First chapter of 2020 (and as I just found, the New Lunar Year? Happy year of the Rat!)! Next will be the conclusion of this arc, and then… the timeskip? Oh my God. I can't believe we're getting there. I've been writing this thing for way too long. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

33. No good deed unpunished
(Time is running out for me)

Going down last step of the stairs with a tiny hop, Saki landed on the hallway and was going to ask Law about what had exactly happened out on the deck, but he just kept going further down the stairs, towards his quarters.

She figured whatever Marina had told him had bothered him a lot, because it was the first time since they knew each other that, given the choice, he did not go for his morning coffee before becoming a recluse again, so she tried to remind him. "It'll still be a while before breakfast, but coffee's—"

"The Log Pose sets this evening," he cut her off, not even acknowledging that he'd been speaking. "We sail tomorrow morning."

"Oh, okay!" She replied with surprise and growing concern. "Are you getting ready to—?"

And without waiting for her to finish the question, he disappeared down the stairs, leaving her with the words on the tip of her tongue and the urge to call him rude. Which she wouldn't do, this wasn't like him and something wasn't right. What could have upset her so much? She had only heard the end of the argument, but clearly he had taken personally what Marina had said.

Saki padded back to the galley to rescue the eggs that had stuck to the pan, giving it some thought. If she had to guess, she'd put her money on him getting annoyed that he wouldn't have a definitive answer about the virus. She could get it, if only sort of, because Saki wasn't much for worrying about problems that didn't affect her or her loved ones explicitly, but Law had invested a lot of time in this issue, and the thing was that, when he got like that, he usually got results. Saki had a feeling that he was a little too used to always getting his way.

So she chalked it up to him overreacting, and conveniently ignored that she was also caring a little too much about his bad mood. But she didn't like it when he was acting weird, alright? It brought the mood of the whole crew down, and nobody wanted to be stuck inside a ship with a sourpuss for days on end.

She made sure the coffee was still warm and poured a mug, intent on chasing after Law to, at least, deliver some wake-up help and see if she could get him to cheer up. Nobody could fault her for not trying.

Taking the coffee, she reached Law's closed door in no time, and she knocked quietly on it, wondering if he'd at least answer to that. She was starting to doubt it when, at last, Law said, "Come in."

Without missing a beat, she went in and saw that he was standing before the bookcase at the end of his room, one she was familiar in passing with because every now and then the sea rocked the Polar Tang too much and the books fell, and she'd been woken up more than once by a loud crashing sound and Law's immediate cursing as he hurried to pick them up.

At the moment, he was holding an armful of books, and there were another two piles on his desk. Very unstable, Saki recognized with an expert eye. But all those books hadn't fallen recently, because they were docked, so they had to be out of place for another reason.

"I brought fuel," she said, lifting the beverage in his direction as he turned to glance at her. "Since you seem so keen on hiding here."

"I'm not hiding," he replied, turning to the bookcase again. "Leave it on the desk."

All right, so he was going to be a hardass about it. Saki was going to do as told and leave, but respect for paper had been instilled for her at an early age and found herself battling against her own morals to set down a freaking mug. "On top of the sea charts, or on one of the book piles?"

He turned around again, confused for a moment, until he realized he couldn't see the surface of his desk, and before he could attempt to brush her off again, she picked up one of the book piles to set the coffee down and brought it to the bookcase.

"Can I put them of a shelf, or do you want to organize them yourself?"

"I don't have them in any particular order. Anywhere is fine."

They were heavy enough that she was grateful for the answer. She set them all carefully on one of the shelves, reading the spines out of curiosity, and when she was done, she took a look at the other ones that Law was placing in the bookcase. All of them medical texts. The reason why there was such a mess of them hit her then. "These were all for research?"

She read more of the titles in the bookcase, including the ones that didn't seem to have been touched in a while. They were all the same, except for some kind of albums in a corner. She wondered if he kept photos. He never struck her as the type.

"Yeah. Couldn't really find anything that matched what I had on my hands," he commented, and added with distaste, "Evidently."

Saki crossed her arms and looked at him, thinking how much easier it would be if he was the kind of person who cracked under a persistent stare. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Next dude who told her women were oh so complicated was going to have a chair thrown at his head. "Come on, you're telling me you're upset because you argued with Mack's sister?"

"I'm not upset."

"You've been giving me the cold shoulder since you left the deck! Is it because you couldn't find out what that illness was?"

He stared at her for a second, and she wasn't sure she liked what she saw. His face was blank, like he was trying not to let anything show through. It bothered her so much. Then, he took another handful of books from the table and kept putting them on the shelves.

Saki could tell when she wasn't wanted. Feeling mildly angry and honestly hurt, she decided to leave before she crossed a line without meaning to. "I didn't mean to bother you," she mumbled when she passed him.

"You didn't—"

And it was only when she reached the door that he said something that stopped her. "History keeps repeating itself." His words were quiet, somber, like they came from a place that light hadn't touched in a long time, and Saki was reminded of the night at Mack's apartment where he told her about his home island. "You can't imagine what is like to watch an island die a slow death." There was no bitterness in the way he spoke, only weariness and a sense of impotence. "I hope it stays that way."

She looked at him in silence, waiting to see if he'd say anything else, as she processed this new piece of information.

Flevance. He was thinking about Flevance. And how could he not, when a strange illness was sweeping through the island in front of his eyes? Suddenly, it made all the sense in the world that he's been so invested in saving Colin, and Saki felt like an insensitive jerk for not having realized earlier. She had to wonder if she had missed something, that time she had told him that solving the puzzle was the part of his job that interested him, instead of the human component. She wondered what he saw in every patient he couldn't help, and if every patient he saved also felt like saving himself, if only a bit.

She was quiet for what seemed an eternity while he repositioned the books he had already placed, proving that there was a proper order, and that he was a dirty liar who lied.

"How am I supposed to leave after this?"

"There's a door."

"You're too young and single to be making dad jokes."

That bookcase was, if nothing else, a proof of dedication bordering on obsession. So many attitudes and quirks made sense now, looking at them through that lens.

"Don't worry about me," he said, having the grace to look slightly embarrassed. Whether it was because he had brought concern onto himself or because his sense of humor was in critical state, only he could tell. "I was just thinking out loud."

"That gives me so much peace of mind," Saki said sarcastically, although inside she was relieved that he was emoting again. "Besides, there's even something even more worrying than you feeling down."

He looked at her with curiosity. "Such as?"

"You're the kind of guy that only reads non-fiction, aren't you?"

He was taken aback by the out of the left field accusation, quickly turned to look at his bookcase for a moment, and glared at her. "That's not true!"

"Newspaper strips don't count!"

"Says who?"

She shook her head. "No wonder you're always so salty, life's hard enough when you do have a source of escapism."

At this point, he was just fumbling for excuses. "I don't really have time to—"

"Let's make a deal," she proposed. "I'm going to go to my room, pick up a few novels, and leave them here, you psychopath, and in exchange I'll pretend that this conversation never happened and you are fine when Mack asks."

"Sounds good."

"Thank you. Be right back."

Saki had long ago stopped wondering how half of the serious conversations she ended up devolving into something absurd, so she made a beeline for her room to pick up her trashiest books, certain that Law wouldn't even touch them, but when she brought them back he looked more relaxed than he had been before, so she figured it was a gift, rather than a curse.

—

One didn't get to be in charge of their own squad without developing a good sense for detecting danger, and Marina liked to think that she wasn't an exception. It had come as shock to herself that was more willing to believe in Trafalgar's words than the integrity of the people at the castle, and she'd have to reexamine those feelings when she had a moment of quiet, but her gut feeling told her that he was right this time, and that was reassurance enough for her. Besides, Mack, too, had always been a good judge of character and a man of his word, so if he could get behind his captain, Marina was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Heaven knew that of her superiors could be trusted that way, especially the one with power to have a say in the current matter. If they were somehow sabotaging the investigation… Maybe someone sent by them had infiltrated the research team, and the actual reason Flagel was sent to the island with her was to check on them. It wouldn't have been difficult to get a mole inside, given that the royal family had recruited every expert able to lend a hand, and Flagel had better clearance than Marina and was way more amenable to taking orders that bordered on the unethical.

One thing was clear if the pirates were to be believed: someone with access to the samples had manipulated them, so it made sense that she'd also find out their objective when she caught them. The best case scenario would be sabotage from an unrelated party. If on the other hands, it was true that the World Government was somehow behind it… Marina had no clue what she would do.

As always, the clear skies of the castle town contrasted with the cloudy weather below. Marina had wondered about the mechanics of it, and was curious about how the people of the castle town got their water if it never rained there until she noticed a multitude of wells during her stay. It was next to one of them , not too far from the main entrance of the castle, that she saw Howe and Philip waiting for her, and the stood straight and saluted her as soon as they noticed her arrival.

"Good morning, ma'am," Howe said. "We heard from the guards that you had gone out, so we waited here to deliver our report."

Right, the report. She had been so tired that she didn't have a chance to hear it last night. Truth be told, she was still feeling tired and a little lightheaded. "Thank you both. I had to take care of something in town, but I'm all ears now."

Howe nodded stiffly. "As you ordered, we spent yesterday patrolling, and, uh… mingling."

"With the townsfolk," Philip clarified unnecessarily, and Marina wasn't sure if it was a good idea to ask why he looked guilty.

"Right," Howe agreed. "We didn't hear anything about you-know-what, but we learned that there are a lot more people in town than there have been in months. People are gathering, and it isn't only refugees."

"How did you find out? You haven't been there long enough to gauge that."

"We heard from some pub patrons."

"Regular ones," Philip interjected.

Marina looked at him coldly. "Philip, is there anything you want to tell me?"

"No, ma'am."

Marina pondered her reply. "Did you run into the Heart Pirates at any point during this?"

Both men looked at each other and Marina knew their answer before they decided on it.

"Did they try anything?" They better not have tried to attack her soldiers. "If they—"

"No, no!" Philip hurried to say. "Nothing of the sort!"

"Then what's the matter?" She was now lost as to why they would keep it from her.

And they still seemed unsure what to say, so when Howe found the right words, they came out hesitant. "They were surprisingly… amenable."

Ah. That.

"You tell me," she said with gritted teeth.

"We were surprised, given our prior experiences…"

"You went to see them, didn't you, Captain?" Philip questioned, swallowing his shyness. "Are they trying to help, too?"

"I'm not sure their motives are as commendable as a normal person would assume, but at least they've been cooperative."

"Oh… that sounds like them."

Marina didn't know what to make of that last comment, and, again, decided not to ask. "I want you in town today, too. If you notice any strange activity, I want to be notified." And after a pause, she added, "Keep an eye on the pirates if you can, too. Their captain's in a foul mood and there's no telling what he'll do. Bring more men to town and have them patrol in pairs."

"Yes, ma'am."

After giving out her instructions, Marina continued her trek to the castle, and the short conversation about the Heart Pirates brought to mind her heart, which she wasn't sure why she had felt was better kept with Mack at present, but she chalked it up to sentiment. As long as he had it, she supposed, she had a reason to go back to him. It was dangerous and unprofessional, and her superior officers would have her head if they even suspected what was going on. She had enough rumors surrounding her already to give them more ammunition.

It was also stupid, because knowing that there was a definite possibility that the enemy was inside the castle put her on edge so much that some part of her, like a fool, decided that she was safer leaving a vital organ behind her.

The next order of business was to find Prince Ignatius to warn him about the sudden influx of people and maybe suggest that they looked into the matter of the traitor, and she'd barely had time to wonder where to go find him when she heard loud voices coming from the audience hall.

"We can't stand idle any longer, Father!"

It was so uncharacteristically angry that, at first, Marina didn't recognize the person speaking as the prince.

"We've gone over this many times. I'll have you thrown in a cell if you bring it up again! Maybe you'll learn your lesson then!"

"That's your answer to everything, isn't it? To close your eyes to a crisis? Do you even remember what this kingdom used to be, what it could be—"

"I remember it better than you!" The king's voice boomed. "This conversation is over!"

While this ensued, Marina stood still and looked with wide eyes at the guard stationed next to the closed door. He shook his head and mouthed out, 'All the time.'

The door opened so harshly that the guard gave a start, and out came prince Ignatius, red-faced and glaring. Upon seeing Marina, his expression softened immediately to give way to embarrassment.

He covered his mouth. "I'm terribly sorry you had to hear that, Captain."

"No need to apologize, Your Highness. It must have been a serious matter to have you so shaken."

He regained some of his usual composure at that, but he was obviously feeling awkward about the whole ordeal. "Quite, yes," he replied, readjusting his glasses with a snappy motion. "Well, I don't want to keep you from your duties, so—"

"Actually, I was hoping we could talk."

"Oh," he muttered, realizing she couldn't elaborate in front of other people. "Certainly. Though you don't seem to be bearing good news," he said, not too hopeful, but clearly wanting to be contradicted.

Marina assumed that she looked as tense as she felt. "I'm afraid not."

He gestured at her to follow, and he started going down a wide hallway, turning every now and then, until they reached the wing of the castle where his chambers and the king's were located. Contrary to the more public areas of the castle, the only presence in the area was a maid cleaning a portrait that hung on the wall, a still nature in colors that were, in Marina's unartistic opinion, depressing. The maid stopped what she was doing to bow as the two passed her. The prince did not acknowledge her, and now that Marina was more familiar with him, she couldn't tell if it was because he thought nothing of it or the grand gesture embarrassed him.

The prince pushed open a door that led to a chamber decorated with regal-looking seats next to an unlit fireplace and a plush carpet that Marina felt awful stepping on. The walls were lined with bookcases that touched the ceiling, leaving only enough space for a wide window at the end of the room, and several doors that, Marina assumed, connected to the rest of his chambers.

"We won't be disturbed here," he told her, breaking the long stretch of silence, and he motioned towards an armchair. "May I offer you a seat?"

"I won't take much of your time," Marina refused. "But two issues have come to my attention that I think you should know."

"Two?" He sighed, his shoulders drooping. "Problems never end, do they?"

"Not necessarily," she hurried to say, even though she agreed with his thinking. Pessimism was never the way to go in order to solve things. "First off, I've been informed that there has been a surge of activity in the town below. Many people seem to have gathered from other villages and towns."

That put the prince in a pensive mood, and he unconsciously brought his fingers to his lips as he mulled something over. "I see. We are at more risk of an attack with each passing day." He exhaled deeply through his nose. "I was hoping to be wrong. The argument you heard a moment ago stemmed from this, as a matter of fact," he admitted with a wry smile.

"He won't reinforce security, even now?"

"Indeed. He refuses to mobilize any troops, and I have no power to do it in his stead. I don't believe he is aware of the gravity of the situation, as much as I've tried to make him see it." Slowly, he brought his hand down from his mouth and crossed his arms. "My father is a good man, Captain. So much so, that he often refuses to acknowledge the ugliness in the world, and hopes that by ignoring it, it will go away."

Marina thought that maybe the prince was right and he was an excellent person, but he sure was missing a vital quality for a leader. "He doesn't believe his subjects could rebel, then?"

"I can hardly blame him," the prince replied immediately. "He has protected this kingdom to the best of his ability for thirty years, and he has never had to deal with this kind of civil unrest." He was silent for a beat and turned to look out the window. The sky was bright and blue outside that it hurt the eyes. "Ours used to be a prosperous country, but things aren't as they used to. The golden age of piracy has made trade dangerous, and our island has suffered for it. But our people remember the good times, and a person can only leave on memories for so long. This epidemic may have been the spark that set the rebellion in motion, but the basis of it has been building up for many, many years."

Prince Ignatius' explanation helped Marina put the matter in perspective. It seemed a little odd to her that an uprising could have sprung from what amounted to a conspiracy theory about the inhabitants of the castle town, but now she realized it was probably the straw that broke the camel's back.

…Then again, the conspiracy was proving to be not so farfetched. "About that… the second thing I need to tell you is related to it."

"The epidemic?"

"More specifically, the contaminated samples."

He sighed again. "It seems that fate is intent on dealing us one bad hand after another."

"The doctor in town who gave them to me doesn't think it was fate."

"Excuse me?" His confusion was palpable.

"He has insisted that he did not make a mistakes when sealing the tubes."

"Well, of course he would be reticent to admit—"

"I have reason to believe that he is right."

She couldn't decipher the lok on the prince's face. Annoyance? Surprise? "You can't be suggesting…"

"Who handled them?" She asked, tired of dancing around the subject. There wasn't any time to lose when she was getting so close to the truth.

"I…" He hesitated. "I'm not sure. I brought them to the laboratory as soon as you gave them to me, but I didn't stay for the whole processing ."

"Your Highness," Marina started, deadly serious, "Do you think that it could have been intentional? That one of the doctors could be sabotaging the team's efforts?"

"That's… I don't even want to think about it, but…" He looked torn, just thinking of the possibility. Maybe the king wasn't the only person in the family who didn't want to see the bad in people. "It would make sense. We haven't reached any conclusive results for months. It shouldn't be taking so long."

"Do you think we could speak with the people at the laboratory, maybe interview them?"

"We will," he decided. "I know you have spoken to some of them before, but I will introduce you to the whole team. Just… please, don't mention any of this to them. Morale is already low, and… surely you understand."

Marina nodded, glad that she was finally getting somewhere. "Of course. We'll get to the bottom of this," she reassured him.

He smiled warmly at her. "You sound so convinced that I can find myself believing it."

—

The hours following Saki dropping a handful of novels on Law's desk were spent by the latter, first, sulking some more, and afterwards, getting so annoyed at himself for being upset that he picked up one of the books, which he actually had no intentions of reading, and checking out the summary on the back cover.

It was as bad as he had assumed, and he had no doubt Saki had brought it to him precisely because of that, but, at the same time, it had a suspenseful quality that made it hard to put down, despite Law having to tell himself several times that he didn't have any curiosity about the developing relationship between the kraken and the young heroine. He had an inner debate when he noticed was later than he thought and he needed to go out of his cave to check on the plaque tests he was running in the sickbay. After a brief internal struggle, he marked the page and set it down next to the sleeping Den Den Mushi on his nightstand.

He knew it was time to let go and accept that he wasn't going to stumble upon a magical solution to the mystery, as they'd be leaving very soon, but it was also a waste to get rid of the cultures and a little bit of extra information was better than nothing, so he might as well take one last look at them before tossing them out.

Mack was in the sickbay when he arrived, retrieving a plate that someone must have brought to Colin earlier. Said man was ready to vacate the cot that had been his home since he fainted on the deck days ago, and looked way too happy for someone whose clothes had more holes than fabric after an accident at sea.

"You should go out while you can and buy some clothes," Law said as a greeting. "We won't be here tomorrow."

"Oh…" He didn't sound very eager, which made sense, after he had made clear that he didn't want to set foot on the island anymore. "Yeah, I guess I should…"

"I'm going out later with Bepo and Saki to get last minute supplies, if you want to come," Mack offered as Law retrieved two petri dishes. Both had grown plaques of infected tissue that looked similar, and that piqued his curiosity. He placed one of them under the microscope, lamenting once again the lack of better equipment to analyze the samples.

The lights of the sickbay flickered briefly, drawing everybody's attention, but it only lasted a couple of seconds, and Law got to work. He idly listened to their conversation about afternoon plans as he tried to get a clear image of the first culture. He was paying more attention to Mack's mood than what he was saying, and wondered if it would be too much to ask how things had gone down with Marina. Probably.

But then, as Mack and Colin were about to leave the sickbay together to at least find him a whole shirt before he went out, something he started examining the second sample and what he saw caught his full attention. He exchanged the petri dish with the other one again, just to be sure. The plaque buildup was identical.

"Mack?" He called. "Can you stay behind for a minute?"

When he looked up from the microscope, both men were staring at him.

"Alone."

"Right, sorry!" Colin squeaked, and he scurried away.

"How's your arm?" Law asked before Mack could launch any questions of his own. He saw them coming because he was already frowning.

"Again?" He asked, sounding confused. He pulled up his sleeve to show Law a fading red mark. "Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong, but…" Law started, examining what remained of the bug bite with curiosity. "The tissue of the sample I took from you has reacted the same way Colin's did."

"So?"

"So you may have been infected, too. Maybe you have a natural resistance..." He mused, and without missing a beat, he went to retrieve a pair of gloves, a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a needle. "I need your blood."

"Captain."

"For science."

Mack sighed and sat down on the only chair around, recognizing that it wasn't worth his time to argue with a madman. "Whatever."

Law was both glad and pleasantly surprised for the cooperation. It had to mean that things had gone well. He didn't expect him to keep talking, though.

"Just so you know, I may see Mari again before we go," he said.

That gave him pause. "Really? She's willing to show up here again?"

It wasn't very smart of her, but he supposed that family was family.

"She wants to report back after finding out what's going on at the castle."

He hadn't been expecting that answer, either. "That's completely unnecessary."

"She doesn't like to leave matters unfinished. I think you can relate to that." Since Law didn't reply at the jab, he continued. "Also, she didn't want her heart back yet."

Law almost dropped the things he was carrying. "That's downright moronic."

"Yeah, well," Mack replied casually. "It's a lot like her."

"It… is?" He may have had a lot of opinions about that woman, but her being dumb wasn't one of them.

"She must think it will be safer here. I can't think of anything else."

"Safer here," Law repeated, struggling to understand. "With us?"

Mack shrugged, as if it was that easy to accept. It wasn't It made no sense.

"I wouldn't trust anybody up there in her place, either," he commented, putting some of the alcohol on a cotton ball. "But still."

"She has to know something we don't."

Law stared at Mack's face. He didn't seem fazed by the circumstances. "Are you worried about her?"

Mack laughed a little, like Law had made a very funny joke. "Brothers are always worried about their little sisters, Captain."

Law had to check his hand to make sure he hadn't somehow driven the needle into his heart. Some things never stopped hurting. "Yeah," he replied softly, "you're right."

—

"How did everybody else escape from helping us again?" Saki said, struggling to lift a bag of vegetables to her shoulder to carry it like a purse. Her hands were full already.

"Something something maintenance something finding a place for dinner," Mack said, also carrying all the bags he could muster to lift.

Bepo was carrying some packages too, but his contained more delicate stuff: paper, drawing instruments and inks that had to be carried with care, not thrown haphazardly into a bag. Tagging along with them was Colin, who was avoiding everybody else on the street by staying close to Bepo and hiding behind his back, and they weren't going to make the guy who just had a near death experience handle weight.

"I'll stay in the sub, if you don't mind," he said weakly, holding the one bag he was carrying with new clothes close to his chest. He reminded Saki of a scared mouse.

"Don't you want to get some air?" Bepo asked. "The ship can get stuffy."

"I can deal with it, really."

"Suit yourself," he replied, and took a glance at the shopping list. "Okay, last thing we need are latex gloves. Captain said he's running out."

That concerned Saki too, then. She couldn't tattoo anybody with bare hands. "I think there was a pharmacy near the clinic we visited the other day."

"Then hurry up and lead the way," Mack grumbled. "I'm not sure I'll have arms come the morning."

"You don't have to tell me," she retorted, trying not to pay attention to her burning muscles. "It shouldn't be too far, just a few streets…" She trailed of when she noticed a group of people dressed in suspiciously familiar white and blue, but they were gone so fast that she wasn't sure what she had seen.

Bepo looked at her. "Something wrong?"

"I think I just saw Marines down the street we should go…?"

"I'm not going to run like this," Mack warned them.

"Well… there's not a lot we can do," Saki replied.

Bepo was more optimistic. "We don't have to hide, don't we? Captain said they'd leave us alone."

"Yeah, but the guys yesterday were in civilian business. Those looked like they were out on business."

Still, they needed the gloves, so they headed in that direction being more attentive than usual to their surroundings, and as it turned out, she had seen right. As the pharmacy came into view, she saw white uniforms turning around the corner, and they weren't moving like a normal patrol. They seemed to be skulking around.

"I need to check that out," Saki said, letting curiosity and paranoia get the best of her. "I'll be back in a minute."

"You're going alone?" Colin asked.

"I mean, if the guy still in recovery or the two wearing Jolly Rogers feel like volunteering for a stealth mission, be my guests."

"We're leaving with or without you when we're done shopping," Bepo said, possibly offended and not deigning to acknowledge her sarcasm. He was merciless.

Mack, instead, took some pity on her and threw her a lemon that she only caught at the last second before it hit her nose. "It's dangerous to go alone," he said.

Lifting the lemon in a salute, she jogged to the street the Marines had disappeared to and followed them maintaining a safety distance. Lots of passersby were giving them the stink eye, so she wasn't conspicuous at all. It was good and also a little disappointing, since she'd been hoping to toss a citrus at some jerk.

She positioned herself next to the door of the pub she'd been to twice and watched with interest as the Marines knocked on the doctor's door and proceeded to have a hushed, if angry conversation. She couldn't hear what was going on thanks to the pub clientele in the back and around the entrance, but the doctor looked uncomfortable, and after a moment, some people started berating the Marines to run them off, so for good measure, she flung the lemon at one of them while they were turned around, and she heard one of the patrons near her guffaw when it struck ahead, and, deeming that she had seen enough, she made a tactical retreat before she was identified.

That felt good.

It felt even better to know that, even if she had taken too much time, they boys wouldn't abandon her because nobody was willing to carry her share of the bags.

—

Philip was having a weird day, once more, and it wasn't only because he technically didn't get paid to be subtle and go on reconnaissance, though it was a small part of it – but then again, he and Howe had spent so much of the prior day walking around town that he didn't feel like a kid who had lost sight of his parents anymore.

Captain Marina hadn't been at her best since Marineford, or maybe since they'd had the Heart Pirates crash into their base, but she was acting more secretive than usual. Philip had worked under her for years, and if there was something he knew for certain about her is that she was a straight shooter. If any other of his superiors had taken to going on solo escapades to talk to the enemy, he would have been suspicious of their intentions, but not in her case. In fact, his unease could very well be attributed to her earnest nature, because if she was keeping them out of whatever she had between her hands, it had to mean that she saw danger looming, and not the kind they were used to deal with. She never hesitated to make her subordinates go after criminals or do honest work, after all. And while she had admitted to talking with the Heart Pirates earlier, her concerns had seemed to be elsewhere.

Howe hadn't said anything about it, as he didn't like to partake in what he considered gossip regarding an esteemed superior officer, but the fact that he had been walking like he had a stick lodged up his boom since they had parted ways with Captain Marina was a dead giveaway that something was eating at him.

The atmosphere in town didn't help, and that was funny, because there was for once what he would consider a normal level of activity for a town that size, but that meant more suspicious people to keep track of. Some of their colleagues, also out of uniform to not give away their presence, were helping with surveillance, so the soldiers Philip saw in their sailor suits stuck out lie a sore thumb, and he wasn't the only one to think so.

It happened sometime during the afternoon, when they tracked the movements of the group until it stopped in front of a house labeled as a clinic and the Marines had an argument with the old man who opened the door. The tension of the townspeople was palpable during the exchange, and though Philip had been too focused on the group to pay attention to anybody else, Howe informed him afterwards that he had seen Lucky Clover Saki watching the scene from afar before chucking a fruit at a Marine and running off. Neither felt as compelled as they should have to give chase and arrest her, and anyway, they had better things to do.

Instead, Philip had been trying to listen to the conversation, and he had caught two things: that they were accusing the doctor of something he denied, and that they mentioned him talking to a Marine captain. It looked like they were going to take him with them, but then the townspeople had driven them away.

"Those are Flagel's men," Howe said when they nowhere to be seen, and he reached for a mini Den Den Mushi inside his jacket. "We need to tell Captain. I don't think she's aware of them."

"Do you think Flagel has sent them as reinforcements?"

"They didn't seem to be very interested in keeping the peace," Howe replied, pulling Philip by the arm into an alley. "Let's find somewhere quieter."

It took a bit of searching to happen upon a place that fit that condition, and by the time they were sitting on a stack of abandoned crates on the docks, the wind was picking up, the first droplets of water were beginning to fall, and the sun had descended from its hiding place above the cloud ceiling, painting streets, ships and buildings in orange hues.

They called several times, but Captain Marina didn't pick up.

Howe was visibly frustrated. Philip was worried. It could've meant nothing; she was a busy woman, but it didn't feel right to make that assumption.

"We should call again later," Philip suggested, doing his best not to let his feelings show.

"She must be in a meeting." Howe had always been much better at keeping his voice even regardless of how he felt. It had to do with how he was raised, because apparently posh people weren't supposed to have normal human emotions, or so Philip had gathered. "I'm sure she has much to sort out before we set sail." And getting up from the box touching it as little as possible, as if it was holding something contagious, he encouraged Philip to do the same. "We should find a roof before the rain gets worse. We could head back as soon as it gets dark. I'm sure Captain won't mind to have us back earlier than expected if the weather is this bad."

It didn't seem like there was going to be enough of a storm to justify that, but to Philip it sounded like a wonderful excuse to check up on her and make sure nothing had happened. "Yeah, let's do that." He smiled. "Good thinking, partner." And he punched Howe lightly in the arm, like manly men are wont to do, and he cringed a little inside.

—

It wasn't often that Law found himself hesitating about setting sail. For years now, in a sort of inconsistent routine, his life had mostly been spent going from island to island. Spend some time in one, go out to the sea again until he reached another, then rinse and repeat. And to be fair, there wasn't much to think through when he was still in the North Blue – he could go anywhere anytime, and he'd always be free to backtrack if he needed to, though he rarely did it. The North Blue was full of bittersweet memories, and he was glad that it wasn't in his nature to get attached to places.

The Grand Line was a different beast, though. Being reliant on the Log Pose for navigation meant that the first time he set foot on a particular island could also very well be the last, and though that hadn't been an issue so far, Law couldn't help but feel conflicted about leaving Pavis without looking back.

He was absolutely going to do it, anyway, there was no doubt about that. Lingering in a place infested with Marines and a deadly disease running rampant was an awful idea.

His reticence stemmed from two factors, one of which was the concern that Mack wouldn't have time to see his sister again, and who knew when the next opportunity would arise. The other, perhaps most important one, was that he hadn't cracked the case of the illness, even though he had come out on top when he had to deal with it, so that victory didn't feel like one.

That was why, considering his limited time before setting sail, Law took a vial with some of the blood he had extracted from Mack earlier that day and took off with Bepo after he was back from shopping to see the old doctor while the rest of the crew headed to the tavern the guys had found for their last night on solid land.

All in all, this town hadn't treated them badly, and all his headaches, Marines aside, could be blamed on his own need to have an answer for everything. And, in that sense, visiting the doctor was killing two birds with one stone, since he had heard from the others that he was being questioned by soldiers earlier, and that set off Law's alarm bells.

While he wasn't usually bothered by the presence of people, the busy streets where making finding their way to the clinic harder than it should have been, and Law must have looked ready to rearrange the town landscape with his Devil Fruit when he had to squeeze between two groups of people to pass through, because even before the conscious thought crossed his mind, Bepo gently, and without uttering a word, removed Kikoku from his hands to carry it himself. His friend's lack of confidence earned him a side-eye, but not a retort, because he was aware that Bepo sometimes knew him better than himself.

He couldn't be more glad when the doctor opened the door and let them in. The silence inside the clinic contrasted with the noise outside. Same as the other times he had been there, there didn't seem to be anybody inside excepting the doctor.

"Another friend, huh?" The doctor said, studying Bepo with a keen eye. "It's been a while since I last saw a mink. Not many of you around, are there?"

Bepo radiated happiness at his species being acknowledged, which made Law appreciate the man a little more.

"I've just come to give you this," Law said, offering the vial to the doctor, who looked at it in confusion. "I have reasons to think that one of my men was infected days ago, but the illness didn't get to develop before his body eliminated it."

Behind the glasses, the man's eyes lit up with recognition. "Is this his blood?"

"Yeah. Type X, it's all in the tag. I don't have any time left before we leave the island, but if you have any means of processing it, it might help."

"I think…" He drifted off, thinking hard. "I think I still have some contacts who can do it. A few hour ago I would have sent it to the castle's laboratory, but after today, I just don't know."

Law feigned total ignorance. "What do you mean?"

"Some rude soldiers came to ask if I had given any tissue samples to one of their officers. It wasn't me, but it seemed that whoever sent them hadn't liked it." The doctor's eyes narrowed the smallest bit as his eyebrows went up. "It was you, wasn't it?"

Law shrugged noncommittally. "Could be."

"And let me guess, that young Marine captain from the other day had something to do with it."

"I have no idea."

"I'm sure you don't," he replied with a half smile. "In any case, thank you for sharing your findings. I'll make sure they don't go to waste."

"Don't mention it. Good luck."

"Same to you. Smooth sailing," the doctor wished.

When the door closed behind them, Bepo was the first to speak. "We did a good thing."

"Don't rub salt in the wound."

Bepo snickered and patted him on the back, which almost sent him face-first to the ground, but Law didn't grumble any further, and his friend took notice of it.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

He didn't want to say it, because it came with an implied suggestion that he'd have to follow through. "Mack's sister may be in more danger than we thought."

"Do you want to do something about it?"

He did not.

Instead, and despite having a good idea of what his reaction would be, he said, "Mack should know."

He didn't feel very inclined to help, especially when they had been so close to set sail without getting into any kind of mess for once, but he wasn't inclined to have another family tragedy happen to someone on board, either. His priority was his crew's wellbeing, and, after all was said and done, Law did know how it was to worry about a little sister.

—

Howe was certain that they were cursed the moment he saw the Heart Pirates, minus captain and pet, file into the dining room of the tavern he had taken refuge in with Philip, and sit down on a few tables away from them.

Then the three from the other day also took notice of them.

So, so cursed.

And the worst part, of course, was that Captain Marina still wasn't responding. They had to get going soon to check up on her.

Well. Perhaps the worst part was the fact that her brother looked at them, crossed a few words with his crewmates and then approached them.

"Do you know where Mari is?"

He was about to say no, and that it was their problem too, when a fight broke out at the entrance of the tavern. Howe's stomach sank when, upon closer inspection, it looked like some patrons had tried to pick a fight with some of Flagel's men and succeeded.

Both he and Philip sprang up from their seats, ready to intervene, but a female voice said to them, "I wouldn't do it if I were you!"

Lucky Clover looked significantly less plastered than the last time they had seen her, and amazingly, it didn't seem to make much of a difference. No portrait or pickles this time around, though.

"Too many of them," she continued. "You can't win this one."

The first to relent was Philip. He tugged on Howe's sleeve. "She's right. Let's wait to see how it goes."

"So?" Their captain's brother said. "I asked you a question."

"We don't know," Philip retorted in a cutting tone that he didn't use much at all. "She hasn't picked up our calls for hours."

And while the man may have looked like a very short, curly-haired hardass before, seeing his face fall tugged at Howe's heartstrings.

"I see," he said emotionlessly. Howe was ready for him to keep pressing the issue, but he started to head back to his table.

Howe nearly had time to feel relief that the interaction was over when the room seemed to be covered in a blueish film and immediately afterwards, a polar bear and one Trafalgar Law appeared in the place where two of the rowdy patrons had been, bypassing the fight blocking the entrance. They didn't pay any attention to the confusion of the clientele or the crew's welcomes and went straight to Mack.

"Are you all okay?" Law asked just to make sure.

Everybody seemed to catch the implication that they had reason to worry.

"Something happened?" Mack asked.

"I think she's in danger. Someone in the castle didn't like that she brought them samples."

Mack instantly turned to Howe, giving him a heart attack. "Call. Again."

Howe told himself that he wasn't taking orders from a pirate and he only obeyed because the man may have been a criminal, but he had the right idea, so he brought out the Den Den Mushi and dialed.

Nothing.

A second time.

Still no response.

Growing increasingly frustrated and nervous, he dialed a third time. By then, the entire crew was in silence, watching the scene unfold, and Howe really didn't need the added pressure.

And, when he thought there wasn't any point to keep trying and he was ready to head back to the castle, someone finally picked up.

"Marina speaking."

"Captain?! Are you alright?!"

"…Yes?" She sounded confused. That was good, right? "What's the matter? Did something happen in town?"

"Not yet, but the situation's tense. Flagel's men are patrolling and getting into fights with the townsfolk."

"What?! That idiot didn't inform me—"

All of a sudden, Howe had a salt shaker in his hand instead of the snail's receiver, and it took him a few seconds to realize that it was in Trafalgar Law's possession.

"Marina, listen." She protested when she recognized his voice, but he paid her no mind. "Someone in the castle is interfering with the investigation. Some soldiers harassed the doctor they thought he had given you the samples."

Howe didn't miss the faces of some of the locals when they heard what had just been said.

"…Flagel," she replied after a moment of contemplation. "It has to be him."

"It's someone in the investigation team."

"I thought so too, but I've been with them all day, interviewed all the doctors. Unless everyone's in on it—"

"It could be."

"You don't get it. My superiors have some sort of arrangement concerning this island. Flagel knows. I'm going to talk to someone who can help."

"Mari," her brother said with urgency, barging into the conversation. "Don't go further into this mess alone."

Howe was starting to have doubts that the connection of the Den Den Mushi was holding up when she finally replied, "I haven't forgotten, Mack. See you later."

She hung up.

Her brother turned to Trafalgar Law and began, "Captain…"

Said man looked resigned and was aware of what his subordinate wanted to say before he did. "I know."

"Sorry." And he tried to go, but his captain held him in place.

"You won't go into this mess alone." He turned to the rest of his crew. "Any volunteers?"

A few hands shot up, and so did Philip's.

Howe nearly choked on saliva. "Phil—"

"Listen, Howe," his friend started. "I'll go with them, make sure she's safe. You keep an eye on the activity in town, and we'll reunite later. Okay?"

He nodded, even though he did not like the idea. "Sounds like a plan."

And as everybody got up from their seats to go out, the sound of a shot pierced the air and a man fell dead on the tavern's floor.

The reaction of the civilians, who had been already angry, more so after some of them listened to the conversation between Captain Marina and Trafalgar Law, was immediate, predictable, and the worst thing that could have happened for everybody involved.

Many jumped the soldiers to beat them up, and some ran out of the building, shouting and calling people to arms.

Like a row of dominoes, Howe could do nothing but watch as they fell down one after another, hypnotic, too fast to be stopped. The rebellion had begun.