The sky was clear and bright, and the Heart crew were relaxing out of the deck of their submarine. The captain was leaning his tanned frame against a railing while he watched his crewmates drinking and laughing with one another. He sat distant away from the others, something which always bothered his crew. They tried to include Law with their antics per usual, but the man never wavered, always preferring to observe them rather than join them. Penguin was getting everyone fresh drinks, Shachi was quickly drinking the refreshed amount of booze, Jean Bart was telling some of the crew members about his past adventures, and Bepo was apologizing over something minute. It was a perfectly average day, something that Law found quiet solace in it.
The world had been calm for awhile now, and even though his crew urged him to head into the New World already, Law saw no need to rush forward. No, he would rather stay for a little bit longer in this familiar sea before jumping into something without any idea. He needed information, more combat experience, and an ideal plan as to what he would be doing. Blindly going with the flow is something Law has never been fond of, but the Grand Line had different schemes in mind.
The sky was a lovely shade of lapis just a few minutes ago, and now it was a deep shade of blue, nearly ebony, with cracks of lightning streaming throughout the atmosphere. The unexpected weather of the Grand Line had caught the Heart crew off guard; now, freezing seawater thrashed at the sides of the yellow submarine. The pirate crew was not able to submerge in time, which lead to Trafalgar Law holding on to on the railing for dear life. The saltwater seeped through his clothes and into his frigid bones, draining more and more energy away from him as the seconds rolled by.
"Captain!" Bepo shouted as he desperately tried to make his way over to the called man. "I'm coming to you, don't worry!" The polar bear was the only crew member left, excluding Law, outside the submarine.
"Forget about me and get inside!" Law cried out with an abused voice that battled the roaring thunder for dominance to be heard. Salt water jumped into Law's mouth, drowning out the further words of refusal he wanted to say. The fluid snaked its way into the man's lungs, leaving Law almost completely void of all energy. His grasp weakened, and his tattooed fingers slid further and further off from rail.
A lone barrel filled with alcohol dashed across the deck of the submarine, and headed into Law's direction. The man tried to duck and protect his head, but the heavy keg proved too quick under these vicious conditions. Rough, dense wood struck his forehead, and his brain rattled inside it's bony confines. His hold was no more.
Water swallowed up the captain, and dragged him into the sea. Law cursed his devil fruit over and over again as he sank further and further into the watery depths. Through squinted eyes, he watched as the submarine distanced itself from him, entirely useless to the fate of his crew. He hoped that Lady Luck would be on his side, and that, at least, his crew would get out of this safely.
Law's conscious faded as the sea coiled around the man, whispering soft tales of a peaceful slumber. The distraught, shaken brain disagreed to the water's proposal, but it proved to be not strong enough. Golden eyes fell shut, and the icy ocean felt like a comforting blanket. Memories peeled away from the foreground of Law's mind due to the previous battery from the barrel and the lack of oxygen since the sea had pillaged Trafalgar Law's breathe. They sneaked away into a hidden corner, and proceeded to shut themselves off from the rest of the body. The man began to feel very calm and relaxed. He couldn't even remember why he had been so worried just a few moments ago. Why not succumb and sleep?
A piece of driftwood floated up from the abyss, and pushed against Trafalgar Law's back. The sea's underwater current enabled the driftwood to nudge the lifeless body upward towards the surface. The captain emerged in the raging waves, and a primal instinct of survival kicked in. Bile came pouring out of the man's mouth as he hacked up pints of disabling seawater. Tossing up salty liquid infused with stomach acid, he scrambled and clawed at the board. Nails desperate to catch themselves into the lumber as he frantically raked his fingers through the timber to try and get himself up on it. Chunks of wood caked themselves up underneath Law's fingernails and scratched at the tanned skin, causing blood to flow out of the wounds. The saltwater stung and burned his damaged skin, but Law didn't give. He caught a hold in the driftwood, and yanked himself up onto the rotting, wet board.
The storm raged on, and, using the last of his strength, Law wrapped his arms around the piece of timber and held on. The primal instinct to live bore into his frazzled mind, into his exhausted carcass, and rooted itself into his core. Determination clung to every fiber of his being, as Trafalgar Law swore that he would live, that this was not going to be his graveyard.
The sound of chattering echoed around the room as a group of men were mindlessly playing cards. Beers clinked against the wooden table, and boots stomped against the floor as someone called a correct bluff. Eustass "Captain" Kid was being rather quiet in that moment, something that made the observant ones of the crew worried before they returned their attention back to the drinks. Eustass Kid was a well known hothead; someone that would kill another just for laughing at him, and he constantly was making a loud ruckus. But today he was silent as he sat in the corner, drinking some cheap beer. Killer, his second in command, is the only one who noticed that the loudmouth had been dwindling in his usual sound levels for weeks. Ever so subtly, Eustass would say less and less as the days went on. Killer didn't know if he should take it as a sign of concern or maturity.
"Ah, I hate this." Those words came out in a gruff, slightly slurred voice from Kid. He leaned his head against the chipped paint of the wall, swirling the liquor glass in his hand.
Killer turned towards his captain, cocking his head to the side to show a look of confusion. The redhead had been mute the entire day, and that is what he decided to say first?
"What do you mean?"
Red eyes slide in their socket to look at the asking man without a need for a turn of the head. Painted lips twisted into a snarl slightly as Kid answered, "I'll never get used to the boredom that comes from just sailing." The man scratched at jaw, yawning, "The Grand Line is a sea of randomness, but nothing interesting has come our way in weeks."
"Even if the grand line defies all logic, it still is just a ocean, Kid," Killer replied, settling himself into the wall, pleased that his captain was just bored rather than something more serious. "Something exciting will happen eventually."
"You better be right," the redhead grunted, followed by a swig of alcohol.
"Something spotted at 8 o'clock!" A voice rang throughout the hold of the ship, shaking everyone out of their current mundane activity.
Kid shot to his feet and hurried outside, a light sparking in his red eyes. Killer followed him, shocked out how soon that "something exciting" seemed to be happening.
When Kid reached the man who called out, he snatched the binoculars from his hands. Peering into them, he could make out a black mass in the waves. Dissatisfaction fizzled inside his core. It was nothing special, probably just a dead seal.
He tossed the binoculars to Killer, groaning, "Dammit, it's just a dead animal. Pull it in, we can probably eat it."
Nets were tossed and encaptured the black body. Two crew members began heaving the thing back towards the ship with thoughts of dinner on their mind.
Killer waited until his captain had his back turned to see through the device; he didn't want to appear as if he didn't trust Kid's judgement. The mask certainly made it difficult to see, but Killer's eyes focused on the waving body out in sea. On closer inspection, it appeared to be a human floating on a piece of timber rather than a seal. The man stiffened as to whether or not he should say anything, but reasoned against it. Hopefully, Killer could convince his captain to keep the victim of the Grand Line, and, just maybe, this would bring some excitement to the Kid Pirates, a possible enemy to fight or a new crew member.
The men hauled up the mass, a male and a chunk of wood, and slung it onto the deck. Killer stepped towards the body, observing the appearance of who they've just captured. Tanned skin despite a clear sign of malnourishment, golden earrings that were circled by a piece of infected tissue, soaked black clothing that clung to the thin frame, and… death tattooed across the fingers? Killer dropped to his knees to get a better look at the human as his mind began cycling through anyone with familiar features. He was positive that those tattooed digits were familiar to him in some manner.
The masked man let out an audible gasp and stiffened as he found out who the man was. That captain that fought alongside Kid during Saboady Archipelago, Trafalgar Law! There was no mistaking it; Killer would never be able to forget how that man bounced a living head in his inked hand like it was a mere child's toy. This was certainly a demonstration of the complete randomness that the Grand Line spewed to its fellow sailors.
"Go get the captain," Killer ordered to one of the men since Eustass had already slipped himself back inside.
In those few short moments without Kid, the masked man pondered over what should be done in this situation. Capture him? Torture him? Throw him out to sea and let him die by the hands of nature? Or kill the Heart Crew captain themselves by the hands of another supernova? A thoughtful hum escaped from Killer as none of those options sat right with him. What good would it serve to kill him prematurely and what good could they possibly gain from torturing the man? The only possibility that Killer deemed honorable was actually helping the captain. Trafalgar Law saved Straw Hat Luffy during Marineford, so assisting him now wouldn't be strange, the second in command of the Kid Pirates reasoned with himself.
"Oi, Killer, what is it?" barked Eustass Kid as he tromped towards his first mate and, unknown to him, Trafalgar Law.
Killer turned his head, replying awkwardly due to the lack of delicate words this moment called for, "It's, um…"
Red irises glared down at the body, recognizing instantly who the man was; there was only one man that bore those occupied digits. "He looks like he's already dead," Kid coldly said. "Just toss him out the sea and let the fish eat him." Sighing, he turned to head back to his beer which he left inside.
After Eustass spoke, it suddenly occurred to Killer that Trafalgar certainly seemed dead already. His chest didn't rise and fall to indicate breathing and his skin was shriveled and appeared unhealthy. Those seconds of him worrying about what to do with the Heart Crew captain seemed irrelevant now. I was troubling myself over nothing, Killer thought, flicking his eyes from his captain and Trafalgar Law.
An extremely faint sound slipped from Law's dehydrated lips, and his eyelid peeled back to reveal dull eyes. A look of confusion and death hanged from his features. His hands shook slightly; an attempt to move them, but the lack of energy left them to just a quiver.
The masked man's eyes widened at the sudden life found in the man. Killer reached out and tugged at Kid's cloke repeatedly. "Kid!"
The redhead spun around, vexation radiating from him. "What do you wa-" His words were cut off when he realized why Killer was bothering him.
Gold met with red, and mixed.
Law stared up at Kid with a look that resembled a pathetic, dying dog begging for something, an appearance of pure undiluted innocence. His thin body trembled as the man attempted to move. Wetness returned to his lifeless eyes as he croaked, "Water."
The pitiful, liquid gold buried inside the cave of the other captain's skull looked out of place; so out of place that it made Kid uncomfortable. Though he only had one small encounter with Trafalgar Law, Kid was never able to weed out from his mind the shimmering, sickening look that glowed in the man's eyes when he cut someone up. Trafalgar Law took sadistic pleasure in dismantling others, in taking apart their limbs and, humorously, forcing the ligaments to conjoin together in a broken, distorted puzzle. Now those eyes appeared different, a certain lack of something. There was no hint of hurt pride, nothing resembling that smartass attitude he contains. Trafalgar Law was purely seeking for help.
"Please," breathed the Heart captain, his voice shaking paralleled his body.
Eustass Kid took a deep breath, hoping that his next decision wouldn't bite him in the ass. "Killer, take him into the infirmary."