The infamous Straw-Hats weren't the only crew to get separated during the attack of the Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma. The Heart Pirates had also gotten separated, just not the entire crew. The difference was that Law went off on his own to become a Shichibukai, Yume went to her step-father, Dracule Mihawk, and the remainder of the Heart Pirates went to Zou to meet up with the two of them again.
On the island of Punk Hazard, the Heart Pirates' captain isn't alone. Law has Yume with him; she left before Zoro did to find her captain.
The icy half of the island isn't very compatible with the assassin, in fact the entire island is torture for her. Despite switching from being severely ill to paralyzed from the heat, Yume is using her suffering to drown out her thoughts.
At least here he'll be too busy to worry about me...I don't want him to see me like this...The assassin thinks to herself as she slips through the insulated laboratory of the mad scientist Caesar Clown, searching for something to permanently make her suffering disappear.
Here it is...
Yume grabs the sharpest knife on the large white table. She grips it tight enough for her knuckles to turn white; she freezes in place as she remembers more horrid thoughts.
It was dark, cold, and damp without any food or water. The only thing that remained were the icy cold metal bars and a shivering 10-year old little girl. She was being punished for trying to run away and gain freedom...again. Yume still felt the sting on her back from the heated branding iron. Stripped naked, branded, and thrown into a cage was a very scared little girl.
"You're going to stay in the room until I say you can come out."
"P-Please...don't leave me in here! I-I'm afraid of the dark..." She pleaded but there wasn't a response.
Hours turned into days. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Yume had been left in there for three months with only the water from her ability to survive on. The moment she was released, she collapsed from lack of hunger. Her captor obviously didn't care as he dragged her by her hair, forcing her to train in order to gain food.
"That'll teach you to disobey me, Yume."
Tears began streaming down Yume's perfect cheeks as she brings her shaky hand holding the sharp instrument to her bicep. Before the assassin can make another mark on herself, a strong firm hand stops her. Yume turns to see who's obstructing herself from the bliss of pain, only to see its her captain.
"Stop trying to harm yourself..." He pleads softly. "Why won't you tell me who ruined you?"
"I-I can't..." The assassin whimpers like the scared girl she is on the inside. "Bad girls will get punished..."
The Shichibukai and his assassin meet up with rambunctious Straw-Hats to form a temporary alliance in order to take down one of the Yonko.
"Yosh! Let's do this alliance!" Luffy grins before chuckling a bit, noticing the figure behind Law. "Oi Tra-guy. Who's that?"
"She's the assassin of my crew, Dahlia Yume." The swordsman introduces Yume to everyone after returning the hearts to the correct bodies.
"How can such a beautiful lady enjoy traveling with a shit-head like you?!" Sanji frowns and gently takes the beauty's hand, personality changing completely. "Yume-chwan~~ you look freezing. Would you like my coat?"
Yume giggles a bit and offers the flirtatious cook a gentle smile. "Ah, thank you. You're such a gentleman."
"What an angel~" The blonde swirls around, drapes his blazer around the assassin's shoulders, and begins to cook a feast for the children that were rescued along with the G-5 Marines, the Shichibukai, Yume and the Straw Hats.
Robin and Zoro aren't the only ones having trouble trusting the assassin, Usopp and Nami are also a bit skeptical. Luffy decides to call a meeting after departing from Punk Hazard, and the only one who hasn't shown is Yume. Everyone can easily see her kneeling on the grassy deck and staring at the waves that pass by.
"What's wrong with her, Law-san?" The archaeologist questions.
"I wish I knew...she refuses to talk about it," Law sighs. "Or maybe she just won't tell me..."
"Maybe she needs female compassion and understanding." The lovely navigator adds.
The Shichibukai shrugs and stands, walking over to Yume and leading her inside for the meeting.
"Alright," The dark swordsman begins. "We need to go to Dressrosa to return Caesar. First, we have to negotiate with Doflamingo."
D-Doflamingo?! Yume's eyes widen and her skin slowly loses its olive color.
"My plan is to make him resign and destroy the SMILE factory which will cause Kaido to come to kill Doflamingo."
Stop saying his name...p-please...The assassin's eyes start welling up with tears as her captain continues.
"When we reach Dressrosa, we will be split into groups. One group will be with me to return Caesar, another will destroy the factory, and the other will protect the Sunny."
"Yosh!" Luffy grins and frowns when he notices Yume shaking visibly. "She doesn't look too good..maybe she needs meat."
"She's a vegetarian!" Everyone scolds the rubber man before panicking slightly when the assassin disappears.
"YUME!"