OpalescentGold: I do not own One Piece in any way, shape, or manner!
Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says "oh crap, she's up!"
Trafalgar Law, Surgeon of Death, had a plan that would get him to the very top. He had a plan that would topple a Shichibukai from his throne, a plan that would fulfill a twelve year grudge.
But first, he had to find a way for this plan to go smoothly. Easier said than done, but he was determined that it would happen, no matter what he would have to resort to.
Or who.
Lounging about in the usual shitty bar, Law sipped at his drink, observing the other occupants from a table in the corner that allowed him a full viewpoint of the entire bar, a nice appeal to his paranoia.
After some rather rough fights with a tropical infectious disease, CP7, and a particularly nasty gorilla, his crewmates were taking advantage of the rare break by flirting outrageously with the waitresses, not that the sly, blushing women seemed to mind.
"A refill?" A busty blonde flashed a suggestive smile at the reclusive pirate as she passed by, holding a pitcher.
"If you would, Miss," he replied with a nod and a smirk, holding his glass up for her to replenish.
She did so with a gratuitous bend of her waist, showing off a good amount of cleavage. Law's lazy grin turned faintly predatory, but he didn't accept the implied invitation. Instead, he inquired, "Miss, would you inform me of the attractions on this island?"
The waitress' smile widened. "Of course!" Sliding into the seat across from him, she propped an elbow on the table and cupped her cheek with her hand. "What would you like to know?"
Law leaned back in his seat. "I hear there's an Akasen around here." While not at all uncommon, red light districts in the New World, especially in the calmer waters he was navigating at the moment, were inordinately hard to find, cleverly hidden away from prying eyes.
For all that voracious whirlpools surrounded it, Visp Island was known as unique for their lack of marine interference or even pirate interference, for that matter. Hovering right at the border of Red-Haired Shanks and Big Mom's territory, it was both delightfully inconspicuous and a breeding ground for hedonism and depravity.
Sometimes literally.
A flash of disappointment lit up her eyes, but she wiped it away expertly. "Oh, yes. Was there anything you were looking for in particular?"
"Yeah." Prostitutes were generally deferential and subservient, which he had no problems with under normal circumstances. But those individuals would never survive with a pirate crew in the New World. "I've heard rumors that there is a very…unconventional woman on this island."
"Ah." The waitress nodded wisely, her smile turning a tad strained. "You must be talking about Nakia-san. She's quite infamous around here." From her tone of voice, her personal opinion of the woman she spoke of was not a high one.
"I see. Would you be so kind as to give me instructions to this Akasen?"
Two minutes later, Law was out the door after dropping a word to his three senior crewmates. There was no need to take any of his crew with him on this particular expedition, but if they needed to find him, they'd know where to look.
Seeing as how Law had once been a part of a pirate crew that ruled over places where great gain could be found at a hefty price, he knew how to structure his visit. Money was the key, as it always was.
His crew had encountered and plundered a trade ship not long ago, which was why he had chosen now to hit the Akasen.
A word here, a wad of beli there, and he knew that Miss Nakia Hexi was considered the black sheep of the island, both envied and feared. She was, according to some frequent residents, 'a real firecracker', 'a damn bitch', 'fucking hot, the dangerous kind of hot', and 'a fucking Ice Queen'.
That was all well and nice, but the part that truly piqued Law's interest was the personal history of violence damn near everyone cautioned him about. Apparently, there was that one time a customer went a step too far.
He had somehow ended up in the hospital.
When questioned, Miss Nakia had claimed ignorance of the entire event.
It wasn't a spectacle that would have received positive interest anywhere else, but this was the Grand Line.
This was the New World.
This was where tough-ass marines and pirates roamed, and while some of those hardened, veteran fighters might want a nice, easy lay, there were just as many who wanted a challenge.
Certainly, the vast majority of Hexi Nakia's clients were by turns criminals and officers, but she didn't lack popularity.
By the time Law had decided to visit, it was midnight. It didn't matter, seeing as most of the goings-on in the Akasen happened in the darkness anyway, the good and the bad.
Strolling along the paved road, his nodachi resting comfortably against his shoulder, he scanned the street. And...right there, according to his most recent source. A purple lantern in the window, signifying this particular brothel was open.
Excellent.
A light knock on the door and a kimono-clad woman with her hair in a fashionable knot greeted him, face painted skillfully. "Ah, honorable sir, welcome to this humble establishment," she said, bowing respectfully.
Law hadn't expected any less. This prostitute was normal by Akasen standards but not at all suitable for what he had in mind. "I hear that there's a Miss Nakia here," he said, the faintest lilt to his tone that suggested a question.
"Hai, Nakia-chan is here. Would you like to spend some time with her this evening?"
It was obvious what she meant by that, but Law didn't see any point in correcting her. "Hai."
"Please follow me, honorable sir."
The brothel wasn't half-bad, really. Cramped and stifled with terrible air-circulation but with an unusual touch of lavish. In contrast to the rest of the very traditionally designed brothel, the room he was given to lounge in while waiting for Hexi was surprisingly contemporary.
Though it was in the classical tatami room design, the effect was nicely understated. Vibrant cushions and pillows littered the space, carelessly thrown on the floor, the blue sofa, the black satin-sheeted bed. Multiple lamps lit up the room, showcasing the warm gold of the walls.
Law took a seat on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other and draping his arms across its back after placing his nodachi next to him. He ignored the cup of tea on the table, content to simply wait.
Here, the air wasn't clouded with the scent of burnt incense or heavy perfume, but rather a light fragrance of bergamot and camellias, exotic and sensual.
The woman who sashayed daringly into the room two minutes later very much became the provocative scent.
Turquoise eyes, hard and gleaming, pined him to the spot immediately, ice-cold intelligence hidden behind slowly simmering heat. Chocolate hair, long and rich, framed high cheek bones and crimson lips. Her dark make-up wasn't in the least bit subtle, but neither was the short black dress that hugged her figure.
She stared lazily at the pirate in her room, no bowing, no hostess talk, an unmistakable challenge in her demeanor.
Not classically beautiful, he thought, not quite, but Law could reluctantly admit he could see this woman's allure to men. But that was hardly why he was here, and so he kept his face blank, meeting her eyes without blinking.
Law didn't lack for self-control, power, or dominance, if that was what she was looking for.
A single slender eyebrow rose slowly, and Nakia sauntered across the room in sky-high black stilettos to take a seat on the edge of the unused bed. Crossing her legs, she rested a hand on her thigh and settled her chin on her palm, giving him a slow look-over, gaze unreadable.
"You're not here looking for satisfaction, Mr. Trafalgar Law," Nakia stated at last. But there was no panic in her smoky voice, not a trace of fear. "Why ask for me?"
Law's smirk widened. "Why do you think, Miss Nakia?"
"Puzzles?" she drawled, appearing more idly curious than concerned.
"Just curious." With the intention of determining just how astute she really was; he didn't tolerate idiots well.
"Hmm...you're not here for entertainment or pleasure. Yet you asked for me by name, so you want something specifically from me. As for what..." She gave a careless shrug. "Why don't you tell me?"
Good enough, Law decided, leaning forward slightly. He was blunt, to-the-point. "I have a one million beli proposition for you."
Nakia went motionless. "I'm listening." For a hooker, it was quite the hefty sum, though not necessary the be all and end all. He was counting on her own covetousness here, along with a certain aptitude for adventure and mischief. Thus far, he hadn't been disappointed.
"I want you to come along with my crew for a time and seduce ten pirate captains for me." A basic pirate crew normally contained more than ten crew members, which would add up to one hundred hearts for him by the time this was over and done with.
To her credit, she didn't flinch, as if this wasn't the most ridiculous request she'd ever been asked of. Perhaps it wasn't. Rather, Nakia considered the proposal calmly. "Why?"
Law had his reasons, but he wasn't going to tell this whore. "I want their hearts for an experiment."
A blink. "Your title is well-earned." The Surgeon of Death, the Dark Doctor, Heart Pirate Captain for a bounty of 425 million beli.
"I assume you're interested?"
Bright red lips curved up into a sly smile. "Elaborate."
Going still, he shot the prostitute a narrow-eyed look. Her evident interest was a good sign for him but... "Miss Nakia, I don't take orders." A whisper of heart-pounding violence in the air, a reminder that she was far from irreplaceable.
She cocked her head to the side. "Elaborate...please?" It came out more mockingly acquiescent than anything else, but he took it with a grain of salt.
"I," he said, "want the hearts of one hundred pirates. However, I see no reason to fight ten captains purely for that purpose. There's also no need for word to spread that I'm taking hearts on the seas." It could spark interest in all the wrong sorts of people, create entirely new obstacles in his path.
"But a pretty whore is entirely harmless and nothing of interest," Nakia continued his train of thought with ease, tapping a dark blue nail against her chin as she deliberated the concept of being easily killed bait.
Law leaned back with a smirk and waited patiently for her to play right into his palm. It was clear that, while intelligent, Nakia was also greedy and selfish, though tempting enough to be convenient enjoyment. Although, he noted, she was jaded as well, more than aware of how the world viewed her and entirely willing to take advantage.
"So one million beli." She sighed, thick eyelashes coming down to veil her expression. "Say I accept this bargain... Are you just going to shove me into bars and hope I make it out with your victim in one piece?"
It was a loaded question, and he knew it. "No. One of my crewmates would accompany you at all times." Law kept his contracts, for the most part. But on that subject, "How strong are you?" It wouldn't do for her to be completely helpless—damsels in distress were a hassle.
"I can take care of myself," Nakia said. "So long as I'm not actually expected to fight these pirate captains myself."
"Not at all. Your job is simply to be the bait. My job is to take care of the pirates." One of Law's hands slipped from the sofa back slightly to touch the hilt of his nodachi. They were all chiefly small fry anyway, easy prey.
A curt nod. "How far do you expect me to go?" she asked next, steepling her fingers together. "Are you paying one million beli for me to have sex with ten pirate captains?"
Law shook his head. Prostitute she might be, even he had his limits of what he would expect this woman to do for money, for him. He knew better than to fight fire with fire, to become a monster to defeat another. "You would not be required to do anything beyond the occasional kiss of distraction." Simple, of no worth.
"I see." A long, charged pause held them both captive, until she said, "I won't be a part of a pirate crew, sweetie."
He quirked an eyebrow, but didn't comment on the phony endearment. "I'm not asking you to join my crew."
Law didn't even want this destructively seductive woman in his crew. It would break the chain of trust, so dangerous, too dangerous. Ironic, that the traits that made her perfect for the job he was offering her were the very traits that made her unsuitable for a nakama.
The gaze she pinned him with was shrewdly assessing. "If, if, I accept this deal, I need you to deny any and all involvement between me and your crew. I have no desire for a bounty on my head."
"Fine." It was the pirates who celebrated new and higher bounties. Civilians normally avoided them, with good reason. If Nakia did obtain a bounty for some odd reason, she would never be able to return to a normal life without a whole deal of trouble.
"I want two million beli," she insisted candidly, no reservoir of caution or reserve in her bearing despite the fact that she was certainly overstepping her boundaries with a deadly pirate who wouldn't hesitate to slit her throat.
He was mildly impressed but narrowed his eyes. Law was no pushover, even though he really didn't care about this share of money. "That's a very expensive price. Why should I pay that much?"
"You're asking me to seduce pirates. Conceivably, any one of them could work out that I'm working for you and tear me limb from limb," Nakia pointed out, tone deadpan. "And that's not even getting into the other dangers of the New World."
It made sense, Law conceded to himself. Add in her most likely weak combat skills, and the journey had to be setting off her survival instincts like hell. Not that he was going to pay that much for a sole prostitute. "One point two million."
"One point eight."
He knew how to haggle, even if he rarely did it, preferring to leave the shopping to his crewmates. "One point four."
"One point six."
"One million and five hundred thousand, final offer," he said flatly.
"...I'd like a room of my own, sweetheart."
In other words, acceptance. Triumph, as always, tasted sweet. "Of course." He had enough room on his submarine, and it would be best for conflicts between his perverted crewmates and this woman to be kept to a minimal.
"With a bathroom."
Law merely nodded graciously. Every woman he had ever met spent an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom, and he certainly didn't need nor want feminine products clogging the drain on the public one.
Nakia eyed him suspiciously like she didn't trust his easy concession. "I assume food, water, clothing, and other commodities will be provided free of charge?"
His smile was amused. "Miss Nakia, I assure you, you will be well taken care of during your stay." It would do him no good to have a broken weapon, now would it? Especially such a problematic one.
"And that stay will be..." She cocked her head, eyebrows raised.
"Around three months, from my calculations."It would honestly depend on how spread out the targets were over the New World and how long the log post would take to set.
"And then you'll bring me back?"
"Of course." Though he had no clue why she would want to come back to this wretched place.
"Spending money each month?"
"Demanding, aren't you?" Then again, if she had been easily cowed, Law would never have singled her out in the first place. Not that it meant he would let her do as she pleased.
Nakia's smile was honey sweet and just as sarcastic. "Just exploring my boundaries."
Law chuckled lowly. "If you're a good girl, fifteen thousand a month."
Her smile turned frosted and lost a good deal of sweetness at the comment, but her question, when it came, was strictly pragmatic. "What are you going to tell the Mother?" Also known as the head of the brothel, the one who technically 'owned' Miss Nakia.
He shrugged carelessly. "I'm a pirate, Miss Nakia. Exactly why should I tell the Mother anything?" No, he would simply steal Miss Nakia away in broad daylight without a single care for the disruption that would cause the Akasen as a whole.
"True, true." Nakia tilted her head back to stare blankly at the ceiling. "Hmm...I wonder how much I'll regret this in the next few months?" Despite her words, there was no whisper of anxiety in her voice.
Law's smirk surely did nothing to dissuade her worries. "So...deal?" He held out a hand.
She sighed, but smiled dauntlessly and shook it firmly. "...deal."
Hexi Nakia's every instinct told her that Trafalgar Law was not good news. He would use her, chew her up, and spit her out like a worn surgical tool, but his offer had just been too good to refuse. One point five million over the course of three months? When would another opportunity like this come along?
No, she really didn't care if she had to sell her soul to the devil for this.
"Nee-chan!" came the cheerful greeting that dragged her away from the clamor of her mind, and Nakia turned to see one of the younger girls, Daisy, run up to her, flowers streaming from her hair. "Did things go okay?"
She smiled indulgently, a placating expression she had long since perfected. "It went fine, sweetie. Run along now; the Mother will be upset if she sees us loitering." The Mother also had a pair of lungs that she was not afraid of exerting.
Daisy squeaked adorably and ran off, almost tripping. What ever would become of that one? Shaking her head, Nakia entered her room and locked the door behind her, pushing away the worry. She had her own troubles to consider. Placing one hand on her hip, she scanned her place of residence for the past eight years dispassionately.
There was simply no way she was ever coming back to this brothel. The Mother was never going to forgive her for deserting like this. Whatever she wanted to keep, she was going to have to bring with her. Some essentials, certainly. Brazen or not, there was only so far she was going to push the notorious Surgeon.
For now, at least.
Nakia strode up to her cabinet and pulled all the drawers open. Then she glanced at the products on her dressing table. She wasn't going to be able to lug an entire suitcase after her when she left Akasen tomorrow, not without drawing too much attention, so a small satchel would be the limit to what she could take away.
Or a big satchel. Same thing. Sorta. Regardless...
She pushed one hand past the stacks of cheap clothing and dug around until she felt something hard and wooden beneath her seeking fingers. Grasping the frame, Nakia pulled the old picture out and felt herself flinch as a little girl with her parents looked back at her with a wide, happy smile.
It had been a long time since she had been able to smile like that.
Hissing out a breath, Nakia found a satchel and got to work. She was on a time limit after all.
It was dawn and the vast majority of Akasen were fast asleep, tired out from the activities of last night.
Nakia wasn't, for all that she had been just as busy as everyone else, if not more so.
She strutted down the street in a midnight blue dress and nude pumps. They went click-clack on the sidewalk and she let her heart follow that rhythm lest she start to panic and regret.
Nakia had long since learned that regret was worthless. It wasn't like anyone could turn back time—well, she couldn't, who knew about those devil fruit users—so she might as well move forward.
But click-clack and she was leaving behind her life for nearly the past decade, leaving the Akasen and the brothels and the Mother and the Nee-chan for an utterly unknown and sincerely dangerous stay with the Heart Pirates. It hadn't been a good life by most people's standards, but it had been her life and all she had.
But this would be worth it. It had to be worth it. Click-clack, click-clack...
"Nakia-chan!"
She turned to see Ren, an old man whose primary source of income was sweeping the streets, grin toothlessly at her, the lines of his face speaking of a life of agony and happiness both. "Going somewhere, pretty girl?"
Nakia laughed huskily. "Oh, yeah. Here, darling." Reaching into her satchel, she slipped the man a wad of beli, as was custom. Only, this time, the bundle was a bit thicker than normal. "Doing well?"
Deep in her heart, she felt an unexpected prickle of guilt. Ren had been a friend of hers since she had first arrived in the Akasen, and now, she intended to leave him behind without offering him so much as a farewell. But she was coming back in three months or so, she reassured herself. It couldn't be that bad...
Oh, who was she kidding? Leon would be devastated. His wife was dead, his children had left, and he was alone. Just like she was. More guilt assaulted her dying conscience. She was such a terrible person, but she couldn't bring herself to change. It was so much easier to stay the same rather than change into something new and unknown and vulnerable.
Leon chuckled gravelly. "As well as can be, Nakia-chan." A long, knowing look as he counted the money, wise dark eyes searching her face closely. "When you come back, I expect to hear from you, ya hear?"
Oh. Nakia winced, feeling the sweet, obedient girl she had once been curl up in shame inside the depths of her being. He did know. "Hai, hai," she said with a rueful smile.
He laughed, waving a hand. "Good, good. Now, off you go, pretty girl. Have fun and be careful!"
She managed a confident grin, waving back. "Take care of yourself while I'm out, darling! Don't get dealing in those casinos now, and keep away from the liquor!"
"Will do, will do."
Nakia left the Akasen without any more interruptions. Moving into the slums, she walked the dark alleys with an assurance that had grown from experience, ignoring the many desperate eyes that watched her from the shadows. Left here, two alleys down, right here, there we go.
Slipping into an 'abandoned' warehouse, she stood in the center of the empty room and tapped her heel on the ground in a pattern that signaled to the dwellers that she was a friendly. Not long after, two men with dark glasses appeared from the shadows. One of them gestured for her to follow, while the other maneuvered himself so he was at her back.
Nakia wasn't concerned. Incoming attacks were rarely a problem for a natural user of Observation Haki. Of course, simply knowing wasn't enough. If someone like, say, Trafalgar Law, were to attack, she would still end up dead or worse (knowing his reputation, probably worse), but these men weren't a true threat.
The first man led her to an ostensibly respectful mansion right smack in the middle of the slums. It was the local Yakuza base, which was why it was the only building still standing proudly in the area. The others had all been robbed and burnt to the ground.
The man in front of her held open the door for her, glaring behind his glasses until Nakia stepped in. Once she was inside, two more men greeted her impassively, armed with yet more impressive ammo.
Really, it was as if she wasn't a regular visitor. Still, rules were rules. And Nakia, no matter how many times she dropped by, was an outsider. "I'm here to see Raphael," she said with a lighthearted smile that never reached her eyes.
Without a word, the two men turned and directed her up the stairs and to the third room from the left, while the previous two men shadowed her from behind. Nakia ignored them all and knocked three times on the door that held her most precious person and her worst living nightmare.
The man who opened it was a familiar doctor, one with a warm smile and silver glasses and an unfortunate tendency to cut off fingers. "Ah, Nakia-chan. I thought you would be coming to visit soon," Raphael said with an airy sort of confidence, shooing the men away.
"How is she?" Nakia asked, inwardly steeling herself before she stepped inside to be met with the familiar scent of antiseptic and drugs. The only scent that was worse was that of alcohol, but this wasn't far behind.
It was a question she asked every time she came, and Raphael didn't miss a beat as he left for his office, closing the door behind him to give her some privacy. "No change."
She took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly. And then she moved to sit by her comatose mother's bed, taking her limp hand in her own. Nakia looked at what had once been the most beautiful prostitute of Visp Island with bittersweet nostalgia. Umeko was forgotten by the world now, a faded away memory to everyone but her daughter.
"Hey, Kaa-chan," Nakia whispered, her voice gentle as she tried to keep it even. "How are your dreams? Do you see Tou-san?"
For the next two hours, Nakia prattled to her unresponsive mother about anything and everything, talking until her voice was slightly hoarse. She didn't dare stop, not when the incessant beeping of the medical machines would remind her that Umeko was barely alive at this point.
Of course, such a state was explicitly better than just dead, as her father, Yuezhi, could probably verify from heaven. Or hell. One or the other. Knowing him, probably hell.
After what felt like an endless monologue, she hesitated before saying, "I'm going to have to leave for a couple of months, Kaa-chan. But I'll be back and when I return, I'll have the money you need for your treatment. So, wait for me, okay? It'll be alright, I promise." Rising to her feet, Nakia leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Umeko's forehead.
As always, there was no response.
Rubbing a hand over her aching heart, Nakia went to find Raphael. "Here." She handed over several thick wads of beli, the money she had been stashing up for the past three years in case of an emergency. It should have been much more expensive to pay off the Yakuza for medical treatment, but she was an exception.
Raphael flipped through the money, one eyebrow raised. "What's this about, Nakia?"
"I'm going to be gone for three months," she explained with forced casualness. "This is payment."
He leaned back in his chair and took off his glasses to peer at her questioningly, no doubt wondering where the fuck she was going. But Raphael was Yakuza and knew better than to ask, so he said, "Fine. I'll take care of your mother until then."
"You'd better," Nakia said emphatically and grabbed an eternal log pose before she left.
Law was back in the bar, sipping his drink and watching his crewmates flirt idiotically, when a woman sat down at his table, hanging her bag on the back of her chair. He glanced up and did a startled double take despite himself.
Nakia looked damn near unrecognizable, though those eyes were unmistakable. She had toned down the slutty appearance, and with her hair woven into a side braid, she looked damn close to decent, although the black leggings and towering high heels were pushing it.
A whimsical smile ran along her coral lips. "You look surprised, sweetheart. Wasn't this the meeting spot?"
Law recovered quickly and smiled, perfectly relaxed to all appearances. "It was. I was merely caught off guard by your appearance, Miss Nakia."
"Something wrong with it?" she asked , the slightest edge to her tone.
He was a pirate, not an idiot. "Not at all. You look very nice today."
A pleased, shallow smile was his reward, a viper studying him from those eyes. "Darling, some coconut water please." she requested of a passing waitress, the very same one who had chatted with Law yesterday.
The waitress pursed her lips in what looked like jealousy and turned to give Nakia a vexed response. Or so it seemed until she recognized who it was that had addressed her. "A-Ah! H-Hai, Nakia-san!"
"Famous?" Law recognized the fear that the woman radiated, the near awe.
"I think it's more like infamous," she told him with a tilt of her head. "You should know, shouldn't you, darling?"
Law chuckled, but didn't rise to the bait, saying instead, "Ready to go, Miss Nakia?"
"Sure." She patted her satchel with a careless shrug. "When are we leaving?"
"Five minutes," he stated and then downed his drink in one gulp.
Nakia sighed sadly as her own drink arrived with impressive speed, the waitress no longer lingering around the table as she had the night before. "Sweetie, drinks such as these aren't meant to be wasted."
"Then don't waste it."
She made a face but grabbed her cup and knocked it back like a shot. "Not bad," Nakia commented when she set it back down, throat muscles working.
He smirked and rose to his feet, carrying his nodachi against his shoulder. "Time to leave Visp Island, Miss Nakia." It was just as well. The Heart Pirates had already been here for four days, and Law had been growing restless.
"Mmm." Nakia grabbed her satchel and flung it over her shoulder, getting to her feet as well. "I hear you travel around in a submarine, cutie."
"I do." Law was getting used to her random terms of endearment. He suspected she did it with everyone, just an offhand way of knocking people off their game. "A yellow one."
"Yellow?" She lifted her eyebrows, gaze dipping to his hoodie pointedly. "Favorite color?"
"How'd you guess?"
"Captain, who's this?" Shachi asked, the rest of the dallying Heart Pirates drawing closer upon seeing Law up and ready to go.
"I'll explain back at the sub." He walked towards the door. "We're leaving. Bepo, pay the bill."
"Aye aye, Captain," Bepo said amidst a chorus of disappointed groans.
Nakia blinked. "A talking polar bear?" That was a new one.
"I'm sorry..." Bepo hanged his head, a cloud of doom appearing above him.
"It wasn't criticism, darling," she said, the click-clack of her heels on the wooden floor loud as she followed Law.
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't worry about him," Penguin said with a grin, coming up on Nakia's right side. "I'm Penguin, by the way. He's Shachi—" He pointed to the ginger that had come up on her other side. "—and the polar bear's Bepo."
"Hexi Nakia." She eyed the uniforms warily. "Are those mandatory?" There were some of the most outdated things she had seen.
"Err..." Penguin blinked and exchanged a look with Shachi. "Yes?" It was a pride thing, the boiler suits proclaiming to all and sundry the wearer's allegiance.
Nakia's eyebrow twitched. Oh no, they weren't doing this to her. Some things no girl should endure. "Captain, darling!"
Law paused and partially turned around, ignoring the choking sounds from Shachi and Penguin. "Yes, Miss Nakia?"
She pointed to Penguin's suit and demanded an answer with her eyes.
Law smirked wickedly. "No, you don't have to wear the uniform." It would be a blatant giveaway to her targets, wasn't particularly attractive, and it wasn't like she was technically crew in the first place.
Nakia breathed a sigh of relief, and with the sudden crisis abruptly resolved, the group continued on. It wasn't long before Shachi and Penguin started flirting shamelessly with Nakia, and vice versa.
Law, who remained aloof, was of the opinion that Miss Nakia was playing with them to amuse herself, but it sounded like harmless fun, so he let them be.
"Wow," she said ten minutes later upon arrival, looking up at the submarine with mixed emotions. "You weren't joking when you said it was yellow." It was also very...bright. She normally didn't deal with colors that bright, except in shades of red.
Red went with everything.
Shachi laughed. "You'll get used to it, Nakia-chan. Welcome to Polar Tang."
"Penguin, prepare to submerge. Shachi, gather the crew in the mess hall. Miss Nakia, you're with me," Law commanded, already on the deck.
"Aye aye, Captain!"
"Whatever you say, honey."
Shachi sweatdropped. "Nakia-chan..." She did realize how that made her relationship with the Captain sound, right?
Her smile was just on this side of pure.
"Everyone here?" Law questioned after walking into the gallery after taking Miss Nakia on a brief tour of the sub. She'd been remarkably well-behaved, but he was willing to bet money that the docile act wasn't going to last, judging by the impish smile as she examined the men who sat around the tables, looking at them with confusion and excitement.
"Yeah." Bepo nodded, munching on some fish that their cook, Actaeon, had cooked up earlier. "I have to go man the sub soon though."
"Who's taking care of it right now?"
"Jean Bart."
"I see." Nodding, Law walked to the front of the mess hall, gesturing for Nakia to follow him. "Alright, listen up, guys!" he shouted, instantly silencing the entire room of chatter. He cocked his head in Nakia's direction. "This, here, is Miss Nakia. She'll be staying with us for the next three months or so."
"Is she nakama?" Kaperin, one of the older members of the crew, shouted out, tone already unpleasant.
"Nah," Nakia answered herself, waving the idea off casually.
A murmur of bewilderment spread through the pirates. Nakama was trust and loyalty and strength, the person who would guard your back in a fight and lug you up when you got shot. If she wasn't nakama...
"What are you then?" Tara, their most recent addition and a young boy of nineteen with a newsboy hat covering his auburn hair and brown eyes, furrowed his brow.
Law felt a trickle of unease go down his spine at the odd half-smile on Nakia's lips. "Miss Nakia—"
"I'm a hired hooker," she declared cheerfully, ignoring Law's attempts to cut her off.
There was one moment of silence that promptly evolved into chaos. Some of the men choked, others fell on the floor, and the remaining ones gaped at her in shock or chagrin. "WHHHHAAAATTT?"
Law sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. That could have been phrased better. Much better. "Miss Nakia, was that necessary?"
Her grin was utterly insincere. "I have no idea what you're talking about, dear."
Naturally, the last word was spoken just as the men were calming down. The mess hall exploded into questions and accusations and 'what-the-hell-is-going-on-ness?' again.
Law scowled at the unrepentant harlot. "Miss Nakia—"
"Captain, is it—are you two—" Penguin motioned frantically to the two of them.
"No!" Law spat out, directing a death glare at Penguin, who quickly sunk back down into his seat. Pointedly overlooking Nakia's snickering, he held up a hand until the buzz of noise died down once more, every eye on the rumored 'couple'.
"Now, as I was saying—" He directed a flinty glance at a guiltless-looking Nakia. "—Miss Nakia is here to assist us in obtaining hearts. Nothing more, nothing less." The whole crew knew the plan. Well. Most of it.
"Does that mean we can...?" Shachi perked up excitedly and then wilted under Law's flat look just as his fellow crewmate had moments ago.
"Hmm..." Nakia smiled flirtatiously, adopting a thoughtful pose. "How much are you willing to pay, handsome?"
Shachi vanished from his seat to curl up in his own little corner of woe, crying mute tears of despair. Penguin quickly joined him. Bepo patted them both consolingly on the shoulder.
She laughed, not unkindly. "I'll take that as a no."
Law resisted the urge to roll his eyes, feeling the beginnings of a headache throb in his temples. "Miss Nakia is off-limits," he decreed, ignoring the way his women-deprived nakama's faces fell.
After all, Hexi Nakia remained an unknown factor, and all unknown factors needed to be strictly controlled. He was hardly going to give her a chance to influence his crewmates, and Nakia was assuredly the type of femme fatale who would lead a man around by the balls as soon as he slept with her.
"Am I to take this to mean that I should be abstinent for the next three months?" Nakia asked in a teasing whisper meant for his ears alone.
Law twitched. "Unless she gives a direct invitation without the influence of money," he amended to her disappointed pout.
"Fine, fine." Nakia accepted defeat gracefully, gaze sliding towards the entrance. "You said something about me having a room of my own, didn't you?"
He grunted, turning back to the room of curious, gossipy pirates. "Questions?"
A chorus of negatives answered him, though more than one pair of eyes lingered on Nakia with interest and curiosity, both positive and negative.
"Then dismissed," Law commanded curtly, heading for the door himself. "Miss Nakia, this way."
"Coming, honey-pie."
The Heart Pirate Captain could only sigh as the mess hall erupted into very loud stage whispers. "Would you stop that?"
Nakia just giggled remorselessly.
Sighing, Nakia closed the door behind her, hit the lock, and took in the expanse of her new room. It wasn't all that bad, she admitted grudgingly to herself, especially considering some of the rooms she had seen the Yakuza force upon some of their unlikable clients in the past.
There was a small bed in the corner with navy blue bedding, a lamp atop a wooden bedside table, a chest of drawers, and a circular shaped window above the bed that showed only the darkness that she guessed was from deep sea waters. The connected bathroom wasn't very impressive, either, but she would take it.
Though she did make a note to ask Trafalgar Law for the money he had promised so that she could buy some decorations; the place was deplorably barren. It needed some gleam, some light, some nice glitter.
Snickering at her ridiculous thoughts, Nakia walked back to stand at the edge of her bed and threw down her satchel on top of it. It wasn't difficult to unpack, seeing as she hadn't exactly been able to bring a lot. Yanking open the satchel, she dumped everything on top of the bed and got to sorting.
Let's see: clothes in the drawers, make-up on the sink, towels flung over the shower cubicle, jewelry on top of the chest, picture... Nakia paused and pursed her lips. She had seen the way some of the Heart Pirates had looked at her. Most with enthusiasm, a few with lust, and one or two with revulsion.
It wasn't anything new, but back in the Akasen, no one other than the Mother would have dared to go into her room and search her belongings. And the Mother had known of her past, so it hadn't mattered then. Here, she was right smack in the middle of a pirate crew, all of whom did not trust her and had no presumably moral compunctions against going through her stuff.
So, where would she hide this little piece of her heart?
Nakia bit her lip, taking no notice of the lipstick she was smudging, and, after a moment, smirked devilishly. She took the picture frame apart and slid the picture out. Grabbing two sheets of tissue paper, she wrapped the picture up to prevent any scratches or tears.
Taking an un-opened pad, she carefully ripped apart the covering and covered the tissue-protected picture with the night pad. Once she was done, she put the pad right back inside the covering and re-packaged it. Then, she put it back with her other feminine products.
She was with an all-male crew. They would never know!
Evil plan completed, she covered another yawn and went off to brush her teeth. By the time she had finished her nighttime routine—though normally it was done just as dawn broke and it was barely noon at present—Nakia was half-asleep.
Collapsing onto the surprisingly comfortable bed, she undid her hair and snuggled up into the blankets. Nakia wasn't used to being awake at this hour, but the new sleeping schedule was something else she was going to have to get accustomed to
Alongside with living with a pirate crew and taking orders from a certain Surgeon.
Then again, she wasn't strictly speaking a part of his crew, so, she should have some leeway. Nakia smirked, rubbing her hands together gleefully. Oh, this would be fun. But only if she survived in the treacherous world she had chosen to throw herself into.
She considered that downer thought for a moment, but shrugged it off. The Captain had said that she was off-limits, so sexual assault was probably out of the picture, assuming he could keep his crew in check. Psychological assault would be a certainty, but that would be nothing she hadn't encountered before.
As for physical assault, well, she would think of it as training if it was dealt to her, Nakia resolved. She knew enough about first-aid to treat herself if it came down to it. If it was anything worse, the Captain was a doctor, wasn't he? Should everything else fail, she could always steal his supplies.
Granted, it was always possible she would already be a corpse by then...
Nakia hissed out a breath and closed her eyes, one hand sliding underneath her pillow to touch the cold hilt of the dagger she had hidden there for reassurance. 'Stop it!' she reprimanded herself. 'I'm not going to be a victim of circumstance, not now, not ever.'
Not again. Not if she could help it.
Shachi didn't really know what to think of the crew's recent, err, not-nakama, but resident...prostitute? He didn't even know anymore; things were all jumbled up now. No one had seen fit to give him the right terminology for this circumstance.
On one hand, Nakia was a hot, flirty woman who was the only female on the sub. She seemed nice enough and happened to be mischievous and brave enough to tease his intimidating Captain, which was a rare trait and one Shachi could totally bond with.
On the other hand, Nakia was also a literal hired call girl, one Law had privately said to not trust. She was only with them for money, and if she was the type of gal to sell her body for money, who was to say she wouldn't sell them out for money?
So, yeah, he was kinda conflicted about Hexi Nakia, but that didn't stop him from blinking and asking about her when she didn't show up for breakfast the next morning. For now, she was one of them. Somewhat.
"Nakia-chan?" Penguin frowned, glanced around. "I don't know where she is."
"She's new, right?" Bepo piped up. "Maybe she doesn't know where the mess hall is?"
"Hmm." Shachi rubbed his chin. "Should I go and get her?"
'Plus...' The mechanic's inner pervert grinned. 'I might be able to see Nakia-chan all sleepy and cute!'
"Don't."
Years of experience kept Shachi from jumping out of his skin and shrieking like a little girl when Law appeared from practically nowhere, sitting in his seat with a lazy smirk. Instead, he twitched and asked, "Why not, Captain?"
"Miss Nakia is from the Akasen," Law reminded them with a swig of coffee, reaching for some onigiri to munch on. "She's used to sleeping in the day and entertaining at night. It'll take time for her to adjust to doing the opposite."
"Oh, right." Penguin nodded in understanding, inhaling his pancakes down at hyper speed. "Say, Captain?"
"Hn?"
"You don't trust Nakia-chan, right?"
"No, I don't."
"Then why hire her?"
Law simply smirked. "She'll be useful, wouldn't you agree?"
A few minutes before lunch was ready to be served, Shachi cocked his head and said, "She's still not up?"
"Nah." Penguin shook his head, plate already piled high.
"Is this healthy?"
"Probably not."
"Shachi, go wake Miss Nakia up," Law ordered with an impatient sigh on his lips as soon as he entered the mess hall. Apparently, he planned to help her 'adjustment' phase along now. "Try not to get yourself slapped. I hear she does that a lot." He smirked evilly, probably anticipating her reaction.
Shachi gulped and went off to meet his fate, feet dragging. Why did it feel like Captain was sending him to the gallows?
They had hot water.
Freaking hallelujah. If they hadn't, Nakia might have had to put some effort into staging a revolt.
She closed her eyes and leaned her head back so the spray could hit her neck. The tiny shower cubicle really couldn't match up to the baths that she could take back in the Akasen, but that was merely a preference she'd have to endure at this point.
Shampooing her hair with the bottle that she had brought along purely because she had been of the belief that the Heart Pirates would not conveniently have her favorite shampoo stocked up—surprise, surprise, they hadn't—Nakia yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
It was probably around noon, but she wasn't certain, considering she didn't have a clock in her bunker of a room. With her small window showing her nothing but darkness, she couldn't find the sun, either. Yet another thing to add to her to-do list. It was growing spectacularly.
The relaxing scents of bergamot and camellias filling the air, Nakia was washing the soap off her body when the knock came. She blinked, adding another item to her list. She had left her robe back in the brothel, a nice gift from a sugar daddy of hers.
Nakia mentally plotted to toy with Law by buying an exceptionally expensive robe to make up for it.
Hey, she had never claimed she was a saint. Not that anyone with any shred of intelligence would have believed her.
Shachi was about to knock for the third time, sadly resigning himself to being slapped, when the door was wrenched open.
'Nakia-chan, its lunchtime,' was what he wanted to say. What actually came out was something along the lines of, "Nakia-chan, wha...oh...uh...wow..."
Nakia raised a eyebrow at him, thankfully looking more amused than pissed off that he had caught her in a less-than-appropriate state. She was only covered by a short towel wrapped loosely around her body, and it was clear that he had interrupted her shower. Water droplets dripped off the ends of her hair, her skin glistening in the dim light.
Her face was thoroughly free of make-up, although it wasn't like she was ugly without it. Still, she looked so very different from the woman Shachi had talked with yesterday, all sexy flirting and calculating smiles. He could see the slender curve of her shoulders, the delicate line of her collarbone, the upper slopes of her breasts, her long legs...
It would really only take the barest tug for that towel to fall to the floor.
"Something you need, cutie?" she prompted with a playful smile when poor Shachi remained speechless.
He flushed crimson, somehow holding back an oncoming nosebleed through sheer shock. "Uhh, yeah. Captain wants you to come eat." Though, Shachi wouldn't mind eating her at the moment.
"Lunchtime?"
"Mm-hm!" Shachi nodded so hard his hat almost came off. His inner pervert was already near catatonic with bliss.
Nakia flashed a teasing grin. "Come back in thirty minutes, honey. I don't know my way around this labyrinth yet."
And with that, she slammed the door in his face.
Law looked up with a raised eyebrow when Shachi trekked back into the mess hall with a glazed look in his eyes and wobbled around like he was drunk.
"You don't look you were slapped," he commented, noting the absence of red marks on Shachi's cheeks, aside from his vibrant blushing.
Penguin took one look at his best friend and chortled loudly. "Dude, what happened to you?"
Shachi collapsed in his chair and gazed blankly at the wall, drooling a bit. Penguin and the recently-arrived Bepo exchanged a glance. Bepo held up two paws in front of Shachi's face and clapped them together thunderously.
"Huh? Wha—OW!" Startled, Shachi jolted himself right off of his seat, landing on the floor with a thump. Penguin roared with laughter while Bepo grinned and Law smirked. Grumbling to himself, he rubbed his ass, glaring at his unsympathetic friends. "Very funny."
"It was," Penguin agreed, chortling.
"What happened?" Bepo asked, picking at his fish.
"Ahhh..." Shachi immediately elapsed back into erotic daydreams.
Law narrowed his eyes, smirk turning threatening. "Shachi, I did mention that Miss Nakia is off-limits, right?" It only took a second for Penguin to catch on, unnecessary interest brightening his face. Bepo merely tipped his head to the side, more into his fish.
"Eeeh? Ah, no, no, no!" Shachi flailed his arms in front of him, eyes wide with panic. "That's not what happened at all!"
"Then, what did happen?" Penguin questioned, sidling up to his fellow mechanic to smirk slyly.
"I—she—" Shachi glanced at Law and decided he wasn't getting out of this. His shoulders slumped, face flaming even redder. "She was taking a shower."
Penguin cracked up, pounding the table wit his fist. Bepo blinked, attention momentarily diverted from his fish. And Law... Law arched a single, pointed eyebrow that perfectly conveyed how very not amused by this he was.
"It wasn't on purpose, I swear!" Shachi squeaked, sensing the dangerous vibes emanating from his Captain "It just...happened!" Oh, so many of life's events seemed to follow that route.
"Aw, man!" Penguin wiped the tears from his eyes. "Did you get a good look at least?"
Shachi's dreamy sigh was answer enough, stars twinkling around his head.
Law shook his head in resignation, more than used to his nakama's perverted antics. "And why isn't Miss Nakia here now?"
"Oh. She said I should come back in thirty minutes." Shachi paused. "Wait, why would she need thirty minutes to get dressed?"
His friends could only shrug. It wasn't like they knew either.
Exactly thirty minutes after he left, Shachi knocked twice on Nakia's door once more.
This time, she opened it within a minute and blinked at him, dragging a brush through unruly curls. "One sec, sweetie," Nakia said, ducking back into her room. True to her word, she was back out again in no time, brush gone and a smile on her now red lips. "Lunch?"
Shachi grinned back, taking a nice long look at Nakia. "Lunch." She wasn't wet anymore, more damp than anything else, and she was wearing a smoking-hot white lace dress with an impressive V-neck and sky-tall stilettos.
He could absolutely see why Captain had chosen her as bait for his future victims, though it made it all the more awful that she was off-limits. At least flirting was still on the table, even if that flirting was probably never going to go anywhere.
"Sleep well?" Shachi asked.
Nakia chuckled, reaching up to twirl her hair into a messy bun and secure it with a hair tie. "Sure I did, darling." She batted her eyelashes at him, eyes outlined and enhanced with some obscure black make-up. "Bed was cold."
"Don't worry, Nakia-chan, I'd be glad to warm it up anytime you give the word." Shachi winked.
"I'll keep that in mind." Both of them were aware that the banter was just that; Shachi would never betray his nakama in such a way. "What do you do on the sub, darling?"
"I'm a mechanic," he explained, turning left. "So is Penguin."
"You two are good friends?"
"Yeah. Me and Pen and Bepo make up the senior members of the crew, so if you need something and Captain isn't available, you can ask us."
Shachi and Nakia talked all the way down to the mess hall. She was the charming, engaging honeytrap she was meant to be, and yet, he couldn't help but think that there was something missing that had been in the Nakia earlier.
A sense of honesty, perhaps. Just a tad more real.
Weird.
The second Nakia and Shachi walked into the mess hall, the place went deathly silent.
She was half-tempted to take a pin out and drop it. No, no, damn it, she had to pretend to be nice...
Instead, Nakia plastered a beatific smile on her face and said lightly, "Cat got everyone's tongue?" Quiet as it was, she knew everyone heard her.
Shachi snickered. "Must be an awesome cat."
"Shut up, Shachi," a middle-aged man with black hair and suspicious hazel eyes growled. His two-part mohawk bobbed a bit, his beard unruly.
"You shut up, Kaperin," Shachi responded, but there wasn't any real heat in it. "Nakia-chan, over here."
He led her to a small circular table already occupied by those Shachi had described as the senior members of the Heart Pirates. And the Captain, of course, but that was expected.
There was an empty seat between Law and Shachi, and she knew that was where she was meant to sit.
She wasn't so stupid as to take this placement as an honor. No, this was a sign of wariness, a reminder that she was a wild card who needed to be restrained, and she couldn't ever forget that eyes were always watching to make sure she behaved.
Damn it, she hated being the "good little girl."
Nakia sat where she was supposed to sit and crossed her legs, brushing an errant strand of hair behind her ear with the full motive of diverting conjecture into desire. Desire was so much easier to handle, after all, even if it was also much more distasteful.
"Darling, how are you?" she asked Law, taking note of the way everyone around her twitched with satisfaction.
"Fine," he said curtly. "Miss Nakia, I'll need to do a medical examination of you after the meal."
Given how blunt the statement was, it took every fiber of her being not to react visibly. Nakia wasn't at all certain about the Surgeon of Death doing a medical examination of her but smiled and nodded regardless.
She doubted she was going to get much of a choice in the matter anyhow.
"Come on, Nakia-chan." Penguin grinned at her, jerking his thumb towards a door that she suspected led to the galley. "Food's back there."
Friendly. Maybe, these pirates would be courteous and respectful until she gave them reason to behave otherwise. They would then probably strap her onto their Captain's operation table and leave her to his nonexistent mercy.
Lovely.
Nakia grinned back trustingly and said, "Great! I'm hungry."
Miss Nakia was being surprisingly quiet, Law thought to himself as he walked down the hallway, the only other sound being the ever present noise of her high heels.
She had been pointedly social during lunch, flirting with Shachi and Penguin—who had both thoroughly enjoyed it, the perverts—while making conversation with him and Bepo.
Actually, talking to Bepo mostly.
The few times she had spoken to him had been teasing and half-mocking and assessing. However, maybe Law shouldn't be one to judge, seeing as his responses had been the exact same, if a drop more cutting and rude.
After all, this was his submarine, his domain, and he obviously had the advantage.
There was also the fact that in a fight, he would destroy her, but that meant nothing in a battle of wits.
Finally reaching his operating theatre, he turned and held the door open for Nakia, smirking blandly. If she was uneasy at having him at her back (as she should be), she didn't show it, merely smiling back and setting foot in the chamber most people never left.
"On the table, Miss Nakia," Law instructed, moving around the room with the ease of familiarity. He snapped on white medical gloves, picked up a clipboard, and grabbed a sheet reserved for new crewmates.
Nakia wasn't one, but she would be staying with the Heart Pirates for three months and would most likely need to be patched up by him often.
"Mmkay." To his surprise, Nakia proceeded to kick off her high heels and fling herself onto the operating table face-down, showing no sign of any discomfort even though he knew for a fact that the tables weren't comfortable.
Things clicked when she rested her face on her folded arms, closed her eyes, and covered a yawn.
Law smirked, walking forward until he was peering down at her, one eyebrow raised, "Tired, Miss Nakia?" It wasn't surprising. She might currently be awake, but she was still going against her circadian rhythm.
Nakia peeked open her eyelids a fraction, peering up at him through her lashes, "'Course. But don't worry, I won't fall asleep. I'd hate to wake up to find you riffling through my organs."
He chuckled. "You know me so well already." Picking up a pen, he started to fill out the form. Law already knew her name, her gender, so, "Birthday?"
"August 7th."
"Blood type?"
"F."
Good, plenty of crewmates had blood type F. It would have been a problem if she had been a rare blood type, like S. "Age?"
"Twenty-four."
It was younger than he had anticipated, especially given her evident experience, but Law had known far more dismal happenings than a prostitute only a year younger than he was and carried on without missing a beat. "Allergies?"
"Pollen and mustard."
He made a note to talk to Actaeon about the foods Miss Nakia could not consume. "Drugs?"
"None."
"Alcohol?"
A beat. "No addiction."
"Medications?"
"None."
"Past incidents?"
Nakia paused for a moment, brow furrowing. It was a long enough hesitation that Law looked up with a slight frown. "There was an incident in my childhood," she said at last. "Broken ribs and punctured lungs."
His frown deepened. "Cause?" Law had an idea, but...
"Blunt force trauma." If her voice was any more apathetic, he would have thought she was entirely unaffected by this so-called 'accident', but Nakia's eyes blazed, bore into his own, fucking daring him to push further.
Law didn't. He knew enough about life as an akasenko, a child of the Akasen, to know that whatever had led up to the incident wouldn't have been pretty. "Current complications?"
"High sex drive and alcohol tolerance," she said dryly.
He resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at the bullshit answer. "I'll take care not to get in a drinking contest with you then. Diseases?"
"None at present."
"Sit up," Law ordered. When she obeyed, he reached for the stethoscope and checked on her heart and lungs; if her lungs had once been punctured, it would be best to keep an eye on them. "Breathe in. Breathe out. Again...in, out. In...out. Deeper."
A minute ticked by. Then, another.
"Normal," he proclaimed at last, backing up to remove the stethoscope and reach for the sphygmomanometer. She wasn't wearing long-sleeves so he simply wrapped the cuff tightly around her upper arm and began to inflate it.
Just to be a bastard, Law pumped more air than was necessary, enough that it must have caused a twinge of pain.
And then he observed her reaction. Or lack thereof.
Nakia didn't flinch, didn't so much as bat an eyelid. Instead, she locked eyes with him, cocked her head to the side marginally, and smiled a smile that screamed of being an indisputable challenge.
He smirked in satisfaction and released the pressure in the cuff to let the equipment measure blood pressure. "118/74 mm Hg. Normal." Unstrapping the cuff, Law put the sphygmomanometer away. "Blood test coming up."
"Mmm." She hummed low in her throat, eyes falling to half-mast though she continued to watch him. Smart woman, notwithstanding that if Law had wanted to hurt her, there would have been nothing that she could have done to stop him.
Law pierced her skin with the syringe and didn't bother drawing the pain out this time. As he watched the dark red liquid fill up the vial, he told her, "I'll have Penguin test out your combat capabilities tomorrow. The New World isn't a walk in the park."
"I never expected it to be," came the tart response. "I assume that after the assessment, someone will be assigned to fix up any holes found?"
He fought a grin and didn't verbally answer. Removing the needle from her arm, he gave her a cotton ball to staunch the bleeding and set the vial aside. "Here." Law handed her a plain bandage and took the bloody cotton ball.
"Up," he ordered shortly. "I need to take your weight and height." Nakia sighed but jumped off the table. Not bothering to put her shoes on, she stepped on the scale.
"53 kilograms and 172 cm," Law noted. "That's slightly underweight."
Nakia's smile was somewhat bittersweet. "Comes with the territory, sweetheart."
"I don't care," he said bluntly. "You need to eat more." And since she was going to be eating at his table for the time being, Law would be able to keep an eye on her intake. "Eating disorders?"
"None. The Mother just liked to limit dessert. And meals."
Law scowled, but didn't comment on the unhealthiness of such a practice. Sitting down on his swivel chair to peer at her over the back, he glanced at his paper. "Almost done. Last menstrual cycle?"
If he had expected her to blush and splutter, he would have been disappointed. "One week ago."
"Birth control?"
Nakia smiled craftily. "Condoms, darling. Condoms."
Law kept his face blank and hastily moved on. "Ever had surgery?" It was a useless question, one that he already knew the answer to.
That smile didn't falter, but turned sharp as a blade. "Once."
"Troublesome family history?"
"None."
Law glanced up, pinned her with a look that said he knew that answer had been too fast, too soon, but didn't push. It wasn't like she would be under his care long enough that it mattered.
She would be gone in three months. Maybe less if she was weaker than he thought.
Instead, he placed the completed form inside a folder and stood up. "You're done. We hit the next island in four days. Your first mark is there. Be ready."
An odd smile on her lips, Nakia slipped her feet into her high heels. At the door, she turned back and gave a mock two-fingered salute. "Will do, sweetheart."
As soon as she was gone, Law pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed futilely. How the hell had he ended up with such a troublesome woman under his command?
Sometimes, there is no next time, no time-outs, no second chances. Sometimes it's now or never. —Alan Bennett
Thanks to my lovely betas! Leave a review, darlings!~