Luffy and Ludo's Arc

Chapter 4 of 11

Max crouched in the shadow of the stone post, rubbing the raw ring on his wrist. "The key hangs on her neck," he whispered. "You can't sneak it. She watches the whole yard." Luffy and Ludo looked up. On the high balcony stood Minnie, the brown palm-chi empress. Her jeweled crown caught the lantern light. She walked upright, hands clasped, small eyes scanning every servant below. The gold key rested against her chest. Ludo pulled Luffy close. "She won't come down for a servant. But she'll come down for a thief." Luffy understood. If they could not reach the key unseen, they would make Minnie chase them somewhere blind. "The lantern oil," Luffy said. He nodded at a rack of paper lanterns strung along the lower walkway. "We give her a fire. She protects her keep. She forgets to watch us." Max shook his head. "She never leaves the balcony." "Then we bring her down," Ludo said. Luffy climbed the servant path fast, robe flapping. He knocked a lantern from its hook. It fell into the dry bamboo below. Flame jumped. Smoke rolled up toward the balcony. Servants shrieked and ran. Minnie leaned over the rail, snarling. "Put it out! The keep, you fools!" She did not leave. Luffy cursed. His plan had failed. Guards poured into the yard, blades drawn, hunting the one who threw the lantern. One pointed straight at Luffy. Ludo moved. He darted up the balcony stair while Minnie screamed at the fire below. She turned too late. Ludo slammed into her small body. They rolled. Her crown skittered across the boards. Ludo grabbed the cord at her throat and yanked. It snapped. The key came free in his paw. Minnie howled. She bit his arm, teeth sharp. Ludo kicked loose and leapt from the rail. He landed hard beside Luffy and Max in the smoke. "Guards!" Minnie shrieked from above. "They have my key! Seal the keep! Seal every door!" The three of them ran through the burning yard. Max led, weaving past ponds and pillars. Luffy held the guards back with two thrown picks. They ducked into the dark mouth of the keep as bells began to ring. Ludo opened his paw. The gold key sat there, warm and bloody. "We have it," he panted. Max stared. "You have the key. But she knows your faces now. She'll flood the keep with guards. The fourth red door is deep inside." He wiped soot from his eyes. "You didn't steal it quiet. You stole it loud. Now the whole fortress hunts us." Above the roar of the fire, Minnie's voice carried down the halls, ordering the doors sealed one by one. Luffy tightened his grip on the key. They had won it. But the quiet path was gone. Between them and the scroll stood a maze of red doors, and every guard in the keep was already moving.