Hey guys,
Firstly, I like to thank you all for being patient with me. I had a great time in Japan, the coming back part and getting over jetlag was the hard part. So I apologize that it took longer than it should have for getting this chapter done and up and running. I hope you guys all enjoy it. As always please read and review!
Speaking of reviews... REVIEW REPLIES!
CoffeChocolate: Hi =D I haven't heard from you for a while! How have you been? You're from Germany?! Oh my! Hi! Thank you for reading from so far away! From what you're saying the weather in Germany is hectic! Where I'm from, (not where I live) the weather is like that in a day! But at least it's constant, like it'll be cold in the morning then at night, but warm in the summer. I like it, but I don't like having to carry my heavy jacket around, haha.
As for your review on the chapters, I'm sure you figured out some of the answers to your questions in the following one. For the ones not yet answered, they'll be in the future chapters so I'm not spoiling anything now. So stay tuned please!
Lucy Jacob: HAHA! No problem! Though I do apologize for this chapter not being updated sooner. Please if you could, I'd love to read some of your stories. Japan was really, really nice. I found out that my Japanese, Hyoujyungo (Standard Japanese that you learn in school) is very different than the one that is used in Kansai area. So it was rather difficult for me to understand even though I learned it for so long. But it was good enough to get by. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. There wasn't as much story just because I wanted to capture the emotion better. They'll be more later though, promise! I guess, I still need to work on having a nice balance throughout my chapters, don't I?
Jag: I'm glad the emotion got through. Aceteon's really strong, right? What do you think of the character? =O Thanks for the wait and the send off.
AmericanNidiot (Guest): HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! I'm glad that I was able to give you something to lighten up your day on such an important day! =) I hope you didn't worry yourself too much over her health and everything else. Thanks for it though.
That's all for this chapter, please review more and you'll be up here.
Disclaimer: I do not own OP, just the OCs
Chapter 29.
"I've tamed one. I'm bringing Eno onboard as my pet." Charlotte had so happily declared despite the pirates' shock and disputes. She wasn't going to have it. If Law could have Bepo, she was allowed an animal too and she wanted the giant cat-sheep that she had befriended. That was what she originally thought.
Sorry Eno. Charlotte hummed sadly. Some friend she was. Eno died on the same day. All because of the one order she gave her. Do not harm anyone on board. Eno died abiding her rule. He couldn't even attack back to defend him, or anyone else really.
It had been two weeks since their unexpected meeting with Aceteon. A quiet two weeks and Charlotte was glad for it. They really needed the time to recuperate. Not only her, but also the Heart Pirates A lot of the Heart Pirates suffered great injuries, including their captain. It didn't help for morals that the only one who hasn't awoken was Law.
Then again he hadn't been completely treated.
"There you go, Rike." Charlotte muttered as she placed the breaks on the wheelchair. Both of his legs were in casts and his dominant hand had been bandaged up too. "I'll go grab your lunch." They were in the cafeteria along with the rest of the injured pirates. Charlotte bit her lower lip as she took the tray from the counter, guilt clouding her. She stared at the food before her. Easy food filled with nutrition to help everyone heal faster. It smelled nice, probably tasted even better. "Here you go." She placed the tray down, patting Rike on the shoulder before exiting out the room without another word.
Silence filled the cafeteria after that. Rike didn't pick at his food either, instead choosing to stare at it and the empty spot they've always left for Charlotte. He wasn't the only one doing this either. Everyone else at the table was.
"She hasn't eaten since that day." Bepo noted out loud again. Charlotte always came into the cafeteria during meal times with someone and each time she'd leave as soon as the other person got their food. She said she didn't have the appetite to eat.
"At least she's alive." Shachi grumbled. Penguin and Bepo nodded next to him. They thought she was a goner after what had happened. A direct hit to the heart wasn't something that people could come back from if they felt like it. Charlotte was lucky. Really lucky that she hadn't placed her heart back into her body just yet. Everyone thought she would first thing, but she said she hadn't gotten the chance to. Good thing too, otherwise she wouldn't be around anymore. "She's really been helping out with the sub too." They only managed to escape from Aceteon because of her. At the time, she was the only one thinking of escape; the rest of them were to panicked over their captain. Since then, she also taken up on doing most of the things that others were doing, with guidance of course. She was surprisingly fast at learning.
"She's only doing that because she feels guilty." Cole grunted, leaning back. He ignored the glares shot towards him. "You know as well as I do, the guy was only here for her." Their eyes drifted away. They couldn't help that. Aceteon had singled her out from the beginning. Everyone else was collateral. "I told you the girl was trouble."
"Shush, Cole! She apologized already." It was true, as soon as majority of the Heart Pirates were awake, Charlotte apologized to everyone, even going as far as bowing to them. Since then she's been taking care of everyone as much as she could, and helping around with the submarine for those who couldn't do their jobs properly. For those who woke up afterwards, she apologized to them again individually.
"As if that changes anything. It's her fault why everyone's like this." Cole spat, crossing his arms. He wasn't going to be falling for the act. He remembered that night well and there was no mistaking the differences in their power levels. That wasn't even close the man's full power. He had been toying with them the whole time. "Even though she says she's sorry, she still stays here. Doesn't she realize that by staying here the same thing will only happen again."
Gritting his teeth, Rike grabbed the technician next to him, pulling him until they were face-to-face. "Don't you dare say shit when all you could do was stand there and quiver in fear!" Rike spat. His bandages soaking red from the force reopening his wound. "Not sorry?! She'll lead him to us again? What do you think will happen to this sub and everyone on it if she leaves us now? Why do you think she's doing so much right now? You talk a big mouth, but you wouldn't even do half the things she's doing right now if you were her. Think a little about how she's feeling. She's constantly worried about us because we're hurt on the outside, but she's probably suffering more on the inside!" It was obvious that Aceteon was the trigger to some kind of trauma she had in the past.
Coles' eyes darted to the side at the memory. Shachi and Penguin were able to respond, run to their fallen Captain's side while he just… stood there. The two had gave up their lives too, would have lost them, if it wasn't for Charlotte's quick move from the other side. "Che. What's with you? Getting all chummy now because she helping you move around. Don't forget she's the reason you can't even walk anymore!" Cole shouted, slamming his palms on the table. His glare lasted for a moment, then he turned to leave.
He couldn't help but be angry at Charlotte. Wish that things were different. Wish that she wasn't on the crew or that she left as soon as she got her heart so that things would have turned out differently. He was annoyed that those things happen. The results would have been better than their broken up crew now. He clenched his fist. It was all Charlotte's fault. If it hadn't been for her…
Bang.
"Fuck!" He breathed, head pressed against the metal wall. "What am I doing?" He wasn't as angry at Charlotte as he was with himself. The image of Shachi and Penguin's back replayed in his mind. "Why didn't I move with them?" Scared. His legs were trembling. They didn't feel like he owned them. That was his excuse. But Charlotte, she was terrified of him and she still moved.
"Cole!" The technician jumped. It was a girl's voice, but there was no girl who called him by name. His gazed landed on the purple tresses and he couldn't help but let out a deflated 'Oh'. If Charlotte heard it, she didn't show it. "You're bleeding!" She fished out a gauze, something she seemed to be carrying around recently. "I got curious what the noise was. I thought something may have happened." Lies. "I hope Rike doesn't get mad, I think I may have wasted too much." Cole knew that. He could see her pale face. She probably came here to hide.
Haven't you thought about how Charlotte's doing? She may only have an injured arm we can see, but we can't say for whatever happened before.
"Then stop wasting them." Cole stepped around her when she finished. He couldn't look her in the eye. He couldn't do anything in the end again. Couldn't say anything either.
"Ah… sorry…."
He didn't like this—this docile Charlotte. He preferred the stubborn and rambunctious Charlotte. What was she doing calling him by name anyway? He didn't want that coming out from someone like Charlotte. He wanted a pretty girl to call him that way. Don't blame him if he doesn't respond to it. The only thing he can respond to from her is 'Old Man.'
…
"I thought your favourite spot was the deck, but I figured you'd settle for a porthole since we haven't been able to surface for a while. But I didn't expect to find you here." Jean Bart commented as he passed through the halls. It was one of the inner pathways of the submarine, devoid of portholes or any natural lights. The artificial yellow-orange light was also down for the part where Charlotte was sitting. She probably picked it for its low visibility, Jean Bart concluded. She didn't look like she wanted anyone to see her right now. It wasn't a topic that one could easily talk about.
The bomb collar Aceteon drop was in her hands.
He didn't blame her for what happened. She was a danger, he knew that and so did Law when he recruited her. Aceteon was just among the lists of dangers that she possessed to the group. Besides, what kind of piracy lifestyle is without dangers?
Jean Bart heard it from the others. Aceteon had a symbol on his back exactly like the he has. They asked him what it was and he found no reason to lie. "They still don't know yet." Jean Bart announced vaguely as he passed her. The crew weren't as quick as him to connect the scattered dots. To Jean Bart there was only a few answers to the questions that everyone was wondering. There was only so many ways to be associated with a slave.
Jean Bart wasn't a talkative character so it was unlike him to force Charlotte into conversing, and he wasn't intending to. He just wanted to let her know of the fact before she comes to whatever conclusion for whatever troubles been filling her mind. So he was surprised when she called out to him.
"How do you do it?"
"Do what?" He questioned, turning back to her. He waited for her to offer him the spot next to her before settling there. His large body easily taking up the whole path when he sat. She didn't seem to mind or take note of it really, her eyes still focused on the cuff that both of them had grown sickly used to.
"Not let it bother you." Charlotte muttered over her arm. "You were one too—a slave." Jean Bart wasn't surprised that she knew. "Yet you don't seem to let that fact bother you at all."
"It doesn't." He responded earnestly. He felt her stiffen next to him. "I wasn't one for long and as one, I was only a horse." It wasn't like he hadn't seen worse, or been through worse. He snuck a glance at the young woman next to him. Her frame small, skin pale, and body scarred. The bandages looked awkward on her. Normally, it wasn't odd for wounds to be treated and it wasn't; however, it always looked awkward on her, almost like it was wrong for her to be treated, "I don't know what kind of cruelty you suffered, but I can say that you were much younger than I was when I first became captured." He had a feeling that her life as a slave outlived his by a lot too.
"I may have known the world before I became a slave, but to you, that might have been the world. You should know that it isn't by now." Jean Bart continued, staring forward now. "You're free."
Charlotte turned the large collar bomb in her hands. The words CHARLOTTE MARCELLINA were engraved in the underside. "Am I really?" Had she really become free? She didn't have the collar on anymore, but it is still here, isn't it?
"I don't fear that Saint Roswald will be coming back to get me. I doubt he even noticed my disappearance. It's more likely that he had already gotten a new horse." Jean Bart scoffed. They were disposable to them World Nobles so it didn't make any sense for them to hunt down a slave when they could buy a new one for less hassle. He had no worries of ever being hunted by his Master.
Yet Charlotte looked as if was constantly looking over her shoulder. "Don't you ever get nightmare of the past?"
.
.
.
Charlotte was standing on the leather chair, using it an unstable step ladder. She had her leg propped on the counter, not that it made her any more stable considering the angle she was leaning at. It's just a matter of time before the wheels on the chair budge and she's send teetering off her balance and falling. Still that didn't stop her. Luckily, she finished gathering the small boxes from the counter before time ran out.
Settling them on the counter, Charlotte restocked on some of the medical equipment. It was Rike's job, but she took it upon herself to do when Rike could no longer reach the high shelf with ease. It was practically impossible in his state. Though Rike never failed to show up for duty.
"How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to restock them. Getting them from the high shelf is enough." Rike sighed as he pushed his way into the room. Charlotte would always purposely forget to show up to move him to whatever place he desired next during this time period. He didn't mind, he could operate the wheelchair himself. He'd prefer it that way than to constantly rely on a woman.
"How are you feeling?" Rike questioned while organizing the equipment. His attention switched to Charlotte when he didn't receive a response. She was busy watching their only unconscious patient. Her eyes a conglomeration of sadness, guilt, pain, and self-blame. "He'll wake up." He assured and her eyes flickered. Her eyes really were the most expressive part of her. "You did all you could. Thank you for taking care of Captain in my stead."
"It's the least I could do." She rested her head on the medical bed and her eyes danced over the area where he got impaled. There was a large bandage there. "He got hurt because of me."
"It's because of you that we're still alive." Rike corrected. If it hadn't been for Charlotte and her quick get-away plan, who would have known when or if they would have gotten away. Clearly, none of them were thinking of an escape route, especially one that would have worked in their trapped scenario. Aceteon was on the sub and them pirates were scattered everywhere. Charlotte changed that fact easily and swiftly.
"You give me too much credit." Charlotte huffed. Escape was the only thing on her mind. While the rest of the Heart Pirates were passionate enough to fight for their injured buddies and Captain, all Charlotte wanted to do was run away.
"I wouldn't blame you for only thinking about escape." In all honesty, he had thought about it too when he was being tortured. He was sure that every other Heart Pirate who had suffered from Aceteon was thinking of it at some point even if it was only for a moment. That was only from one encounter with the man that lasted an hour or two. Charlotte on the other had, she knew the guy for years. "I'm not pitying you." He reassured when Charlotte shot him a look.
His adventures with Aceteon was not without fruit. He learned quite a bit about Charlotte from their little encounter. It was his job to collect information for Law about Charlotte and he did that. He couldn't say the answers to what he found was exactly what he was thinking of.
"You should sleep." Rike ruffled her hair, lightly pushing her head closer to the bed. She was tired, it wasn't an observation anymore, it was a fact.
"But—"
"No, buts." He interjected. "Doctor's orders."
"I don't take orders." Came her instant response and Rike couldn't help but smile lightly at that. Of course she no longer would. He was the only who knew about her past. He hadn't shared what he found with anyone yet. The information wasn't his to disclose. He'll let Law know since Law was the one who sent him on the mission, but that was it. The rest was up to Charlotte and Law.
"I promise you, no nightmares." Rike smiled and after a few more minutes of back and forth, Charlotte finally relenting, saying she'll rest her head. She was asleep within minutes, head and hands resting on Law's medical bed, waiting for him to wake up.
"You're more than you give yourself credit for." Rike smiled at Charlotte's left hand. It was covering Law's injury.
"Hello?" Rike questioned, glancing to the door. Charlotte was closing the door, her back to him. "Is your shoulder still bother you?" He tensed when he heard a familiar clunk of the deadbolt moving. "You should be resting." Rike moved over, stopping between her and Law. Something seemed wrong. There were pounding noises and voices from the other side of the door.
Charlotte pressed her head against the door lightly, inhaling deeply. She could hear their screams clearly still. 'Stop', 'Get away from Captain', 'Open this damn door', 'Don't you dare try anything', etc. More and more threats came when she didn't respond. They were getting desperate. Charlotte didn't blame them. If she was in their shoes, she'd break down the door just to stop herself too. After all, the only thing she was good at was killing.
Feeling calmer now, Charlotte peeled her forehead from the metal door. She came here with a purpose. "Catch."
Rike glanced down at the ball rolling around in his hands. It was the remedial core. "What are you—PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON!" He blushed, raising his hands to block his sight.
Charlotte rolled her eyes. Here was the only other doctor on the Heart Pirates crew and he was flustered over the thought of a naked woman while the other purposely peeks. She didn't know which was worse. "Calm down." She sighed, eyes darting to the suddenly quiet door. Who knows what those perverts were thinking now. "I still have my top on." She only removed the hoodie she had been using to cover her shoulder.
Slowly, Rike peeled his lids back and peaked out before him. He had raised the core earlier by accident and was instantly able to break down Charlotte's shoulders. His eyes widened at the information. The bone there, it was—"Artificial?" He gasped. "No, that's not possible. It turned up normal in the x-ray." He wheeled away, picking out Charlotte's file. The carbon black film was still there with the same several old scars crossing the bones.
"It's not artificial… at least I don't think so." Charlotte mumbled. Honestly, she didn't know what her bone was made out anymore. All she knew was that she shouldn't be able to do anything with her left arm, yet it functioned perfectly fine as if it was never injured.
Charlotte dropped her glance from Rike's shocked face onto Law's red bandages. There was no doctor to operate on him. Due to Rike's injuries, he couldn't grip a scalpel so he couldn't perform on Law. No one else was qualified enough and no one wanted to gamble with his life. So they just stabilized him for now. But they all know that without proper treatment, Law wouldn't last much longer. The issue was finding a qualified doctor willing to work on a notorious criminal. Most would probably take the chance to allow him to die instead.
"I was a victim to this attack once too." Charlotte confessed as she placed a heavy book down on a small medical dolly. She pulled it next to her with ease. "I died." She added quickly, her voice flat and monotonous. So emotionless, that it had shocked Rike. "Law will too if we don't do something soon." The trash bin was already full of soaked bandages.
"I can't operate…" Rike grumbled angrily. His right bandaged hand clenched against the arm rest. Red started seeping past the bandages. His eyes jumped up to the huntress when he heard a quiet 'I know' escape her lips in a light sigh. He was met with clear platinum eyes. His other hand tightened against the remedial core. "You can't be suggesting…" It suddenly made sense why everyone was so noisy outside earlier.
Charlotte opened the thick book to the marked page. It was the anatomy of the inside of an adult male body. Slowly, she took off her glove and she reached for Law's hand. Warmth immediately flushed through her body and her body throbbed once to signal that the copy was complete. "I can't copy two abilities at once." She folded her hands on the side of the medical table and stared straight at Rike. She couldn't do this alone. "There should be less danger if I operate in his ROOM. However, I can't read medical equipment nor do I know what to do. You do, but you can't operate."
Rike glanced away. It made sense for them to cover each other weaknesses. Like Charlotte said, she'll operate in Law's ROOM. There won't be blood and any mistakes can be reattached easily and quickly. The risks were less. But… he hadn't told anyone, but Law's insides had been shredded. Parts of his stomach were missing and everything was too big of a mess for someone who had no experience to easily fix. Even he was quite stumped.
"I'm lying myself bare here." There'll be nothing that he won't know about her when he uses the remedial core against her. All the things about her arm and how they fixed it and everything else she didn't want to share will be known by him. "I hope you can keep whatever else you see to yourself." She smiled lightly.
Rike's eyes widened in recognition. He can use her arm as an example on how to fix Law's insides! Nodding firmly, Rike put the remedial core on. Talk bubbles and status boxes appeared one after another to Rike's shock. "You're a…" Charlotte nodded quietly, shushing the male. The hoof would be in one of the bubbles. There were even boxes on Law's current physical status. His heart and vitals were steady and monitored. He nodded again. This might actually work!
Charlotte smile brightened. She raised a hand over Law. "ROOM." A purple veil covered the three of them and Charlotte glanced up at Rike. "What do I do, doctor."
"First, scrub down."
…
Cold fresh water ran down and around Charlotte's face, splatting against like sink's surface. Breathe! She gasped and her fingers gripped at the sink's edge harder. Her shoulder bled slightly. Calm. She ordered, forcing her breathing to even first before slowly prying her fingers off the sink, finger by finger. She tilted her head back, closing her eyes at the bright light. "Urgh…." She groaned. It's only a dream. "A dream."
Wiping at her face, Charlotte glanced at her face. The eye bags were still there. She hadn't been able to get much sleep recently. Sleep usually turned into naps and naps lasted half an hour max and she could only take so many a day. At least she wasn't ghostly pale anymore.
Hopefully, these nightmares will go away soon. Charlotte sighed, aimlessly strolling through the submarine. She doubted that though. They only gotten worse after Aceteon's arrival. Maybe I'll get used to them. The idea sickened her, but she didn't look as pale as before anymore.
Her eyes snapped open and Charlotte instinctively flattened herself against the nearest wall. A Heart Pirate walked passed the adjacent corridor. Ever since that day, her kenbunshoku haki was constantly on. Maybe it was a defense mechanism since she didn't really want to bump into anyone right now, or maybe it was because her abilities had fully awakened. Was it even something that could be turned on and off? Joval said she never really knew how to use it before.
Honestly, she didn't know she had that ability until Joval named it for her, but Charlotte guessed it only made sense. She was always faster than her opponents' movements and sometimes it felt as she knew what movements were to come before they actually appeared. It was always like that when she needed to get out of close situations. She was sure that it happened too whenever her memory blacked out on her. She really had no idea.
"I wonder when I got such a scary ability…" Charlotte breathed. Her voice bittersweet. She brought her hands across her chest to her arms, rubbing the goosebumps away. These many trips down memory lane weren't healthy. "I wish I was back on Sabaody." At least then, she only had to deal with the one or the occasional two.
"If you want, we can send you back if you want!" A voice called from diagonally behind her, jolting her forward and into a large net of rope. The voice wasted no time in tying the ends around her. "There a jacket for your cold arms."
Cole had expected an annoyed response or something back from the huntress. He was disappointed when she passively stared at the ropes binding her arms down to her side. Growling, he picked up baffled huntress, carried her across the deck.
…
Rike was doing inventory when it happened. It wasn't unexpected. It was just a matter of time. Still, Rike had his slight doubts no matter how many times he checked with the remedial core. Devil fruit abilities were really convenient.
"What are you doing, Rike-ya?" Law groaned, groggily. He had just awoken to find his medical assistant holding some magnifying glass to his face like he was a blind old man. "You did a good job in patching me up." Law placed a hand on the tight bandages around his waist. They weren't hard to notice. He was having trouble moving, but that was normal. It only meant that the bandages were secure. "Give me the clipboard." Surgery was a given, but he'd still like to know what the prognosis was. All he remembered was being fatally impaled. "Shachi-ya and Penguin-ya?" His clenched his hand beside him. The bed there was warm? Law glanced to his side while his aide worked on getting the required documents. The was a chair pulled him to his bed and a second blanket bridging the chair and bed. Whoever was here left only a few minutes prior.
"Fine. Surprisingly, they managed to escape with only a few superficial scratches." Rike reassured, capturing Law's attention again. He handed the doctor the wanted clipboard.
Law noticed the bandaged right hand and immediately analyzed the wound. He found himself frowning at the injury. Something wasn't making sense here. "Who performed the surgery?" He flipped through the papers. He was right. Surgery had been performed. Successful too. Yet, no one but him or Rike had enough medical background to perform surgery. He was the patient and Rike can't hold a scalpel with his hand in that condition.
Rike laughed nervously much to Law's dismay. News he wouldn't be happy hearing, huh? Law glanced back to his right side. The person who slept here? Law guessed. Fortunately, all his crew members had at least some kind of medical training. Maybe some of them prolonged it in their free time without his knowledge. "It was Charlotte."
Law's eyes widened. Wait, what?
"I-I know she may be talented in being the worse at medical," Rike sputtered quickly, hands waving. She was the least qualified of anyone to perform on Law given normal circumstances. She barely could care for her own injuries and she had no formal or informal medical training. But she was also the most qualified person to make sure that Law wouldn't die. He paled at the memory of how Charlotte wielded the scalpel. It revealed the years she had spent as a professional killer rather than a doctor. She was the only one qualified really. "I was here during the whole procedure, guiding her. That's why I had the remedial core too. The procedure was also done entirely in your ROOM—"
"C-Charlotte didn't leave…?" Law muttered. I'm leaving. Those were her words. He'd expect her to be gone as soon as possible. Especially given the look on her face. The terror there was unmistakable. Law's hand gripped tighter. He never thought he'd see that look on the huntress. Normally he'd love to see her over expressive expressions, but he didn't like it.
Rike backtracked at the breathless whisper. "W-what?" He couldn't help but blank. Why wouldn't Charlotte be here? If she hadn't, Law wouldn't be awake right now. Rike paused when the words finally sank in. Charlotte decided to leave once she got her heart back. "Capt'n?" Rike jolted when Law flipped the blankets over. "You're still injured."
"Where's Charlotte?" He knew she was the one who's been spending the nights in the medical bay treating him. He didn't need the clipboard to tell him that she would take care of someone who couldn't. He also didn't need anyone to tell him that she'll be gone as soon as she knows they'll be fine. There wasn't any more reason for her to be here. She didn't like confrontations, so if she heard from someone else that he's awoken, then she'll be gone without a word.
…
"You're already got fresh bait?" Shachi said, grinning. He wasn't even going to question why Cole seemed so eager to do work. It was a rare thing and he wasn't going to ruin it. "Couldn't even wait for us. How hungry are you?" He slapped the technician on the back while he set up after him.
"It's not my fault you and Bepo decided to go for a break together. There was no one up here when I came back." Cole responded easily. He ignored Bepo's apology. "Whatever, just set up."
Shachi's hand hit the deck when he tried reaching back for the bait container. "Eh?" He glanced over his shoulder. The tin can wasn't there. "Oi, I thought you went to get bait." Shachi should have known better. Cole probably just skipped out on duty again. But, the man was fishing… he couldn't have gone and used all the bait in one go, could he? He's not going to catch all of dinner like that. Fishing doesn't work that way! "What are you doing, Cole?" Shachi called, jumping onto his feet.
The 'bait' that was hanging off Cole's pole was a person—Charlotte, in fact.
"Yeah," Bepo agreed, panicky. "Charlotte's not a worm. She won't catch anything."
"Shut up, she's been moping around all this time. If she has time to do that then she should help out! We're low on food for dinner. At this rate we'll have to eat Bepo instead." Cole grumbled and the bear screamed in fear.
"I'm not food!" Then anger it seemed.
"Your great idea is for her to help by being the bait?!" Shachi shouted, incredulously.
"It worked with Aceteon didn't it?" Charlotte twitched while the other two pirates stiffened. "Let's not forget who knows what this perverted witch did with Rike and Law behind closed doors."
I guess I should be glad that he didn't tell anyone anything… but I wish he could at least clear up that misunderstanding! Charlotte groaned mentally, glancing up at the trio above her. Or trying to, her neck couldn't quite bend the right way for that. She settled for staring at the clear water below her and her eyes softened. The waters always did calm her.
There would be a ripple in the water every so often from her shoulder. A red droplet of blood from her earlier overexertion. It made the water look unique. That and the strange black dot. Charlotte's eyes narrowed at it. Her eyes widened when the dot became increasingly larger. It couldn't be—"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" She screamed as a giant stripe shark jumped out of the water below her, eyes as hearts, jaws wide and rows of teeth baring.
She tried to pull herself up, but she was instantly reminded that her arms were bounded to her. So she tried to cut through the ropes only to remember that she had lost her weapon with Aceteon. Freaking! She let out a weak squeak when she felt the jaws clench around her, teeth jutting into the outermost layers of the rope. Then she was in the waters.
Meanwhile, up on deck, the three were still arguing about whether Charlotte would be a good bait. Their battle lost its moment when a small and high pitched meek cried cut through their argument, followed by Cole slamming into the railings. It took them only a few moments of staring at the strained pole and the running line to realize that they actually caught something. "See what did I tell you! Charlotte makes… a… good…"
"CHARLOTTE!" The three screamed, eyes bugging as the crashed into the side, leaning over. They spotted the oddly shaped dark blob in the water where the line was.
"DON'T YOU DARE LET GO OF THAT ROD!" Shachi shouted at the groaning Cole. He turned towards Bepo. "QUICKLY, MOVE THE SUB TO FOLLOW THAT FISH!" They would be so dead if it turned out that they killed the other devil fruit user because one of them decided it would be fun to dangle her over the water. If the others found out, who knows what they would do. "COLE, TELL ME YOU HAVE MADE SOME KIND OF NET LAUNCHER!"
"It's in the armory!" Cole grunted, planting his feet against the railings now. The thing was tough.
"I'll be right back! Whatever you do don't let go!" Shachi cried one more time before yanking the door open and descending down the stairs. He didn't even get two steps in before he collided into something. The impact wasn't nice for either one of the two people. For the newcomer, he let out a painful grunt. One that had Shachi freezing in his spot. "C-Captain, you're finally awake…" He greeted with an awkward smile as he glanced up at his wincing and glaring captain. He had just collided against Law's wound.
Cole tensed at the mentioned of their cruel captain. This was not good.
"What are you doing up here? Are you sure you should be out of bed?" Cole swallowed hard when he heard Shachi. He knew what Shachi was trying to do: get their captain into bed before he finds out about what happened with Charlotte.
Please Captain, get back into bed! Cole prayed mentally. His eyes widened when he saw a bunch of bubbles rise to the water's surface where the line was. Charlotte ran out of air! That's was right! Charlotte is a devil fruit user. She's weak to water. They can't be waiting anymore time. Please Captain!
Law gave Shachi and Cole a glance. Their concern was understandable, but unnecessary. He was the ship's main doctor. He knows when he should be resting and when he can be walking around. He had woken up not too long ago. "I was told Charlotte was on deck." He had found out from Rike that Charlotte was the one who had performed on him, not Rike. At first he felt ill, especially at how unconventional their surgery was. But, he had to agree, it did kind of reassure him that he was operated in his ROOM. No matter how desperate the fact seemed. "I want to talk to her."
"Ahahaha… you just missed her Captain." Shachi laughed, scratching the back of his head.
Law gave Shachi a strange look. He was acting strange. "Cole-ya?" He called and the pirate jumped. He dropped everything as he turned around, giving their captain a solid salute with a clear 'Yes, Captain'. Law found the action weird and his eyes followed the fishing rod over the rail. Charlotte wasn't here. "You lost your fish." He informed and he turned around. Rike said that she hadn't left his ship just yet. It was too early to deal with their shenanigans.
"AHHHHHHH, CHARLOTTE!" Law jolted to a stop at the name. "I TOLD YOU NO MATTER WHAT NOT TO LET GO!" The Captain turned back to see his two buffoons of a pirate leaning over the rail, scanning the sea's surface. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"
"What did you two do?" Law questioned, his voice dangerously low behind the two frozen pirates.
…
"Really… what were you thinking?" Rike sighed from his position next the two on scrubbing duty.
"It wasn't my idea! It was Cole's!" Shachi defended and Cole grumbled a sarcastic thanks under his breath.
"You didn't exactly stop him either." Arguing didn't do anything to prevent Charlotte from being kidnapped by a shark. "We'll be lucky if she turns out in alive or in one piece."
"Bepo, are you getting anything?" At the voice, the two scrubbers felt a chill run down their spines. Law was still mad. Law had called Bepo on board and given Jean Bart the role of navigator for the time being. The plan was to track Charlotte down using Bepo's nose just like how Ryoudex had done prior. It shouldn't be too hard. Bepo was part animal whereas Ryoudex was all human.
The bear didn't respond immediately. Instead, he took another sniff of the hoodie she was wearing then the air again. "Over there!" He pointed much to the surprise of Rike. He didn't think it would work through water.
"Let Jean Bart-ya know."
…
On some random chip-shaped island, fishermen were raking in their daily haul. Due to the weird shape of their island, the portside didn't require them boats to fish. All they had to do was throw a net out into the ocean. The water around them were all deep. They had no shallow water. "We got a nice catch today, boys!" All they had to do at the end of the day was reel in the heavy and large net and they'd have tons of fish.
The drumming slowly stopped and the fishermen paused with the fading sounds. They weren't done reeling in the net yet. Something wasn't right. "Over there! There's a weirdly shaped fish!" One of the drummers shouted and the males quickly turned their attention towards said fish.
"IT'S A MERMAID!" One of the fisherman quickly shouted as he caught sight of a tiger shark tail and a human's torso. His shout had many others running forward. Rumors had it that mermaid were all beautiful women. They were also rare to come by.
The males paused around the still shark and human combination, staring at it. Something seemed strange about this mermaid. It was part fish and part human, that was for sure, but weren't mermaids only supposed to have a fish's tail, not a whole fish? Also, why was the person sticking out of the shark's mouth? "You idiots, it's a shark trying to eat a someone!"
"Is she going to be alright? The shark's jaw's around her."
"Yeah. It seems like the shark's teeth only bit into rope. She's unharmed. Come, help me take the girl out!"
Am I dead? Charlotte's thought came out slow and groggily. The world around her was dark and noisy. Maybe she was in the shark's stomach. If I'm not dead yet, I'll make sure to kill that freaking Old Man before I go. She'll drag him down to the depths of Hell with her for feeding her to a goddamn shark. To be able to do that, first she needed to get out of the shark's stomach. The stomach was really burning.
"O-Oi, can you hear me?" A ruff voice echoed through the light that soon broke through the black. Charlotte groaned in response, the light was too bright and she couldn't move her arm to block it. Maybe the shark had bitten it off. "Oi! She's still alive. Get the rope off her."
Rope? Sure enough, a great pressure quickly dropped from her sides and she was finally able to bring an arm up to cover her eyes. Slowly, now with her eyes protected, she peeled her eyes open slowly. The first thing that she saw was an unfamiliar man's face. Law? She thought instantly, but shook the thought away. He should still be asleep. Besides the man was tanned slightly, but not as dark as Law's, just enough to know that he worked under the sun. The arms holding her arms were firm too. He's muscular. Charlotte noted casually. It was a habit, just like every other detail she noted.
He was young, probably around Charlotte's age.
He had amber eyes and a scar splitting his left eyebrow. It looked old. A childhood injury with a blade.
A scythe more exact.
The fisherman was watching the strange woman as well. Her purple tresses were still damp from her earlier uh, swim and when her eyes opened, he was drawn to their unique color. They were a shade of purple one that he couldn't really name. It reminded him of a pale purple rose—slightly eerie, but stunningly beautiful. That is until they darkened like something dark was eating away at them, blocking off her vision from reality.
The nameless fisherman gently cupped her cheek, lifting her face until her eyes were looking at him again rather than the ground. He frowned. There pale flower looked wilted. She still wasn't seeing the present. "Everything's going to be okay." He told her gently. "There's no need to be scared." He promised, the arm under her, tightening on her shoulder. He didn't know why, but he felt the sudden urge to protect her and the wilting flowers in her eyes.
Charlotte flinched, her free arm twitched for her shoulder and that's when the male realized that she was bleeding. His palm was completely covered in her blood. She frowned, staring at the wound. "It must have opened from this afternoon."
"That's probably how the shark found you." A voice called from behind Charlotte, causing to glance around. She wasn't alone with the unfamiliar. She was outnumbered by them. Several other males had formed a ring around her, all of them staring at her. "They're attracted to blood." Another commented at Charlotte's blank stare.
"Ikeda," The young man holding Charlotte turned towards the other males. "take her to be treated." Ikeda locked eyes with Charlotte, happy to see the darkness missing again. He nodded suddenly, easily scoping Charlotte up before she could even protest.
"It's amazing that she's even alive… there's no ships in sight. I wonder how far she must have been carried…" Charlotte could hear their murmurs fading behind her as the male, Ikeda, easily ran away. Her weight didn't seem to affect the man at all.
Charlotte's eyes never left the dead tiger shark until it was out of sight. Quietly, Charlotte took in her surroundings. They had just passed full of farmers and into town. The buildings were tall and they all looked exactly alike. Cement blocks stacked on top of each other with a small visor sticking out to mark the end of one home. Strings were strung haphazardly across buildings and into each other homes via holes in the wall—windows, probably. Her eyes widened slightly, then settled as she saw a person zip lined across from one house and into another. It was a means of transportation. How unique. Though, it wasn't as unique as their sky. Thousands of beautifully designed oil-paper umbrellas hung open above them, covering the majority of the sky. Does it rain often here?
"Pretty, eh?" Another voice interjected, snapping Charlotte from her thoughts. She was met with a taller male. He had the same long messy hair as Ikeda but unlike Ikeda's it wasn't black, it was blond. He looked older too, not by much, a few years maybe. The thing that stood out most was the white lab coat he was wearing. They were already at the doctor's and Ikeda didn't seem even the littlest bit tired. "We get heavy rain quite frequently, so having the umbrellas like that really help." The kind doctor smiled.
Charlotte stared at the open hands facing out towards her, curiously. She didn't understand. It looked like he was waiting for something to happen, but she didn't know what.
"How long are you going to stand by the door?" Ikeda jeered and the doctor's smile seem to falter at the tone of voice. Even Charlotte flinched at the sharp tongue. "Now isn't the time to be womanizing. The patient's injured, Ani." With that Ikeda kicked his way through and Charlotte couldn't help but slightly grateful that she wasn't going to be carried by some pervert, though she guessed she should be used to being treated by a pervert by now.
Placing Charlotte gently on the chair, Ikeda glanced at his bloodied hand and frowned slightly. "I'm going to wash up. Don't do anything perverted while I'm away."
Charlotte shied away when Ikeda left and the doctor approached. Who leaves a woman alone with a pervert willingly?! Charlotte was dumbfounded. Even more so when a light chuckle filled the room.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything perverted. I'm just going to treat your wound, okay?" He reassured, hands up in a defense. They were free from the callouses that Ikeda had. Actually, his whole body seemed smaller than Ikeda's despite him being taller. His muscles were underdeveloped in comparison. Charlotte nodded and the doctor slowly proceeded. "Can you show me where you're injured?" Charlotte could take him easily if she needed to.
"Just my shoulder." She explained, shrugging her hoodie off to reveal the red and wet bandages around her shoulder. "I just need fresh bandages and I can do the rest myself." She told as the doctor leaned back.
Pushing off the ground, the blond man leaned back slightly to shout through the hallway where Ikeda left. "Don't come in until I tell you so." He warned and Charlotte tensed. "Haha, don't worry. Nothing's happening." He reassured focusing back on Charlotte. "I'm just going to need you to remove your top so I can undo your bandages. I wouldn't want him to walk in while your half naked." He smiled, hands up in another sign of truth. "Ah, but if you're not comfortable with that in front of me either, I can turn around and you can wrap that blanket around you, under the armpits. I just need to take another look at the wound to ensure that it's not infected from the sea." He added quickly when he noticed Charlotte's hesitation.
Rolling her lips, Charlotte played out her options. She could probably take the doctor, but she wouldn't be able to grab the equipment she needed fast enough before Ikeda comes back. She didn't know if she could win against Ikeda with her left arm useless and her body still weak from the sea. There was also the worry about if her arm really did get infected. "Okay," Charlotte finally agreed and the doctor smiled, spinning around on his chair.
Noticing something moving from the corner of his eye, the perverted doctor was quick to realize that the mirror was reflecting everything for him. A perverse grin crawled onto his face at the realization that he could watch without upsetting the patient. He swallowed thickly. From what little he could see, the patient had a nice body. Huh? What is she doing? The doctor leaned forward slightly and he squinted at the mirror. He didn't want to be too obviously. She was balling something up.
"EEK!" The doctor screamed when the something slammed into the mirror, breaking it instantly. He gave a nervous laugh at that. The woman had caught on to his little peek show. "I'm sorry! I promise I won't look anymore!" She's scary!
"I'll make sure of that." She responded innocently. "You can turn around now." Charlotte responded and the doctor did so. "I already took off the old bandages." She informed, not that he needed her to. His carefree smile had dropped instantly as saw the new wound on the old scar.
"…Who are you?" The doctor questioned seriously, glancing up at the nameless woman. She didn't respond. With a low sigh, the doctor picked up his pen and began writing down notes. "It's infected." That was the least of the worry though. Normal people don't get wounds like that and it was going to leave a very nasty scar. "You popped the stitches, I'll need to redo them."
"Please stitch up the inside first." Charlotte told and the doctor stilled a moment before nodding. So she was aware that the insides of the wounds had been blended too. He noted, getting out his gloves. He prepped the materials, pulling them onto a tray. First came the anesthetics. "I can't pay for that." Charlotte interrupted. "I don't have money with me. I can probably sell my boots for enough to cover the bandages and string, but I can't afford anesthetics."
"But then…" The doctor's warning fell silent when he saw the huntress brought her red scarf into her mouth. Judging from her expression, she didn't need it. She was just doing it to ease his conscious. "I'll have to stitch up the inner tissue first. That's going to hurt a lot without anesthetics." Still no difference. "I can't do it without the drug." He sighed and Charlotte spat out her scarf, and raised up her hand, palm up.
"I'll do it then." Was she kidding? He glanced at the strange patient, noticing her soaked clothes in a pile and the way her hair was still soaking wet. It hadn't even rained.
"Do you really have no money?"
"I do. Just not with me." Charlotte elaborated at the weird stare. "I washed up on shore."
That made slightly more sense. It was time to reel in the nets so she must have gotten caught in it. How lucky for her to survive a shipwreck that way. "Storm?"
"No, shark bait." She confessed with a lopsided smile while the doctor only gave her questioning looks. "Ask Ikeda."
"Okay, whatever." The doctor finally caved. "Pay me when you have get your money or don't." He told. "I'm going to use the anesthetic either way." Just because she withstood a not normal injury didn't make her superwoman. "You'll thank me for it."
"Thank you." The doctor scoffed. He didn't mean now, he meant… he glanced up at the patient again. She was being sincere.
"Don't worry about it." He mumbled back, a faint blush on his face. He placed a hand on Charlotte's bare shoulder only to jerk back when she pulled away.
"H-hot!" She yelped much to both their surprises. My hand? The doctor paused. "Here, I'll put on the gloves first, but I'm not actually burning hot. It's probably just seems that way because your cold." He explained, catching Charlotte's conflicted look. He replaced his hand on her shoulder again, this time gently guiding her onto her back. He pulled a strong light over her, concentrating the light on her injured shoulder.
Charlotte couldn't feel the doctor as he started his work. The drug was rather helpful and she was glad for it. Not only did it make the pain disappear, but also so she could collect her thoughts slightly. The doctor beside her was a devil fruit user.
"Want to tell me how you got such a bad wound, Shark Bait?" The nameless doctor questioned and Charlotte swallowed thickly.
"It's a long story." Friend or foe?
"I have lots of time." Charlotte inhaled deeply, her right hand altering between flexing and not. She has been drugged and is being operated on by a stranger with some strange ability that she had no idea what it is or how it works. "Entertain me while I fix up your arm."
…
"That took you guys a while." Ikeda grumbled from his spot in the waiting room. The two of them had finally emerged from the other room. "You didn't do anything you weren't supposed to, did you?" The dark haired accused and the elder only laughed with his arms up.
"Of course not! I'm hurt that you would accuse me of something so unethical between a doctor and patient." The blond retorted, mocking pain.
"It's suspicious how long you took and the fact that she's wearing different clothes." Ikeda shouted, pointing a finger towards patient who was still getting dressed. She was fixing the belt into place to hold up the rather baggy pants. She was wearing a simple striped tee with a black heart in the middle above the lines with the letters 'TU' printed in white on top. Over that was a cream colored cardigan.
"Those are mine." The doctor corrected, earning a that-doesn't-make-you-any-less-incriminating look from Ikeda. "I had her take a shower after I stitched up her wound. We can't have her getting sick for being all wet. She didn't have anything else. I'm going to wash her clothes later when I close down the shop."
"Make sure you give them back." Ikeda scowled, turning his attention towards their newcomer. He was shocked to see her already by the exit, peeking out. "Hey Shark-Girl," He called, reaching for her arm when she didn't respond. "How did you end up inside a shark?"
Charlotte turned back when she felt a warmth on her skin. Her eyes were wide and full of confusion as she turned back towards the male. What in the world had he just said? Slowly, the corners of her eyes crinkled and she laughed lightly. "What are you talking about?" His grip slipped off her wrist and her laughter ceased slowly. "Ikeda?"
The one name had, strangely enough, both of them turning their heads and responding to her, the doctor by her name and the other with a simple 'yeah'. Charlotte blinked, glancing back at them. She hadn't meant to call both of them, actually, she didn't know either of their names. She was only reading the sign in the room. So, she hadn't expected any of them to respond. "Eh? You two have the same name?"
"I guess you can say that." Dr. Ikeda responded, scratching the back of his head. "Ikeda's the family name. I'm Urumi and the one who brought you here is my younger brought Hiamei."
"Oh…" Charlotte gaped. The two did look similar. Their faces and their hairstyle especially, but Urumi had blond hair and blue eye while Hiamei had black hair and amber eyes. That wasn't all. Urumi had no signs of every doing any hard manual labour. He was really lanky, while the younger brother was more built. Their bodies were almost opposites.
"We don't look alike—"
"Charlotte, can you go wait outside?" Hiamei interrupted Urumi this time, his voice slightly strained. He didn't sound like he enjoyed being compared to his brother. Their interaction between the two seemed rather strained, one-sidedly the whole entire time now that Charlotte thought about it. Charlotte nodded, disappearing outside the door.
Once Charlotte was completely gone, Hiamei turned to face his brother, his eyes full of bite. "I thought you said you didn't do anything unnecessary!" He howled, glaring up at his always smiling brother.
"I did."
"Liar!" Hiamei grabbed Urumi by the collar, bringing him down so they were of the same height. Urumi wasn't a lot taller than him, it was only a little bit just like their age. "You did something to her memory, didn't you? The look in her eyes isn't the same!" He never saw anyone with as clear windows into their soul as Charlotte and now they were all murky. All the people his brother messed with using his powers always had that same murky look in their eyes. It was disgusting.
"She was having nightmares." Urumi explained, his voice slightly louder.
Hiamei scowled at the tone. There he goes again. Helping people was always his reason. What good would it do to them if they could only run away? "So? Everyone gets nightmares."
"She consented to the procedure when I told her about it." Urumi said, his tone filled with finality. "It doesn't matter what you say."
It didn't matter if his little brother didn't agree with his tactics per say. The patient wished for it. For the first time, he agreed with the patient on that. He understood everyone else's concern when he did it, but for the first time, he would have picked the same. Her nightmares weren't nightmares and Hiamei should have known that as soon as he said the word. Urumi's abilities only worked on memories—real experiences, not fantasy.
He was surprised that his little brother had spoken up about it. Urumi knew that Hiamei didn't like it, but he never confronted him about it when he performed it before. Only now. Only of Charlotte. "That's rare of you." He muttered quietly as his brother stormed out.
"Hiamei?" Charlotte questioned when the male exited the room quickly. She reached to stop him, turning around to face her.
Hiamei scanned her platinum eyes, looking for that same flower from before. It wasn't there. "Che." He yanked away, continuing his fast pace. "Don't follow me!" He snapped, never once turning back to the huntress. He only continued forward towards a platform. He pulled once and the ground shot up, taking Hiamei to one of the higher floors.
"Ignore him." Urumi reassured, popping his head out of the shed. "He's being a kid. A biiiiig kid." He added the second part after a second. They were all technically the ages of adults here. Pulling his eyes away from Hiamei, Urumi smiled towards Charlotte again. "Don't worry, he'll be back soon. Come stay with me for the time being?" He smiled and raised his hands up again at the cautious vibe. So her cautiousness is a habit. Urumi noted. "It's night already and you don't have any other place to stay, right, Shark Bait?"
Charlotte blinked. She didn't? The aura around Charlotte lessened, and she nodded. "Why am I called 'Shark Bait' anyway, My name's Charlotte." She pouted, following the doctor in. She gave a worried look over her shoulder to where Hiamei was.
"Okay, okay, Charlotte." He laughed slightly before his tone became more serious. It still had the light happy air to it though. "I want you to stay in town for the new few weeks so I can do check-up on that shoulder of yours." He told, pointing at the freshly bandaged shoulder.
Later that night, Hiamei closed the door behind him. "I'm home." He announced, slipping off his shoes and hanging up his jacket. A guest? He questioned, noticing another pair of shoes on the floor as he tied his own shoes. It didn't take him long to realize who the guest was and to be honest, he should have known better than to be shock at the development. "What are you doing here?" He sneered, pointing to the violet hair maiden eating rice.
"I'm eating dinner." She explained after a swallow, glancing back up at him in confusion. "Yours here too. It's not like I'm stealing your food. Besides I don't eat much." She pouted, looking away.
"Oh, okay. Wait, that's not what I meant!" Hiamei did a double take. "I mean why are you in my house!"
"Watch out! Your rice is going to topple over." Charlotte rebutted, her words starting before Hiamei had finished his words and by the time she finished, she already had rebalanced his bowl with her chopsticks. "That was close!" She laughed while the Ikeda brothers remained silent. She reacted faster than either of the two could see. "Eh? Is something wrong?"
Hiamei shot Urumi a look.
Just who was Charlotte?
