Chapter 3

Who seeks finds

Two days later

Kid threw his training target overboard and watched it sink with satisfaction.

"Marines are so stupid" he sneered.

He turned and jumped when seeing Killer behind his back, arms folded over his chest and an inquisitive look in his eye despite his mask. Kid immediately turned away and gazed back at the ocean. He didn't want to talk to his first mate, but the blond was making it clear to him by following him everywhere since the beginning of the morning that he didn't intend to give up. Despite his willingness to ignore him, the captain quickly got annoyed with the situation and gave him an exasperated look over his shoulder.

"Spit it out, Killer."

"What's going on with Trafalgar?"

Kid clenched his jaw and just shrugged.

"Nothing."

"Really? We saw him twice in a short time. First on an island where you followed him who knows where. Then, we find the Den Den Mushi and here he comes again. You kicked us out with no explanation, you brought him back on the ship and since then you're scary as fuck" his first mate calmly listed.

His captain swore between his teeth. Killer was far too smart for his own safety. Yet he was also his best friend and the only one to whom he allowed questions. He then decided to face him and turned around, looking annoyed.

"It has nothing to do with that fucking Den Den Mushi" he mumbled.

"Maybe but right now, the crew is afraid just hearing you coming closer. You take it out on them all the time and this has to stop" Killer went on. "What did he do? You want us to go set his yellow box on fire?"

Kid instinctively reached for his weapons fastened around his waist.

"Trafalgar Law is a fucking bastard and no, I don't want you to touch his yellow box. I got something much better than that."

"What?"

"Revenge."

"Revenge?"

Killer sighed. Kid was very good in his field, that is to say fighting without thinking, but the strategic level wasn't his strong point. It was precisely Trafalgar's field.

"And what exactly do you wanna do?" he asked him.

"Can't tell you."

The blond shook his head before leaving at last. He would hear about it sooner or later anyway.

The next day, Kid locked himself in his cabin. He had put the Den Den Mushi in the middle of the mess on his desk to begin the first part of his plan, which was to find out where the surgeon of death was hiding. Unfortunately, his network wasn't really vast and apart from the Supernovae with whom he wasn't particularly on good terms, he didn't know who to call.

"Damn card player, I'm not asking you to tell me my future, I wanna know if you know where this fucking Warlord is?!"

"The answer comes from the east."

Kid abruptly hung up and ran a hand over his face. Basil Hawkins had wanted to read the cards before answering him and Kid had let him do it, thinking it was a technique to impress him before giving him his information but very likely, he had no idea where Trafalgar Law was for a long time.

The captain had also tried to reach the crew of Scratchmen Apoo, but the music that was constantly screaming had quickly ended the discussion without him being able to hear anything.

He sighed. X Drake had simply hung up hearing his name and Capone and Urouge weren't answering. There were only Straw Hat and Jewelry and the fiasco would be complete. He wasn't advancing even an inch about the position of Trafalgar or his crew.

Resigned, he dialed Monkey D. Luffy number.

"Anything new, Kid?" his first mate inquired as he stepped into his cabin a few moments later.

His captain gave him a bewildered look before realizing he was still holding the Den Den Mushi and he hung up with an angry gesture.

"That's fucked up, Killer. Nobody's cooperating on that fucking ocean!"

"Who were you with?"

"Straw Hat. Well, at first. This guy is a complete jerk!"

Killer was looking at him questioningly and his captain went on, furious.

"First, he took five minutes to remember me, that motherfucker! Then he can't pronounce my name or Trafalgar's and it took another five minutes for him to figure out who I was talking about!"

"And he knows where he is?"

"I'm not even sure! A chick from his crew turned up, took the Den Den Mushi from him and started yelling at me. I couldn't say a word! At the end, I just understood that she didn't know where he was and that even if she did, she wouldn't tell a "metallic barbarian" where a "cutter psychopath" would be so as not to take the risk the New World would explode before she collected enough berries and then she hung up!"

Killer nodded sympathetically.

"Probably the navigator. The other woman in the crew is much more discreet by nature. Nico Robin used to go unnoticed for a long time."

"How do you know all this?" Kid growled.

"Knowing your opponents is the basis of a successful strategy."

"Yeah. If you say so."

Annoyed, the red-haired captain began dialing the number of the last member of the Supernovae but his first mate stopped him.

"No need to try to reach Jewelry. She's been missing for a long time."

Kid threw the Den Den Mushi, out of control.

"These gals are really no use!" he yelled as Killer was picking up the poor knocked out animal.

"I got an idea to find out Trafalgar's location" the blond calmly spoke again.

Kid sharply turned and stared at him with interest.

"How?"

"He's a Warlord, isn't he? So we should ask the Marine."

His captain was stunned for a few seconds before answering with a predatory smile.

"Great idea, Killer."

Despite the enthusiasm that had resulted from Killer's plan, Kid was slowly starting to lose patience. For two days, he had been relentlessly searching the ocean, straining his eyes by means of hoping to see a ship with the unmistakable emblem.

"It's always when you look for the Marine that it can't be found" he muttered, lowering his binoculars.

"A meeting of the World Government took place a few days ago in the area. I'm sure we'll end up meeting one of their ships" his first mate replied at his side.

Kid searched the sea again, sighing.

"We need at least a Rear Admiral" he grumbled. "Lower officers won't know where he is."

Killer nodded.

"Trafalgar is the only one of the Seven Warlords not to have a steady location. The others have all a known residence but he continues to travel in his submarine. He's definitely up to something."

"This junk surgeon thinks he's invincible with his new status but pretty soon he'll come down to earth."

The two pirates continued to search the ocean for long minutes before Kid finally gave a hint of a triumphant smile.

"I got one."

Killer took his binoculars and run up in the direction given by his captain.

"It's a Commodore. You think that'll be enough?"

Kid cracked the bones of his neck in anticipation of the next battle.

"That'll be enough. I'm done waiting."

"Dammit, stop pounding it so hard, it's gonna sink!" Kid snapped.

"Isn't that the point, Captain?" one of his crew asked.

His leader rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that's the point, but only after I get the information I'm looking for, you idiots!"

As usual, the prospect of a fight with the Marine had triggered frenzy among the Kidds Pirates' crew. Yet Kid had been careful to explain that this mission was particular and that it wouldn't be just a slaughter for the pleasure of spilling their enemies' blood. But obviously, the information was hard to understand for some of them.

"We're gonna be able to board them from the left side" Wire suddenly showed his captain.

"Perfect. Killer and I are gonna find this Commodore. I want half our men to stay on the ship so that we can get out as quickly as possible as soon as we have what we're looking for. The others can screw up officers but not the ship, got it?"

"Yes, Captain."

As Wire was walking away, Kid watched the Marine ship come closer with relish. He could already make out the cries of fear and incomprehension from the officers. Of course they didn't understand why Captain Eustass Kid's ship was heading towards them with the obvious aim of boarding instead of killing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Killer spinning his scythes and he smiled even more. He couldn't wait.

Quickly the Kidds Pirates' ship came closer to the Marine's to line up against its left side. Cannonballs were flying towards the pirates at a steady pace in a foolish hope to sink them but Kid was deflecting them with a simple motion of his hand, to the chagrin of the soldiers who were starting to panic.

Without waiting for the mooring ropes, Kid jumped on the enemy ship, his heavy boots making him land in a thud. Killer did the same and the officers immediately pointed their guns at them. Kid smugly stared at them.

"Get out of my way; I gotta speak with your Commodore."

A man stepped forward, his brow furrowed. His face darkened by a large hat, he raised his sword in front of him.

"What do you want, pirate?" he asked, on his guard.

"Simple information", the captain assured him with a cunning smile. "If you tell me what I wanna know we'll leave just like that."

The Commodore stared at him for a few seconds before tightening his grip on his sword.

"The Marine doesn't deal with pirates. You belong in Impel Down!"

With these words, the officers surrounding the two attackers fired and bullets flew in direction of the captain and his first mate. Yet Kid just had to raise his hand for them to fall on the floor before they hit their targets. In shock, the soldiers were about to fire again when their leader stepped in.

"Stop, it's no use! He's a Paramecia, he controls electromagnetism."

The soldiers lowered their weapons, stunned and frightened. With a smirk, the red-haired captain nodded.

"True. And I'll show you how to use a gun."

Without taking his eyes off his enemy, he raised his right hand towards the first officer within reach who took a step back, terrified.

"Repel."

The unfortunate man's weapon turned against him and the bullet sank into his shoulder, making him cry out in pain. His leader tried to protest by throwing himself on the bloodthirsty pirate but Killer dissuaded him from moving by making his scythes whistle in front of him. The man tried all the same to bring his sword down on the scythes to get through but the spinning of the first mate's weapons made it flit in the air. Kid then used his devil fruit again and another officer collapsed to the floor. The Commodore froze helplessly.

After two more men, he gave in.

"Stop that and tell me what you want!"

Kid smiled and motioned for him to walk towards his cabin with his first mate as part of his crew was moving into deck.

"Just keep them from moving for now. If some of them stand up, throw them into the sea" he said as he was walking away.

His men sneered in front of the obvious officers' fear when they backed down in spite of themselves.

When he entered the cabin, Killer sent the Commodore crashing into the chair behind his desk and put one of his scythes in evidence in front of him.

The chief officer straightened up and met the gaze of the two pirates.

"What do you want to know?" he asked Kid, his teeth clenched.

The pirate took a step closer, looking threatening.

"Warlords. Tell me where they are."

The man stared at him.

"The Seven Warlords? How could you benefit from this information?"

"Just answer the question" Killer quietly said behind him.

"I'd rather die than cooperate with pirates!" the prisoner challenged them.

Kid shrugged.

"Fine with me."

He grabbed his dagger and threw it into the thigh of the man who screamed. Killer held him tight to keep him from tearing the object stuck in his leg as the man was struggling with all his might. The red-haired captain stepped closer and removed the blade before pressing down on the wound with his metallic hand. The man writhed in pain despite Killer's grip on his shoulders, his eyes watering.

"Still no idea?" Kid casually asked, straightening a few moments later.

The man used this pause to catch his breath and let the pain flow back. Sweat was beading on his forehead and blood was dripping from his injured limb yet he looked up at Kid before trying to spit in his face. The pirate easily shifted then stuck his knife again in the bloody wound with a ferocious smile.

The Commodore screamed harder and staggered, on the verge of fainting.

"Easy, Kid. He needs to be able to talk" Killer pointed out to him.

His captain pulled out the knife again and shook the glassy-eyed officer in his blood-red chair.

"Hey, don't fall asleep!"

The man blinked and Kid leaned closer.

"What about your men? You rather watch them die than cooperate?"

The Commodore just stared at him without answering and Kid looked up at Killer.

"Shoot these idiots. Just leave a few alive."

Killer nodded and headed for the door, but the Commodore slightly sat up to escape his torturer's grip.

"W-Why?" he asked in a hacking voice.

"So that you can see them suffer" Kid calmly explained.

His prisoner froze.

"St-Stop it", he then surrendered. "I… I'll tell you what I know…"

Killer stepped back through the door and Kid threw him back in his chair before taking a chair for himself. He sat down on the other side of the desk to face his prisoner and put his feet there. He then picked an apple from the fruit basket not far from him and bit it hard.

"I know Doflamingo returned to Dressrosa and… Boa Hancock is at Amazon Lily" the man began.

"I don't care" Kid cut him short, spitting out the pips. "Where's Trafalgar Law?"

"Trafalgar?" the man repeated. "I-I don't know where he is…"

The Kidds Pirates' captain jumped to his feet, furious, and sent his apple core flying.

"How the fuck could you not know?! He's a Warlord, the Marine must know where he is!"

"Maybe the Admirals, but I've never met him since he took office. It's the truth, I swear…"

Kid knocked over the desk before screaming in rage as the Commodore was struggling not to lose consciousness.

"Relax, Kid. Look at that."

Killer handed him a sheet he had just torn from a Den Den Mushi topped with a fax machine. His captain ran his eye over it before bursting into laughter.

"A mission for that dear Trafalgar who doesn't like orders…"

"The island isn't very far from here and he must have received the orders a short time ago given the date of this copy" his first mate said. "If we head east, we'll be there in a day or two. It should be enough."

"That clairvoyant son of a bitch was right after all" Kid noted.

Killer shrugged and the captain stepped outside. He then gazed at his crew who was still threatening the officers.

"That's good, guys, sink that tub and we'll get out."

His men squealed with joy and Kid was heading for his own ship when the Commodore shouted at him. He had painfully dragged himself to the deck, his injured leg dripping with blood.

"I thought you'd set off again without fuss if you got your information?!" he hissed.

Eustass Captain Kid shrugged as he was walking away.

"They didn't teach you not to trust pirates when you joined the Marine?"

This very day

Law huffed, annoyed. The island they were heading for made them make a significant detour and he was hoping he wouldn't stay there more than a few hours before setting sail again. He reread the paper he had received almost 24 hours earlier. A rebellion to put down so that the World Government continues to have a grip on the region's ores trades. A group of pirates were trying to divert their reserves and obviously the Marines was in charge of restoring calm before the elites suffered a drop in their already largely comfortable incomes.

Being a Warlord definitely didn't only have advantages for him. The surgeon had to comply with their requests at the very least in order to remain in the good graces of the World Government long enough to carry out his objective.

When his submarine broke the surface of the water a few hours later, Law hastened to dispatch his orders to his crew. No unnecessary slaughter, but no waste of time either. According to his research, the rebels consisted of a pirate alliance. The two captains were respectively worth 105 and 125 million berries, which probably left them a lot of flexibility to beat them easily. To make sure the World Government knew that he had completed his mission, the Warlord would deal with the rebels alone while his crew was in charge of sinking their ships. Thus, no one could escape and the Marine would come and pick up the prisoners to do with them what they wanted.

Arrived on the beach, Law frowned. The island was dark and the gloomy weather added to the heavy and gray atmosphere. Islands like these were hell for their inhabitants. Sitting on a mountain of gold, they were almost reduced to slaves by the strongest groups in the region who were employing them to extract their richness. When the World Government had decreed that the island was now under their protection, the inhabitants had believed in a miracle. Yet the new owners barely guaranteed them relative security in exchange for almost all of their ore, and they had continued to work as hard as before. Despite everything, the islanders were infinitely grateful to their so-called saviors and the World Government was taking the opportunity to show its force when the island was attracting greedy pirates in order to further strengthen their deliberate enslavement.

And today, it was the turn of their new Warlord to participate in this ridiculous demonstration. Law hated feeling used for methods he didn't approve of, but he moved towards the heart of the island anyway, his nodachi on his shoulder. He wouldn't remain in their service all his life. Above all, he had a goal to achieve.

The next day

When the Kidds Pirates' ship came in sight of the small mining island, the surrounding smoke told them the Hearts had been there. Kid wasted no time and locked himself with his first mate in his cabin. He didn't want to see the Warlord escape him again.

"I want everyone on the island and the first one to find him tells me. But keep a low profile. His crew is probably there too and they can spot us."

"What do we do once we know where he is?" Killer asked him. "Are we attacking him?"

"No. We bring him back here and then I want you all out."

His first mate shook his head.

"Bad idea, Kid."

"What you mean, bad idea?!" his captain got angry.

"The last time you did that, I don't know what happened but you didn't come out of this talk happy and I don't wanna spend my time playing babysitter for a terrified crew" the blond firmly replied.

"It'll be nothing like last time!" Kid fumed. "I'm gonna butcher this bastard alive, period!"

"Why not with the crew then?"

"Cos it's between him and me!"

Killer was silent for a second.

"He's a Warlord, Kid. Don't underestimate h-"

"I know who the fuck he is and I don't give a damn about his shitty title cos that means nothing! I'm gonna make him regret thinking I'm a fucking carrier!"

His first mate ended up shrugging and walked away. Orders were orders.

Yeah, this reunion is gonna be bloody.

I hope you like it!