Destined for Flames (One Piece Fanfic)

The World At A Standstill

The two costumed baddies leave the room without another word, leaving us to struggle against our new binds.

"Hey... you two ok....?" the man asks us. 

I sigh, blowing my bangs from my eyes, only to have them fall back into place a second later. Isn't that just great? "Been better," I admit.

Luffy answers affirmatively as well, and he and the man get into a conversation I don't feel I need to hear. Instead, I focus on lighting up my skin wherever the gold hooks touch, in an attempt to melt them off. Molten metal soon drips over me, causing me to flinch and hiss out a breath. Fire doesn't hurt, but this is a little out of my league. But I push on until the hooks are complete mush and I can take a full breath without my throat constricting. 

I jolt to a sitting position and quickly swipe the liquid metal from my skin, hissing and cursing under my breath as I do so. I haven't suffered a burn in so long.... God this hurts!

Just as I remove the last of the offending substance, I'm startled by the blonde man shouting, "Why does Iceburg have to be killed by a bunch of idiots we don't even know?!!"

Rubbing my red wrists, I look over to the still entrapped Luffy and Galley-La man, sympathy sparkling in my eyes. "He's.... my teacher," the man pants, "....you know? He made me a full-fledged shipwright....!"

"But in your condition...." Luffy tries to interject.

"I'm saying I wanna beat those bastards to a pulp!!" he retorts. "I don't care what my body's like afterwards!! I'll keep on fighting till I'm reduced to a single bone!! Dammit! Let me outta here!!"

"Okay!!! Let us out, dammit!!!"

I sweat drop. If he'd only wait a minute.... But he doesn't wait. He forces his rubbery skull out from the hook, and does the same with his limbs. Jumping to his feet, he shouts, "I'm through!" while throwing his hands skywards. "Cause I'm rubber."

"Good job! Now get mine off!"

"Already on it," I inform him. The shipwright jumps (as best he can) and turns his head to look at me as I start to dismantle the hooks holding him down. 

"Heh.... sorry we thought you were the assassins," he huffs, giving me a cheesy, and very muched forced, smile. Even without the blood and sweat that slickens his face, I would find that unnattractive. 

"Doesn't matter," I say with a shrug. I'm able to snake one hand out before the metal becomes too hot, saving him from the injuries I've given myself, and start my work on the other. "You had a lot of reasons to believe what you did. What does matter is that you know the truth now." I pause after getting his other hand free. "By the way, uh, what's your name?"

He blinks in surprise. "Name's Paulie," he says.

I smile slightly. "Suits you," I tell, making him grin also.

It's another few minutes before I've gotten rid of all the hooks. I burned Paulie a little, but he says it's fine, that he's no worse off than before. Still, I feel bad. My burns feel like I got them straight outta Hell.

I help Paulie to his feet, and we follow after Luffy, who dashes from the room like he's on fire. Uh... that comparison was really kinda stupid, wasn't it?

Anyway, Paulie tries to instruct us on how to reach Iceburg's room from here, but Luffy just crashes through the first room we see.

"Moron, it' not this room!" Paulie snaps. He jerks his hand up and points just down the hall. "It's the one next door!"

"It's the next one?!"

I sigh. Will he ever just listen?

"C'mon, Cap'n, let's just hurry--" My words fall on deaf ears as Luffy turns his head and locks eyes on the wall separating us from Iceburg's room. Sweat beads on my forehead; he wouldn't.... would he?