Soliloquy of the Broken Soul

Suspects and Poison

Y'all? I love you so much. You guys are great, wonderful people. Just in case you hadn't heard it today, I wanted to remind you all how amazing you are!!!! Take care and keep being your awe-inspiring selves!

And here's a chapter for you lovely people!!

Enjoy!

***

"He's gonna be mad Ace," Sabo sighed as the two brothers walked down the corridor to their room, Marco following right behind.

Ace scoffed and waved off his brothers tone. "He might be a tad angry I took so long, but he's with Izou! Izou's like, the only sane person on this ship. What could go wrong?"

Sabo turned to his brother. "You're thirty minutes late, Ace! It took you five to find me!" Sabo accused the raven.

Ace puffed out his cheeks and folded his arms across his chest, looking away from the blond.

"I was hungry. And I wouldn't have had to leave at all if you hadn't gotten all caught up in Pops stories!" Ace bounced back, glaring up at Sabo.

"You're both morons, yoi," Marco stated from behind, knocking them both on the head.

The siblings rubbed their heads, sending daggers towards the old pirate.

They made their way to the door of their bedroom, talking and blaming each other playfully all the while.

When they reached the door, they stopped in front of it a minute to finish the conversation.

"-and besides,  you're the one who created the schedule! Who the heck doesn't stick to their own schedule! It's ludicrous! I was just trying to find-"

"Ace, be quiet a minute." Sabo interrupted suddenly, holding up a hand in front of Ace's face.

"Wha- You can't just tell me to -"

Sabo glared at the raven. "No seriously. Do you hear that?"

They all three waited behind the door and strained their ears for the unknown sound. After a minute or two, they were able to make out the faint noise. It sounded like someone crying, but there was  sort of heaviness to it that made the crying rugged and cracked.

Both boys shared a panicked glance, eyes going wide as they realised what the noise was. They quickly turned the brass knob to the door and burst in.

"Hey, yoi-" Marco called after the boys, still confused.

He followed the boys inside the bedroom, but his jaw dropped right alongside the brothers when they saw the state it was in.

The cards Ace had been playing with Luffy before were now spread all over the floor in a careless arrangement. One of the beds was a disheveled and lopsided, the sheets and even the mattress slid off and halfway on the floor. The pillows were tossed to both sides and one of the corners of the wooden frame had been completely blown off, leaving chunks and splinters of wood scattered about the place.

The boys, however, paid no mind to these details as they instantly located the cause of the sounds.

A terrified Luffy was huddled in the far left corner of the room with his hands over his mouth and his head in his knees, practically gasping for air but still trying to keep himself from getting any. He was sobbing something fierce and thick watery tears flowed down his puffy red eyes and cheeks.