A serious case of Brocons

20. For honor...

Everyone looked around at each other, wondering who these two new faces were. And why was Dragon sitting with them, in fact, why was he there in the first place. He's always in his office working.

They had learned better than to ask questions though. So they let it be for the mean time.

The bells signaling lunch rang.

It's time....>:3

Dragon held back Sabo and Luffy, while Sabo and Luffy held back Ace. The chefs had retrieved their long poles to shoot the food over onto "Sabo's table" or so it was labeled.

One chef looked to the other. "Why are you using the old poles with bite marks?"

"Because we ran out of new ones, and wont have any till next month." The other Chef replied.

"We're out already?"

"That's correct."

The two chefs nodded, looked into little lockets of their families, then faced the danger ahead of them. 'Focus' they said in their heads, it was their turn to feed the beast's'.

Ace had already started foaming at the mouth, while Luffy's eyes went rabid. Sabo kept his composure, well, ignoring the loud humming he was doing.

The palms of the chefs sweated and they held firm. Remembering their place in this world. 'We...are..MEN!!' they thought in unison.

Together they quickly shuffled their feet forward and launched the food onto the table. A pole was lost to a hungry Ace, while the other made it out safely.

The chefs quickly ran back and hugged each other. "No lives lost today!" Said with a major sigh of relief. Together the two men handed off the pole to the next unlucky men who would have to feed the Sabo (and maybe others) next.

This was a daily tradition that was passed down from one chef to another. They called it a gift of God if you made it through 10 feedings unharmed.

But before they could celebrate, loud growling echoed through the dining hall. Everyone's attention veered to the corner of Sabo.

The boys were hungry.

The men looked at their meals, then back to the corner.

A large rumble, the sound of hungry bellies, amassed the entire room.

A breif silence...

"RUN FOR ITTT!!"

The room shook from the thundering footsteps hitting against the floor, and everyone made a break for a door or window.

"HELLLPPP!!" Screamed an unlucky rev as he was dragged by the leg into the back.

The soilders hadn't the time to mourn, but promised to make his ceremony grand if they escaped.

One by one, few were picked off. One brave man had a sandwich that he threw into the kitchen to bait the beasts away from everyone.

Over to one trainee chef. He could hear the room silence as everything slowed down around him. He turned. Faced the kitchen without looking for escape. A beared chef, his mentor, had grasped his arm. Knocking the little trainee out of his daze.

Don't. Don't do it, tears started to paint his face. The mentor had tried to pull his little trainee along with him. "I- I can't lose you!"

The trainee yelled. "BUT THE KITCHEN!! WE CAN'T LOSE IT! IT'S ALL WE ARE!!"

The mentor wrapped his trainee and in a chocked sob admitted something. "You've always been....like a son to me...I know I've been harsh, but it's because I love you..."

The trainee stopped resisting, a lump forming in his throat. Tears ran down his face as he admitted that he had always been like the father he never had. But he quickly stood his ground. "Even more of a reason I have to do this, it's what you trained me for....DAD!" The trainee pushed his mentor into the sweeping crowd and made a run for the kitchen, remember all the prescious things in life.

All that showed....was his mentor, his dad. He sniffed and wiped his eye as he made a run for the kitchen.

But something caught his arm, he turned to see that it was his mentor.

"I won't let you do this..." His mentor said.

"B-BUT-"

"You have to..I know...but." his mentor gave him a final kiss on the head. "It'll be me." He picked his adopted son and threw him into his friends arms telling him to look after him.

And as the trainee struggled, he heard his mentor give his final words. "LIVE ON FOR BOTH OF US! STAY STRONG!"

And the he disappeared into the crowd.

The room went quiet and numb as he was pushed and shoved against other people, their shouts muffled. "Dad...." His outstretched hand closed onto the place his dad was last.