A small whimpering sound drew Law from his light slumber. The girl who he had forced to stay in his room was balled up on her side and on the farthest edge of the bed against the wall. He frowned and reached a hand out to her. He could feel her shaking ever so slightly, but he knew she was.

A soft groan passed his lips as he sat up. "What is it that haunts you?" He narrowed his eyes in confusion as he thought deeper. "Does it plague you each night?" There was no voice to answer him. He placed one hand each on her cheeks. He could tell her eyes fluttered slightly as if she was close to waking. "Presea," he hissed into the dim. "Wake up; it's just a dream."

"W-what…?"

Something was wrong, but what? It wasn't dark, but I couldn't see anything. Where is everyone? Did they leave me? I tried to walk and found that I couldn't move. My vision slowly came to me, but I wished it hadn't. I was strapped to a cold, metal table and the light above me only illuminated a small area around the table.

I tugged on the straps as my fear grew. Not this again. I don't want this to happen! I could hear chuckling, the same chuckling I had heard many times before. "Fun, fun, there's always time for fun," someone sang in an almost maniacal way.

"N-no," I stuttered. "L-leave me alone."

The person clicked their tongue. "Tut, tut. I couldn't do that now. Then my wonderful little experiment would get away." The person began laughing crazily. It was long and full of anger. "Now, now. Let's begin, shall we?"

I struggled harder. "N-no! Stay away!" Wasn't there something that could help me? Wasn't there someone who cared enough to save me from this madman? Why can't I remember?! There is someone, but who? And what power do I have to stop this? My time was ticking away slowly. I needed a plan and I needed it now. I glanced around the small, light area for something.

The person stepped into the light. They were wearing a long white jacket that I've only seen doctors wear. Soon two more entered the light, wearing the same jacket and having white masks covering their mouths.

"Now, now. Let's have a little fun shall we?"

Each person pulled down their mask to grin at me. My brothers were the ones who joined the first person, looking just as crazy. And the one who had been speaking to me before looked like he had just been given the whole world. Law's eyes were crazy and ready to use the tools his hands twitched towards.

"P-please, brothers, L-Law, I-I'll do anything," I begged of them. I should have known they wouldn't stop. They took another step towards me. I closed my eyes in fear when I felt something shatter the world around me.

"W-what…?" I mumbled in both confusion and exhaustion. "Where am I?"

"Miss Presea, do you often have nightmares while you sleep?" a cold voice drawled.

I jerked upwards and moved further away from the voice that had been threatening to torture me only a few moments earlier. "W-what do you want from me? L-let me go!"

Law's eyes narrowed and I flinched. He grasped one of my wrists tightly and pulled me closer. "I have no intention of letting you off my ship. Now, will you answer my question or will I have to resort to other methods?" he growled.

I shook my head quickly. "Y-you- Um, I've had the nightmare a few times before while on your ship and once on my brother's. This was the first time I've ever seen faces though."

"What happened and who did you see?"

I felt like this was becoming an interrogation. I looked away and then back at him, afraid he might move if I didn't pay attention. "I was strapped to a metal table. The only light in the place shone on me and I couldn't see any more than a couple feet away from the table," I mumbled. "Three people came into the light looking and sounding like they were insane…" I paused, afraid of what he would do when I told him he was there.

"And?" he prodded, a thread of frustration bleeding into his voice.

"I-it was my brothers and y-you."

It was quiet for a moment before he started chuckling. "Do you honestly think I would cut you to pieces right now? I don't plan on giving you up, Miss Presea. That means I want you alive." He leaned back onto the bed and put his hands behind his head.

"Y-you wouldn't tell me if you would," I argued.

He chuckled under his breath. "That is true. But I have no reason to lie. You can't escape from me or my ship. And do you want to know why?" He rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his arm. I unconsciously leaned a little closer. "You have your own family on my ship and you wouldn't want to leave them behind. Secondly, you are under my command and I will punish those who do not follow my orders. And thirdly," he got up and moved much closer to me. I pushed myself against the wall to try to create some space, "there's something that you want from me, but you don't know what it is yet."

I blinked in confusion. "Something… I want? How do you know there's something I want from you?"

His smirk widened. "It's simple to tell. For example," he grazed the tip of his nose down the side of my jaw. I jerked my head the opposite way, a strange feeling suddenly appearing in my stomach. "You let me do this without fighting against me even though you don't know why." I could feel his breath on my neck and it was making me shiver. "Now why is that, Miss Presea?"

"I-I don't know." I was stuttering again, though the reason was different than last time.

He placed his lips against my neck and a squeak passed my lips. I clamped one hand down on my mouth and tried to push him away with the other. He pulled away only far enough so he could look me in the eye again. He gripped my wrists firmly and pushed them against the wall. "You," he breathed, "are far too interesting to be let off my ship." He leaned in once more until I could feel his nose touching mine. I waited, confused and afraid of what he might do. He dropped my wrists first, almost like he wanted to see what I would do now. He slowly leaned back, giving me space. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I suppose it's time to get up now that we're both awake."

I watched him stand and walk to the other side of the room. I hadn't noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual hoodie. Instead, he had a white, sleeveless shirt on. He looked over his shoulder at me after grabbing a hoodie.

"Are you going to continue staring or will you get up now?"

I blinked quickly. He was facing me now and had his hoodie half on. I could see black lines on his chest that disappeared beneath his shirt. How many tattoos does he have? I shook my head and crawled to the edge of the bed. "Sorry," I muttered. How was it he could always catch me off-guard?

I walked closer to him and looked up. I don't have to look up at him as much anymore. That "experiment" he did on me must have worked. He smirked slightly, now fully clothed. "You appear to have a habit of staring." He turned and walked out the door. "I have no problem with it as long as your gaze doesn't wander."

I frowned in confusion. Wander? I trotted after him. The things he said were still as confusing as ever. I wished there was someone I could ask all of my questions to. Not that I didn't trust some of the people on the ship, I just don't feel comfortable asking them. I followed him into the mess hall. It was mostly quiet since it was still fairly early in the morning.

"Morning, Bepo," I called after I noticed him sitting alone.

He looked towards us. "Good morning, Captain. Good morning, Presea. You're awake early again."

I nodded absentmindedly as I grabbed food. "That's okay. I don't mind being awake early." I sat next to him, taking comfort in the warmth he produced.

"How come you haven't told me before that she gets up early some days, Bepo?" Law looked a little frustrated with his first mate.

Bepo dropped his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it was something you wanted to know."

Law sighed and shook his head. "Never mind. Next time, I want you to tell me when someone on the ship acts differently."

Bepo agreed quickly. I ate my food quickly, feeling quite hungry after working so hard yesterday. I put my dishes in the kitchen and saw Tiki cleaning dishes for Jimmy, but he was in a human form. How long has it been since he was a little ember? It felt like forever.

He looked over at me. "Ah, Presea. I believe you are freed of your duties as long as you are continuing your training. Have you been practicing with your devil fruit?"

I shook my head. "I was going to do that today. I have to wait a little for Shachi or Penguin to get up so I can ask them if I can practice with them. Why are you in here?" I asked out of curiosity.

It looked like he shrugged. "I have been told that the dishes and cutlery have been much cleaner since I have started working in here. It also helps build my strength in case there is an emergency." He looked to the side and then back at me. "Go find a partner and train yourself. The sooner you master your power, the safer we all shall be."

We were finally reaching the island after a few weeks of travel. During that time we were forced to stay above water or risk filling the sub with water. We ran into more than one ship that decided it wanted to try its luck on us. Only one was a Marine ship and we beat them all, but Law's been in a bad mood. Shachi said it was because his medical ingredients were running low. I made sure to stay as far as I could from him so he didn't start acting angry with me again.

I was waiting impatiently on the deck with a bunch of the crew. I could tell we were all tired of staying on the ship by now. We finally pulled into the docks of the island, but Law got everyone's attention before they could run off.

"All right, split off into three groups to get medicine, food, and parts to repair the ship. Penguin, you're in charge of the parts. Jimmy, you have the food. And I will take the rest for the medicine. Presea," he turned to me momentarily, "you are to go with Bepo and Shachi." He tossed a bag of money to them. "Remember that a Marine base is located on the other side of this island. Don't get into trouble before the Prose is ready to go. You're all dismissed."

Shachi and Bepo made their way over to me. "What are we supposed to do?" I asked them.

"Captain wants us to help you choose clothes," Bepo answered matter-of-factly.

"Right," I muttered. I had forgotten about the conversation we had a week or so earlier.

Shachi slapped my back. "Okay! Let's go!"

I giggled at him. He seemed far more excited than me to go shopping. We jumped off the ship after most of the pirates were already gone. I followed them towards the white buildings. Everything seemed to be much paler than it was on any of the other islands I had been at before. There also were very few people outside from what I could see. Some women looked at us as we passed, their faces shadowed slightly by the clothes they used to cover their heads. It was beginning to make me nervous.

I tugged on Shachi's sleeve. "Uncle Shachi, why do they keep staring?"

He looked at the women around us. "I don't really know. Maybe they aren't used to seeing pirates on their island. It is kind of strange though…"

We stepped into the first clothing store we found. A bell on the door jingled as it closed behind us.

"Good afternoon. How may I be of service?" A tall woman stepped out from behind the counter. Long, white hair cascaded down her back. She paused for a moment and stared at me.

"Uh, yeah, we're looking for some clothes for our crewmate," Shachi said, warning her lightly.

"…I see. Miss, may I ask who your mother was?"

I frowned in confusion. "My mother? I never knew her name. She died when I was just a baby."

She puckered her lips in thought. "I see." She suddenly clapped her hands together. "Now, let us find you some clothes. I bet you must be quite uncomfortable on a pirate ship with only men." She steered me towards one section of the store. "Here are styles that I think would work well for you. However, I am guessing your captain would prefer clothing that would not excite your crewmates," she winked at me, "so choose from these two sections here. There is a changing room at the back of the store for you to use when you're ready."

She left without giving me a chance to speak. I sighed and started shifting through clothes. Shachi and Bepo joined me, picking out some clothes that they considered plain. Well, Shachi helped.

"Damn it, Bepo!" He yelled. "She can't walk around the crew with that on!"

The bear was holding up a shirt that only had straps on it as well as really short shorts. His head dropped quickly. "I'm sorry."

I took their distraction as a chance to slip away to the change room. They had begun to pile too many clothes on and I was beginning to hope that a lot of them wouldn't look good just so I could put them back.

I finally made my way through the pile (which took far longer than I think shopping should) and I stepped out. The lady was standing behind the counter again.

"Ah, dear, bring your items here and I will tally the total for you." I set the clothes on the counter and watched her add the prices together. "So, would you like to meet Grandmother Serena?" she asked as she worked diligently.

"Who's that?"

She laughed lightly. "Someone who would love to meet you." She started putting the clothes into bags. "If you can find the time, and I beg you to, you should come down to the white tent near the center of town. Please." I could see how she longed for me to say yes.

"Well… I can try," I said. "But Law might not let me go."

Her smile was bright. I really didn't want to let her down, but I also didn't want to get in trouble with Law again. Maybe I can go if he isn't in a bad mood… I could only hope that being on land would make things easier for him.

We left the shop and the woman followed us out to wave. Her skin looked bronze in the sun that blazed around her. I thought on her request the whole way back to the ship. Bepo and Shachi were talking over me, though it sounded like it was just something silly, as usual. When our feet touched the deck, I took the bags from the two who were like family to me. "I'll put this on my bed. I'll be right back!" I ran inside the ship.

I dropped my bags on my bed and turned to run back outside. I paused at the door to the kitchen. Through the window, I could see Tiki standing near the stove. He had his hand in front of his face and he was turning it. What is he looking for? A fire erupted on the back of his hand and I felt something tug at my own power. My chest began to ache, but it had no reason to. What's going on? Why does it feel like I'm being slowly torn apart inside? I placed a hand against the door frame and bit my lip to not make a noise.

It suddenly disappeared. I straightened my back and put a hand against my chest in confusion. Something wasn't right. Maybe I should find Law… But I don't even know what happened. Would he if I asked him? I think I need to find a bookstore or a medical store and start looking for answers. The more I know, the better for Law. That is, if I do need to tell him.

I continued walking until I was back outside. Shachi and Bepo were waiting patiently on the deck for me and I grinned. They noticed me and smiled back.

"Hey, Presea. Where are we off to now?" Shachi asked.

"Could we go to a bookstore? I wanted to look for something."

He nodded. "I don't see why not. Bepo," he pointed at the polar bear, "sniff out the bookstore."

"You can't order me. I'm the first mate."

"Damn it, Bepo!"

He dropped his head in depression. "I'm sorry."

I giggled and touched his arm. "Could you please find the bookstore for us? We'd get lost if you don't help us."

His ears pricked forward. "Okay."

Shachi's mouth dropped open. "How did you get him to agree so quickly? That's not fair! I've been around him longer than you have."

Bepo turned to look at him. "She's nice to me. You and Penguin like being mean to me. Besides, Presea's almost as good as a female bear."

I could see Shachi glaring. He put an arm around me. "Don't you dare touch her like that, you perverted bear."

"I'm sorry."

"So easily defeated!"

I pushed against Shachi. "I think what Bepo means is that he thinks I'm a nicer human than you."

"Exactly."

"Hey! That's not a nice thing to say!"

I laughed and listened to them continue bickering. There was a lot of apologizing coming from Bepo and angry insults from Shachi. The way that this always seemed to happen between them made me wonder sometimes if they were friends or just crewmates. It wasn't long until we found the bookstore. I was right when I told Bepo we would have gotten lost; it was down a small side street near the edge of the town.

We stepped inside and looked around. It was a huge bookstore. There were rows and rows of bookshelves that extended to the ceiling and I could see a second level to the building that helped reach the top. Wow! How many books do they have here? Bepo covered his nose.

"It smells of dust in here. I don't like it."

Shachi smacked the back of his head. "It's a bookstore, you stupid bear. Of course it's going to smell a little dusty. Your nose is too sensitive."

Bepo dropped his head. "Sorry."

I trotted off in one direction and looked back at them. "I'm going to look around. I'll find you guys when I'm done!"

Bepo waved at me, but he quickly grew depressed when Shachi started saying something again. They're so strange. I wonder if everyone on the crew argues just like they do. I wandered around on the main floor for a while, searching for the medical section.

A man appeared in front of me. "Hello. Is there something I can help you with?" I stared up at him. He had pitch black hair, but there was a streak of white right on the top of his head. He touched his hair with one hand and smiled. "Ah, you're not from this island, are you? All of the men that were born here have hair like mine. The women's hair is the opposite from mine; they have white hair with a colored streak in it. It all depends on what color of hair their parents have." He clapped his hands together. "So, is there something you are looking for?"

I nodded. "I'm looking for the medical section. Do you know where it is?"

"Of course! I do work here, after all." He turned and motioned for me to follow him. "Is this your first day in our small town?"

I nodded slightly. "I came with the pirates a few hours earlier."

"Oh! You're one of those pirates that came!" He flapped his hand lightly. "Don't worry, I won't tell the Marines you are here. I don't really care for them being on our island. May I ask you who your parents are?"

I looked at him in confusion. "Why do people keep asking me that?"

He laughed. "Someone else has asked you? How interesting. However, it is bound to happen here. We rarely get visitors and when we do, they hardly ever have hair like yours."

"Hair like mine? Is there something wrong with my hair?"

"No, no. Yours is just so pale compared to the rest who have come. So, tell me about your parents."

I put a finger on my chin as I tried to remember what Kid had told me. "My father's name was Jackson. He used to be a Marine, but he died a long time ago. I never knew my mother."

I could see the man thinking deeply. "Jackson… Why does that name sound familiar? Oh!" he snapped his fingers. "I remember hearing about him!"

"Really?" I grew excited. No one knew anything about him. "What did you hear?"

"He used to be on this island. He was placed here when he was a Captain. He would always disappear for a month or so at a time. Grandmother Serena said it was so he could see his family again. She said that he took a wife from this island, one of the few women who had no colored streak in her hair. Apparently, one day he left and never came back. That must have been the time just after you were born."

"He used to be in charge here? Did you ever meet him?"

He shook his head. "No, I never had the chance. He only came to this part of the island once or twice to see Grandmother Serena." He stopped in front of a bookshelf. "I was not permitted to come to the tent to listen to them speak. I had to take care of the bookstore, after all."

I grinned at him. He seemed like such a nice person. "Are you the only one who takes care of all of these books?"

"No, I do have a couple little helpers that come in sometimes. Sorry to interrupt our conversation, but I have to ask: what section exactly are you looking for in the medical area?" He swept his arms out. "As you can see, it's quite large."

It spanned three shelves long and the books covered either side of the isle. It was far bigger than I thought it would. How will I ever find what I'm looking for? "Well, I'm actually looking for some information on a certain symptom. I was listening to some people talk on a different island and I want to figure out what the illness was," I lied.

He nodded in thought. "That is interesting. I haven't come across a book that lists everything by the symptoms, but I think I may be able to find the right book."

"The symptom was a feeling in the chest as if the person feels like they are being ripped apart."

He narrowed his eyes after hearing my explanation. "Are you sure that's what the people said?"

"Yes, why?"

"I've only heard of that happening in one case. If it's true, then that person will have been dead for a while."

"What? Why?"

"You see, when a person eats more than one Devil Fruit, it is said that the devils inside will fight for control over the host. It kills the person."

I could feel shock filling my body. They die? Does this mean… I'm going to die now? Tiki's the one that ate the fruit, but he's a part of me. Is my life going to end now?

Extras:

Well. This took an excessively long time to write. I had the chapter almost done two weeks ago, but then I started work. And for some reason, I do a lot less writing at home than I do at university. Makes sense, right? *rolls eyes* Not at all. So a big thank you to those who keep following this story! I'm trying to keep on track, but I met a friend on this site and I'm helping him with his writing a little.

LunaAngel-Eclipse- Thank you for your reviews! I love how devious Law is, too

MsWildLuck- I'm trying to keep it interesting, but it's hard to keep going :p

Girl-luvs-manga- In your opinion, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Monkey D. Writer- Your review made my day! I loved it!

scipio96 (from all of the chapters you reviewed)- I loved reading all of the reviews you made as you started reading. Your last review made me laugh so hard XD So thank you a lot for reviewing!