Sage's first impression of Trafalgar Law was that he was very laid-back, and apparently didn't value his life, flipping off Captain Kid like that. Crow had explained to Sage that Law was the Captain of the Heart Pirates, and that the two crews didn't really get along. "Aww, man! I really wanted to pet the bear..." Sage pouted, causing Crow to chuckle. She directed her attention to the stage, where people were being auctioned off like slaves. A woman dressed in a frilly maid costume was sold. A pretty female dancer was bought for 7,200,000 Beri. People were being sold, as if they were an item. The more Sage watched, the more she got disgusted. She needed to get out of there. And quick. She tapped Crow, and motioned him to come closer. "Hey Crow, I'm going to get some medical supplies. I'll meet up with you guys later, in about an hour." Crow nodded, promising to tell the Captain. Sage snuck out, returning to the bright sunshine outside. The sunlight warmed her skin, and the light breeze flowed through her hair. It was nice here, very pretty- but the Marine base and the Marines stationed here turned Sage off immediately. It reminded her too much of her home.

Sage was able to purchase herbs and spices from the market, and went to the local clinic to buy gauze and wrappings. Killer had given her money to buy medical supplies without the permission of Kid- Killer was more concerned about the well being of his crewmates than the wrath of Kid. Sage held a bulging bag of various medical supplies, and returned to the ship. It was long walk, and the hot sun made the walk seem twice as long. She put the supplies in her room, in the proper bins and cabinets. Pondering what to do next, Sage decided to return to the Auction House. It had only been about twenty minutes, and if Sage ran, she could make it back to the Auction House in about ten minutes.

Sweating and sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her, Sage ran through town, narrowly avoiding people walking by her. She had arrived at the Auction House and entered, only to find people lying on the ground. Fearing that this was the work of her captain, Sage ran off into the forest, following a trail of huge holes in the ground.


She found her crew in a secluded area of the forest, where, if you followed it, would take you back to the ship. They were engaged in battle, fighting against a humongous man- or rather, machine. He raised his hand, and shot a laser beam from his hand. Sage watched as her captain, and the man known as Trafalgar Law barely escaped with their lives. She scanned the now battlefield, Killer was assisting Kid, along with Wire and Heat. A few other people who she couldn't identify, attacked the giant as well, along with the fluffy bear from earlier. On the side, two members were hunched over, tending to something on the ground. Sage's eyes widened, and had to clasp her hand over her mouth to contain her scream. Crow was on the ground, clutching at his chest. Even from Sage's location, which was quite a distance away from Crow, she could see the large amounts of blood coating Crow's hands and clothes. Her legs began to move on instinct, her eyes constantly on the lookout for the huge man and if he would attack. Apparently, he seemed more focused on Kid and Law to pay attention to the petite girl making her way to her fallen friend. When she arrived, Sage quickly examined his body. There was a huge gash across Crow's chest, from his left pectoral all the way to his right, along with numerous smaller cuts and bruises near it. Crow's breathing was ragged, and although the gash on his torso wasn't too deep to scar, Sage still had to worry about blood loss and the internal injuries he could be suffering from. Sage needed to stop the bleeding. She ripped off the lower part of her shirt, and used the fabric to wrap around his body and cover the gash. Her stomach was showing now, something she would have been uncomfortable with usually, but now, all that mattered was that Crow's life would be saved. She asked the two other crewmates if they were injured, to which they shook their heads. "Please, could you help me carry him back?" The two men swiftly picked up Crow, and made their way to the ship. The large man was still fighting with Law and Kid, and apparently he had a name- Bartholomew Kuma, according to the men who had taken Crow.

Whoever this person was, Sage could care less- Crow's life hung in the balance. Sage turned to run after the men, who were still in her line of sight. She sprinted to follow them, and heard the whirring of gears, and the sound of the earth crunching under a massive amount of weight. Sage saw the look of horror on the men's faces, and saw Kuma heading towards them. She screamed at them to run, and they complied, running faster despite Crow's extra weight. She ran after them, hoping to avoid any interception or contact with the huge man. He turned and looked around, his attention now geared toward the small girl running into the forest. The men continued to run, and if she ran after them, Kuma could follow them, possibly killing all of them, and destroying the ship in the process. Instead, although her common sense and survival instincts told her to run away with her tail between her legs, she calmed herself, and stood her ground. She positioned herself, battle stance, and ready to take action if necessary. Although, kicking a machine doesn't sound too fun. FacingKuma, her face full of fear, but she continued to stay put. Kuma seemed like her was scanning her, trying to verify if she was a threat or not. He looked at her, seemingly unsure of what to do. Sage just hoped that this ridiculous plan of hers would work, without her getting squished like a bug. According to the men earlier, he is a Shichibukai, and even someone as inexperienced in the world of pirates like me, know what that is. If he is indeed one, then he should be targeting the Kid Pirates, and the Heart Pirates as well. Because I am unknown to the Marines and World Government at this time, he shouldn't be able to identify me... I could buy those guys sometime. Unless he just feels like killing me. Then, I'm screwed. It felt like hours, but finally, Kuma turned, and focused now on Killer, who had attacked his leg while he was focused on Sage. "Thanks, Killer-san!" Sage sprinted away, getting one last look as Killer, Kid, and Law, faced off against the giant man.


Finally, the ship was in sight, and the burning sensation in Sage's throat indicated that she had been running too much. She dashed on board, and went to the room where she performed her treatments. Crow was groaning now, and the two men were sitting down, gasping and trying to regain their breath. Sage thanked them for their help, and they left. All that remained was healing Crow, and Sage moved quickly to get all the required supplies. She removed the fabric that covered his wound. Most of the bleeding had stopped, but now it was time to disinfect the gash. She grabbed a towel, and dipped it gently in tea tree oil, a remedy her father used all the time back home. She dabbed Crow's cut, making sure she was being gentle to cause him no pain. He inhaled sharply, it was probably stinging him. "Sorry Crow, but just bear with it a little longer..." After the cut was disinfected, Sage rubbed a little of the tea tree oil on the gauze, and wrapped the long cut. She pressed on various parts of his body, to see if internal damaged was caused. He didn't seem to be affected at all on the inside, causing a wave of relief to wash over Sage. "Thank goodness..." However, when she pressed on his arm, he groaned, and on closer inspection, his arm was dislocated, and had to be wrapped into a sling. He would not be able to move it for about a week. Crow woke up about twenty-five minutes after the treatment was done, and as he tried to sit up, only grunted and laid back down. "Don't try to move Crow. You might start bleeding again. And, don't move your left arm." Sage walked over to the man. "You hungry? I can make something." He shook his head.

"I feel so special, getting all this attention from Doc."

"Not for a good reason! Your left arm is dislocated and can't be moved. You also had the biggest cut I've ever seen in my life across your chest."

"Well, at least my right arm isn't broken, or else I wouldn't be able to..."

"Please don't give me that image. I'm gonna be scarred for life."

"I was gonna say eat, Doc."

"I didn't want to take any chances."

"Heh, sure Doc. Aww man! I didn't get to buy ya a drink!"

"Are you not fazed at all that you almost died today?"

"I'm still alive, aren't I Doc?" Sage couldn't help but laugh. This man was too carefree.


Killer had returned to the ship, along with Kid, Heat, and Wire. The men looked exhausted, and Kid seemed angrier than usual, for whatever reason. Killer had gone looking for Sage, to see if the tiny woman had made it back to the ship. He found her tending to Crow, the man barely able to sit up. He had taken most of the damage due to an unexpected attack by Kuma, but now, he looked alive and healed, not like the rag doll he was earlier. Sage greeted the masked man. "Any injuries I need to take care of?" Killer shook his head.

"I'm fine. Surprisingly, I didn't get too injured. However, Kid has suffered some cuts that need cleansing." Sage inwardly groaned. She liked to avoid Kid at all costs, but if he needed to be healed, then she would have to help him.

"I assume that I have to go to him?"

"It's kind of scary how you figure these things out." Sage grabbed some supplies, and walked with Killer to Kid's room. Flashes of the night when Sage first met Kid flashed through her mind. Let's hope that there will not be a repeat of that today... Tossing those thoughts out of her mind, she readied herself. She would heal Kid. No matter what. Killer knocked on the door, and got a grunt in response, and with that opened the door. "If you need help or anything, I'll be right outside."

Kid's room was... strange, to say in the least. It was huge, and filled with scraps of metal and the room smelled like a workshop. A bed was in the corner, messy, the sheets crumpled, and pillows absent-mindedly thrown around the bed. Various tools lay on the floor, the metallic surfaces gleaming in the light. Kid was sitting at a desk, tinkering with something on the table. His eyes turned to Killer, probably to scream at him, and then to Sage. His eyes narrowed, and he looked at Killer accusingly. "Kid, Sage is going to heal your cuts. Be nice now." Kid glared at the smaller woman.

"I don't need her help." Kid spat, and turned to return to working on his desk.

"Kid, you are going to be helped today. Now, sit on the bed. Sage, I'm leaving. I'll be outside if you need anything." Sage nodded, a little unnerved that Killer would be leaving so soon. The door closed, and Sage was all alone with Kid. He glared at her from the corner of his eye, sending a shiver down her spine.

"I said, I don't need help. Leave." Kid didn't even turn to look her in the eye. Somewhere, deep inside her brain, she wanted to listen, to leave. But, when it came to healing patients, she would gain courage. She would not be responsible for the death of a patient when she knows, that she could help them. Even if this man was scary, and could easily kill her, and even if she was hesitant to help him, she had Killer outside to assist her, right? He grunted, and turned to Sage, with a aura full of fury. "Did you not here me? I said leave, woman." Oho, now Sage was getting pissed herself.

"I'm not leaving until I treat your wounds."

"Are you challenging the authority of your Captain?"

"I'm trying to help a man so that he doesn't die of infection. That would be unfitting for a pirate to die, right?" That seemed to do the trick. Kid growled, and looked as if he was mulling over what to do. Sage sat on the floor near his bed, thinking it would be rude to sit on the bed. "We can do this all day. I'm not leaving, until I know that you are healed."

"Fine." Kid spat. It sounded pouty and annoyed, like a child obeying an order from their parents that they didn't want to do. Kid rose, and his monstrous height made Sage feel like a child in his presence. He sat at the edge of his bed, glaring at Sage the entire time. His gaze pierced her body, almost as if he could see through her. Sage placed the materials down on a table.

"So, any injuries in any specific places?"

"Isn't that your job to find out?" Sage groaned. This would take awhile.

"If you want me to check, then you have to remove your coat." Warmth spread through her cheeks as the command rolled off her tongue. What a strange order, commanding her Captain to remove his clothing. But, he did walk around without a shirt, so, he must no care, right? Kid clicked his tongue in annoyance, but did as he was told. It was a foreign sight, seeing the Captain so compliant. Sage scanned his body. No bruises. But clear as day, was a gash on the Captain's forearm. He didn't seemed too bothered by it. It was way smaller compared to Crow's, only about the size of Sage's middle finger. "Okay, so, I'm going to disinfect that gash."

"...What?" Kid's eyes widened.

"It might sting a little." Sage dipped a towel into the tea tree oil from earlier, and lightly patted Kid's arm. He stayed surprisingly still, and held his breath when Sage dabbed his cut. When she removed the towel, and started to wrap the wound gently, he opened his eyes. "That's taken care of..." She put her hand to his forehead, and compared it with hers. "No fever." Sage was immersed in her work, she didn't even notice how she was touching the different places on Kid's body, which was awkward for the both of them. She started putting pressure on different parts of Kid's body. "Any pain at all?"

"Do you touch all of your patients like this?" Sage was snapped back into reality, and looked up to meet Kid's eyes.

"I have to, it's to check for injuries of all sorts."

"So, I'm not getting any special attention?" Kid smirked.

"No." Sage was already blushing. This man was so annoying! This was awkward for her too!

"So it's not payback for me touching your tits back then, is it?"

"Are you always this talkative?"

"I'm nervous, isn't that a turn-on?"

"I'm not even sure that's considered a turn-on." Being with Kid like this was so... weird. The captain seemed calm, and almost innocent, until Sage remembers that he is the Captain of a crew of pirates. But, the awkwardness that seemed to appear when he was with the opposite gender was thick in the air. It didn't make it uncomfortable to be with the man, it almost made him seem... cute.

"Relax, woman. I'm not gonna do shit, okay? You're too tense for your own good."

"My name is Sage. Not woman." Shit. Sage was really going to die now.

"...Fine. Relax, Sage. I'm not gonna do anything." Kid put emphasis on Sage's name.

"Alright." Hanging out with pirates wasn't healthy. If she kept talking to Kid like this, she would definitely not survive for very long. "I'm done. You're fine. Just don't take off that gauze. Or I'll have to disinfect again." That wasn't necessary, but that threat hanging in the air made Kid wince. He must not like the prickling feeling that came with cleaning a cut. Sage smiled.

Life was finally beginning to get interesting.


Author's Note: I'm glad that I was able to finish this. When I was plotting the scene where Sage and Kuma meet, I kept imagining her getting stepped on. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!