[Let's Play Doctor]

Summary: LAW X OC. Yumei, a dancer running from the men that her boss sold her to, hides on the first ship she sees—too bad it's the Pirate ship of Trafalgar Law, the notorious "Surgeon of Death." What will she do when she realizes that he is a doctor, something she fears the most?

Genre: Romance

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only my OCs

A/N: Wow… Sorry about the suuuuuper late update. So lame of me to take so long. -_-'

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for their reviews and ideas (and telling me how awesome I am—I was mostly joking you know)! I love you all! Here's a recap since it's been a while (if you guys like the recaps, I can continue to put them in the chapters, just let me know):

At the realization that she was ogling the Trafalgar Law, Yumei abruptly berated herself. What was she thinking? He was the Dark Doctor for Roger's sake! She couldn't think such things about him! It didn't matter that the sunlight streaming through the curtains of the small window above his head made his sleeping form that much more radiant, she would not allow herself to think such treacherous thoughts. He was the enemy. He was—wait.

Sunlight? She blinked and then stared at Law's forearm. She had been certain that they were fairly deep underwater, too deep for sunlight to filter in. She pulled back one side of the curtain and looked out the window to see that they were, in fact, not deep underwater, but just under the surface. Excited about the prospect of seeing actual sunlight, she quickly, albeit quietly, left the room.

CHAPTER 12

Whilst the morning had started out in a less than savory way (she refused to admit otherwise), Yumei was excited at the prospect of feeling actual sunshine kiss her skin and breathing in fresh ocean air. Of finally being out in the open again after being inside the submarine for so long.

It wasn't that the sub was too small—she just hated being confined in an enclosed space for too long, especially an enclosed space with no real way out since they had been submerged deep underwater for the last few days. She had a distaste for enclosed spaces; it was no wonder—considering her past and her profession—that she much preferred wide, open spaces where she could move freely. This was why she had come to adore the ocean so much—it was so vast it seemed never-ending with no walls and nothing to restrict her.

Thrilled at the thought of being outside surrounded by nothing but the expanse of the ocean, she hummed quietly to herself as she skipped down the hallway toward the navigation room. She hoped she would find at least one of the crew members there so that she could find out when they were resurfacing.

As she strolled into the room, Yumei was greeted by Penguin. "Good morning Yumei-chan!" he flashed a cheesy grin as he turned away from one of the many consoles in the room. "How are you feeling this morning? Are you okay? Did you get enough sleep?" He inquired, sounding like he genuinely cared. As he spoke to her, she noticed Shachi beginning to stir from his half-asleep state in one of the chairs on the other side of the room.

"Good morning… I'm fine…" She replied distractedly. There were so many machines in the room, flashing different colors, but what really caught her eye were the multitude of portholes allowing the water-filtered sunlight into the circular room.

Noticing that she was distracted, Penguin turned to see what she was looking at. "Ah, you're wondering about the sunlight, right?"

Yumei nodded her head. "Are we resurfacing soon?"

He smiled at the excited anticipation that the heard her trying to contain. "Yep. Bepo's been complaining non-stop for the last couple of days about it. About how it's so hot and that he is a polar bear and polar bears aren't made for heat and that if he has to wait for fresh, cool air any longer he will die, or at the very least get his bear sweat all over MY bunk. AND he threatened that he would puke from heat stroke all over my stuff! Can you believe him? It's not like I control when we resurface! It's all up to Captain Law! I am so tired of him getting his bear sweat all over the place!" Seeing that the dancer was a bit taken aback by his answer turned rant, he finished by saying, "Anyway, we're just waiting for the Captain to give us orders to breach water."

Shachi cautiously approached the lovely, but (what her thought to be) unhinged woman and his friend as he heard Penguin inadvertently attack the young woman with complaints about the sweaty bear. He couldn't blame his penguin-hatted companion though; Bepo often complained about the heat in the sub when they were near underwater volcanoes and then, in an attempt to have his two crewmates share his pain, he would shake his sweat all over them. It drove them both crazy—no one wanted to smell like sweaty bear—it was gross. And totally offended the ladies. He swore, one day he was going to shave the whiny, bipedal bear and put everyone out of their misery. One day…

When he was closer, the dancer shifted her attention to him. That was when he stopped. He didn't want to get any closer to her, just in case she didn't have a grip on reality. Narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously (though one wouldn't be able to see it since he was wearing his sunglasses as per usual), he warily inquired about her well-being. "Are you better today? Or are you gonna start freaking out again?"

Yumei blushed at the inquiry and looked away. Dammit, she shouldn't have let that first nightmare get her so out of sorts. She had let her defenses fall and was showing a weaker side to herself that she tried so desperately to hide. It was pathetic.

"She's fine Shachi. Don't be mean to her just because she walked in on you taking a piss."

Her blush deepened and she kept her gaze firmly on the floor. She had done that? What else had she done? She couldn't remember. Most of the day before was pretty fuzzy. It was probably the sleep deprivation. She really had to stop letting herself go for so many days without sleep.

Before Shachi could comment, Bepo entered the room and did the honors for his crewmate, "Are you still feeling sensitive about your performance anxiety?" He asked in a half-whisper and then continued on to say, "You know, bears don't have that problem…"

Bepo was barely able to finish his sentence as Shachi attacked, kicking the bear in the side (which had little effect) before pouncing on the bear's back and wrapping his arms around his neck. "Shut up! You stupid bear!"

Though a chorus of melancholy sorrys left the polar bear's mouth, Shachi did not relent. "Why does everyone have to go on about me having 'performance anxiety'?" He ranted. "You would be freaked out too if some chick just came into the bathroom while you were doing your business and started rambling about weird shit!"

Upon noticing the bear's entry, Yumei discretely scooted herself away from him and the entryway; this turned out to be a good thing since Kira came prancing into the room only to tackle Penguin. This also effectively snapped her out of her self-berating for the time being.

"Oh Pengi-pi!" The petit blonde cooed dramatically, "Did you sleep well, my darling?" Penguin seemed completely uncomfortable with the girl's demeanor toward him and tried, in vain, to pry her deathly grip off of him. He didn't have to try for long, however, as she soon noticed Yumei slowly scooting herself away from the group. "Yumei-nee!" She called, releasing the penguin-hatted man. "You're awake! How do you feel? Better?" Yumei could barely reply with a nod before the girl continued. "You sure look a lot better! Thank goodness! I was really worried!"

"I'm sure she does feel a lot better," Shachi added, still hanging onto Bepo's back. "She slept with the Captain after all," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Kira abruptly turned on him, "Don't say stuff like that! The Captain's a nice guy! He wouldn't—"

"Wouldn't what? Take advantage of her? Captain's a hot-blooded male! And Crazy over there is undoubtedly attractive!" He pointed to Yumei as he jumped off of Bepo's back. "And anyway! He wouldn't have to take advantage of her! Captain's popular with all the ladies! He could easily seduce her!" Shachi exclaimed proudly.

Kira, who was standing next to a blushing Yumei, was getting angrier and angrier with every word Shachi said.

"Man! The Captain's so lucky!" The casquette-hatted martial artist lamented jealously. "There's finally an actual female on board and Captain gets her all to himself!"

"SHUT UP YOU STUPID CHAUVANISTIC PIG!" Kiramai finally snapped. "WOMEN ARE MORE THAN A PIECE OF ASS! You—you ASS!" She yelled irately and kicked him right in his manhood. He dropped like a rock. "STOP THINKING WITH YOUR DICK!" She screamed as she dealt a blow to his side. "I SURE AS HELL KNOW THAT THE CAPTAIN DOESN'T!" At least, she was fairly certain of that. "AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'ACTUAL FEMALE'!? HUH!?" She kicked the downed man who was still frothing at the mouth from the first blow onto his stomach. "I'M A FEMALE!"

At this point, Bepo and Penguin were cowering behind the only thing that stood a chance against Kira's merciless assault: Yumei. The two were sweating uncontrollably. If Shachi could just keep his mouth shut, he just might live to see another day.

However, Shachi found just enough strength to see through his pain and respond to the furious demon's inquiry. "Y—you're… You're a… tomboy grease monkey… I can't count you as a woman…" And that was the last straw, the other three people in the room knew, as the livid blonde lifted her leg in the air in order to deal the final, most painful blow. She glared mercilessly into his resolved, but slowly glazing over eyes, her steel-toed boot hovering dangerously over his groin. 'Farwell,' Penguin and Bepo cried quietly to their brave, but undeniably brainless friend.

Yumei wasn't sure what to do. Shachi hadn't had any real malice in his words, but Kira's anger was understandable. However, she didn't want the girl to kill a crewmate because of her, especially since she was used to such comments. Though, she had the feeling that the words toward her were not the ones that made the mechanic snap. No, the real kicker (literally) had been the indirect blow to the blonde's femininity. It really seemed to be a sore subject for the girl.

Before the dancer could say or do anything to save the life of the ginger-haired Heart Pirate, an ominous voice commanded from the doorway, "Please refrain from beating him by the expensive equipment. Do it outside when we resurface."

The voice, which gave Yumei and the whole crew chills, came from none other than the Dark Doctor as he leaned on the doorway with a black and most horrifying aura surrounding him. At that moment the Heart Pirates knew they had truly angered their Captain and that one wrong move could spell the most gruesome demise imaginable. "Y—Yes Captain!" Kira sputtered as she saluted him. Sweat poured down her brow as she tried to keep a placating grin in place. Even the nearly incapacitated Shachi, who was still lying on the ground, attempted to sit up and salute his captain. Though the sitting was rather difficult considering the damage Kira had dealt with the first blow, let alone the following ones. "Aye… Captain…" He moaned weakly as he fell to the metallic floor when Kira kicked him in the leg one last time for spite.

Law did not move from his position in the doorway as everyone stood frozen in their spots in the navigation room, waiting for him to decide their fate. Would death be quick and painless? Or would it be a drawn-out, gruesome affair? Knowing the captain's proclivities, probably the latter.

Everyone was deathly silent. The only noise to be heard was the whirring of the equipment and the quiet beeping of some of the machines. Shachi wasn't even making the wet, gurgling noises any more, which should have posed a concern—had he actually died? Certainly Kira hadn't actually killed him this time? The implication of his silence might have crossed the minds of those in the room, had they not been worried about their own impending demise. It would take a miracle for the Captain not to massacre them all because the fact was: he was pissed and cranky. He was exhausted. He needed more sleep. And he did not appreciate being woken up in such a noisy manner.

The Surgeon of Death looked around the room, taking in each of the faces there; Law almost snorted at his crew's antics. Kira, who was switching between glaring at the lump on the floor and trying to placate him, was standing stock still to his right (though he could tell that she badly wanted to continue her previous activity by the way her fist kept twitching), while Shachi, the lump on the ground next to her, was doing his best not to shrink away from his angry gaze as he cupped his lower extremities. He had ceased the obnoxious (and unhealthy sounding) gurgling noise under his captain's glare. No need to annoy the captain further. Kira certainly didn't hold back her punches.

Shifting his stare to the left, he took in the sight of Penguin and Bepo trying to make themselves as unnoticeable as possible behind a fearful dancer. However, that wasn't working out too well for them—Bepo was a huge polar bear and the dancer was quite small in comparison to him. Really? This was the best they could do? Apparently they didn't fear him enough.

The Surgeon of Death inwardly sighed. He couldn't get rid of his crew since that would put him at a disadvantage. Well, he conceded, at least they kept things interesting.

Moving to look at the last person in the room, Law was aware that she suppressed jumping as his eyes met hers. She looked to be feeling a great deal better today. A part of him felt relieved at that, which was something that needed to be analyzed and tested later. For now he had a different issue to address.

His usual grin returned to his face (possibly to reassure the terrified looking brunette before him) as he addressed his crew in a low and even voice, showing them that he still meant business. "I suggest that the next time you decide to have an argument, you do it in a manner that does not allow me to hear it from the other end of the sub… while I am sleeping." He ended with a finality that spoke volumes as he flashed a deadly grin to the two who had caused the commotion.

"Now then," Law's laid back demeanor returned, causing everyone to release a collective sigh of relief.

Crisis averted… for now.

"Penguin."

"A—Aye, Captain!"

Deciding not to comment on the fact that said crewman replied in an octave higher than probably intended, the sleep deprived doctor continued, "When will we be ready to breach water?"

"At your order, Captain," his response was calmer now that death no longer loomed over his shoulders.

"Make sure that there are no immediate threats above and then resurface."

"Aye!" As Penguin headed for one of the many consoles in the room, he barked out orders for Bepo to check the periscope for potential threats and for Shachi to check the sonar. When he received the 'all clear' from both of his crewmates, he informed everyone that they would drive to the surface.

"Be sure to hold onto something, it might be a little bumpy." Law startled Yumei when he whispered into her ear. She hadn't realized that he had gotten so close. She couldn't help but blush at the proximity between them. If he were any closer, he would be on top of her.

Grabbing the ear that he intimately whispered into, Yumei turned on him, irritated. The pink hue on her cheeks was still prominent, which made the doctor grin wider. He could tell that he was making her uncomfortable, which was good because that was his goal after all. So, to further her discomfort and possibly to make her blush a deeper red, Law put his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his bare chest—he hadn't bothered to put a shirt on when he came to scold his crew for disturbing his sleep. This tactic seemed to work as she definitely looked uncomfortable and not only were her cheeks red now, but her whole face was as well. He felt accomplished as he held the blushing dancer tight to his chest while holding onto one of the bars on the wall to keep his balance as they resurfaced.

Not far off, Kira, who decided that she would hold onto Penguin as they experienced the minor turbulence of breaching the surface of the water, grinned mischievously at her captain and the woman in his arms, silently vowing that she would do whatever it took to get the dancer to be a part of the crew. It would be nice to have another girl around. And the captain looked more than satisfied to have her in his embrace.

As soon as they surfaced, Bepo was the first out of the room, heading straight for the door leading to the outside deck. Shachi and Penguin went out after him—Shachi mostly recovered from the previous altercation.

Forcibly removing herself from Law's grasp, Yumei followed after Shachi and Penguin. Taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

"You know, Captain, she's not that bad," Kira started as she fell in step with her captain, who had a smirk on his face, as he left the room. He didn't comment, so she went on. "She can cook better than all of us combined… She's pretty…"

"If you're hinting at what I think you are Kiramai, don't bother," Law responded nonchalantly.

She sighed. "Fine… But don't try to deny that she's different." Puffing out her cheeks in annoyance, Kira walked ahead of her captain and stepped out on deck.

0*0*0*0

As she stepped onto the deck, Yumei took a deep breath and inhaled the briny air. It had only been several days, but it had felt like forever since she had last felt the sun touch her skin and had tasted the salty air. She rested her hands on the railing and looked out at the vast horizon, taking the beauty of the ocean. Briefly, she let herself contemplate jumping overboard and swimming to land to escape the Dark Doctor, before she remembered that she had several fractured ribs and realized that there was no land in sight. They were completely surrounded by the sea.

Sighing, she leaned forward and rested her head on one of her hands, her elbows on the railing. Turning her head, she noticed that Kira had disappeared from deck while Penguin and Shachi carried out a table and some chairs. Bepo began swabbing the deck in an attempt to rid it of any algae that may have clung to the wood from their underwater voyage.

"Jumping overboard won't do you any good, you know," Law said as he leaned on the railing next to Yumei.

She didn't look at him. "Who said that is what I was going to do that?"

"It's obvious from the look in your eyes. Though you have seemed to have realized it too."

"Realized what?"

He smirked at her. "That you're stuck here with us. No land in sight. And swimming wouldn't be the best activity for someone with fractured ribs."

Before she could reply, Penguin ran over after having set up the table and chairs with Shachi. "Hey, Yumei-chan! Why don't we have breakfast on deck? It's really nice out today."

"Ooo! That's a good idea Pengi-pi!" Kira chortled as she returned to deck wearing a clean white t-shirt (which for her meant one with minimal grease and oil stains on it) and a pair of shorts.

Penguin turned to look at Kira, and without even intending to, his gaze followed her form down to her slim, bare legs where it lingered for a few seconds too long. Though Kira didn't notice, Yumei and the captain did, especially as a noticeable blush began to burn the man's face.

"Y-yeah…" he stuttered, looking away from the girl who so obviously declared to be in love with him. Law softly snorted at his reaction, much to Penguin's chagrin, which made his face burn brighter.

Yumei suppressed a small grin at their antics with a cough behind a delicate fist. Moving away from the railing she said, "I'll go prepare breakfast then…" No one offered to help her do so, but she didn't mind. Their last attempt at cooking hadn't even appeared to be anything resembling food. And of course, there had been the bloodbath afterwards. She shivered at the thought. She didn't care to experience any of that again, so she would be just fine on her own.

As she made her way back inside of the submarine, Yumei heard Kira say, "Where're ya going, Captain? Aren't you going to relax out here with us while we wait for Yumei-nee to make breakfast?" Yumei's step faltered at this, but she didn't let herself stop or turn around to confirm her fear. There was no reason for the Dark Doctor to follow her, alone, in the sub, and she just kept telling herself that.

"No, I'm going back to bed. I did not get the appropriate amount of sleep since certain individuals decided to oh-so-rudely wake me up." At those words, the certain individuals he spoke of tensed up and did not grace him with a reply, which is how he wanted it since he didn't want to waste any more energy on them before he had gotten more sleep.

Contrary to their reaction, the dancer-turned-cook let out a sigh of relief at his answer. If he was going back to bed, then he wouldn't be bothering her. She didn't want to be near him. He instilled confusing and terrifying feelings in her that she didn't like—she didn't know what they meant and she wasn't sure she wanted to.

However, Yumei relaxed too soon, for moments after he had said that he came up behind her and invaded her personal space to whisper in her ear, "And of course, I would have slept last night, but someone kicked me out of my own bed…"

Instead of gracing the Surgeon of Death with any kind of verbal reply, the dancer bit the inside of her check and quickly rushed away from him to the kitchen. Law chuckled at her reaction and returned to his room. The urge to follow his temporary cook into the galley and have some more fun harassing her was strong, but his urge to sleep was stronger—he was seriously exhausted. He hadn't gone to bed until late last night since the woman refused to try to sleep with him in the room, then she had woke him up an hour or so later with the nightmare. It had taken him at least an hour to get her to calm down and then go to sleep and even then, he had stayed awake for a little while after. Sighing, Law collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep, hopefully this time, he would go undisturbed.

*0*0*0*0

Yumei hummed to herself as she prepared the crew's breakfast. She made fish for Bepo, to hopefully deter him from catching onto her, and pancakes with bacon and eggs for everyone else. She wondered if she should set something aside for Law. It was technically her fault that he hadn't gotten enough sleep last night… She felt a blush creep up her neck at the thought of waking up next to him this morning. His smooth, hard, tattooed chest… She shook her head and scowled. She shouldn't let him affect her like that! Even if he was the first partially clothed man she had been almost willingly close to…

Once again biting the inside of her cheek, Yumei finished breakfast, making sure to set some aside for Law-she would take it to him later.

0*0*0*0

Yumei had a nice breakfast with the crew. The breeze was refreshing and there were minimal incidents between the two warring crew members. She still didn't socialize with them much—she chose to sit back and just watch their interactions. Kira and Shachi would occasionally bicker before Penguin would attempt to soothe the two. Bepo always seemed to slip some kind of comment about bears in, which led to the others yelling at him before he would apologize. The conversation would take a more sedate turn before the cycle would start all over again.

Though she still wasn't comfortable with them and didn't really trust them, she had to admit that she was a bit envious of them. They were, what she imagined, a family would be like. There was a time that she had longed for that kind of interaction—it felt beyond her now though. She didn't feel that she could ever trust anyone again with the way things had gone for her in the past. Her boss hadn't been the only person to betray her. It had happened countless times before. She wondered why she was still alive if she was just going to be on her own for the rest of her life. What was the point in living if there was nothing to look forward to in life? On that sober thought, Yumei stood up and began clearing the dirty dishes from the table. She didn't need to let herself sit there and yearn for what she could never have.

"Oh! You cooked Yumei-nee! You don't need to do that!" Kira said to her when she noticed the dancer begin to pick up some of the used dishes.

Yumei turned on her with an empty smile, "Don't worry about it. It is my temporary duty anyway."

The young mechanic was at a loss for words when she saw the woman's melancholy expression. It reminded her of how she used to feel before she joined the crew after her father had died. She didn't know what to say, so she let the dancer carry on with what she was doing.

0*0*0*0

Yumei tried not to think too much as she did the dishes. She just needed to focus on the task at hand and get through her stay here. She could do this. She was a survivor, after all, and she had survived situations tougher than stowing away on a pirate ship with a sadistic doctor for a captain.

Yumei sighed as she finished the last dish and went to put it away. Now that her current task was finished, she had to steel herself for another afternoon of trying to avoid the crew and their prying questions. Turning to leave the now clean kitchen with the intention of finding a quiet place to hide until it was time for her to prepare lunch, the dancer spied the dish she had set aside earlier on the counter. She supposed she should see if the doctor was awake yet and if he wanted to eat.

Standing outside a metal door with a tray of food in hand, the temporary cook gathered up her courage to face the Dark Doctor once more. She didn't knock, as she didn't want to wake Law if he were still sleeping. Instead, she opened the door as quietly as possible and peeked her head in. She sighed in relief when she noticed his lax form on the bed. He was still asleep and for that she was grateful—she wasn't sure she wanted to face him again, alone, in his room.

Quietly making her way into the deemed "safe" room, Yumei looked for a good spot to set the tray of food for the sub's captain. She supposed that his bedside table being less cluttered than his desk with medical notes and journals would be as good a place as any if she intended for him to see it upon waking up.

Yumei glanced at Law's sleeping face as she put the tray on the night stand. He really wasn't so intimidating this way. Crouching down next to the bed so she could study his face better, the dancer brushed a stray lock of hair from the sleeping pirate's face. She supposed he was just the type of guy most girls would fall for and die to have an affair with—he was handsome and dangerous and even a little mysterious. His gaze held adventure—whether it be your death or pleasure. She blushed at that thought. But she wasn't most girls—even if she wished she could be, even if only for a little while.

Sighing for what seemed to be the thousandth time that morning, the brunette stood up and tried to quell her blush. She should really stop ogling the Dark Doctor and thinking about things she couldn't change. She needed to focus on her plan of escape, whether it be while they were still at sea or when they came to an island because Yumei had a feeling that Trafalgar Law was not the type of man to just let someone leave his ship when he had found a use for them.

0*0*0*0

"Yumei-nee! Enough cleaning! Come fishing wi..th… us…" Kira trailed off as she realized that Yumei was not in the kitchen. Though, she had obviously been there at one point since the counters were clean and the dishes put away. "Hmm… Where could she be?" Shrugging, the pigtailed mechanic went to check the dancer-turned-cook's room.

Unable to find her there either, the blonde wondered where else the older woman would possibly go. Prepared to just give up and leave the dancer to herself, Kira spotted the particular person on her mind… sneaking out of the captain's room… with a blush on her face. A big grin spread across the girl's face. Well she certainly wouldn't have thought to look there for her. 'Oh this will be fun,' she thought to herself.

Attempting (and not completely failing) at hiding her amusement, Kira called out to the brunette as she tried to make a hasty get away from the Heart Pirate captain's room. "Oh, Yumei-nee! There you are! What are you doing by the captain's room?"

Yumei, startled half-to-death, jumped at least two and a half feet in the air at the younger woman's call. "N-nothing…" She stuttered nervously and cautiously turned around, gripping her rapidly beating heart, to face the girl. Yumei found herself blushing a little harder at the blonde's innocuous question. Really, why was she sweating so much? It wasn't like she had been doing anything wrong… She had just been taking the doctor food for when he woke up since it was her fault he didn't much sleep much to begin with…

Kira inwardly laughed at the dancer's nervousness. She wouldn't even make eye contact with her. It was kind of cute. No wonder the captain had so much fun harassing her. She knew the dancer could handle her captain too—if only she weren't so jittery and uncomfortable around him. They would have to work on that. "Didja wanna fish with us on deck?"

Still unnerved, Yumei nodded a 'yes' without really thinking.

Pleased with her answer, Kira grabbed Yumei's hand and proceeded to drag her toward the deck for, apparently, fishing and some much needed fresh air.

Kira grinned as she stepped on deck with the dancer in tow, leading her to the lower deck at the rear of the submarine. Mission success! It was actually pretty easy to get the dancer to agree to join them when she was distracted. She wasn't about to let their (currently) temporary member brood by herself all afternoon. She needed to get comfortable with everyone if she was going to be a permanent member, after all!

"What're you so happy about?" Shachi accused.

"Nothing~" She sang back to him. Not even Shachi was going to ruin her good mood.

Perturbed by her chipper reply, the ginger-haired pirate turned back toward his fishing pole and grumbled to himself—something about creepy blonde pipsqueaks planning something suspicious.

Kira chose to ignore his insult as she strolled past him to lean against the railing by Penguin. She motioned for Yumei to take up a spot next to her. Penguin, who was perched on the railing and already focused on fishing, looked over at their approach. "Catch anything yet?" Kira asked, smiling at him.

"N-no…" Penguin turned back toward the sea, hopefully, before she noticed the blush starting to burn on his cheeks. All because of a smile… Clearing his throat, he tried for a more steady voice when he spoke to her. "Bepo has though," he said just as a fish came sailing through the air from the water below and onto a growing pile of fish on the deck. Looking over the side of the sub, Kira and Yumei saw that Bepo was indeed catching quite a few fish as he threw another sizable catch up onto the deck. He looked to be enjoying it too. Though one couldn't blame him. While summers in the North Blue weren't exactly hot, it did get pretty warm especially for the furry native, so swimming was a nice way to cool down.

"Leave some fish for us!" Kira shouted at her crew member in the water. She chuckled when she heard him utter a 'sorry' before he dived back underwater. Grabbing the extra fishing poles leaning against the railing, Kira handed one to Yumei. "Here ya go! Be careful not to hook Bepo though…"

The dancer took the fishing pole, but wasn't really sure what to do with it. She had never used one before. Kira was the first to notice Yumei just staring at the fishing pole. "Yumei-nee, what are you doing?"

"Don't tell me you don't know how to use a fishing pole," Shachi called over to her.

"I've never used one before," she admitted to them.

"What? How have you never fished before!?" The three Heart Pirates on deck exclaimed. Yumei just sweat dropped in response. Admittedly, she had fished before. Just not with a fishing pole… She did it in a similar fashion to Bepo… Not that she would tell them that.

0*0*0*0

"You suck at fishing," was Shachi's keen observation after they spent an hour trying to teach Yumei how to fish. She had to agree with him. She had never been good at fishing.

A/N: How do you feel about the Kira/Penguin couple? I have some later side chapters planned for them. What do you think? Lemme know!