Coming to was an absolute bitch.

My head was throbbing, and it took a good while of talking myself up before I managed to roll over and open my eyes. My hands were linked behind my back by something hard and heavy, but that was a problem for later. I had to figure out where I was, and where the others were.

Wherever I had woken up was pretty dark, but I could make out boxes. No, they were cages. Rows of them, some empty, and some with dark, shifting shapes held inside. Were they people?

I, however, wasn't in a cage. I was simply on the concrete floor with a stinking damn headache. Deciding I needed to move, I rolled to my stomach so I could climb to my feet from there, but once I was gut-down to the ground I realised that whatever had been used to lock my hands behind my back was way too heavy.

I am but a lowly worm. It's crawl-time, bitches.

Trying to keep my ungodly grunts of effort to a minimum, I began to worm my way across the building, trying to peer into each and every cell I passed. I had been right when I had thought the dark blobs were people. Dirty, exhausted people, barely even bothering to look my way as I inched by.

I eventually reached the cages towards the back of the space, and I was exhausted. Was I that out of shape, or were these shackles just ridiculously heavy? The moment I spied a shock of red, I scooted even faster, like a worm on a mission, until my face nearly smashed into the bars.

"Kid! Kid, you alive in there?!" I whisper shouted, cheek to cement as the figure almost flew to the bars, Kid's scowling face quickly easing a little into what looked like relief.
"Of course I'm fucking alive! Feel like shit, though..." He really did sound like crap, but I didn't mention it. He would've felt bad enough.

"Thank God...Okay, I'm gonna go get help! Sit tight!" Before I could wriggle away on my gallant wormy mission, Kid's hands, shackled around his front, reached through the bars and grabbed my hair, yanking me back. "Shit! What the hell?!'

I already have a headache! Don't make it worse!

"Who the hell do you think'll help us, huh?! I just need a damn key to these cuffs and we'll be out in five!" He explained in annoyance. I squinted over at his cuffs and realised the problem. They were sea prism stone. No wonder he looked like shit. That on top of being drugged? None of us were having a great day.

"Okay...I'll try to think of something. Man, my head is killing me..." I groaned, feeling Kid's fingertips gently touch the back of my head before he pulled them back into his cell, noticing the deep red.
"You didn't drink...Did they knock you out..?" His voice dropped several octaves, and I felt the chill of his serious tone through my whole spine.

"Yeah, I think so...I'm all good though. Tis but a flesh wound...and a possible concussion, but I'm good!" I tried to smile at him, but there really wasn't much to be smiling about. We were pretty screwed if we couldn't get ahold of a key to those cuffs.

"I'm gonna stuff his guts full of bullets and force 'em out through his skin..." Kid growled, his lip curling back over his teeth. "Killer's in the cell next to this one. He's still out cold. Heat, Wire 'n Boogie are awake, but no idea where the others are."

Even if I wanted to I couldn't exactly look up and check for myself, but I was relieved that at least some of us were awake and functional. Grunting, I turned myself around, starting to scoot a little ways away from Kid's cage.
"Depending on who comes by first, I might have an idea, so just...stay. Not that you really have much of a choice, but stay."

Even as I made my ridiculous getaway, I could hear Kid's teeth grinding, and I felt a little bad. I didn't want to add to anybody's stress right now. I also didn't want to be the one who somehow had to fix everything, but there was no changing that.

Once I was far enough away from the row of cells by the back, I just laid there, waiting. Time ticked by slowly, but I was pretty patient during life or death situations. Actually, I wasn't, but what else could I do? Befriend the cockroach that tried to climb up my chin and into my nostril? Yes. I named her Roachelle.

Finally, after almost too long, I heard the low creak of metal hinges, followed by the echoing click of heels against cement. Slow, steady, growing closer, and I held my breath. It took a good deal of mental strength not to yelp when something touched my shoulder, nudging me so I rolled onto my back, awkwardly arched due to my hands and cuffs beneath me.

The white mohawk above me told me all I needed to know. Livewire smirked down at my pitiful state, now wearing exactly what he had been in the wanted poster I had seen several months beforehand. Lots of black with touches of a striking yellow, and I definitely took notice of the long, dangerous looking spear attached to his back.

"Well well well, if it isn't the Little Lady! I was hoping I'd find you here." He crouched down, our eyes lined up in opposite directions even though his were hidden by shades. "Poor thing. Did Barley give you a crack to the skull? I'll make sure to scold him for you."

At least I have a chance to do something with this creep...

Pushing my eyes to widen, I stared up at him, hoping that my internal plea for crocodile tears would be answered.
"Y..you're the nice balloon guy..! Please..! Can you help me?! I don't know what's going on!" I sniffled, cheering myself on in my mind as I felt a tear slip down my cheek.

Livewire's smirk only grew, and he took hold of my shoulders, pulling me up to a sitting position. He stayed down on my level, the back of his hand moving across my skin to wipe away my fake tears.
"Aw, don't cry, Little Lady. You were much cuter when you were all smiley. It's not all that bad, is it? Don't you wanna go and work for someone and make them happy?"

Yep. Slave traders. Disgusting.

Pushing my face closer into his palm, I tried to scoot closer, very nearly losing my balance and falling either into him or backwards into the concrete.
"W..work for someone?! Please...don't make me go anywhere! I..I'll do anything you want..! Please!"

As I moved closer to the man, I took note of the metal bands he wore up the length of both of his arms. Recalling his Devil Fruit ability, I decided on the spot that they weren't just a questionable fashion statement. Metal was an electrical conductor, after all. I had to watch myself.

"If it were up to me, I'd keep you all to myself. Heard you were quite the sassy pants in front of the boss earlier. Just my type." He gave my cheek a slight pinch, and I could feel the tingle of static coming from his fingers. He was all charged up, it seemed. "Maybe I could call in a favour and take you as my bonus for this shipment?"

Ew ew ew ew yuck yuck yuck yuck!

Even though what he was saying made me feel queasy, I continued with my acting, making myself look as doe-eyed as possible.
"C..Could you..? I just...I don't want to be sent somewhere strange...a..and you seem so much nicer than Eustass..." I didn't like the way I forced the venom around my captain's name, and I swore I heard his shackles jangle in the background.

Sorry, man...I don't mean it...

"He's so mean to me...He treats me like garbage, a..and whenever he's around, all the others do too..." I whimpered, searching the black glass of his shades for any sign of, well, anything. "Y..you saw how aggressive that Killer guy was when he couldn't win your game...H..he's horrible when we're on the ship..! He and Kid treat me like a punching bag..!"

No no no! They're all so nice and kind to me! Well, Kid isn't exactly nice and kind, but no! I hate saying this crap..!

It was hard to ensure Livewire wouldn't notice that I was studying every inch of him, not only with my eyes, but my ears too. There was no sure-fire way to confirm he had the keys yet, but I had to keep trying.

"Eustass Kid, I'm appalled." The ivory-topped bastard called out sarcastically, looking over the top of my head to Kid's cell.
"Shut the fuck up! I can do whatever I want with her!" I hadn't expected him to play along so easily, nor so believably, and I was impressed.

Sucking up my pride, I fell into Livewire, squeaking in faux pain.
"My head hurts...and my wrists...The cuffs are so heavy..." I sniffled, rubbing my forehead against his distressed vest. From where I was positioned, I could see the ring of keys he pulled from his right pocket, and after a few metallic clicks, the cuffs fell from my wrists with a loud clang.

"I'll probably get my ear chewed off for this, but I have a soft spot for crying women." He sighed, pocketing the keys once more. It was too late, though. I knew where they were and I could take another step towards freeing my friends.

After Livewire helped me to my feet, and a few moments of me playing the part of a wobbly newborn fawn, I threw myself into his chest, arms curling around his lower middle.
"Thank you, Mister! Thank you thank you thank you!" I cried, using my honed skill of pickpocketing without so much as a faint jingle. "I promise, I'll do anything you say, I swear it!"

I really should be concerned with how easily I can lie...Oh well!

I batted my lashes once I stepped back from the pirate's chest, my hands linked behind me, showing off the ring of keys to Kid and the others who were conscious and paying attention.

Livewire swept a hand through his white mohawk, still smirking just like he had been when he arrived, maybe even more-so. Probably because I was seriously stroking his throbbing ego.
"I should hope so. You know how hard it is to get a decent woman with Cognac around? He's always either selling them or scaring them away."

I'm glad I put down some groundwork earlier. It's given us one hell of an advantage.

"Oh, he won't scare me away, I promise! A..As long as he doesn't sell me..." I placed the toe of my boot against the ground and scuffed it in a light circle, really playing on faux innocence.
"You traitorous bitch! You think you can just switch sides like that?! I'll kill you!" Kid screamed at me, pressed tight against the bars of his cell.

Flinching at his words, just to make them seem legitimate, I turned, quickly switching my hands to the front so the keys wouldn't be spotted. I was glad to not hear the following of footsteps as I approached the cell, stopping just shy of hitting the bars myself.

"Y..you can't hurt me anymore..!" I stammered out a yell in his face, slowly slipping the keys into his waiting hands, my body blocking our enemy's view. I smiled at him, shooting him a wink, and he reciprocated in kind before his face twisted into anger.
"You're dead!" He roared, clanging his shackles against the steel, and I stumbled backwards. "You hear me?! Dead!"

You're quite the showman, aren't you, Kiddo? I'm impressed...

Skittering back to Livewire, I cowered behind him, keeping up my act. There wasn't long to go now. Whilst he may have been cuffed, there was definitely enough room for Kid to pivot the key and get it into the lock.

"He's harmless. All bark and no bite in his position. Don't be scared, Little Lady." Livewire cooed, petting my head and causing my hair to frizz. "Look, I'll prove it. How about we open up that cage and give him a taste of his own medicine, hmm?"

Shit-

"W..wait..!" I grabbed the man by the back of his vest and spun him around to face me, trying to buy Kid the time he needed to free himself and cause some much needed chaos. "D..Don't open it up..! He...scares me, a..and I'd feel much safer if he stayed locked away like he is now..."

His brow quirked up from behind his shades, and that was when I knew I had lost him, at least a little.
"What's wrong, Little Lady? You don't think I can protect you from that peanut-brained gorilla? I'm hurt..."

When I saw his hand reach towards his pocket, I desperately searched for a way to defuse whatever was about to happen, but it was no use. The only thing I could have hoped to use as a weapon was his spear, but there was no chance of me swiping it. My pistols had been taken from me, so I just had to face the facts. I was a dead woman walking.

The atmosphere changed drastically when Livewire's hand slipped into his pocket, slowly realising that the set of keys were nowhere to be found. It was like the air was crackling all around us, and I took a single step back when his expression began to change.

His smirk remained, but it held a kind of depraved warning, telling me that I had absolutely no chance to redeem myself from here on in.
"Wh..What's wrong..?" There wasn't much point in me trying to play dumb, but I did anyway, if only to keep his eyes on me and not on my captain.

Hurry it up, Kid! I don't exactly wanna die here!

Livewire rolled his head from side to side atop his shoulders, his neck cracking, which was honestly more of a threat than cracking his knuckles in preparation for a fight.
"I get it...Fool the poor, lonely pirate who easily fell for the damsel in distress act...I can't even blame you. I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

Any time now, Kid!

"The boss really wasn't exaggerating when he said Useless Kid had a cunning fox...You really almost had me right where you wanted me...Such a pity..!" I barely even saw him prepare for a kick, so I was caught off guard when his boot smashed directly into my midsection, sending me flying up and into the wall of the warehouse.

I hadn't even started falling before something else flew my way, and all of a sudden my body seemed to explode. It was so intense, I hardly even took notice of how his spear was driven directly through my left wrist, or the sound of steel creaking and bursting elsewhere in the room.

Livewire was still holding onto his weapon, one foot on the wall between my dangling legs, his free hand tilting my chin up to look him in the eye. He looked thrilled, almost euphoric, but I didn't care. I just wanted my muscles to stop spasming and burning from the electrical charge he had sent through them.

"Ohohoho, you look damn pretty when you shake like that, Little Lady!" He exclaimed with delight, completely ignoring the booming sounds of crashing metal and shouting people surrounding us. "Tell me, did you really think you'd be able to get your precious captain and his ragtag band of rookies out of this? All by your little old self? We're not as dumb, or weak, as you might think we are..."

As much as I wanted to respond to him, to speak out on my confidence in my companions, my mouth wouldn't work. It felt like it was frothing, and on top of that my hand felt like it was about to detach from my body with my weight dragging down from where I had been pinned.

I did, however, manage a choked gasp when a jagged metal bar came flying out of nowhere, and Livewire pressed himself flush to my dangling body, turning his head once it pierced through the upper corner of the building and into the night sky.

Down below, in front of his warped, decimated cell, stood Kid, entirely focused on us, and not the offence and defence of the men, ours and theirs, around him. He looked absolutely feral, his left arm built upon with scraps and shards of debris, very nearly glowing with a rage far beyond what I had seen from him.

"Get your hands...off my girl..."

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
***Your girl, huh, Kid?

Sorry, bruh, I belong to Killer. (And Doffy and Mihawk and Penguin and Paulie and Rayleigh and Niji and Trebol and-)

I don't know what I'm doing with this mini arc but it's almost over dw.

C̶h̶r̶i̶s̶s̶y̶ Killer wake up. I don't like this.

My work is hiring 12 new people and I'm scared I'll lose much needed shifts and have to get a second job, because I'm the only income for my household of 3 at the moment :') Big stress.

Next Time: Bust Up Bust Out***