For 5.6 kilometers over bare rock and orange sand, the retrieval team hiked the Mirrored Basin in the blistering heat. The map Law acquired showed that New Kelna, a merchant town was located on the far side of an oasis encampment a day from where the Polar Tang was docked. At the rate the team was going, they'd arrive at the encampment the same time tomorrow, meaning they'd have to camp out in the desert for the night.
It was a long and tedious excursion, in Samira's opinion, one she wanted to end quickly and without issues. But deep in her heart, she knew different. Something was bound to happen. Trouble seemed to follow her wherever she went.
Staring at the captain heading the team, Samira wondered why he chose her to come along with them. She grunted in annoyance and rushed to his side.
The said man peeked at her from the corner of his eye and raised a brow.
"Do you need something, Amunet-ya?"
"I wanted to ask you something," Samira mentioned.
Law snorted.
"I'm amazed that you have the energy to chat."
She honestly was too. At first, the entire team was filled with excitement and oomph. Penguin even brought the tone dial for entertainment, but the further they hiked in the heat, crossing dune after dune, the less energy they had to expend. It was a lot easier for them to remain quiet and focus on walking.
"Why did you bring me along?" Samira asked.
"It sounded like a better idea than leaving you at the sub," he answered.
Samira frowned. She wasn't sure why her stomach was in knots; she knew his tone would be impersonal.
"Who knows the sort of damage I'd cause there," she uttered with a snort.
Law sighed.
"There is no one there to look after your injuries. And having you remain on the sub is a waste of your potential."
Her face heated up. Was he trying to make her feel better? Samira doubted it. Law didn't seem like the type of person to lie to make her feel better.
"How is the pain?"
Samira widened her eyes. Was he asking in concern?
"It hurts like hell," she answered.
Law grunted and shot a glare at her.
"That's because you aren't listening to me. You keep exerting yourself and making the pain worse."
"You aren't my captain," Samira rebutted.
His brow twitched. It was the truth, but she annoyed him when she didn't listen.
"I'm your doctor," Law stated. "And just so you know, if you were on my crew, a comment like that would earn you laundry duty for a month."
Was he serious? Samira groaned.
"That's mean."
Law grinned.
"Then you'd best remain on my good side."
He watched her ease the haversack from her back and yank a bottle of water from the inside, handing it to him.
"For my doctor," Samira uttered. "I can't have him get overheated. Who will take care of me then?"
Law took the bottle from her and averted his head. He was rubbing off on her. Turning his attention to the path ahead, he noticed a wide trench in the distance. He retrieved the map from his bag and took a look at it, groaning.
"What is it?" Samira asked.
She leaned closer and peeked at the map.
"There's a trench we have to walk through before we pass into the next region. The Mirrored Expanse has three distinct ecoregions; the Eastern Basin, which we are in, the Spiked Prairie, and the Western Basin where New Kelna resides," Law explained.
"So, there is no way around the trench?" Samira asked.
Law hummed.
"Maybe, but the trench could be the safest way into the prairie."
Samira understood. She clutched the strap of the haversack and averted her eyes forward. The team would reach the trench in less than 1.6 kilometers, and as the flaming cliffs, she could not see the top. It was ominous, but there seemed to be no way around it; the crew had no means to climb the trench either, so Law's assumption was the only sure plan they had.
About a kilometer from the entrance, the stoic captain announced to the crew that they'd be passing through the trench into the prairie and that he'd allow a short break before they continued.
"Can we do it inside?" Bepo asked with a whine. "It's so hot."
Samira smiled in understanding. The arid desert was not an ideal place for a polar bear. On a lighter note, the trench seemed like it would be a lot cooler than where they currently were.
Law agreed, leading them inside. He immediately felt the temperature change and sighed as he wiped the sweat from his face. The shade from the terracotta-colored walls was welcoming. He noted that the exit wasn't far and decided to rest the team where they were.
Samira took off the haversack with a sigh and rested on a jagged rock in the shade of the trench wall.
"Who wants a drink?" she asked.
I know I do.
One by one she passed out bottles of water to the team. Penguin thanked her and sat down in the sand.
"We started late, didn't we?" he asked.
Shachi hummed in agreement.
"I doubt the sun will be up much longer."
"I'm so happy to hear that," Bepo said with a whine.
Law sighed.
"The temperature falls into the negatives when the sun goes down."
"Cold weather benefits me," Bepo mentioned with a grin.
Ikkaku gave him a heated look.
"Not if you don't have any fur to keep you warm. You'd best share."
"Don't threaten him," Shachi ordered. "If anyone is going to skin him for his fur it's going to be me."
Bepo whined to Law as the said captain pinched his nose in annoyance.
"Quieten down," Law ordered.
He wasn't sure how the lot had the energy to argue with one another. It was giving him a headache.
Suddenly Penguin jumped to his feet with a shout and backed away from the area he had been sitting in.
"T-there's something in the sand," he shouted. "It slithered past me."
Was it a snake? The sand had a wavelike print etched into it, but Samira didn't see a snake. She shivered with unease.
"Are you out of your mind?" Ikkaku asked.
He scared the hell out of her. The said man shot her a glare.
"I swear I saw––"
"Amunet-ya, don't move."
Law's sudden order made her jump in fear. What was happening? Samira widened her eyes. Was the snake near her foot? Her heart hammered in her chest as she tried to remain as still as possible.
"What is that?" Ikkaku asked in disgust.
Samira was beyond scared. Was it not a snake?
"What is it?" She asked in a whisper.
Law shushed her and leaned down to pick up a rock.
"When I create a room, I want you to run towards me," he explained.
Samira nodded and took an uneasy breath. As soon as Law created a room, she leaped from her spot and rushed to him.
At that moment Law tossed the rock, swapping the creature with it. Or whatever it was, he wasn't too sure. It looked like a common worm with a pronged tail, as red as blood and thicker than his wrist.
It landed in the sand with a thump and coiled up like a snake ready to strike.
"What is––"
Interrupting Bepo, the creature flared what appeared to be its head and revealed three petal-shaped extensions with rolls of tiny sharp teeth akin to a mouth. It let out a piercing scream that echoed off the trench walls, then burrowed into the sand.
Samira raised a brow and peeked over at Law. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
No one ever said the gods were without humor, because no sooner had she opened her mouth to inquire about the creature, the ground started to tremble.
"What is that?" Jean Bart questioned.
"We need to leave," Law mentioned. "Hurry towards the trench end."
Samira rushed to fetch the haversack that she sat aside, but as she reached down to grab the strap a creature emerged from the sand and struck her hand with its tail. What transpired next was a series of sharp cracks as the creature electrocuted her. No scream poured from her mouth as Samira went numb.
Law saw her fall to the ground and rushed over to her. He wasn't sure what happened, but her muscles were contracting. Had she been electrocuted? On her hand was a burn mark indicating that his assumption was right. But what caused it? Next to the haversack, he saw the creature poised to strike.
"Don't touch the worms," he ordered.
"They are popping up everywhere," Ikkaku shouted.
Law grunted in annoyance. Two more emerged from the sand near him and shot out a yellow liquid from their mouths. A drop landed on his cloak and to his horror, the fabric began to dissolve.
Their spit is corrosive?
To keep the unknown acid from spreading, Law tore off the damaged part of his cloak and tossed it aside, then pulled Samira into his arms.
"We're leaving now," he shouted.
The sand vibrated and the ground shook as Law raced towards the end. He had a hard time believing that worms the length of his arm had caused the tremors and once he broke through into the blistering sun, he was shocked to see the sand was parting as something large and menacing emerged.
Is that––
Law's thought was interrupted as the worm rose from the sand hovering above him. It was much larger than the worms encountered in the cave, coated in spikes with inward-facing teeth.
"Take Amunet-ya," he ordered.
Her eyes faintly opened as Law passed her off to Shachi. She was fine, but her body needed time to recover.
Fetching his sword from Bepo, he unsheathed the blade and created a room. He didn't want to exhaust his stamina, but there was no other option.
The dome appearing sent the worm into a sudden panic causing it to spray acid at them.
Law widened his eyes and used his power in haste to swap the team with the cacti in the area. Appearing next to the worm's side, he watched in horror as the cacti dissolved. He had never seen a creature like it.
The ground shook as the worm's pronged tail emerged from the sand, striking at them.
"Be careful. Its tail is what paralyzed Amunet-ya," Law ordered.
Jean Bart raced forward avoiding the prongs and caught the worm's tail. The force pushed him several inches across the sand, but he was able to stop it from reaching the crew.
"Captain," he shouted.
Law sliced off its tail with a swing of his blade, watching as Jean Bart tossed it aside. All that was left was its head.
The worm shrieked in pain and opened its mouth to shoot acid at them, but Bepo leaped into the air with a shout and hammer kicked it below the head, ceasing its assault. Law took this time to slice the worm's head off; its body hit the sand with a loud thump.
"Well done," he uttered as he took down his room.
Penguin whistled as he observed the creature's remains. Some of its body was hidden beneath the sand; there was no clue as to how big it was.
"I thought for a moment we were going to die," he stated.
"Do you think there is more that size?" Ikkaku asked with a shudder.
Perhaps. Law sheathed his sword and stared out at the Prairie. There wasn't much to look at besides the various species of cacti around them. At least there were no dunes, just flat land the further out he saw.
"In any case, we should continue," he mentioned.
The team was still several miles from the halfway mark and the sun was starting to set west of the Prairie. Not to mention, Law wanted to be as far away as possible from the trench before more worms appeared.
"What about Sami?" Shachi asked.
Samira grinned. Her body wasn't as numb, but she was still a bit weak.
"I'm fine," she assured him. Her eyes narrowed in woe. "But because of me, we don't have food or water."
Law groaned in annoyance. In the haste of the situation, he had forgotten about the haversack. He blamed this failure on his lack of information about the island. There was a chance the sack was fine, but he wasn't certain how many worms were concealed beneath the sand. Putting his crew in danger to retrieve it was not something he wanted to do. And not to mention he had exhausted so much of his stamina on the worm fight, using it again in such a short time might put him at a disadvantage. He didn't plan for this.
Looking out at the Prairie again, he realized something. Some species of cacti were edible.
"It's fine, Amunet-ya. There wasn't much we could do," Law assured her. "Once we make camp, we can gather cacti to replace the lost supplies until we reach the oasis encampment."
Samira narrowed her eyes in gratitude. She was pleased that Law wasn't mad at her.
"Are you okay, Samira?"
The said woman peered up at Penguin and hummed in confusion. Had she been lost in her thoughts?
"I'm not sure. I was miles away just then," she answered.
Penguin snorted.
"As long as you aren't hurting anymore."
"I feel great," Samira mentioned.
Too great for someone who was electrocuted earlier. Ever since the team set up camp for the night Samira felt much better. And once her stomach was full, the pain in her body strangely disappeared; only warmth remained. She wasn't sure why, but she wasn't complaining either.
"Do you want some more cactus? Shachi is about done cooking up the last bit," Penguin asked.
Perhaps. Agreeing, she stood and walked over to the fire where Shachi was. The cacti that the team had gathered were separated into two piles; the barrel-shaped ones were safe to drink from and the prickly pear cacti were safe to eat.
"Penguin said there was more," Samira mentioned.
The said man hummed in agreement.
"I'll have them done in a few minutes."
Samira was lively for some reason. She hummed a jaunty tune as she rocked on her feet, peeking around at the crew as they gathered together around the fire; everyone but Law. He was standing alone for some reason, covered with a blanket away from the fire. Did he not feel the cold? Samira was standing near the source of the heat and the chill air was still biting at her skin.
"Has Law eaten yet?" She asked.
Shachi hummed in thought.
"You know, I have no clue."
Samira was certain everyone else had.
"Maybe I'll take him a bite," she said with a laugh.
"I'll make you a plate once they're done," Shachi mentioned.
In the meantime, Samira refilled her mug and sipped at the sweet-tasting water. She had never tasted anything so good. It was rather addictive. And made her feel warm.
Once the cactus was done, she took the plate from Shachi with a brisk thank you and ambled over to Law, nearly stumbling over her feet as she snuck up behind him. Strange. She felt a bit lightheaded all of a sudden, like she may have drunk an entire bottle of Déesse. Chalking it up to exhaustion, she stood on her toes and blew air into his ear.
Law tensed up, groaning as his body was wracked with shivers. Another puff of air hit his ear as the person responsible laughed and stood near his side.
"Amunet-ya?"
Samira frowned.
"Don't look so surprised."
"I'm not," Law argued. "But what are you doing over here?"
She grinned and lifted the plate.
"I brought food. Everyone but you has eaten."
Law narrowed his eyes in sorrow. His mind had been so occupied that he must have forgotten.
"I'm not hungry; go ahead and have it."
Samira raised a brow in question.
"Are you not feeling well?" She asked.
"I feel fine," Law lied.
He was annoyed that his plans since coming to the island were ruined one after the other. It wasn't anyone's fault but his own, and that made him uneasy. He didn't think he'd be able to hold anything down with his stomach in knots. Peeking down at the bandage around Samira's hand, Law frowned.
"How does your recent injury feel?"
Samira snorted.
"It doesn't hurt at all. It's weird, but neither do my ribs."
She rocked back and forth on her feet in glee.
What was wrong with her? Law raised a brow. There was no way her injuries had healed in such a short amount of time. And not to mention, she was acting out of character. Law watched her lean close to him and grin. Her eyes were narrowed in a lecherous way.
"You know, if you'd unfurl your brow a bit, you'd be rather cute."
Law grunted. His face heated up in embarrassment. Was she toying with him?
The plate in her hand fell to the ground with a thump as Samira slid in front of him, draping her arms around him. She rested her head against his chest and hummed.
"You're so warm."
Law tensed up.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
Samira mocked Law with a laugh. Why did she feel so strange? It was like her body had a mind of its own. She knew it was odd to be acting the way she was, but it wasn't like she hated hugging him.
"Have you drunk or eaten anything?" Law asked.
"Nothing but the cacti we gathered," Samira answered.
Perhaps it was the shock she received. Law eased her back to look her over, but a horrifying scream echoed into the night sky.
"It's back, I saw it," Ikkaku exclaimed as she pointed towards something in the dark.
What was back? Did she mean the worm? Law grunted in annoyance, seeing nothing. He wasn't sure what she saw, but there were no signs of a worm anywhere. Not to mention, the rest of the crew was unfazed by whatever she saw. Each seemed to be dealing with an issue of their own; Bepo was in tears about something, reaching out to someone, and both Penguin and Shachi were wrestling around in the dirt.
However, it wasn't until Jean Bart showed signs of distress, throwing punches at an unseen enemy in a blind rage, did Law intervene. He ordered Samira to remain still as he hurried to contain him before he hurt the crew or himself.
Samira raised a brow. She had no idea what was going on. Perhaps she should do something. As she made a move to help, she heard a soft familiar clink. Looking down, her eyes widened as she saw a pair of chained cuffs around her wrists. How did they get there?
"Law," she uttered in fear.
The sound of people shouting threats and insults at her invaded her ears. They were so loud; it was almost deafening. But where were they coming from? And why was it so familiar? It took her a moment to realize that the voices she heard were speaking her native language.
Her eyes widened in horror.
I remember.
It was the day she was exiled; led through the streets in chains as her people cursed her – some even tossed rocks.
Peeking over her shoulder, Samira saw their gleaming red eyes in the darkness. But how? Wasn't she in the desert? She groaned in pain as the tattoo around her waist burned. It was real. How else was she able to see and hear the people of the Isle?
"Stop," she uttered, covering her ears the best she could.
But still, their voices echoed in her ears.
Tears poured down her face as she pleaded for them to go away. The familiar ache of her Devil Fruit tightened her chest. It hurt so much. She didn't understand; she wanted to save her brother. So why did he damn her?
Go away. Go away.
"Leave me alone," she screamed.
All at once, the feeling in her chest released as her power erupted. Samira fell to her knees, screaming in sheer terror as the voices morphed into screams. She swore she saw Law rushing to her side, but with burning tears blurring her sight she wasn't sure he was there.
His hand touched her chest, and a sudden numbing sensation overtook her body. For once, she welcomed the darkness.