~~~

"You are too frivolous about this subject. Law... More than half of them got persuaded only after hearing his offer, while the others were already fanatics of his whimsical promises."

Why does that man sound so familiar? I leaned my ear to the door and struggled to hear the quiet answer but could only deduct a soft murmur.

"The forensic team found it. Corpus delicti. Of course...Those were only drops of the remaining injection, but still...They immediately went to work."

"And guessing from your expression, they weren't successful with the laboratory results."

"Bingo, yoi. It was as if the substance was impossible to decode and had a mind on its own. I even suggested a few professionals, but they were as equally inadequate as the previous ones."

My hand stopped at the door knob. Yoi? Wait... It is similar to... I closed my eyes briefly and opened them again, trying to visualize the person I heard countless of times repeating the same exact phrase over and over. Familia shapes started to form but before I could grasp them, they evaporated.

"Still, your data doesn't explain your presence here. As you can remember, we spoke about it yesterday over the phone. Such stunt is considered dangerous...Not only to the organization but to you too. As my advocate you should have stayed hidden until further notice."

"We can't debate through the phone about the content of this document." A faint noise of rustling accompanied the agitated voice. "It would be too risky and we'd delude ourselves thinking all our networks are safe. However, unfortunate as it is, Joker's extensive connections are almost impossible to cut. "

"Another weakness from our side, huh?" Law sighed. "Fine, let's just go to my office. We will then have some peace to consult. Of course before that. Kid, Bonney, Bartolomeo and Capone, this is my lawyer... More or less. He's the one who is running the entire system in the medical center, while I'm absent. This man is Marco Phoenix Newgate."

What? Newgate? Marco? That couldn't be him, could it? No, it is crazy... He worked in some kind of publishing company, absolutely not related to the mafia. Sabo even told me that.

But Sabo is Marco's brother. He could have lied to you. There are countless possibilities.

No, he wouldn't have done that.

But what if?

Before I realized what I was doing, my body had acted on its own and swiftly opened the door, revealing the partially stunned bosses, as well the surprised guest that hovered the room like a giant. I feverishly looked around the conference hall, meeting everyone's gaze. I was panicking until a recognizable puff of blond hair caught my attention. From there on, my eyes lowered to the sleepy looking face. My eyes, already watered with the acquainted tears, widened. "Marco?"

It seems like time had stopped for everyone in that moment. Even Bege Capon, who reacted to small things with feeble interest, gave a minor grimace of revulsion. And Kid...I didn't know if it was disappointment or just utter uncanny emotion. But whatever it was, I knew in that same instance an implication was soon to follow.

I blinked again, subconsciously begging for the man in front of me to be some kind of trick of light or a hallucination. However my prayers weren't indulged, they even disappeared when the man that I had known almost my entire life, staggered to my direction and remorsefully addressed my uninvited presence: "Y/n? What are you doing here?" He turned to Law before I could utter a word. "What is she doing here?"

I had been wrong. Not everyone was perplexed by my sudden barge in. It was like the raven anticipated such outcome as he slowly adjusted the sleeves on his jacket and spoke in a calm, nonchalant way: "That's the girl I told you about."

~~~

"Damn, Y/n!" He hugged me, but within the friendly embrace, I remained motionless as a plastic doll. The blond backed away for a few steps, examining me from head to toes like any brotherly figure would do when an accident occurred or happened to the younger sibling. Whether blood related or not. "Do you know how worried pop's was? And those Duo Idiots?" He rolled his eyes. "Let's not speak about that blonde, yoi. He was a masterpiece of his own kind, that's for sure."

The mentioning of my close friends woke me up from the trance. Bewildered by the fact that someone familiar spoke to me and reflecting my previous, normal life, even before the whole thing with the mafia started, I unnaturally fidgeted in my spot.

"I-I..."

"Law..." Marco's hands were still securely resting on my shoulders while he spun to the raven. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't my call to do that."

That is when a strange glint in the blonde's eyes appeared. His voice hardened and lowered almost for an octave. "Then who's was it?"

"It was mine." The redhead stated, finally participating in the conversation. His sinister stare was boring into the blonde's and maintained it until he stepped beside me, the scarred arms folded on his muscular chest.

"You?!" The looks on both of them radiated pure disgust for each other. And then one of them made the first move. Quick and exploding.

"What did you do to her?!" Marco was holding onto Kid's collar forcefully, his large hands clutched and prepared to strangle the redhead if he decided to answer the question wrong. "Answer me, you sick bastard!"

"Are you talking about me?" Kid leaned forward, his smile deliberately staying on his confident smirk . "Cause if you are referring to me as the culprit, I will unfortunately have to disappoint you...I wasn't the one who kidnapped her father...Marco Newgate."

"Then what did you do, Eustass Kid? What damage did you then do?? Let me guess... You just invited her to a tea party to have a small chit-chat, huh? Is that it?!" Pissed off, Marco rose his phone and gripped it so tight that I thought he would break the device in two. "We tried to contact her numerous times, even going so far to hire private investigators after Shanks' disappearance! You took her from her own family!"

"They must have done a shitty work, if they didn't collect any kind of clue or signs to her whereabouts," Kid accused, jutting his chin. However the subtle confidence decreased at the mention of my family and he flinched at the meaning behind Marco's word. A captor. That's what he meant to name him. And I was the captive.

Fists would have collided from both sides, if it weren't for Killer that flung between the two males and stopped the wild confrontation.

"Bastard, I'm not going to ask you again. What did you do to her?!"

"It doesn't concern you, you shitty-old man." Marco's eye twitched.

"Quit implying that she is your property." The blond hissed a comeback, visibly contemplating if he should pull me away from Kid or not.

"She. Is. Mine."

"Yours?! Over my dead body." He spat, loosening up his necktie. "When pop's hears about it, you are a dead man, Eustass."

"Try to stop me if you have enough balls for it."

"Stop!" Terror overtook my features as they all shuddered at the piercing shout. "Just...Stop..." Bonney spoke up. Her pink hair fell down to her reddened skin while her hands stayed clutched at her sides. "If you two are prepared to start a massacre, then I'll happily accompany you to another room. Cause this..." She glared both of them with despise. "Isn't neither the right place nor time to discuss about." I was close to turn into a pitiful slob that shook in sobs, my bloodstream overflooded with terror.

"I know how hard it is for thick-skulled guys like you to understand such a delicate situation, but apparently you have forgotten that the subject of your pitiful argument is standing beside you. And judging by her condition, she isn't too thrilled to be part of it."

She would have silenced the entire house if it weren't for the sudden burst of screechy male laughter from the cubicle next to us. The spectators raised their eyebrows, while the blonde widened his eyes and mutely mouthed 'shit'.

"Marcoooooo!!! I'm hungry! I want meeeeeaaaaattttttt!"

Is that ... Luffy? As I was ready to acquire the reason to my own confusion, I screwed up my face. As if a lightning struck me I abruptly turned towards Kid, trying to find details behind his expression but I only came across a deadpan one, the allegation undoubtedly giving him reason to rethink his strategy. Or so I thought.

"Oi, don't scream so much! You aren't even a guest he-...Y/n?" Both of the sibling barged ahead through the door, battling with each other, the younger even hanging from the older's neck in protest. But when our gazes locked into a mutual bewilderment they both went quiet.

"Ace?" I whispered.

"Guys, why did you just stop at the entrance? You morons! Move!" The third brother urged in a flippant voice. "Luffy make way or I will-"

Sabo didn't know what to do with himself when he came inside. "Y/n..."

I sobbed. "Luffy? Sabo? Ace?" Tears rolled down my cheeks. Seconds passed, my brain taking them in, struggling to comprehend that they weren't part of my usual dreams, but were real human beings standing in front of me. I couldn't formulate a thought, at least not one based in any language. However my initial thought seemed to be based only on my assumption, because I managed to utter in a crocked, reluctant voice: "You are really here...You are really...here."

~°~°~°~°~

To be continued ...