(Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I don't own One Piece, so you can't sue)
X-X-X-X-X
Law hadn't noticed her at first.
He'd gone up to Jean Bart, intent on freeing the former pirate captain, when movement on the other man's shoulder made him pause.
She'd been sitting and simply observing the fight up until that point, barely moving a muscle, but when he'd approached she'd turned large, dark blue eyes on him, face curious.
She was distressingly thin, the rags she wore hanging from her bony shoulders. Her hair was long, unkempt, tangled, and might have been a dark blonde, but it was hard to tell through all the dirt. As he approached he noticed two tiny, vestigial wings on her back, feathers stuck up at odd angles, bent or torn in some places, and the same drab brown as her clothes. All in all, it seemed that slavery had not been good to this woman.
She was still disturbingly pretty, though.
Law frowned, before drawing his nodachi.
Jean Bart tensed, one hand raising as though to shield the girl, but the dark doctor was too fast. With two heavy thunks, the exploding collars fell to the dirt, now little more than two useless lumps of iron.
The girl blinked while Jean Bart used the hand he'd raised to rub at his neck, before frowning at Law.
"Why?" he asked, eyes narrowing on the other pirate.
Law shrugged.
"Well, are you two coming?" he asked.
The two exchanged a glance, something unspoken passing between them, before they turned back to him. Jean Bart lifted a hand, onto which the girl stepped, almost delicately. He carefully lowered her to the ground before standing.
"If you can free us from the Nobles, then we will both serve under you," said the giant of a man, before he lunged and knocked aside a charging marine wielding a saber. When Law turned his gaze on the woman, she nodded in agreement.
"Though I'm afraid I will end up being a burden to you." She said. Jean Bart shook his head.
"Not where we're going, Rin-san." He said.
Law smiled, before turning and beginning to walk away.
The two former slaves followed after him.
X-X-X
It had to be Bartholomew Kuma.
Oh course it did.
It couldn't have been someone simple, like a Rear Admiral. Oh no, it had to be a freaking Shichibukai.
Law gritted his teeth, nodachi drawn and Room prepped, standing beside Eustass Kid, every muscle tense. Waiting.
But as the Warlord made to step forward a sound began to fill the air. It was a haunting melody, a wordless song that rose and fell with the frantic beating of his heart and, though he dared not take his eyes off the huge man standing across from him, he still twitched when the small hand closed on his arm. He didn't stop to think about how she'd gotten from up on the hill with Jean Bart and Bepo to down on the plain with him and the towering form of the Shichibukai.
The entire clearing was unmoving, waiting with bated breath as the girl he'd freed stood beside Law, singing softly, her beautiful, heartbreaking song filling the space around them. Her eyes where fixed on Kuma, completely unblinking. Only Law was close enough to see her trembling, the sweat beading on her skin. Only he could feel that the hand she had on his arm was shaking.
And then, miraculously, Kuma relaxed. His shoulders sagged and he took a step backwards, before slowly turning and beginning to walk away. Rin didn't let up until he was out of sight over the ridge, and when she did her eyes slid shut and she slumped against Law's side, sucking in heavy lungfuls of air, her entire frame quivering.
He steadied her, a hand wrapping around her waist to keep her standing, even as he tore his eyes away from where the Shichibukai had vanished to look at her.
She was pale, eyes hazy as she blinked rapidly. Her hair was stuck to her forehead and she was breathing like she'd just run across the Archipelago, but when she raised her head, there was a soft smile on her face.
"Are you okay, Captain?" she asked. He only stared at her, unsure of what to think, let alone say. A harsh voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Oi, woman, what the hell was that?" Kid was eying the girl like a piece of meat, having dropped his metal arms. His crew was milling around at his back, also focused on the woman Law was supporting. His arm tightened on her waist unconsciously.
She blinked, swaying slightly, but didn't answer. Kid growled and took a step forward, but was suddenly intercepted by Jean Bart.
"Unless you have forgotten, we are still surrounded and there is a Marine Admiral on the way. I suggest you move on, Eustass-san." he growled, glaring down at the smaller man.
Kid made a 'tch' sound, but jerked his head at his crew, who turned and began walking away. With one last glance at Law and the woman, he followed.
When they were gone, Jean Bart turned to them.
"That was reckless, Rin-san." He said, moving to stand in front of Law. He frowned down at her. She shrugged.
"Didn't have much of a choice, did I?" she asked. "You said it yourself, we have bigger problems."
Jean Bart heaved a sigh, before his eyes fell to Law.
"I will take her. She will be weak for a while, and we must make haste." He said, extending a hand. Law eyed him, then looked down at Rin, before surrendering her to the other man. Gently, Jean Bart gathered her in his arms, before straightening and looking down at his captain.
"Right," said Law, before turning to signal to Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin.
"Let's Go."
X-X-X-X-X
/AN/
I can't believe I finally have all three of these started. The road ahead is a rocky one, people, but I'll try my best.
For those that don't know, this is part of a trilogy. Angel's Tears, Dragon Feathers, and Scales: Bullets and Victory can be read separately or together. They're all parallels of the same story line, just following different characters.
Hope you enjoy!