Kousa Akane's lungs burned as she ran blindly through the milky fog her captain created. She clenched onto her pistol as tightly as she was holding onto the treasure in her other hand. The fog swirled around her limbs as she sprinted forward and a bullet whizzed past her head, nearly taking off her ear before diving back into the fog in a smoky splash. The swords clashing and gunshots rang around her while the bag of gold thumped heavily on her back. The Cutthroat Pirates went onto the island searching for treasure, assuming it was deserted until they came upon another crew where it naturally escalated into a blood bath.
Akane tripped over a dead body, not knowing if it was from her crew or another and tumbled forward. The long grass of a hill leading down to the beach extended her fall and once she rolled onto the beach, Akane realized the fog was gone. She slowly rose and looked over the tall, green blades of grass where the milky fog could no longer impair her vision. Akane was able to see that her captain and ship were gone and she was alone on a deserted island with nothing but the company of the dead pirates.
~,'~
The next day on the other side of the island, Captain Trafalgar Law walked through the jungle with his crew, the Heart Pirates, trailing behind him; his first mate Bepo held his nodachi in his great white paws, Jean Bart navigated with an old map, and Penguin and Shachi were combing the beach for supplies. The island was uninhabited due to its small size and lack of game, but the fruit trees and prospect of treasure were enticing enough for the Heart Pirates to pay a visit.
"Jean, are we close to the treasure?" Law asked, looking over at Jean Bart.
"The map says it should be in the center of the island in a tomb of Captain Antonia," Jean said, glancing down at the yellowed paper they acquired through a black market trade.
Law nodded once and continued to make his way through the lush green jungle. The wind stirred the white spotted fur on his hat, but outside of the various bird caws it was peaceful which Law was quick to embrace. The captain had lost nearly all of his crew to the ladies of Amazon Lily when they foolishly set foot on the island against his wishes and were killed by the women they sought out; Law was willing to start with a clean slate before heading for the New World. His current problem was he needed to first find another doctor.
His skills were unmatched, but after one instance when he nearly had to operate on himself, Law realized it would be more beneficial if there was at least one other doctor. Also, an assistant outside of a squeamish Bepo would be nice though his first mate was helpful.
"It looks like someone beat us to it, Captain," Bepo said, pointing up ahead.
The moss covered mausoleum was ransacked, the large stone covering the tomb rolled to the side and the skeleton of the dead captain strewn about the soft jungle floor. Law crouched down and picked up the skull of the pirate captain, the hallow sockets staring into his dark rimmed eyes before he stood back up.
"I guess we can just gather supplies and go back to-"
A gunshot shattered the silence and the shouting that followed it would not let the peace settle again. Law took his weapon from the white bear and stormed through the jungle, listening for the source of the commotion. His feet thundered hard on the soft earth as he sliced through the thicket. Law felt the dirt mix with the soft yellow sand and knew he had to be close to the shore on the other side of the small island. When he finally came out to the other side, he was taken back for a moment at what he saw: a mass grave of pirates.
Law carefully stepped over the various limbs, some attached and some not, as he saw over the hill down on the beach Penguin and Shachi chasing after a woman with long dark hair; what was stranger was both Shachi and the woman were limping, but the woman more so. Law continued to make his way toward them as the three continued to shout.
"Give us that treasure, you crazy zombie!" Penguin said, nearly stumbling with the loose footing of the sand.
"Yeah!" Shachi chimed, his bleeding foot stinging as sand got into the wound.
"I'm not a zombie!" the woman said running further down the beach.
Law didn't move to help his crew yet, he was still scrutinizing the pirate Shachi and Penguin were chasing. Her dark complexion didn't give him any clues, but the tattoo on her left breast, revealed by her "uniform" of white bikini top and shorts, looked like a Jolly Roger of the Cutthroat pirates. Any pirates that have survived the Grand Line all the way into the New World knew recognized their Jolly Roger or ship; if not, they'd risk being attacked by the large, dangerous crew.
The Cutthroat Pirates were led by Captain "Cutthroat" Mama, a large woman in her forties with kind brown eyes and bloody palm prints on her white skirt where she wiped her swords after each battle. She was not a War Lord or acknowledged her status of Supernova, despite her cruel reputation; Mama refused to be ranked by the World Government nor other pirates. Instead, the Cutthroat Pirates were neither the pawns nor the players, but they were never opposed to clearing the board.
"Oh sure: you're not a zombie and we're not pirates," Penguin retorted while he and Shachi finally cornered her and she began backing up with each step they took toward her.
"Yeah, you look half dead to begin with so you might as well hand over the treasure," Shachi added, pointing to the heavy treasure that seemed to be taking a toll on the woman.
She continued to back up until she nearly jumped when the icy sea water grabbed at her ankles. She pulled out the pistols from her hips and dropped the treasure behind her, cocking the revolvers at the two pirates.
"Take another step toward me and I won't aim for your feet," dark eyed woman stated coldly. Her natural killer instinct pumped adrenaline through her blood stream as she heard a sword unsheathe and looked past them to see a man in a yellow hoodie and white spotted fur hat begin to stalk towards them with a bear and a large muscular man behind him.
Without hesitation, she fired into Penguin's and Shachi's feet and rushed past them as Law began sprinting toward her.
"Room," he said, casting out his hand and creating a blue dome around them.
"Shambl-"Just as Law raised his nodachi, she shot a bullet into his shoulder causing his swing to go through the barrels of her pistols rather than her torso.
The woman looked at her useless revolvers and back at Law, "Surgeon of Death", who suddenly had the advantage. He smiled lazily at her and pointed the tip of his nodachi at her tattoo, barely tracing the Jolly Rodger.
"Didn't 'Mama' ever teach you how to play nice?" he asked, the gleam in his eyes almost as bright as the one the sun casted on his sword.
"No, but she did teach me how to fight dirty," she said and whipped up the sand and chucked the guns at Law. He dodged them easily, but the distraction was all she needed for her to sneak behind him and put her cold hands on his neck.
"Muscu," she whispered, the phrase coming out as a puff of air on his neck. The effects of her Devil Fruit shattered his "Room" and Law dropped his nodachi into the golden sand. The color drained from his face as quickly as his strength did, bringing him to his knees. His breathing was ragged as he looked up at her who was now barely smiling.
"I have a talent for bringing men to their knees," she said saucily, beginning to walk back towards the treasure, her ankles in the water.
"I'm more talented with women on their backs," he countered and using his regained strength, used his shoulder to shove her backwards into the shallow sea water. It would have been enough to weaken her, but Law threw the bag of treasure onto her stomach, planting his foot on it firmly.
The woman struggled to keep her head above water, gaping like a fish and gasping for air. This stopped when Law leaned forward and grabbed her roughly by the hair and stated," My crew and I will take the treasure and let you live or the treasure can keep you company in your grave. The choice is yours, Miss."
Despite how close he had brought their faces, the woman's black coffee eyes glared into his stormy gray ones, searching for a compromise. Law glanced at the hand that rested on the treasure and saw there was a caduceus covering the top of it. He looked back at her face and slowly began registering who she was. She saw the pieces click in his head as a plan began forming; she narrowed her eyes to try to see past his mask of sudden politeness.
"You're the 'Noir Nurse' Akane, first tier of the Cutthroat Pirates, am I correct?" he asked, beginning to loosen his grip on her hair.
"Yes, what's it to you?"
"Well, if you agree to my proposal, you can have a third of the treasure," he said, counting off on his tattooed hand, "your life, and a one way ticket off of this island."
Akane would starve to death if she gave him the treasure or she would drown and he would take the treasure anyway; Law's compromise seemed like the only way she would get out alive with her captain missing.
"Go on," she said and with that Law hoisted the treasure off of her torso and threw it in the sand behind him, Shachi and Penguin carrying back to the submarine before she objected.
"You can have all of this if you agree to be my assistant doctor," he said, outstretching a hand to help her up.
Akane looked at the fingers marked "DEATH" and back up at him. The deal was too perfect, but he knew that too. He must have counted the scars on her body and the skull tattoo with the slit throat grinning up at him, but Trafalgar Law knew that this was an offer she couldn't refuse.
Law smiled lazily when she took his hand said firmly, "Deal."