"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"
Ginger deadpanned, eyes narrowing into a glare at Law as he caught her stare out of the corner of his own. She had heard her fair share of excuses and they mostly came from Marines who were below her rank.
Law, however, kept her stare while ignoring the outcry of excited cheers coming from around them. "What happened to not associating yourself with a pirate?" He completely deflected her earlier question.
"Do I have much of a choice? What will happen exactly when I do present evidence against Jax?" She propped her arm on top of the bench with the side of her face resting against her hand. "He's not alive. My evidence will be thrown out in a snap and I'll be arrested for murder. I know enough that Jax made a deal with someone but I don't know who. It could've been Sengoku for all I know, and if I were to make that known who would take my word over his?" He raised a brow in response. "What I'm saying is that no matter what I find out the Marines will put two and two together and brand me an enemy. It doesn't mean I'm gonna let this go. For my sake, and for those under me who were killed, I'm going to find out why Jax attacked us and wanted to pin it on me."
His sudden smile caught her off guard. "So, you refusing my offer earlier was just your stubbornness getting in the way." Two things about his retort irked her. One, he didn't pose it as a question but more as a smug assertion, and two, he was right. Her pride meant more to her than accepting help to get out of a dangerous situation. She could've well avoided this talk with him now but instead she allowed her foolhardiness to get in the way. She sucked in her lips, giving him his answer. "Now, the question you should wonder about is if I'll help you again. You know full well, Marine-ya, that you have no way of getting off this place if you run into trouble."
"Then let me join your crew."
The two in front of them suddenly turned to look up at them both while the bear turned back with his mouth agape. The only sounds that could be heard were that of the auction taking place for the mermaid. Law's eyes never left hers as she kept her expression perfectly still.
"The first 'no' I take is the last." He was curt with her, and Ginger could understand why.
"It took me five days to come up with a plan on what I wanted to do. Now, I figure that you have a point. I'll be stuck here surrounded by Marines." She then lifted her head while her hand fell in front of her.
Law's smile, which hadn't dropped, thinned out into a line before his lips parted. The people around them were lost among them as she waited patiently. During this time, she didn't care to know who had bought the mermaid lest she do something she would end up regretting. The hat he wore briefly concealed his eyes, keeping her in the dark as he pondered on the proposal. Those who she assumed were apart of his crew waited in anticipation as well. "One condition then."
Ginger sucked in her lips, preparing for the condition he had in mind. "Which is?"
A hush fell across the auction house. Her ears perked up, noticing that the once bustling crowd around them had fallen deathly silent. She and Law turned back to the stage though he didn't seem to have a care for what caused the sudden silence. Her eyes zoned in on the World Noble from before enthusiastically shouting out his bid for the mermaid. Five-hundred million beri for her. It was a hefty sum indeed. The silence slowly began to dissipate as soft murmurs of disappointment filled the house.
"So, they're giving up because he bought them out?" She muttered under her breath. "This shouldn't be taking place at all."
"You seem to forget this is a lawless area of Sabaody," Law interjected. "They can do what they please regardless if it wasn't."
Ginger swallowed thickly as the auctioneer (who she still didn't know the name of) concluded that the bid was final. The mermaid didn't seem to know what was going aside from the fact she was chained and being showcased in such a manner.
A crash was heard from behind them suddenly seemingly out of no where and before she knew it most of the people who had been seated suddenly flew in other directions. Her mouth was slightly parted at the commotion as a young man's voice shouted out in annoyance at the landing. The group, who had stood near the entrance, knew them which surprised her all the more so. The straw hat came into view and it was then that Ginger figured out who exactly made the stir.
"It's Straw Hat Luffy!" She exclaimed while Law passed a glance from over his shoulder, smirking at the realization.
To think that he would be the one causing such a commotion at just the right time. Ginger continued to stare in disbelief at how easy-going he seemed to be despite being in an auction house with World Nobles. When he spun around and spotted the stage his eyes grew wide momentarily before dashing off down the stairs beside her in a sprint, shouting "Camie" as he went. His complete disregard for his surrounding astounded her as her eyes followed him. Quite surprising how she managed to be here to witness him firsthand, knowing full well of his reputation that went with his high bounty.
A man came running up behind Luffy while attempting to restrain him or slow him down. She watched unsure of who he was and what he wanted to do. Surely he knew of Luffy's strength like most of the world did, including herself. His attempt was thwarted though since Luffy continued running down the steps trying to get to the stage. That was when the unlikely thing happened. Ginger saw that four more arms sprang from beneath his jacket thought it was too little too late since Luffy managed to slip further ahead and out of his reach.
"He's a fishman," she said, marveling at the fact. "I've only seen one before."
Marigold had taught her that discriminating against them was wrong though most of the population viewed all fishmen and mermaids alike as grotesque creatures. She had been witness to one account of said discrimination when some of her fellow Marines poked and prodded at a captured criminal who happened to be one. She reprimanded them for daring to do so. At the time, deep down in the deepest darkest part of her mind, she was both afraid and distrustful of that fishman. She knew it was right to be wary around him considering he was a criminal, but she also knew it was wrong to have such thoughts of him. If he had been human she wouldn't have been as scared.
It only took seconds for the crowd to react to him. There were cries of disgust while they threw their bidder cards at him. All but her and Law and his crew remained silent, watching as the poor fishman received the onslaught of vicious snarls just because of his appearance. Thinking back to the criminal she had captured so long ago made her feel guilty for the thoughts she had.
"That poor guy," she muttered. "To be treated in such a way." Law passed her a glance but didn't say anything on the subject, choosing instead to watch the spectacle unfold.
A shot was fired.
Once again the silence engulfed the large vicinity before soft murmurs of satisfaction were heard. Ginger watched in surprise as the fishman fell to his knees. She inhaled sharply, seeing him suddenly fall forward with his blood pouring out and coating the steps underneath him. Regardless of who he was it was still a terrible thing to see. It shouldn't have come as a shock as it did, considering that she didn't know him, but the fact remained that he was still shot before her eyes and she was powerless to do anything to help. Indeed when she glanced up and instantly zeroed in on his shooter she knew that anyone who was crazy enough to step in would be done for.
Holding the smoking pistol was none other than the portly World Noble, bouncing from foot to foot enthusiastically at what he had done. The fishman was a few feet away from her but Ginger felt herself start to get up off the bench without a second thought.
Law's eyes snapped to her. "Hey, don't call attention to yourself." He warned, his voice was loud enough for her to hear. "You'll be shot next."
"He just shot him because he wasn't human. I can't wrap my head around that." Ginger moved to go down the steps but a hand on her wrist permitted her from going.
"It doesn't matter if you can't understand," his grip tightened. "It's not worth it. You'll get yourself arrested and killed for trying anything."
During this time, those who were closest to her and Law, had drawn their attention on them. Several whispered among themselves while looking at her as if to challenge her to try something. Her hand tightened into a fist, eyes darting from the Celestial Dragon to the injured fishman, while Law's hand around her wrist clenched to try and prevent her from leaving though it only served to hurt her in the process. "Hey, hey, it's no business of yours."
She begrudgingly sat back down upon remembering what she had been taught. Marigold often said that it was the duty of the Marines to protect the Celestial Dragons through whatever means. Even if they were wrong it was best to not question them. It was a stupid rule back then as it was in this moment. Finally, Law's hand left her wrist once he was certain she wouldn't be making a move to get up again.
Ginger's hands were once again on her lap as she dug the nails of her thumbs into her forefinger. Even just going down to help him would result in her being noticed, and right now she couldn't afford that. "Does this mean I'm part of your crew now?" she asked, eyes still on the fishman.
"We'll talk about that condition later."
Almost a half hour later and Law had left the building with Kid and Luffy, leaving her behind with his other crew members. In the course of the events that had followed she would never had guessed that everything would turn upside down so suddenly. Three Celestial Dragons were currently unconscious, leaving the auction house in pandemonium. However, most of the crowd had fled right after Luffy decided to punch the portly one who had shot the fishman.
At the moment, Ginger stayed seated while watching the Straw Hats in amazement after they had nearly taken down all of the guards who posed a threat. Her eyes strayed over to the old man who had emerged from back stage with a giant. The giant, however, was nowhere to be seen now, but the old man remained and helped in disarming the guards that remained while managing to take the collar off the young mermaid. The way the old man had looked at her when he had noticed Law and Kid left her mind reeling with questions. Did he know who she was? Was the immediate one that came to mind.
The old man was helping the reindeer of Straw Hat's crew take care of the wounded fishman who she heard was named Hachi. She decided to get up from her seat, causing the bear and the other crew members to look at her. She walked down the steps and covered the distance in less than five seconds.
"That was impressive." The old man gazed up at her upon her approach. Ginger was referring to the Haki he had used to disarm the guards and stop one of the Celestial Dragons from shooting the mermaid dead on.
His eyes gleamed with amusement as he looked backed down while the reindeer continued doing what he apparently did best. The other Straw Hats stood around, watching the conversation between the two. "What was more impressive was you being able to withstand it," he countered. "Though you seem like someone who can hold her own. Call me Rayleigh."
Ginger smiled. "Alright, Rayleigh."
His look of amusement was still present when he glanced up at her again. "I remember coming across a woman once. She was good friends with Shanks, or so she claimed." Her lips pursed. "Black hair, gold eyes and sailing on a ship called The Fortune. You look just like Rogiko Greta; a spitting image."
"Rogiko Greta," the name left the lips of one of the women from the Straw Hats. Blue eyes, and black hair that reached the top of her shoulders, Ginger knew her to be Nico Robin. "The female Captain of the Rogiko Pirates. Her reputation ranged from the sinking of multiple Marine ships to various other crimes."
The long-nosed man of the crew shuddered. "She did that just for fun?"
Ginger's eyes found Robin's and the woman took it as a sign for her to continue. "She was executed seventeen years ago for killing a Celestial Dragon."
The reaction ranged from silent stares to surprised shouts. The one who seemed to be really surprised at this information was the long-nosed member who had his eyes bulging from their sockets. The blonde-haired man in the suit and the skeleton —
...skeleton?
She did a double take, eyes wide, and mouth open in shock as she peered up at him with the very large hairdo. "You really are a skeleton."
"Hold on a minute!" The other woman, who she remembered as Nami, gained her attention. "Didn't she know what would happen?"
Ginger shrugged. "It's not like I know why she did it. I was six then."
Once Rayleigh was finished with Hachi he stood up, bringing a hand to his chin he calmly gave his beard a stroke before saying, "Rogiko Greta surrendered to the Marines, and rumor has it that she did it for her daughter's sake. They would've killed her child too if not for the fact that she pleaded with a Captain for her life." Ginger remained quiet as she folded her arms. "Greta is dead. So you must be—"
"Ginger. The name itself seems ironic. I have a feeling my mother was being a smartass when she named me." Her hand touched her hair as her fingers lightly touched the strands that framed her face. "This isn't my natural hair color, Rayleigh."
"Is it wise to be so forthcoming with information?" He asked. "A Marine being so causal with an old pirate like me."
"Wait, so she's a Marine?!" The long-nose member shouted completely surprised. "This was a trap from the beginning!"
"Be quiet!" Nami snapped.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Zoro's hand reach down to the swords at his hip. "Come to think of it now I remember you from earlier." His thumb flicked upwards as the sword slid out an inch. "But if you're a Marine..."
"Much like Rayleigh, I'm retired." Her own hand went to the knives that hung from side. "I don't have a care in the world for you or your Captain. I'm here on my own business."
Once her hand fell back in front of her so too did Zoro decide to rest his arm upon his. The tension decreased slightly, but neither he nor her kept the other out of their vicinity. Her left arm throbbed, causing her to lift it up while gritting her teeth. It hadn't pained her this much during the five days she sailed to get here. Just then she turned back the action nearly causing her to fall as she steadied herself by gripping the nearby bench.
They were gone too.
Shit, shit, I should've been paying attention to them.
"What's wrong?" Nami asked while following her stare to the empty seats on the far side of the auction house.
She balled her hand into a fist and slammed it on top of the bench. The sudden pain fled up her arm in short bursts, leaving her to grip it in a poor attempt to stop the searing torment.
A pair of paws were suddenly on her arm nearly causing her to shy away despite being in such pain. She found that it was the reindeer who was carefully feeling along her arm. The others watched as he furrowed his eyebrows while using the bottom of his hoof to feel around for anything wrong. The blasts from outside tore the crew's attention from them towards the entrance while shouts could be heard pouring in from the open doorway.
"Can you lift up your sleeve?" He asked, his voice characteristically high-pitched.
Ginger nodded and did so, making use of her right hand as she slowly folded up the light pink fabric of her suit jacket. He continued to use his hoof until he got closer to the middle of her arm which caused her to grunt. "Just as I suspected. Your arm is fractured that's why its swollen." It was not something she wanted to hear. She didn't know a lot about injuries but she knew that something as simple as a hairline fracture could take weeks, if not months, to heal properly. She assumed it hadn't hurt before because it was something minor, but as she thought back to the five days on the sea she realized that subconsciously she had refrained from overexerting herself.
"Is it a hairline fracture or something worse?" Ginger was afraid to ask; afraid that she might not like what she hears.
"Yeah, that's right. It's definitely a minor fracture. You'll need a cast and to support your arm for at least a month." It was then that he quickly looked up at her with those big eyes of his and added, "When did you fracture your arm?"
"Five days ago." The answer caused him to let out a surprised yell. "Is something wrong?"
"Five days without medical attention?"
She shrugged. "It didn't hurt that much until now." Pulling her arm from his grasp, he attempted to reach out for it but she stopped him. "I'll get it taken care of. We have pressing matters that need our attention right now."
His eyes went from her arm to her. "Are you sure?"
Ginger nodded again, turning to go back up the steps to where Law's crew were seated. She decided that they had better leave right away once the captains were done taking care of the Marines who had shown up. Her arm was cradled on top of her hand as she walked, mindful of what he had said. Upon reaching the benches, she saw that the bear had looked up at her. "You're the lady the captain was talking to."
"Yes," she said, "and you are?"
"Bepo." His eyes shifted from side to side. "These two are Shachi and Penguin." The two nodded at her in unison while she gently let her arm fall to her side.
"My name is Ginger. I suppose we'll be crew mates from here on out." She looked from the spot where Jax's crew had been to the doorway as the fighting from outside resumed. "Should we wait here or go outside?"
"The Captain didn't say," Shachi answered. "I guess there would be no harm in going outside."
She reached down to grab her pack before it was taken from her reach. She looked up in time to see it hanging from Bepo's paw. Quickly, he said, "Your arm looks bad. I'll carry it for you, and when the captain's done he can take care of your arm."
A smile came about her lips as she thanked him for his thoughtfulness which in turn caused him to slightly blush. It was when Ginger turned to look at the doorway again that she noticed Kid's crew standing about. Sighing, she began to walk up the steps, looking over at where one of the three Celestial Dragons laid in the rubble before turning back ahead.
She had to start over in her search for Jax's crew, and if it ended up being she couldn't find them again then perhaps she would give up for the moment, choosing instead to focus on her new crew. The idea of giving up didn't settle well with her since her arm began to throb in pain again. It would be a constant reminder, until it healed, of her failure at being a Marine.
A/N: Next chapter will be slightly longer! Hope you enjoyed this one though!
