his crew had found it, or if Bluejam had, and kept it somewhere on the ship. Luffy hoped it was the first option, because he decided he would probably be too exhausted when he was rescued to scour the ship for the tattered straw hat.

Assuming he was going to be rescued, of course.

The boy shook his head, clearing that thought from his mind. Of course he was going to be rescued. His friends would arrive, angrily kick everyone's ass, then Zoro would probably unchain him and take him back to the ship. Sanji would make him a feast, and they would all laugh at the fact that the captain had been stupid enough to let himself be kidnapped. Chopper would check his wounds again, and feed him more medicine, while Usopp would tell him about how he was "the bravest," and he "raised everyone's spirits," and how he "knew exactly where to find the captain." Robin would probably read to him, and Nami would go on and on about how much of an idiot Luffy had been. Brook would write a song about the entire ordeal, and Franky would say that the captain had been SUPER brave.

Luffy chuckled to himself.

"What's so funny, brat?" Bluejam's dark voice spat. The older captain's presence no longer made Luffy quiver, but instead simply annoyed him. He had gotten used to the fact that Bluejam was indeed alive, and had regained his confidence. Luffy rolled his eyes at the man.

"Your sense of fashion." The older pirate narrowed his eyes and made a sound that resembled a growl. The two men behind him stepped closer, waving the long blunt weapons in their hands around.

"That's no way to treat your captor," Bluejam said, smiling coldly. Again, Luffy rolled his eyes.

"As opposed to what? Do you want me to thank you for kidnapping me in the middle of the night? 'Thanks for hitting me in the back of the head, dragging me to the beach and getting sand in my boxers, and then proceeding to dunk me in the water a few times on the way to your ship, and then chaining me up and using me as a punching bag.' Really appreciate it." Bluejam snorted.

"You're welcome," he replied pleasantly, turning his back to the boy. When he turned around again, a thin rod rested in his palms. He faced the goon on his right, who lit the sharp end on fire, and held the flame there until the tip turned an angry orange. Satisfied with the heat radiating off of the rod, he turned to Luffy, who gulped. "We're going to try something... different than what we had used before," he said, referring to the blunt objects used to beat the smaller boy black and blue. Bluejam stepped forward.

"Gonna stick me with it?" Luffy grunted, feigning nonchalance. The goons on either side of the evil captain smirked. They both had an ugly smirk, Luffy decided. They looked like apes.

"No, no. I won't... 'stick' you with it." Bluejam crouched until he was eye level with Luffy. "I'll brand you," he growled. The small boy snickered.

"Making me your property, then? I didn't know you liked me so much. Honestly, I'm flattered. But I can't say I feel the same." Luffy had learned arrogance and snarkiness from Ace. It was the one thing he knew how to do that didn't require a whole lot of brain power. Bluejam growled again.

"Shut up, brat." He looked down at the rod in his hands, and then back at Luffy. Thoughtfully, he added, "I wonder what it'll smell like when I burn you. Burning rubber? Or burning flesh?"

"Not good, that's for sure," Luffy repiled, glaring.

"Depends on the perspective. I'm sure it will smell awful to you, because you'll be on the receiving end. But for me? It'll smell like revenge." He stood, and without another word, he pressed the iron tip to Luffy's forearm. The small boy writhed in pain, and screamed. The smell was disgusting. Personally, Luffy had never smelled burning rubber or flesh, but he was sure that this was somehow worse. He panted as the older man removed the tip from his arm.

Breathlessly, Luffy grumbled, "Revenge doesn't have a smell." He screamed again as the older man pressed the burning tip to Luffy's skin once more, making an angry red 'x' on the upside of his wrist.

"Perhaps, but I know that burning rubber does."

The torture went on for several more hours until Bluejam had decided he had enough. Luffy had gone silent at this point, and he simply glared at the older man until the burning stopped.

"You're no fun," the man huffed as he and his goons exited the storage room, leaving Luffy to sit and hope to god his friends were looking for him.