Author's Note: What's this? A new story!? Yep! I've been working on this one for a while and wanted to go ahead and post the first two chapters. It's a MermaidAU mixed with a modern setting. I'm pretty excited about it XD AU's are just so much fun to write!

GENERAL WARNINGS:

- Teach is VERY creepy, like more than normal (pretty much yandere...)

- Violence

- Death

- Gang violence

- FLUFF, of course (it wouldn't be one of my stories if it didn't have some fluff in it)

I haven't fully committed to any pairings with the exception of Corazon x Bellemere (because it's adorable) and past Roger x Rogue. I'm thinking some LawLu... but I haven't decided yet. Since I'm not super into writing romance at the moment, I don't want to make it the major aspect of the story. BUT, I am into cuddles and fluffy moments, so...

Also, Law won't enter until the end of Chapter Two. First, we get some backstory with Luffy :)

Let me know what ya'll think!

Luffy hummed contently as he lounged on a large piece of coral, soaking in the sun's rays. It was always nice to get away from the city every once and a while. Away from his guards and all of the strict rules he had to abide by.

Flipping his silver and white tail up to make a trail of bubbles through the crystal-clear water, Luffy giggled. It wasn't often he could slip away since he was the second prince of Raftel.

His father, Dragon, ruled the oceans with an iron fist and expected a lot from him and Ace, the first prince. Him and Ace weren't related by blood but were still brothers. Luffy frowned sadly as he recalled what he could about Ace's father, the previous King. The Mer had died suddenly, when he was five years old, so his memories were a bit spotty. Rogue, Ace's mother, didn't survive childbirth.

Per Mer law, Dragon inherited the throne as Roger's surviving kin. But, since Ace's claim was still valid, he became the crown prince in Luffy's place, not that he minded. Since they looked so similar, most common Mer assumed they were kin.

"Oi, Luffy!" A frantic voice called, startling the prince out of his thoughts, "There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you!"

The young Mer sat up and smiled at Usopp, who was swimming quickly towards him, brown tail swishing in urgency.

"Hey, Usopp!" Luffy greeted happily, "How'd you find me so quickly?" The other Mer swam to a stop and panted to catch his breath.

"You're kind of hard to miss in the sun like that…" Usopp grumbled as he examined Luffy's tail that was glinting in the sunlight, "I went to the reef first since that's where you always go, but when you weren't there, I came out here. You know how dangerous it is to travel this far away from the palace! You could slip into the Riptide Current by accident!"

Luffy huffed and tuned out Usopp's lecture. The reef was beautiful and fun to go to, but he'd seen literally every corner of it! So, when he discovered his new spot, a small enclave with some comfy big coral and a far-off view of Raftel, he couldn't resist.

The young prince knew it was dangerous to be so close to the Riptide Current, but it wasn't like he was going to touch it or something! Luffy turned to examine the massive water current in the distance, the water churning swiftly.

Ace and his father constantly warned him to stay away from it as, if he was caught up in it, he would be whisked away to the territory of the Scavengers. From what Luffy knew, the Scavengers were a group of Mer who lived in the wastes to the east of Raftel. He'd never met a scavenger before, but supposedly they were barbarians who wouldn't hesitate to kill (and possibly eat) outsiders.

At least, that's what his dad always said.

"You're not listening to me…" Usopp sighed, "Come on, Luffy, let's get back to the palace. His Majesty is looking for you."

"Aye…" The prince whined, his powerful tail sending him gliding through the water with ease. When Luffy glanced back and saw Usopp was struggling to keep up, he slowed his pace a little.

"You're as fast as ever!" The younger Mer wheezed beside him. Luffy simply laughed and continued swimming towards Raftel.

Once they reached the town that surrounded the palace, common Merfolk took notice of them and began to whisper amongst themselves while pointing at Luffy. The prince sighed, used to the attention.

His albino tail tended to garner awe from the average Mer.

Usopp took the lead once they entered the palace and led Luffy straight to the throne room. Recognizing him, the guards bowed and opened the heavy doors.

As he swam up to the large throne, Luffy swallowed nervously at the look on his father's face.

"H-Hey, Dad…" The prince greeted with a slight quiver in his voice, "Usopp said you wanted to see me?"

Dragon narrowed his eyes, causing Luffy to flinch. He'd always found his father to be a serious man, and when he sat on his throne, trident in hand, the young Mer was reminded of how terrifying he could be.

"Where were you?" Dragon asked, black tail moving slightly in the water. "I summoned you hours ago."

"My apologies, Your Majesty!" Usopp quickly interjected with a deep bow, "It took me a while to find the prince and deliver your message…"

"So I see." Dragon responded sternly, "You are dismissed, servant. Luffy, come here." The prince flashed a quick smile at Usopp before swimming up to the throne. Once alone, Dragon placed his trident to the side and crossed his arms before asking,

"Well, where were you this time?"

"I found this cool new place…" Luffy whispered, wringing his hands together, "I'm sorry, Dad, I-I just wanted to get away for a while and lost track of time."

"We can't keep doing this, Luffy." Dragon drawled, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Do you have any idea what would happen if something happened to you?" Luffy sniffed and dropped his head in shame. His father continued,

"As a prince of Raftel, you're a prime target for those who want to usurp my authority! Not all of the kingdoms around us are pleased with my leadership." Dragon lectured, fixing Luffy with a hard stare, "I need you to start taking your position more seriously! No more wandering off, especially so close to the summit."

"Can I still go to the reef?" Luffy asked, looking up at Dragon with a hopeful gaze.

"No. I'm sorry, Luffy, but this is a serious matter. I was going to have Ace tell you…" Dragon trailed off, before meeting the young Mer's questioning eyes again, "The Scavenger King is going to attend the summit this year."

Luffy's eyes widened at that.

"Really? Can he do that?" He asked, somewhat confused.

"There is nothing that says he can't." Dragon replied seriously, "Apparently, he intends to vie for his 'kingdom' to be recognized by Raftel so that it can reap the benefits. Of course, that will never happen. We do not deal with such… barbarians."

"Is he dangerous? How many are coming?" Luffy asked excitedly. It wasn't often they had Mer come from such an unknown place. Dragon sighed before whacking him on the head with the end of his trident.

"This is not a good thing, Luffy. Their 'King' is a practically a Warlord and known for his brutality! As such, I'm ordering you to stay in your room during the summit."

"What!?" Luffy exclaimed in frustration, swimming up so he was face to face with his father, "That's not fair!"

Dragon simply sighed and motioned for him to calm down.

"I'm sorry, but this is for the best."

"What about Ace, does he get to stay?" Luffy demanded, his hands clenching into fists.

"As crown prince, it is his duty to participate in the summit." The young Mer opened his mouth to object again, only to be stopped by Dragon's hand, "Please understand, this is to keep you safe. You're only seventeen, and with that tail of yours, you tend to draw attention. I don't want anyone getting any ideas."

With that, Dragon rang a bell that Luffy knew summoned his guards. Seconds later, a familiar green-haired Mer appeared alongside a blonde one.

"Zoro, Sanji, escort my son to his chambers and make sure he doesn't leave until after the summit ends."

"As you command." Zoro replied with a bow, giving Luffy a sorrowful look. The prince didn't resist as his two guards each grabbed an arm and firmly guided him out of the throne room.

Once they reached his chambers, Zoro and Sanji placed Luffy on a bubble, allowing him to float up into his oxygen permeated room, and subsequently to the floor dejectedly.

"Come on, Luffy, cheer up! It's only for a day." Sanji encouraged as he peeked up into the room from the hole in the floor, "Why don't I go make you some flame-grilled sea king to tide you over?"

Luffy perked up a little, already drooling at the thought. If there was one thing they could thank humans for, it was fire. Using bubble technology, parts of the palace were pockets of air, so they could make food they couldn't normally make underwater.

"Thanks, Sanji, I'll take you up on that." Luffy replied with a small smile as he manipulated the bubble over to his bed and flopped down on it with a huff. Hearing the door to the hole close behind Sanji, Luffy rolled onto his stomach so he could pout up at Zoro.

"Are you sure you can't let me out?" Luffy questioned, eyes big.

"Nope, sorry Luffy." Zoro responded swiftly from his perch on his own bubble (thanks to awesome bubble coral), "King's orders."

The prince whined and wrapped his arms around his bare stomach, curling up into a ball. How stupid was this!?

'It's not like anything's going to happen…' Luffy thought indignantly as he buried his face into one of his soft pillows.

Ace reclined on the balcony rail of his room, watching the fish swim by. He was supposed to be studying Merfolk law for the summit, but really needed a break. It was tough being crown prince.

Raising a hand, Ace willed the water in his palm to heat until he had a small bubble of boiling water that he flung at a nearby wall. Royal Mer were all blessed with an ability, his just so happened to be extremely powerful.

'Not that Raftel has need of a warrior…' Ace thought while clicking his tongue to scare off a particularly brave angel fish, 'No one's stupid enough to try and come against Dragon's power.' His step-father could make water around him bend to his will, an ability inherited (somewhat) by Luffy. Not that the youngling could control it yet.

"Enjoying yourself, yoi?" A voice asked in amusement, "What'd the fish ever do to you?"

"Their crime? Being too delicious." Ace responded with a smirk as he watched the fish swim in terror as he barred his teeth. Marco, his guard, chuckled from where he floated on a bubble inside the air lock of his room. The prince was glad he'd requested a bubble wall to his balcony, that way he didn't have to go out the door in the floor if he wanted to reach the ocean.

Squeezing a piece of bubble coral he'd taken with him onto the balcony, Ace summoned a bubble, situated himself on it, and re-entered his chamber.

"They finally found Prince Luffy, by the way." Marco informed him while he moved from the bubble to his bed, "Apparently, he was over by the Riptide Current, yoi. The King was quite angry with him."

Ace sighed and ran a hand through his still wet raven hair.

"That's Lu all right, always running straight into danger. Should get him a leash or something…"

"King Dragon has ordered him to stay in his chambers until the summit is over, yoi. Probably for the best." Marco added as he shifted on his bubble, yellow and blue tail tensing from the effort.

Ace nodded in agreement. With the Scavenger King coming, the usually boring summit suddenly became unpredictable. From experience, he knew that there was many a Mer who wanted to get their fins on a Silver-Scale. That is, a Mer with an albino tail. Not only were they ridiculously rare, but their scales were said to have special healing properties along with some type of magic. All of this on top of the fact that his little brother was a Royal…

Yep, keeping Lu hidden away was the best course of action.

"My Prince, may I enter?" A crusty voice called from beyond the floor door. Raising an eyebrow, Ace gestured for Marco to see who it was as he wasn't expecting any visitors that night.

The blonde Mer opened the door and floated aside as another bubble pulled a chunky Mer up into Ace's room.

"Zehahaha, that door sure isn't made for us big-boned ones is it!" Teach laughed, settling himself awkwardly onto the bubble.

"What is it, Teach?" Ace asked the servant in a monotone voice, "I need to keep preparing for the summit tomorrow." The fat Mer made Ace feel somewhat… disconcerted. He was just always around, and his gaze tended to linger a few seconds too long.

"Forgive me, Your Highness, I merely wished to bring you some refreshments." The servant smiled and presented a tray of sorbets still trapped inside a protective bubble.

"That's very kind of you, Teach." Ace replied with a forced smile, "You can leave them on the table."

Teach bowed, nearly tipping off his bubble, before popping the bubble around the dish, placing the tray down, and excusing himself. Marco had to help push the fat Mer back into he water.

When the old servant left, Ace breathed a sigh of relief.

"There's something about him that makes me uneasy."

"He's always been like that, yoi." The guard assured, "But, despite his looks and mannerisms, he's also one of the most loyal servants the Royal family has ever had. Try to see his more… positive attributes."

Ace huffed and motioned for Marco to bring over his "studies", so he could continue. Dragon wanted him to be fully prepared and wouldn't accept anything less.

It was hard for Teach to keep his composure as he left the Crown Prince's chamber. Seeing Ace like that… reclined with his orange tail relaxed and on display, so magnificent and much more beautiful than his own tail, a matted grey and black.

He'd been working for the Royal family for many years and, from the first time he'd laid eyes on the first prince, Teach knew he was a masterpiece. Not only was he strong warrior, but his Royal ability was the most powerful seen in generations! Oh, he had plans for Ace.

Swimming through the hallways, the old Mer couldn't help but smirk to himself. Afterall, his plan was finally coming to fruition now that it was the summit's eve.

"Ah, Teach!" A young voice called, "Care to give me a hand?"

Pushing down his frustration at being interrupted, the servant smiled and turned to the little chef whose name was Sanji, if he remembered correctly.

"I'm bringing Prince Luffy his meal and could use some help." The blonde asked as he gestured to a large assortment of plates and dishes, already prepped in bubbles.

The second prince… Monkey D. Luffy. While Teach found the boy annoyingly bright and happy, he didn't particularly hate the kid. His tail was something of a wonder but Teach still preferred Ace's.

It took some skillful bubble use to get all the plates through the water and into the Prince's chambers. Not bothering to pull himself all the way in, Teach watched Sanji lay out the food, gaining an enthusiastic giggle from the prince.

"Thanks, Sanji!" The second-prince chirped, maneuvering himself to the edge of his bed so he could reach the plates.

'He's nothing like his father…' Teach thought as he watched the brat tear into the meat like a rabid animal. Still, every pawn had its uses…

Leaving the prince to his meal, Teach slunk out of the palace and swam a ways to a cave hidden in the nearby cliff face. Doc Q was waiting for him. Not much for talking, the old sorcerer led him to the back of the cave where dark magic was festering.

"Will it be done by tomorrow?" Teach asked, looking over the object with a scrutinizing gaze.

Doc Q's tentacles slithered around as the sorcerer nodded.

"It… will be… complete. You need… only… wield it."

The old Mer laughed as he circled the trident, ecstatic to think what the look on Dragon's face will be when he strips him of his power and takes Raftel for himself.

'And then… Ace, and all his power, will be mine.'

The following morning, Ace got up early and met Dragon in the throne room, royal circlet across his brow. While his and the King's were a brilliant gold, Lu's was silver. Not that he would need to wear it today.

As they discussed how the summit proceedings would go, a guard swam quickly into the room.

"My Lords, Mer have been spotted approaching from the west and north."

"Meet them all half-way and lead them here." Dragon ordered, "Let me know the second you see a scavenger." Ace eyed the King's furrowed brow with concern.

"You're worried." He asked in a low voice, "Do you really think the Scavenger King will try something?"

Dragon gripped his trident tightly and the tattoo on his face glowed for just a moment.

"With that… creature… we must be prepared for anything."

Charlotte Katakuri held in a sneeze as he glided through the water alongside, but not in, the Riptide Current.

"Are you all right, brother?" Cracker asked in a concerned voice, coming up beside him through multiple strong flicks of his tail.

"I'm fine." He replied curtly, slowing his pace again so his entourage could keep up. At over sixteen-feet in length, Katakuri was easily the largest thing in this part of the ocean. Even sea kings avoided him, as they should.

Despite his strength, he couldn't help but feel apprehensive about the summit they were going to be attending. Through constant petition and frankly bothering the Council of Mer, he'd finally managed to secure a place, if temporary, at the annual summit of Kings.

Katakuri knew that the great King Dragon would be less than pleased to see him considering the Mer's past with Mama.

It had been years since the terror that was "Big Mom" died, leaving Katakuri to care for his people. He could only hope that Dragon would look past his prejudices and see the true need of his people.

The main issue, aside from a general lack of food, was sickness coming from pollution. Filth came up from the ocean floor like a plague and, coupled with the human's trash, created a toxic environment that needed to be cleansed. The wastes were a harsh place to live. Though he was reluctant to request it, Katakuri had heard rumors that one of Dragon's sons was a Silver-Scale.

'With their help, perhaps the wave of death can finally cease!' the massive Mer thought, gritting his teeth. No one knew where the pollution came from, but it needed to be cleansed. Personally, Katakuri thought it could be a type of dark magic, but there was no way of knowing for sure without magic of their own… hence the Silver-Scale.

"Brother…" Cracker asked from beside him, "What if they refuse to help us? I-If we don't get at least medicine… our people will…"

Katakuri had of course thought of this possibility. Knowing the smaller Mer races like he did, there was a good chance they would be refused without even bothering to listen to their plight. But, with the instincts of a shark running through him, Katakuri would not be stopped by simple politics.

"Should the worst happen, Cracker, we take what we need by force."

"You don't mean…"

"I do. If everything is refused us, then we take the Silver-Scale by force." Katakuri replied. He knew this course of action would be a declaration of war, but he would not let his people die. "This is only a last resort. For now, we negotiate, and hope all goes well."

He could feel the tension grow in the scavengers swimming behind him, but Katakuri knew they would do what was necessary to save their families. Catching a large stray fish in his sharp teeth, he ripped the flesh off its bones and threw what was left to his comrades who immediately swarmed the carcass. Though not nearly as large as he was, all of the scavengers were of shark descent and therefore larger than the average Mer.

Katakuri smirked as he watched his brothers and sisters feed before turning back towards their destination that grew larger as they approached.

'See reason, tiny Mer King, and there shall be peace.'

Luffy leaned out his window just shy of the bubble separating his oxygen rich room from the water outside. Pushing himself up a bit higher so he could see, the prince watched the nobles from other Kingdoms enter the palace.

He curled his lip in disgust as they strutted past the guards like they owned the place. Most nobility just looked down on the common people and saw themselves as better than everyone else. Pushing his face against the bars that prevented him from swimming out into the sea, Luffy scanned the crowd again, looking for the newcomer… the Scavenger King.

So far, no one stood out to him.

Pouting, Luffy sat back in his bubble and glared at the still locked door that would have been his escape, knowing Zoro and Sanji were right outside of it. For all his pleading, they wouldn't budge.

Putting his face in his hand, Luffy stared longingly down at the courtyard, wishing he could be anywhere but trapped in his room.

Suddenly, a commotion down below drew his attention. The guards were quickly ushering the stragglers into the throne room while others swam out with spears held aloft. Immediately alert, Luffy watched the guards form a semi-circle to greet the new Mers, who were larger than any he had ever seen. The first few were definitely different, with tails that were hard and more shark-like, though it was their prominent dorsal fins that gave away their origin.

'No wonder Dad didn't want me near them.' Luffy thought as he watched the scavengers swim to a stop, 'Shark Mer are known to be dangerous.' His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he laid eyes on the one who could only be the King.

The Scavenger King was massive, larger than some of the houses he swam by. He had tattoos over half his chest and his tail was a deep purple, almost black, with stripes indicating what shark he took his tail from.

'Tiger shark…' Luffy thought with a nervous swallow, remembering his own experience with one when he and Ace were just fry. The monstrous Mer straightened up to meet the quivering guards, his long teeth out for everyone to see.

Though he couldn't hear what they were saying, it seems they worked it out as the scavengers were allowed into the hall, their King barely able to fit through the arched doorway.

Luffy moved his bubble back over to his bed where he entertained himself by scrubbing his tail scales, wishing he could be down with Ace to hear what was going on…