Well, hello.
I don't know what possessed me to do this, but it is not so important.
What you're looking at right now is my first attempt at fanfiction in English. I don't know what it's worth. You see, I am French, and English is not my native language, I understand enough to read the stories in English, but I don't know if I can write one. This is a challenge that I'm starting.

Anyway, this is the translation of my faniction One Piece of the same title published in French. I hope my English will not be too painful for you. Please bear with any conjugation, grammar or spelling errors that I can do, I hope to improve.

Anyway I hope you will enjoy it ... and it will be readable.

Obviously, One Piece is not mine, I'm only borrowing the characters and universe from Eiichiro Oda.

Enjoy ... I hope.

Chapter 1:

The Marine's weapon.

The room was dark, the only light came from a small lamp, lighting up an office filled with papers and open books, but no one was working. All was quiet, the only audible sounds were the engine's purrs, the occasional beep of sonar and the calm and steady breath of the man wrapped in the blankets.

Aside from the messy desk, the rest of the small room was clean, neat and tidy, even if it didn't seems that comfortable. A bed, a bedside table with a small lamp, a desk, a chair, a wall mounted cupboard were all the room contained. Simple but functional. The wooden floor was bare, the metal walls had no decoration and the only window in the room, like a porthole, was obscured by any curtain. The only luxury the occupant seemed to allow was a high bookcase, weighed down with books, set near the office. Nothing more.

While a school of bright colored fish went silently by the window, a sudden ringing sound rang out in the room, waking up the sole occupant. The young man rolled under the cover and a messy black mane pulled out with a groan. A tattooed hand fumbled in the empty space between the bed and the bedside table before seizing the small snail lying on it. It did not seem to take offense and let his owner do with resignation.

"Yes?" Growled the young man with a sleepy voice.

"Captain," exclaimed an excited voice. "The target is in sight."
A moment of silence, then :

"I'm coming."
And without further ado, he cut off communication and let the Den Den Mushi on the bed. The snail crawled away on the sheets, while it's owner sat up with a yawn. The sheet slipped from his shoulders, revealing a tattooed torso wrapped in bandages. Still sleepy, the young man sat for a moment on the edge of the bed, trying to convince his eyes to stay open as he passed a hand in his messy hair. After a moment, he finally got up and took a few unsteady steps.

He quickly got dressed, pulling on jeans, a sweatshirt and the first pair of shoes he found, before leaving his room while putting a spotted hat over his messy hair, a katana almost as tall as him leaning against his shoulder. His appearance wasn't as impressive as some other captains sailing those seas, but dont let it fool you, Trafalgar Law was a dangerous man, as evidenced by the reward offered for his capture, which kept rising since he lost his Shichibukai title.

The corridor of the crew compartment was quiet but no doubt it would wake up very soon. Crossing the bulkhead separating the crew compartment from the operation's, Law could only see the difference. In this part of the submarine, the tension was palpable, he could felt the excitement of the hunt in every man he met. He climbed the ladder to the upper deck and crossed the gangway towards the wheelhouse. He went straight in the room, surprising his crew in full operation.

"Captain," welcomed one of his man: a tall guy wearing a hat pulled down his eyes.
Immediately, another hat wearing guy turned from the periscope to greet his superior.

"What about the target?" Law questioned approaching the periscope.
The hat wearing guy gave him room to take a look at the surface. In the periscope, Law could see the ship they were hunting for days as he raced, driven by favorable winds, while several Marine white flags fluttered proudly at the top of the masts.

"Just like I thought," said the captain with a satisfied smile stretching his lips. "How long before it came within cannon's range?"

"Within ten minutes captain," answered the hat wearing man before he headed to his place behind the periscope.
Law collapsed on a seat in the center of the small room. He put his nodachi against his shoulder and left it there while he cast a quick glance around him.

"Shachi, battle alert," he ordered. "I want everyone ready to fight as soon as we'll surface."
The guy who stood near the periscope nodded and walked to a desk on which several various colored den-den mushi were patiently waiting. He grabbed the one with the red shell and gave alerts orders into the microphone while his voice sounded throughout the submarine.

"Penguin, I want you to shoot as soon as the target is within range."

"Yes, sir."

"Do another mistake like the one in Dressrossa and I'll cut you into pieces," the young man growled irritably.
No one dared to say a word, all knowing full well that he was able to do it and leave the poor victim in this state for days.

"Regardless of the weapon this ship carries, we need it" he say, massaging his temples to erase his headache.
Around him, the other members of the crew were working in silence, which in no way lessened the tension.

The submarine tracked this ship for several days, since Shachi had intercepted a transmission relating the transportation to one of the marine headquarter in the New World of a weapon capable of putting an end to the golden age of piracy. To believe the report that the submarine had intercepted during its hunt, it seemed that the Marine expected that weapon for some time and had came a long way just to get it. Usually the Marine doesn't give itself so much trouble, it used to have enough scientists, firearms or ammunitions manufacturers and many other weapon's engineer to arm all its ship without effort. The officers had just to snap their fingers to get what they want, so why bother to get a weapon from the other side of the world? It doesn't take more to arouse Law's curiosity. Especially since he still had to get his revenge.

Although his plan was mostly successfull, his crushing defeat at Doflamingo's hands, in Green-Bit, left a bitter taste in his mouth. If his wounds began to heal properly, his ego, however, was permanently injured. If the Marine offered him a way to carry out his revenge, he wasn't going to let it pass. And he had to admit, he was curious to see what could cause so many emotions in the Marine's ranks.

"Target in range," announced Shachi always hung to the periscope.
Law opened his eyes and gave a silent nod to Penguin who immediately turned to his position to engage the firing procedure. The hunt was nearing its end, it was time for the kill. And harvesting the spoils.

The ship creaked from all sides, sometimes seeming moaning, sometimes pretending to sing. Some ropes creaked on the masts and the sails flapped from time to time when the wind suddenly changed its course. The waves lapped along the hull while the bow of the boat easily ripped through it. At least two bridges above her, she could hear the voices of the working sailors and, closer, the coarse laughter of the resting men who still lingered at the mess.

She knew that. She knew it quite well. The familiar sounds of the ship, its crew and the sea around them were almost as familiar to her as the voice of her own mother. She could almost believe it was her ship if she hadn't been in this unfortunate position. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, her back bent, elbow on her knees to support her head resting in her hands, she tried to forget that she was locked-up in a cell barely big enough to allow her to get up and pace. For hours, she tried to forget her stomach screaming loudly, her stiff muscles lacking exercise and her nagging headache. She tried to forget that in a few days the boat would reach its destination, where a lot of scientific wannabe were waiting impatiently to dissect her alive.

Damn this Marine and its bloodthirsty wardogs! Always looking for the weapon that would be able to quickly get rid of the pirates. They were looking for the secrets of her people since a long time now and they finally got some of them. All because of her! But it doesn't matter, even if she would probably die in the next day, she would certainly not regret what she had done. These men deserved to die. If she had to start again, she will do it again. Without hesitation. She had no regrets.

As she pondered her fate, the door leading to the dark wedge in which she was locked-up suddenly opened, letting in the sounds of conversations from upstairs. A lamp was lit just above her cell and a man walked down the wooden stair with heavy step. The young woman didn't need to open her eyes to know who it was. The ship's captain. He came to torment her every evening since her capture. Oh he didn't hit her, no. He was ordered to get her back alive and unharmed, which had not facilitate her catch. But he didn't hesitate to come and admire his work, probably dreaming of the promotion that it would earn him. Since several days, he went to eat in front of her, taunting her, while she was deprived of food since coming on board his cursed ship. He spent his time talking and, even if she didn't understand a word of what he said, she guessed without difficulty the meaning of his words, the mockery and arrogance in his voice didn't really let her doubt.

"Seran Athis Karell," he threw before collapsing on the only chair in the room.
The young woman didn't care to open her eyes. It always started like that, by saying her full name and it was immediately followed by a flood of words which she paid no attention. However, after hearing the same speech every night, she began to understand the meaning of a few words and sometimes managed to understand a sentence.

Giving her a grim smile, the man lifted the lid covering the tray he had brought. Immediately, a delicious smell of food spread in the room. Reacting instantly, Seran's stomach let out a hungry growl, which made the man laugh.

"Oh, you're hungry?" He taunted. "What a pity you couldn't have a bit of this."
Without taking his eyes off her, he dipped his spoon in what appeared to be mashed potatoes and get such a mouthful that the young woman was surprised to not see him choke.

"Reassure yourself, it's almost finished," he sneered. "In four days we will be at the headquarter and I will enjoy watching the doctors tear your little pet from your living body."
Closing her eyes again, Seran sighed and focused her mind on something else, trying to ignore the temptation and insipids words this man inflicted upon her. Her stomach protested again what seemed amuse her unwelcome visitor.

Seran let her mind wander away from her cell while the guy stuffed himself shamelessly in front of her. The starvation was clearly the only way he found to prevent her from using her abilities and she had to admit that it was effective. She felt her strength leave her and it was increasingly difficult to make contact with Esran. The creature was reduced to conserve its strength for what would soon happen. When Seran had decided to not get caught alive and to act as soon as the attention of their captors release her, she felt the creature's entire agreement. Like its host, Esran was determined not to be a guinea pig for the Marine's scientists.

While revising for the umpteenth time the escape plan she had prepared, Seran heard the captain get up and approach her cell. Opening her eyes, she looked up at him, sending him a defiant look that made him laugh. He opened his mouth to taunt her when it begin. A violent explosion shook the whole ship, throwing the captain on the ground. With a cry of surprise and fear, Seran curled up in a corner of her cell, protecting her head with her arms. The alarm screamed throughout the ship and soon screaming and running sounds reasoned upstairs. The wedge's door swung open letting another officer in.

"Captain, he cried. A pirate ship."

"What?" The man bellowed. "How couldn't you notice it sooner?"

"It came out of nowhere, Captain. It seems that it's former Shichibukai Trafalgar Law's submarine."
With a bellow of rage, the captain rushed upstairs, shaking his underling off his way. Surprised by the turn of events, Seran arose and went to the door of her cell and clung desperately to the bars when two more explosions shook the ship.

A thick puff of black smoke rose from the bow of the Marine's ship. Flames licked its hull to starboard and a gaping hole allowed water to seep into the holds, two mast were sprawled on the deck, their sails hanging overboard. The soldiers ran on the deck, waving their weapons. Despite the bullets whistling in his ears, Law stood motionless on the back deck of his submarine, until the collision maneuver allows him to jump on the Marine's ship.

Smaller, faster and more easily maneuverable than its prey, the submarine slipped without difficulty between the shootout and dodged the bullets before reaching to place itself side by side with the damaged boat. Immediately, the men present on the bridge jumped on board, faster than the soldier could react.

Wasting no time, Law enveloped the ship in his translucent dome and drew his sword. Immediately, the closest soldiers were cut to pieces and fragments of bodies fell upon the bridge without a single drop of blood. Cutting his way with his nodachi, the young man went to the stern, cutting the gunboats that continued to bombard his submarine and sending them in the sea with a sigle shake of his hand, leaving only the canons of the lower deck continue to shoot.

"Captain," cried a voice Law recognized immediately.
He cast a quick glance over his shoulder and saw Bepo get rid of two opponents before getting behind him. Escorted by the polar bear, Law burst into the main corridor, falling face to face with four soldiers armed with pistols and rifles. A swing of his nodachi later, the arms of the one who was the officer fell to the floor, leaving Bepo the time to act and protect his captain by defeating two other soldiers.

At the sight of the sliced arms the youngest soldiers, a teenager just out of his mother's skirts, almost pass out. His face, already white as a sheet, took an interesting greenish color when he saw one of the hand stand on its fingers and crawl away like a ridiculous spider while its owner went after it ordering it to return. Before he was able to slide on the floor, Law grabbed him by the collar and pinned him against the nearest wall.

"Where is the weapon?" He asked in a threatening voice.
The boy was shaking like a leaf, and it took a little shake to help him understand it was better for him to answer the pirate captain.

"Wha... what weapon?"

"The one your ship carry."

"We... We did carry any weapon... only... a prisoner. We must deliver her to... to Portcalora's headquarter."
For a moment, Law's gray eyes scrutinized the face of the kid looking for the slightest trace of lie. But the youngest was definitely too afraid to dare lie, or to think of a lie. The youn captain exchanged a silent look with Bepo before pushing the boy down the stairs.

"Leads us."
With trembling legs, the teen led them to the lower deck, leaning against the walls to stay on his feet. A little hesitation on his part and he immediately felt the tip of the pirate's nodachi between his shoulder blades. The fear that gripped him was almost palpable and it amused Law's sadistic side.

"Who is this prisoner?" He asked.
The young soldier shook his head.

"I dunno, it was forbiden to go see her. All I know is that Portcalora's high officers have given strict orders about her. But I 've seen her."
He lowered his voice as if he feared that his superior could hear him despite the hullabaloo of the battle around them, as if they weren't busy enough.

"I was hiding on the bridge when they get her on board... She looked like a normal girl but... It was as if she knew I was there... She looked right at me and... I felt a cold sweat down my spine. This girl, she scares me."
Law didn't seem interested in this story, the kid was impressionable, the first girl coming forward to him must be able to scare him.

The boy stopped in a hallway and pointed to a door with a nod before retreating as to get away as quickly as possible. Annoyed, Law grabbed him by his colar and threw it between Bepo's pawn. The bear knocked him out let him fell on the floor. Law opened the door and walked cautiously down the stairs, already knowing that the girl was not alone in there. He wasn't too surprised to find six guns and a sword pointed at him when he reached the bottom of the stairs. Behind the officers, in a cell, stood the girl. She was not impressive at first, but when their eyes met, the young man felt a tingling in his neck. This girl was not an ordinary one!

"Trafalgar Law," roared the ship's captain, his sword still pointed at the pirate's chest. "Put your sword down and surrender immediately."
The cruel smile on the young pirate's face widens.

"It's rather for you to surrender."
One gesture of his left hand and weapons disappeared from those of the soldiers only to be replaced by brooms. In her cell, the Seran opened eyes as round as saucers, almost as shocked as the disarmed soldiers. Law drew his sword and with a few quick strokes, so quick that the blade seemed to draw bright arcs in the air, he cut his opponents into pieces. A muffled cry caught his attention and his gray eyes rested on the prisoner. A hand pressed against her lips, she looked horrified taht he could kill disarmed men. But her expression of horror left its place to the deepest curiosity when she noticed that the body's fragment were still alive. Passing a hand through the bars of her cell, she grabbed a severed hand who crawled on the floor, in search of its original body. The fingers moved in empty space while Seran watched from every angle, trying in vain to understand what was happening.

While the young woman was inspecting the member who still waved, Law went to the captain's head and grabbed it by the hair to rise it up to his face. Blazing rage was burning in the soldier's onyx eyes and he would gladly cleared the arrogant smile off pirate's face if he had been able to do so. Law taunted him for a moment before asking :

"So who is this girl? And where is the weapon?"

"If you think I'll answer you, pirate."
Without a moment's hesitation, Law slammed the severed head against the bar of the cell drawing Seran's attention.

"Wrong move, "he growled. "Where is the weapon?"

"Go to hell!"
BAM ! The head was thrown against the bars again.

"You know, despite what they all say, I 'm conciliatory," Law whispered with an absolutely terrifying smile. "If you want us to do it bluntly, I'd be happy to give you that pleasure."
In response, the captain gave him a killer look. The pirate's smile became even more cruel, and wtih a movement of his free hand, Law stole one of his victim eyes and conjured it in his palm. He rolled it between his fingers like a marble before dropping it to the ground and crushing it slowly under his heel. The head let out a howl of pain while Captain's limbs convulsed in agony on the ground.

"Captain," cried the severed heads of the other soldiers.

"You monster, we will make you pay for this," one of them threatened.
Law ignored them. Rising to the head of the captain at arm lengh again, he gave him a menacing look.

"Did I have to tear this information from you or will you answer me?"
As the soldier was a little too late to speak, Law subtilized his remaining eye.

"I 've always wondered if the Marine had pension plans for the crippled."
He threw the eye in the air before catching it, enjoying the look of utter fear that now distorted the face of the soldier.

"She is the weapon," he blurted out, raging inside. "She is an Atlantean. It's been years that the government is seeking to seize all their secrets to destroy you."