A day or so had passed aboard the Polar Tang – its peculiar name Samira learned from a short conversation she had with its captain; the only words she had spoken to him since her immediate confinement to his solitary room. Hard to determine while locked up – she tried the hatch door, but it was unfortunately bolted from the outside – Samira did not know whether in fact a day had passed or the entire trip had come and gone. All she knew was that lunch and breakfast were brought to her once a day, and only twice had this ensued.
Nonetheless, she feared the next time would be the last. Law neither mentioned or alluded to the allegation he made the first day she woke up aboard his sub – a foreign term she still did not grasp completely – to hand her over to the authorities. Her bounty was indeed generous, especially to money hungry pirates, such as Law and his crew. The missing bangles confirmed that. But the risk was not worth the reward offered for her return.
Samira knew better; she was clever; the man who put the bounty on her head was also clever. The likelihood that he would give Law the reward was slim to none.
But how to ask the pirate captain to abandon this fruitless and simple attempt was beyond her. He would not so much as carry a lengthy conversation with her unless it pertained to the bounty, or her unexpected tumble from the clifftop. Samira was not ready to expose so much personal information about herself then she already had.
No … it's too risky to involve them; too selfish of me to hope for aid.
She fell back onto the bed with her arm tucked beneath her; the one securely wrapped in a cast laid on the sheets at her side. It was close to lunch time. The flavorful smell of meat hung in the air – the vulgar growl of her stomach was nearly comical. She would have laughed, if not for the fact she was caged.
No. Samira didn't think she would be given free reign aboard the sub; Law thought sensibly on this decision. He wanted to keep his crew from danger, and obviously – according to her lucrative bounty – she was a threat. True – the rampant force clawing away at her chest, pleading to be released, was not to be taken lightly – however being treated like a monster was not necessary. She was a liar, but not merciless. Her sought after power landed her into a whirlwind of misfortune; she wanted just once in her tragic life to be given a moment of rest.
What was so bad about wanting to be happy? The gods had a dark sense of humor.
As gods often do. What plans I wonder do th––
The hatch door shrieked in sudden protest and swayed open, disrupting her previous thought. Probably for the best; the gods often acted mindlessly when spoken or thought badly of. Samira rose up with a grunt just as Law entered, carting with him a plate and a tin mug, as he often did when lunch was served. Her stomach felt at ease; she'd get to stay another night.
Eagerly she watched as Law laid the contents onto his writing desk, seating himself at the back. Neither spoke; they often met in silence – she ate or rested on the bed while he poured through hard to understand books on his shelves. The only time he talked was to give her orders in regards to her arm; checkups and aftercare. Samira thought he was either a patient man – opting not to badger her about the bounty, since she so politely told him it was an issue, she was neither willing or wanting to tell him about – or he no longer cared to learn from her the truth. Either way, she didn't care.
Samira pulled herself up and merrily ambled to the front of the desk, where she propped a folding chair up and sat with her legs beneath her. A smile pulled at her lips as she began to eat. The food was just as delicious as it looked – the meat of some kind of animal and fresh steamed vegetables. She hummed in delight.
"Are you always this loud when eating, or do you generally take pleasure in disturbing me?"
She puckered a brow; obviously she wasn't trying to be. Opting not to curse at him, Samira huffed a sigh and set down her fork. "It's been so long since I've had food this good – life on the wire doesn't give you very many options when it comes to eating; it's eat light or nothing at all."
"A lady as dangerous as yourself shouldn't have much trouble acquiring a decent warm meal," Law stated. He rested his cheek on his fist and stared tiredly at her. A smile pulled at his thin lips.
Samira rolled her eyes. He was one to yammer; annoying her. "Like it or not I'm not a terrible person. I lie and steal, but only because I have to."
"I can't imagine someone as charming as you being a fugitive."
Her face warmed up. "Looks can be deceiving and furthermore, you don't look the type either; a fugitive."
"Like you said; looks can be deceiving."
He stood up and went over to a cabinet fastened to the wall of his room. It's metal doors squeaked as he opened them and carefully removed a steel instrument tray, bringing it over to her. He watched as she looked, tensing up as she recognized the narrow and sharp tool that laid in two pieces inside.
"Like for instance," Law said with a grin. "This was drawn from your person. Do you have any idea what it may be? I discovered trace amounts of poison in your blood; poison that causes paralysis to its victims. A toxin like this is hard to replicate without the right resources."
Samira narrowed her bright red eyes. So that's what happened to me. Arsenio shot me with a Froggie Dart – the bastard. He nearly killed her; she could have drowned. A frustrated sigh let her mouth.
"That man I mentioned … he sent someone to trap me." She took a rigid and deep breath, not wanting to continue. "And he nearly had me at the docks, but I got away. Ending up on your sub was a miracle; it bought me a head start, and I owe you. But trust me … if you don't let me go on the next island your crew might be dragged into this mess."
Law nearly laughed. He already took the poison from her system – it was a perk of his devil fruit ability – so he wasn't too worried about the trapper coming after him or his crew. Shaking his head in disagreement, he smiled as her eyes clouded over with worry.
"Patience is a virtue of mine, you see. If he comes to me, then I don't have to go far to turn you in."
He swore the air grew thick; the hair on his arms stood up in excitement as a chill overtook him. But just as quickly as it came, the strange feeling vanished.
"Please reconsider," she begged quietly. It took a lot of control to keep her power from bursting free. As money hungry as Law was, he still saved her life and she really didn't want to hurt him. "There is no reward; trust me."
Law sighed irregularly. "We'll see."
He left her at the desk and opened up the hatch door, leaning out into the hallway. Like he'd instructed earlier, Shachi was against the wall – hands in his pockets – waiting for the call. Law allowed him to enter and watched eagerly as Samira perked up when the red haired man said her name.
She leapt up and ran into his arms, hugging him gently. Shachi was tense, but he wrapped an arm around her too.
"It's good to see you again," she stated.
Much to his dislike, she put space between them. A smile lifted her lips; he nearly choked.
How did I get so lucky?
"You too … good to see you I mean."
Samira laughed. "Your captain told me you were the one who pulled me from the ocean. Thank you; I don't know how to repay you. Twice now you've save me."
"It's no problem. And you don't have to repay me. Seeing you alive and well is enou––
Law quickly interrupted him. "The two of you will have enough time to yammer tomorrow. For the remainder of her stay aboard my sub, she'll be in your care. Show her around, put her to work, and bunk her with Ikkaku."
"I'm not staying in here anymore?"
The Captain disagreed with a shake of his head. "Unless you want to share my bed, then no."
Her expression was humorous. Despite her skin tone, Law could see a light shade of red cover her cheeks. He smiled as she turned her horrified gaze to the floor.
"That's not going to happen," she uttered.
An awkward laugh came from the red head in front of her. He lifted his hand and swatted at his leg. "Don't worry, Samira. He doesn't really mean it. Captain is real joker sometimes."
She laughed awkwardly too. Somehow, despite his reassurance, she doubted it. He didn't seem like the type to joke. She was pleased when Law ordered them away, and followed Shachi out into the narrow hall – the hatch door closed behind her.
"I've been meaning to ask," Samira mentioned. She waited until Shachi looked over his shoulder at her to continue. "What is a sub? Is that some kind of foreign vessel or something?"
Shachi chuckled at her lack of knowledge. He took her by the hand and led her to a port hole in the wall. She couldn't see much, but the bright blue of the ocean. It was everywhere, like the sea opened up and swallowed them whole.
"This is going to sound strange, but we're beneath the ocean right now. A submarine is a vessel that can travel under the water," he explained.
Her eyes grew in awe. Foreign technology was amazing. Of course it scared her, but seeing it firsthand was like a dream. She gently bounced on her heels in excitement.
"I want to see everything. Please show me."
Shachi smiled, bobbing his head. "As you wish, my lady."
My lady. Now that brings back memories. Both good and bad. Her heart sank a little, but she buried it with a fake smile. While aboard the Polar Tang she was going to make the time she had left the best.
Freedom always had a price; Samira just didn't know what price she'd have to pay to keep it.
Law was sure he had felt something inside him come to life; he could still sense it's influence. His skin tingled and his heart thumped rapidly against his chest. It felt nice.
His desire for revenge became madness – utter chaos – clawing at his chest.
It came from her, the moment I said that. She's a devil fruit user; a time bomb.
He bit his bottom lip between his teeth and shivered in eagerness. Just what was her power? And would he feel it again?