Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Eichiro Oda.

Chapter 11.

"Excuse me, sir, can I ask you something?"

Law hated being called that. Still, he turned around to face the customer, a middle-aged woman. She was so short he had to look down on her. Well, he had to look down on almost everyone. "Yes?"

She raised a DVD. "Do you think this is too frightening for an ten-year-old?"

He stared at the cover. It was a 'Spiderman'-movie. "Too frightening? Absolutely not." She looked pleased. "Actually, I don't think it's scary enough for someone that age."

She tilted her head. "What?"

"If you're looking for movies where people turn into bugs, I strongly recommend 'The Human Centipede'."

"Is it animated?" she asked.

"No, but the violence is very graphic."

"Okay..." She slowly placed the movie back on the shelf. "I think I'll settle with something from Disney instead."

"Disney? What on earth did the kid do to you?"

The woman gave him a final, condescending look, before she left. Law turned to face the other side of the room, only to notice the video store owner approach with a similar, annoyed expression on his face.

Rocinante was eating when he returned to his apartment.

"Back already?" he questioned. Law gave him a level look. "You got fired."

"The owner thouht I was 'rude'. I met at least thirty people, and no one picked a decent movie. It´s enough to make you lose faith in humanity."

He put the fork down, and leaned his forehead against a palm. "You needed this job."

"What I need is to continue carving inside people. The anatomy of the human body is the only thing that haven´t bored me out."

"Well, you´ve lost that opportunity." Rocinante went back to eating. "You need to find something else to do."

"I´m not getting back into a store.

"I got it!" He waved entusiastically with the fork. "You can work at a pig farm! Pigs' anatomy are similar to that of humen, right?"

Law continued speaking as if he didn´t hear him. "Patients I met at the hospital were usually nice to me, probably because they knew their lives depended on me. But people are in general a pain in the ass."

"At a farm, there wouldn´t be much people around either. Or, a butcher..."

"I need a place where people are scared of me... yet can´t bitch about it because I´ve got more power than they do. A place like... a school."

His blonde friend firmly shook his head. "No."

"Yes."

"You think they´ll let someone like you, who can´t work in a hospital, be a school nurse?"

"Not a nurse, I´m going to teach. I think they´re less strict about who they hire in some schools." Rocinante was a teacher, so it couldn't be too hard to become one, Law reasoned.

"Even excluding all that happened, you´re not a teacher, and you have no experience of teaching."

He exhaled. "I´ve got one full summer to get some. There must be someone who´s looking for a private tutor for their idiot kid."

"So, you used to work as a doctor, but wanted a change of scenery. Your parents passed a long time ago, and you have no younger siblings or children of your own. You have no working experience, or education that's relevant."

"Correct." Law looked at the old man.

Garp rested his chin against one palm, and nodded. "Hmmm." Several seconds passed. "Can you start tomorrow?"

Ace´s house was seriously big, and having been there only once, Koala didn´t get the exact layout of it yet. Sabo entered through the gate and drew around to the back of the mansion, stopping next to a second entrance door.

The room just inside was breathtaking. Instead of walls, there were two enormous aquariums lining each side of the long hallway. Koala couldn´t help herself - she rushed to the aquarium on the left, placed her hands on the glass and watched the many colorful fishes in silent awe. There was only two dimly-lit lamps on the roof, but most of the light came from lamps set into the aquarium itself - and it colored the air in a light-blue luminiscence. She had never seen anything like it.

Luffy suddenly stood next to her. "Pretty neat, huh?" She nodded, and then realised what she was doing. She instantly dropped her hands.

"I dirtied the glass." She pulled the left sleeve down over her hand. "So so-"

"Don´t worry about it," Sabo said before she could start wiping the away the prints on the glass. "It´s nothing."

"But..."

"Even if it was, they probably have staff for that."

"You know they don´t," Luffy said. "No one likes to work for Ace´s dad, no matter how much he pays them. Anyways..." Luffy´s glance darted back and forth between them, "...I´m going to the kitchen." He took off.

She wiped the glass anyway, and then turned around to find Sabo watching her. "I like to keep things clean," she uttered, for some inexplicable reason. She could see the smile, that she loved so much, form on Sabo´s lips.

"You would love my room then."

His room? Was he trying to invite her to his home? She clutched the front of her shirt, as her heart beat faster. "Yes, I would."

She clenched her lips together. The corners of her mouth almost began to ache - because, ever since the kiss, she just couldn't stop smiling.

Sabo looked at her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, and tried to relax her face.

He sighed. "Look, I... we should probably, like, talk. I think. I haven't done this much before."

"We probably should." She was relieved that he finally showed a glint of nervousness - it made her feel more confident herself.

"Just an usual day, I was at home, trying to study, but it was hard to focus. Because..." he chewed on his lips, and she waited patiently for him to continue. "We hadn't spoken much - haven't - but there are so much I wanted to tell you. So, I wrote it down." He reached into a pocket, and picked up a folded piece of paper, which he handed to her.

She stared at the paper, then at his face, then the paper again. "You wrote it down?" she repeated.

He cleared his throat. "I know. Letters. So lame." He started to redraw his hand, but she managed to snap the paper from him.

"Not lame," she told him. "Lovely."

"So you're not judging me then?" He half-smiled.

"No. But I havent read it yet."

"Right..." He looked nervous again, as he pulled a hand through his hair. "Umm, I need to go to the bathroom. Now." She slowly nodded once. "I'll be right back."

"Uhuh."

After he left, she unfolded the paper and started reading. He had filled almost an entire A4, with beautifully written letters. He seemed to have a skill for writing, and her inside warmed the more she read. If this was true...

"Chotto!"

She turned around, and something hit her across the face.

"There's a fly," Luffy said.

"Did you get it?"

He lifted his other hand, and she was soon rubbing two paining cheeks. "Yeah," he said, sounding too innocent. She felt something odd on her right cheek. Realising that it was fly remains, and quickly wiped it off her face.

When she focused on Luffy again, he was reading something. It took her several moments of stunned silence to realise what it was. She had dropped the paper when Luffy hit her.

"No." Luffy didn't react. "Give it back!"

"I'm not done reading yet," he explained.

She lunged forward, and tried to take it back. He stepped backwards, avoiding her while he also continued reading. This continued for about five seconds. When he hit the wall at the end of the corridor, he finally looked up. Believing she had won, she threw herself forward again.

But he was faster than she'd imagined. He didged to one side, and headed through a doorway.

"Stop, idiot!" She tried to follow him, but he slammed the door in her face. A few dazed seconds, then she was running after him again.

On the other side of the door was a staircase. She reached the top of it closely after him. That was when all the running she'd done paid off; in the sprint through yet another corridor, she managed to catch up to him. She reached for the back of his shirt, but grabbed something higher up.

She had his hat.

He stopped, several meters in front of her, and turned around in slowmotion. His look could have killed, but she was too fired up to be scared.

She noticed the top of one fish tank was right next to her, and stepped towards it.

"You wouldn't," he said. She slid the hatch open. "Alright, I'll give you..." he began, but it was too late. In a stroke of anger, she had already dropped the hat. She held it in place, its brim just below the surface. The aquarium water slid between her fingers.

Luffy's eyes widened. "Don't." He moved closer, and she lowered the hat further, disrupting the surface. The water was now reaching up to her arm.

"Stop!" He did. "I'm gonna drop the hat soon. It'll sink. This aquarium is probably deep, like the other one. Too deep to reach for. It'll be a pain to get it back."

"I won't get it back."

"Why? Can't swim?" she taunted.

"Yes, I can. That's the piranha tank."

Something stung her skin, and she screamed and lifted her arm. To her shock, the fish was still biting into it. "Oh my god!" She waved with her arm frantically, and the fish let go and fell into the water, taking a chunk of her arm with it. Despite that it'd attacked her, she was relieved the fish was alright.

She stared at the profusely bleeding wound, and wondered if it could be bone she was seeing. She felt sick.

"I told you to not do that." Luffy retrieved his dripping hat, and then looked at her wounded arm. "It didn't reach an artery. You'll be fine."

"How do you know that!?" she shrieked. She couldn't seem to calm down enough to control her voice. "You're not a doctor!"

"I learned this summer."

She took several breaths, before speaking again. "Why isn't there some warning about those?!" she half-yelled, clutching her arm.

"There's a sign right there."

She looked to where he pointed. The sign above the tank was about two squaremetres in size, and had red warning letters and a picture of a fish with sharp teeth. "Now I feel stupid." She looked back to where Luffy was, or rather, where he had been moments ago.

He still had the note, so she had to go after him. Problem was, she had no clue where he went. Unlike her, he knew his way around the large building. But his sandals against the tiled floor made noise as he ran. She took off her own shoes, and carried them as she silently followed him.

She caught up to Luffy in what looked like a ballroom, with a high roof and several white marble pillars. He was standing at the top of a wide staircase, reading once again. He looked up, noticing her just before she shoved him.

He tumbled down the stairs, and ended up landing in a heap at the bottom. She wasn't far behind, and with five steps to go, she jumped. He noticed her, and rolled out of her way just in time. Her right foot twisted as she landed, but she was too busy to care.

Luffy was lying on the floor, defenceless. She rushed towards him, but he turned and kicked her in the stomach, sending her stumbling backwards. She managed to stay on her feet, but the move gave him time to get back on his feet as well.

They stood staring at each other, both panting. She noticed a small trickle of blood running down the side of his face. "Stop chasing me," he said.

"Fine. Give it back."

"No."

She started to move forward, but a sudden rush of pain in her ankle made her drop to one knee.

"Are you okay?" Luffy was getting closer - close enough to reach. She punched him in the solar plexus, just for the hell of it. He let out a gasp, and bent forward.

"Do it look like I'm okay?" She grabbed the hem of his jacket, and pulled him down to her eye level. "Listen, dumbass. It's clear the two of us do not get along, and that's fine. But I thought we at least had enough respect to stay away from each other's business, including personal items!"

Luffy appeared annoyingly unfazed. "I'd recognise Sabo's handwriting anywhere." The words made her cold all over. "I guess yours isn't the same, and you're not the stealing type, which means he gave this paper to you."

"It's not your business."

"He's my friend, and you're a violent psychopath, so yeah, it is my business."

"I'm neither!" Luffy pointedly glanced down at her hand. "Point." She sighed and let go of him.

She sat down on one of the staircase's steps, and Luffy sat down next to her.

"I don't get it," he said.

"Get what?" She glanced down at her lap.

"What it is that Sabo likes so much about you." Her cheeks tinged of sudden warmth. "It's pretty obvious he does. He doesn't look at anyone, the way he looks at you."

She was surprised that he would notice something like that. She finally looked at him. "Do you think I'm a bad person, Luffy?"

He was silent for some time. "No. You're dope. You just have a habit of hitting people."

"Well, today you threw the first punches."

"Yeah. I am sorry that I had to hit you, but that fly tried to take my food."

She snorted. "So you wouldn't mind if... me and Sabo..."

"I didn't say that!"

Sabo came running out of a doorway. "I heard a girl scream. And it... took a while to found you."

"I am a girl," she said.

"Yeah, I know. What happened? Huh, is that blood?"

"Yes, it was..." she began, but he crouched by Luffy's side.

"It's just a scratch," Luffy said, about the wound on his head.

"It could be a concussion. Are you feeling dizzy?"

"Nope."

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"San."

"Good." He looked at her. "Oh, your arm's injured too."

"I'm fine." After all years of martial arts training, she wasn't a stranger to injuries, and was pretty sure her arm and ankle would be just fine.

"I could drive you to a hospital."

"I said I'm fine. It's barely bleeding anymore." She didn't mention that she disliked hospitals.

"A good way to stop bleeding is to cauterize the wound. I know there are some matches in the kitchen," Luffy said.

Sabo nodded. "Good idea."

"I'm fine, okay!"

"She's probably in chock, she isn't thinking clearly. Hurry, Luffy." Their classmate took off.

"He isn't taking any matches anywhere near me!" she said.

"If it feels better for you, I'll do it. There's no reason to be scared." He took Luffy´s former place next to her.

"No one's doing anything. Except maybe getting some bandages."

"Bandages are good, but Luffy said fire is..."

"He's an idiot! I don't care what he says."

"He's just trying to help," Sabo muttered.

"Helping me lose my arm or disfigure my skin?"

"Hey, he's my friend," Sabo muttered.

She mentally slapped herself. "I know. Sorry." She showed him the paper that she was still holding. "This was very sweet, by the way, and I was happy to read iit. When did you write it?"

"Couple weeks ago."

She pinched his cheek with one hand and pulled sharply at it. "Why didn´t you just tell me all that sooner?!"

"Ouch!"

She let her fingers rest a few extra seconds on his cheek, before dropping the hand. She leaned into him instead. "You´re so stupid."

Before he had time to respond, the doorbell rang.

"Go talk to him," Zoro said. "You want to, right?"

"It's not that easy." Robin could just see Ace, who was sitting among friends on the other side of the fire.

"Maybe it is."

Some of Zoro's friends approached, and he turned his attention toward them instead. Robin finished eating the last of her food, and put her chin against one palm. She let her mind wander, and didn't know how much time had passed when she heard his voice.

"Hey, Zoro!" Ace sat down between them. He was mostly facing Zoro, but his arm stretched out behind her back. "How are ya?"

"What are you doing here?" Zoro grunted.

"I forgot to invite you to my place tonight." He turned towards her. "You too."

"I'm not much into partying." She stood up. "I need to stretch my legs." Zoro nodded at her.

Ace spoke loud enough for her to hear, as she walked away. "Oh, what is a party at Ace's house? There're just drunk teenagers, lousy 90s music and it's totally... totally amazing."

She glanced over her shoulder, and saw him smile at her. She had a hard time avoiding to smile as well, but managed.

The lake was beautiful. She had noticed a trampled path that run alongside it, when she arrived. She was sure she needed a walk, to clear her head.

On the way there, she passed the fire. She could see a few insects circling it, and stopped. She could feel his eyes at her back. It was stupid, and illogical, but maybe it was what she wanted.

She slowly turned, and met his eyes. She made a tiny gesture with her head, and wasn't sure if he whether he noticed it, and kind of hoping he hadn't. She continued walki g towards the lake, mot sure if he followed.

She followed the path, until she reached a clearing. Someone had put a white bench in the middle of it, facing the lake. The iron seat was dry, despite yesterday's rain. The glade was silent, apart from the distant chattering of the students. It didn't take long before Ace caught up, and sat down on the opposite corner of the bench. "What?"

He sounded exasperated, and didn't look at her as she spoke. "I wanted to apologise for perhaps acting rudely..."

"You're forgiven." He stood up.

"Wait!" He sighed deeply and sat down again. "I believed my behavior was justified, after everything I've been told about you. But that belief was my mistake. When I study history, for example, I'm always being objective. I should have more of an open mind in my personal life, too. I know that now."

"Good for you." He still wasn't looking at her, to her frustration.

"I anticipated more of a response," she blurted.

Finally he faced her, and to her surprise, he looked irritated. "I'm sorry to disappoint you. I've been doing that alot, it seems."

"Ace..."

"Wait, I'm not done." She closed her mouth. "I surround myself with people who like me, for who I am. People as judgmental as you..." She opened her mouth to protest, but he waved her down. " - as you claim you used to be, at least - I avoid them. Simple as that. But with you, I just couldn't."

"What - why?"

"I mean that, perhaps for the first time in my life, I wanted to be a better person. You judged me for who I was, and what I've done, not because of who my parents are or something. Even if I couldn't be with you, I wanted to deserve to be. But it seems whatever I did wasn't enough. So..." He looked straight at her now, his voice almost pleading. "Can you tell me what it was that I didn't do, and should have?"

"You're right. You did disappoint me. The time when we first met, and every moment after, you have let me down. Because you weren't as bad as everyone said, Ace. You weren't even close."

Ace didn't say anything, so she shuffled towards him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I am."

They were so close now, near enough so she could feel the warmth of his breath against her face. She wasn't usually comfortable with being close to other people. Somehow, with him, she didn't want to move away. She was sure she would have, if her brain started functioning as usual. But right now it was hard to form a coherent thought. It must've been his fault.

To her utter dismay, he was the one who pulled away.

"Actually, I'm not alright."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"You've suddenly changed your mind about me? I'm not buying it."

She clutched his arm, silently pleading him not to go. "It's not going to be like that again."

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"No, just... just friends."

"I can't be just friends."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't shut my feelings away like you do!"

Those words hurt her. She'd just opened up to him, shared her thoughts, and he accused her of being cold.

She turned further away from him. "We can't be together."

"If that's what you think, fine by me. I'll be going now." After several steps away, he turned and looked at her. "I'll make sure you won't ever see me again."

"Sorry, what?" Hope he isn't talking about suicide, she thought.

"I'll find another school. I'll move - perhaps to Paris, I've alwayd wanted to visit there."

She breathed out. "Good."

"Have a nice life, Robin."

She muttered to herself after he left. "There's no way he'd just up and leave. That's crazy. But if he really intends to do it, that's fine by me. I'm glad that he's leaving. He's doing the right thing. But one good action doesn't justify all the bad ones. I hope he'll continue to do good in the future."

A duck stopped in front of her. She glared at it. "I don't have any food." It didn't take its eyes off of her. "What, you don't think I'm happy? Whether I am or not, I'll feel good tomorrow. Or Monday, maybe. I will be. Good... but not great."

Ace was beginning to lose hope, when he exited the parking lot. Maybe he had gone too far, pissed Robin off too much. All the while, he´d desperately wanted to turn back, but knew that this was her time to decide. If she didn´t come to him now, she never would.

Up until now, he´d been confident in his ability to seduce, but with Robin he didn´t know if he´d succeed or not. He remembered the tenderness in her eyes, could see the want was there, and yet she continuously refused giving in to it.

Of course, women had rejected him before. But they always had sound reasons. The reason Robin didn´t, was because she was strong. Strong enough to withstand any desire, it seemed. He admired her for it. But her belief that, somehow, giving in to desire would cause her suffering annoyed him. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

The steps could have belonged to anyone, yet somehow he knew it was her. He didn´t spare her a glance, as she caught up to him, urging him to stop.

"What about your friends? You can´t just leave them."

That almost made him hesitate, but not quite. They had passed a crossing, when she finally said it.

"I don´t want you to leave."

"I know you. You're sixteen. And I'm not dealing alcohol to minors," Teach repeated.

"Hey, Ace personally asked me to get it," Sabo protested. "I'm not gonna drink any of it." Ace's friend stared at him. "I promise..."

"Doesn't matter. Unless Ace gets his ass over here, soon, you're not getting any."

Sabo glanced at the car behind him, and the boxes with bottles. What a jerk, he thought. If he knew that he had to meet this guy, he would never have agreed to help Ace out. There was something so very unnerving about him.

"What's taking you so long?" Koala walked slowly towards them, hips swaying. She wore a jacket with long sleeves, covering her wound, and had a smile plastered across her face. She looked adorable.

"Just chatting," Teach replied. She extended a hand to him, and he shook it.

"I'm Koala."

"Marshall."

It was rare for him to use his first name. Sabo thought the handshake lasted longer than it should, and when he cleared his throat, they dropped their hands.

"I heard you know Ace too, correct?" Koala asked. He nodded.

"How well do you know him?"

"We've been in the same class for a while. He's, umm, a great guy."

"He is."

Koala turned to Sabo, and gave Teach the chance to look at her behind. He wanted to punch him, but managed to restrain himself. "It's so cold, and you don't even have a jacket. Why don't you head inside, and we'll catch up later?"

"I'm fine," he growled.

"I'm not staying. I just came to drop this off."

Koala twirled to face Teach again, still smiling. "Oh? Shame."

"If that's how you feel, I don't have to go..."

"Oh, you're going." Sabo didn't intend to say that out loud, it just sort of happened.

Teach looked amused, but Koala seemed slightly irritated. Even her smile had vanished. "You should really get inside," she said.

He did, after glowering at the guy one final time.

Watching from a window, he saw them beginning to carry the bottles inside. Koala must've been in pain, she grimaced once when Teach couldn't see her face. He started heading back out then, to help her, or punch him, or both.

But they were already done when he found the hallway. Koala was sitting at the floor, leaning against a wall and panting.

"Where is he?" Just as he said it, he heard the car engine spring to life outside. He was glad that he was leaving.

Koala grinned. "It worked. It actually worked."

"What worked?"

"Oh, just something Nami taught me. How to get a guy to... well..." she trailed off.

"I get it," he muttered.

"You were kinda rude, though," she said.

"He had it coming." She raised an eyebrow. "Trust me."

"Had it coming? Why? Because he's a foreigner?" she spat out.

"What, no! Because he's, umm..." She was staring at him, patiently waiting. "Forget it."

"You're welcome, by the way. I got this." She gestured at the alcohol. "Now do me a favor, and help me pull this jacket off."