The new Christmas special is out! This is a combined effort of Volleys-chan (the author of 'The Dragon Chronicles') and me (author of 'I don't like you!'). In the end, it became a whole Arc so Volleys-chan and I agreed that it should be posted in chapters (it's simply too big to post all at once). So you will be meeting her Strawhats and my Heart Pirates in this story, along with some other interesting characters. ;) I hope you like it! Enjoy our work!
Disclaimer: We do not own One Piece or any of its characters.
Adventure on Snowflake Island
The galley was eerily quiet, only lit with dim lights now that lunch was over and most pirates already went their own separate ways, back to their duties on the yellow submarine. However, a few shadows stayed sitting stock still in that gloomy atmosphere, surrounded by tense air. They stared at each other in complete silence as if waiting for someone to make the first move.
Six figures stayed in their seats, all glancing at each other with nervous expressions, alertness obvious in their eyes. It was so quiet their every breath could be heard throughout the room.
Sharp green eyes focused on a pair of dark blue ones that almost appeared black in such lighting. Finally daring to break the intense silence, the short redhead spoke up, "Well…here we are…"
"Indeed…here we are…," the bluehead's voice answered back slowly, cautiously.
The two medics gazed across the table, towards their companions. Sitting opposite of Cody was Penguin, the rim of his hat covering most of his face and preventing the others to see what he was thinking at the moment.
Next to him was Shachi, sporting the same serious expression while his eyes hid behind the dark sunglasses. It was good for masking his emotions when playing poker, but this battle was more intense than any game he ever played. A drop of sweat slid down the side of his brow.
Suddenly Cody felt he was being watched and only glanced with the corner of his eyes, not daring to turn his whole head to the side. He should make as little movements as possible; what if others interpret it wrongly and then they all jump towards it at the same time? His breath hitched in his throat and he gulped when he saw two bright golden eyes staring at him intently. They were piercing at his very soul with suspicion in them, as if the girl was able to read his mind. *No, no, no! Calm down, me, that's impossible. She's only trying to make you nervous…to make you act rashly. But I won't allow it! She's trying to predict my movements…she's good. I mustn't falter here.*
Miyako suddenly moved her eyes from the medic, to the last pirate at the table; Bepo. Unlike the others, he wasn't even trying to hide his intentions. He had a piece of drool stuck on the fur in the corner of his mouth as he stared in front of him hungrily. *Bepo might be the first to break…Will he make the first move? If I say something now without thinking about it carefully, I'll seem too desperate and give myself away. Stay calm, Miyako!*
Penguin, Shachi, Bepo, Cody, Josh and Miyako all sat unmoving in a circle around the table, staring at each other, though their true focus of attention was in front of them all.
They all thought the same thing as they continued their silent battle that was mentally straining their minds, while every muscle in their body stayed tense to act in a blink of an eye if need be.
*That last piece of cake is mine!*
In the middle of the table was a plate with a piece of chocolate cake on it, filled with cherry custard and topped with fluffy white cream.
Right in the middle of their meal, Munk came over and told them he had one piece of dessert left and innocently left it there on the table for no one in particular. The second that plate hit the metal table, making a ringing sound that hit their ears at once, the battle had started. They knew this prize will go to the one who finished eating first so they all started quickening their pace, trying to be as inconspicuous about it as possible. It was a strenuous first part of their efforts, that required both finesse and speed, but the race finished in a draw. Hence, they found themselves in this pat position with all of them surrounding that one piece of cake. They didn't know how much time has passed, but all the other Hearts already left the galley and the kitchen was closed. Even Munk retired to his quarters, shutting most of the lights behind him. Nobody dared to move because they knew if only one was to reach for it, all hell would break loose and all of them would try to grab it at the same time. They would start fighting and in the end the poor cake would probably get destroyed…or worse, the whole galley. It wouldn't be the first time as they all already had experience with how things finish when they start fighting for food; with them getting beaten up by Munk and getting scolded or punished by Captain. No, this battle wasn't just about speed or force…it was about the right timing. They needed to outwit their opponents and strike at the right time to get this dessert!
Joshua gritted his teeth. *What was Munk thinking, naively leaving that one piece of cake for the six of us!?* Suddenly his eyes widened at the thought. *Wait! Was it really a coincidence, just an innocent gesture? Would Munk really make such a mistake?! Could it be he planned this from the start!? Did he tempt us on purpose!? Is he the Devil!?* The medic's heart started beating loudly in his chest, the thumping resonating in his ears as his paranoia increased. He started sweating, gazing at the five other characters at the table. Was it just his imagination or were they all grinning at him evilly? What were they planning!? He gulped loudly, imagining that the sound of his racing heartbeat could be heard throughout the galley. *No…I must calm down! I can't lose to them now!* He glared atBepo across the table, seeing the bear's ear twitch nervously. *Bepo might be the first to break! I just need to hold out until he does.*
Shachi opened his mouth lightly and all eyes quickly darted in his direction. Everyone were expecting what his next move will be. "Oh boy…everyone else already left. If we don't get back to our workplaces soon, we'll get scolded by Captain," he sighed dramatically to emphasize his point.
*So that's the card you're playing with! You're pretending you don't care about the dessert, while trying to remind us of our duties! What a shrewd move, but nobody's gonna fall for that!*
Penguin cleared his throat. "R-right." He tried to will his lips to smile nonchalantly, though there was tension in his cheeks. "Cody…don't you have this shift in the infirmary? If nobody's there-"
Before he could even finish, Cody calmly cut him off, "Ben is there so it's fine."
Penguin filched, "I-I see…" *Dammit, that Spiky-hair is too good! I can't find any openings to attack at all!*
Miyako's stare darted towards Shachi and Penguin. *I see…those bastards teamed up! Penguins tried to back up Shachi's statement so that they could get rid of us together and then share the prize. But it won't be that easy!*
Cody turned his head towards her. "What about you, Miya-chan?"
The samurai's lips quirked upward in a smirk. "Since I work in the galley, my work is done until dinner," she explained with a taunting glint in her eyes. *So now you're trying their tactic too, Cody?! Like I'll fall for that!* Instead, she gazed at the one who seemed the closest to collapsing under this pressure. "But Bepo…Don't you usually eat fish? Are you really alright with this chocolate cake…it's really sweet, you know." Her voice trailed off as she tried to appear as innocent as possible while simply making a remark, worried about him. She didn't want to seem too forward about it.
Bepo was silent for a while, licking that piece of drool from his lips as his ear twitched twice. "Ah…you're right…And since nobody else is eating it, then I won't either…," he answered with a sigh, leaning his head on his hand and staring at the distant wall on the left, as if simply seeing the cake was suddenly insulting to him.
*Ha! I did it! One out and four to go!* However, her glee wasn't long-lasting as realization hit her. Suddenly she became suspicious again. *Wait, wasn't this way too easy?! I said that about fish to throw him off, but the truth is I saw Bepo eating sweats before too. Besides, it's not like he's leaving…he's still here. It's like he's just waiting for us to go, but that must be a ruse. He doesn't want it, my ass! It's obviously a trap. He said he won't have it, but he's just pretending so everyone else would give up and say they don't want it either. Then he'll say something like 'Well if nobody else is having it, then I might as well…We don't want it to go to waste.' That's right! That's his plan, I'm sure of it!*
"Well if Bepo isn't eating it, then neither am I," Penguin suddenly broke the silence, making everyone jump.
"Aah…then me too," Shachi trailed after him.
*There it is!* Miyako's thoughts rang in her mind while her eyes narrowed. *But what should I do now? If I say 'Then I'll take it' they'll surely accuse me of trying to take advantage of the situation and then suddenly everyone will start saying they'll eat it. I can't let that happen…in that case, the only way is to go along with this. Nobody will dare to try and eat it now so we'll all have to say we don't want it…* She nodded to agree with the head mechanics. "You're right…Then, I won't eat it either."
Cody and Joshua looked at each other, before the taller medic shrugged and waved his hand in the air dismissively. "If you guys won't have it, it wouldn't be fair for me to take it either."
The redhead gulped painfully, staring at Cody with sharp eyes. *Dammit, after Cody said it wouldn't be fair, I can't say 'Then if nobody else will take it, I will' now. They would all jump at my throat and destroy my every chance to take the cake, in an instant! That damned medic! And what about Bepo; he's shrewder than I thought. Pretending to not want it, he turned the tables on all of us. And here I thought he would break, the damned bear!* The redhead laughed nervously in that strained atmosphere. All eyes were cautiously watching him and he felt like he was standing on the very brink of a deep, black chasm. One wrong step and he would be falling in that abyss forever! No, one wrong move, and these jerks would push him down! They were all just waiting greedily for a chance. "Then…I guess no one is eating it," he finally agreed through gritted teeth.
Suddenly the air changed around everyone as they pretended not to care about the cake anymore. Miyako even started chatting with Shachi and Penguin about something irrelevant. Yet nobody moved from the table, since that would mean defeat for them. They were all just waiting for the right moment to make their move, only pretending to be relaxed and uncaring.
*Somebody needs to make the first move…as easygoing as possible. Otherwise, their intentions would be too obvious,* the girl thought.
*Come on….someone act already!* Penguin screamed in his head while he smiled politely at the samurai girl.
"T-then…I guess we should just leave it here and get back to work," Shachi proposed with a fake smile.
"Right, right!" Bepo agreed with a wide grin.
The others nodded as well, all smiling as if in relief that this situation finally ended. Even so, not one soul left the table. They all waited for someone else to start getting up, but nobody did, leaving them all to continue sitting there.
"So…I guess you should be going to the engine room now," Miyako tried, staring at Penguin and Shachi with a stiff smile and sweat on her cheek.
"Yeah….and Cody and Josh should head out to the infirmary," Shachi continued, trying to avert the focus from the mechanics to the medics.
"Miyako, I think you were needed by Captain, actually," Bepo innocently added, though there was obvious hidden intent in his statement.
"You too Bepo, you are the first mate after all….shouldn't you be in the control room?" The samurai answered through gritted teeth, not wanting to back down from this fight.
A loud noise sounded through the galley as the doors slammed open. Instead of turning their heads to the entrance and focusing their attention on the newcomer, all the pirates decided to take that chance to act, thinking the others would be distracted. Unfortunately, they all had the same train of thought and ended up jumping towards the piece of cake at the same time.
"What the hell are you doing?" A booming voice threw everyone's focus off the cake, but it was too late to stop. Instead, the Hearts lost their concentration and all bumped into one another, falling to the ground and toppling the metal table over in the process. A loud crash made everyone flinch and close their eyes, but as the room calmed down nobody dared to open them. They all recognized that voice just now.
Miyako opened one eye only, fixating it on the pointy black shoes in front of her. Her gaze traveled upwards, up the spotted jeans and the dark blue sweater with the yellow grinning smile of their Jolly Roger on the chest. Finally, she opened both eyes and winced when she saw that dark gaze piercing her from above, staring down at her. She could see the knotted eyebrows beneath the fuzzy hat.
Captain!" Penguin was the one who exclaimed first as he struggled back to his feet, untangling from Cody's and Joshua's legs in the process. "We were just….uh….Discussing the plans for…engines…?" He trailed off, lost in his own bad lie.
"Idiot," Shachi mumbled next to the other mechanic, giving him a slap to the back of his head which almost made Penguin's hat fall down.
"You were supposed to be in your places and working, 30 minutes ago," Law cut off any explanation as his stormy eyes only darkened more.
"Whoa, has it already been that long," the first mate exclaimed in surprise.
*Crap, he's really mad.* Miyako tried to appear as small as possible, hoping the man wouldn't notice her. She slowly stood up, hiding behind the big bear. That's when she heard a smacking sound coming from above, right from his snout. The others heard it too and they all slowly turned towards Bepo who was chewing on something.
"The cake…you ate the cake?" Josh mumbled in disbelief.
The bear wasn't chewing anymore, but the plate on the floor was completely empty with only crumbs left. Bepo admitted nothing though, as he suspiciously turned his beady black eyes to stare at the side, avoiding their gazes. "I….have no idea what you're talking about," he mumbled. He didn't sound overly truthful, especially since there were brown smudges accusingly staining his white fur around his mouth.
"You're a terrible liar!" Shachi grabbed the collar of his orange jumpsuit, bringing him down so he could inspect the bear's fishy expression.
"Yeah, don't lie when your fur's obviously stained with chocolate!" Penguin yelled in return. "You waited for all of us to let our guard down so you could eat the whole cake yourself!" The head mechanic continued with the accusations, as if that wasn't exactly what he was planning to do too only a minute ago.
"So you wanted it after all, even though you said you didn't. It was all a ruse!" Joshua added, also attacking the poor bear, while pretending to be oblivious of the fact that they were all trying to accomplish the same thing. It was easier to pretend innocence now when they had someone to blame.
Even Cody sighed, crossing the arms on his chest and shaking his head in disparagement. "I'm disappointed in you, Bepo."
"I'm sorry…" The bear sniffed sadly.
*They're all teaming up on him now and pushing all the blame on him,* Miyako sweatdropped at the sight. However, weren't they all forgetting something? That thought nagged the samurai in the back of her mind as she frowned and tilted her head, trying to remember.
They were all so focused on that cake that they forgot about the real threat standing behind them. The pirates all grimaced when a deadly aura sent shivers down their spines, a cold atmosphere coming right from behind them. In that dim room, all sound ceased as nobody dared to speak or even turn around to see the horror awaiting them. Nobody dared to look over their shoulder. In that darkness, a slow but steady sound reached their ears. It was the sound of scrapping metal, as Law slowly unsheathed his nodachi from its scabbard.
They all turned around with tearful eyes, seeing their doom standing there. "Kyaaaaah! We're sorryyyy!"
~…~
Trafalgar sat in the control room, clearing his throat as Sai spread a map in front of his captain. "As I was saying, we are approaching a new island. It's a winter one," he continued from his previous explanation. The map showed a fairly large area with cliffs surrounding most of the island on one side, while the island was perfectly straight on the other. There was a shallow part where the port was probably situated, but the other side gave off a strange feel of evenness that shouldn't be possible.
"I see…," Miyako muttered, though she was mostly concerned with the ache on her head. She had a large bump on her head and so did Bepo, who was sitting beside her. They both looked like scolded children, ready to burst in tears as they nursed their painful bumps that their Captain gave them.
The young navigator frowned as he stared at both of them. "What happened to you two?"
Trafalgar innocently stayed quiet, as if that didn't have anything to do with him at all. He even avoided the dirty stare Miyako gave him in response to Sai's question.
Instead, the first mate answered, only confusing the navigator further. "Cake," he winced.
"We can emerge and continue rest of the way on the surface, Captain. The sea is calm enough," Jean Bart's voice brought them back to reality.
Law nodded and gave the order while Sai returned to his seat and started pulling a lever slowly, pushing on the buttons of the control panel with inhuman speed. Meanwhile, the larger navigator took the helm and slowly pulled it towards himself, bringing the vessel's tip towards the surface.
"Everyone prepare for surfacing!" Sai's voice called into the den den mushi, which transported the warning throughout the submarine. The red flashing lights started blinking through the ship's halls, warning everyone to brace themselves for the usual turbulence when passing from the underwater to the sea surface.
The usual tension passed through Miyako's stomach when she felt the sudden pressure of the moving submarine while it sailed upwards in a light angle. If they went up too vertically there would be too many damages and injured along the way, so Bart had to be careful to keep the ship steady and only slowly rise upwards.
A crashing of water hit the submarine's glass windows, as the vessel noisily rose to the surface. A light sunshine broke through the clouds and traveled into the control room, but it appeared to be cold outside despite the rays. They had already entered the island's winter climate.
As the submarine stopped shaking, Miyako sighed. She glanced at Law warily, knowing he was still irritated at her from before. "So…what is this new island's name?"
~….~
"Snowflake Island?" Even without the disgusted tone, the disappointed frown on Joshua's face said what he thought of that name.
After a while of sailing through the cold sea, avoiding a few glaciers along the way while going for the island, The Heart pirates ran up to the deck when Sai finally announced they saw land ahead. They all wore winter coats with their usual white overalls underneath, and thick hats and high work boots to keep them warm. Most didn't seem to mind the cold weather and actually enjoyed themselves, since they were used to even colder climates of North Blue.
The samurai girl wasn't one of them, though, so she kept her hands securely in the warm pockets of her plaid winter coat. She even put the hood on top of her head, trying to keep her freezing ears warm.
"Is that a problem," she asked the medic with puzzled eyes, seeing his disgruntled expression.
"Oh no, I can just see all the action and adventure happening on Snowflake Island," the redhead rolled his eyes.
"You're overthinking it," Cody sighed beside the other medic.
"It doesn't really look like a snowflake," the bear tilted his head to the side in question as he remembered the charted island on the map. Unlike the others, he didn't wear anything other than his usual orange jumpsuit and boots for the cold. The polar bear was actually delighted by it.
"Yeah…maybe half of a snowflake at best," the girl mentioned in thought.
"I'm just saying, Snowflake sounds like a name for a cat…not an island where pirates should dock," Joshua shrugged.
"Now you're just talking nonsense Joshua!" Kai got involved in their discussing as he stepped near the railing, beside the others.
Cody and Miyako nodded with agreement towards the sous chef.
Kai continued, "Everyone knows if you have a cat, you should name it Tama!"
The others almost fell over the railing with that ridiculous reason. *That's what he's worried about?! That's not the problem here,* Miyako couldn't help but scream in her head.
"I don't even know how your head works!" Joshua yelled back at Kai in annoyance.
"If you have a problem with it, then go file a complaint to the island's legislation board and ask them to change the name," Cody answered sarcastically. His eyebrow twitched, though he tried to remain calm even as he felt he was surrounded by idiots.
"That is, unless they call the marines to arrest you, first." A new voice came from behind them as Trafalgar appeared from inside the darkness of the submarine, clad in his black coat with the Hearts' Jolly Roger on it, and the nodachi resting on his shoulder. He glanced at the short medic with a teasing smirk on his lips, which went well with his statement.
The redhead grinned with closed eyes, fixing the cap on top of his head. He opened them to look at Trafalgar, his confident smirk never wavering as he was sure Law was just pulling his leg. "Oh come on Captain, what could possibly happen on an island with such a mellow name?"
(a/n: Tama is a common, very cliché name for a cat in Japan.)
~…..~
The snow beneath their feet made crackling sounds as the pirates walked closer to the town up ahead. They could already see the first pointy roofs of the buildings, while the rest still hid behind white slopes of snow.
The contact group chosen to get to the town first consisted of the two head mechanics, Joshua, Cody, Bepo, Miyako and, of course, their captain. Law decided it would be wiser to first go and explore the island with a smaller group so the islanders wouldn't feel too threatened of their presence. He didn't really want them calling the marines or arming themselves, thinking they were being attacked by pirates. Besides, it was easier to stay inconspicuous that way and learn more about the island, so he could gather some useful information.
He could hear the excited chatter of the crew around him, mostly by Penguin and Shachi, who were already discussing their newest tactic on how to pick up girls on this island. Beside him, his first mate, Bepo trotted with the heavy nodachi, Kikoku, in his large paws. The bear appeared giddy as well, but for a different reason; after spending days inside the submarine, he was happy to finally enjoy some fresh air and a climate of his liking. The polar bear always cheered up, forgetting his gloomy self for a while, when they would arrive to a winter island.
The captain's musings were interrupted when a familiar voice came from his right. "Is there a special reason why you decided to dock on Snowflake island of all places? There were a few others around this area, weren't there?" There wasn't a tone of discontent in that voice, only simple observation and curiosity. He turned his head to see the samurai girl walking alongside him, her hands stuffed deeply in the warm pockets of her winter coat and the hood on her head. With her every breath, mist formed and traveled past her lips. She gave him a curious glance when the captain responded with a mysterious smirk.
For a moment he stayed silent, only presenting that smirk to her, and enjoyed the impatient look she was trying to hide. He could tell from her scrunched up nose and the slightly furrowed eyebrows, even as she tried to feign his stalling wasn't bothering her. Finally releasing her from her curiosity, Law started to explained, "Yes, there is a reason. I found an old and interesting book some time ago, referencing this very island." Pleased that he got her full attention with that introduction, he proceeded, "Apparently there is an old legend concerning this place. It is said that on a certain night, only once a year, something inexplicable happens to this island. A great power engulfs Snowflake Island and it changes even the reality here." He could see Miyako's confused expression, but only shrugged in response. "The details stay unclear to this day. The book was dated more than 100 years ago, describing the memoirs of a traveling writer called William A. Rudolf, who found himself on this island at the time and wrote about the strange changes that affected the island right after midnight. He called it the Chime's Eve as the whole thing supposedly started after the last chime of the clock striking midnight. Many adventurers who read his book traveled to Snowflake island afterwards, trying to experience what he wrote about, but he never said on which night this phenomena occurs so they never saw any proof of it. He didn't know how to explain the phenomena either, and his memoires are artistic rather than scientific, so it was hard to tell what the whole thing was really about. In the end, people stopped believing him and simply wrote it off as a legend.
Miyako hummed in thought, "I know you're curious, but I never thought you'd chase after legends." She couldn't help but tease him, so she gave him an amused smirk, "When did you become such a romantic?"
"Hn, I'm not," the captain scowled. "It was merely a convenient opportunity since we were already close to the island, that is all. I don't expect to find any real evidence of that legend…it is merely a myth, nothing more. It was probably just a story for the islanders to attract tourists in the first place," he cynically concluded.
The girl's glee never faded as she noticed her little jab worked on him. She looked up at the sky filled with white thick clouds as her smile widened. "Who knows Captain-san, maybe this will be your lucky night…A night of miracles,~" she sang while joking.
Trafalgar had to keep himself from rolling his eyes in response, only muttering one word as the answer, "Ridiculous."
"Look, we're here!" They're conversation was interrupted by Shachi's excited voice as he pointed at the town spreading before them. Dark red and black rooftops pointed to the sky, as the houses and shops surrounded them. The architecture was old-looking, but not in the run-down kind of way. Instead, the aged appearance gave the whole town a certain picturesque charm. The allure was magnified by the decorative black and red insignias and ornaments on the walls or roofs of the buildings. Colorful lights throughout the streets gave the town a glittering demeanor. The town finished with a cliff that looked down at the ice-cold sea below. The houses were all placed in a semi-circle, built around a small town square of the same shape, covered with light grey cobblestone. One part of the square was raised up higher than the other, presenting a stone platform that was also a semi-circle in shape and ending with a sharp straight cut where the edge of the cliff was. Rising to tower over the platform was a high bell tower with a large clock on it and a black baroque-styled roof.
"Wow…," Penguin's mouth gaped as his lips formed a large smile.
Just then, gentle flakes of snow fluttered down from the sky, giving the whole scene an even more appealing appearance.
"It's so pretty," Miyako commented as she stared at a certain ornament that stretched on the upper wall of a house, from one corner to the other.
The people around them seemed genuinely cheerful, and even though some noticed the unusual group that were obviously pirates judging from their Jolly Roger on the clothes, none showed any sign of alarm. The pedestrians gave them curious glances now and again as they passed by, but there weren't any stares of fear the Hearts were used to.
What's more, it appeared the townsfolk were preparing for some kind of event, as the high platform was being decorated.
"I have a good feeling about this island," Penguin commented in barely contained excitement. Beside him, the first mate was nodding in agreement.
"Don't relax yet, we still don't know what's in store for us here. Stay on your guard," the captain warned with a serious look, making Penguin and Bepo stiffen a little.
"So where to first, captain?" Cody asked, putting his hands on his hips in thought.
"A bar!" Both mechanics exclaimed cheerfully at the same time as if they completely forgot what Law warned them about just seconds ago.
"A fish store!?" Bepo suggested when he saw the others were throwing their suggestions too.
Joshua's eyebrow twitched in anger, "You guys…what did Captain Law just say?!"
"Then should we ask around for information. Maybe we can find out more about the Chime's Eve," Miyako pointed her index finger in the air with a grin.
"Don't ignore me!" The redhead yelled back when his warnings didn't bear any fruit and the pirates simply continued to chat.
Trafalgar sighed in exasperation, realizing that this will be a long day. "Cody-ya and Joshua-ya, you go and find out when the log pose sets. Penguin and Shachi, go and look for an inn to stay in. Bepo and Miss Miyako, you come with me, we'll explore the town. I want to make sure there's nothing suspicious going on around here. It would be troublesome if the islanders are involved with the marines…it wouldn't be the first time that happened to us," the captain took a deep breath after giving his orders, remembering that night on Windmill Hill. "We'll meet up in the town's tavern afterwards. And everyone…be careful and stay together so they can't surprise you," he finally warned.
"Aye, aye captain!" The pirates nodded, heading to follow the man's orders.
Law handed Bepo his nodachi again, as him and Miyako walked further into town.
"Maybe we can find a library, to find out more about this island. It must have an interesting history with such an old legend," the samurai commented.
Law scowled. "You're still hung up on that? We have work to do Miss Miyako, and it's not to follow things up for your amusement. You can do that in your own spare time."
She pouted in response, "You say that, but I hardly get any alone time when we're on an island. Especially since you always think I'll get into trouble, so you drag me along with you," she argued, waving her hand dismissively.
"That's because you do always get into trouble," the captain's serious expression lightened in a small teasing smirk as he watched her with the corners of his eyes.
"In that case…Bepo can come with me," Miyako chirped, grabbing the bear's arm and leaning on him. He was too tall for her to properly lean on his shoulder, so she just stayed clinging to his arm.
"Eeeh? But I want to stay with Captain," the polar bear almost whined.
Trafalgar gave the girl a victorious smirk since the bear was, as always, on his side.
Miyako ignored Law's expression and whispered to the bear, "We can stop by the market and I'll buy you fresh fish." She was unwilling to give up.
She could see the obvious change in Bepo's demeanor as he stiffened, his one ear twitching as her quiet words reached him. A glint appeared in his beady black eyes and he unconsciously licked his lips.
"S-sorry Captain…I'm too weak to resist fish!" He bowed his head down to Law, signaling his defeat as he decided to support Miyako after all. The girl cheered next to him, grinning widely at her victory.
Law's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "So I lose to fish? You treacherous bear," he gave his first mate a dirty look.
Bepo instantly winced and bowed his head even lower. "I'm sorry!"
However, Law had no intention of losing either and both him and Miyako could be equally stubborn, not that he would ever admit such a thing. "Yet I'm the one who gives out orders and has the finally say, so if you should be begging anyone for anything, it should be me." He stepped closer to the girl, towering over her as he drew towards her face.
The girl raised her eyebrow and stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "You'd like that, wouldn't you." Before Law could retort, already opening his mouth to come back with some snarky remark, no doubt, the girl cut him off. She noticed people working on the high platform at the town square, as they set up the decorations. "Look, it seems like they're preparing for something. Let's go check it out," she suggested, already dragging Bepo with her. The bear stuttered to protest lightly, but it didn't do him much good. He wasn't the only one who had something to say about Miyako taking the initiative.
The captain frowned, trying to call out to her. "Miss Miyako, wait-"
The girl spun around on her heels, grinning back at the man. "You're the one who said you wanted to explore the town. Now's your chance." She shrugged with an excited smile before hurrying over to the platform.
Trafalgar truly did roll his eyes this time as he sighed, since this time there were no witnesses around him who would see such a childish act. He couldn't help it though, since the girl was already testing his patience, purposely no doubt, and they only just arrived on the island. Rather reluctantly he strolled over to the platform where Miyako and Bepo were already standing and watching the locals work on something.
The girl wasted no time before she started to chat with one of the townsfolk, a brawny fellow who looked as if built for physical labor, while he was setting another beam on the platform as he talked.
"A Winter Festival?" Miyako repeated the man's words in a curious tone just as Trafalgar joined them. They were well into the conversation when the captain decided to listen in.
The large man nodded just before hammering another nail into the beam with vigorous strikes. "Ya, it's our annual winter festival. We also have a summer festival, but this one's bigger since it's considered more important."
Bepo tilted his furry head to the side. "Why is that?"
At first the man just stared at the bear, trying to process that the animal just asked him a question. Then again, that same bear was standing on his hind legs and wearing clothes, which was strange enough in itself.
"Tha New World is really a wondrous place, huh…?" The man suddenly muttered as if he was talking to himself, rather than answering the group.
The pirates blinked at him in question. "Huh?"
"Aah, no, never mind…Imma just thinkin' that one day I'll be able to tell my grandkids I met a talkin' bear." He shook his head and took a cigarette from behind his ear, lighting it. Even though the man talked of his disbelief, he seemed strangely calm by the whole scene. Perhaps he was just one of those level-headed people who was able to stay cool no matter the situation. He puffed a breath of smoke in the pirates' direction before continuing. "Ah, sorry, where was I? Right, tha Winter Festival. It's a tradition that dates long before our oldest resident was even born. People believed that by celebrating with dancin' and music, they could ward off evil spirits. So they organized a festival in winter every year to do so. Well, nobody believes in that anymore…we just have tha festival as part of tha Snowflake island tradition, ya know? Good for tourism."
"Seems like you have a lot of superstitions on this island," the captain muttered cynically, remembering the legend he discussed with Miyako a while ago. He got a warning frown for his snarky remark from the girl, but ignored it.
The man in front of him didn't look offended though, which actually ticked Law off just a little bit. He was sure the people here were superstitious and that the man would instantly start defending their beliefs. That, however, didn't happen. Perhaps the man had more common sense than the pirate expected.
"We're not such a backwater town as ye would expect, though we do hold some of our traditions important. I don't think there's anythin' wrong with that." The man let out another breath of smoky air.
"So what will happen on this platform?" Miyako examined the unfinished stage that was forming under the hands of the workers. They were setting up a wooden pavilion there, which had carved ornaments on it, similar to ones painted on the houses.
The man grinned as if she just asked a very interesting question. "Oh, here's where our main event will be held."
Bepo's ears perked up in curiosity. Miyako's would do the same if she could. Almost at the same time, the two asked, "What main event?"
Behind them, Trafalgar muttered in a grumble, "Pointless…"
The muscular man ignored the captain, still grinning at the two looking up at him, while he crouched on the platform. He winked at them. "Ya'll just have to wait and see for yeselves." The man laughed when both of their faces fell in disappointment, as if they were children who were just denied a treat.
"It happens at midnight," the man continued. "But Imma sure ye'll find lots to do until then to kill tha time. For now, everyone's still preparing for tha festival, but hey, tha tavern's always open," the man grinned jokingly.
As the pirates looked around the town square, they could see the locals were setting up their stands and preparing for tonight. That meant they still had a few hours to kill before sundown when the festival starts.
"If you're finished here, we might as well go meet up with the others," Trafalgar concluded, though it sounded more like an order than a question.
The tone wasn't lost to his comrades so they bid farewell to their new acquaintance before turning to leave the town square behind.
Bepo gazed around at the colorful lights which appeared like sparkling stars above them. The snow was falling a bit harder now, but the day remained nice and clear, although cold. "At least it doesn't look like there are any marines here. The people don't smell suspicious," he commented.
The samurai laughed and even Law smirked. "Well you can't fool Bepo's sharp nose," she smiled, tapping her own nose for emphasis.
"I hope the others found more useful information," Trafalgar noted as they walked through the crowded street.
"Are you telling me finding out about the Winter Festival wasn't useful?" Miyako frowned. "Spoilsport."
He didn't look offended by her comment though, and only smirked. "Play in your own free time."
The girl took a few quick steps in front of her captain and turned towards him, her dark blue hair tied in a ponytail with the usual red ribbon swished behind her. Two large golden eyes stared back at the man with a mirthful glint in them. "I bet that by the time we are to leave this island, you'll be having fun too."
"Oh?" Law's smirk became a bit wider. "That's quite a risky wager…and what will you be betting on, hmm?" There was a mischievously evil expression on his face as he stared at the girl with both interest and amusement, already plotting something in that dangerous mind of his.
Nevertheless, Miyako wouldn't back down. She was well aware of what that rare expression meant, but stayed unafraid, although suddenly a bit more cautious. She pointed her index finger in the air as she stated, "I have a good feeling about this island. And it wouldn't kill you to lose that stick now and then."
Trafalgar raised his eyebrow in puzzlement. "What stick?"
The girl grinned, "The one you keep in your a-"
"Captain!"
A new but familiar voice reached their ears as Cody came running down the street, towards the group.
"Hey, weren't you supposed to be with Josh, asking about the log pose?" The polar bear frowned, thinking the medic was skipping out from his duties.
Cody scratched the back of his head with a troubled expression as he stared back at his captain. "That's the thing…we have a problem. It's Josh…" He had a hard time putting it in words, probably trying to soften the blow for Law whose face was already slowly darkening, expecting trouble. Unfortunately, he wasn't far off.
~…~
"Say that again, you bastard!" The redhead's voice boomed through the street, overpowering all other sounds. It wasn't that hard considering there was utter silence all around him, with spectators frightfully watching the scene unfolding before them. Only Joshua and the man standing in front of him could be heard, shouting at each other, while other people stood surrounding the duo and watching them in worry.
"I'll tell ya tha same thing no matter how many times ya ask, ya damn pipsqueak! Yar nothing but a shrimp, yet ya call yaself a pirate! Ha!" A man twice Josh's size towered over the medic with his hand ready to grab Joshua's collar in the heat of the moment. The man was bulky, with a bushy golden beard and the same colored mane on his head that stuck out from under a red kerchief. Two entirely black eyes glared into green angry ones.
"You're one to talk. I've never even heard of your little pirate crew…what was it, the Sewer Rats?" The medic narrowed his eyes as he answered the larger man in a mocking tone. The young man stood his ground in front of the older pirate, unafraid even as the other grabbed the front of his boiler suit. Josh only glared daggers even more at the pirate, preparing to use the scalpels carefully hidden in the inside of his sleeve.
"That's Sea Rats, ya bastard!" The man lifted Joshua up from the ground, until his boots were dangling in the air. "An' yer scrawny Hearts' capn' got nothin' on our capn'!"
Joshua always had a temperamental personality, but when it came to certain things, he hardly had any patience for them. Insulting his captain was one of those things. Hearing the bastard in front of him badmouth Trafalgar Law was the last straw and his restraint snapped in two. He was just about to swiftly take out one of his scalpels and lodge it deep into the other's eye socket until it pierced his brain, when his whole world suddenly changed. It took him a moment to realize that he wasn't in the other man's grip anymore, but standing near the crowd of people that looked as confused as he was. Instead, the large pirate was holding a piece of wood in his hands, which the man now stared at in wonder, as if trying to make sure it was really there. At the same time, a flash of silver light passed beneath the pirate's eye and the man stumbled backwards, almost falling onto the ground from surprise. With furrowed eyebrows he stared down to see a girl leaning forward in a pose a few steps away, her katana unsheathed in her right hand and glistening on the afternoon sun. Her pale face was hidden behind long bangs, but when she lifted her head, the pirate could see two golden eyes staring calmly at him, ready for any move he might make.
The large pirate opened his mouth to protest, but a deep voice that came from the crowd was quicker. "What was it you were saying?" There was obvious scorn in that tone as a tall man stepped out from the crowd and before the pirate. He was dressed in a black winter coat, with a fuzzy spotted hat with its rim hiding his sleep-deprived grey eyes. A long nodachi was leaning loosely on his shoulder, before a tanned hand with the letters DEATH tattooed on its knuckles grabbed the hilt and slowly took out the sword from its cover. It made a grinding sound as metal sang in a high pitch while the long blade slid from its sheath. "Not bad for a scrawny Hearts' captain, hm?" A smirk that played on Trafalgar Law's lips widened, making his expression even more menacing.
Cody sighed, still standing in the crowd of locals. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Now you've done it," he muttered, talking to the unknown pirate. "Now you've made captain angry."
"Hmpf! He'll get what's coming to him," Bepo commented angrily since he hated to hear someone badmouth his captain even more than Joshua did.
Still staring at the long coat, the pirate finally noticed a yellow grinning Jolly Roger on the side of the hem. Widening his eyes, he finally realized who was standing before him. "Surgeon of Death, ey?" However, the startled expression soon turned into a frustrated one. The man gritted his teeth, trying to get over his embarrassment of being humiliated in front of the public. He glared at the five Heart pirates standing in front of him; a redheaded shorty, a Wano samurai girl, a polar bear, a guy with spiky blue hair and the captain himself. The pirate grinned, his eyes still burning with rage behind his dark irises, as he slowly pulled a large axe from the sheath on his brawny back. "Don't go thinkin' ya can frighten me, old Glenavon Smithies. The marines nicknamed me The Executioner, with good reason, boy!"
Law felt irked at the derogatory nickname the pirate named Smithies just used for him. He stayed silent, examining the man bigger and brawnier than him, yet hardly appeared impressed by it.
"I had everything under control, you know. I can take this guy on my own," Joshua muttered, standing between Miyako and Law.
"Hey, don't be rude to Captain!" Bepo warned, yelling from the sidelines, where he was standing next to Cody. Though when Joshua glared at him in irritation, the bear quickly lowered his head and shut his mouth.
"I don't doubt it…so make it quick. We shouldn't attract unnecessary attention to ourselves," Trafalgar answered blankly. He seemed bored by the man shouting threats in front of them and simply turned around to leave, unconcerned by the pirate behind him.
Miyako sighed, glancing at the gathering crowd of locals around them. "I think that ship sailed a while ago. Also, I just want to mention the fact that I wasn't the one who got into trouble this time," she added, beaming with pride.
The Heart Pirates stared at her in silence with blank gazes.
"What? Just putting it out there…," the girl shrugged.
Smithies ground his teeth hard enough for other people to hear and grimace at the sound. His face reached a new shade of red as he boiled in anger for being ignored by the pirates. "Don't ignore me, ya bastards!" He swung his large battle axe, ready to swing it down onto Joshua's head, but all the axe hit was snow, sending pieces of dirt and ice everywhere. Miyako and Law stepped to the side, away from the weapon, but the third Heart pirate was nowhere to be found.
Smithies narrowed his eyes in suspicion before sensing a presence behind him. Quickly turning around, he saw the small medic crouching by his ankles, with one of his scalpels between his fingers. He swung it in one fluid motion, aiming for the man's ankles which would render him unable to stand instantly. Surprisingly, the large pirate was faster than his appearance would let on, and he jumped into the air, bringing his axe down into a horizontal swing and aiming for Josh's head.
"Watch out!" The other medic called out to his crewmate, though it was hardly necessary.
The redhead was already in the air, dodging the strike and landing on top of the giant weapon before using it as a foothold to pounce at the man and jab a scalpel into his skull. "Haa!" Joshua yelled as he engulfed his scalpel with haki so it would be hard enough to pierce even through stone, let alone this man's head.
Just when the two were about to clash in a heat of battle, a loud sound traveled through the air. It was a sound of a string being pulled on an instrument, creating a melodic noise. A flash of light enveloped the pirates, blinding even the people surrounding them. When the light disappeared, leaving only the colorful gentle light of the decorative lights on the street, a light melody filled the air.
"Someone is playing….a lute?" Miyako blinked, trying to find the source of this strange new occurrence.
However, that wasn't the strangest thing. Only then did the people realize that both Smithies and Joshua were completely unmoving as if frozen in the exact moment where everyone's eyes left them. Only their footprints remained as proof of a struggle that occurred there in the snowy street.
"What's going on?!" Cody stared at the two bodies, which stayed as still as statues like they were pieces of art displaying a scene from a pirate's life. There was no sign of his medic friend even being alive. Miyako and Law used their Kenbunshoku Haki to search for the source of this occurrence, but they only noticed a flickering power emitted somewhere close by. They couldn't pinpoint the exact location of whoever did this. Slow panic started to creep in the girl's chest, but she calmed herself when her haki sensed that Joshua was still alive even if he was trapped in this strange state. He was still standing on Smithies' axe in a crouch, ready to jump with his scalpel in hand. She tried to think of a most logical possibility for this sudden change, even though the New World hardly had anything to do with logic.
*It has to be someone…someone manipulating their bodies? Perhaps a devil fruit user?* She thought while frantically searching for the culprit, while the strange melody continued to play around them.
"There's a strange scent coming from that direction!" Bepo noted in panic, pointing his clawed finger north.
The music still played quietly, someone plucking on the strings of their lute, when the voice answered. The tone was gentle and unthreatening, almost as melodic as the playing music, even though the man wasn't singing. "Ah, my apology. But you see, you were frightening these good people here, so I needed to do something. Besides, it would be a waste to fight on such a lovely day as this…it is the Winter Festival after all."
Four pirates turned around quickly, along with others in the street, but only the Hearts glared at the man before them as he slowly walked towards the group, unafraid. He was smiling gently, still playing the strings of his instrument which was indeed a lute.
His fingers stopped moving when a long sword was brought to his neck, threateningly gleaming on the daylight. Even so, the man still held that smile on his expression that didn't seem vile in the least. Law didn't care about it, though. He kept his nodachi aimed at the man's throat, ready to cut it from side to side if necessary. "What did you do to my nakama?" There was no room for bargaining left, which Trafalgar made clear by his cold tone. He wanted a straight answer immediately or heads will roll. There was no bluff in the Dark Doctor's demeanor.
A gentle smile still flickered on the man's lips. Miyako examined him thoroughly. He was more interesting than the boorish pirate from a while ago, even though he wasn't exuding any bloodlust. He was young, surely not older than thirty. He truly didn't seem to want to fight, but then again, if he was responsible for the state of the two pirates, he must be dangerous.
"Don't worry, both of them are fine," the man answered. He had soft amber eyes and thin dark eyebrows, which made his features gentle. He was beautiful, rather than handsome. Long red hair flowed down his back, tied in a tight braid. He wore long brown robes, which were old and worn-out, but the man didn't seem to mind. The clothing underneath was in a slightly better state, as he wore brown leather trousers and high leather boots. A light green shirt was tucked into his pants, with a part of it sticking out as if he got dressed in a hurry. There was a large black scarf loosely folded around his neck. Fingerless black gloves that reached high into the insides of his sleeves decorated his hands, although those could hardly keep him warm. Even so, the man pulled on the strings of his wooden lute with nimble finger. He plucked the strings once. With that sound, another flash of light appeared, and a noise like thunder ripped through the sky.
"Wha!" A voice let out a yelp of surprise as two thumps were heard near the crowd. Two bodies crashed into a large heap of snow by the side of the road as if they were pushed there. One form was much bigger, making a hole in the snow where it crashed. The other body was smaller, but it still disappeared into the surface of the snow, blending with it completely except for a patch of wild red hair and a black hat. "Oof!"
"Josh!" Miyako exclaimed in a shout, running to help the poor pirate up, along with Cody and Bepo.
The young Heart pirate groaned, and stumbled around as the two helped him back on his feet. He looked around in confusion, realizing he was back to his old self. "What….what happened? I suddenly froze and then…it was like I blacked out." He frowned in puzzlement, glancing at Law. "Captain, did you do something?"
Trafalgar was still glaring at the mysterious man in front of him, his hand unwavering from where he held his nodachi under the man's throat. He shook his head, but never moved his eyes from the other man. "No, I believe it was done by him."
Another groan was heard and Smithies slowly got back up to his feet, digging himself from the snow-filled hole. His axe was right beside him, so the pirate grabbed it, staring at his surroundings like a wild animal. He was obviously confused by what happened just like Josh was, and it made him even more aggressive. Hearing Trafalgar's answer, The Executioner glared at the newcomer. He looked like a simple bard, lean in form and completely unthreatening. That fact only angered Smithies further; first he was outdone by the blasted Heart Pirates and now this lanky fellow. Glenavon 'The Executioner' Smithies growled at the thought.
"Ya bastards…," his voice was nothing but a low growl. "I'll kill ya all, ya hear!" He grabbed his axe tighter and charged at Trafalgar and the bard.
Suddenly a scream came from the crowd of locals. Some children were there and they started wailing in freight. "Don't hurt Hisui-chan!" A girl screamed and ran towards the lute player protectively.
Miyako gasped, her eyes widening as she noticed the child that suddenly put herself in harm's way. Smithies didn't seem like the type to care and he didn't even falter in his step, his axe still swinging dangerously by his side while he ran.
She rushed with all her speed to get to the little girl, trying to protect her, but before she could act, Miyako noticed Smithies suddenly losing his balance and falling with his face into the snow. He crashed down onto his stomach with a loud thud, his face buried into snow and pavement.
Everyone blinked in wonder when they noticed someone standing on the pirate's back, surely responsible for Smithies' sudden fall.
It was a boney, thin-looking person about Joshua's height. They appeared to be in their twenties or thirties, it was hard to tell. Their gender was even harder to guess, considering their androgynous features. They had short ruffled brown hair and large eyes, with one brown and one green iris. Although it was a cold winter day so even Glenavon Smithies was wearing a thick fur coat, this person was standing there on his back in light summer clothing; a pair of pants that reached just underneath their knees, with a T-shirt and sneakers. The person was as dark skinned as Law, so perhaps they were also somewhere from North Blue, used to the cold. The even more mysterious newcomer than the last one laughed childishly as they stared at Glenavon fumbling in the snow, almost suffocating before he finally lifted his face and took a deep breath.
A loud slow clap filled everyone's ears and the townsfolk moved to the side, not wanting to get in the way of the new group of suspiciously-looking men.
The one clapping leisurely was a tall, lean man, with a similar build as Trafalgar's. He wore tight black robes, with lots of metal belts and buckles on it. Unlike the redheaded bard, his clothes were neat and expensive-looking, like the man took extra care in dressing properly every morning. His hair was ghostly white and slicked back tightly, showing off his pale face and dark black eyes. A thin patch of white hair grew on his chin, connecting to a thin line that then formed a mustache over his upper lip. Just like his hair, it was well groomed. The man walked closer, clapping his hands with each step of his black leather booths. His steps left deep footprints on the ground, that were soon covered with more snow which kept falling.
Behind the man were two more people. One was large, even taller than Smithies, with bright red skin and black gills clearly visible on the sides of his neck. A fishman. Instead of hair, he had black, bony bumps aligned down his vertex and going down the back of his neck. He appeared even thicker with all the layers of winter clothes on his body, since the man wasn't used to such cold weather that could even be fatal for a fishman from the tropical climates.
The other person on the black leader's left was an old monk, clothed in black robes, and covered with a purple rakusu. His bald head was protected by a sugegasa, a bamboo hat, which stacked a thin layer of fallen snow on it. Heavy, large prayer beads hung from the man's neck, while the man kept his hands closed together, with another pair of smaller prayer beads between his wrinkly fingers. His eyes, shadowed by the hat, remained closed as if he was deep in chanting a prayer even at that moment.
"Bravo! What an excellent show!" The white haired man in his late thirties, apparently the leader of this peculiar group, was the first to speak. "Do forgive my fellow Smithies here…he can be a bit temperamental at times," he continued, staring directly at Law as if challenging him. There was a cheerful smile on the man's face, yet it never reached his cold eyes, giving his demeanor a completely different feel than the mysterious bard. Even though both kept smiling, Miyako could feel a dangerous presence in this new arrival; a tension warning the girl of this man's false courtesy.
As if Law could sense the same thing, the tip of his nodachi traveled from Hisui's neck to the other man's face. He could tell by the moment he laid eyes on this new group that they were pirates. "So I take it, this lump of useless flesh is yours?" He glanced at The Executioner still lying on the ground. As if on cue, the small person on top of his back jumped high into the air before doing a perfect backflip and landing right next to their leader.
The surgeon's words were supposed to taunt the man, breaking that fake mask of his, but surprisingly it didn't have such effect on the man in black. Instead, the pirate laughed whole-heartedly at Law's words. "Indeed you're right. Quite a troublesome one. He's our newest recruit you see, so he isn't….broken in properly yet," the man smiled wider, turning his expression into a sickening grin.
All the Heart Pirates narrowed their eyes at his words, not liking his attitude towards his own nakama.
"Capn,' these bastards be nothin' for me! Lemme have at em, I'll kill em all along with that music player there!" Smithies hardly had enough as he begun to rise to his feet once again, still glaring with murderous intent towards the band of pirates.
For just a second, the aura around the captain of the Sea Rats changed, but it was enough for the others to notice. Their bodies tensed, expecting for the man to attack, but they were hardly prepared for what followed. Instead of turning his cold rage towards the Hearts, the man appeared next to Glenavon in an instant, grabbing the back of his head and slamming it back down onto the stone road. A sickening cracking sound of the larger man's skull was heard as that one hit was enough to render the pirate unconscious, blood trickling from his nose and forehead.
Most of the Hearts, along with the locals, stared in shock at how the man just dealt with his own crewmember. Only Law narrowed his eyes coldly, examining the other captain before him and instantly connecting personality traits to the man to get a better picture of what his enemy was like. Right now it seemed he was a psychopath, ready to hurt or possibly even kill his own subordinates just to get his point across.
Dusting off his gloved hands as if he just touched something dirty, the man rose back to his feet. He sighed in exasperation. "Even though Ebbie gave him a clear sign to stop he continued on….unacceptable," he muttered. The small crewmember beside him named Ebbie, snickered at the sight of a bloodied Smithies.
Even without a thorough examination, Law could see the man had a skull fracture and was barely breathing, though still alive. He wondered briefly if his crewmembers will leave him here to die of hypothermia or if they will save him after all. It was only mere curiosity though, with no actual worry in his thoughts, as Law couldn't care less whether the man lives or dies; perhaps it would be better to be rid of him now anyway. One less enemy later. The captain was brought back from his thoughts by the man in black's sudden movement. His body tensed, only to relax when he realized the man was lowering his body in a deep bow. It was theatrical and looked mocking rather than done in actual courtesy, so the Hearts' captain didn't particularly enjoy the display.
The other Hearts didn't look impressed either, and neither did the redheaded bard.
That didn't bother the other pirate captain as he continued his introduction, "My name is Murdock. I am the captain of this small pirate crew, the Sea Rats." The man's snake eyes traveled from Heart to Heart until they stopped on Trafalgar, "And you must be the infamous rookie, Trafalgar Law, aka Surgeon of Death. You have quite the reputation…as one of the Worst Generation," he added.
Law's face stayed emotionless, not even a flinch to show his thoughts towards this man. "On the other hand, I have never heard of you, Murdock-ya," he jabbed at the man on purpose with his words.
The said man only chuckled as an answer. "Well we are a fairly new pirate crew. Still, we managed to get this deep into the New World, so we are not to be taken lightly."
When he saw Trafalgar's grip on his nodachi tightened, expecting trouble, the man quickly added, "However, we have no business with you and no desire to fight such a strong pirate crew. We wouldn't stand a chance," the man grinned wickedly with that last statement, making it sound mocking even while his tone tried to stay genuine.
Something just didn't sit right with Trafalgar at that moment, and the doctor instantly became more suspicious. He stayed silent, examining the pirates before him. His sharp eyes caught an interesting detail when he noticed that Murdock was casting quick glances at the man behind him, the young bard, every now and then.
As if reading Murdock's interest, the bard suddenly spoke up. "Well as long as you are done fighting and we can all return to our peaceful lives," he nodded.
"Ah, of course….and you are…Hisui-san, was it?" The pirate tilted his head, still smiling politely.
The man named Hisui closed his eyes, his expression still calm. "You should be aware of that, Captain Murdock. Weren't you here from the start?"
Even Murdock looked surprised by that sudden declaration. That man, a simple bard, was able to notice his presence which the captain tried hard to hide through this whole ordeal. No, this was no ordinary bard. The pirate couldn't help but give an excited smile, his lips trembling as he tried to keep his polite mask and not grin wickedly.
"You were here from the start!? Then you could've stopped your henchman sooner," Cody narrowed his eyes accusingly at the other captain.
"Now that I think about it…this man's smell was here the whole time. I just didn't pay attention to it since there are so many people here," Bepo realized.
Miyako cursed herself for not noticing. Now that he was in front of them, she could clearly sense the tense aura he was emitting with her haki. She could tell he was not a weak man and even smell the scent of blood on him. Yet none of it reached her before when she wasn't focusing on it. It disturbed her that such a dangerous presence stayed unnoticed so close to her.
"Ah, you got me!" Murdock raised both of his hands high in the air as if surrendering. "But if I stopped my man, we wouldn't be able to witness that amazing scene that Hisui-san presented us with. Isn't that right?" He smiled cheerfully at the bard.
Hisui suddenly laughed as if embarrassed, scratching the back of his head. Faintly, Miyako pondered if this man was a bit of a scatter-brain for he sure acted like one. "You saw that did you…?"
"It was hard not to…," Miyako answered in a matter-of-fact mutter.
"In that case…." The bard suddenly got very quiet, his smile disappearing, replaced by a serious expression. The people around him tensed, wondering what the man would do next. Slowly he put one palm in front of his chest in a pleading motion. "Can you all just pretend you didn't see that?"
"Like hell we can!" The Heart pirates yelled back, almost falling on their asses in the snow from the unexpected turn of events. They just couldn't decipher this man's eccentric, flaky attitude. Was he a threat or not? Was he strong or not? They couldn't tell anymore.
"The Sea Rats weren't affected by Hisui's words, nor the Hearts' outburst. They stayed coldly calm and quiet, while only Murdock chuckled in amusement.
"He is a strange human, Murdock," a deep voice coming from the red fishman boomed. As he opened his mouth, he showed a row of thin, but sharp, needle-like teeth.
"Funny human," Ebbie snickered, adding to the fishman's statement.
The old monk continued to silently chant with his eyes closed, murmuring rambling words that nobody could understand.
"What exactly did you do to us," Joshua asked the bard, ignoring the Sea Rats to quench his own curiosity instead.
"Oh you want to know? Well that is…" he beckoned for the medic to come closer as if he'll whisper the secret to him. Everyone else leaned in closer as well, curious what the man had to say. "A secret!" Hisui finished with a laugh. Everyone sighed in disappointed, their shoulders suddenly falling.
His eye twitching in anger, the medic pulled out three of his scalpels. "Captain…can I kill this guy?" He talked through gritted teeth, barely being able to control himself.
Law rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache arising.
"Don't ask me to do it again, since it's tiring and I'm trying to save my energy for…ah well, never mind." Hisui shook his head, stopping himself before he could say anything more.
"That's because Hisui-chan is magic!" The girl from before suddenly exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.
The pirates blinked in thought, but then realized the townsfolk weren't surprised by Hisui in the slightest. Since he was also a local, they must've been used to the man and his strange abilities.
The bard smiled at the child, patting her blonde head tenderly.
"Alright! Nothing to see here anymore, folks! Come on, be on yer way!" A familiar voice that Law, Miyako and Bepo instantly recognized dispersed the crowd. The locals seemed to have calmed down, though fearful and interested mutters still remained as the people talked among themselves about what they just witnessed. Among them, the brawny worker that was constructing the platform now shooed the people on their way, walking towards the pirates.
"Then this will be our cue to leave as well," Captain Murdock gave another flamboyant bow to the group. He snapped his fingers and two of his crewmembers grabbed the unconscious Smithies by the shoulders, dragging his large body effortlessly with them.
*So they're taking him with them after all,* Law noted to himself as he watched the Sea Rats leave just as the big worker arrived.
The man sighed, scratching his dark beard. "Hisui Klaus, you're creating trouble again?" Even though his voice sounded reprimanding, there was also a joking tone in it, showing that the man wasn't truly mad. He even used the bard's full name like a parent would when scolding a child.
"Eeh? I wasn't, Yibor! It wasn't my fault!" The redheaded bard whined childishly, defending himself.
The other didn't listen as he grabbed the man by his nose, making all of Hisui's complaints sound comically nasal.
Miyako almost felt sorry for the guy. "It's true, it was a pirates' scuffle and Hisui-san just got involved to break it up," she explained in the man's defense. "It was nothing, really."
"Say for yourself! You weren't the one frozen and unable to move! I'm still not sure what happened," Joshua argued, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Indeed Hisui-ya…are you a devil fruit user?" Law's eyes stayed focused on him as he tried to extract any information from the mysterious man. He examined his every movement like a hawk, trying to see the slightest clues in Hisui's expressions.
"Aaah….I wonder," the bard tapped a finger on his large lute, as if in thought.
Law's eyebrow twitched. *If he making a fool out of me? Making fun of me?!* He was just about to threaten the man when Bepo's sudden yelp stopped him.
"Captain, we're late! I completely forgot we were supposed to meet with Penguin and Shachi in the town's tavern!"
The first mate wasn't the only one who forgot. With all the excitement happening here on the streets, the Hearts completely forgot about their original plan.
"Well the tavern isn't that far away, only two blocks east from here. It's called Madam Shiba's Den, you won't miss it." Yibor pointed in the tavern's direction.
Law didn't seem very pleased about leaving Hisui and so many unanswered questions, but his nakama came first. Since Cody and Josh got into trouble with another pirate crew, what was to say that the mechanics didn't meet other troublesome pirates as well. Besides, Hisui was hardly going anywhere since he was a resident of the Snowflake island. With that reasoning, the captain decided to give orders for the Heart pirates to move out, leaving the gossiping locals and the mysterious musician behind.
~…~
A large black ship was docked in the South of the harbor, well away from the other ships. Large white sails were lowered, and only the black pirate flag fluttered in the wind, showing their Jolly Roger; a rat's skull with its mouth open wide and showing sharp fangs, as if ready to gnaw on its next enemy.
Deep inside the ship, in the captain's quarters and behind the desk, Captain Murdock lay sprawled in his chair, his feet resting on the desk. He had a knife in his hand, which he kept throwing into the wooden desk already filled with little knacks and cuts from his activity whenever he was thinking.
"I really did it…I finally found him," he muttered with an excited voice, though it was barely above a whisper.
"So why didn't you use your chance when you saw him on the street?" Another voice, this time a woman's, reached him. A beautiful blond was sprawled on the captain's bed, her naked body covered only by the white sheets. Her wavy thick main covered the right side of her milky face, only showing one dark blue eye.
Murdock took the knife lodged into the desk and threw it again. With a dull sound it cut into the wood right next to the previous slit. "Too many distractions…too many unnecessary people," he snarled. "Besides…it's not time yet. We have to listen to Kamui 'The Monk', he calculated the timing perfectly." His scowl soon turned into a smile as he remembered something, his glassy eyes gleaming excitedly. "But soon…very soon."
The woman smiled, getting up from the bed, not minding that she was exposing her naked body. Her blonde hair danced on the small of her back as she walked towards her captain. Stopping behind his chair, the woman leaned down and hugged his chest from behind. As she moved, the hair falling on the right side of her face shifted, showing the rest of her features. Instead of a right eye was a white eye patch, concealing an old injury. The skin around the eye was badly scarred with old burn wounds. As the woman's body came into the light of the desk lamp, it showed small cuts, bruises and both old and new scars all across her lean body. The woman didn't care about her injuries and only kept hugging her captain. "That's right…just a bit more my sweet and you will have exactly what you've been yearning for all these years," she whispered to him in a sultry voice.
The man's grin widened, his eyes becoming even more psychotic. He suddenly grabbed the woman by her wrist, gripping her silky hair roughly with his other hand to turn her head, and kissed her passionately.
~…~
"Capn'!"
"Ish the captain!"
Both mechanics yelled at the same time when Law and his group entered the tavern. They had quite a sight to witness as they saw Shachi and Penguin at the large table, currently drinking and playing poker with some men. The tavern was rowdy and lively, decorated like the rest of the town and built with cobblestone. A large fireplace was in the corner, heating the stone walls and keeping the room warm.
Josh shook his head in disapproval, "Idiots…and we were actually worried something might've happened to them."
The two pirates ran up to their group of crewmates cheerfully, both their cheeks red from booze. "Welcome back!"
"Wait…ish it 'back'? But they'fe nevfer been here before!" Penguin scratched his head in thought. Useless thought, at that.
"Idiot!" Shachi reprimanded. "It's 'Welcome front!"
Both mechanics looked at each other before they started laughing loudly at Shachi's very bad joke.
"Ugh, you two smell of alcohol," Bepo scrunched his snout in disgust, putting both paws on his nose to try and stop the intake of smell on their breaths.
Law facepalmed slowly, thinking of all the ways to punish them later when they sober up. Or should he just punish them now as a part of sobering up? Before he had time to decide, someone else took the initiative.
With a vicious punch that Cody was famous for in their crew, the medic hit both mechanics on the top of their heads with his each fist. The punch was hard enough for the men to see stars, but it sobered them right up.
A little later, the Hearts were all sitting at a round table deep in the room so they could discuss their information in private. They ordered their drinks from Madam Shiba as everyone called her; a big woman with enough body strength to lift both Cody and Joshua at the same time. Her wild brown mane was tied behind in a loose bun so it wouldn't get in the way while she carried dozens of large beer mugs at the same time. The Draco beer, which was black ale, was famous on Snowflake Island and drunk by everyone there. None minded the bitter aftertaste it left behind in their mouths.
"We're sorry…" Both Penguin and Shachi winced at the same time, still nursing their sore heads.
"You didn't have to hit us that hard!" Penguin complained, giving the medic a glare.
"Oh believe me, he did. If not for anything else, then for that horrible joke," Miyako commented without sympathy for the two.
Law sipped his beer as he talked. They told the mechanics everything that happened before their arrival to the tavern, and both pirates listened carefully to the story. Shachi nodded. "We realized soon after coming to the inn. There are more pirate crews here, though most don't appear to be hostile. We just played a friendly poker game with the Jumping Jacks, one of the crews staying here."
"And totally cleared them out for everything their worth," Penguin grinned as he added proudly. That only got him a smack to the back of his head by Cody and a glare from Law, though. "Ow!"
"What about the log pose, do we know when it sets?" Miyako interrupted, glancing from Joshua to Cody since that was their job. However, it wouldn't be strange that they weren't able to find out since they bumped into Smithies.
Even so, Cody had an answer. "48 hours, that's how long it takes."
Law nodded at the information. "So we have time to restock and…answer some questions left," the captain muttered.
"You're interested in that Hisui guy?" Miyako asked even though the answer was obvious.
He kept his expression collected, not showing whether he was truly curios or not. "Among other things…that Murdock-ya was pretty suspicious too."
Bepo snarled, showing his teeth, "I agree. I don't like that guy."
"Yeah, he was pretty creepy," Miyako muttered in thought. "Seems like there's a lot going on in this town." She leaned her elbow on the table, resting her head on her palm. Glancing at the window, she could see the colorful streets outside, covered in a white carpet of fresh snow.
"Are you referring to the Winter festival? We heard about that! It lasts for two days, starting this evening," Penguin smiled.
"Guess we'll be able to enjoy the festival too!" Shachi added.
The two mechanics gazed at each other, both grinning at the same thought, "Girls, booze, and partying!"
Ignoring the two fools, the polar bear turned around to face his captain. "Does that mean I can call Jean Bart and the others to join us here? Is it safe?"
Law was silent for a while before nodding. "Yes, you can call the others. But tell Kai-ya, Munk-ya, Cal-ya, Ben-ya and Mori-ya to take the first shift of guarding the submarine."
Joshua grinned, "They'll be disappointed."
"They'll be able to enjoy the festival tomorrow instead, so it's fine," the other medic shrugged.
Meanwhile, the samurai was still staring through the window, only half-listening to the pirates' conversation. She was focusing on the scene outside, unfolding before her eyes. Beneath a tall, large decorated pine tree with colorful lights, and glistening items, a man was sitting. A redheaded man covered in baggy old robes, sitting in the snow and playing his lute. The girl couldn't hear the music since she was in the tavern, but she saw the children gathering around the man, dancing and singing to the tune he was playing. Even adults joined in, everyone laughing happily while the bard smiled gently and continued to expertly glide his thin fingers through the strings.
~…~
As the sun slowly set on the horizon, darkening the clear sky, the colorful town of Snowflake island suddenly became even livelier. Instead of townsfolk retreating to their soothingly warm homes, they filled the streets even more than in the afternoon. The stands were open and ready now, scent of freshly cooked hot food and drinks spreading through the area. Chatter and joyful laughter echoed throughout the streets, as the festival started with a band of musicians playing on the platform.
Vendors sold trinkets and toys for children. Others had masks and glistening decorations presented at their stands, mostly in red, white and green colors.
Mingled with the locals in thick winter clothing and pirates from various crews, men in snow-white boiler suits and colorful hats walked across town. The Heart Pirates strolled down the streets, or carried boxes and crates as they did some restocking for the submarine.
Munk passed by with Jean Bart as the two carried giant crates of food ingredients for their upcoming journey. After splitting up with the Strawhat crew after all that Zou business, the chef realized his kitchen was almost completely emptied, curtsey of Captain Strawhat no doubt. Not only did the boy eat everything on the Sunny-Go like a glutton, but he also consumed all the food in their submarine as well. Munk was surprised that they even made it through their journey with the Strawhats without starving after a few days of joining up with the other crew. On another note, he quickly understood why Sanji, their cook, kept a large lock on his refrigerator.
Some Hearts were outside, shopping at the wooden stalls, buying local alcohol and food, or trying to unsuccessfully pick up girls. Others were hanging out in the inn or the tavern, still eating dinner or getting acquainted with other pirates and locals through drinks.
The samurai girl couldn't help but hum to the lively tune playing at the town's square, as the band continued their performance under the clock tower. She walked down the street with a smile on her face, examining the entire joyful atmosphere around her. She even forgot about the cold for a while, the snow finally stopping after it covered the ground with a good 30 more centimeters of another fresh layer. Every now and then someone from the crew would pass her by, cheerfully greeting her before continuing on their way. She nodded back with a smile, occasionally stopping to chat with some of her crewmates.
That's why it wasn't much of a surprise when she heard a long shout quickly becoming louder as the source drew closer to her. "Miya-chaaaaan!" Instantly recognizing the voice, the girl turned in its direction to see three grinning pirates running her way.
Penguin, Shachi and Sam, all three the mechanics of their submarine, came to the girl with their cheeks red; though she wasn't sure was it from the cold air or booze.
"What's up?" The girl took a bite of a big green tea cookie she bought at one of the food stands and stared at the Hearts questioningly while chewing.
"Did you see Captain? We're looking for him all over but no luck." Shachi was the first to ask, rubbing his head through his casquette hat.
The girl hummed as she kept munching on her treat. "No idea. Did you ask Bepo?"
"That's the first thing we did. We thought if we could find Bepo, surely we'd find Law-san since they are always together…But Bepo's nowhere to be seen either." Sam shrugged his shoulders with a worried frown.
"You don't think they got in a fight with those Sea Rats again? Or maybe some other pirate crew around here?" Penguin narrowed his hidden eyes, suspiciously searching around with his gaze. There was a dark aura forming around him just at the thought of that dubious pirate crew the others had a run in previously that day.
Hearing this, the girl scowled in thought, some of her good mood slowly disappearing. "It's not impossible…though I'm sure Law and Bepo are capable of taking care of themselves, especially if they're together." She knew both Trafalgar's and the polar bear's capabilities, so she could hardly believe that anyone on this island would be strong enough to challenge them. Suddenly, the redheaded bard's face passed before her mind's eye. *My presumptions might not be entirely correct, after all…* She doubted Hisui-san was a bad person, but he was a true example that things aren't always what they seem. If someone who is capable of easily stopping two strong pirates in an instant exists here, then what is to say that there aren't others who could be just as dangerous. Making up her mind, Miyako nodded. "How about we split up? I'll help you search for them," she suggested and saw the Hearts' faces instantly brighten up.
"Alright! We'll be able to cover more ground if we split up, with the four of us," Shachi clenched his fist in the air, happy with the decision.
Each of the pirates walked their way, combing through the crowds on the streets as they tried to spot a large polar bear or a white fuzzy hat somewhere among the people. Once again, Miyako found herself on her own, but this time with a clear goal in mind. She wasn't afraid or panicking though, still certain that Law probably just headed somewhere out of interest and took Bepo with him. It wasn't strange for the man to wander off alone to satisfy his curiosity about something, often not even telling anyone where he's going. The girl sighed at the thought, *And yet he harps on me when I do it. What double standards.*
Her thoughts were cut off when she saw a familiar spiky blue hair passing through the crowd of people. Hurrying her step, the girl managed to catch up with the Heart Pirates' medic just before he disappeared behind the corner.
Cody turned around to smile at his friend, "Miya-chan, hey! Are you enjoying the festival?" That's when she realized he was walking along with Joshua, but the other medic was so short she couldn't even see him in this crowd the people.
The girl nodded. "Quite. Oh and Joshua's with you…I haven't even seen you there," she maliciously commented, giving the redhead a taunting grin.
That's all it took for the man to lose his temper. "Why you-" His face became almost the same shade as his hair as he gave the girl a deadly glare.
The taller medic quickly stepped in with a nervous smile, "Now, now, don't start. Can't you two get along even on a nice evening such as this one?"
Joshua crossed his arms on his chest, while his expression stayed in a frown. "Suddenly my enjoyment is quickly decreasing," he grumbled, giving Miyako dirty glances.
The girl didn't seem fazed by him in the least. Rather, her desire to tease him just grew. She crossed her own arms on her chest, closing her eyes and shaking her head as her eyebrows furrowed in a disapproving expression. "Honestly, you're so disagreeable. With such a bad temper, you'll never find a girlfriend. Why are you always in such a bad mood…"
"And whose fault is that!?" The pirate blew up, tossing his arms in the air.
Miyako blinked in feigned confusion, continuing to mess with him. "Why is it my fault that you don't have a girlfriend?"
"That's not what I meant! You're the one who's always making me angry in the first place!" By the time he stopped yelling, Joshua was completely red in the face and panting from exhaustion. He felt weak just from having this conversation with the samurai girl.
Cody sighed, watching the exchange. With a sweat drop he turned towards his medic crewmate, "You do realize she's just messing with you…?"
"Aah, now you spoiled the fun~" Miyako stuck her tongue out at Cody while grinning devilishly, but he just playfully stuck his back at her with a smile.
"One of these days he's seriously going to blow his top off from all your teasing, so be careful," The bluehead warned with a snicker.
The samurai raised her eyebrow with a smirk, "You mean this isn't it yet?" She shrugged at the thought, "Guess I'll just have to work harder then."
"Will both of you stop messing with me! And don't talk like I'm not right next to you!" Joshua clenched his fists, now glaring at both of them.
"Ah, that's right!" Remembering her previous task, the girl suddenly changed the atmosphere along with the conversation. "I was looking for Law, actually. Have you two seen him around?"
"Captain?" Joshua raised his eyebrow questioningly, but then realized he was getting pulled into her pace again, "Wait, don't change the subject!"
"I'm serious. Shachi and the others were also looking for him, but nobody can find him around town," the girl frowned.
"Well…since it's Captain, I'm sure he's fine," Cody noted, but still looked deep in thought as he wondered where Law could have gone to.
"Yeah, he won't get into trouble that easily…Not like some of our crewmembers," Joshua responded, giving Miyako a knowing stare.
The girl put on a pout and narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?" Even so, she already knew that he meant her. Over the years with the Heart Pirates, Miyako got into all kinds of perilous situations on their journey and got a reputation among the crew for being a trouble magnet. "Besides, you were the one who got into a fight today," she added with glee, happy she wasn't the one to cause a commotion this time.
"Maybe that guy did something to him…you know, that flaky bard?" Joshua ignored Miyako's complaint as he continued the conversation.
"Hisui-san? No, he didn't seem like that kind of nasty fellow to me," the girl shook her head.
"Speak for yourself! You weren't the one who got frozen by his weird powers," the medic shuddered at the memory of that strange feeling of helplessness at that time.
"The most plausible explanation would be that Hisui-san is some kind of devil fruit user. I wonder which fruit does he have," Cody pondered. In thought he rummaged through the pockets of his boiler suit until he finally found his pack of cigarettes, taking one and lighting it between his lips.
"Who knows…but I don't trust him. The guy was so elusive with his answers. In the end, we don't know anything about him," the redheaded medic commented, his expression still stern.
"Well…being mysterious and being vile isn't the same thing. If we should worry about someone having bad intentions, I'd rather bet on that Captain Murdock," Miyako muttered.
"That guy was pretty creepy even for Heart Pirates' standards…and our Captain is known as the epithet for creepiness among the world," Cody sweatdropped.
"Well, in any case, I'm sure Law will be fine. I'll look some more just in case though. If you see him around, tell him Shachi, Penguin and Sam are looking for him too," Miyako finally concluded the conversation.
The redhead sighed. "What is this, are you forming a search party or something?"
The other medic puffed some cigarette smoke out of his mouth before waving the girl goodbye, "Don't forget to have some fun too while you're looking!"
Miyako gave them a curt nod before heading off into the crowd.
As Cody watched the girl's disappearing back, a thought occurred to him, * She seems calm, but she's still looking for him just in case? Is she worried about Captain after all?* A snicker passed his lips as he held onto his cigarette.
Joshua gave him a curious glance, "What are you laughing about?"
"No…It's nothing."
~…..~
"No way….how can he still keep going!?"
There was a group of pirates huddled in front of the tavern, at the outer terrace filled with tables. Uniforms of white and black lined up around a certain table, while two individuals sat across from each other.
"Come on, Sai, don't give up now!"
Hearing a familiar name, Miyako stopped as she passed by the tavern. Blinking a few times in interest, the girl drew closer to see what was happening. She recognized a few familiar faces of her nakama, mixed with some unknown ones. There were a few pirates in black, wide pants held with suspenders and black jackets standing there and cheering just as loudly as her crewmates. They all had the same red Jolly Roger on the backs of their jackets; a profile of a skull with a bandana and two crossed knives beneath it.
The girl had to push through the mass of men before she found herself in front of a table filled with both emptied and full mugs of ale. In front of each heap was sitting a pirate, one in a white boiler suit and the other in a black overall.
The Heart Pirate sitting at the table had a brown beanie hat, his shoulder-length, white-purplish hair hanging loosely out of it. There was a noticeable tribal tattoo on the side of his neck. "Sai!?" Miyako couldn't help but exclaim in surprise as she saw her nakama sitting there, surrounded by his comrades, as what seemed to be a drinking competition. She turned to one of the other Hearts there, their master gunner. "What's going on here?"
"Ain't it obvious? Sai's wipping tha floor with sthis Blade Pirates!" Eli answered with a grin before cheering Sai on again.
The said young navigator of the Heart Pirates grabbed another mug of ale and chugged it down before slamming it back on the table.
"Don't ya dare lose to this fellow, Mel!" The pirates of the other crew yelled, cheering on their own companion even louder.
The pirate at the table grabbed his own mug and started drinking its contents without stopping for even a breath.
Miyako chuckled. "I see you've made friends…But how did you ever manage to convince Sai to do this?" Even though Sai would occasionally drink with the rest of the Hearts, he was hardly interested in drinking games or competitions. He was the type to quietly watch the scene along with the others, rather than participate in it.
Eli sweatdropped and shifted his eyes to the side with a guilty expression. "Well we were talkin' to these guys and somehow it ended up a bet 'bout who would win in a drinkin' competition…and we knew we had our ace with us, so we had to use tha opportunity, yanno!" Eli pointed at Sai, currently gulping down another mug of alcohol. The young navigator had a lean constitution and would pace himself when drinking, so nobody would expect that he actually had a high tolerance for alcohol. "We just had to make 'im compete. So…" He then turned to another Heart pirate, the tailor of the crew, and slapped Zeek across the back. "Zeek promised tha tailor a nice princess-like dress fer Sai's sister!" Eli laughed, "Ya should've seen how Sai suddenly stopped before he walked away an' turned around, changing his mind completely when we mentioned his sister. He really has a sister complex!"
The samurai girl sighed, shaking her head. "So you're not only using Sai for your convenience, but also Zeek. Honestly…"
"Aw, come on, they don't mind," Ari, the explosives expert of the Hearts, grinned as he also joined the conversation. "Right Zeek?"
"Um…R-right…" The smaller, usually shy tailor answered with a slight nod. "I like sewing anyway…though tailoring dresses is a bit embarrassing…"
"It's fer agood of tha crew! Fer our pride." Eli gave the tailor his most convincing stare.
"Right, Zeek, fer tha pride of our Heart Pirates," Ari repeated, even using Eli's thick accent jokingly.
The tailor's eyes shone with determination as he clenched his fist, convinced once again. "Right!"
Miyako smacked both Eli and Ari on the back of their heads. "Like hell! Isn't it just for your own sake!? I bet you have a whole wagering pool on this!"
Ari stuttered as he talked, trying to avoid the girl's insightful eyes, "N-Not at all…" Even though he said that, there was a paper in his hands clearly showing who was betting on which side, written in scribbles.
"I knew it!" Miyako exclaimed, hitting them both again. "Don't use people for your own convenience," she reprimanded with a stern face.
"Ouch!" The two cradled their sore heads.
"But Miya-chan, it's more fun when you can also make a profit."
"An' we have faith in Sai!"
The girl sighed, narrowing her eyes in disbelief as she stared at the two. "You sound just like Penguin and Shachi…I knew playing poker with them is a bad influence." She shook her head, but got distracted when a loud thud brought everyone's attention back to the table.
"We have a winner!" One of the pirates shouted out.
Gazing back at the table, Miyako could see the pirate in black was dead-drunk and lying with his forehead down on the hard table. The navigator of the Hearts seemed woozy but stayed seated and even managed to stand up as the winner of the competition.
The Hearts cheered in unison while the Red Blades shouted in anger and disappointment, trying to bring their beaten nakama back to awakening.
"Ya did it!" Eli grabbed Sai's shoulder to help him stand while Ari took the other side.
The navigator, however, ignored them and instead grabbed Eli's collar to bring him closer to his eyes. "Thats sbetter be one fancy dresss…," Sai slurred with drunken words, though his eyes were sharp and threatening as he stared at the master gunner. After what he and his liver just went through, Eli and Zeek better keep their promise; that's what his eyes were saying. He couldn't keep that look for long, however, as he could feel something coming out from deep within him. The usually pale navigator suddenly paled even more.
"Gyaaaah! Not on the boiler suit!" Ari screamed in disgust.
"Sai! Get a hold of yerself!" Eli shouted, as the navigator passed out shortly after puking his guts out.
A trickle of sweat ran down Miyako's brow. *Well…serves you right,* she thought before leaving on her way, not even bothering to ask this drunken bunch where Law could be.
As Miyako walked on, a waft of sweet scent of cinnamon tickled her nose. It mixed in with the rest of the smell of food and drinks, but was particularly strong as a light breeze blew over to her. She sniffed the air to catch more of the pleasant smell, turning her head in the direction it was coming from. It took her feet off the main street and on a narrow path near a small park. There, the glistening snow caught onto the branches of the pine trees gave the whole park a sparkling appearance of some little garden of wonderland. Right at the entrance was a bench, just under a large tree with its branches sagging with thick layers of snow on them.
Yet, the most captivating sight there wasn't the beautiful picture of nature before her eyes, but the strange scene beneath that tree. The scent of cinnamon was coming from a steaming cup of cinnamon tea, which the redheaded bard was holding with both hands as if trying to warm up in this cold winter night. He had his eyes closed, as he gently smiled while humming a light tune. His lute was laid on the bench by his side, while he sipped his tea every now and then.
"Hisui-san," Miyako called out and walked over to the man before she even though it through. She realized that, somehow, the man's aura just attracted people easily to him; he was that kind of engaging person.
He opened his amber eyes slowly, without any surprise that there was a person in front of him. Almost as if he was expecting her. "Ah, I remember you from this afternoon! One of the…Heart pirates, isn't it? Yibor told me about you." He stopped and stared at her with anticipation, silently asking for her name.
The samurai nodded before bowing politely in introduction, "My name is Suzune Miyako."
He nodded in acknowledgment before gesturing to the empty seat on the other side. "Please, won't you join me?"
The girl stiffened, suddenly a bit uncertain which was visible from her skeptical expression. After all, she knew nothing about this man.
Hisui sweat dropped with a sheepish smile. "I'm no one dangerous, really!"
"Usually the ones who say they're not dangerous end up being dangerous," she sighed as she watched him with a raised eyebrow.
His expression froze as if he only now heard of such a saying. "Eh?!"
The girl couldn't help but chuckle at his comical expressions. She was only teasing him, but she didn't expect that he would really take her words so seriously.
"I'm just kidding," she reassured him, sitting by his side on the bench. "You might be a bit weird, but I don't think you're a bad person."
The bard sighed, scratching the back of his head. "A lot of people say that to me…I wonder why that is? Actually, I think she said something similar when we first met…," he muttered.
The samurai blinked, "She?"
He shook his head as if dismissing his own thoughts. "No, never mind. I always get nostalgic at this time of year."
As he smiled again, Miyako couldn't help but think that his eyes looked somewhat sad even with that gentle expression of his. However, that expression only lasted for a second, and in the next moment, it was already gone.
"So then why are you sitting here by yourself and not enjoying the festival with Yibor-san and the others?" She slightly tilted her head quizzically.
He hummed at her question. "To be honest I was expecting someone else. I thought if I waited alone, I would bring that guy out to see what are his true intentions," he explained. However, he might as well be speaking in riddles since it made no sense to the Wanokuni girl.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she frowned in puzzlement, "What guy?"
Only now did Hisui realize the girl wasn't following his train of thought since he just blurted out what he was thinking. "That guy….Captain Murdock, wasn't it," he reminded her of the nasty man they both met earlier that day.
Miyako bit her lip in thought, "He's after you?"
"Hm…I'm not sure what he's after…I'm pretty sure I've never met him before…then again, it's been a long time." He looked up in thought, staring at the tree branches. "But it seemed like he had some business with me…it's just my hunch, though. Maybe I'm wrong?" He tilted his head and stared at the girl, his questioning amber eyes meeting wondering golden ones.
"You're asking me?" The girl sweatdropped, giving him a clear 'How should I know?' look.
Hisui laughed at her expression. "I guess you're right." Changing the subject, the man inquired, "And what are you searching for?"
Miyako blinked, "How did you know I was searching?"
He gave her a knowing look with a cheerful smile, "Just another hunch." His eyes remained questioning, waiting for her answer.
A little uncertain, the samurai explained, "Actually, I was looking for La-uh, I mean, my captain, Trafalgar Law."
Hisui hummed in thought again, setting the tea aside and taking his lute in his hands. He pulled a few strings, creating a slow melody. "I see…I believe you will find what you're looking for in the town's library." As he said that, he started humming a light tune, going along with the melody the strings of his lute were creating.
"How do you know that?" The girl stared at him even more skeptically now.
He only kept smiling, without saying a word.
Miyako sighed, "Let me guess…another hunch?"
She stood up, ready to leave towards the town's library, but then cast one last glance at the bard behind her. "You're going to stay here?"
Stopping his tune, Hisui nodded. "I need to prepare."
"Prepare for what?"
The man gave her a bright smile, one that wasn't sad or nostalgic like before. "For tonight's main event….or should I say, for the main event of the Winter Festival."
"Oooh, Yibor-san mentioned something about that…So you're involved in that."
He gave her a simple nod, but stayed quiet.
The girl smiled back, "In that case, good luck. I can't wait to see it!" She was about to run off when she suddenly stopped in her tracks, glancing back at him. "Also…you missed a button." She pointed at his shirt where one of the top buttons was open, making a hole near his collar.
The bard blinked and looked down, yelping at the sight, "Wah, no wonder I was feeling cold!"
Miyako felt a drop of sweat slide down the side of her forehead as she watched the man fumble with his clothes. *I can't figure him out at all…Is he a scatterbrain or shrewd?* She shook her head before strolling off towards the library. After a while, she could once again hear a gentle melody of the lute behind her, mixed with the scent of cinnamon and Hisui Klaus' singing voice.
~…~
The town only had one library, but it was unexpectedly large. It rose up in a semi-circle shape with thick stone walls that were once perhaps white, but now grey with old age, and a decorated semi-dome as the roof. The walls were filled with ivy that climbed from the bottom of the building to the semi-dome, giving it an even more of an abandoned feel.
Miyako suddenly felt unsure whether Law was really in such a place. Even still, she walked up to the large and heavy two-winged gates made of hard wood, opening one with a grunt and a quiet squeak of its hinges. The inside was cold since the stone walls barely retained any heat and the fire of the wall torches didn't help much to make it more comfortable.
She expected the inside to be as bleak as the outside appearance, but surprisingly she was completely awed by the difference. Even in the dimly lit room as most of the torches weren't burning at the moment, since it was almost closing time, Miyako could see how well organized and preserved everything was. The walls were decorated in numerous insignias and painted with various pictures. Some were landscapes and the girl guessed those were all parts of the Snowflake island, while others were painted scenes of everyday lives of the people on the island. One even appeared to be portraying the winter festival, but it was the one next to it that got the girl's attention. It showed the clock tower on the town's square, with a strange purplish light glowing over it. It looked like a dark hole, filled with stars that shone its light on the city. Miyako stepped closer to examine the illustration, but she just couldn't figure out what that picture meant.
A sound of crumpling paper got her attention and her eyes darter to the other side of the library. The building was large, with two floors and a labyrinth of old bookcases so it was hard to see anyone else, but Miyako could feel she wasn't the only living thing among these old books. She quietly approached the sound, seeing a sight before her on the large table that was covered with papers and books. There was a candlelight shining down onto the table to give the person some light as they hunched over the books.
Law leafed through the pages of some large book with hard red covers. Every time he turned the page, a little bit of dust would fly out in a tiny cloud, indicating the book wasn't used for a very long time. Next to Trafalgar, against one of the bookshelves was the polar bear, sitting on the ground and resting Kikoku in his lap while flipping through some book of his own.
Bepo was the first to notice her as he caught a whiff of her scent. His ears twitched and he looked up in question, but the girl put her index finger on her lips to signal for him to be quiet. She wanted to see if Law was so deep in his own thoughts that she could really startle him, so she laid her presence low, suffocating it as much as possible. She sneaked over to the table, just behind the man's back and was just about to grab him when his deep voice startled her instead.
"Did you really think you could sneak up on me," he asked without even turning around.
He finally turned to face her, looking with a deadpan expression at the girl. "You're 100 years too early to try and startle me, Miss Miyako."
The girl let out her held breath, sagging her shoulders in disappointment. "You're no fun," she mumbled, but then strode over to him in a few quick moves. "So why are you here burying yourself in books instead of enjoying the festival? You're not afraid those idiots will cause all kinds of trouble if you don't keep an eye on them?"
"Hmf, I'm not their babysitter," the captain commented, still staring at the book in front of him.
Bepo got up and joined their conversation, "Uh…captain, are you sure that's fine? Maybe I should really go back and keep an eye on those guys." He shifted from side to side nervously, rubbing his paws together as he set aside the nodachi.
"Yep, I'm pretty sure you'll need to treat Sai for alcohol poisoning," the girl continued as she thought of the previous events. "Then there's always treatment for STDs that some of them will need…," she continued with a sigh.
Law's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "You're just trying to get me to join the town's festivities, aren't you?"
"…..Is it working?" The girl raised an eyebrow.
Finally giving her his full attention, Trafalgar turned in his chair towards her and laid back with a smirk, "You tell me?" By his expression that clearly asked 'What do you think?' she could get a clear answer to that question.
The samurai sighed, sitting on the edge of the table, careful not to sit on any books or crumple papers, and peered at the big book he was reading. "Then what is so interesting that's keeping you cooped up in here for so lo-" She leaned over to see the book's title, only for the captain to slide it to the side and out of her vision. That reaction instantly lit up the fires of curiosity in the girl and her big eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Hmm…?" She hummed in interest, grinning at the man's sudden action.
The doctor cleared his throat as his expression became emotionless once more. He was trying hard for the girl to not be able to read him. "It is of no importance and no concern of yours. I'm simply indulging in my own curiosity," he explained in an even voice.
"Then let me indulge in mine,~" the girl chimed and was about to snatch the book, but Law's reflexes were just a millisecond quicker as he moved it away from her reach.
"You know that only makes me want to know even more," she smirked at him, giving him a challenging stare.
The man returned her stare with his own, his grey eyes glistening in the flickering candlelight, "Give it up." There was a hidden amusement in his voice now. He was actually having fun with this, though such words would never be pried out of his tightly closed lips.
The two kept staring at each other for a while, until the girl suddenly turned her attention to Bepo. Instantly, Law turned a glare to the bear as well, silently telling him to keep his mouth closed.
The polar bear took a step back from such intense gazes, sweat trickling down his white fur from sudden nervousness. "D-don't look at me, I don't know anything!"
"Don't worry Bepo-chan, I won't make you say anything~" Miyako hopped from the table and took an innocent step forward with her hands behind her back.
"Chan?" Law repeated with a grimace.
The bear took a step backwards as Miyako took one more towards him. He bumped into the shelf behind him and found himself trapped between the bookcase and the samurai. He glanced around nervously when the girl reached him and stood right in front of him with a sweet smile. There was no way out, no escape anymore.
"Was it…over here?" The girl put a hand under his chin and scratched, making his foot twitch a few times from the nice feeling.
"T-that's not working on me at all," he mumbled, barely restraining himself from sighing in content.
"Then…here?" She moved her fingers slightly to the side, until she was rubbing the underside of his jaw. She knew that was the right spot, but was only slowly working towards it so she would loosen him up more…and with that, also loosen his tongue.
The polar bear sagged, his eyes closed and his lips smiling from the nice feeling. It felt heavenly, making him forget even about his surroundings.
"You poor thing, you were running around with Law all day, always busy and no time for yourself. And now he even dragged you to this cold library to read old books," she cooed in faked sweetness, while her eyes stayed sharp on him like a fox's.
"Right, just to read some old town stories," Bepo added to her statement.
"Urk!" Behind them, Trafalgar glowered in annoyance as he was revealed.
Suddenly the soft scratching stopped and Miyako's eyes became even sharper as she gazed back at Law.
"Ah, sorry Captain!" Realizing what he had just said, the bear started bowing his head in panic. "I didn't mean to tell her that you were reading the town's book of lore!"
"Bepo….," the Dark Doctor had a vain that popped out on his forehead as he tried to calm down his flaring nerves. The flustered bear was just making it worse!
"So that's what you've been doing! What, don't tell me you're interested in that legend after all?" She leaned on his shoulder with a grin as she stared at the man in front of her victoriously. "Wasn't it just a pointless tale? A way for the locals to attract tourists?" She repeated his own words against him.
As Law looked like he was trying to hide his embarrassment under a thick layer of irritation, Bepo slowly scooted out of the way. "Uh…captain, maybe I should really check on the crew…just to see no one is getting into trouble and such," he tried to make himself as small as possible and disappear from under the doctor's gaze.
"Wait right there," Law's booming voice stopped the first mate in his tracks, making the bear wince. The man sighed before continuing, "We'll all go."
Both Miyako and Bepo appeared a bit surprised by the sudden decision, though the girl was gloating happily with her victory. It was exactly what she wanted. After all, she knew Law would do anything to prove her wrong and that he was in fact not interested in superstitious legends, meaning he would even abandon these books here to do so. The man really had trouble admitting his true feelings sometimes, always having secret agendas instead, but Miyako was already used to that side of him and knew how to turn it in her favor. She doubted she'd be able to do the same trick on him twice, though. This man was hard to manipulate.
"Wipe that smirk off your face, Miss Miyako," the surgeon leaned in closer with his deadliest stare, before he narrowed his eyes. "Before I wipe it for you."
However, the samurai was already used to her captain's dark glares and threats. She wasn't fazed, knowing that he wasn't truly angry as he was just trying to hide his defeat under his mask of ire. "My apologies," she answered, though the smirk remained, making her apology only seem mocking.
He finally gave up, shaking his head and rolling his eyes as he passed her by and started walking out of the library with Bepo. "You're the one who was so interested in that legend, weren't you?"
Miyako jogged over to join them, giving Law a questioning glance.
"Well it's your chance to see if it's truly your lucky night…It's almost midnight after all, and supposedly that's when all magic happens," he smirked at her. "Though, it's unsure on which night it happens so you'll probably be disappointed," he just had to add, spoiling her excited mood, on purpose no doubt.
She thought about his words for a while, remember the previous conversations she had both with Yibor and Hisui. She gave Law an excited grin. "In that case, I know exactly where we need to be."
~…~
"So, mind telling me where we are going?" Law let the girl drag him by the hand through the crowd of people as they made their way towards the town square. He could hear the rustle and bustle of the people around them, smell the delicious scents of food and drink, hear the music playing out in the distance as it mixed with people's chatter and laughter. It was quite a big festival, but truthfully he preferred the peace and quiet of the library, which was one of the reasons why he ended up in that desolate place with only Bepo accompanying him. The crowds of people and the noise only bothered him, giving him a headache as it all attacked his senses. It's not like he always preferred solitude over company, especially if it were by his nakama (as rowdy as they could be at times), but he found little enjoyment in large festivities like this either. It wasn't always that way. He remembered how much he enjoyed the festivals in Flevance when he was a child, as he watched the fireworks with his family and ran around looking at trinkets on stalls with his sister. However, those days are long gone and too much has happened since then. He wasn't the same as he once was; when he was still innocent and naïve.
Trafalgar closed his eyes tightly, trying to get these current thoughts out of his mind. His train of thought took him to a time he'd rather not remember, and he knew this Winter Festival was partly to blame. That's also one of the reasons why he decided to stay away. It brought back too many painful memories. Awoke too many forgotten shadows he already laid to rest a long time ago.
Besides, after spending so much time with the Strawhats and their loud shenanigans and all the rucks that happened in Zou, the pirate doctor couldn't wait for some peace and quiet finally.
His thoughts were interrupted when Miyako answered cryptically, "You'll find out soon enough."
He narrowed his eyes at her tone, seeing that she was purposely stalling for an answer just to keep him guessing. He opened his mouth to say something, but his attention was caught by the resounding sound of the bell tower's chime. It started right as both clock hands met on the large number 12, as the bell started its count down to midnight. At first, the locals became completely quiet as if expecting something to happen, while the pirates around watched in interest. While the bell chimed, a melody started. First it was quiet, but then louder and louder.
Law gazed up at the platform to see a sole person sitting on a stool on the stage, his one leg crossed and its ankle rested on the other knee, while he held his lute in his lap and plucked its strings. Hisui played a gentle melody before opening his mouth and singing along with it. The words rolled perfectly off his tongue, each one in perfect accord with the notes of the tune. The whole song seemed to merge and melt with the sound of the ringing clock tower towering above him.
"So that's what Yibor was talking about. The main performance at midnight," Miyako noted as she listened to the song that enveloped like strings around her mind and heart. It pulled on her emotions as if waking up long-forgotten memories while telling stories of a time long passed. It was a nostalgic tune, but also powerful and full of life. Miyako couldn't explain it by any other word than simply beautiful.
At the last stroke of midnight, something begun to change. It was hard to see at first, unclear in the night. Law, Bepo and Miyako squinted their eyes in an effort to see what was shifting and moving in the darkness right above the bell tower. Slowly it became brighter, a black and dark purple turning into a bright colors instead. It looked like a crack in the air itself; like someone cut that place and ripped it open. From it, a purple light appeared that started shining brighter and brighter. Miyako's eyes widened, *It looks exactly like the picture I saw on the library's wall!*
Only the pirates appeared surprised by the sudden occurrence as they pointed and shouted at the strange sight. The locals just smiled, continuing to listen to Hisui's song that he continued to play with his eyes closed.
"What is happening?" Josh shouted from somewhere far away, but they could still hear him.
"Is it a trap?" Law gritted his teeth, preparing to unsheathe his nodachi. But what could he even do at this point? Nobody even knew what was going to happen.
The light shone even brighter as that crack turned into a hole that started to spread across the sky and above everyone's heads. Inside the light, there was still that purple darkness with sparkling dots that seemed like stars. It continued to spread until it enveloped the entire island.
Miyako grabbed a nearby local and made the woman tear her eyes away from the sky and look at her, "What's going on here?!"
The old woman smiled brightly like this was the most natural thing in the world. "The zenith of the Winter Festival has begun," the woman answered, though it only made the samurai stare as her in more confusion.
Miyako furrowed her eyebrows, "Wha-?" She was about to ask more about it, when suddenly a blast of blinding bright light exploded throughout the sky, spreading through the whole Snowflake island. The girl yelped and shut her eyes tightly, covering them with her hands since she could see the brightness even through her closed eyelids.
What made her open her eyes was Bepo's gasp. She timidly opened one eye to make sure the bright light was gone, then opened the other when she concluded it was safe to look again. She turned to her first mate to see the bear staring wide-eyed at the sky. Gazing up, she could see the starry clear sky from before, the purple film completely gone along with the bright light. It made almost the whole thing look like it was an illusion and Miyako truly wondered about that possibility. "What is it," she asked the polar bear, seeing that he was still intently gazing at the sky.
"The stars," Bepo started. "They're….wrong."
Even though Bepo rarely did navigation for the Heart Pirates anymore, seeing there were Sai and Jean Bart for that job now, he was actually quite well versed in that field. Miyako heard from the others that in the beginning when there was only a few of them in the crew, Bepo was originally their navigator. Nevertheless, the girl had trouble understanding what he meant. "What do you mean 'wrong'?"
The bear shook his head and stared at the stars even harder, as if that would change what he was seeing. "That constellation shouldn't be there. It's different from before! I don't understand it either, but the stars' pattern is completely changed."
"That's not the only thing," Law's voice got their attention, and both Hearts turned to stare at what he was pointing. They followed his finger to the town's square, only to gape in bewilderment. Where there was a cliff before, signifying the end of the town, now the area continued. The square wasn't a semi-circle anymore but a full circle and new houses and buildings stood around it. Suddenly the whole town got bigger and everything looked perfectly symmetrical, as if someone placed a giant mirror on the town's border. The other side was a perfect fit for the town they came to know.
"How is this…possible?" Miyako whispered, staring at the unnerving sight before her eyes.
What was even more astonishing was that the locals were completely calm and cheerful even as this strange new development occurred. Even when new people from the other side started appearing from the buildings and into the streets, the townsfolk simply greeted them all as long-time friends who they haven't seen in a while.
"Well Miss Miyako, I think you got your wish. Our stay here will be more eventful than I originally believed," Trafalgar admitted, staring at the people on the other side of the town's square.
Glossary:
rakusu - a traditionally Japanese garment worn around the neck of Zen Buddhists who have taken the precepts.
sugegasa - Asian conical hat
I hope it was interesting for you so far. We will be posting the next part shortly, so stay tuned. You can find the link to The Dragon Chronicles on Volleys-chan's profile, which is one of my favorite fanfiction stories about One Piece I must say. It is also a collaboration story between Volleys-chan and Hitoshirezu Ryu (the story is on their account page), but you will find out more about it when you visit their profile pages.