Pirate Guy, Pirate Spy
Chapter Two
It was far colder on the roof of the Third Research Institute than on ground level. The roaring winds bit Law's cheeks and he buried his face deeper into the warmth of his collar, surveying the snowy grounds from under the bill of his hat for outsiders. The only people Law made out were guards in yellow biohazard suits. Two dozen of them patrolled the area, a new practice after Law literally dropped in on them last week.
They had to be more vigilant to protect Caesar Clown, a man who had worked under the guidance of the marine scientist Vegapunk before a workplace accident rendered the island uninhabitable. To the rest of the world, Punk Hazard was still a death trap but Law's network told him otherwise and they were right. Caesar Clown had returned and made full use of the facilities available to continue his research.
"Here you are." Caesar's secretary, Monet, stood in the doorway behind him, unaffected by the wind that nipped at her bare arms and legs. Her half-lidded eyes glowed amber when she spoke again. "I've been looking all over for you."
"Is something wrong?"
"There's one more operation you need to perform."
When Law defended himself against Caesar Clown's guards, he'd noticed they were paralysed from waist down and couldn't fight well in their mobile balloon contraptions. In exchange for residency at the facility, Law offered to not only act as a lookout but also to give the men new legs.
He'd finished operating on them three days ago.
"All your men were accounted for when I operated."
"Not them." Monet tucked a strand of lichen-green hair behind her ear. "Me."
"That's not a part of our deal."
"I never intended for you to exert yourself. I'll pay you. Whatever you desire, within reason. Gold, pharmaceutical goods, ancient textbooks." Monet licked her lips. "We have no shortages of those here."
How tempting.
Law followed Monet into the facility again, warm air nestling against his coat and making steam rise from it. Two guards, who had stood on either side of the door, fell in step behind them. They escorted Law day and night and as such, Law hadn't been able to call his crew. It left a bitter taste in the back of his throat.
The first thing Law noticed in Building A was Caesar's gaseous form in the air. The scientist waved his arms erratically and shouted encouragement at a score of his subordinates who were still wobbling on their new legs. They stood and shook like newborn foals and some managed to take a few steps before losing their balance.
"Continue to do your best, my subordinates! I know this is hard and it breaks my heart to see you struggling so much but I swear we'll overcome this obstacle together. Try, try again! Don't give up! Rise and march on!"
"Master," Monet called.
"Eh?" Caesar looked down and threw his hands up. "Trafalgar! Look at my men! They're doing such a good job of overcoming their pain. And they're doing it for my sake! Mine! Aren't they the best subordinates a man could ask for?"
Some of them began to tear up while others sobbed into their palms. A few of them outright howled. "No, Master! Your kindness is too much!"
What were they all smoking? Law dismissed them and jerked his chin at Monet. "Where's the animal?"
A scream grazed Law's ears and he spun to its source. A human-sized owl fought to free itself from its cage in one corner of the laboratory, all white feathers with black markings on its chest. Monet had hunted the strongest animals she could find for the men and this bird was no exception.
"Isn't it lovely?" Caesar cooed. He wafted towards the bars and narrowly avoided being bitten by the bird's snapping beak. "You'll do great things with its abilities, Monet."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Law rested his noidaichi on the ground. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
"Give me the ability to fly," Monet answered.
"You won't be able to fly just because you have wings—your body isn't made for it. There's no reason to risk your arms for such a small chance of success."
"But if I grab that small chance of success, I may end up with greater capabilities. Isn't that enough of a reason?"
Caesar's purple-rimmed lips stretched into a smile, a stark contrast with his teeth. "And if it doesn't work out then you can put her back together again like a puzzle. What delightful fun!"
Seeing Law's thunderous scowl, Monet added, "Aerodynamically speaking, the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly but it does so anyway. If an insect like that can perform a miracle then I can as well."
"If you insist." Law studied the bird. "You'll need its wings for flight and its tail feathers for balance and manoeuvrability."
"And its legs," Monet added. "If I won't have hands then I need another set of weapons."
Law unsheathed Kikoku. When he neared the cage, the owl raised its feathers and spread its wings, beating them to appear larger and more frightening. The façade meant nothing to Law and he cut the bars on the cage.
"Room."
A blue field surrounded them and the owl dove towards Law. It pulled back at the last second and lashed out with its talons, aiming for the eyes. Law jerked his head, almost too late, and the sound of keratin claws scratching the gold hoops in his ear sent a metallic shrill through his brain.
Law's left hand shot out and seized the bird's leg. The owl screeched and beat Law's head with its wings, sending his hat flying. Law brought Kikoku down on the bird's joints and separated its legs from its body. Moving quickly, he discarded the legs into the air, grabbed the bird's wings and made three more cuts to take off the wings and the tail.
The owl continued thrashing and when Law finished, he sent it to the back of the cage where it did nothing but roll around pathetically.
Monet stood with her feet apart and arms held out. Law used his power to lift her up and wasted no time in cutting off her arms at the shoulders, her legs below the knees and making an incision on her lower back. Strangely enough, Monet didn't look nauseated at the sight of her floating arms and legs like most people did. Instead, she had the look of morbid fascination like a child.
Caesar grabbed one of Monet's hands and flung her arm around in circles. "This never gets old!" he cackled.
"Master, that arm may not be mine anymore but I'll still ask you to respect it." Monet frowned. "We respect those who donate to science. It's a matter of ethics."
"Ah, yes, yes. You're right, my dear secretary." Caesar gathered the rest of Monet's limbs and handed them to a subordinate. "Take these to the museum in Building D. Make sure you label them correctly."
"Yes, Master!" The man eagerly took the wriggling limbs and scampered off.
Now that the fuss was over, Law resheathed Kikoku and used his hands to finish the operation. He brought the owl's appendages to Monet's body and the seams meshed together like they had never been cut. A sneer split Monet's face and for a moment she looked the part of a murderous harpy.
Law retrieved his hat and let his Room dissociate. Without his support, Monet wobbled and staggered one step. Her forehead creased in concentration and she managed another. But unused to the frail bird legs, she tumbled. She tried pushing herself up with her wings but as they were delicate and not made for bearing weight, she only scrabbled on the floor in a mess of feathers.
"Most of the men took three days to get used to their limbs. Since yours are frailer, you'll take longer. A week, perhaps."
"Thank you. I appreciate it." Monet gave a strained smile. "Now there's the matter of payment. Which do you choose?"
"None of them." Law could easily obtain money, drugs and books. In the end, there wasn't a single thing he wanted from her so he decided to take nothing. For now. "You can owe me a favour. I'll call you in on it when the time comes."
"Isn't this a bad situation you've gotten yourself into, Monet? You better not make her do anything funny Trafalgar!" Caesar slapped his thigh and cracked up laughing.
What an idiot.
Law made for the door and his guards followed his trail. He stopped, fighting the urge to slice them up and turned to Caesar again. "How much longer are you going to have me followed? It's a nuisance."
"For as long as you're a threat." Caesar twisted his lips and made an exaggerated thinking face. "I suppose if you're not keen on being babysat, we can make alternate arrangements. Let's be honest, Trafalgar. I can't trust you. You're more powerful than all of us put together and hold more leverage as a War Lord."
"What do you want?"
"A physical guarantee you won't betray me. Give me your heart and in return, you may take Monet's." Caesar paused and waved at his secretary. "Is that all right, Monet?"
She looked up from the floor, where she'd managed to sit up with her limbs in awkward disarray. "Yes, Master. That's fine."
Caesar gave a wicked grin. "What do you say, Trafalgar?"
That was normally a risk Law wouldn't take. But he couldn't refuse at this point and taking his heart back from someone like Caesar was an easy feat. "I'm not against the idea."
Law created another Room and curled his fingers into a half-fist.
"How are you going to—" Monet began.
Law lunged and slammed his hand into her chest. "Mes!"
Her heart flew out from her back and onto the floor, beating in a transparent cube. Monet choked, her eyes rolled back and then she lost consciousness.
"My, my," Caesar murmured. He rubbed his chin and inspected his secretary, whose face was covered in a sheen of sweat. "That's an interesting side-effect."
Law turned his hand onto himself. He'd cut off his own limbs for experimentation but he'd never removed his heart before. He readied himself, then pushed at his own chest. His fingers dug into his skin like a hot knife. Pain exploded and stole the breath from his lungs. Law gasped for air but the pain took over and he blacked out.
Law woke alone.
Monet's heart lay on the floor next to him and his was nowhere to be found. It was probably in Caesar's grimy hands, hidden somewhere deep within the confines of the facility. Law held a hand over his chest. Even though there was a hole where his heart should be, he could feel it beating and pumping blood through his body.
He picked up Monet's heart, handling it with care so as not to crush it. He didn't want to give Caesar any ideas.
There were no guards nearby and Law exhaled, letting some of the tension in his shoulders unwind. If they had continued to pester him, chances were he would have cut them up despite his better judgement.
Law returned to the abandoned study that was now his room. Now that he was well and truly alone, he took out his baby den-den mushi. The snail yawned and looked at him with bleary eyes, but ready to work. Law dialled and waited for his call to connect.
Someone picked up in four rings.
"Heart Pirates. Jean Bart speaking."
Hearing a familiar voice swept away the last of Law's tension. He sank into one of the high-backed chairs and rolled his shoulders to work out the kinks in his tightly coiled muscles.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Jean Bart." Law heard an intake of breath on the other side. "Infiltration successful."
Stunned silence greeted this announcement. Then whoops and cheers burst through the den-den mushi's mouth. It sounded like everyone was crowded together and shouting at the same time.
"We knew you could do it, Captain!"
"We weren't worried at all!"
Perhaps they weren't, but Law was concerned about how they were managing. He'd been having nasty thoughts about the kitchen burning down or a gaping hole in the side of the submarine. Sometimes, Penguin and Shachi went overboard when they sparred. Then again, they didn't go as overboard as he tended to. "How are things over there?"
"Good." Penguin's voice came over the den-den mushi. "Some of us were a bit depressed because you're not here. Bepo wanted to plant flowers on deck to cheer everyone up but you know, we're a sub and the flowers would die. Then Bepo got super depressed so I relented and now we've got an indoor nursery."
"What about the heat?" Law didn't want to rain on their fun but this was a point they had to consider before everyone became too attached to the flowers. "If you go underwater the flowers would die of heat stress anyway."
"Shachi bought Bepo a large fan. It'll be cool enough. Hopefully. Anyway, wait a sec and I'll call them over. They're watering the flowers now."
Law was about to answer when he heard a thump and a hiss on the other side of the door.
Someone was listening in.
Law let out a string of swearwords.
"Captain? What's going on?"
"I'll call you back." Law stuffed the den-den mushi back into his coat, grabbed his nodaichi and yanked the door open.
A shadow flickered to his left and Law pelted after it. He followed the turns of the corridors and twists of the staircases. They winded higher and higher and several times, Law thought the person was in reach only to watch the shadow dart down another path. As soon as he thought he'd caught up, the shadow surged ahead and never let him catch more than a glimpse.
"Hey, you!"
Law spun around, Kikoku half unsheathed. But there was no-one behind him.
"What are you doing out of bed again?"
Law relaxed his stance. The voices came from further ahead.
"Don't give us those excuses. Rules are rules and you have to obey them. Come on, we'll take you back."
Law drew a mental map. This was the third floor of Building B, a part of the facility Monet forbade him to go near. There had been an entire list of places he couldn't enter, not that it would stop him.
"Here you go. Don't sneak out again, okay?"
When the guards left, Law took a look around. A white sign that read 'Biscuit Room' hung above massive doors. It sounded like a tea room, something too warm and inviting for a place as cold as this. Law held one hand flat against the door, then pushed it open, ready to cut the eavesdropper in half.
But there were dozens of eyes staring at him. Brown, blue, green, a whole array of colours from a whole array of children.
"That's gotta be him!" A giant child, at least ten times taller than Law, pointed. "The guards said he wore a fluffy hat!"
Squeals of delight bounced into the corridor. Law hurriedly stepped inside and closed the door before they alerted anyone.
"You're the pirate guy who gave everyone animal legs." A blond girl laughed and clapped her hands. "That's so cool! Everyone's really happy about it."
Little hands tugged at his coat and tapped on Kikoku's sheath. Big hands reached down to stroke his hat.
"Ooh! It's as soft as it looks."
"It feels like a kitty cat!"
"What's with the look on his face?"
"Hey mister, what's your name?"
It took far too long for Law to gather his thoughts. When he did, he raised a hand for silence. "My name is Trafalgar Law."
"Torafalla…"
"Trafalafa…"
"Traffala…"
The children tangled their tongues trying to pronounce his name and Law nearly smacked his head against the wall. When he finally collected himself, he said, "Yes, that's my name. Now, will one of you be so kind as to tell me why there are children on an island as dangerous as this?"
"We're getting better." A giant girl squatted next to Law and gave a shy smile. "We're sick and the master's helping us get better."
And for some reason, Law found that hard to swallow. "How long has Caesar been treating you?"
The children gave each other questioning looks. Law folded his arms and seeing his displeasure, one boy blurted, "Different times. I've been here for a few months."
"A few years," one of the giant children added.
"Do you all have the same type of disease?"
The children shrugged.
Right.
It wasn't like Caesar would tell them the specifics of their condition, if they were indeed ill. They were more likely to be guinea pigs. Law saw the opportunity to gather more information and he took it. "What kind of medicine does—"
A child yelped.
She'd been standing in front of the door when it moved and hit her back. "O-Ow," she cried.
"Hey, what's with the weight against the door? Who's blocking it?"
Law narrowed his eyes. Could he knock the guards out before they realised he was here?
The giant girl who had answered Law saw his dilemma and nudged him behind her back. A tag peeping out from the back of her dress read 'Mocha'.
"Come on, move it!"
The children scrambled out of the way and two men in their biohazard suits came in with their hands on their hips. "What's with all the noise, kids? You should be in bed at this time."
A round of mumbled apologies came from the children.
"Go back to sleep. Any more mucking around and we'll have to tell the master. We don't want that, do we? After all, he might not give you candy anymore."
Horrified gasps filled the room and Law almost loosed a snort.
After the guards made sure everyone was settled down, they left with a kind goodnight. Mocha lay on her side and whispered to Law. "Are you going to visit us again, Mister Pirate Guy?"
"I don't think so."
"You should." She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "We never get to play with anyone else."
"Mmm." Law scanned the forms of the sleeping children. "Listen, Miss Mocha. One of your friends was ushered in here minutes before I came in. Where is that child?"
"Huh?" Mocha's eyelashes fluttered with sleep. "I don't know. Some of them were looking for you because they thought you were cool."
She nodded off soon afterwards. Law waited until the room was silent, save for the gentle breaths that wisped from the children's throats. He stepped around them and headed for his room again.
He reached for the doorknob, then withdrew and turned around. "I know you're following me."
Silence.
Then a small, waif-like girl emerged from the shadows. Her skin looked sickly yellow under the awful lighting and her off-white dress didn't make her look any more of a human. She stared up at him with her fist held to her lips.
Law had been certain all the children were asleep when he left the Biscuit Room, just like the time he'd been certain all his crew were asleep when he left the submarine. His skills must be getting rusty.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?"
She stumbled backwards in her oversized shoes and ran behind the corner, peeking out with large and fearful eyes through a net of messy brown hair. "You're…" she whispered, "Traffy."
What?
"Traffy," she said again, more clearly.
"My name is not…" Law bit back his frustration. She couldn't pronounce it anyway, so why did it matter? "What's your name then, young miss?"
"Ria."
"It's dangerous to stalk a pirate, Miss Ria, and talking to them is even worse. Your carelessness will land you in trouble one day." Law gestured back to the direction they had come from. "You should get back to bed or you won't be getting candy."
But instead of going backwards, Ria inched forwards. When she stood less than a stride away from him, she bit her lip.
"Traffy is a pirate spy."
A.N.
I was floored when I opened my email two weeks ago and saw it flooded. I had no idea so many of you would follow and favourite Captain's Promise. You guys are awesome!
So now Law's in Punk Hazard and his secret has been found out by a little girl named Ria. Does anyone have any thoughts as to what might happen next? I'd love to know what you think!
If you liked it, please review! If you didn't, that's all right because I can take constructive criticism. In fact, I welcome it!
