Author's Note: Anyone ever get writer's block? Cause I've had it for like the past month. So, in order to get my creative juices flowing again, this story was born. It should be a fun one (multi chap for sure)! Sometimes, you just gotta sit down, write, and see what comes of it XD

GENERAL WARNINGS: (Plus some basic plot points)

- Post-apocalyptic world

- Vampire AU (cause it's natural to jump from werewolves to vampires... right?)

- Violence/Gore/Death (ya know, apocalypse/vampire stuff)

- Kidnapping

- Slavery (of a sort, humans are just a food source to the vampires)

- Precious brothers you want to protect forever

- I'll add relevant warnings to the beginning of every chapter, like I do with all my stories

Before anyone asks, this is going to be a platonic AceLu story, brotherly bonding only, no romance between them. I am willing to add other ships, but I haven't decided which ones yet...

Enjoy!

*Kiseru* - a traditional Japanese smoking pipe

The world was bleak, full of dust and death…no greenery to be seen. Structures that had once stood tall were now rubble and blocked the way of weary travelers. Water was scarce and hoarded jealously, so much so that most avoided the "watering holes" unless there was no other way to survive.

Many gathered in small settlements underground for refuge but could never stay for long or risk earning the attention of vampires…creatures who now ruled over the desolate wastes with a heavy hand.

It was said that there used to be so many humans, the cities were bursting at the seams, but no longer…not anymore. Now, the remaining free ones traveled from ruin to ruin, avoiding patrols and trying to stay alive by any means necessary.

Luffy coughed as the wind blew sand up into his face, somehow bypassing his scarf and getting directly into his mouth. Spitting out the dust, he adjusted his goggles and pulled the fabric tighter around his nose and mouth.

Looking forward, Luffy could see his destination. The ruined structures formed a misshapen skyline that was obscured by the swirling sand. He wasn't sure what it had been called in its prime, but the settlement there was known simply as Red Town.

'I hope they have meat…water would be good too.' Luffy thought as he trudged into the ruins, grateful for the high walls that blocked the wind. The sixteen-year old was careful as he followed the hidden markers to the entrance of Red Town, making sure to cover the stones back up with sand so the vampires couldn't follow him in.

He hadn't encountered a vampire in many years, but Luffy still knew to be careful and not lead hunting parties right to sanctuaries.

A few minutes later, Luffy arrived at the hidden door which was simply a piece of old metal with the sanctuary sigil etched subtly into the base. He knocked lightly at the door and whispered,

"Sanctuary?"

He only had to wait about twenty seconds before a rough voice answered.

"Aye, but only if ya prove yourself to be unmarked."

Suddenly, the door was cracked open and Luffy was pulled into the dark space beyond the door. He didn't resist as hands pulled off his gloves and scarf, checking his forearms and neck for marks. No human who'd been tagged by a vampire was allowed into sanctuaries.

Luffy blinked as a lantern was lit and held up to his face, illuminating the dirty visage of a man.

"What brings ya to Red Town, stranger?" The man asked with a slight accent.

"Food mostly," Luffy answered, not moving from the grip of the other two who held his arms, "I'm just passing through."

"Got any weapons on ya, kid?"

"There's a dagger on my belt and in my boot."

Luffy huffed as he was dragged into well lit chamber and thoroughly searched. Every sanctuary was like this, paranoid and skeptical of everyone who came to the gate. Once they were satisfied, his bag and daggers were returned to him, the larger of the two he placed back on his belt. Though they were called sanctuaries, they weren't true asylums.

Luffy wished he could get himself a gun or crossbow, but they were hard to come by and he couldn't shoot for crap. So, he made do with his knives, not that they would do him much good against a fully realized vampire.

"All right, you're clear." The old man said, "But I'd be careful I was you, there's some of those rebels in town that might stir up trouble. Best to stay out of it."

"Thanks for the advice." Luffy chirped with a small smile before making his way down into the heart of Red Town. Like most sanctuaries, it was a series of tunnels carved into the rubble below what used to be a city.

There were quite a few people around, bartering for supplies or purchasing them from booths. Now fully inside the settlement, Luffy removed his filthy and wrinkled scarf from his neck and stuffed it in his bag along with his goggles, all the while wondering if he could find a cot for the night.

Most of the people were older than Luffy and male. Females were highly valuable to vampires as breeders, so there were hardly any children or women seen anymore. He imagined that they didn't last long in the wastes, snatched up by vampires.

Turning the corner, Luffy was met with a crowd of men surrounding someone who was drinking booze and speaking loudly in an obnoxious voice.

"That's right! I got one *hiccup* one of those vamps!" The blonde slurred, "Right in the gut with a bullet, and it went down!" Everyone cheered for the man while Luffy just rolled his eyes. Even if the guy had managed to hit a vampire, it probably didn't die. The creatures were ridiculously hard to injure, let alone kill, unless you had the right equipment, which, after a quick survey of the guy, he was lacking.

Pushing his way through the crowd, Luffy trotted to one of the quieter corners of Red Town, keeping his eyes peeled for somewhere to stock up on supplies and sleep. A small stall caught his eye, nestled in between two metal pillars, likely remnants of beams from the ruins above.

Walking up to the counter, Luffy lightly tapped the metal to let the owner know they had a customer as he looked over the dried lizard and crow meat that were on display. The quality wasn't bad, though the one on the end was on the verge of going rotten.

"W-Welcome!" An old voice called, prompting Luffy to look up. The owner was an old man with glasses and a funny hat who walked with a cane, "What can I get ya, lad? Or rather, what've you got to offer me?"

Luffy riffled through his bag and took out a rugged looking hat, making the old guy frown.

"That better not be all, brat."

"Shishishi, don't worry, I've got something better!" Luffy assured the man, pulling out some of the bendy stick things he'd found a few days before in an ancient vehicle, "These've gotta be worth something. Look, they've got markings on them!"

The old man took one of them gently and looked it over with an appraising eye.

"Well I'll be…if I'm not mistaken, these are 'rulers', or at least that's what my gramps used to call 'em. Still not exactly sure what they rule over… Anyway, I'm willing to offer five lizards, three drumsticks, and I'll even throw in a bottle of water as thanks for the nostalgia."

"What about a bed for the night?"

The old guy raised an eyebrow, obviously not pleased with the additional deal.

"That depends, what else you have to offer?"

"Um…I'm pretty good with fabric and stuff. I could mend something, or…" Luffy mumbled, wringing his hands together. He wasn't all that great at sowing, but it was something of a necessary skill when you were traveling alone in the wastes. All of his clothes he'd made himself, self-taught. The cloth didn't come cheap, so he only had one spare set of clothing.

"You got your own needle?" Luffy nodded, "All right, kid, you can stay, but only for one night!"

Luffy grinned and followed the man inside his stall, collecting his food and water from the counter and gently placing it inside his bag, wrapped up in leftover fabric.

Once inside, Luffy started at the sight of a woman lying in one of the two beds. She looked to be in her late twenties, possibly thirty…it was hard to tell with how sickly she appeared.

"Ah, my name is Woop Slap by the way, and this is Makino." He said, gesturing the woman who smiled gently at him, "She's not here, understand brat?"

"Yeah, I got it." Luffy replied firmly, watching Makino cough raggedly and collapse back into the bed. She was definitely sick, but that wasn't the main problem. If the other men in Red Town found out there was a woman here…

Luffy was brought out of his thoughts when Woop Slap threw a garment at him.

"Mend that and I'll consider your debt paid…what was your name?"

"Monkey D. Luffy, Mister." He answered, sitting on an overturned bucket to examine the massive hole in the side of the dress. "The thread won't match, but I can fix it."

"T-Thank you," Makino whispered, "You are a very kind young man."

Luffy smiled at her and pulled out his supplies to get to work.

That night, once he finished with the dress, Luffy slept for a few hours on the hard bed, grateful to be out of the wastes for one night. He was sure the mattress was covered in sand and dust now, courtesy of the constant layer he had on his skin.

Once Luffy heard people start to wake up outside of the stall, he rolled out of bed and was met by Woop Slap, who nodded to him.

"'Morning, brat. You did a nice job on that dress for Makino…thanks."

"It was nothing." Luffy replied with a smile before turning to look at the woman wheezing on the bed, "Do you know what's wrong with her?"

"Not a clue…just that she needs medicine or something if she's gonna survive." The man sighed, "It's gotten bad enough that she intends to seek out a patrol and-"

"She'd surrender herself to the vampires!?" Luffy hissed, "Why?"

"Makino's in pain, boy." Woop Slap said firmly, "They'd be able to heal her."

"But…she'd be a slave or-or worse!"

The man simply sighed and pulled his hat down low over his eyes, not saying a word. Luffy bit his lip and sat down on the dusty bed, feeling sad for Makino. He knew that many humans couldn't stand to live in the wastes anymore and surrendered, giving up their freedom for food and shelter.

For Makino, as a woman, she'd be taken in with extra care, but that didn't change the fact that vampires saw their species as cattle, a food source…at best, a slave.

"F-Forgive me, Luffy…" Makino whispered, now awake, "I am simply too weak to survive in this world. We've tried everything, and nothing w-works."

Luffy smiled softly at her and moved to kneel beside the bed, taking the pallid hands in his calloused ones.

"Don't worry, Miss Maki, you're not gonna die, not if I have anything to say about it!" She looked at him in confusion.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Listen, there's a sanctuary not far from this one that usually carries all sorts of medicine. I'll take you there!"

Makino smiled kindly up at him, stroking his filthy cheek with a shaky hand.

"That's very kind of you, but we actually just came from there. They kicked us out once none of the medicine had any affect, and I was deemed a health risk."

"Oh…" Luffy mumbled with a huff. If she was deemed a hazard, there was no way Makino would be welcome in any sanctuary. Which meant, Woop Slap was risking his life having her in Red Town.

"We appreciate your concern, lad." Woop Slap put in, "But there's nothing you can do. I intend to take Makino out of here sometime in the next few days and-"

"No, let me." Luffy interrupted, straightening up, "I'm in better shape than you are, old man, so I'll take her out. I'm pretty strong, ya know!"

Woop Slap raised an eyebrow and turned to Makino who chuckled softly.

"Sounds like we've found ourselves a hero!" She said sweetly, making Luffy pout.

"…'m not a hero…it's not like I wanna share my food or anything…" The two laughed, prompting a giggle from Luffy as well. Woop Slap was incredibly grateful and wouldn't stop bowing, much to his annoyance. It wasn't that big a deal, Luffy just wanted Makino to live, and if her wish was to go to a vampire citadel, then he'd help her out.

But there was no way he was getting caught, freedom was too important, no matter how dusty and harsh it was. Plus, Luffy knew how cruel vampires could be. While smiling at the others, his hand unconsciously came up to his chest to clutch at the rough fabric which hid his horrid scar, a present from the creature who'd murdered his parents and taken him away from everything he'd ever known.

Thankfully, the beast hadn't been given enough time to mark or tag him, which allowed him to travel the world freely. Strangely, it had been a different vampire who'd set him free, bringing Luffy to the conclusion that you couldn't judge a vampire at first glance.

Though, even that one saw him as nothing more than an animal. Luffy was lucky that he had been a child at the time.

They were all so engaged with each other, that none of them noticed the small, red-eyed bug that watched them from a tear in the metal ceiling.

Ace loved technology, it was so useful! Especially for his current job of scouting out the human colony. The young vampire sat reclined against what used to be a building of some kind, about twenty meters in the air. Being a vampire had its perks, including immortality, strength, agility, and a love of jumping through the air.

He wasn't the only one, even the ever stoic Jozu would occasionally take a roundabout route through ruins if only to leap from one roof to another.

Turning his attention back to the screen in his lap, Ace adjusted the half-mask over his face and furrowed his brows in concentration as he moved the scout insect through the ruins and into the colony.

It was small enough to not attract attention to itself, but also had no microphone, which was a bummer.

"Where are you…" He whispered to himself, searching the crowds of humans for their target. A few days before, a ballsy human actually managed to shoot Haruta in the gut, successfully pissing him off.

Normally, Marco would never order a raid on a human colony unless they were clearing the area or collecting more food. Their supply of humans was pretty good right now, so they had no need to go out of their way to capture more.

But, when one of their own was hurt, it condemned the whole colony.

"Yo, Acey, how's it going up there?" A voice said through the piece in his ear, making Ace jump.

"Thatch, you almost made me mess up!" He hissed, hastily getting the bug back on track, "It's going fine, lots of humans though…most of them well armed, though not with kairoseki…hang on." Ace moved the mechanical insect up to the rafters of the colony and scanned the crowd until its lenses landed on their target.

"Got him. He's in the center, where the tunnels merge together."

"Good work! Make sure you check the rest of the colony just in case. As I always say, no surprises!"

"Yeah, I know." Ace mumbled while rolling his eyes, "I don't need a babysitter." Thatch laughed in his ear.

"Whatever you say, fledgling! I'll see you back at the citadel." The communicator then beeped as Thatch disconnected.

Ace huffed and continued his remote reconnaissance of the colony. It was true that he was still a fledgling, having only been turned sixteen years ago, but he didn't need to be watched while out on missions, he'd long since proved himself. Maybe they were protective over him because he was turned at the tender age of twenty, or because he couldn't remember anything of his past life?

Ace wasn't sure. Frankly, he didn't feel the need to remember his time as a human. He was a vampire now with a family of his own…and that's all that matters.

Marco, his sire, tended to be something of a stick in the mud, maybe as a result of the long years he'd lived.

'Or maybe being the interim Lord is finally getting to him.' Ace mused, chuckling to himself. He didn't pay much attention to politics, but he did know that there hadn't been a Pureblood Lord at their citadel since the great Whitebeard, Marco's sire, who was still deep in hibernation and had been for centuries before Ace was turned.

Moving the bug through the colony, Ace noted the horrid conditions and sneered in disgust. Humans lived like savages!

As he came to the end of the tunnel, something caught his eye. It was a small booth pushed into a nook where an old man appeared, put some things out, and quickly returned inside, looking over his shoulder nervously.

"What are you hiding, geezer…"

Ace followed the human inside and had the bug crawl up to a small tear in the metal so he could see down into the room.

Surprisingly, there was a female in the back room, though she didn't look well. Ace immediately pressed a button on his control pad to take a few pictures to show Trafalgar, the vampire in charge of human care at the citadel. If there was a woman in the colony, he would probably insist on coming to extract her himself.

According to the doctor, they were often too rough with females and it impacted their ability to reproduce.

Zooming back out, Ace focused on the other occupant of the room, a young boy. It was surprising to find a youth as most were either born in captivity or died in the wastes. The human was short, skinny, and had raven hair that, even in the camera, looked greasy.

Unsurprising, considering the conditions most humans lived in.

Unable to listen to their conversation, Ace zoomed in on the boy's face. As he did, the human smiled widely and appeared to laugh. Narrowing his eyes, Ace focused on the youth.

'Why…does he seem familiar?' The vampire thought, 'I don't know him, but…I feel like I should.'

Snapping a few more pictures of the boy, Ace finished scouting the colony and recalled his bug. As he waited for it to return, he flipped through his pictures and stared at the pouting human, noting the small scar under his left eye.

'Could he be from my past when I was human?'

Huffing, Ace collected the bug and returned the equipment to his bag before pulling up his hood and leaping into the air, back towards the citadel…his home.

Marco sat cross-legged on a mat in the meeting room, smoking his kiseru* as he waited for Ace and the others from the scouting party to arrive.

The citadel was tranquil, full of green trees, rivers, bamboo and flowers, reminiscent of his favorite human culture. Marco was especially fond of the sakura trees throughout, their blossoms falling gracefully to the grass.

Just because he was an ancient vampire living in a decimated world, didn't mean his home needed to be so ugly. With their technology, altering climate and rejuvenating the land was a simple thing, though every once and a while, stale dust would fly into their home from over the wall.

Many of the other citadels were similar with their own unique climates and atmospheres, often based off of a specific human culture. Though the species was very weak and unable to sustain itself for long periods of time, they did create many unique things that didn't deserve to be lost to time.

Their citadel, known as the Moby Dick, was entrusted to him by Whitebeard, his sire and Lord, centuries ago, just before he'd gone into hibernation. Now, Marco watched over it and its inhabitants, including the many humans held as their food source.

The humans were stabled in various buildings throughout the citadel, usually in the yard so they could get some sun in the fenced in areas they were allowed to roam. Their humans were only required to keep themselves healthy to create good blood for them to collect. Some of the stronger ones worked throughout the estate, but it was sometimes a hassle to keep track of them all.

Marco preferred they stay confined to save him the trouble.

"My Lord, am I early?" A voice called, playful in its tone. Marco puffed out another cloud of smoke before smirking up at Trafalgar.

"You're actually the only one on time, yoi. Congratulations."

The doctor wasn't wearing his normal kimono, but instead wore combat boots, a thick long-sleeved shirt and his usual spotted hat. Law was prepared to go out into the wastes if needed.

Even not in his kimono, the vampire wore all black, a color that accented the tribal tattoos that covered his entire upper body. Marco preferred the lighter colors, like his own kimono which was white with blue and yellow flowers, open wide in the front to show his pride…Pops' mark.

"How are the humans this week?" Marco asked as he tapped his kiseru on the edge of the ash tray and prepared to re-light it, "No trouble I hope, yoi."

"They are doing well." Trafalgar replied as he sat diagonal to him, "Four of the females are pregnant, and the younglings are showing to be healthy. We did have to put five adult males down though, just this morning."

"Your reasoning?"

"Two were too old to continue giving blood, and the other three refused to be tamed. They were the ones captured during the attack on our patrol two months ago."

Marco clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Such a shame to waste food…are the other newcomers tolerating captivity better, yoi?" Trafalgar smirked,

"There's nothing like a few sessions with me to crush a rebellious spirit."

Marco snorted at that and looked up just in time to see Thatch skip through the sliding door.

"Sorry I'm late, had to stop for a snack!" He chirped before plopping down on the mat next to Marco.

"Thatch-ya, you know it's not allowed to drink directly from a human." Trafalgar chided as he poured himself a cup of tea.

"I can control myself!" The pompadoured vampire whined, "I only took a little…"

"Just be more careful, Thatch." Marco added, pinning the care-free vampire with a stare, "Humans are a dying race, we can't afford to lose them to gluttony."

As they waited for Ace to arrive, Thatch poured himself some tea and munched on a muffin, not that it did anything for him, nutrition-wise. Vampires could eat human food, but it didn't sustain them unless it was laced with blood. Still, the pleasant flavors were nice every once and a while. About thirty-minutes later, Ace arrived covered in dust and breathing hard.

"You're late, yoi." Marco chided, motioning for the fledgling to take a drink of tea.

"S-Sorry…I rushed here as fast as I could." Ace said quickly while settling himself down and taking a deep gulp of tea, "I finished scouting the colony. The target has made a little home for himself in the center room with all his followers so it shouldn't be difficult to capture him."

Marco hummed, glad the raid wouldn't require many of their resources. They would storm the colony, take the arrogant human and his cronies, and show him what happened when you crossed a vampire.

"Though…after a thorough search, there is a female in the colony." Ace added, turning to Trafalgar, "She looks terrible and I'm not sure she'll survive much longer." The fledgling handed his pad to Law who took it and looked over the pictures.

"Hmmm…. I'll need a closer look to properly diagnose, but I would like to try and save her if I can." The doctor then swiped his finger and raised and eyebrow, "Who's this, Ace-ya?"

Turning the pad around, it showed a picture of a young human boy with scruffy raven hair and big eyes.

"Just a kid who was with the woman…" Ace answered quickly, taking the pad back.

"Aww…he's cute!" Thatch cooed, looking over Ace's shoulder.

"Quit that!" The freckled vampire protested, holding the pad close to his chest. Marco couldn't help but think the young one was hiding something…something concerning the boy.

But they didn't have time for that, not if they wanted to add another healthy female to their stocks.

"Enough, both of you. Commence the raid as soon as possible. Thatch, you take the lead. Trafalgar, you are in charge of securing the woman and may take as many of your assistants as you like."

The three stood, bowed low to him, and quickly left the room.

Marco sighed, hoping they would return quickly and safely. Ace had come a long way since being turned but was still young and many times reckless. The fledgling had a lot to learn yet.

He set his kiseru down and took the letter delivered to him the day before out of his kimono (given to him in person for security purposes as some of the smarter humans were known to intercept their electronic messages), sealed with the Pureblood's sigil.

'It seems there will soon be a change in leadership here…hopefully, it will stay the way Pops envisioned.'

Ace wasn't sure what he was doing.

He should be joining Thatch and the raid party, but here he was, in his room, consumed with thoughts of a human boy. The youth who seemed so familiar to him and filled him with a need to protect…to keep the kid close. Never before had his mind felt so overwhelmed, it almost physically hurt every time he tried to push the youth out of his thoughts.

Flashes of images pulsed through his head, of a woman…though it was too blurry to make out, and-and a man? Who were these people? Neither of them was the boy!

'I literally saw him for like a few minutes! What the hell is wrong with me!?'

Taking a deep breath, Ace made his decision. He would capture the boy and find out why, for whatever reason, he sparked these images in his mind.

'Marco won't be pleased…' Ace mused, as he packed his bag with some extra cuffs, rope, and sedative. 'Especially since I don't particularly want to share him with the clan…'

Having a personal human was strictly forbidden, not that he intended to use the kid as his personal blood blank. No, but he needed to curb this obsession before it got out of hand. Ace would just keep the kid locked in his room until the mystery was solved, then…well, he'd think of that when the time came.

Marco would likely punish him, but he would also forgive him. He always did.