Prowl
Part One
The fire's burning, hot and wild, with no signs of an end to the madness. Guns fire. Loud pops in the air followed by the smell of hot gunpowder. The smoke is thick and burns her lungs. But there's something worse waiting for her. Something far, far worse.
They lay out before her on the floor, covered in blood. Her parents, so it appears. But she doesn't have parents. The iron smell of the blood sticks in her nose, making her stomach turn. The sick feeling bubbles up in her throat, burning like her lungs, at seeing them lying in pools of their own blood. The blood is darkened from the darkness in the room, but it's there nonetheless. Blood. Their blood that should also be hers, but it's not. Her lips part from each other. A tiny, scared voice comes from her, but it doesn't sound like her voice. It's the voice of a young boy. The voice is scared, all alone. Suffering from something a child shouldn't have to face. She, or he, calls out for help, but no one comes.
No one ever comes.
More gunshots. This time they're accompanied by the voices of men.
"Search the whole town!" one voice says.
"We can't let there be any survivors!" another one said.
Thundering sounds of boots on the outside streets pass by the window of the building she's hiding in They block out the crackling of the fire that's set the town ablaze. She needs to leave. There's one more. She needs to find her. A little girl, her sister. It should be her sister, but she's not. She doesn't have a sister. It's the little boy's sister.
Still she runs. She always runs.
Or she thinks it's her running. It should be her running. She feels the panic, the hot flames of the fire burning her, his, hometown to the ground, the real fear of losing another person dear to her. But they're not hers to lose. They never are. Still it hurts her to lose them.
Her heart takes a sharp jolt at the sight of the woman lying on the ground. Another one dead, two more dead, ten dead, twenty dead, the whole town is dead. The woman's speaks, but she can't understand her. She has no idea what the woman is saying. She looks up to the building she was running to. A hospital. It too is in flames. It's all in flames. Several yards away she can feel the flames that have this building engulfed just like the rest of the town.
She drops to her knees. Tears flow from her eyes. A scream erupts from somewhere deep inside as something snaps inside of her, inside of him. She feels completely broke. The pain is real. The one she was searching for is inside this burning building. Now dead. Just like everyone else. Her family is dead. The whole town is dead. But this isn't hers. It shouldn't be happening. But the pain is too real. It's always real. And it's their entire fault. She's going to kill them for it…
Eira opened her eyes. The world around her was completely blurry to her. Her head spun with dizziness so even if everything weren't blurry she wouldn't be able to see it from all the spinning anyway. She heard the crackling of the fire, felt its warm flames against her skin and smelled the smoke but couldn't see it. All she could see was a blurry orange blob that was right in front of her. Or it was in front of her when it spun there. Other than that it was all over the place. She heard the sounds of people speaking, but they were too far away from her to understand them. Even her own voice was distant in her ears. Sounding as far away as the moon and sun always looked. Through her dizziness, she managed to place her hand on her face. Her skin was hot from the fire. A low growl rumbled in her throat before she said, "I'm going to kill them. Both of them will pay for this. They will pay for this pain."
"Huh?" a man's voice said. The voices murmuring started to become clearer in her ears. "What are you talking about, girl? You're outnumbered. There's no way you can defeat us."
"That's right," Eira said as she lifted her eyes to the man who spoke. Her vision was still blurry but it was clearing more and more with each passing second. Her dizziness was fading as well. The world was starting to become clear again. And she instantly regretted it doing that since she could now smell their unwashed bodies with her sensitive nose. A nose that came in handy a lot also had a huge down side to it. She always had to deal with the bad smells of the unwashed. And this group of fifty unwashed…she sniffed the air…make that seventy five unwashed men, was making her want to curl up and retch everything up that she had in her stomach at the moment. And that was very little. She couldn't waste it. Not on these clowns. She started to remember where she was and what she was doing. She needed to stay focused and not get sick.
"What's your problem, girl? You were talking so big about taking us all down then all of a sudden you just collapsed to the ground," a second man said. "Let's just kill her already, Captain."
"Might be the right thing to do," the captain, the first man who spoke, said.
"Naw," a third man said, eyeing her body in lust filled hunger. "Let's just keep her. She's a fine little thing. We could have lots of fun with her."
Eira brought her eyes to the man taking in her body with such a lust filled, hungry gaze. For a split second she wondered when it was the last time this man had a woman. Probably never. He didn't look very appealing. Dirty brown hair was greased back, probably been weeks since he washed it since he smelled this bad. His white shirt was stained with countless food particles. She wondered if he ever got any food into his mouth. But it was obvious he did with his large, chubby belly dangling out of the bottom of his shirt. Her eyes drifted down to the sword he worn on his belt that hung loose around his hips. His thick hand was resting on it. Her eyes went to the man standing next to him. He too had his hand resting on his sword. They all had their hands on their sword, or gun, or whatever weapon they were carrying. They looked ready to fight someone. She then recalled where she was and what she was doing here. They were ready to fight her. She looked up at the sky through the thin treetops. The small island they were on had few trees. She could easily see the moon, the sky, and the sea from where they were. She loved small islands. They were always so nice, so calm, and so peaceful. That's right. I was just having another Death Memory. I'm on an island. Surrounded by pirates that I snuck up on about twenty minutes ago judging from the position of the moon. I plan on stealing their ship. The one I've been using was almost completely torn apart by that storm I encountered earlier today.
"She has such a thin, sexy body. I really like her eyes. They're so round, almost childlike. And her eyes are the bluest I've ever seen," the third man said. "They're just so blue. I'm not sure how to describe them."
"I think the word you're looking for is electric," the second man said. "Personally, I like her hair. It's so black. It reminds me of a moonless night."
Eira felt her eyebrows twitch at the man's words. She never thought of herself having a sexy body. She just had a body. A body that didn't feel like it belonged to her. Well, in her human form anyway. She felt more like she had her own body in her other forms. This current body wasn't hers. Just like the memories she kept having. The memories she has come to call Death Memories because they're not hers. She knows they're not hers. But they hurt just as much as if she went through all of the pain for real, for herself. She had no clue how it was possible for memories that didn't belong to her to hurt her so much, both physically and mentally. She wanted them to stop. But she didn't know how to make them stop. All she knew was she had to find them. Whoever they were.
"What do ya say, Captain?" the third man asked. "Can we keep her? I know she's a little on the small side for an actual pirate…"
Eira flinched. Her blood turned to fire, to lava, at the word pirate. She hated them. She didn't know why. All she knew was she hated them. And she hated the word pirate just as much. She wanted to kill them. If she could only figure out who they actually were. For now, taking out her frustration of not knowing on this particular group of pirates would suit her just fine.
"…but that's just fine. What I'm gonna have her do, she doesn't need to know how to fight," the third man finished. The rest of the pirates laughed. Slapping their friend on the back, throwing out improper jokes and suggestions of what they wanted to do with her.
Eira cringed having come to the conclusion that if this man ever did have a woman it was by force. It made her sick. She clenched her fists tight before releasing them. As she stretched out her fingers her nails started to grow into claws. She breathed out. A cool wave of ice crystals left her parted lips, swirling out into the already cool night air making it even colder. The corner of her lips twitched when she saw the pirates running their hands over their arms in an attempt to warm up. One of them bend down and tossed a couple more logs onto the fire, stoking it and warming his hands by it. This was a warm island after all. Winter weather didn't exist here. But they haven't yet realized the danger they were in. She loved it. They have now become her prey and it got her excited. They think she's nothing but a little, weak, human girl. A girl they could use for their sick, demented sexual desires. Her eyes glint with light from the moon glow above as their color shift from electric blue to a sharp icy steel. Her tan skin sprouts white fur with dark blue rosettes and spots that also take over her black hair.
One of the pirates stopped laughing when he finally notices her transformation taking place. He yells out, "Hey! She's doing something funny!"
The pirates stop laughing and look at her. But it's too late. She throws up her right hand. An icy cool breeze erupts in the air, causing shivers and goose pimples to run up and down the pirates' arms. It's followed by a pain filled scream. The smell of iron fills the cold night air as blood splatters on the ground.
"What the heck?!" one of the pirates shouts. His eyes lock onto one of his crewmates. The other pirates follow his terrified gaze. Their mouths drop opened in shock. Their comrade, the one who had sexual intentions for Eira, now has an ice shard sticking out of his chest. It was clearly pierced right through his heart. Both ends were sticking out of his body. Blood dripped from the end sticking out of his back. His face twisted in horror as his knees trembled underneath him before they gave out on him. His eyes roll back in his head while he falls. His body hit the ground with a dull thud. He's dead.
"What happened?!"
"Where did that ice come from?!"
"She barely moved!"
"All she did was throw up her hand!"
"I didn't see a weapon on her!"
"It could be under her cloak!"
Eira grinned. The smell of blood was getting her more excited. With her transformation now complete, she ran her tongue over her enlarged fangs.
"W-what is she?!" one of the pirates asked.
"She's a…leopard?" another one asked.
"To be more specific," Eira said before running her tongue over her white fur of her right arm, "I'm a snow leopard."
"A Zoan Devil Fruit user!" a pirate said.
"No! Do not be fooled, men!" the captain said. "A Zoan Devil Fruit user always grows larger when using their human beast forms! She should be at least ten times her size if she was a Zoan type! This is just a trick!"
"The captain's right! Zoan Devil Fruit users are huge when they transform! The girl remains the same size!" a pirate said. He grabbed the hilt of his sword and pulled it from its sheath with an angry jerk. "It's just a costume of some sort! Let's kill her! She's killed one of our men! She mustn't go unpunished!"
"Attack, men!" the captain ordered as he unsheathed his own sword.
"Ah! Die you demon!" The pirate who drew his sword first rushed forward. Once close enough he jutted out his sword at her chest, piercing it. He smiled in cocky victory at her shocked expression. "Gotcha!"
Eira then smiled herself. Her body disappeared from his view, making his own smile vanished in shock. "What the…?"
"What happened?!"
"Where'd she go?!"
"How did she do that?!"
"He stabbed her! We all saw it!"
"Pathetic," Eira said. Now standing above them on the branch of a near by tree, she looked down at all of their shocked faces as they noticed where she now is.
"Die, witch!" A pirate raises his gun to her. But before he could pull the trigger, Eira swipes her claws into the air. The long barrel of his gun and his arms suddenly split into five sections then land scattered on the ground. His panicked scream shrieks through the cold night air. "I've been cut up! I'm going to die!"
"But you're not bleeding!" another pirate points out.
"What?!" The man looked down at his arms. His friend is right. Despite his arm being divided into several pieces, there's no blood coming out of his wounds or laying on the ground. "W-what's happening?! What's going on?! How was she able to do that?!"
"It…it can't be!" the captain said. He pulled his eyes away from his men and looked up at the snow leopard in the tree above them. He shivers at the bloodlust he sees in her icy steel colored eyes and the way she runs her tongue over her snow white fangs in delight. "There's only one man who has that kind of power! But he's alive! How can you possibly have the Op Op Devil Fruit's severing abilities?!"
"Wait! That Devil Fruit also has the ability to warp a person from place to place!" a pirate pointed out. "And she did just disappear from our eyes a minute ago!"
"Op Op Devil Fruit?" Eira asks. She tilted her head in curiosity. Something about that struck her as familiar. The thought shot a pain striking through her head. She placed her hand on the tree to keep herself from falling from it. Not again. Not another Death Memory…
She groaned as her vision became blurry again. The world around her faded from her eyes and was replaced with another painful memory.
Wrapped up in a blanket, she stares out into the snow. She's waiting on someone. She's not sure who. She knows he's a friend. But not a friend of hers. He's a friend of some else's. She looked up when a tall man walks towards her. He opens his mouth and speaks, but she can't hear him. She doesn't know what he's saying. Suddenly the man shoves something into her mouth and forces her to eat it. She does. She looks down at her hands. She feels scared and worried. A thud forces her to look back at the man who is now on the ground. She ran over to him. Kneeling down beside the man, she places her hands on his body, pushing him onto his back. She sees the blood and panics. She tries to help, but she can't. She doesn't know how to. He places his hand on her head and smiles.
Her vision starts to clear again. The Death Memory quickly fades and she sees the pirates still staring up at her.
"Tell us how you can wield that power when the current owner of it is still alive!" a pirate demands.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't eaten a Devil Fruit at all," Eira replied. She pushed off the tree, back on her own feet.
"Then how is it possible you hold that power?!" the captain demanded.
"She must be telling us the truth, Captain! I've heard about the Op Op Devil Fruit works!" a pirate said. "When he uses it a blue film spreads out around the area! She must have some other sort of power!"
"He's right! She must have some other form of Devil Fruit! Some of them do have some similarities!" another pirate said. He jutted the tip of his sword into the air at her as if it would force her to tell him what he wanted to know. "Tell us what power you have, girl! What Devil Fruit is it that you possess?! It's not the Op Op nor a Zoan type!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Eira said with an annoyed sigh. "I already told you I haven't eaten a Devil Fruit. I've always had these powers. And this power...time to wake up, little vines. I need you to trap these pathetic men for me." She grinned. Holding out her hands, the vines in the forest snapped to life, obeying her command. They snap up from their slumber and wrap around the men's ankles, lifting them into the air. Some of the pirates scream as they flew into the air. Some dropped their weapons at the sudden movement. Those who were lucky enough to hang on to their weapons start hacking desperately away at the thick vines that are holding on to them. "Pathetic humans."
"Let us go!"
"We didn't do anything to you!"
Eira laughed. She jumped from the branch she was on and ran along one of the thick vines. Running along it, she held up her palms towards the sky. Ice gathered above her palms, forming an ice sword in each of her hands. "You didn't do anything. But you were going to. Now. Die!"
Screams echoed out into the night as Eira sliced and stabbed away at her victims. Once she was done, she jumped from the vines, sending them back to where they were resting before while she landed effortlessly on the ground with a satisfied smirk. Straightening up her legs, she walked away from the dead bodies, evaporated her ice swords, and walked down the worn path to the rock formation that was jutting out into the sea where they had docked their ship. Eyeing the vessel, she knew it was too big for her to handle on her own. But her small vessel would no longer be suitable for travel on the massive sea that held giant sea kings and unpredictable waves and storms. A sigh passed over her lips. This would have to do until she was able to get her hands on a smaller ship or find a ship she could hide on that was going in the direction she needed to go. She didn't have any other choice.
Eira closed her eyes. Connecting all of her senses to nature, she felt out how the sea was going to be tomorrow. Her snow leopard senses kicked in and told her the weather was going to be calm for several days. She opened her eyes and smiled. "Good. I don't need to deal with another storm like that if I'm going to catch up to them."
She walked out on the rock formation with the intention to inspect her prize. She bent her knees, readying herself to jump onto her new ship. But a sharp jolt of pain stabbed into her brain. She screamed. Grabbing her head as she collapses to the rock to suffer from another one of her Death Memories.
She's all alone. Sitting on a wooden swing that's tied to a tree. Her heart aches. The pain and loneliness is too much. She wants to just disappear. She wants to die. She wants to die so no one else will have the chance to hurt her. But they do. Again they hurt her. She lifts her eyes to them. A small group of adults. Adults who are suppose to protect children. Not these adults. She can feel their anger, their hate filled stares as they demand something from her. They're accusing her of something. She doesn't know what though. She knows she's innocent. They still accuse her. They hate her. They want her to disappear. That's what she wants too. But she has nowhere to go. Everywhere she's been only ends up with her in more pain. A woman slaps her across the face. She falls from the swing. Placing her hand on her now red cheek, she curls into a ball. They still scream at her. They advance on her. Nature erupts around her. Plants spring up way lager than they should be. Fire flares up into infernos. The wind howls causing violent waves to crash onto the island. Nature protects her, but kills everyone else. They're all dead. Only she survives.
Eira gasps. Her eyes pop open like they did before with the other Death Memories. She placed her hand on her furry cheek, feeling the sting of the memory, of the slap. But the memory, like the ones before, isn't hers. She never suffered in that kind of way. Adults never have surrounded her like that. An adult has never slapped her like that. Her hometown has never been burnt to the ground, she only left it a couple months ago. She knew it was still standing. Her parents and sister are not dead because she doesn't have either. And she's never had a man force feed her something. Nor has she known a man to suffer from such gunshot wounds.
"Then why?" Eira asked herself. She tucked her arms close to her chest and curled into a ball. Tears streaked down her white fur, cooled by her ice powers and shimmering in the moonlight. "What are these memories? Who's are they? Why do I keep having them? Why does it hurt so much? Why can't I just be free? Free from all the pain? Free from all the suffering?"
Anger flared up in her chest at the Death Memories and her pain from them. She pushed herself to her feet. Jumping up to the railing of the ship with one easy push off the rocks. The bag and her sketchbook she was carrying underneath her cloak bounced against her back in protest to the sudden movement. Her hand automatically went to the dagger attached to her belt. She's never used it, but she really didn't want to lose it. It was a gift. She landed effortlessly on the railing and screamed out in the calm night air that was still heavily tainted with blood. "This is all their fault! And they're going to pay! I will figure out who you are! I will find you! I will hunt you down! And I will kill you! Do you hear me?! You stupid tormentors will die for putting me through this suffering! I'm coming to kill you! Be ready to die!"
Eira stopped screaming. Her breathing was now heavy. Her heart was racing. Her cheeks hurt from all the yelling. And she was tired. Exhausted from everything not just from the events of today. Exhausted from her fight, from these memories that she knew weren't hers, from traveling. She just wanted to sleep. And eat. She tilted her head back. Looking up at the top of the mass, she noticed the pirate flag lying limply against the wooden pole. She was going to have to get rid of it. She didn't want to be associated with pirates. She didn't want or need the Navy coming after her. But she figured they would anyway at some point. She figured she would gather attention at some point with all the messes she was leaving behind. For now she was easily keeping herself out of the newspapers. And anyone she's meet, who turned on her in some way, ended up dead. She wasn't sure how she felt about being discovered. She was a master at stealth and hiding. That's why she hadn't been caught yet. But she wondered if maybe she should let herself be seen. It might help her find the two people she was looking for. And this ship did have some distinctive markings on it. The top level of the ship was shaped like a pagoda. She wondered where those pirates were from. But it only lasted for a second. She really didn't care. They were never going to return home, ever again. Still, she wondered again about being seen. Should she do it? Would it help her? Would it be worth the risks?
She pushed those thoughts aside when her tiredness and hunger over took her again. She needed to get something to eat then sleep. And she needed to get rid of the flag. She might as well do that now then find something to eat and go to bed. She bent her knees. Kicking off the railing, she sailed through the air, jumping along the ship parts until she grabbed onto the top of the mass. Ripping the black material from the wooden pole, she dropped back down to the deck. She scoffed when she saw the marking, a simple cross bone and skull. "Apparently those pirates have no imagination. Who were they? The Cross Bone and Skull pirates?"
Wadding up the flag, she tossed it overboard, not caring where it landed or if anyone found it. She then wondered across the deck and opened the door. It was just her luck that she found the captain's quarters right off. She gagged from the bad smell inside and recoiled back to the fresh air of the night while slamming the door shut. "Disgusting. I guess washing bedding wasn't high on their list either. All well. I prefer sleeping outside anyway. Hopefully I won't be on this smelly ship for long."
Moving away from the room, she walked up the stairs to the top level of the ship. Grabbing the only door on this level, she opened it to find just what she was hoping for. It was the galley. Large enough to fit the size of the crew that use to live here with four long rectangular tables, a bar with round stools, a huge fridge, several cabinets, and two stoves for cooking. Smiling, she stepped inside and started going through the cabinets and fridge. Opening them one by one, taking in their contents and gathering what she felt like eating as she went. "At least they kept their supplies stocked up. This fish looked really fresh too. They must have caught it today. Too bad they won't get to eat it."
Next she searched out for utensils to cook her meal. She frowned when she found no way to grill up her fish. "Looks like I get fried fish instead of grilled. Stupid pirates. What? They can't put a grill on their ship? It's fancy enough."
For a second she thought about cooking it on the open fire outside, but that thought quickly left her upon remembering all the blood that was out there. She really didn't want their filthy pirate blood dampening her meal. It was already bad enough having to eat on their ship. She sighed. Pulling the frying pan from a lower cabinet, she headed over for the stove and set out to prepare her meal before heading off to get some sleep. She knew tomorrow was going to be a long day of trying to sail this massive ship. And she still had to figure out which way her quarry was heading next. She knew that they were currently docked for the night. Anchored off a rock island, waiting for daylight to continue on with their own journey to their next destination. She lifted her borrowed kitchen knife in the air. Swinging it downward, she chopped off the fish's head. The knife hit the cutting board with an angry thud that mimicked her feelings perfectly. She was going to intercept that journey. And she was going to kill them. Tomorrow she was back on the prowl.
…
Achoo! Law sneezed.
"Are you all right, Captain?" Bepo asked, looking up from his scattered maps that were currently laid out on the table in his navigation room. "Are you catching a cold? Or getting sick?"
"No, Bepo, I'm just fine," Law replied. "It was just a sneeze."
"All right," Bepo said, returning his eyes back to the map they were looking at. He pointed to the island on the map. "This is Zara Island. It's a good place to stock up on supplies. And there are a lot of restaurants there too. You might be able to find another cook for the crew." He paused and looked up at his captain with uncertainty. "Uh, are you sure about this? Neo doesn't care much for new people still."
"We'll go to that island then. We can spend a few days there whether we find a cook or not. The crew's been a little restless this past week and Neo is still worked up over me becoming a Warlord. I think we all could use a break from the sub for a while. And she'll be fine. I've already talked to her about all of this. If we do find another cook we'll spend some time with them on the island before bring them onto the sub just like we always do with new members," Law said. He ran his eyes over the map before them. It looked like they would reach this island in just a couple hours from their current location. An amused smirk curled on his lips when he returned his eyes to his navigator. "You're literally the twelfth person who's said that."
"We're just worried about her, that's all," Bepo said. He glanced towards the door of his navigation room. He knew Neo was currently down in the training room, so he wasn't sure why he looked towards the door. Sniffing the air, he looked back at his captain.
"I know you all are, but you're acting like I don't know how to handle my fiancée after all these months," Law said. "I was the one to break her out of her shell after all."
"I'm sorry," Bepo said, bowing his head.
"Don't be. I understand how you all feel about her," Law said. He grabbed his sword, which was propped up against the table, and headed for the door. "It's only natural that you all want to protect her like that. But she has gotten better at dealing with people. She'll be fine."
"And that's all thanks to you, Captain," Bepo said despite knowing how his captain felt about gratitude. He knew he'd get away with it since his captain was always more calm and relaxed since Neo has been with them. But they still didn't push their limits with her or their captain. Only Penguin had orders to confront their captain when he was coddling their favorite girl too much.
Law shifted his sword on his shoulder. He didn't reply to the bear as he continued to exit the navigation room. His hat fell over his eyes as he went. Normally it would be a move out of annoyance since he didn't like being thanked for anything, but this time it was out of slight embarrassment. He loved Neo, a lot. And the entire crew knew it. He wouldn't be marrying her after all if he didn't love her. And with their bond they had through her magic, it was next to impossible for him to hide it from anyone. He didn't want to hide it anyway. He didn't care what people would think of him, the Surgeon of Death, infamous for his cruelty to his enemies, being so in love with this woman. He loved her and that's all that mattered. But they still had to keep their relationship a secret for now. She was already endangered from his enemies just being on his ship, on his crew. Keeping their romantic relationship a secret helped decrease the chances of her getting taken. It was for her protection for them to pretend she was his subordinate while they were off the safety of the sub. He knew she understood his reasons for this, but he still occasionally felt guilty about having to hide their relationship like this.
Lost in his thoughts, he trudged down the hall to the stairs. Wondering down them, he heard a few of his crew chatting as they passed by the staircase. They didn't notice him so he didn't have to greet them. He just continued on down the stairs as they disappeared into a room then walked down the hall until he could hear the sounds of sparring coming from the training room, the room he was aiming for. The sounds coming from the room got louder as he neared it.
"Faster, Neo!" He heard Tero barked out. "Concentrate!"
"Right!" Neo said back to the man.
Law paused. Six feet from the door, he just stared at it, thinking about the two people inside. Neo, his love and life, was currently sparring with Tero, a still fairly new recruit to the crew. He thought about how the man had become Neo's sparing partner. It happened few months ago when Tero called out how weak Neo was and how she should have been able to handle a fight they had gotten in better than she did. And how the rest of the crew, Law included, was far too gentle with her to train her properly. He didn't want to admit Tero was right, but the man was. The rest of the crew was too soft on Neo to properly train her for the New World. That was only because they had been with her longer than Tero. They, in a sense, raised Neo despite her only being four years younger than Law.
A smile formed on Law's lips when he thought about how timid she used to be, how she use to hide behind him, clinging to his hoodie when she was scared. She still had her timid moments a lot of time depending on where they were and how many people were around, but she had grown up so much since having learned about herself as an Elemental royal, about her home island of Luminous, about her adopted brother, and her parents who had died saving her life and her brother's life. She was growing into a very powerful fighter. He had no doubt that she would keep growing. Her desire to protect them, the crew, her family, was great. She strived to get better so she would never lose them in battle, or do everything she could to prevent it. She wasn't naïve enough to know she would always keep them safe. But it still drove her to get better. And Tero was the only man who could push her to do that in the correct way.
Law was concerned about him at first. So much so that he sat in on their sparring sessions several times. Tero didn't care much for the magic of the Elementals, often calling it and the Elementals a pain. But the man had proven himself a loyal crewmember and the best sparring partner for Neo. Eventually, he forced himself to stop being so overprotective of her and left the two to train. He walked the last few feet to the door and leaned against its frame, taking in the scene before him at the two pirates inside exchange a flurry of punches and kicks. He tried not to flinch or run to her aid when Tero flipped her over on her back. He rolled his shoulders, annoyed at the small amount of pain she had and shared with him. If he could protect her from experiencing any pain, he would do it. But he knew it was impossible. And so did she.
"No good," Tero said, shaking his head.
"I know, I know," Neo said between her pants. Her placed her hands over her face, rubbing it tiredly and in frustration. "Let's go again."
"No. There's no point," Tero said. He turned from her and walked over to the side of the room. Placing a towel over his bare shoulders, he grabbed his water cup and took a swig of it. "You're not concentrating enough. You're thinking far too much about the captain now being a Warlord."
"I know," Neo said. She pushed herself into a sitting position. "I'm sorry. I know this was his plan and all. But I'm still worried about it all."
"And that's one of the main reasons we're taking a break from the sub," Law said.
"Captain," Tero said, turning to the man at the door. "Been standing there long?"
"Just got here," Law said. He pushed off the doorframe and walked into the room. His eyes lingered on Tero's exposed torso. The man had his boiler suit rolled down to his hips, tied there with the sleeves. It annoyed him. He didn't was his love seeing another man half naked, ever. But it made sense. Usually their training sessions were a couple hours at a time. Anyone would get too warm wearing a boiler suit like his crew did. And it was inevitable that she would see the crew half naked at some point in time during their travels. They were a crew mostly men and two women. He knew she only looked at the crewmembers as her brothers. Still he couldn't help but get a tiny bit jealous when she was around them and they had their chests exposed. He had to force his thoughts elsewhere when this happened. He knew he had no reason to be jealous. Neo only had eyes for him. And nothing, and no one, would ever change that. "We're heading to Zara Island tomorrow. We're going to spend a few days off the sub while looking for another cook."
Neo flinched. Her lips curled down into a pout. She really didn't want another stranger on the sub, especially one that was going to take over her galley.
"Neo, we've been over this," Law said, reading her thoughts. He squatted down to be more eyelevel with her, shifting his sword so he wouldn't hit her with it. "You know I won't allow anyone on the sub that you're really not comfortable with. And they're not taking over anything. You're still going to be the head chief here. This cook will have to follow your orders."
"I know," Neo said, her frown fading. "I'm still trying to adjust to the idea. I know you're only adding another cook so we can have more time together for when we get married."
"Good, girl. Now drink some water and get yourself rehydrated," Law ordered.
Neo nodded. Obediently, she summoned a water crystal. Cooling down the water to the temperature she liked then drank from it.
"That's cheating," Tero said placing a hand on his hip.
"It's not cheating. It's a natural ability of mine," Neo countered. "Besides, it saves on dishes."
"She's got you there," Law said when Tero didn't reply to her.
"Fine. Whatever. I'm hitting the showers," Tero said. Chugging down the rest of his water, the black haired man left the room, leaving Neo and Law to their own devices. "See you two later."
"Sometimes I really think he enjoys kicking my butt like this," Neo said once she knew Tero was far enough away. She turned her electric blue eyes up at Law and fluttered her eyelashes at him. "If I think he goes too far, can I turn my crystals on him?"
Law chuckled, knowing she never would actually do that. He took her hand in his and kissed her palm. "No, love, you cannot do that. You know he really has your best interest at heart here."
"I know." Neo sighed. "But I still think he enjoys it a little too much. Why do I have to do these extra training sessions after dinner? I eat just to work out and get hungry again and have to eat again."
"Well, you did miss an entire week and a half of training after I became a Warlord," Law said. He sighed when she fidgeted at his words. "You needed time to adjust to it. And that's understandable. But you're going to have to get use to that, Neo. I'm a Warlord now. It's a good thing. You're better protected this way. The Navy won't bother you."
"For a while," Neo said. She lowered her eyes from Law's, thinking about his real reason for becoming a Warlord. She shifted uncomfortably at the plans he has shared with her. His plans on destroying the SMILE factories and taking down the Warlord Doflamingo, the man who also killed Corazon and ticking off one of the Emperors of the Sea. It made her shiver. She hated every single thought of it. The only comfort she found in it was the Emperor they were after wasn't her godfather, Shanks.
"Neo, please, don't think about that. It's several months off. You're only going to worry yourself sick if you keep thinking about it like that," Law said. He repositioned his hold on her hand and brushed his thumb over her fingers before kissing them. His eyes stopped and lingered on the ring he bought for her. The ring that was originally meant just to keep men from thinking she was single became her engagement ring. It was silver with a heart shape just like his tattoo on his chest on it. Blue gems accompanied the tattoo. "How about we get out of here now? You can take a shower while I get you something to eat. You can eat in our room. That way we won't be disturbed by the crew and we can spend some quality time together."
"Really?" Neo brought her eyes back up to his. "You're not too busy?"
"For you? Never. I am done working for the day," Law said. Standing up, he pulled her to her feet and to his chest. "Bepo already knows where we're heading tomorrow. He'll inform the rest of the crew. So I'm all yours for the rest of the night."
"That's great!" Neo said. She wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him as tightly as she could before pulling him towards the door. "You know, I love it when you get jealous."
"So you felt that?" Law asked with a grin.
"You weren't exactly hiding it from me," Neo said. "You wanted me to know you were jealous."
"Maybe I did." Law shrugged.
"You're so cute," Neo said. She then pulled her long braid over her shoulder and tugged at the blue ribbon she got from Penguin when Law first trained her on using her crystals. While they walked down the hall to their shared bedroom, she wrapped the ribbon around her finger before tucking the thing into her pocket. During this time Law started undoing the braid for her, raking his fingers through her hair, sometimes in a teasing, playful way that made her giggle and blush. They stepped into their room just as he got to her scalp. She moved to gather up her clothes for her shower, but was stopped by Law pulling her back to him. "What?"
"I didn't say you could go yet," Law said. He ran his fingers through her hair again. Starting at the top and going all the way down to the ends that fell just passed her shoulder blades. He then did it again while placing kisses on her forehead and down to her lips.
"But, Law, I'm all sweaty," Neo protested. "I really need a shower."
"So?" Law mumbled against her lips when he finally reached them. "It's not like I haven't kissed you before like this. You look really good right now. Besides, I thought you just loved my kisses no matter what."
"I do," Neo said just as Law pressed his lips to hers. Like always, she easily followed his lead. Letting him guide her in moving their lips together until he slipped his tongue into her mouth and explored her. Gently he ran his tongue over hers, stroking it repeatedly until she moaned for him. She placed her hands on his stomach, gliding them up his black shirt until she snaked them around his neck. Her stomach growled. She pulled away from him and laughed. Her bell filled laughter filled the room. Her bells that was always present when she giggled or laughed, something only Elemental royals had. "I'm sorry."
"No need to be. I love your bells," Law said, placing pecks across her face. "But I really need to get some food into you. Hurry up with your shower."
"Hurry up, he says," Neo said while Law trailed kisses down to her neck. She tilted her head to the side, giving him more access to her flesh. A soft gasp left her lips when he hit her sensitive spot. She then moaned again as he continued to work his skillful lips on her. "Yet he won't release me."
"You shouldn't taste so good then," Law mumbled against her. He sucked her skin a few more times before another low growl of her stomach forced him to stop. He sighed and pressed his forehead to hers, causing his hat to lift up a bit on his head. "All right, all right. Get into the shower. I'll go get you something to eat. Anything specific you feel like?"
"Other than you? My favorite snack," Neo said. "That would be really nice."
"All right. Cheese, crackers, and lightly sweeten tea it is," Law said, brushing his nose against her. "But you're eating some fruit with it as well. I've got to keep you healthy."
"Yes, sir," Neo said teasingly with a mock salute.
Law chuckled. He remembered when that's all she did was call him "sir". That was when she first came to live with them. For months she called him that. Now she only did it when she felt like teasing him or felt playful, a few times she's done it out of annoyance, but those times didn't happen often. He pecked her nose. "Into the shower with you."
"All right," Neo said. She tilted her head up a bit, signaling for another kiss. He happily obliged her. They kissed one last time before finally separating from each other. He left the room while she walked over to their shared closet. Since she was done training for the day, and had nothing else to do, she settled on going ahead and getting into her pajamas. So she grabbed a soft grey shirt with a cloud on it and match pajama pants before heading for the bathroom. She placed her clothes and Penguin's ribbon on the counter before disrobing and climbing into the shower.
…
Law walked slowly down the hall. He wanted to give Neo enough time to get her shower without rushing her. He knew how much she loved her showers and baths. So he lingered, nodding to crewmembers as they passed and greeted him with hearty, "Evening, Captain.", or a simple "Hi." Or whatever they felt like saying. He would just give a simple nod to acknowledge them and their greeting before walking on. Soon he found himself inside of the galley. His eyebrows rose on his forehead when he saw that Penguin was also in there. He wasn't sure why he felt the small amount of surprise that he did. Penguin was often in the galley when he knew Neo had been training. Usually the man had a snack ready for her, but this time he didn't. He did, however, have a fresh jug of tea made for them. Sweetened to Neo's preference.
"Hey, Captain," Penguin said when he noticed the extra man in the room. "Fresh tea for Neo. The crew finished the last of the other jug earlier today. I figured she'd want some for a snack after her training session."
Law nodded. "She does."
"And I also figured you'd want to get her snack tonight," Penguin said with a grin. "Bepo popped in here a few minutes ago. He told me where we were heading and that you were done for the day and was planning on spending the rest of the night with Neo. I figured you'd want to get her snack yourself so I didn't bother with it yet."
Law nodded again. His eyebrows lowered down on his forehead. He should have known that's what Penguin was up to. Penguin always paid close attention to situations dealing with him and Neo. The man was more in tuned to how Law and Neo felt and acted around each other than the rest of the crew was. And he, next to Law, was the one Neo spend most of her time with. Penguin easily knew when to step up and when to back off. And this was one time he knew to back off and let his captain do this for Neo. He had become such a great older brother to her. And Law really appreciated the man, more than he let anyone ever know, except for Neo. She knew. "Thanks, Penguin."
"No problem," Penguin replied. "If there's nothing you need me to do, I'm going to head to the rec. room. Shachi is starting a poker game with some other crewmates."
"No, there's nothing I need you to do. You're free to spend the night however you please," Law said walking over to the fridge.
"Great. I probably won't see you and Neo then. So tell her goodnight for me and give her a kiss too," Penguin said while heading for the door. "You have a goodnight too, Captain. See you in the morning."
"You too," Law said before his subordinate disappeared on him. He turned his attention back to getting Neo's snack after that. He pulled out the cheese first. All they had was cheddar. But Neo wouldn't mind. She liked all kinds of cheeses. They were going to have to pick some more up when they land on Zara. He then moved on to the fruit and ultimately settled on apples and oranges. He sliced them up, cutting up enough for him too, and placed them on a plate. He then poured them both some tea, grabbed some crackers, and headed back towards their bedroom.
…
Normally, Neo would take her time with her showers or baths, especially after a training session with Tero. But this time she hurried through it. She'd prefer to spend as much time with Law than soaking in a hot shower or bath. She always had a lot of time for soaking in a bath. Sometimes being alone with Law could be hard to get. Their crew was growing, he was now a Warlord, and they were in the New World preparing for their upcoming missions and a whole lot of other stuff. Getting time alone was proving to be difficult. But he always made time for her. He never let her feel neglected. She loved him all the more for it. He knew what she needed and always gave it to her. He knew she liked security. And he was the only one who could make her feel secure.
A few minutes later, she could sense Law working his way back to their room. She washed off the remaining soap on her body, turned off the water, and exited the shower. Summoning her wind and fire crystals, she used them to dry herself and her hair. Once that was done, she grabbed her clothes and pulled them on then grabbed her hairbrush. After a few strokes through her light blue hair, she put it up and left the room. Just as she climbed on their bed Law returned. He opened then closed their door. With a smile, he said, "Cheese, crackers, apples, oranges, and sweet tea."
"Sounds great," Neo said. She propped their pillows up against the headboard of their bed while Law placed the tray he was carrying down on his nightstand. He then placed his hat on the nightstand and propped his sword up beside it before sitting down on the bed. He kicked off his shoes then got comfortable before reclaiming the tray. He sat it down on his lap while she snuggled up beside him. She easily noticed the amount of food on the tray was for both of them. She smiled. He was going to eat with her. She pecked his lips, a reward for spending time with her and eating with her. The two then settled into to light conversations about the next island and the cook they were looking for. "If he doesn't work out, you'll kick him off, right?"
"What makes you think the cook's going to be a man?" Law asked.
"Oh, it's going to be a man," Neo said. "No other woman is going to cook for my boys. It's just not happening."
Law chuckled. He already knew that. They've talked about that before as well. "Whatever you want. And, yes, if the cook doesn't work out after all, I'll personally give him the boot."
"You're such a good boy," Neo purred before pecking his lips again. "So that's it then. Tomorrow we're on the prowl for a second cook."
Law nodded. "Tomorrow we're on the prowl for a new cook."