The Surgeon and the Vet
Chapter 2
Waves crashed into the sharp rocks below a cliff. The thundering water batted at the submarine that was just beneath the surface. Its bright yellow paint with black markings stood out like a sore thumb against the dark depths it had risen from. Inside the crew ran to and from as they prepared to surface. They hadn't docked in a few weeks and they could really use more supplies and fresh air. The island they were docked at was said to be ruled by a tyrant king with an army of crazy animals at his side. The Island of Dormirna was said to be a very chaotic island that not many would risk stopping at. However, the Heart Pirates had no choice as they were low on food and would not make it to the next island. The captain, a sadistic doctor who was known as the surgeon of death, Trafalgar Law, stood in the navigation room as he watched his navigators bring the ship up. His head navigator, first mate, and best friend, Bepo the polar bear mink, stood next to him while issuing orders.
Once the submarine had emerged fully from the water the crew gathered on the deck to get orders from their captain. Law split them into groups to get mechanical supplies, food, medical supplies, and one last team to gather info about the island. He gazed upon the castle in the distance and smirked. He wanted to know what treasures awaited him if he were to storm the castle. He also wanted to know how the king controlled his 'animal army'.
Little did he know, he would meet the real controller of that army. And he would have to make a big decision.
Law stepped off of the Polar Tang's gangplank and began to walk through the town they had docked at. As he walked through the market he could see the citizens whispering among each other as they stared at him and at Bepo, who had followed him faithfully, holding Law's nodachi in his paws. Bepo suddenly stopped, sniffing the air. Law turned to look at him and watched as Bepo looked around before settling on looking into a dark alley next to them. Bepo started to move toward the alley with law following behind. When they finally stood at the entrance they strained their eyes to see what had gotten Bepo's attention. There, lying on the ground was an injured fox. Blood pooling underneath it from deep gashes in its side. The fox was barely breathing and a rattling sound came out with every breath.
"Captain, this fox smells human" Bepo said, sniffing the air some more. Law hummed in thought, "oh really?" he drawled. He walked over to the fox and crouched in front of its head. He started to reach out when he noticed that it had opened its eyes and was staring at him. There was a look in its eyes that made Law pause. Law saw pain and fear, but that isn't what made him stop. No it was the hope in its eyes that startled him. Was it hoping for help and rescue, or was it hoping to die? Either way, Law was intrigued. Reaching forward once more, he carefully picked up the fox, and with a nod of his head, he and Bepo started off to the sub to get to work on fixing the fox.
Once in his operating room Law got to work immediately. He opened up his devil fruit's room and quickly scanned the fox to see the full extent of its injuries. Luckily there was no internal bleeding and it hadn't lost too much blood so he was able to quickly sow it up and clean it up. As he was working he noted a small collar on the vixen's neck. He went to touch it only to feel his energy drain. "Seastone", he muttered, more intrigued than ever. He wanted to figure out what made this creature tick and learn all of its secrets. He finished tending to the fox's wounds and stepped back to check his work. He noted that the creature had passed out at some point while he had been working on it. He took the time to inspect the collar. The lock on it seemed pretty intricate. He would have to get his resident lock pick, Penguin, to take a look and see if he could get it off, possibly even make a key so if need be, he could continue to use the collar on her.
Leaving the Vixen to sleep on the table, he walked into the galley where his crew had begun to eat dinner while he was busy. Walking up to Penguin he told him about the task he wanted him to do. Bepo soon came up to them. "How is she doing?" He asked. Law responded, "She is doing well. No internal injuries and not a lot of blood loss. She just needs to rest and recover for a while. When does the log pose set?" "The log pose will be set in about two weeks" the bear mink grumble, not happy about how long it would take before they could leave the island. The whole crew had noted that there were animals watching them everywhere. Everywhere they turned there was another animal tracking their every move. It was honestly creepy and it set everyone on edge.
"Good," Law responded, "that will give the fox time to recover and for us to try and storm the castle. We need more treasure for our funds. We are running very low." He looked around the galley as his crew looked to him for any last orders before they went to bed for the night. "Listen up everyone. Tomorrow we will begin preparations for our raid on the castle. Penguin, I want you to try and pick the lock of that collar tonight and Shachi, I want you to build a cage for it and keep watch over it. Halfway through the night find someone to switch places with you and get some sleep. Ikkaku, I want you to get some food ready for our little guest. Make sure it is good and healthy for her. Everyone else get a good night's rest for we will be very busy for the next few days. Understood?" Law ordered. "Aye captain!" his crew cheered. Law nodded as he left the room.
He walked down the hall into his room and began to get ready for bed. As he laid down he stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. Slowly his mind went blank as the pull of sleep took over. The last thing he thought of was the hope he had seen in the vixen's eyes. It confused him and he didn't like that. He needed to understand what that fox was and see what made it tick. He smirked as he fell into slumber. He would have fun making the creature squirm as he squeezed out every last secret out of her.