Chapter Text
For all the millennia Luffy had walked the realms, there were still moments when the depths of mortal wretchedness caught him off guard. Their twisted ambition and boundless greed for power, the ruin they wrought upon their brethren in their blind pursuit for it.
Such weak creatures, tearing each other apart for illusions of control.
Truth be told, it had been too long since he had lived among humans—at least for such an extended time. He’d forgotten how vile mortal desires could become, how easily they could fester, uncaring of the consequences brought upon the innocent. Of course, there was goodness among humans too, shaped by resilience and born out of compassion.
But just as surely, evil would always find a way to rise, he was reminded of that now, glaring into the eyes of the so-called master of the mansion. Those eyes were slick with venom, their yellowed gaze watching him like a snake sizing up its prey.
Wrong color, Luffy mused to himself, irked by their shade. Those eyes felt like an insult, too similar to Torao’s gold, but with none of their warmth or their beauty.
He wanted to claw them out.
“You think you can attack me in my own home and get away with it?!” the disgusting man bellowed, his voice nasal from the broken nose and shaking, the mask of confidence already beginning to slip under Luffy’s unblinking glare. He saw it clearly—the unease, the fear bleeding into the tremors that shook his voice, hiding behind his fake bravado.
Luffy grinned at that, full of teeth and bloodlust. Caesar hunched over himself, as if instinctively trying to shield his neck from something that might rip it out, torn to shreds by the fangs of a beast. The man raised a quivering finger, hand slick with sweat, the stench of his fear thick in the air.
“Seize them! Now!”
The creatures stirred, their hollow gazes snapping toward Torao and the children. Luffy stepped forward, positioning himself between them and the advancing threat. He frowned, gaze flicking over the lifeless eyes, the stiff, unnatural movements of the horde before him.
What had been done to them was profane.
He could feel it now, standing as close as he was to them, how their souls remained, still inside, still aware. Trapped. Shackled to their rotting flesh and suffocating beneath the prison they had been forced into. It was painful, their essence trembling and corroded as if doused in the waters of Gjöll. Their lights were dimming fast, their spirits frayed, bodies morphing into beastly husks right before their eyes.
He would free them. All of them.
He would break the chains holding them down.
And he would make sure Caesar paid the price tenfold. For every cry, for every life twisted beyond recognition, for every drop of blood spilled.
“I want them alive!” the real monster in the room shrieked, voice echoing down the corridor. Luffy’s gaze snapped back to him, heat rising beneath his skin, bubbling in his veins and making his heart beat at an erratic tempo. His power surged, straining against its confines, barely held back by the thinnest thread.
Luffy held it back.
He couldn’t lose control. Not here, he told himself. Not while Torao is still near.
He could, however, end that bastard here and now. Luffy’s fists ached for it.
The moment he’d seen the blood on Torao’s temple, the pale tint of poison on his skin, was the moment Caesar’s fate was sealed. His rage had been simmering beneath his own mortal disguise ever since, like lava under cracked stone.
And Torao… he’d said it himself. He no longer had any use for the apothecary. His kind, beautiful Torao would never demand death, no matter how deserving the other man might be. He was too proud of his oath, too grounded in his role as a healer to speak the words aloud—even if what he felt for that twisted creature was nothing short of a choking, righteous hatred.
Law didn’t need to carry that weight. He shouldn’t have to spend another second of his life burdening himself with the existence of someone so beneath him.
Luffy would take that burden. He would erase it completely. He would make it so that the bastard ceased to exist.
Behind him, the children wailed, their cries brittle with terror. Another presence flickered from the shadows but Luffy ignored it, eyes locked on his target.
One of the morphed servants lunged at him, its movements blundering, soul screaming for release. Luffy granted it in a single, fluid motion, his fingers barely brushing against its jaw. The creature crumpled to the floor, the soul sliping free in a rattling exhale—a woman, faint and translucent, with weathered features and motherly eyes, filled with sorrow. She looked both grateful and lost, her expression etched with pain that spoke of a lifetime of torment. She lingered in the air, hovering above them like mist under moonlight.
Luffy looked up at the master, his power bleeding into the air, saturating the corridor with a suffocating, oppressive weight. All of it directed to the enemy.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!” Luffy shouted, launching forward again. More creatures got in his path, falling one after the next under his fists. And with every one he struck down, another soul rose in their wake, lingering in the corners of the hallway. They were silent spectators, invisible from mortal sight, holding desperately to the realm of the living just to witness the execution of their tormentor.
Luffy allowed it. He would give them the closure they deserved.
“Stay behind me!” came Torao’s voice from behind him, low and firm through the chaos of the fight. He caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye—steady, sword in hand, protecting the children like a mother bear protecting her cubs. His eyes shone brightly under the candlelight, like molten gold stirred to life.
Good, Luffy thought, carving his way forward, careful with every strike, ensuring each death was swift and painless. My Torao is strong.
And yet, the image of those same children, locked in cages and crying with hoarse, hopeless words, burned through him like acid. Their pleads had been weak, barely enough to reach his ears, but heart wrenching in their pain.
How dare he, Luffy thought, glaring past the creatures at the cowering noble.
He could feel Caesar’s fear in the air, could even taste it in his tongue. The man was frightened, panic pouring from him in waves.
Luffy hummed as he got closer, a low, drumming tune that echoed the tempo of his pulse, a war-song older than the very ground Caesar’s estate was built onto. A sharp laugh ripped from his throat as a foul stench hit his nose.
Piss. The bastard had pissed himself.
“You guys are no fun!” Luffy called out, but his words weren’t meant for the servants. It was a taunt, aimed straight at their puppeteer.
Then he moved.
It was a matter of restraint, trying to fight at human speed. His strength begged to be unleashed, to crush everything in his path, but he couldn’t risk it, not with Torao so close. The mansion would collapse under the full weight of his power, crumble beneath his fists.
For the first time in centuries, he had to focus on the fight, if only not to reveal his true nature.
And maybe that was why he hesitated, his movements just a fraction of a second too slow.
A single breath of distraction was all it took.
He was mid-motion, focused on freeing another soul, when he felt it—a shift, a ripple of wrong in the space behind him. One of the creatures slipped past his guard, lunging straight for Law’s head.
The world slowed to a standstill.
Back when the Titans ruled the world, Luffy had been witness to horrors beyond anything a mind could conjure. He had walked through battlefields soaked in blood, had watched friends fall beside him at the front lines, their light dimming into nothingness as they drew their last breath.
Luffy had known rage. He had known loss.
But he had never, not once, known the kind of fury that now exploded in his chest at the sight of those open jaws hurtling toward his Torao.
Something in him snapped. Steam hissed from his skin, rising like smoke from a forge. The air thickened, heat pulsing outward in waves. The flames from the nearby candles shivered, then roared higher, drawn to him as if answering his call.
He moved in instinct, slamming into the creature with enough force to crack the wall where it landed.
“Hands off Torao!” he growled—and the sound echoed, unnaturally deep, reverberating with power. His smile vanished, replaced by a searing glare. The leash on his power strained, the rope fraying as the heat of the sun itself surged beneath his skin.
Just before it snapped, a foreign yearning brushed against the edge of his mind. The touch felt like a caress, an echo of cozy mornings spent under the covers. It was followed by heat, curling around his core and pulsing with something other than anger.
“Pay attention!” the source of that warmth snapped from across the floor. Luffy’s smile returned, faint but genuine, and the edge of his fury dulled for a moment.
And there was his Torao, parrying another blow, sword flashing as he stepped between danger and the children without hesitation. He moved like water over stone, fluid and assertive. That new heat within Luffy became stronger, his heart dancing to a new rhythm.
Beautiful, Luffy thought, unable to pull his gaze away.
But then, a creature lunged at one of the children, claws outstretched, trying to drag the boy back by the arm. The child screamed, blood dripping onto the carpet where the creature’s claws bit into his skin.
Luffy snarled from where he stood, surrounded by a dozen of them. Under ordinary circumstances, it would’ve taken him a second to deal with the creatures. But bound by human speed, he could only do so much without giving himself away.
A flash of silver cut through the air.
Torao’s blade sliced clean through the creature’s hand. The severed limb hit the ground with a wet thud, twitching before going still in a growing pool of black, tar-like blood. The disfigured servant recoiled, toppling a candle from its sconce as it stumbled backward.
Ah, Luffy thought ruefully, a flicker of guilt rising as he snapped another creature’s neck, letting the body fall limply at his feet— the soul within slipped free, joining the others lingering in the corners, waiting for retribution. Zoro’s gonna be sad when he finds out Torao’s sword style is prettier.
The fire from the candle spread rapidly, leaping from tapestry to rug, licking up the walls. Luffy could extinguish it with a thought—after all, it was part of his nature, another bond shared with his brothers that tied him to the element. He nearly did, glancing toward Torao and the children in concern.
A flicker in the fire stopped him. Two pairs of eyes watched from the flames, familiar as breathing.
Not yet, they told him, playful in their words. Have some patience, little brother.
Torao’s voice rang out, effortlessly capturing his attention again.
“We have to move!” He urged Luffy, already helping the injured boy to his feet, ushering the others toward the stairs with urgent gestures.
Luffy counted the enemies left. A few still wandered aimlessly, while a tight ring of them formed a human shield around Caesar. Half of them were already gone, their bodies scattered around.
Another servant rushed him. Luffy met the charge head-on, catching the creature by the throat and slamming it into the wall. The crack of bone echoed through the burning hallway, dark blood staining the wall.
His gaze met Caesar’s across the room. The noble’s face was drained of color, pupils blown wide with terror. Luffy grinned, sharp and feral.
“Go ahead! I’ll meet you outside!” he called over his shoulder.
Law hesitated, a protest hanging on the edge of his lips. Luffy met his eyes and smiled—softly, this time. He tried to pour all of his unspoken feelings into that smile.
It’ll be okay.
I’ll take care of it.
I’ll see you soon.
Finally, Torao nodded, turned, and disappeared with the children. Luffy watched him leave, his eyes following the broad lines of his back, already missing his presence. Still, it was for the best—he could end things quickly, now.
“Don’t let them escape!”
Speaking of…
Luffy turned back, eyes narrowing on the handful of creatures still standing between him and Caesar. The air was thick with heat, the fire consuming wooden furniture and carpet alike, spreading relentlessly, devouring the hallway in earnest. Smoke curled in the air, dark and acrid, pulling painful coughs from the servants and master alike. Fire sealed off the western path behind them, cornering Caesar against the wall.
Luffy rolled his shoulders, cracking his knuckles. The floor creaked beneath his feet, unable to bear the pressure building in his frame.
“You hurt Torao,” he said flatly.
With a breath, he fully released the power that had been building beneath his skin, months of restraint snapping all at once. He had sealed it for too long, barely allowing himself less than a fraction of his strength—and only in short bursts to hunt and fight. Now it roared free, making the air tremble and the heat spike.
Caesar choked off, his smirk withering as he finally understood his position.
“You made him bleed,” Luffy growled, voice reverberating down the corridor, like the rumble of an avalanche. He stalked forward, his glare searing across the burning hallway, locking onto Caesar. The man cowered behind what remained of his servants, shaking like a leaf.
The air in the corridor became thicker by something other than smoke. It grew dense with it, suffocating, pressing inwards like shrinking walls. One by one, the creatures staggered under it, clutching deformed heads and chest before falling lifelessly to the floor, hearts unable to withstand the crushing pressure of a god walking before them.
Just like that, their lives ended, and the last of the souls broke free from their wrecked vessels, drifting slowly towards the ceiling to join the others, away from their tormentor.
Just as the last creature dropped, Luffy jumped through the fire closing on them. Too fast for mortal eyes to follow, he shot forward, landing the first blow with brutal precision, shattering Caesar’s shoulder with a single punch.
“You—savage!” the noble spat, collapsing to the floor in a heap. He barely had time to cry out before Luffy grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall, leaving an indent where the man’s head had hit. Fire licked at Caesar’s back, devouring wood and scorching his scalp. He wailed in agony, the smell of burning flesh filling the space.
Luffy held him tighter, unblinking, uncaring of the fire brushing his own skin—it would not burn him anyways.
Caesar clawed uselessly at hand holding him by the throat, tears streaming down his venomous eyes, pitiful gasps escaping his mouth. “M—monster…” he fought for breath, but it was useless, Luffy’s grip inhumanly strong.
“Monster, huh?” Luffy spoke, and just voicing the word made him chuckle darkly, a wicked smile stretching out his face unnaturally. Crimson bled into his eyes as his disguise faltered. His hair remained dark, the last thread of control keeping his true form sealed. He forced himself to rein it in, not wanting to destroy the mansion just yet—not until Torao was safely outside.
“Did you think it was funny?” he asked the noble, his tone as cold as a glacier. “I could hear you laughing, in his mind,” he frowned, the memory enough to bring out the worst of his temper. Fire grew violent around them, the glass from the windows exploding, unable to contain the inferno that had been unleashed inside the hallway.
“Do you think it’s funny, now?” He taunted the man, earning himself another weak, pathetic cry.
Caesar’s desperation was palpable now. His blotched face had turned a mottled purple from the pressure around his throat, veins bulging at his temples. His nails were broken and ragged, blood trailing from where he’d clawed helplessly at Luffy’s wrist, trying in vain to pry himself free.
In a final, trembling effort, he fumbled at his belt, fingers slipping on the gold embroidery of his robes. Luffy watched, amused, how he grabbed a long, jeweled dagger, the blade encrusted with rubies and filigree. It looked dull, ornamental—like it had never seen battle or bloodshed.
Useless.
With a cry somewhere between fury and panic, Caesar lunged, plunging the dagger toward Luffy’s chest, slicing the fabric covering his scar.
The blade bent against his skin like cheap tin.
Luffy seized Caesar’s raised wrist and snapped it. The man screamed, using his weight to push Luffy away, only to be thrown across the room into a burning vase stand, the carved wood toppling upon impact. Porcelain exploded as it hit the ground, shards slicing through the air.
“W-what are you?!” Caesar gasped, crawling backwards, scrambling over glass, bloodied hands slipping on the soot-stained carpet.
Then, from the fire consuming the wall, a flame-wreathed hand emerged, clawing painfully into Caesar’s shoulder, impeding his escape. The noble shrieked in agony as fire branded his skin, burning through garments and searing into his ghastly flesh.
“Stop playing with your food, Lu,” a voice teased casually, carrying over the corridor like a leaf floating in the wind. From the fiery blaze, the hand gave way to a body, then to a freckled face—a young man just a little taller than Luffy, standing shirtless in the hallway, a matching scar crossing his chest. The newcomer moved forward lazily until he stood by Luffy’s side, cocking his head at the noble like someone who had stepped on vomit. “Ugh. He smells like piss.”
Caesar trembled, his yellowed eyes round with primal terror at what he had just witnessed.
“I don’t know, brother,” came another voice, this one smooth and cool, just as amused. A tall blond emerged from behind a crumbling wall, face scarred and eyes keen. Fire danced across his skin like tendrils of light, flickering with the rhythm of his breath, casting his features in shifting amber hues. “This seems like a well-deserved end.”
Luffy exhaled, the tension in his body easing in the presence of his brothers. His control steadied, a familiar warmth pulling him back from the edge, grounding him. The fire within him, the one he shared with the two men flanking him, simmered just enough not to burn the mansion to the ground. Still, he remained fixed in place, expression unyielding. His gaze didn’t leave Caesar, not even for a moment.
“So, little brother,” the blond continued, a sly smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “What do you want to do with him?”
Luffy hummed lowly, the sound soft but unsettling. A smile curled on his lips—unhinged, mischievous as his own nature, but cold, devoid of mercy. It was an expression that foretold judgment, the kind only the King of All Gods could bestow.
Caesar sobbed, his body trembling, eyes darting from one brother to the next in disbelief. He looked like a man slipping off a cliff, finally realizing his end lay at the end of the fall.
“Torao wants him dead,” Luffy said, as casually as if he were commenting on the weather.
“Well, I don’t blame him,” Ace said, his tone lazy but eyes burning. He had always been like that, calm exterior hiding the anger simmering beneath his skin, ready to explode. “He’s a nasty little fellow, ain’t he?” He asked, boot crushing Caesar’s hand just above his broken wrist. The man screamed, tears and snot running down his face.
Luffy didn’t answer right away. Instead, he glanced up at the souls of the servants, drifting closer to the broken noble, their forms wreathed in smoke from the fire, expressions filled with pain and grief.
They needed closure, too.
He would give them what they were owed.
With a burst of concentration, Luffy opened the veil between the death’s realm and the mortal world—just a small tear, just enough for the souls to become tangible. It caused the air to ripple, space bending like cloth. And from that gap, the dead reached through.
New wails filled the corridor with noise, the roar of the fire unable to mask the cries of the undead, not entirely. The souls swarmed the noble writhing on the ground like a snake as ghostly, skeletal hands scraped, choked and gouged everything on their way.
“N-no! Get off me!” Caesar screamed desperately, kicking away at the servants, hands hanging useless at his sides. Fingers dug into his legs, tearing at his skin, twisting his limbs at unnatural angles.
“Is Torao outside yet?” Luffy asked, his gaze never straying from the man being torn apart before them.
“Yep,” Ace replied, his tone casual despite the flames flickering across his knuckles. “He should be crossing the courtyard doors about now.”
With those words, the brunette turned to face Caesar, looking down at him over the bridge of his nose.
“You pissed off the wrong guy, you know,” Ace said, his voice low with fake pity. “I haven’t seen Luffy this mad since the Titans were still around.” He waved his hand in a careless gesture, the flames blanketing the floor combining into a fist around the apothecary’s mangled leg. The noble howled in agony as what was left of his skin blistered and blackened, the fire consuming flesh and nerve alike.
Caesar’s eyes stretched wide, pupils shaking. He thrashed weakly, tears streaming uncontrollably, his voice high and cracked in primal terror.
“Y-you are—” he gasped, sobbing as a soul yanked his hair back. Blood leaked from his ears where clawed hands had pierced his skin. “D-demons! You’re demons!”
“On the contrary,” Sabo said flatly, standing some meters away and rolling his eyes at the wailing man. “I’m sure a demon would be more agreeable to your ways. Then again…” he added, voice dry with amusement, “what would you know? You’re just a fool biting off more than you can chew.”
In that moment, the large hands of another soul wrapped tightly around his neck, enough to choke the scream from his throat. Caesar’s eyes bulged as he clawed at the spectre, his nails scraping through nothing but air.
“P-please! Help me—don’t kill me!” He sobbed, snot bubbling, eyes bloodshot and wild. His body convulsed as bones cracked under the pressure of the dead’s hands.
“Now you’re begging?” Sabo scoffed, looking down at the noble in disgust. He stepped forward until he towered over the noble, one gloved hand grabbing him by the hair. He yanked his head back in a harsh, painful grip. “A little bit too late, don’t you think?” He muttered coldly, forcing Caesar’s mouth open, fingers digging into his jaw.
Another one of the spirits, a man with haunted eyes, surged forward with clawed hands, seizing Caesar’s tongue and yanking, hard, until it tore free in a burst of red.
The master shrieked, unintelligible, choking on his own blood. Sabo tossed him to the ground, sending him skidding across the floor.
Luffy watched his brothers torment the mortal from the sidelines, expression unreadable.
Torao is waiting, he reminded himself, when the itch to join in on the fun threatened to overcome him. There’s no point dragging this out.
“Brook,” he called calmly, voice carrying with the authority of a king.
The flames that had engulfed the corridor flared a vivid green, the temperature dropping as a void opened in their midst. From the darkness stepped a tall, skeletal figure in elegant attire, his coat shimmering with golden threads. His empty sockets looked amused somehow, his bony hand twirling a jeweled cane exuberantly in the air..
“I hear my king calling,” Brook intoned, bowing deeply to Luffy before repeating the action to the other two men, if more casually. His curly hair surrounded white bone, contrasting strikely against the eerie green glow of the fire. He barely paid attention to the trembling, crying man on the ground.
Luffy nodded once. The crimson in his gaze faded, his smile cooled to something more kind for his friend.
“Can you make sure these souls get to Elysium?” he asked.
“Yohohoho, of course!” Brook chirped. He lifted his cane, now glowing with pale green light. As he swept it through the air, the veil widened, revealing a large, old rowboat. One by one, the angry souls released Caesar’s mangled body, following the pull of the light. As they passed into the void, their sorrowful expressions smoothed, as if soothed by the melody Brook had started to hum. They looked at peace.
“What about this one?” Brook asked, glancing down at Caesar’s ruin. His limbs twisted at grotesque angles, face a pulp of bruises, but somehow still breathing.
“Take him to Zoro,” Luffy shrugged, no longer interested. “Tell him to give him hell.”
“As you wish, Your Highness.” Brook’s cane shifted, the wood now gleaming silver. He plunged it into Caesar’s chest. With a flick, he lifted something. The former noble’s corpse stared up with dull eyes, the corrupted remains of his being trying to cling to it.
Caesar’s soul—black, sickly and warped, like liquid rot.
“That is ugly,” Ace muttered.
Sabo snorted beside him. “It certainly is,” he said, crouching to observe the corrupted soul. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen one this far gone.” He poked it, and the soul sagged with a pathetic squelch.
“Can you take over from here?” Luffy asked, impatient, looking longingly past the flaming walls of the hallway and towards the courtyard where his lover was.
Both brothers nodded, matching grins spreading across their faces.
“Of course. Go get your man!” Ace laughed, giving him a playful shove as the fire parted like a curtain. “Man, I can’t believe our little brother is finally getting some,” he joked, earning himself a punch on the arm from Sabo. Luffy snickered, beaming amusedly.
“I’ll take my leave then,” Brook bowed once more before leaping elegantly into his boat, floating across the void. The gateway closed behind him.
“See ya, Lu! Bring that guy home someday!” Sabo called, waving lazily as he pulled Ace by the ear.
Luffy lifted his hand in return, smile lingering as he turned the corner, going west through the same path Torao and he took earlier that night, just before they separated.
The fire crackled louder the further he went. Columns groaned, their foundations weakened, floors creaking under his weight. Luffy made a conscious effort to subdue his own power, if only to delay the inevitable collapse of the building.
He hastened his steps, heart beating erratically to a new, besotted tune.
Torao was waiting.