Hello:D This is a little nervewrecking for me since this is the first story I've posted in a long time. Not just one this side, but in general. I just enrolled in university and it's a lot harder than I thought it'd be (though I might need to work harder myself). But that being said, I'm really happy to start publishing this story, even if it gets little views XD. I've always wanted a One Piece Werewolf fic but nothing I found really satisfied my needs, so I decided to do it myself. It's far from perfect and it'll probably take me some time to update considering how busy I should be, but I'll try:) I just finished chapter five and I'm really excited about this so I'm sure it'll be fine.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and enjoy:) x

"Ne, Ace, can I ask you a question?"

The eight-year-old sighs a little annoyed, dropping the old twig that he was holding. Ace can't help but shiver as he suddenly feels the cold that has been bugging him and the whole pack for the entire winter. Their hideout may be underground, but it's no less cold out there as it is in the forest. He has thought about changing into his wolf form the entire morning but it's forbidden for all children to change whenever they feel like it, since most of them are not yet in full control of their change. Ace thinks it's ridiculous, he has all the control in the world! He has told his father this of course, but his father's answer was very plain and simple.

Even if Ace has control over his transformation, it's still strictly forbidden to change outside the cave for pups. Humans can show up at any given moment, it's too dangerous.

Ace turns to the toddler on his side, who is as excited as a toddler can be. His little brother is also wearing a cloak and their father has thrown the hood over his messy black hair to block out more of the cold wind. He has also made it Ace's mission to watch over his little brother in case he isn't nearby. It's a little annoying that Sabo decided to stay with their mother for today. What makes it even more annoying is that their father was perfectly fine with it since Sabo is apparently 'the responsible one who doesn't need to join every single trip to learn about the forest'.

Stupid Sabo. Stupid dad.

Luffy starts pulling Ace's cloak and Ace growls, "What?!"

Luffy grins and looks up at Ace with wondering eyes, asking, "Why do humans hate us?"

That's not the question Ace expected to hear. He freezes and gulps, not sure how to answer that question at all. Well, 'not sure', Ace knows the answer to that. Humans are dumb creatures that think they rule the world and despise everything else that walks on this earth. Ace can't stand them.

He watches Luffy's wide eyes and sighs, laying his gloved hand on top of his brother's head. He lets his eyes wander over the group, taking in each werewolf that is present. Every week a couple of the older werewolves take the children out into the forest, to let them get used to it and let them learn their way around the place. They should know where not to go and where to hide in case of danger. They need to get familiar with the forest. Children like Sabo, who are fast learners, don't need to join every week. But pups like Ace and Luffy, who are as reckless as one would expect from wolf pups, are basically forced to come along. Especially because it's their father who always leads the way.

There are definitely pro's to having a father who is the alpha of the pack but also too many cons.

Ace's eyes rest on Law, the newest addition to the pack, though he is already here for two years. He is four years older than Ace and very quiet. Ace doesn't know anything about why he suddenly came into the pack, other that he was found covered in blood. Ace was six when Law came, an age during which you accept everything your parents tell you. It was a good thing that Luffy was just four at the time or else he would have bothered everyone about Law.

"Ace~? Ne, why do they?"

Luffy pulls Ace back into their cold reality and he bites his lip before answering, "Because to them, Luff, we are monsters. We are worthless, ugly monsters. They think we'll scare them." He finds Luffy pouting and closes his eyes for a short second. He rubs Luffy's head and adds, "Humans are stupid. Just don't ever get near them, alright? They are wrong about us, but won't ever hesitate to hurt us. Don't forget that. Are you listening to me? Oi, Luffy!"

A cold wind blows between the tall trees in the forest, on top of the Mount Colubo. The fact that it's on a mountain, therefore higher up in the air, only makes the wind feel more like ice than just a friendly cold wind. It's starting to turn into one of those winter evenings and it's no surprise that the forest is quiet at this hour. It's a little too risky to go out into the mountains right now but since most of the people in the village on the foot of the mountain spend their evenings in the local pub, it's automatically out of the question.

That is, when you are human. The residents of the forest are not shying away from spending the evening in the dark, where no one can see them. Ace is one of those many residents who prefers the dark to light any day.

His furry ears stand up at the sound of his twin approaching him and he can't help but smile at the sight of him. Ace whistles as Sabo manages to grab a bird that wasn't paying attention to its surroundings. The animal starts screaming the moment Sabo's paws wrap around its tiny body. Not a second later, it lays limp in Sabo's paws, that turn back to his hands right away. He turns around and looks up at the tree, against which Ace is leaning with a lazy smirk resting on his lips. Sabo grins proudly and makes his way to his older twin brother, swinging the dead bird in his hands.

"Looks like someone has been practicing." Ace says the moment Sabo is close enough to hear him. Sabo holds up the bird next to his head, chuckling as he tells him, "Don't expect me to just sit back and let you do all the work. You're not the only one with skills."

He grins as Ace rolls his eyes. He pushes himself away from the tree, wincing a little when his fingers touch the harsh bark. Not only does it sting but at this time of year, the trees are covered in ice and snow, Ace's worst enemy. He hates the cold, always has. It's the main reason why he used to dread going on all those educational trips the older werewolves would plan. He's more than just a little glad he has long reached the maximum age for those.

"Maybe you should take my advice and stop cutting off those fingertips on your gloves. Of course you're gonna be cold with those exposed fingers." Sabo all but nags, grabbing a handful of snow to wipe off the dirt from his catch. Ace raises a fist at him and snaps, "Shut up, mother hen! Gloves with fingers or those inconvenient ones that Luffy always insists on wearing are not made for werewolves such as us. My claws don't have to rip through the fabric, unlike your stupid ass. Just now you had to take off your gloves in order to catch that stupid bird."

Sabo pouts, causing Ace to grow as he knows it's nothing but fake.

"Make up your mind, brother. First you're impressed and all of a sudden the bird is stupid? Luffy would think I'm god himself for being able to catch this animal."

"First of all, I'm not Luffy! That kid is impressed by a frog catching flies. Second of all, fuck off." Ace says, snarling towards Sabo. Sabo chuckles and shakes his head, not having expected a reasonable answer in the first place. He lets out a loud sigh, pissing off Ace even more, and tightly holds onto the bird as he looks up at Ace.

"Wanna bet that I can catch more food for tonight than you?"

Ace's glance darkens and he throws the hood of his cloak over his dark hair, covering the ears, also pulling his black boots up. He doesn't bother adjusting his belt since his shorts are too baggy to stay up the whole time. He takes up the challenge, cracking his knuckles as he speaks with a glint in his eyes, "Does a giant tiger count as fifty birds? Just to let you know how hard you'll have to work to beat me."

Sabo smirks and hooks his fingers behind the metal of his belt, an old and worn-out leather strap that Shanks brought home to the cave after a trip to the human village, Foosha Village, of course in his human form. It was already pretty worn-out when Shanks gave it to him years ago, but it has gotten to the point where the leather could break at any given moment. Sabo pretends not to care, but he just doesn't want to get rid of his precious belt.

"Maybe try catching one before making such claims." Sabo chuckles and slowly walks backwards before fully turning around to turn into a wolf as he dashes through the snow. He pulls his top hat further of his ears and snickers as he gets further away from his older twin brother.

Ace yells a loud 'oi' at him before turning into his wolf form as well to quickly follow his younger twin brother.

"Luffy-ya, how many times do you need to hear the word 'no' before you get it? Even if I wanted to, which I don't, I wouldn't have taken you into the forest with me. I don't want to get on Roger's bad side."

Luffy groans loudly and throws both his arms around Law's neck, successfully leaning on the older man's back. Law thought he had some peace and quiet for today, just sitting on the side of the main square in the underground city where all werewolves find their homes. Though it's beneath a rather small looking cave (from the outside it doesn't look like it goes very deep), the hideout is impressively big. It's very deep into the ground, making it look very high from Law's current position. Homes are both carved into the rocks and made from wood, built on strong pillars. They are attached to each other with shabby looking bridges, that are actually strong enough to carry a big bear. There are paths carved right in front of the homes and on the ground is where small buildings are placed, with muddy roads in between them.

Law lives in a carved out home, together with his adoptive father Rocinante. It's his tough luck that Luffy and his family live in the biggest wooden home, right in the middle of the cave. This happens to be right across Law's home and it's enough excuse for Luffy to shout from his room at him, almost every night.

Currently Law is sitting on the open square on ground level, in the middle of all the small buildings. Werewolf pups are running around while playing with wooden sticks and many others come and go, making the square quite lively.

Luffy is on his knees behind him, leaning over him as he snaps, "I don't care what dad has to say. I can't find my brothers anywhere so you'll have to do it for me."

"And why is that?! Go look for those two and leave me alone!" Law can't help but raise his voice at the younger boy, who has just turned sixteen. It's too bad that werewolves are only allowed to go into the forest on their own once they've hit seventeen. Law isn't sure if he has the patience to listen to Luffy's endless whining for another year. He won't ever say it out loud, but he admires Sabo and Ace for being able to put up with their little brother. It's rather impressive that they manage to keep it together for a good whole day before exploding at him.

Luffy sighs annoyed (Law doesn't know how he thinks he has the audacity to do that) and says, starting to shake Law's shoulders, "Aren't you listening to me, Torao? I can't find them anywhere. They're probably fighting each other somewhere over there." He lazily waves his hand towards a dark alley and Law deadpans for the amount of stupidity. It's pretty damn obvious that the two ditched him. If it wasn't obvious enough by the way there are nowhere in sight, Law saw them run towards the entrance of the cave a couple of hours ago.

The entrance is a long, dark passageway that leads to stoned stairs. In the passageway you can hear all the water running that flows through the rocks. It's hallow and very wet. A lot of the times bats hide in there. How, Law isn't too sure. The way in from the outside is very well hidden. It's impossible to find it if you don't know it exists. All people that happen to get this far into the forest and stumble upon this cave can't see it, even if they tried.

The entrance is covered by a big rock, that once needed to be pushed open. It's hidden behind thick twigs but even without it, there are no lines that suggest a hidden door. Now, it opens by pushing another rock, with one on both the inside and the outside. It's pretty recent, since it was their current alpha's great grandfather who decided the system needed to be changed.

"I'm sure they are, Luffy-ya. Why not check it out yourself?"

Luffy starts shaking him even more violent and exclaims, "Because I want to go outside! I'm hungry but dad says the hunters won't go out until another hour or so! So the only solution to that problem is to take matters into my own hands and catch my own food. Normally Ace and Sabo will come with me but since they are not here and you're also old enough to go, I reasoned that you'd be perfect."

"I'm honestly honored that you thought of me, but for the last time, I'm not interested. Not to mention the fact that you're too young to go out. If your dad finds out that I took you out, he will use my head as tonight's dinner." Law answers, not looking at Luffy. Luffy seems to think about that for a second. He then proceeds to smile widely and says, "But if I tell him that I asked you to take me out, he won't be mad, will he? Then it's all my idea!"

Law sighs, rubbing his head for the upcoming headache, "While that sounds temping, I don't want to risk anything. If your dad wasn't the alpha male of the pack, I might have considered it. But once you end up on Roger's bad side, it'll be difficult to get back to the other side."

"So what you're saying is, that you won't go?"

Law resists the urge to throw his hands up in the air and groans, "That's what I've been trying to get through your unbelievably thick scull this entire time. Please, go bother someone else. Or just don't go and obey the rules for once."

Luffy makes a pouty face again and opens his mouth to start another discussion when his eye catches a little werewolf on the opposite side of the square. There is Chopper, walking together with his mother Kureha. She is their doctor so it isn't strange to see her carrying all kinds of plants.

Law perks up at the sight of the two. His not so secret dream is to also become a doctor, preferably a surgeon. Kureha is a very good doctor (the best, in Law's eyes) but he aims to become better than her. Even better than her son Chopper, who also has the same dream as him. At first Law was a little annoyed by that, but now he doesn't mind at all. After all, he is the only person who gets just as excited about medicines as him.

Once Kureha got wind of his interest, she decided to start teaching him about everything there is to know about her job. Chopper joined in when he got old enough to do so. The boy is whole eight years younger than him and looks up to him about just as much as he looks up to his mother. He is also one of Luffy's best friends, which gives Luffy another reason to always hang out at Chopper's home, which also serves as the official 'doctor's office' so to speak.

"CHOPPER!" Luffy suddenly yells and jumps up, grabbing Law's arm. Law doesn't try to resist, considering how he too would like to join them and maybe talk a little with Kureha. He lets Luffy take him across the square and sees Chopper's face lighten up at the sight of his best friend. Kureha shows a little grin and stops walking, letting Chopper run up to the two.

"Luffy! What are you doing here? I thought you'd be hanging out with your brothers or something." Chopper exclaims, smiling up at Luffy. Luffy chuckles and lets of Law, who also gets a very happy greeting from Chopper. Chopper is small for his age and has to look up, even at Luffy who himself isn't that tall either.

Luffy shrugs and says, as the three start making their way back to Kureha, who is not so patiently waiting for them, "Can't find them. So I decided to take Law out into the forest, but he doesn't want to go." Chopper's eyes grow wide and he hisses, "Luffy! You can't go out, you're not seventeen yet!" He shots a glance at Law and continues, "Don't ever give in when he whines. It won't just cause him trouble but us too!"

"Chopper-ya, how long do you think I've known this guy?" Law asks, matter-of-factly. Chopper turns a little red, which makes Luffy laugh. He ruffles Chopper's light brown hair and says, with a big gummy smile, "You should join us too!"

"NEVER!"

"... And that's how I once bravely fought of a huge werewolf. All by myself."

The four children surrounding Usopp all start to glow up and Usopp smirks proudly, holding up his can filled with beer as he puts one foot on the barstool in front of him.

Nami, who is seated on the stool next to Usopp's, doesn't hesitate to hit him behind his head and yells, "Stop telling little kids lies, big asshole! There will come a day that those lies are going to bite you back in your ass!"

The children all look up at Nami with big eyes and run away, screaming as they go. Usopp starts aggressively rubbing the back of his head and exclaims, "Oi, you don't have to hit me that hard! Stop doing that!"

Nami doesn't look impressed at all but the blond guy, on Nami's other side, glares at Usopp and snaps, "You should think about lowering your voice in the presence of a lady, big nose."

Usopp, who has gotten more than a little used to Sanji's behavior around women, cowers away under the hard glare and mutters, "You don't have to be so rude about it." Sanji seems to pop a vein on his forehead and shouts, "That's rich, coming from you! You just yelled at Nami-san, you've lost all your rights of accusing me of the same!"

Usopp opens his mouth, ready to fire back an answer at that ridiculous claim, when Zoro, who has been quietly drinking away all the beer in the bar, puts a hand on his shoulder to push him down on the stool and says, "Don't bother reasoning with that airhead. I've already given up on him." He moves his eyes towards Sanji and finds the exact reaction that he was hoping for. Sanji's face turns red and he shouts, "Shut the hell up, marimo! I'm the one who has already given up on you, you rude green-haired bastard."

"Who are you calling a bastard, mister nose-bleed?!" Zoro slams his hand on the wooden bar and looks ready to fight the blonde. Usopp sighs annoyed, knowing that this will continue the whole night. The two are friends, of course they are. Together with Robin and Franky, who are doing absolutely nothing to interfere the upcoming fight and are only laughing in an amused manner, they are a very tight group of friends. But that doesn't change the fact that Sanji and Zoro are always pissing each off and deliberately looking for fights. Strangely, Usopp has gotten used to it. Matter of fact, the whole town has gotten used to it. Foosha Village isn't big and it's difficult not to know every citizen who lives there. Zoro and Sanji's constant bickering just adds to the familiar sounds and noises that ring through the village every day.

A loud laugh breaks the two off and Brook, the musician of the bar and also a bartender when Makino, the owner of Party's Bar, is too busy serving the customers, joins the group with Nami's drink. She isn't too keen on alcohol (unlike the boys of their group) and always drinks some type of fruit juice. It's not too strange either, since she works in a shop that sells fruit.

"I see you two are as energetic as ever. Here you go, lovely lady." Brook says in his usual cheerful voice, putting a glass in front of Nami. She claps her hands together and immediately takes a sip, a content smile decorating her face. Sanji stops himself from shouting another insult at his green-haired friend in favor of staring at Nami's happy face, his eyes slowly turning into hearts.

Zoro rolls his eyes at him but doesn't say anything about it. He finishes his beer and holds up the can, exclaiming at Brook, "Oi, got any more?"

Brook stares at him in almost disbelief and asks, still taking the can, "How are you able to not be drunk yet?"

"Probably learned that from his father." Franky speaks up, taking a big sip himself. Zoro snorts and says, "As if. My father isn't much of a drinker. Neither is my sister. I just like it, what's the big deal about it?"

"Of course your lovely sister isn't much of a drinker. She firmly holds her ground with a brute like you as her brother." Sanji adds to the mix, making Zoro reach for the sword that he always carries around with him. His father is their local blacksmith and Zoro is the one who helps him out. He brings back swords to clients and has a big knowledge on any type of sword. He may not look like a big thinker from the outside but when it comes to swords, he's your man. Usopp's father, who owns a shop that sells both guns and swords, is one of their clients who comes by at least once a week with blunt knives and swords. It's the main reason why Usopp hangs around with Zoro the most.

"Don't call my sister 'lovely', it's gross. I don't need you to fucking hit on her, alright? You seriously need to stop doing that." Zoro threatens and Usopp gulps, quickly grabbing his own beer to not interfere with Zoro's growing annoyance. Sanji sneers and says, leaning in closer, "It's not my fault all the good genes went to Perona, asshole. Why can't you take the compliment for your sister? I don't know if you noticed, but I don't mess around with the ladies. You have nothing to fear."

Zoro snorts again, "'You have nothing to fear'. I think you're the one who needs to fear Perona. I don't understand how you still can't see how much of a freak she is! You may not mess around with the ladies, but she for sure will mess you up. I have indeed nothing to fear, blond bastard."

Sanji's left eye starts to twitch and he exclaims, "I won't keep quiet when you start insulting the ladies, not even when it's your sister! You have no fucking manners!"

Robin quietly chuckles on the side and says, "Calm down, cook-san. Your blood pressure might go up if you continue to scream like that. That won't do any good to your heart." Frankly laughs loudly and Usopp groans annoyed. Sanji, however, immediately backs down and swoons, "Of course, my dear Robin! Anything for you!"

"Fucking loser." Zoro mutters but leaves it at that.

At least, Usopp hopes.

He sighs loudly and says to Brook, who has been watching in amusement on the side, "I need new friends. This is getting ridiculous."

Brook laughs, "Usopp-san, you hang out on the streets every day while all the others are busy with their own jobs. I'd be surprised if you'd hang out all by yourself." Usopp turns red, not liking to be reminded of the fact that all his friends have jobs while he has no work whatsoever. His father has tried to make him work in his weapon shop but after two weeks and lots of complaining from Usopp's mother, he decided to stop it. Usopp wasn't interested in selling anything and instead was just playing around with all the weapons. It caused some angry customers and lots of pain for both Usopp and his father.

Now all he does is cause trouble on the streets. Zoro has his job as his father's clerk. Nami's father figure owns a fruit shop in which she and her sister help around. Robin works in the book shop from her adoptive father. Franky has his own work place and Sanji's father owns the only restaurant in town, called the Baratie. Sanji loves cooking and works as both a chef and waiter. That leaves Usopp to figure out what to do with his life while all of his friends are busy with their own.

"O-of course I don't hang out by myself, you big idiot. I have loads of friends. As a matter of fact, I have at least a hundred people who all want to be my comrades!" Usopp stutters, everyone seeing through his lie. Zoro softly hits Usopp behind his head and Nami shakes her head, saying, "Little children don't count. They just look up to you because of those dumb stories you always tell them."

"That's not true! I-I have really defeated a whole pack of werewolves!" Usopp retorts, making a fist with his hand. Brook actually looks impressed but Robin calmly speaks up, "I'm sure you'd be dead if you'd meet an actual werewolf. They are strong enough to rip your lungs out with just one swipe."

"Stop saying scary shit like that, Robin! And I am sure that is not the case." Usopp snaps, though knowing that she might actually be telling the truth. He has never met a werewolf in his life and he wants to keep it that way. He's heard the tales, everyone has heard the tales. Tales of werewolves killing entire villages or tales of people disappearing, only to be found in little pieces spread through a dark forest.

He shudders at the mere thought of it and Franky notices, pointing out, "See? Even the great warrior Usopp is scared of werewolves. But I don't blame you, you know. It'd be more surprising to actually meet someone who doesn't shudder at the thought of those wolves. Excluding me, of course. Those monsters are more scared me than I'm scared of them."

Nami deadpans, "I highly doubt that. And frankly, I don't even want to find out. They freak me out, seriously." Usopp clears his throat and suddenly grins, slamming his hand on the counter to yell, "Well, they don't freak me out! Listen up, all of you! If you ever see a werewolf, call your great warrior Usopp and I'll solve all your problems!"

He cringes when the door to Party's Bar gets slammed open and turns around with the speed of lighting. He turns bright red when a laughing Thatch walks in, followed by all the other men of Whitebeard's merchant company. Marco is right next to the laughing man and crosses his arms, standing still when he asks, "Is that so, mister Usopp? We found the right man, yoi."

Red turns into white and Usopp stutters, "R-right man?"

Thatch nods, a little too enthusiastically, and says as he throws his arm over Marco's shoulders, "Yeah, mate! Just before the end of our shift we heard strange noises behind the Moby Dick. Call me crazy, but they sounded like the howling of a wolf. Mind looking into it for us?"

Usopp's pale face goes even paler and he can feel himself fall backwards. His friends around him stare at Thatch and the men surrounding him for a good minute before Robin says, "I think you broke him." Nami snorts and slaps Usopp's back hard, "You're good for nothing." Zoro just starts chuckling, as well as Franky, who doesn't try to hide it and lets out a very loud laugh.

Izo, the merchant who often gets mistaken for a girl, flicks a finger against Thatch's forehead and scolds, "Stop scaring the boy, for god's sake." Marco snickers and moves his eyes around the bar, seeing almost the whole village filling up the space. They are all here after another day of work, as are they.

"Don't ruin the party for us, Izo. I was just having a little bit of fun." Thatch immediately retorts, his hand moving up to rub his forehead. Marco turns his eyes back to his friend and says, "Leave it, yoi. Makino, got any beer left?" Makino, who is standing near a table with her hands full, smiles up at her costumers and tells them, trying to get over the loud noises in her bar, "Coming up!"