Anxious barely described how she felt at the moment, waiting in the galley for word from Law. Samira wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there, but her thoughts were eating her alive. She was certain Law was going to demand that she leave his company once he heard what Arsenio had to say about her. The fact he brought the portly man aboard his sub was another reason she was sweating bullets; he was unpredictable and violent. Law was insane.
Samira buried her face into her quaking arms and took a breath. The tension was already extreme; her own was not needed. Law mentioned that her power roused emotions in a person that were often hectic. If what he said was accurate, then her power spreading at this time was not ideal.
She honestly wanted to cry, but to save herself the embarrassment, she focused on her breathing until the door opened. Samira brought up her head and forced a smile. It was Bepo and not Law who had entered.
He was taken back, but approached her regardless.
"How is Shachi? And you; and Penguin. I never wanted to––
Bepo lifted his paw to stop her. "Don't worry about us. We know too well the risks."
He watched her smile fade. It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear – Bepo knew – but Law had instructed him to keep the condition of the party a secret. Samira was a guest, and once Law spoke to her; she may not be a guest for long.
Incidentally, Law also instructed him to bring Samira to him. Bepo mentioned this to her and saw her eyes widen in fear. He felt sorry for her, but orders were orders.
Samira hesitantly stood and followed Bepo through the galley and down a level to the crew bunks. No one was around, but she wondered if the sub was at rest on the water; her breath was steady and as she waited in the galley, she heard no sound otherwise suggesting that the Polar Tang had submerged. It felt like a bad omen to her; an end to beautiful days.
At the hatch door near the end of the hall Bepo left her. Samira watched his large figure as it departed up the stairs and sighed in despair. She assumed that she'd better knock. Doing so gently Law allowed her in seconds later.
He was turned – back towards her – searching through a thick tome from his bookstand. Samira took a reluctant seat in the open chair in front of his desk and sat quietly as he flipped through the pages in a rush. She occupied this brief moment of peace by searching his workspace; it was cluttered with interesting things.
She grew suspicious over the amass of bounty posters scattered around, but decided to ignore them. A pocket-sized chest of coins interested her more. And they were all unalike; shapes and colors that Samira had never seen before.
"You have an amazing collection of coins, Mester (mister) Trafalgar. How long have you been amassing them?"
Law hummed and turned to face her. "Since I became a captain. It's an unnecessary interest I've yet to kick."
"Why stop? It seems exciting to me."
He snorted; she was easy to rouse. Law brought the tome over to the desk and laid it open. His money chest and the posters he relocated to make room – much to her disappointment.
"The Isle of Red Sands; it's where you escaped from according to Frog-ya."
Samira frowned. She hoped that he wouldn't learn much from Arsenio, but whatever Law did to him apparently was enough to scare him into telling him the truth.
"That's right," she confirmed.
Law turned the book towards her. She recognized it as a map; a small and dated map of the Grand Line. The section she could see had a series of misshaped lumps that reminded her of islands; each one eventually connected to an island right before the Red Line.
"Where's it located? I asked Frog-ya but he wasn't too sure."
She raised a brow. Too sure? Lifting a finger, she pointed to a place on the map with no name. There wasn't even an island; it was directly at the base of the Red Line.
Law was shocked. "Your island is near the Red Line?"
Samira shook her head. "It's inside the Red Line; a cave island. The reason no one knows where it's located is because it's never been found by sailors or the Marines. Foreigners seldom come to the Isle; storms and poor navigational skills bring them to our shore line."
His eyes widened in realization. It never occurred to Law before that Samira was so unusual; her island was a relic to the past. It was located beneath the nose of the World Government – how ironic.
"Have you heard of the Void Century before?"
Unfortunately, no. Samira again shook her head. Law grinned; he assumed this was the case.
"It's a century long gap in recorded and archaeological history so important and relevant that by learning them, one is said to become aware of the true history of the world," he explained. "The World Government forbids the study of the Void Century, but many people choose to be ignorant about it; fear of being wiped out. Our language and currency are mostly the same wherever you go in this world, but there are ones like you who don't fit."
Samira frowned. "I had no idea. My country is isolated and I doubt anyone knows about the Void Century. Honestly, I'm not sure where you're going with this, but I'm sorry."
"No reason to be sorry, Samira-ya. It goes to show just how incompetent the World Government is." Law shut the book and stood up to place it back in the case where he took it from.
Now to the matter at hand.
"Frog-ya confirmed that you have Devil Fruit powers."
She assumed so.
"When you ate it; either it was a fruit of some kind with swirls on the peel or chunks of similar design, you would have learned its name. For some reason you don't seem to remember, or know what a Devil Fruit is for that matter, but Frog-ya told me; in case you wanted to know," he explained.
Law turned and waited for her to decide. Samira seemed to be in a heated debate with herself. She eventually sighed and nodded.
"The Kaosu-Kaosu no Mi is its given name. You spread and amass chaos and misfortune."
Her eyes stung with tears. Shouldn't she be ecstatic? All this resulted in was more dread. Her arms tightened around her waist. "I never wanted this; I thought by eating it I could avoid unnecessary casualties, but it mattered not to them. Arsenio and the others used me to ruin so many lives. I just … wanted to protect my people … but I––
"It doesn't matter what you did in the past," Law interrupted. He clutched the bridge of his nose in annoyance; so many tears for such a tiny woman. "You have no control over your power because no one ever allowed you a chance to learn. Who's to stop you now?"
Samira widened her eyes. He was right. Arsenio and the others couldn't stop her from learning. She rose up and without reasoning draped her arms around Law; her tearstained cheek rested against his collarbone.
He was at a loss on what to do. The rational response would be to embrace her back or ease her away, but Law was powerless. He allowed her to continue for now; his face was warm with embarrassment.
"Please teach me. I haven't a clue where to start," Samira begged.
Law grunted. He really had no time for this? The crew had an agenda of its own; training her wasn't in the plan. However, it had occurred to him upon learning the extent of her power from Arsenio that she might come in handy when collecting the hearts he needed to sway the Marines. Samira was trained to fight; Shachi even said this. He could ask for her help for a little while until he learned what to do with her.
"You owe me so much already, Amunet-ya. Do you honestly want to add to it?"
She agreed with a nod. "If it means I can learn from you, then I don't mind forever being in your debt."
"You'll regret that," he assured her.
Samira snorted; she felt him shiver. Heat spread to her face. No doubt this was awkward for Law. She released him and stepped back. "Thank you … I don't know much else to say."
"You could start with an apology," he mentioned.
What for? Samira was confused. She lifted a brow in uncertainty.
"Shachi is resting in his room."
Her eyes grew in understanding. He got hurt because of her. She bobbed her head to agree. "May I be excused? I'd like to apologize to him and the others."
Law nodded and sat back at his desk. "We have much to discuss, Amunet-ya. Don't assume that I am done, and don't get too comfortable with our guest; he'll be departing our crew on the next island."
"Yes sir."
It may have been in good fun, but Samira felt a sudden ease wash over her. Yes sir; she saw herself as one of the crew for a moment. Before Law could scold her, Samira rushed from his room. She had a new found resolve burning in her chest.
Law and the crew were something precious she wanted to protect with her power. With time, she hoped to achieve this.
"Have you located them yet?"
She certainly had. Her dark wings beat relentlessly to keep up pace with the yellow sub. She was lucky that it hadn't submerged yet, having found it before it disappeared again.
"I'm following them right now, master. How should I proceed?"
The voice on the line hummed. "Keep with them for now. Once you locate Arsenio and are capable of speaking to him, give him the message and return back. The pirates my asset is with is much too strong to deal with alone."
"And about Daiane sir? If I see her should I do the same?"
Hissing, the voice slammed down the receiver and ended the call. Her Transponder Snail tied to her foot went silent. The woman laughed. Daiane and Arsenio were in trouble when they returned to the Isle. It brought her great pleasure to see them punished for their failures; Mariposa got a warning, but she too would soon be punished, once she returned to the Country of Love.
Yes. She couldn't wait. A chirp of excitement left her beak; she began to whistle a happy tune.
Master loves when I whistle.