Empty
It was a normal day on the Mangrove island. The sun was shining brightly as Shaky walked the trees with her husband. After his almost enslavement she bid it best for him to be on a leash while on the island. The two were out shopping enjoying each other's company. It was a peaceful day compared to the normally busy roads.
"What's that?" Shaky knew of everything that happened on this island and today was no special day. The courtyard was filled with people as the giant projector snail turned on.
"Wha- BOA." Her heart sunk at the sight of the battered woman fighting against a Cipher pol agent.
"I'm sure it's fine, so let's go contact Gloriosa," Rayleigh stated, watching the screen. He watched his wife rush back towards their home he stood watching the fight transpire.
"Rayleigh. I can't. I can't contact them." Shaky's voice shook as she tried to gain control of her breathing. Rayleigh ignored her looking back towards the screen the area around her slowed. The confused screams and cheers of the crowd quieted as she watched the child she trained fall from the ship. She watched Lucci try to grab her only to see a splash of the wave pour over him.
"No." She whispered staring as Lucci growled at the empty waters. The ocean calmed he slammed his fist onto the rails cracking them as he moved to contact headquarters.
"This isn't real." She gasped. Holding her chest as her mind started to contact dots. She couldn't get a hold of Amazon Lily. She couldn't contact Glorissa. Hancock was on some government vessel.
"SHAKY." Breaking the woman from her thought process. Rayleigh held her hand pulling her back to their home.
"Let's wait. We don't have all the info. There's a possibility that it's not that serious." He smiled calming her but he knew. He knew as she did that nothing was looking good.
Trafalgar D. Law is many things. A doctor, a swordsman, a strong stress-filled male who hadn't slept for a full eight hours but he wasn't known to really worry. But the fact the Empress slept for more than a week bothered him to his core so much that he couldn't ignore it.
Neither of the Heart Pirates expected to see a recording of the Empress broadcasted across the seas. They watched her free herself effortlessly. Breaking the sea prison chains that held her. The moment she fell from the ship he held his breath subconsciously standing up.
'What was he going to do?'
'What could he do?'
His crew seemed to understand better than him. As they submerged Polar Tang. On the first day, they looked for her at the last location of Lucci and his ship. Her body was nowhere to be found almost like it just disappeared. Two days. They searched for her for two days till finally on the sea floor laying peaceful against the coral laid the dark-haired Empress.
Penguin found her. He screamed calling out to the Captain and the crew as they stared at the beautiful woman. Her hair flowed with the current. The Heart captain used his devil fruit trading her with an old mug from the corner of the room. She now laid on the floor surrounding the Heart pirates as they looked with concern.
"Is she alive?" Shachi asked looking over the woman. The lot stared at the woman's chest watching as it didn't move.
"There's no way she's still breathing." Clione stated, "She was under there for days."
Law finally moved. Squatting down to the woman he placed a finger on her. Only to move it immediately. She was cold almost frozen.
"BLANKETS. GET ALL OF THEM IF YOU HAVE TO." Rushing to the operation room he laid her down on the bed placing the surgical light directly over her.
"BLANKETS." Bepo followed by the others all carried blankets. He covered her with the mast. Taking her wrist once again he grinned.
"She has a pulse. It's weak."
"WHAT?! HOW?" The crew stared at the woman amazed.
"We need to move. If the Marines find out we found her we're through." Nodding the crew left leaving the captain with the woman. He watched her as the color on her face slowly came back.
Now here he was looking at her sleep with her third IV fluid. It has been a good two days since the woman passed out against him. He normally didn't worry but after almost losing Strawhat he couldn't help the feeling of intense pain in his chest. He didn't know her, barely paid the woman any mind during his time as a warlord or at all during his short few months on her island. Yet now here he was sleeping beside her waiting for any sign of her waking up.
Sengoku stared at the deceased flyer. He sat on the headquarters balcony calmly eating his crackers. A photo of the former Empress presented her face held no emotion yet her eyes held a strong rage.
"Still no body?" Garp stood behind the man. A look of discomfort on his face.
"Not a single trace. I can't believe it. I can't understand why they would just let it go?" Sengoku questioned causing his elder comrade to shrug.
"She was strong yes. Her first outage caused an outcry. I don't get it either what made her so special" Garp sighed. He knew of her connection to Rayleigh. Could she be his child? He sat back loudly mumbling over the situation.
"The elders were so sure to keep her alive, I thought maybe it was her beauty," Sengoku answered. He thought it over it could simply be her beauty but no it had to be something else.. something only her people could do. She was picked by them.
"The isle is completely deserted well more like destroyed. Not a trace of life, not even a single plant." Garp stated placing a file on the table before him. He was asked by Sengoku to see if the woman had made it there. Pictures of charred land and upturned soil scattered the balcony.
"Her body is completely gone."
"And those old farts don't care. Something bad is brewing." Garp spoke aloud chuckling softly as he spotted a photo of Luffy. While Sengoku stared at the pictures of empty land.
Her vitals were regular yet she still remained in deep sleep. Her heart rate was low but her vitals were normal. The small raises of her chest were the only action keeping her calm. He wasn't sure what exactly to do as he stood beside her writing her vitals down for the fourth time today.
"Can you take me somewhere?" He jumped turning to look at the now awake Empress. She was sitting up using her fingers to comb through her hair. Ignoring her he took her face checking her pupils and temp.
"I'm fine. I need to go somewhere can you take me or spare a ship?" Hancock asked once again moving him away from her. She unwrapped her wrist looking at the small scars on them. It would be a little longer before they fully disappeared.
"Where too?"
"Sabadoy." She waited, seeming to hold her breath for a reply. He nodded agreeing they weren't that far from paradise. She sighed thanking him.
"It'll be a week." Handing her a black jumpsuit she cringed nodding a quick thank you as she took it.
"Come eat when you're done." Shutting the door behind him he nodded to his crew as they screamed for joy at the knowledge of the Empress waking.
Hancock looked over the black jumpsuit. Sighing she finish removing her bandages seeing the majority of the wounds fully healed. Putting on the jumpsuit she decided to remove her chest bandage. Buttoning as far as her breast would allow her. She stood looking at herself in the sliver door. The suit hugged her waist but opened making a deep neckline. Putting on a pair of flat slip-ons left by her bed she walked out trying her best to remember where the dining area was. Walking in she sat down by herself away from the others. Someone handed her a plate and she nodded her thanks as she ate slowly. She blocked them out thinking quietly to herself.
'What's the point of going back to an empty Island?' She thought. To keep them from having it she answered herself. She failed once but she wouldn't fail again. She could save her isle at least and that's all she wanted.
"If something ever happens to the isle go to mangrove island."
"Why?"
"According to the Empress, we can find help from one the strongest warriors there."
Shaky sat on top of her bar a pile of cigarette buts beside her as she stared at the transponder snail. It had been three days of no call from any Kuja women. And now she could see why. A video responder showed her clips from the beginning of the year. The cigarette between her lips fell to the ground. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she stared at the burning island.
"Shaky?" She turned looking away from the sight. The recording flashed back onto the naval boat as she felt her heart wretch.
"Shaky, sweetheart." He tried. He was praying they were wrong.
"Please."
Nodding he left out the back entered the small boat and rowed out to see. His wife didn't wait long as in the next three hours he came back to the Mangrove. Picking up a bottle of whisky he downed what he could, burning his throat as he felt his eyes sting from the pain. The next day the two were still mourning when they finally received a call.
"Hello." He tried to sound normal. Unfazed but even he could hear the unsteadiness of his voice.
"Is it true?" Was it? He so badly wanted it to be false a rumor but they couldn't find any information. The island was ablaze their Empress lost presumed dead the people were nowhere in sight.
"Luf-"
"Is it true, Rayleigh?" He never heard the boy so demanding. He didn't want to be coddled and in complete honesty Rayleigh wasn't in the mood to protect anyone else's feelings. He was quiet he knew he was. As he stared at the deceased flyer in front of him. The marines didn't even find her body. His heart quickened as he gripped the speaker.
"They didn't find a body" He stood turning to Shaky as he pieced his thoughts together. She looked at him a small spark of hope returning in her eyes.
"So maybe not." His voice was shaking again as his wife shared a tear. He nodded watching as she walked away into the kitchen.
"I'm on my way."
"Wait-" the strawhat boy hung up the communicator before he could even try to reject. Sighing he sat back down. The marines didn't find her body. They didn't address why she was with Cipher pol but the most important thing is that they didn't find her body. There was a chance a small slither of a chance. Maybe their world is not so empty at all.
