Thank you all so much for the reviews! Reviews always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Chapter two didn't take too long for me; I was just on vacation last week and had no real access to a computer. Chapter three is just about two-thirds done but soon I'll be taking it slow so the manga can progress. I really want to see what Fishman Island and the New World are all about so I can write my chapters accordingly.

Sadly, One Piece does not belong to me. It belongs to the genius creator that is Eiichiro Oda but all that you don't recognize from his work belongs to me.

Onwards!

As of 6/2813 this chapter has been edited.

-x-

Once the commotion had died down many rumors sprung up like the bubbles that floated throughout the archipelago. There were rumors of Admiral Kizaru taking out many pirates, rumors of the destruction of the Straw Hat Pirates, rumors of four supernova captains battling the admiral, a World Noble dying, and even someone said they saw the pirate legend Silvers Rayleigh. Luca could hardly tell which one was real and which was not, but she didn't really care. All she cared about was getting back home.

Once she arrived at her small, but reasonable home she was going straight to bed and sleep all of this off and pretend it never happened. Once Law left with his crew to head for the New World, Luca could go on with her life.

If only fate could be that kind.

-x-

Trafalgar Law strolled through the mangroves, his nodachi resting against his shoulder and a small smile present on his face. He had managed to get past the fake Warlord, Kuma—well, he had to give some credit to Kidd and his crew—yesterday and take refuge in his ship. When Bepo gave him news that the commotion had died down and that the marines, along with Kizaru, left he departed from his ship, taking a hefty sum of money with him, and headed for Grove 1.

The slavers at the auction house were trying to save face by allowing the Nobles who paid for their slaves finish their purchase. Quite a few slaves had been captured by the marines, chained and collared once again, and turned back over to the slavers.

Law's smile faded a bit when he saw a familiar red-head already at the auction house. "Mr. Eustass." He greeted, walking up to the other supernova captain and one of the auction house employees.

Kid merely glanced at him from the corner of his eye while one of the auctioneers gave Law a hesitant hello and turned back to Kid. "As for your purchase of Cayenne," the man was saying, "it seems she was able to get away."

Law's grin grew again. "Then might I take it that Luca had also escaped?"

The man checked the list of names in his hands. "Yes."

The Surgeon of Death pondered for a moment. "She is still my purchase, yes?"

"Of course! The transaction isn't final, but..."

Kid snorted. "I'll pay the money I owe you and find her myself, is that what you're saying Law?"

"Of course. After all, they're still here somewhere." Law replied as he handed over the amount owed to the man.

Kid scoffed but handed his money over as well. "It would have been a better idea to have picked her up before everything got out of hand."

Law shrugged. "It might've been."

The two pirates didn't say anything to each other after that, they merely went on their way intending to find their purchases somewhere on the Archipelago.

-x-

Luca felt much more refreshed when she stepped out of the shower; the moment when she arrived home she just collapsed on her bed and conked out. And just knowing that she washed the stench of the auction house off of her made her feel so much better. She toweled herself off, already making a list of things to do.

First thing to do was to let her boss, Tez, know that she was okay; he was probably worried to death when she didn't show up after her lunch break. Luca finished getting dressed in a blue tank top, green zip-up hoodie, and black slacks and made her way downstairs. Outside, Cayenne was already waiting for her.

"It'd be best to take the alleys to the bar." Cayenne informed her; it seemed she already knew what Luca was planning to do.

"Mmhmm." Luca nodded as the two disappeared into the dark alleys. "How long do you think until they leave?" Referring to the pirates who the two women had to be wary of, Luca had already figured that had at least one day until the coast was truly clear.

"Until Ace's execution is over." Cayenne replied; her voice strained at the word execution. "No one would dare approach the New World while that is happening."

"Wait, what?" Luca stumbled as she almost tripped over her feet and stared at Cayenne in shock.

"Whitebeard's Ace is going to be executed."

Luca paled. "Oh god, they're asking for war." She groaned. The World Government tempting the strongest pirate's wrath? She shuddered at the thought of the Whitebeard pirates going against the World Government. That was a battle she did not want to get caught up in.

"I know. Things are going to get ugly."

Taking several more turns, they found themselves standing across from the bar where Luca worked; The Sea King. Simple name, but it was famous for its grog and "damned good service with bartenders who didn't take shit from anyone" (according to Tez and several customers.) Luca and Cayenne walked in.

"Luca!" Immediately, Luca found herself being enveloped in hug and lifted off the ground. "I was so worried, what happened to you?" Tez looked down at her, relieved. Setting her down on the ground, the tall, burly man tilted his head, expectantly.

Tez, at thirty-nine was a large, intimidating man, usually always dressed in dark clothes in order to highlight his piercing gold eyes and thick scar running across his brow but he had a soft heart. His dark hair was already receding and showing gray steaks but it didn't subtract from his fierce look.

Luca cautiously scanned the bar. "Maybe we should go in the back, Tez." She suggested to him.

"Of course." Tez nodded and herded the two girls into the backroom, a small room where the employees usually took their breaks. Once they were safely there, Luca blurted out the entire story. When she was finished, Tez looked absolutely furious. "Slavery? They tried to sell you two into slavery?"

Cayenne nodded. "Yeah."

"So you see, with our 'situation' I think it would be best if I didn't come into work for awhile." Luca explained.

"Of course, Luca." Tez nodded and stroked the small beard adorning his chin. "I can do it myself or bring in Gill. You just watch out for your own safety m'dear. Leave the bar to me." He clapped a hand on her shoulder.

Luca smiled, relieved. "Thanks Tez."

"Anytime, Luc, anytime. Remember to take care of yourself, you too Cayenne."

Cayenne voiced her appreciation and gave him a grateful nod and the two departed again. They were silent for awhile, both lost in their thoughts, until Luca spoke up. "Would you go?"

Cayenne was jerked out of her thoughts. "What?"

"What you were talking about yesterday, if Kid wanted you to join his crew, would you have gone with him?"

The brunette was silent for a moment. "Why do you ask?"

Luca shrugged. "I just wanted to know if you've enticed the notion of piracy like I have."

"You?"

"Sometimes it seems like a good life, especially when my frustration with this place goes through the roof. Besides, don't you want to see the New World?" Luca looked skywards. The pirates who'd come and gone in the bar always talked about the New World, whether they've come back from it or were just about to head there. It was a hot topic for all pirates on the archipelago.

Luca had never told Cayenne but she was curious to know what the New World was like. And since it would be impossible for her to go the safe way (through Mariejois) the only way would be to go through Fishman Island. The pirate's route.

"I don't know." Cayenne started. "Sometimes I wouldn't mind leaving, but it's always nice to know that you have a home waiting for you."

"I'd think the ship would be home enough." Luca commented as she returned her attention back to ground level.

The older woman didn't say anything. "I'm going to search for some information; try to find out what happened yesterday." Cayenne changed the subject as they came to a split. "You'd do well to dye your hair something a little less inconspicuous."

Luca fingered a purple tendril of hair. "Yeah, I was getting kind of sick of this color anyway. Be careful."

"You too." The two friends parted and the bartender called to her departing friend. "This conversation isn't over, you know!"

Cayenne made no comment and Luca left for home. She reached her home and entered, locking the door as she went. Stripping off her zip-up, leaving herself only in her tank top, Luca walked up the stairs, entered her bathroom, and turned the faucet on.

While waiting for the water to get warm, she opened one of the cabinets and pulled out the color remover that she always bought from one of the stylists in the mall. It was a unique color remover because it just stripped away dye and left the original hair color alone.

So what color do I want to dye it? Luca thought as she looked over the massive amounts of dye in every color imaginable with a critical eye. Ever since she entered the Grand Line she hated her bland blonde hair and once she was able to, she dyed it periodically. Due to trial and error she learned what colors were ideal (pinks and blues) and which were not (blacks and browns).

When she saw the color she wanted, she grinned and pulled it out as well. This'll do.

Forty-five minutes later, Luca was lounging on the couch reading a book with her hair wrapped up in a towel. I'm not even home an hour and I'm already bored, she thought sullenly. Usually, she spent most of her time bar-tending either nights or days, depending on when Tez needed her.

Luca enjoyed bar-tending, not only did she get to kick out drunks but working with drinks was enjoyable. She even participated in a lot of drinking games (she could out-drink Cayenne and that was something to be proud of) from time to time. It made the job so much fun.

Idly, she reached under the towel and felt her hair, it was dry. Shrugging it off and heading back to the bathroom to look in the mirror, she grinned when she saw her shoulder length hair was dyed cornflower blue.

-x-

Cayenne's eyebrows furrowed as she lounged against a wall, listening to the Nobles talk by one of the slave shops. "The Marines caught many of the escaped slaves yesterday." One of them was saying.

"What did they do?" The other asked as he examined one of the slaves in the window. Cayenne was suddenly struck by a memory of a nursery rhyme that Zia used to read to her. How much is that doggie in the window?

"Handed them back over to the auction house, they're letting nobles finish their payments and buy the remaining slaves." The other Noble said this so simply one would think he was talking about the weather.

Buy the remaining slaves? Cayenne bit her lip in worry. Hastily, she exited the shop. Going to look for information was a mistake. She never thought of the possibility that they would go after the escaped slaves. And she had never let a thought like that slip past her before. I should have gone home.

Keeping her head down, she made her way through the grove, intending to make her way home with all haste.

-x-

Across the way, a man with jet black hair with two tendrils that stuck up narrowed his eyes at the departing woman with teal eyes and dark hair. He'd seen her before… But where? Then it dawned on him. She was the woman Captain Kid bought yesterday; the one he ordered the crew to keep an eye out for and report back to him when she was spotted.

Silently he disappeared into an alley and walked into the bar he just left, where his captain was nursing a few drinks. "Captain Kid." He said. "I found her."

-x-

Cayenne headed deeper and deeper into the grove, buried in her thoughts. They're still looking for escaped slaves and if they find me… She shook her head; she wouldn't go down without a fight. This time she would be ready if they jumped her again and she would make sure that it wouldn't be a repeat of what happened last time.

Something compelled her to look up and she froze when she saw the figure standing the middle of the road. She recognized that big coat and bright red hair. Oh God no. Cayenne thought horrified as she watched Eustass "Captain" Kid walk towards her nonchalantly and now every instinct in her body was screaming at her to run.

"You've given me a lot of trouble." He spoke when they were just about five feet apart.

"Really?" Cayenne replied, sweeping the area around him with her eyes, searching for an escape route.

"Had you only stayed at the auction house like a good slave I wouldn't have had to go through the trouble of finding you." He gave her a mild glare but he was smirking as well. He wasn't worried, Cayenne realized, there was never any trouble for him. The man was confident that he would find her; which he did.

"You never paid for me, you don't own me." Cayenne shot back coolly.

The smirk on Kid's face grew, "And that's where you're wrong."

"They're letting nobles finish their payments…" The words of the noble came rushing back to her and her eyes widened. Kidd had actually gone back to the auction house and paid for her. Then he did own her… No, she needed to run. Run now!

She bolted.

He raised a hand.

And she found herself stopping and being dragged back towards him. What? She thought numbly, a tugging sensation was coming from her belt and the ring she wore around her finger. He's a fruit user… Is it magnetism? Fruitlessly, she tried to keep running but the force was too strong and she landed in a heap at his feet.

Kid bent down and lifted her by the neck, slamming her into a nearby wall. Cayenne coughed. "There's nothing of value in buying… me… your money is wasted…" Black spots appeared in her vision.

The man merely grinned. "We'll see." He said and Cayenne's vision went black.

-x-

Seven hours, seven grievously long hours. That was how long Luca spent in her house. And she thought she was going to go insane. On top of that, Cayenne hadn't stopped by either; she was probably still out looking for information. Luca leapt out of the chair she was currently lounging in and headed for her room. The house around her felt like it was closing in on her, she needed air. I'm heading for the bar. It would be alright as long as she kept out of sight.

She changed her shirt for a white long sleeved one and unlocked her door and left, heading down the street. Never noticing the man in a white coat watch her walk down the way and then disappear into the shadows.

-x-

"Tez!" Luca called happily as she strolled merrily into the bar.

Tez did a double take when he saw her. "Luca? I thought you were lying low." He said sternly and groaned when he got a good look at her hair. "What did you do to your hair?"

Luca nodded. "I was but I decided to come here to visit you." Fluffing her hair, she grinned. "Like it?"

"You shouldn't have Luca. You're supposed to be hiding." He said, already gearing up to give the girl a lecture. "And you stand out like a sore thumb, Luc. You should have done something more natural."

"But I couldn't stand being in my house any longer!" She whined. "You know I don't do so well being stuck in one place for a long period of time. I had to get out!"

"Oi! Tez, where's our grog?" Someone in the back of the bar shouted.

"Wait your goddamned turn!" Tez bellowed. He turned back to Luca only to find her behind the bar taking orders. "Luca, I haven't finished with you."

"Relax Tez." Luca laughed as she filled a tankard, "You should get those guys their grog." She gestured to the customers on the stools. "I'll take care of these." Giving the customer their drinks, she smirked at her boss. "You didn't even call in Gill."

Gill, the third bartender employed at The Sea King, was a fishman. Since many strange people wandered throughout Sabaody, a fishman would have no trouble fitting in as long as he was careful.

Tez could only do nothing but sigh. "He went back home for a bit." They never mentioned the name of Gill's home out loud, even if a majority of the customers were pirates and didn't discriminate against the fish people. The female bartender merely nodded and continued taking orders.

The thirty-nine year old sighed again; Luca was stubborn but a damned good bartender and that was why he kept her around. And she knew how to mix drinks pretty well.

-x-

Trafalgar Law opened the door to his newest purchase's house and entered it silently. According to his subordinate, she left a little while ago but would undoubtedly return. And he wanted to be here to greet her when she did.

Of course, it wouldn't hurt to poke around. There was nothing in the first floor that was of interest to him so he walked upstairs and entered her bathroom. He smirked when he noticed that she used mango scented hair products and peach scented body wash. So she smelled like mango peach. He would have expected her to smell fiercer like cinnamon and not the feminine fragrance of fruit. The girl was full of surprises.

Law opened one of the cabinets and had to do a double take of the sheer amount of hair dyes that where in it. But he chuckled lowly. Now he had to find out what her original hair color was. Closing the door, he headed for his original destination: her bedroom.

Here, he found where her life lied. There were several photographs of her and the other woman that was also sold at the auction, some with her and a large burly man. Another depicted a younger Luca being enveloped in a hug by an older woman with dark blonde hair. Both were smiling but the picture had been shoved to the back. And there was also one with her arms wrapped around another man, both smiling happily. Law gave that one a cold look and knocked it face down on the dresser.

He passed over her book collection, and went through her dresser and closet and wondered why women needed to have large quantities of clothes. Law fingered them uninterestedly. Was this all to her? Surely the way she scowled at the potential buyers in the auction had showed that she at least had some character. Frustrated, he sat down on her bed and placed his nodachi next to him and made another sweep of the room.

What was he expecting? A journal? Law let out a hollow laugh; she didn't seem like the type. Oh well, he sighed, he'd supposed he'd have get to know her the old fashioned way. Law let himself relax, there was no rush, she would come home. He could wait.

-x-

Luca smiled happily as she served people at the bar. "Here you go." She said as she placed one of her creations in front of a customer.

"Thanks Luca." He said gratefully as he nursed it, "you have such a way when you create your masterpieces…"

Luca let his flattery fly over her and tuned him out; she was used to it. Over the way, Tez was walking over to her, a disapproving look on his face. "I think its time you left, Luca." He said when he reached her.

The way he was looking at her meant he wasn't taking no for an answer. Luca sighed in defeat. "Alright Tez, you win."

A relieved smile spread on his face. "Good." He hugged her. "Take care, Luc."

"Yessir." Luca replied as she hugged him back. "Since Gill's not here, call in one of the waitresses or something. No need to strain yourself, manning the place all by your lonesome. Rush hour's almost here!"

"Get goin' kid!" Tez rumbled as he turned back to the customers.

Luca shook her head but left out the back and hummed merrily as she made her way back to home. Despite the fact that she knew she should have stayed in hiding, Luca wasn't one to wait. She liked to act whether or not the time called for it, for better or for worse.

Turns out, it was for the worse.

-x-

Cayenne's eyes fluttered as she slowly came to her senses. Where was she? As she moved, the recent events came rushing back. Quickly she sat up and groaned from the blood rushing to her head. Massaging it, she took in her surroundings. She was sitting on a bed in a well furnished room, the captain's quarters maybe? Gingerly she got off the bed and looked around again…

…Wait.

What was around her neck? Her hand flew up to feel something cool and metallic around her throat. Did he collar her? Her fingers traced it, it wasn't one of the exploding collars, but it was a collar all the same. It must be for his ability's benefit. She breathed in, all too aware of the metallic restriction around her throat.

Ignore it for now, Cayenne; concentrate on finding a way out. She told herself. But where should she start?

-x-

Almost on instinct, Luca tensed the moment she crossed the threshold of her door. Something was amiss… She clenched her fist, someone was in her house. Idiot, you forgot to lock the door. In her haste to get out of the house, she had forgotten to lock her door. The first floor felt empty, devoid of life except for her so whoever they were, they were on the second floor.

She headed up the stairs and made a beeline for her bedroom. In the middle of the doorway she stopped cold and had to keep her jaw from dropping open in surprise. Whoever she was expecting she didn't expect Trafalgar Law to find her house, let alone be the one sitting on the edge of her bed.

"It's impolite to enter someone's house without permission, you know." She tried to say it nonchalantly but to her, it sounded shaky. He had caught her by surprise and she did not like it. Not one bit.

Law merely smirked. "I believe I got the right to your privacy when I bought you." He fingered his nodachi disinterestedly as his eyes examined her, sweeping up and down her body.

"You didn't buy me," Luca snapped in an attempt to hide her discomfort. "I got out before you came to pay." Under his searching eyes, she shivered slightly. She didn't know why but she felt that he wasn't bothered at all; there was no awkwardness from him as if he was just looking at her on a professional level.

He chuckled lowly and stood up, bringing his nodachi back up to his shoulder. "You'll find that I did pay for you." He walked closer to her; his eyes never leaving hers.

On instinct, still keeping eye contact, she slid to her right, her back scraping against the door frame. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I went back to the Auction house and paid the eight-hundred thousand that I bid on you, therefore you are my property now." Law kept walking closer and Luca kept sliding away.

"Hell no." She bit back at him. Now her body was tense as all the nerves in her body were on fire and her muscles coiled, ready to spring.

"But I think so." Was all he said.

"I'm no one of interest." Luca tried a different approach when her back hit the wall. Inwardly she cursed, she allowed herself to get backed into a corner. "I'm just a bartender."

Law stood in front of her, they were now a few inches apart. He is very, very tall. And very handso-Quiet brain! Once again, she was cursing her stupidity; her heart hammering from the closeness. He must have sensed her discomfort because the smile of his face grew and he slowly lifted a hand up. Luca did her best not to flinch as she cautiously kept an eye on him and his hand.

He merely placed his hand flat on the wall next to her head but his hand was close enough for his thumb to stroke her temple. "I know a lost investment when I see one," He leaned closer, their noses mere centimeters apart now. "You, my dear, aren't one."

Luca swallowed hard and closed her eyes trying to block him out. Tooclosetooclosetooclosetooclose-he smells nice-SHUT UP!

Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and his dark orbs met with her brown ones. "Bite me." She lifted her knee and hit him, missing her intended target but managed to strike his thigh. He stumbled back from the shock and not the hit itself.

But by the time he recovered she had bolted. Immediately, he went for the door to head her off. Luca noticed him out the corner of her eye; he'll get to the door before I will…Wildly, she scanned the room for another escape route and saw one. WINDOW! Changing directions, she launched herself out the window. Glass shattered and rained down as Luca fell to the ground. Luckily she managed to roll and let her whole body absorb the shock instead of just her legs.

Law's smile disappeared as he quickly strode over to the now busted window to see Luca stand up and brush the pieces of broken glass off her; she didn't even look back as she sprinted away. "Damn it." He growled angrily as he punched the wall with his fist, leaving a decent sized dent.

He let her get away twice now and he intended to make sure she wouldn't get away again.

In her case, the third time would not be the charm.

-x-

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