Present time:
Law looked up from his work. "Where is Miss Lia?" he asked when only Penguin and Shachi appeared in the door way of the infirmary. He expected them to tell him Lia was on deck enjoying the sun or in her room or chatting with cook. She might still be collecting herbs with one of the other crew or on the beach where she could be seen from the sub.
"She fell in love," Shachi replied automatically. Law froze for a moment before Shachi's words fully sunk in.
"She WHAT?"
"You didn't have to say it like that," Penguin hit Shachi over the head.
"There are less than fifty men on this island and you let one close enough to charm her?" Law growled. He picked up his hat and nodachi.
"Its not like that captain!" Penguin said quickly.
Four hours ago:
"Glad you made it!" Sou greeted as the Heart Pirates docked at Rainbao Haven. There was one small village on the island. Their dock supported the island's fishing boats and visitors. Law planned on having a small group explore here while the rest of the crew docked elsewhere. "Locals are pretty cool here. I've got some interesting stories," Sou told Lia as he helped her down from the sub. She took the information Sou gathered about the island. She laughed at something before sorting the information and sending a summary to Law and the others.
The village had about a hundred people. Sou had talked to nearly all of them, listening to local legends and grasping the culture. He also visited the elders and asked them to explain about medicinal herbs and the animals on the island.
Sou learned that the rainbow snakes, though abundant, were avoided. He thought this was because the small village lacked the knowledge and materials necessary for harvesting and experimenting on the venom. Law agreed with this theory. Sou also learned that there was a large beast that hunted in the forest. It did not have a specific territory and hunted everything. There were stories among the villagers that whoever tamed the beast would immediately be proclaimed king or queen of the island. Many of the village men went in pursuit of the creature and did not come back.
Law asked Sou where he could purchase herbs. He did not trust his crew to gather them with out having the dried herb to compare the live one with. He let the men wander around the small village for half an hour while he purchased herbs and learned about where they grew.
Lia followed Law and Sou to make sure they did not fight. She knew they did not like each other. Lia watched as the two men surprisingly worked well together. Maybe Law put aside his feelings when he saw how useful Sou was, and maybe Sou respected Law because Lia did. Lia didn't care for the reason as long as the result stayed the same. She did not want to see a fight between the two men. Law had the advantage with his devil fruit powers but Lia knew Sou was creative when he was faced with a tough problem.
Law split the crew into groups of twos and threes when he was done at the herb shop. He stressed that the groups were not to separate to make sure no one got lost or in case some one was injured or poisoned. He assigned some groups to gather herbs and some groups to gather animals.
Lia and Leif were assigned a flower whose bud could be used to treat infection and leaves could be used to decrease fever. The bud was purple and puffy while the leaves were a very dark shade of green. Shachi and Penguin were assigned a plant with yellow leaves and purple edges that could be used as a powerful pain reliever. The locations of the two plants were close, one being in a field and the other being just inside the forrest. The four decided to travel together.
"How big do you think that creature is?" Shachi asked.
"It has to be at least as big as one of us," Leif reasoned. "It has taken down over twenty men."
"Think we'll see it?" Penguin wondered.
If it does not have a specific territory, then the whole island must be it's territory.
Shachi looked around. "How long are we going to be here and why doesn't captain buy the stuff he needs?"
Log Pose takes about twelve hours to set. The shop keepers sell herbs at a higher price for visitors.
"What if someone gets eaten?"
You know captain. He would hunt the beast down and kill it if it harmed one of us.
"Or send someone else," Penguin added grimly. The guys turned pale.
"The faster we get this done, the happier captain will be, the safer we wil be, and hopefully sailing away from here." Leif said, trying to lift his friends' sprits.
"Let's hope the animal catching guys get lucky. I saw Captain preparing the infirmary last night. He had that creepy smile on his face," Shachi shivered.
"He hasn't dissected something in a while. He's looking forward to experimenting," Penguin sighed. "Don't get your hopes up though. This place it supposed to be crawling with snakes but I haven't seen one."
We've passed about twelve so far.
The guys stared at Lia.
What?
"You've seen twelve snakes and you haven't told anyone?" Leif asked.
We weren't looking for snakes.
The guys face palmed.
"There they are!" Shachi shouted when he saw the colorful leaves.
"We should be getting close to the field then, Miss Lia." Lia nodded and continued to follow Leif while Penguin and Shachi began to gather their assigned herbs. Lia waved as they called out to say they would meet up when they were done.
The field was only a few minutes away. It was filled with colorful flowers, including the ones Lia and Leif needed. They went to work, spreading out a few yards from each other so they wouldn't take too many flowers from one part of the field.
Their bags were half full when they heard some one yell. Shachi and Penguin burst from the forrest shouting for Lia and Leif to run. Something huge was behind them. It growled loudly as it thundered through the forrest. It burst out of the trees at the same time Lia stood. She stared at the beast as it slowed and crouched as if to pounce.
It was a giant cat.
The three men called for Lia to run, but she did not move. The cat seemed to pause as well. They studied each other. The creature was a bit bigger than Bepo over all. The cat had white fur with stripes in various shades of blue. The stripes that marked it's face were cyan. The stripes darkened to a royal blue on it's shoulders and front legs and then to a navy blue on it's back legs and tail. It was lean and muscular. It's claws and teeth deadly sharp, shown when first bared while coming out of the forest. It's eyes were a dark and deep blue, like Lia's.
"Crap. Those aren't stripes. Those are spots creating stripes," Leif observed."Captain is gonna be pissed," Penguin groaned.
"Whats so bad about the spots?" Shachi was lost.
"You were hung over that morning," Leif explained. "Remember some fairies took Miss Lia on the last island?" Shachi nodded. "Cook asked her what happened and she told him they told her part of her future,"
"What does that have to do with spots?"
"They told her she was fated to fall in love with something that had spots. We all thought it was the captain at first because he always wears spotted things and he kind of likes her, but she said the fairies meant natural spots."
"Captain likes Lia-chan?" Shachi was really lost now. He looked at Lia and the giant cat. She was petting it, a huge smile on her face.
"We don't think he knows yet, but he's showing signs of it." Shachi looked at Penguin with a blank face.
"Signs of love? That sounds like some crappy movie."
"Remember Lia-chan's punishment for wandering off? Anyone else would have been scrubbing the deck for a week but he practically took her on a date!"
"When have you ever seen Captain have a girl in his room that he didn't plan on messing around with?" Leif asked, adding to Penguin's point.
"He has been keeping her around a lot," Shachi admitted, thinking of all the times Captain pulled an annoyed Lia-chan into his lap for one reason or another. "Its just a cat though, not a guy,"
"When was the last time you saw Captain share something?" Penguin demanded. Shachi looked to Lia and the cat. They were playing now. Lia was pulling a vine for the cat to chase as if it was just an over grown house cat and had not eaten dozens of people.
Penguin decided on the plan of action. "You are her partner so you should stay here while Shachi and I get Captain. He'll be even more pissed if we left her alone."
"I'll make sure they don't leave the field," Leif promised.
...
Present time again:
Law watched as Lia lay next to the creature's belly and stroke it's neck. He could hear it purr from several yards away.
"Miss Lia." The creature growled at the sound of Law's voice. Lia jumped up and smiled. She calmed the cat somehow and it settled back down and continued purring.
"What is this?" Law questioned as he slowly walked closer to his butterfly.
The fated creature Titania told me I would meet.
Lia grinned happily.
"Will it put my crew in danger?" Lia frowned.
Of course not. I told him everyone was my friend, not food.
"And what do you plan to do with it?"
He likes me. I like him. He comes with us.
Law frowned causing Lia to panic.
I'll love him and feed him and he can stay in my room! He wont eat anyone! I'll train him and...
She continued to list everything a child would say when asking a parent for a pet.
"What will you feed it?"
Marines.
She answered without hesitation.
He isn't that much bigger than Bepo!
She was using puppy eyes on him. Law's mind started telling him all of the good things the cat could do rather than all of the bad things he had thought of on the way there. It would keep Lia entertained and help his crew fight. He was sure it would keep unwanted men away from Lia as well. It sure as hell wasn't a kitten, that was for sure.
"Can you train him to listen to my orders?" Law asked. Lia brightened and nodded. She had the biggest smile Law had seen on her. He decided he still did not like the cat.
"What is his name?"
Lia thought for a moment.
Creena.
The cat purred loudly and rubbed against Lia. Lia hugged the beast back.
"Does it mean something?"
It is Gaelic for 'my heart'.
Law really did not like the cat.
...
Law was not the only one with reservations about Creena. The guys were terrified of him. Bepo and Creena had a bit of a stand off before they both kind of just walked away from each other.
"What do you think?" Law asked Bepo while he watched Lia guide Creena onto the sub for a tour.
"He's completely loyal to Lia-chan, Captain. Is that why you let him join?"
"Lia-chan gave him puppy eyes," Shachi grinned.
"You don't like him. You're a bear person, not a cat person," Penguin added.
"Captain, I'll follow you!"
Law glared at his three childhood friends. Shachi and Penguin laughed.
"Get back to work,"
"Yes, Captain!"
...
Creena did not really like the sub. It was a big change from his home in the forrest. I showed him all of the types of islands the sub would visit. He liked the thought of exploring and found my room quite comfortable.
He also was not happy with the crew. He did not like how they were scared of him and he remembered men that hunted him smelled like fear. He liked Bepo, surprisingly. Actually he saw the sub as Bepo's territory and respected him. He was not at all fond of Law and growled when I explained that the sub was under his command. I showed Creena that Law was a good leader, smart, and strong. He did not waiver on his opinion but reluctantly agreed to do something if Law asked him to.
When night fell, Creena wanted to go back to the forrest. Law mentioned that we would be here for a few days so I let him. I did ask what part of the forrest he would be in and he showed me.
I barely saw Law during the day after I practically begged him to let me keep Creena. I had a bond with him. It was similar to love at first sight. I decided I would gather more information about Creena's kind in the village tomorrow and see if it was natural for him to immediately bond with a human or if this time was just special.
I decided Law would need to know where Creena was because he was the captain. After I told him that I would enjoy a nice slice of cheesecake. I knocked on the infirmary door. It was already slightly opened when I widened the crack. Law was retrieving venom from one of the snakes. After he put the snake away he filled a syringe with some venom and another clear liquid. The syringe was then inserted into one of the rats Law purchased on the previous island. He looked up after he placed the rat in a cage labeled with the snake's color.
Creena is spending the night in the forrest.
"Miss Lia," I could tell by the look on his face that he was deciding whether to lecture me or scold me. "You will take full responsibility for Creena-ya." That was all he said. What exactly was going through his head?
You want to scold me. Why aren't you?
"How do you know what I want?"
Your facial expression. You try to look blank when you are mad but your frown deepens instead.
Law looked amused. "I'm flattered Miss Lia. I did not know you took such an interest in me," he smirked.
I did not want him thinking I spent hours on end watching him.
Shachi puffs his cheeks slightly when he feels he is being ignored. Penguin taps his fingers on his side when he is agitated. Leif shifts from one leg to the other twice as much as a regular person because he still feels nervous about being on the crew. Bepo has your habit of drinking a cup of coffee before breakfast no matter how hungry he is.
Law stared at me. I might have reviled things he did not know about his friends.
"You're self sufficient," He finally told me. "When you first joined the crew I was willing to humor your materialistic wants to a certain extent as long as you used your power for me, however you had no need for me to purchase you anything. You also turned down my reward system. Creena is the first thing you have asked me for. Even he will be useful to me." Law looked thoughtful.
All I've ever had was what I could carry.
"Why is that?"
Because if you can't carry what you need, the bandits catch you and stab you in the gut.
One of the rats began to squeak. Law turned his attention to it and I slipped out to enjoy a very large slice of cheesecake.
"Where's that cat o your's?" Cook asked. I leaned against a counter in the kitchen while I ate my treat. It was well hidden but if I ate it in the galley the crew would ask where it came from. The best way to hide something is for no one to know that it is hidden in the first place.
Creena is spending the night in the woods.
"It will be nice to have fresh meat in reserve," Cook smiled. I froze with a bite of cheesecake half way to my mouth when I realized that he was talking about Creena and not his food. Cook laughed loudly when he saw my face. "I'm only kiddin. I'm only kiddin." Relieved, I continued to eat my treat. I would still keep close watch over Creena when he was in the galley.
...
Now that the "king of the jungle" was tamed by Lia, Law sent his crew through the forrest in smaller groups, allowing those less directionally challenged to collect herbs by themselves, but with a den den mushi in their pocket. Lia stayed in town to gather information on Creena. Sou walked with her, introducing her to all of the people he met during his stay. Lia did not get much more than she already knew. Who ever tamed Creena would be declared king or queen of the island. She would be leaving before anyone found out that little bit of information. Creena's kind was endangered seeing there were only signs that he was the only wild cat living on the island. Creena's powers were also unpredictable because they did not develop until he bonded with a human. The bond was natural and would in no way effect the um, mating patterns, of the two parties. Lia heard stories of animals forming such a strong bond that they no longer felt a connection with their own species. She was very relieved that this was not the case with Creena, especially if his kind was endangered.
Sou left that afternoon when he learned that a merchant ship was heading to the island the log pose was pointing to. He checked in with Law and gave a quick farewell to Lia before leaving.
...
Law knocked on Lia's bedroom door before opening it. She was laying on the bed reading a book she borrowed from him. "I need you to pick up a few things for me." The list was short, containing a few things Law needed for experimenting. The trip wouldn't take more than twenty minutes.
Lia was in a pharmacy deciding between two products based on the money she was given when she heard the screams. They were loud, mostly women's, and completely terrified. Lia quickly chose between the two items. If she failed to acquire what was on Law's list, there was no telling what sort of punishment he would come up with. Not only would she have been failing to follow an order, she would be affecting his experiments.
Luckily the shop keeper was not new to life and was hard of hearing. Lia purchased Law's items before she saw the source of the screams.
Creena walked into the shop and rubbed against Lia's legs.
"My, my, it seems like he likes you," the shop keeper observed. Lia smiled nervously. Men armed with various weapons ran into the store. They stared wide eyed as Creena purred and openly showed affection for Lia. He was pleased he had not found her on the sub but in the village instead.
Lia let out a sigh as the men, one by one, began to bow before her. She was escorted out of the shop.
...
Law looked up at the clock on the infirmary wall. It was yellow with black numbers and his Jolly Rodger was stamped in the middle. It told him Lia was late. He sent her off forty minutes ago. Some of his crew had returned during that time. They sounded excited for some reason. Law asked the first person he saw to watch the rats while he was away. The person happened to be Leif.
"How long will you be gone, Captain?" he asked as he took his seat, a pen and notebook in his hands to record any behavior of the creatures.
"I'm just going to retrieve Miss Lia," Law picked up his nodachi. Leif suddenly paled.
"She is not in her room?"
"I sent her out for some things earlier," Law straightened his hat.
"I-I think I know what happened to her," Leif stuttered. Law remembered Lia telling him Leif still was not completely at ease with the crew. "The village is celebrating finding a new queen," he paused to see if Law would fill in the gap on his own.
"She is the new queen?" Law was surprised but quickly dismissed the slight shock when he remembered the cat decided the new ruler. It was in the summary of the island Lia gave them when they first docked. "She must have met Creena in the village," Law left the room only to come back a short second later. "The blue rat will most likely die while I am away. Document it very carefully, even after it is dead."
"Yes, Captain,"
...
Lia was in a large house that looked over the village. Several men explained the status of the island financially and gave her a summary of issues the villagers were having. She asked if the village laws were written down any where and a very old book was brought to her. Lia wanted to resolve this matter before Law came looking for her. She hoped to find a quick loop hole in the laws of the village, appoint someone else as ruler, and leave.
She wasn't having much luck. Apparently a ruler could only be appointed by a cat such as Creena. Unless Creena had a cub she would have to wait until night to escape, and Lia doubted Law would wait that long before coming to get her himself. She knew his methods would not be peaceful.
She asked Creena if he had any family on the island. After she got her answer there was a very loud bang and a few screams. Law was here. The guards in the room tensed to protect Lia when Law entered but she waved them down.
Did you kill anyone?
"Not yet," He looked to Creena then to Lia. "Are you enjoying yourself Queen-ya?" he smirked. He observed that she was seated on a mound of cushions surrounded by books and that the elaborately carved chair, meant to be a throne, was empty.
It is easier to pretend to be a queen rather to actually be one. I would actually like to wait another decade before I start playing queen rather than princess.
"Really?" Law looked amused. Lia was thankful for this. If he wasn't pissed right now he might agree to solve the problem peacefully.
I found a way out of this.
"So have I," She knew he meant just dragging her back to the ship and killing anyone that tried to stop her.
Wouldn't you like to return to this island? It has many medicinal plants-
Lia stopped abruptly and brought her butterfly back. She grimaced and apologized immediately. She was using one of her tactics to persuade clients on her captain.
"Continue with your point Miss Lia," Her mistake did not phase Law. He saw no problem with someone trying to persuade another. Actually this method was better than those damn puppy eyes she used yesterday. Anything was better than those puppy eyes. He held no power against them.
The only way for me to be legally removed from the role of queen is to find one of Creena's family and have the cub bond with one of the villagers. While someone gets the cub, I can write a declaration of alliance with you and the island, allowing you unlimited access to the forrest, village, and knowledge. It would be illegal to call the marines while you are on the island. You would also get a discount on all of the items bought here, if they are not given to you for free.
Law thought this over for a moment. "How long would this take?"
A few hours at the longest.
"We leave tomorrow morning. Be done by then."
...
Law sat in the infirmary. He was writing reports on the mice and the effects of the snakes' venom. He kept pausing to look at his notes only to think of something else then remind himself he was supposed to be writing his reports.
Law finally gave up and slammed his pencil down. He couldn't concentrate. This was unlike him. Usually he enjoyed writing reports because it was a way to relive his experiments and come up with new ideas to plan more. Something, no, someone was stopping him from enjoying his pass time. Law's mind kept veering to Lia.
Her plan today turned out successfully. In an hour and a half the cub was brought back, shown around the village, and bonded with the new king. Law could hear the sounds of celebration. He knew that Miss Lia was out there dancing with the crew and... others. Law did not like the thought of Lia with other men. He did not like to think about why he did not like that thought.
Law stood and headed for the galley. He needed a drink. It was truly a rare occasion because even Cook left for the celebration. Usually he stayed in the kitchen enjoying the silence rather than joining the party. Law poured his drink. He figured that if he simply gave in and thought of Miss Lia for a while his mind would allow him to think of other things afterwards.
Law gained many things from having Lia on his ship. He gained information at a quick pace that was also at very little risk to his crew. He gained money and supplies through the information. He gained a second opinion for his plans. Her experience was a useful resource. He gained knowledge of languages through her. He gained another crew member that could fight. He gained a source of amusement through her reactions when teased. He gained someone who showed interest rather than disgust with his experiments. He gained a companion as she often relaxed in his office with him when she was bored. He gained a feminine touch to the ship. She sewed small hole in the men's suits and even embroidered one of his shirts. She forever smelled like flowers since she purchased new soaps on the last island, and no matter how many times he scolded her she still wore clothes that showed her curves, legs, and shoulders.
A shot of lust ran through Law as he thought of her clothes and then lack of. Could he have gained a woman? No. He gained a crew member that was all.
Law realized his rapidly beating heart, the rush he felt when she touched him, were from hormones connected to attraction rather than just pure lust. The realization shocked him.
He shouldn't feel this way. She was so small. She fit in his arms perfectly. She acted like a child. She understood him without words. She was so delicate. She painted walls with mens' blood with a flick of her wrist. She always smelled sweet, like those gardenias she loved so much. Lia wasn't just part of his crew. She was something more, something so much more.
"Law?" The voice was soft, just loud enough to hear. Law turned in his seat. Lia stood in the door way. Alone.
...
Hi everyone! First, thank you for reading and everything else like reviewing and favoriting and following!
Rainbao Haven was created by KimiKitteh! Yay! I'm glad KimiKitteh thought of it because I never would.
A friend of mine is begging me to do Bread Island. Like? No like?
updates might be a bit slow, maybe once a week now because I'm writing when I feel an idea and I can't force myself to write. It just does not work. Everyone can help by giving me more islands!
The Heart Pirates are friends, not food. I kept thinking that every time I read the chapter. I just had to put it here.
Thanks again for reading and please review! :)
