(Pre-Show) The Barracks

[Monkey D. Luffy]

"Hey hey hey! Stop that, I don't want your crappy necklace!" Luffy fussed, entangled by a duet of masculine stooge-suits futilely trying to wrangle the pirate into submission. There appeared to be a swelling pattern of disputes with Karl's faculty up to this point. By now they should've inferred that Straw Hat was not the compliant type.

"Please cooperate, sir! It is required of every contestant to be collared without exception," requisitioned the buxom bimbo whom greeted Luffy and 'Ears' at the elevator. Amicably inching towards the rubber youth, she knelt down to meet his visage with a jubilant, albeit counterfeit simper to convey her intentions were just.

"Behave like the obedient slave that you are and put the damn thing on already, imbecile," An extrinsic voice groaned from the aft, eliciting stretch and his captors to peer over unitedly, setting eyes upon a gussied man clad in spangled gold from nape to hoof.

"Oi, you've got one too goldilocks!" Mugiwara snapped in riposte, laxing his resistance to quell the struggle. His quip invoked a pulsing vein to protrude from the stranger's sun-baked forehead. "Why you insolent . . . I've only agreed to such protocols in light that the spoils of victory will inflate my lavish treasures!" The flaxen-locked aristocrat vaunted, sneering down at the 'lowly peasant.'

Sheesh, the only thing inflating is his ego, the busty blonde secretary mused to herself, erecting to her stiletto heels and tugging her blouse down over a voluptuous frame.

"Do not presume this makes us equals. I am Gilgamesh, King of–"

Twitch.

The golden liege halted his introduction as Luffy sprung before him, seizing the self-proclaimed monarch by his gilded chestplate. "King, eh? King of what?" Straw Hat inquisitioned rather demandingly.

"Remove your filthy mitts from my vestments you bumpkin!" Gilgamesh yawped, swatting the young pirate's hand away. "I am the only King that matters, the King of all Kings!" The royal asshat gloated with majestic posture. Clenching a fist, Luffy shifted closer.

"I will be the King of Pirates, and will clobber anyone claiming to be otherwise!" The irked captain challenged, planting a thumb to his own chest. The hot-to-trot bombshell attendant languidly rolled her eyes, scoffing at their altercation.

"Yes yes, everyone is a king. Everyone rules a kingdom, blah blah blah. Such impetuous folks around here; enough ego stroking. You, rubber boy, come with me, my name is Tristy. Pretty boy, run along and count your coins or whatever you do," Shooing away Gil, she gestured Luffy over with a finger. Gritting his teeth, the babylonian stormed off, mumbling unmentionables with bated breath.

Thud!

Absentmindedly jaunting about whilst ogling the ever-eccentric legion of contenders, Straw Hat thumped into something with an 'oof', something large, something hard. Tilting his visage high, the pirate locked eyes with a behemoth of dominating presence.

"Ah? Oh, sorry 'bout that, I wasn't paying attention. You're a biggun', kihihi!" Luffy jived, grating the back of his unkempt coiffure. Yikes, this guy's as tall as the three Admirals, bet he's just as strong too!

"Hm? Worry not, boy. It caused little more harm than a feeble insect," the dismal-skinned hulk pardoned with demeaning tone. "I'm rather perplexed by how many fledglings have come to partake in such a dangerous contest of wits and wills," the towering brute continued, waxing speculation of the pirate's merit. Although, he was not doltish enough to think the young man unworthy. After all, his greatest nemesis was in fact juvenile by appearance.

"Keh, well, all the wicked jerks I've knocked down have been bigger than me. Large or small, everyone falls the same way," Mugiwara wisecracked in rebuttal, soliciting a confounded gaze from the beastly bruiser. "By the way, I'm Luffy! Straw Hat Luffy! I ate the Gomu Gomu devil fruit and can do this!" The captain displayed his abilities, extending an elastic arm some twenty feet and palming one of Tristy's plump ta-tas, groping it like a stress ball.

"Eeeek!! Unhand my goodies you perverted son of a whore!" She scorched like a ravenous fiend, stomping over and slapping Luffy to a pulp with her clipboard. Standing awkwardly in silence, a sweat droplet scaled down the ginger-haired clod.

"Some power you have there," yet another unfamiliar voice chimed, entering the main area through one of the myriad corridors. A wee little damsel trudged over, garbed in summer dress with a piggy-pink bob of hair draped over her melon. "I'm Guu, I can stretch too," she boasted in monotonous tone, demonstrating her claim with a wacky sway of her noodle arms.

"Whaaaat?? You ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi too?! Awesome!!" Straw Hat excitedly yammered, sauntering over to the vapid 'gnome.'

"Don't know what that is. I just can. I'm Guu, Princess of Ambrosia. It's nice to meet someone else like me," the fun-sized dame acquainted, raising a fleshy stub near the ceiling, eliciting Luffy to elongate his own appendage to match hers for a super high-five.

"Kahaha, you're fun! . . . But wait, did you say queen?" He inquired, placing a finger to his chin and tilting like an addled hound. Guu merely returned a nod before aiming a nub at the domineering Goliath whom for some reason was still settled in position.

"That's Ganandorf. He's the Dark King or something. You ran into Gilgamesh earlier. There's many aspiring crowns walking about," She elucidated, still maintaining an expression of disinterest.

Flicking his straw hat up over his countenance with a single digit, Luffy fell silent. Trekking over, he planted both feet upon the centermost linoleum tile and threw his arms out, bellowing a provocation for all contenders to hear.

"LISTEN UP! ALL YOU KINGS, QUEENS AND WANNABE NOBLES! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU WANT TO CALL YOURSELVES OR PRETEND TO BE! JUST REMEMBER MY NAME! I'M MONKEY D. LUFFY, CAPTAIN OF THE STRAW HAT PIRATES, AND I'M GOING TO FIND ONE PIECE! I WILL BE THE KING OF THE PIRATES! YOSH!!"

THWAP!

"ENOUGH ALREADY!!" An irate Tristy clobbered the rambunctious rubber brain with a ginormous hammer to squelch his obnoxious tirade. Where in tarnation she hauled such a whopper from remained a mystery. "I'm taking you to your room already, you idiot!" She directed, dragging a half-conscious Straw Hat by his collar and scampering off, leaving Guu and Ganandorf to ponder dubiously.

"Now stay put while I go gather your collar," Tristy commanded, tossing Mugiwara into his private chambers quite inhospitably and sliding the shutter door closed. "Oi, bring me some meat!" Luffy requested blithely, as if the thick numbskull hadn't just had his dome caved. Climbing up into a well-kept bunk, the captain relinquished a liberal sigh before falling back against the fluffed pillow to snag some shuteye.

"ZzZzZzZ . . . "

******

Shkeen!

A harrowing vestige pierced Mugiwara's spirit, forcing his conscious mind to recede into a cavernous pit of murky black. He had felt this sensation before, recently in fact. The ominous presence festering within him grew with every passing moment, lying in wait.

Gah, this feeling again . . . what is it? Why is this happening? I . . . can hardly control my body. My head . . . flooding with bad thoughts, hankering to hurt . . . anybody.

Gehgehgeh, I've already disclosed my purpose to you, cretin. I am you, and you are me. I'm taking control, fanning the flames of your deep-seeded malice. I shall relish in watching you stain your hands with blood of the innocent.

GAH! STOP IT! What do you want?? What are you? WHERE are you? Come out! I'll, gahahahahaha, I'll slit your fucking throat you piece of shit! Gahahaha! I'll bathe in your blood and piss on your corpse!

Oh? That certainly doesn't sound like you, does it? You're powerless against my possession. You should never have poked your nose in Cinnabar, little one. Fortunate for you, right now there is no need for my dominance. Enjoy what short stint of freedom you still have, boy! Gehgehgehgeh!

"ERGH! . . . damn it, guh . . . what's happening . . . to me? . . . "