Notes:
Hey there! :-)
I'm back with a new chapter! I feel so guilty that it took me so long ... And I'm soooo sorry for that cliffhanger, I promise I won't be mean again!
But first of all, thank you guys so much for your supportive, insanely motivation-inducing and tear-jerking reviews! It makes me so happy that people have a good time reading this!
Thanks a lot to Guest666-69 for helping me figure out adult Law's character (or at least attempt to understand what I'm doing^^) and for checking if I was still alive XD - oh man, I really should update faster...
And thank you sarge1130 and ClosetCase for your encouraging and awesome reviews!
sarge1130 you're totally right - Law's bounty is quite low, I need to give him more of those well-earned zeros. And as for their age, according to my completely unreliable timeline, Savenna and Law should both be eighteen at the end of the last chapter, but I might have mixed up something (very very likely!)...Thanks a lot for mentioning it!
ClosetCase I am so very sorry for that awful cliffhanger! I really hope you'll like the next chapter... Thanks a lot for pointing out the Savenna timeline-mess as well! In my head she was sixteen when she left Rayleigh, and turns eighteen sometime when she's undercover with the marines, but that must have gotten confused somewhere in that dark place between my brain and the keyboard. I will go back to try and sort this out. Also, I'm so sorry for those stupid mistakes! - I definitely need to go over the whole thing again and edit the hell out of those missing words and grammar disasters.
And thanks InsidetheHood for flipping tables and making me almost fall off my chair. XD
Ok, this is the moment where I should stop talking... I hope you guys like the next chapter! :-D
"That's it. We're all gonna die!" Bepo cried when the guards hung a second lock on the Sea Stone bars. Ears hanging low, the bear cowered in the corner of the cell like an anxious ball of fur.
"We're never getting out of here," moaned Penguin, sliding the cap off his head with resignation. "No more treasure, no more sake, no more girls…it's all over."
"It's not like you had any of that in the first place," Ikkaku commented. The tall, dark-haired woman had tried to remain calm since the Polar Tang had crossed paths with a marine patrol. There wasn't much they could have done. A Sea Stone net had been cast out and pinned the submarine to the bottom of the ocean. And even when they had managed to get back to the surface, their combined efforts hadn't been enough to fight the three cruisers heading to Enies Lobby. But in spite of their rather dramatic arrest, they were now confined to a tiny prison that didn't look like it had held a decent pirate since the days of Gol D. Roger.
"What's with all the long faces? Of course, we're getting out of here," Shachi protested with carefree confidence. "Every self-respecting pirate knows how to break out of jail! Isn't that right, Captain? We have a plan, don't we?"
Four pairs of eyes simultaneously turned to Trafalgar Law. More precisely to the tip of his hat, that like the three previous versions, was rimmed with white fur and followed him everywhere he went. The rest of him was concealed by long evening shadows. Slowly a raspy voice replied, "We always have a plan."
"See? The Captain knows exactly what to do."
There were moments when Law was grateful for Shachi's foolish optimism, and this was one of them. The captain of the Heart Pirates wasn't a particularly chatty person - a character trait that took on whole new proportions inside a prison cell. Therefore, he didn't feel the burning need to share the rather serious concerns restraining his own enthusiasm.
Law was thankful his face wasn't one to give him away. The Heart Pirates hadn't noticed how much their defeat had shaken him up. Not having been able to protect his crew lay heavy in his stomach. Law hated feeling powerless. In a way he was glad none of his crew mates were Devil Fruit users, so they couldn't sense how much the surrounding Sea Stone weakened him that very moment.
You could let them help you...
Hearing the familiar voice in the back of his head, Law frowned. Corazon and his unyielding desire to help. Since the day Doflamingo's gun had gone off, Rosinante's voice had settled inside his head crackling like a broken transponder snail. Be free, Law. Find your own way… Corazon always manifested himself when Law least expected it. He had tried shutting him out but there was no use. The man just kept talking as if he were still alive. After a while, Law had decided leaving him be was less annoying than to try and operate him out of his skull.
Sometimes he didn't understand what good was supposed to come of Corazon's interventions, though. His advice was vague and inconclusive. What was freedom even supposed to mean? If a fish spent its entire life in a fish tank without knowing it, was is a free or a captive fish? How come ghosts never considered perspective?
He shook his head. I'm the captain. This is my responsibility.
Law didn't think much about fate or friendship and suffered from an acute flash of panic whenever unfortunate circumstances forced him to express himself on either. As a doctor he knew enough about humanity, and didn't concern himself with a person's heart unless he was to operate on it. When Corazon started dissertating on dreams and moral values, Law felt like a blind man in a crowded room.
But above all, jail was a bad place to take advice from dead people. Law didn't need Corazon to know that Sea Stone bars were the exact opposite of freedom, and he decided to rely on something more substantial than friendship to avoid certain death. His shortcoming as a captain had brought them here and he would find a way to get them out.
"What if they find out?" Bepo asked trying to swallow the rising panic.
"They won't."
"But faking an illness? I'm sure there are people in here who really need help…" the polar bear insisted. Law's hand on his shoulder calmed him down. "I'll tell you exactly what to say to the medic. There's nothing to be worried about. And if you see someone who needs help, you tell me and I'll take care of it."
Begrudgingly, the polar bear scratched his left ear and agreed.
"Why didn't I get a motivational speech before getting us off that bounty hunter's ship?" Penguin complained.
"We were on it because of you," Law reminded him absentmindedly. After brooding in the dark for a few hours he had come up with a plan. Bepo would pretend to have fallen ill overnight and would be brought to the infirmary. There he would look for the medic's keys and bust them out without attracting attention.
Law knew that sending Bepo was a risk. His first mate wasn't a very good liar, but fortunately the doctors around here weren't familiar with mink anatomy. It would take them a good while to see through a lie, no matter how bad it was. And besides, nobody would buy it if the Surgeon of Death came complaining about a fever.
When the time came, Bepo did better than Law expected. When the guard walked by, the anguish of having to lie made him not only catch an actual fever, but got him so nervous he almost threw up on the man. Law saw him off with a proud smile and shot a glance at the clock. In less than an hour this island would be nothing but a tiny spot on the horizon.
However, soon the guard's footsteps returned. "Why is he back?" Ikkaku whispered.
"The bear couldn't have screwed this up so fast…"
"Quiet!" Law hissed. "Act normal." The guard wasn't very concerned about Bepo, while he unlocked the door of their cell
"Are we free to go?" Penguin wanted to know. The guard responded with a condescending sneer. "There are only two places you are going – hell or Impel Down. Though I'm not sure there's a difference, really." He stepped inside. "It's time for your rendezvous with the captain."
The Rounds had started. Law had been observing the prison routine. In less than ten minutes they would decide which prisoners were to be executed on the spot and which were sent to rot in the basement of the World Government's high security prison. Law couldn't let either of that happen.
"Wait," he called out. He needed to buy Bepo more time. They must remain inside the cell when he returned with the keys. Law would find a way to take care of himself, when the time came. "Take me first. I'm the captain. It's only fair they my sentence will apply to the rest of the crew."
"That's out of the question…" Penguin protested, but Law didn't let him finish.
"This is an order!" Their mouths left agape, the rest of the Heart Pirates had no choice but to step back. Meanwhile the guard eyed them with suspicion. Sitting straight in their identical gray overalls they looked as if they had just escaped a mental instruction. Having them and the Surgeon of Death at his charge didn't seem like a very sound prospect. The guard sighed in defeat. "Fine… Whatever. Crazy pirates."
Trafalgar Law shielded his eyes from the sun when stepping outside. They had adjusted to the darkness quicker than expected. Apart from that he remained rather unimpressed.
The execution yard was hardly a groundbreaking sight. Blood in all sorts of forms, the sour smell of fear, the rattle of chains and a cart waiting to be filled with corpses. How mundane, Law thought. After all this time, the marines couldn't have found more creative ways to dispose of the criminals they so passionately blamed for their own shortcomings.
The World Government never fails to disappoint…
Law met the terrified faces of his fellow convicts with indifference. He saw no point in their fear. No reaction would change the final outcome of this ceremony. To pass the time in the prisoner cage, he diagnosed two men with advanced pulmonary infections, three with broken ribs and determined one case of sepsis that would probably kill the patient within the next twenty-four hours if left untreated. Bepo had been right. A lot of people here needed help. Naturally, Law wanted to suggest a possible treatment to the man hunched up in the back of the cage, until he realized that this wasn't the best time to give medical advice.
When led toward the execution stand, Law observed the guards with distaste. They were afraid of him. They had heard the stories. The Surgeon of Death – the doctor without a soul. It was as if they were waiting for him to cut out somebody's heart and feed on it. With cold amusement Law watched the swords tremble in their hands.
When he finally stopped at the spot where the last man had bled to death, Law's gray eyes scanned the crowd. Which one was their captain? Spotting authority was an easy game to play. He simply had to find the only person who didn't look away. But all the men around him were staring diligently at the ground as if it were to reward them with a cookie. The only one holding his gaze was the woman.
Interesting, he thought. Her decorations confirmed his conclusion. So this little massacre was on her. She didn't really look the part, however. Too frail for someone ordering a dozen executions a day, she lacked the burns and battle scars of marines of her rank.
"Who is he?" the blond woman asked dryly, as if she'd read his thoughts. Her voice was sharp and clear, lacking the musicality he had expected.
"The captain of the Heart Pirates," the sergeant replied, considerably less confident. Either she hadn't heard of him or she simply didn't care, because the answer didn't chase the boredom off her face. Law frowned in her direction.
A pale face with high cheek-bones, long blond hair falling in suspiciously flawless waves on her shoulders, and eyes dark enough to conceal anything. Even though he had to admit she was rather good-looking, it wasn't her beauty that struck him.
There was something otherworldly about her. The air around her was vibrating with anger. Her skin wasn't only free of old scars, up close it didn't show any imperfections at all. The long legs that attracted many secret glances, were operated as if they belonged to someone else. With every step it seemed like she forgot how much space separated her from the ground. Law knitted his brow. He had never heard of Captain Silvers. But when he caught the defying look in her eyes, it seemed like she had looked at him many times before. She was perfectly strange and yet hauntingly familiar.
Captain Silvers didn't share his confusion until the sergeant handed her Law's Wanted poster. All of a sudden, she looked as if someone had punched her in the face. Here we go… Finally the recognition his crew deserved. Law smiled with satisfaction when dread flushed the woman's features. But when their eyes met, he realized it wasn't fear. It was surprise. Followed by a brush of pain. "Mushroom Head…?"
"What?"
Was this a joke? He was about to laugh until he realized it made no sense. Nobody had called him that for years. As he sensed an unknown pain crashing through his chest, he realized he himself had forgotten. The only person who ever had the audacity to use this nickname was long dead. Suddenly Law wanted to tear that marine girl to pieces. Then his anger dissipated and he waited for her to say she was wrong, or for the entire moment to rewind and start over. But nothing happened. She just kept staring at him.
The word however started spinning inside his head like a broken record. Mushroom Head, Mushroom Head… What are you looking at, Mushroom Head? We have to go, Law… I will find you! Mushroom Head, Mushroom Head… Suddenly Law felt as if the execution blades had already stabbed him in the back.
It couldn't be her, could it? No. She was dead. He had seen it with his own eyes. And this woman didn't look a bit like her. Or did she? Despite himself, Law tried to remember. The person in front of him lacked the rosy round cheeks, and carried no poison under her skin. She was tall, grown-up and healthy. It was only with a long stretch of imagination that Law remembered the bored, mischievous smile. When he finally looked at the girl again, Law realized he had been holding his breath. "Savenna…?"
The poster had fallen out of her hands and drifted over the courtyard. The base had grown silent. It felt like an eternity until a weak smile appeared on her lips. Pale, eyes wide with disbelief, she inspected him. "You… it's you! How is it you? It can't really…" she muttered as if arguing with herself.
Law didn't respond. He couldn't move. This isn't real…He had forgotten about this episode of his life so many times until one day it had stopped being a part of his past. And eight years later, Flevance had ceased to be part of history altogether.
When Savenna made a small, wavering step toward him, he drew back. Immediately the guards seized him. "The captain asked you a question." Law remained silent, trying to shut out as much of this insanity as humanly possible. His heart hammering, he tried to find an explanation for the girl reaching out to him. To avoid looking at her, his eyes wandered up the outside walls of the marine base. Dazed, he caught a solitary figure up on the battlement. It wore an orange overall and appeared exceptionally out of place.
Bepo?
What the hell was this first mate doing up there? Two seconds later Law wanted to slap himself. His crew wasn't breaking out. He should have seen it on their faces when the guard had taken him away. They were trying to rescue him. Idiots! If only he had listened to Corazon…
Even though the illness had been imaginary, Bepo didn't look well. He ran up and down, so nervous Law thought he was really going to throw up this time. Law admired Bepo's big heart but in times like these, he wished his brain would follow its example. When Bepo picked up a marine gun, Law knew that things had gone from bad to catastrophic. The mink had never shot anyone in his life, and judging by the number of times it fell out of his hands, Law wondered if he even knew where the trigger was.
His jaw clenched, it took Law two anxious seconds to figure out who the double barrel was aimed at. The highest-ranking marine on the base.
The girl who had let her guard down.
Savenna felt like the ground was being pulled away from under her feet. Look at me! she wanted to yell. Why don't you look at me?! Instead she stood there, defeated. She wanted to grab him, pull his hair and poke his new adult cheeks to make sure she wasn't mistaken. But he cringed at her sight and almost broke a man's arm getting away.
For a second, Savenna was a child again. She didn't understand. Didn't he like her anymore?
Only then did she realize that half a battalion was staring at her with anticipation. All of a sudden, she felt naked in her uniform. Conscious of the witnesses their spectacle had attracted, she needed to act. Savenna gritted her teeth. Just when she was about to order the sergeant to throw Law back into his cell and to pretend nothing had happened, she realized the pirate was staring at her. His unflinching gaze was filled with alarm. It lingered on her before darting to top of the wall.
Savenna decided to ignore him. She couldn't handle any more of this.
"Take him away," she commanded. She was about to gather the paperwork that had spilled on the ground, when Law punched one guard in the face and tackled the second. Before she knew what happened, he had seized her by the waist and shoved her to the side.
What the hell? Savenna inhaled sharply, fighting for balance. But her opponent was heavier than she remembered.
Shit!
Reaching out but failing to catch a grip, Law and Savenna stumbled to the ground. She hit the pavement with a violent groan. That's it! She could tolerate him ignoring her but she wouldn't let anyone attack her under the eyes of her subordinates. Ready to punch him across the yard, she opened her eyes and froze.
Their faces only a breath apart. When she tried to move, she realized her hair was tangled up in his shackles and her body trapped under his. Feeling his heart thunder underneath the ridiculously yellow shirt, she knew it was him. She waited for him to back away, but instead she recognized the old, distant look tinged with concern. Law was examining her. "Did it hit you?"
"What?"
"Are you bleeding?" he hissed impatiently.
"No, but you will, if you don't get off me," Savenna managed to reply. She only saw the bullet hole as she was about to push him away. It had fissured the stone wall behind her. An assassination attempt, she figured. If it hadn't been for Law, whoever was behind this would have hit her right between the eyes. How had he known?
Meanwhile, Law didn't seem very much concerned about the state of the wall, or the two dozen marines surging at him. With tense but steady fingers clutching her wrist, he counted her pulse. "Eighty-five heart beats per minute…" he sighed with relief. "You're alive."
Savenna's dark eyes looked at him wordlessly and this time, Law couldn't escape. He was back in the Flevance hospital, leaning dangerously close to make sure she had made it through the night. Then he realized the meaning of what he had said. The person he had feared, envied and admired so long ago, was alive and had been all this time.
Savenna slammed her office door shut and sank to the floor. The confidence that had prevented the marines from putting Law's head upon a stick, slowly evaporated. Somewhere in the basement Trafalgar Law was breathing, talking to someone, maybe even walking around… Who had cured him, how he had escaped the raids in Fort Esperance and where he had been - all these questions vied for her attention but Savenna couldn't think about any of it.
He was alive…
Suddenly the room around her felt surreal. The walls, the furniture and the ocean on the other side of the window hadn't changed, but now none of them made sense. Savenna had put so much effort in getting used to a world without him, that now she didn't know what to do with it. His death had been one of the bricks composing the foundation of her revenge, justifying her survival. Only slowly did she relax her fingers balled into fists, as if releasing the bannister of a staircase.
Shaking her head, Savenna laughed out loud. She had been so preoccupied by the mission taking up every waking moment of the last two years, she hardly recognized the warm feeling in her stomach.
Happiness. Joy. Relief… He was alive. He had made it. Suddenly everything seemed so simple. The major, the torture, the execution lines, she could finally allow herself to pretend it never happened. Chuckling lightheartedly, she imagined what he was thinking right now. Had he become a doctor just like he had dreamed to? Did he have a crowd of indecently dressed nurses running after him? When did he decide to become a pirate? Did he think of her when he had? Savenna hardly managed to believe she could look forward to finding out.
Only when her face was wet did she realize she was crying. Sensing the weight of loss and guilt fall off her, she wondered if this was what freedom felt like. All those years of Rayleight lecturing her and finally, one man's life was all it took.
When Nell entered the room, she found Savenna sitting on her desk and smiling stupidly at the ceiling with her uniform discarded on the floor.
"Are you out of your mind?" the girl hissed, immediately closing the door behind her. Savenna's eyes slowly opened in her direction. When her wayward gaze settled on Nell, she smiled a feverish smile. In order to bring her friend to her senses, Nell grabbed her by the shoulders and froze.
"You're burning up."
Instantly she let her Devil Fruit powers retreat and the color drained from Savenna's skin like wet pain from a canvas. The blond curls lost their volume, the long legs grew shorter and the scars Law had wondered about slowly drew themselves back on her face and stomach.
Nell tried not to stare but it wasn't often that she saw her friend's true form in broad daylight. She didn't look well. Shadows had darkened around her eyes and black bruises had appeared where her body had hit the ground. When Nell felt her forehead, a few drops of blood trickled down her nose. Rayleigh had been right. She should have avoided this reunion at all cost.
"It's nothing," Savenna muttered and swept it away with the back of her hand.
"You're eighteen. It's not nothing and you know that. Where are the meds?"
Slowly her friend gestured toward the bathroom door. Two minutes later Nell had fired a shot into her upper arm. "That should do it for now. I think we caught the attack in time… Just don't do anything stupid until tomorrow."
Nell tried to imitate Rayleigh's severe tone, but Savenna was barely listening. Instead, in a thoughtful voice she said, "I found him, Nell. I kept my promise…Everything is going to be okay now."
"What do you mean…?"
Savenna beamed. "It's over. The ghosts aren't here anymore, so nobody has to die. We can finally go home…"
Nell wasn't sure how much the fever affected Savenna's memory. Only because one person had survived the epidemic didn't mean that her entire country hadn't been wiped out. Carefully, Nell place Savenna's face in her hands. "You need to rest," she stated with a hint of sadness. "And you need to be careful. You've worked so hard to get where you are now. In a month you may already be walking through the gates of Maryjoa. Please, don't do anything rash." She paused and carefully brushed a strand of hair from Savenna's forehead, hesitating. Then she muttered, "He isn't who you think he is…Trafalgar Law might be alive, but that's not necessarily true for the person you remember."
With that she walked over to the coffee table and pointed at the pile of binders she had brought along. "Those are all reports on him and his crew. I suggest you look at them before you make up your mind," she said. "And it's his first mate who tried to shoot you, by the way. He broke out of medical and took out three guards on his way up. Not very smart. He didn't even bother to cover his tracks…" Nell said. "Let me know what you want to do with him."
Without another word she left and closed the door behind her. Walking down the hall, Nell didn't know who she was angry at, Trafalgar Law for showing up at this marine base of all places on Grand Line, or at herself for not having seen him coming. She had been careless but that wouldn't happen again. Determined, Nell quickened her pace in the direction of the prison cells.
Savenna pondered, letting her bare legs dangle over the side. With everything that had happened, she hadn't noticed the return of the symptoms. They were so common these days she hardly paid attention anymore. But what did bother her was Nell's ludicrous warning.
What had she meant by he's not who you think he is? Who else could he possibly be? Mushroom Head might have become a pirate, but despite his moments of refreshing spitefulness, he would never hurt anyone on purpose. Exaggerating the facts wasn't like her, but Savenna saw no other explanation. She wouldn't read the files, she thought. It was Law. She didn't need to.
But the more time passed, the higher the pile seemed. And now that her euphoria had settled, the practical questions surrounding his survival seeped back into her mind. Maybe she should take a look at the documents, just to see how he had managed to escape... And it wouldn't be to prove Nell wrong, but to find out if the pictures she had painted inside her head carried a hint of truth.
When the fever dropped, Savenna got back on her feet. Carefully, she picked up the marine cloak and slid it over her naked shoulders while eyeing the pile of classified documents. There were at least a hundred folders. Why hadn't she seen any of these before? She sat down on the couch and pulled a few onto her lap.
Soon Nell wasn't the only one doubting her sanity. Law and the Heart Pirates had been known to the marines for the last five or six years. Some of the reports even dated back to her time with Rayleigh. They were wanted all over North Blue and in some parts of Grand Line. How come she, the Wanted-poster-stockpiler and marine captain had not been aware of that?
Savenna picked a binder and started reading. After the first two pages she frowned. This chronicler should definitely reconsider his profession, she thought. Nothing of what she read made sense. She checked her files to make sure there wasn't another criminal filed under the same name. There wasn't. Savenna shivered.
Apparently, five years ago, the Heart Pirates had caught a group of thieves trying to steal food from a village. As punishment, the captain, aged fourteen, had cut their eyes out and abandoned them in the forest, where he watched them die of starvation. A year later, his first mate had been captured by poachers and the captain skinned their leader and used advanced medical equipment to keep him alive throughout the process. More accounts followed involving torture, victims turned inside out, blood vessels connected the wrong way around, and beating hearts ripped out of people's chests.
There was no chance Law could have done all these things. To get her mind off the details, Savenna looked for the list of marines Trafalgar Law had saved. There were none. Only one note was attached to the records. It advised against close confrontation with the pirate nicknamed the Surgeon of Death. Even having eaten the Op-Op Fruit, he wasn't as much feared for his abilities as for the total absence of empathy. Apparently, there was no way to reason with him. There was nothing he wanted and whatever his enemies threatened him with, he simply didn't care.
Ashen faced, Savenna shook her head. When her white fingers touched the page, she realized Law's character description wasn't the only inconsistency.
None of the reports contained the slightest mention of Amber Lead. They went on how his Devil Fruit allowed him to dismember whatever he laid his eyes on, but how he had lived to eat it in the first place they failed to explain. On the archive photos Law looked small, hungry and beaten up. But his skin was like on the day they first met. What happened in the three years after they had been separated? Were the marines still covering up the epidemic or did they simply not know?
"How did you do it?" she muttered to herself. "Pulmon was hired by the royals and even he couldn't find a cure, so how the hell did you?" Savenna considered for a moment that Law might be faking it, but dismissed the thought. All his crewmates were imprisoned behind Sea Stone. No one could have been shielding him.
Savenna closed the file with a sigh. She was too exhausted to solve another puzzle. Screw this, she thought. She was done chasing ghosts. And now that Law wasn't one anymore, she would just go and ask him.
Identify area of incision… Monitor vitals… Pulse, heart beat and reflexes normal. Disinfect and prepare skin for incision… Review instruments and instruct the assistants present. Law paused the pre-surgery procedure and looked around. The instruments were reduced to a blade he had screwed off a pair of scissors, and the assistants were busy retelling different versions of what had just happened.
Law sighed. His own expertise had to do. With a steady hand, he raised the improvised scalpel and placed a clean cut onto his chest. Incision successful. Mechanically Law reached for a small piece of cotton batting lying on the cot that served as an operating table.
"Operating on yourself is not an efficient way to deal with problems, Law. We had this conversation before," Corazon scolded from somewhere in the dark. Law flinched. The blade had come dangerously close to his coronary artery.
The doctor sighed. "Could you give me a heads-up next time so I don't accidentally kill myself?" If he looked straight into the direction the voice was coming from, he couldn't see anything. The shape of black feathers blowing cigarette smoke toward the ceiling only appeared in the corner of his eye.
"Sorry…" Since they had arrived at the marine base, Corazon was in a particularly chatty mood. It seemed as if he liked seeing him trapped. Why couldn't dead people just stay dead? "You're not a doctor and you're not real, which makes your opinion irrelevant," Law argued.
"Why exactly have you decided to stick a blade into your heart today? Are you sick?" Corazon asked, ignoring his remark.
"I'm never sick," Law growled. "I need to figure out how she survived."
"Who?" Corazon lifted an innocent eye-brow, as if he just wanted to hear him say her name.
Law gritted his teeth. "Savenna."
"That girl sure is something…" Corazon chuckled before taking another drag from an insubstantial cigarette. Law frowned wordlessly in his direction. "But I'm not sure how going through your old Amber Lead surgery will get you back in her good graces."
Exasperated, the doctor put down his scalpel. "That's not what I'm after." He didn't even know why he kept explaining things to him. "She's cured, Corazon. Savenna would go further than anyone to get what she wants, and I've seen her pull quite a few stunts before. But curing Amber Lead poisoning without the Op-Op is a medical impossibility. Even if thanks to some miracle, she had survived the Flevance pass, the metal should have killed her at least five years ago."
"Isn't it good that it didn't, then?"
"That's not the point!" Law objected stubbornly. "I have to find out if there's anything I've missed. I wasn't even a real doctor back when I performed that surgery… Maybe there's something, a detail that could have helped remove or delay the sickness without using the fruit." Law paused. "And if there's not, it means Savenna either found a way to cheat death or allied herself with someone who can. Which means that she is extremely dangerous, and that we have an even bigger problem on our hands."
When Corazon looked at him with intent, Law rolled his eyes. "This has nothing to do with my ego! There are many good doctors on Grand Line. I just happen to be better. I'm the only one who could have…" he didn't finish his sentence.
"But you didn't," Corazon pointed out flatly. The damp prison air grew heavy. "It's alright, Law. You don't have to beat yourself up. She's okay. You didn't leave her to die."
Law flinched unconsciously. "I don't beat myself up. That would be ridiculous."
"That's not what you told me after my disappointment of a brother picked you up."
"Being dead must be affecting your memory," Law replied dryly.
Corazon chuckled. "You would be surprised. Once you're on this side, you begin to see how simple things really are."
With that he disappeared.
Terrific… Alone again, Law tried to find his way around the aftermath of confusion the man had the habit of leaving behind. Irritated, hereached for the vial of disinfectant. He had followed Corazon's advice countless times. If it was to figure whether to turn left or right at the crossroads leading away from the Doflamingo, to find out if he had what it took to be a pirate or how to respond to Bepo's overwhelming affection. But now Donquixote Rosinante was wrong.
Seeing Savenna had neither particularly upset or delighted him. Of course, losing her had been hard, but as was losing his family, his home and Corazon. But those things happened. It wasn't anyone's fault but for those who had pulled the trigger. And today Savenna was just a stranger with a familiar face. Then why had he gone through all that trouble to save her from his own crew, Corazon would ask. Law sighed and threw a piece of cotton into the direction, where the ghost had been slouching. He didn't know.
Annoyed, he put down the scalpel. Savenna had always gotten the special treatment. An only child to the bitter end. Couldn't she have given up for once and disappeared like everybody else? How had fatal illness, deadly cold and two bullets in the back not been enough to make her realize the world held no place for her? Law shook his head with disbelief.
Usually, Law was convinced emotions were the secret ingredient to make every situation worse than it was. But today he had to adjust his theory. Emotions were a disadvantage for everyone but Savenna. If it was truly her, she really could draw a ridiculous amount of strength from her own spite and other people's misery – enough to survive a natural death sentence.
Unable to solve the mystery of her recovery, Law wondered why she had bothered helping him.
The marines had insisted on his immediate execution for assaulting an officer. She had refused. She ordered Law into solitary and his crew to remain imprisoned, and anyone who would dare defy her to suffer the full extent of her power. Thinking that she might have some attachment left for him was absurd. Even before she hadn't so much as looked at him. The only person Savenna had ever truly cared about was herself. He still considered that she had dragged him out of Flevance out of pity, or simply because she hadn't wanted to be alone.
But that was irrelevant now.
As a child, Savenna had been frightening but she had been on his side. Now, as a marine having conquered Amber Lead, she could be deadly. No matter how much Law had admired her fierceness when they were young, Savenna couldn't have defeated the sickness with sheer anger alone. Whatever power she had gained, it was likely to pose a threat not only to him but to the entire crew.
Shared past or not, she was the enemy. And he was much stronger now than he had been before. He would find her weaknesses and use them against her, before she could harm anyone.
"What is he doing?"
With a certain degree of alarm, Ikkaku stared into Law's cell. It had been hours since he had turned sickishly pale and vanished out of sight, somewhat disoriented.
"Probably operating on himself," Penguin replied absentmindedly. "Bepo shouldn't have brought that medkit along after all…"
"Very funny." When she realized he wasn't kidding, a horrified look appeared on the woman's face. "And why aren't we stopping him? He can't use his devil fruit in here!"
"You can try but he doesn't even listen to Bepo when he's like this," Penguin said in a distressingly carefree tone. When he noticed that it didn't reassure his new crew mate he added, "Relax, that's just what he does from time to time. He says it helps him think. 'Nothing provides better concentration than the impending shadow of death'," he imitated their captain's grave voice. "Don't worry. Tomorrow he'll be as good as new."
"How are you all okay with this?" the woman protested.
Penguin shrugged. "Usually he swallows poison to make things more interesting. So, I guess today's a good day."
"This is insane…" Ikkaku shook her head. It had only been a few months since she'd joined the crew and hadn't yet seen all of their oddities. "Someone should at least stay awake to make sure he's alright..."
"I don't think Bepo is going to sleep anytime soon," Shachi said pointing toward the polar bear sobbing in the corner. It was astounding how much tears he could produce. He had started crying the moment he had gotten back and hadn't stopped since. His orange clothes were soaking wet and a pool of tears was already forming around him. Ikkaku wondered if he would eventually dissolve into a puddle.
"This is all my fault!" Bepo wailed. "I shouldn't have disobeyed the captain's orders… I thought that woman was going to hurt him."
Defeated, Ikkaku sat down next to the first mate, clumsily patting his paw. "There, there…"
Penguin wasn't so sensitive. "So you decided to kill her instead and get us all executed. Great plan, I must say." Annoyed, he closed his eyes. "The captain knows how to take care of himself."
"Go easy on Bepo. He meant well…" Shachi objected, desperately trying to crack the Sea Stone lock with a toothpick
"Whatever you say. But it's still a miracle we're not on our way to Impel Down."
"It was her."
"Who?"
"The woman," Bepo croaked. "She told them to put the captain back into the cell and keep us alive. The other marines didn't like it but it didn't seem like they had much of a choice. She watched them bring the captain away and stayed until the government cruiser docked off… I guess she wanted to make sure he was safe," he said before bursting into another sob. "She was being nice and I tried to shoot her… I'm an awful person! She didn't deserve that!"
"Why?" Penguin asked. "No matter who tells this story, it doesn't make sense. She's a marine captain. Why would she want to help us? Has anyone ever heard the name Silvers?"
"Everyone has."
"Not that Silvers! I highly doubt Silvers Rayleigh has relations among the marines."
"I think he has a daughter though…"
"Yes, a pirate daughter."
"And quite pretty apparently. Though I wouldn't want to get on old Rayleigh's bad side…"
"That's not the point here!"
Silence settled between them until Ikkaku had an idea. "There's only one way this would make sense. Is it possible the two of them know each other?"
"Who? Pirate Silvers and marine Silvers?" Ikkaku took a deep breath not to smack Shachi on the head. "Law and the woman."
"Impossible!" Bepo blurted out, his sharp teeth flashing. "The captain doesn't know any marines. And if he did I would know them too! Maybe she's just a kind stranger…"
Ikkaku wasn't convinced. There was rarely something like a kind stranger. "Why would Law fight off three guards just to save a stranger? There must be a connection between them. Maybe that's what's put him in that…state," she suggested pointing to the other cell. Immediately, everyone was talking, protesting, insulting each other's intelligence and conjuring up theories. While Penguin was bringing up every possible argument against being nice to a marine, Bepo kept defending the mysterious woman and Shachi only wanted to know if she was a pretty Silvers too.
An arm length away in the dark, Savenna sat smiling. Being the center of attention was especially flattering when people didn't know she was listening. When the bell marked the end of the daytime shift, they went to sleep. Her eyes still perfectly adjusted to darkness, she quietly observed the snoring members of the Heart Pirates.
Idiots… But likable idiots. They seemed to care for Law, so Savenna chose to forgive them their lack of reason. She had read reports on all of them. Bepo, the mink who was fiercely protective of his captain, Penguin and Shachi, who were personally responsible for every mess the Heart Pirates had gotten themselves into. And Ikkaku, the most recent addition to the crew and the only woman in the group.
Savenna knew she shouldn't be there. Not as herself, that is. Nell's abilities didn't work when she was asleep, which was why the head under Savenna's hood had remained completely white. But against her better judgement, she had let her hair loose and hadn't bothered putting on any make-up. The uniform barely covered the icy color of her skin, and for the first time in years she preferred it that way. The person she had come to see would understand...
Hiding in a damp spot underneath the staircase, she slowly looked over to the solitary cell.
The shape in the corner hadn't moved for a while, but she knew Law wasn't asleep. Judging by the smell of blood and disinfectant he must have been quite busy. Suddenly, she didn't feel so confident anymore. This morning they had been surrounded by half a marine battalion, making it impossible to exchange anything but startled glances. But now with the prisoners gone and the crew asleep, it would only be the two of them. What would she say to someone she had thought dead for almost a decade? Good job dodging that bullet? You look less decomposed than I imagined? Or simply, long time no see?
"I never thought you'd be patient enough to spy on someone," a familiar voice suddenly cut through the darkness. Savenna stiffened. He had beaten her to it. Immediately her senses sharpened.
"And I never thought to find you behind bars." Then she took the first step. She had to find out if what she had read was true. "But I guess, that's where they would put the Surgeon of Death… So, how's it going? Made any limbs fly around recently?"
"Sadly, no. My main occupation has been limited by your minions and their fondness for Sea Stone," Law said casually. "And yourself, Captain Silvers? How many officers do you have scrubbing pirate blood off your clothes as we speak?"
So it is true…
"Three," Savenna replied matter-of-factly, doing her best to hide her bewilderment. "I should have spilled some of yours to employ a fourth one. It's important to set an example for people who have the audacity to try and assassinate me."
"Forgiveness was never your strong point," he stated.
Savenna gave a short laugh. "If that bear comes near me again, I swear I'll be wearing him next winter with a pair of matching mittens."
"Let's hope for snow, then. Bepo's fur's great camouflage."
Savenna wanted to shoot another line at him but she hesitated. Something was off. Her ear had identified the dark, familiar notes in his voice. But the Law she knew had never been one for mocking repartee, and only retreated to sarcasm when pushed a little too far. She had loved doing that, of course. But he had never bothered to argue for the sake of arguing, and used to let her fight with herself until she got bored. This one, however, seemed to enjoy teasing her. Instead of commenting on her tactlessness, he went along with it.
Under the faint light of a blueish lamp, she watched Law's silhouette in the dark; a figure leaning against the wall, elbows resting on his knees, his head slightly turned toward her. His eyes were watching her quietly. His familiar concern was gone, replaced by detached curiosity. "You look different," he said suddenly, trying to peer under the hood now concealing half of her face.
She wasn't close enough for him to see that the color of her skin hadn't actually changed one bit. Savenna smiled and decided to play just a little longer before telling him.
"So do you," she remarked. "Last time you were shorter. Glad the rest of you grew big enough to match that giant head of yours. And good job losing that hat too. Now you finally have a shot at finding a girl willing to put up with that terrifying thing you call dancing."
With a curse Law send his furry hat sliding under the cot.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Savenna tried not to laugh. No so confident after all, the Surgeon of Death. "And you…," he started out but hesitated. For a moment the darkness blurred over the years. There he was, the boy who took the world too seriously, who made her laugh when she shouldn't and who always cared too much to be mad. Suddenly Savenna realized how much she had missed him.
"You wear heels," Law figured after a while.
"So?"
"No captain who knows how to fight would wear heels," he pondered. Content, her eyes narrowed in his direction. "Keep going and I'll show you a real fight."
"What are going to do? Dance around me until I get dizzy?"
"More like kick your ass back to the person who sold you those pants, so you can ask for your money back. Not sure the dignity will follow, though."
"Shut up. I wanted them like that!" Law grumbled, finally breaking out of his smug posture.
"Then your taste still sucks, Mushroom Head," she giggled. Whatever Nell's reports said, the old Trafalgar Law was still very much alive in all his charmingly annoyed awkwardness. She had forgot how much fun it was to irritate him. But that wasn't what she had come to do.
As if making her way over thin ice, Savenna moved closer. Then she reached into the pocket of her cloak and pulled out a metal box. He watched wordlessly as she reached through the bars and placed it in front of him. "What is it?" he asked.
"Two scalpels – number ten and fifteen – compresses, a bag of A negative, bandages, epinephrine and intubation kit. I followed Bepo's tracks and stole it from medical," Savenna admitted. Now they were close enough for her to see the baffled expression on his face. His eyes wandered from the surgery kit and to her hooded face. "How…?"
"I learned a thing or two over the years. And it looks like you still randomly operate on things when you're nervous," she said, pointing at the open medkit on the floor. "If you have to do it, you might as well have some decent equipment." Savenna shrugged. "And make sure you're awake in an hour. The guard I scheduled for tonight suffers from a quite interesting cardiovascular disease. No doctor has managed to help him and I thought you'd want to cut someone else open for a change… That is, until you get out of here."
Law stared at her, wide-eyed.
His crew had come to terms with his behavior, but there was a difference between rolling eyes at the blood dripping from his hands and handing him a scalpel to spill some more. How much could she possibly remember? Angry at himself for drifting off course, Law gritted his teeth. He should have been studying her and try to find a way out of this mess. Instead he had been caught up in a childish argument which she was winning, as usual. Even if she remembered, how could she assume he hadn't changed? How could she presume to know him?
"Did I get the right instruments?", she asked hesitantly when he didn't react. "That's what you need, isn't it? I read a lot but I'm not an actual doctor, so tell me if I mixed something up…" When he remained silent, she grew a little anxious. "Or would you prefer another disease? I can get you a valve malfunction instead…"
In a minor state of shock, Law didn't respond. Her shoes weren't the only thing that was different. Despite her unmistakably bad temper, she seemed like a raw version of herself. Hesitant, thoughtful, confused with her bold confidence blurred around the edges. As much as he refused to believe it, Savenna actually seemed to care. Suddenly he couldn't help but wonder if it was really her, or if his memory of her being a ruthless and selfish villain wasn't as accurate as he thought.
There was the silence again. Law seemed to have retreated inside an invisible shell again. But Savenna had come too far to back down. He didn't have the right to do shut her out.
Impatient to ease the homesickness that had been devouring her for far too long, she reached through the bars and pulled him toward her. Her arms flung around him in a hungry flow, her nose searching for the familiar scent of his skin. He flinched when she bit into his shoulder to make sure he was there in flesh and blood. She felt the urge to finally take off the hood and show her true colors to the friend with the sad eyes, who only cared for how she looked on the inside. Her forehead resting on his shoulder, she sighed, "I can't believe you're really here…I looked for you and I saw… I thought you were dead." She wanted to look up at him, but she had to know first. "How did you cure it?"
Paralyzed by human closeness, Law couldn't breathe. It was too much. The memory of her was smothering. He couldn't stand the sound her left shoulder made since the accident at the festival, nor the sweet smell he remembered sticking to every pillow. She had been gone for so long and now she was everywhere, making him hot and nauseous, as if he had never cured anything at all.
"Please let go of me," he almost coughed. Savenna froze when cold hands pushed her away. She needed a moment to recollect herself.
"Wait…what? Is this because I'm a marine?" she yelped. In the faint prison light, his face had turned blank. Savenna didn't understand. "I know that you worry about your crew. But I promise that nothing will happen to them! Once the commotion settles, I will make sure you get out of here and that no ships will follow you," she assured him.
Hit by the sudden urge to make him like her again, she searched for something to say. She was supposed to be good at this! She could sweettalk anyone. His silence made her feel vulnerable. She hated it. "Law…"
"You don't have to do that," he interrupted.
"What…?"
"You are a marine and I am a pirate, so please don't go out of your way to break us out. You may be a good liar but helping us will only make your men suspicious. And having them watch us day and night would be rather inconvenient," he explained dryly. "If you really want to help… just stay away."
For a moment, Savenna didn't believe what she was hearing. Stay away? Anger stirred up in her belly before she could feel the sting of rejection. He was supposed to be happy to see her! Fall around her neck, maybe even cry a little. Hello would have been fine… Hurt and ashamed, she lowered her hood.
"Inconvenient?" she repeated when anger finally took over. "I put myself on the line for you and you have the audacity to come here and criticize my methods?"
"Technically you came to me."
Underneath her cloak Savenna clenched her fist. "It's been eight years and that's all you have to say?" she gasped cultivating a burning desire to strangle him. To her exasperation Law didn't react. She wanted to cry out in frustration but forced herself to stay calm. Then she asked, her voice barely steady, "If you don't want my help, why did you have me dodge that bullet?"
It was too dark for her to see him flinch. Then he replied, cold and mocking. "Bepo tends to rush things when the crew is in danger. Even if we could have escaped, a dead captain would have attracted too much attention. We'd have an entire fleet following us."
Savenna frowned with disbelief. "You saved me because my death would be a strategic disadvantage?"
"What other reason would I have?" Law said bitterly. "It's not like we owe each other anything."
Savenna shook head. "You can't really believe that…"
He inhaled sharply as if arming himself against her. "Actually, now that I think of it, you haven't changed at all," he chuckled darkly. "You lost everything – your home, your family, your privilege, and yet you still believe the world revolves around you. Everyone's lives are to be put on hold, until you allow them to move on. But allow me to let you in on a secret - you don't have that kind of power. You never had. If it weren't for that ridiculous nickname I wouldn't have recognized you."
He absorbed every bit of her defenselessness before he went on. "All I remember of you is a stubborn girl with a loud voice. That's about as much as I recall from that town. What use would it be to remember? It doesn't concern me anymore and neither do you. So, don't make the mistake of thinking that I'd do anything for the sake of friendship. So yes, I helped you to save myself and my crew." His piercing eyes flashed at her out of the darkness. "Nothing you wouldn't have done."
Savenna retreated so he wouldn't see her determination falter. She hadn't cried in front of anyone since Rayleigh and she wouldn't start now. She felt as if she had been crossing a rift on a narrow plank and had made the mistake of looking down. How could she have been so naïve? Nell had warned her. Eight years were a very long time and even Conqueror's Haki couldn't make dreams come true.
The reports were, however. She must have been blind not to see it. There had always been as much cruelty in him as there was skill and ambition. Where she was rage, he was reason. Picturing his cold half-smile, she knew he had killed the people and would kill many more. All these years she had thought she had grown up a monster. Never had she presumed that he would share that fate.
"And to answer your question," Law finally said. "I'm a doctor. I found a cure for the metal. But what about you? You couldn't have been running forever." Suddenly Savenna couldn't recognize his voice anymore. To think that she had wanted to tell him the truth… She almost laughed at her own stupidity.
"I don't see how this is any of your concern," she said then, getting up. "But I guess not having to look after a weak little crybaby made things easier. I was never very fond of a burden."
She saw him freeze and smiled with satisfaction. He might not be the person she remembered, but she was. He could pretend not to care about anything in the world, but she would still manage to land a hit where it hurt. If he was out to play, she would always be a step ahead. She had broken bigger men than him and there was no world, real or imaginary, where she would lose to Trafalgar Law.
"Whatever you say. But I know for a fact that you couldn't have done it yourself," he tried again. Savenna only gave a listless laugh.
"Then you're not as good as you think you are, doctor."
Savenna barely made it back to her room. Blood was pouring out of her nose, running down her chin and sticking to her hands as she attempted to stop it. At the top of the stairs she tried leaning her head back but was interrupted by a coughing fit. She stumbled to her keens and fought herself back up. With a spinning head and a twisted stomach, she urged herself not to faint as she staggered helplessly toward her office, avoiding to touch any of the white walls.
All the strength the metal had given her before, it took back double. Savenna didn't need her charts to know, the attack she had avoided before was hitting her head on. Nell was right. Pulmon's five years were soon coming to an end.
People believed that children were fragile, feeding and evacuating them first, and judging the gravity of a disaster by how many of their lives were lost. For Savenna it was the opposite. As a little girl, she had been driven by a supernatural force without knowing it. The Haki had made her resistant and helped her to fight back hard. Words had ricocheted off her like pebbles off a rock. But now the force of nature had exhausted itself. Savenna could feel it cowering like an old woman sick with the lives she had lived.
Rayleigh's letter, one of many she had left unanswered, was balled up in her fist as she lay on her bathroom floor, too weak to reach for the meds stashed under the sink. He wrote every month. Under false names he wanted to know if she was alright, if she had her vitals checked, if she needed money or wished for someone's dead body. He had also told her he and Shakky had gotten married. He kept writing to her even though he knew he would never see her again.
For the first time she admitted to herself, how badly she wanted him to come and burn this place to the ground… She yearned to be back at the Grove, smelling the food sizzling on the stove. But Rayleigh wouldn't save her. She had chosen her path.
She had decided to walk through the gates of Maryjoa. And when she would have finally tasted blood, she would climb to the mountain top. And up there, surrounded again by ice and snow, she would finally give up, as close to heaven as she was allowed to go. But now the plan was falling apart. Why taking revenge if the past was irrelevant? What point was there in killing the enemy if those who had survived didn't care?
The cold tiles of the bathroom floor grew even colder against her skin. Instead of Amber Lead, Law's voice was humming in her head. That town doesn't concern me and neither do you… She felt him laughing at her in the dark. At the hours she had spent looking for him, at the nightmares, the guilt and the blood she had spilled. All for nothing. Stupid, stupid girl… Maybe this attack was the punishment she deserved for being so naïve. She should have followed his example, shut out her feelings before it was too late. But instead she kept asking the silent dark why he didn't like her anymore.
After what felt like an eternity, she managed to pull the bathroom rug over herself and pretended to be back on Rayleigh's ship. But the fantasy only managed to lull her for a short while. Soon, like on the night of her father's ball, she ripped her eyes open into the dark as she felt pain punching through her heart ache. Convulsing, Savenna gripped her chest.
No, this wasn't a memory. She knew exactly what this was. Trouble breathing, chest pain, rapid pulse, irregular heartbeat… The Lead had finally broken through, and was attacking her vital organs. Her time was up and there was no going back from here. She had hoped it would start in the lungs, or the brain so she wouldn't be conscious enough to witness the rest. But it turned out Fat Louise had been right.
It was always meant to be the heart.
Nell's legs had turned numb in the prison cold. She had spotted Savenna before she could confront the base's last pirate crew. Afraid of being detected, she had remained quiet in the back of an empty prison cell, observing the Heart Pirates discussing Savenna's relationship with their captain.
Nell would be lying if she said she didn't want to be part of that conversation. She had thought she knew everything about the two. The shared childhood trauma, the years of violence and solitude and a slightly distorted view of the world. She was wrong. When she overheard the argument she had tried so hard to avoid, she realized didn't know half of it.
Savenna didn't often engage with pirates. Everything except killing them or taking them to bed was deemed a waste of her time. Whether she acted as a captain or a friend, compassion and vulnerability only resurfaced on rare occasions, never safe from being used to twist someone else's judgement. That's why Nell could barely believe it, when Savenna approached Law with her defences down. She was even ready to reveal her condition. In a fit of anger, Nell almost burst out of her hideout and dragged her back upstairs. The only thing comforting her was that she was there to prevent the worst from happening…
But then she realized Savenna wasn't helpless, careless or mad. For once, she was completely normal. A girl trying to get a boy's attention without thinking of him stabbing her in the back. Only that was exactly what he did.
Nell didn't even try to understand how screwed up this was. She hadn't expected anything different from Trafalgar Law. But after seeing Savenna making the effort of acting like a human being just for him, Nell wanted nothing more than to execute him herself when he pushed her away. It was only their violent intimacy, that scared her back into the shadows. When Savenna gathered the remnants of her pride and left, the fight seemed over. But as soon as she had marched away, the door slamming behind her, Law raised his fist and smashed a hole into the wall.
Nell jerked with surprise.
He was supposed to be the most impassive man on Grand Line. Nobody had ever seen him lose his cool in a fight. With Savenna gone, however, Law was everything but calm. His fingers buried in his hair, he muttered curses staring aimlessly into the dark. Nell had been ready to relieve him of some vital organs, but seeing his indifferent features distorted with pain, she realized that Savenna wasn't the only good liar under this roof.
Law growled with frustration. Where was Corazon when he needed him? Clutching his fists, he tried to summon Rosinante, but the room around him remained empty. When realizing he was to remain alone and that hitting more walls would only wake people he would actually have to talk to, he stretched out on the floor in defeat. Now that his main distraction was gone, the wound from the improvised surgery started to hurt.
Bitter, Law smiled at the ceiling.
Clearly, even though Savenna was the enemy, she wasn't a threat to him. So why had it been so important to make a villain out of her? Maybe it was time he admitted it to himself. Amber Lead might have been gone but Savenna carried a sickness of her own. The incurable, elusive and nauseating poison of memory. For as long as he had considered himself the only survivor of Flevance, he had been certain to be able to outrun it. But even though the metal's color was gone, its weight remained like a parasite, making sure that even though the government had destroyed the traces of the past, Law would remember.
It came back in waves. Flashes of the fire, the red, starless sky and the snow burying white faces as if masks carved out of ice. Even though he had seen his share of storms, for a moment Law was afraid the ground would start trembling again. Flevance had buried thousands, and yet it took only one person to bring it back to life.
Savenna hadn't only been a citizen of her home town. She incarnated every vicious, senseless part of it. With eyes dark as the old mines in winter, she was just as stubborn and unrelenting as the metal they produced. Carelessly spending its shameless money, she never doubted that the world was hers to conquer.
Law could despise her for that as much as he wanted, but it didn't change the fact that whenever he tried to think of the people he had lost, Savenna's face was the only one he remembered. As a boy, Law had believed her life force could magically put everything back together. Chase the sickness and fight off everyone standing in their way. And only when he had seen her defeated, he had understood that the fate of the White City had been sealed.
Suddenly, Law couldn't wait for that guard to show up so he could stab a blade into somebody's chest. How could Savenna be a marine and pretend to be on his side? How could she care for what happened to their people while wearing the uniforms of the very government who had left Flevance to die? Maybe Law had been heartless, but she was a hypocrite. Reminding him of his weakness, of the courage he had lacked… Law let out a line of heavy cursing. He wouldn't accept her or her help!
When his eyes wandered toward the surgery kit, however, Law suddenly felt sick.
He was the doctor and yet Savenna was the one to save him time and again. Even as a child she had been the pirate with a plan, and he too scared to think for himself. Just lucid enough to obey. But Savenna had been his first patient – his first fever, the first stitches and the first intravenous drip. It had been his responsibility to make sure she was well, regardless of how he felt. And just because she happened to suffer from an incurable illness, didn't mean his work didn't matter. It had been his duty to stay by her side, at least pronounce time of death.
Corazon was right. There was a reason why he had saved her from Bepo's bullet. It was the same gunshot from eight years ago on that snowed in pass. Where he had stood by and done nothing. He had failed her as a doctor and as a friend. The sharp sound of metal hitting human flesh still echoed in his ears. And today he had finally been strong enough to make it miss its target.
Next morning, when Nell found a hundred folders spread out in her room and Savenna sharpening her dagger a little too close to her throat, she knew the cat was out of the bag.
"I should have known it was you." Savenna gave the blade a fierce whet. "There is no chance I would have missed all this enlightening information about good old Mushroom Head, if someone hadn't kept it from me. And do you really think I haven't noticed how you disappeared on me during the Rounds?"
Sitting up in bed Nell looked at Savenna, trying to estimate exactly how mad she was. The white eyes were full of venom but disarmed by a heavy layer of fatigue. Her white skin was bloodless, her breath loud, her fingers slightly shaking. Nell could see she had tried to brush her hair up, but it still hung in listless threads to her shoulders. "Did you have an attack last night?" Nell asked, reaching out for her. "Are you…"
"Don't change the subject!" Savenna hissed, twisting the blade around and brushing it threateningly over Nell's collar bone. "After reading these entertaining stories I put my ear to the ground. And it appears everyone was aware of who the Heart Pirates are, except for me. And even more interestingly, all news regarding the captain were to be directly transferred to you. Care to explain?"
Nell swallowed hard. Wearing no weapons and dressed in nothing but an old shirt, she was completely defenceless. But she doubted that an armour would be strong enough to shield her from Savenna's fury. There was no use in hiding it. "I did it to protect you," she said.
"From what? Him?" Savenna burst out with a dry laugh.
"From what happened last night," she replied calmly. By the startled look on Savenna's face she didn't know they'd had witnesses. "Look at you and tell me I was wrong," she said watching how Savenna's confusion shifted into bitterness.
"You betray me and still have the nerve to say 'I told you so'?" she spat. "No matter what a person he's become, that decision wasn't yours to make! Have you any idea for how long his death has haunted me?" She paused, gritting her teeth. Before Nell could argue, Savenna sent the dagger flying past the other girl's face. It hit the wall, blade stuck in between the bricks. At least she hadn't aimed at her forehead…
"You of all people…I thought you were on my side!" Savenna shrieked.
"I am on your side," Nell replied, her calm voice rising slowly. "Yours is the only side there is!"
"Really? And it never occurred to you that lying might send conflicting signals?"
"Of course, it did! I'm not you, I didn't enjoy any of this!" Nell hissed in return. "I just knew he was going to hurt you and I couldn't lose you over this! You might not think about your condition, but I do." For a second, Savenna stiffened. As mad as she was, Nell had finally hit a note she heard. Savenna was everything she had - her friends, her family. A world she would stop at nothing to protect. Savenna almost smiled.
"For someone putting so much effort to be morally superior over everybody else, your selfishness is overwhelming," she muttered. "But that doesn't change that you went behind my back."
"I'm sorry I lied to you. But I just couldn't let him come back and take everything away that you've worked for. Not until I realized…" Nell paused. She had watched Trafalgar Law long enough to know that things were more complicated than he let on. Not that she approved of anything he had done, but still. She would do anything for Savenna to forgive her, but she wouldn't interfere with their ticking bomb of a relationship anymore.
Fortunately, Savenna was too upset to listen. Nell could see how much she wanted to hurt her, and how frustrated she was that she couldn't bring it over herself. Handling pain the civilized way wasn't her specialty. "What do you want me to do?" Nell asked. "I'm sorry. Please…If you want to take revenge, do it."
It wasn't like Savenna hadn't considered it. When she had found out, she had imagined all the horrible things marines were allowed to do to people. So much would have been different had she known. She would have found him after Fort Esperance. Maybe he would have been less scared. Maybe she would have been too. And maybe, things would have turned out differently…
But then reason, a sound that never ceased to irritate her, got her thinking. Nell had been just a kid when she had made that decision. And a long time ago, someone had told her that unless she found a way to turn back time, asking what-if-questions was pointless. The present was complicated enough.
However, she wouldn't admit to any of that. Nell owed her at least a few guilty sleepless nights.
Her features frozen to a mask of resentment, Savenna got up and walked away. When she reached the door, she stopped.
"It was Rayleigh, wasn't it? He told you to keep quiet?" she asked without turning around.
Savenna knew how to interpret her friend's silence. "Of course, it was him," she chuckled darkly. "That stubborn old man… It's a shame I won't live long enough to teach him a lesson."
"Savenna, wait…" Nell called after her, but Savenna didn't care. "Get up and get to work. Someone still needs to make me presentable."
"You look like crap."
"Thank you, Penguin."
"Did you even sleep last night?" Shachi asked before pushing a bowl of prison food over to Law's cell.
"Maybe…" his captain mused, rubbing his eyes.
"Well, if you didn't, then that's probably because of Bepo," Penguin suggested with a yawn. "He got up at four in the morning to write an apology letter to the mystery marine. He used up two toilet paper rolls – never knew the bear was so eloquent."
"And annoying. We tried telling him that as pirates it was our job to fight marines, and that he shouldn't take it too much to heart, so at least we could get some sleep. But no. Overexcitement seems to be his middle name," Shachi moaned stealing a few dumplings out of Law's bowl.
The captain who hadn't touched the food, laughed despite himself. "I guess that's something they have in common."
Everyone stopped eating. On their side of the wall, the Heart Pirates exchanged startled looks. "So you do know her!" Penguin blurted almost losing his cap.
"Kind of…"
"I knew it! You owe me hundred berries," Ikkaku cheered elbowing Penguin before holding out her hand. She knew she could trust her intuition. Her crew mate didn't share her enthusiasm and protested before emptying his pockets. "Remind me never to bet against you again." Just as they were about to break into another argument, Bepo ventured to the front of the cell, his paws blue with ink. "So how do you know her, Captain?"
Law could have held Shachi and Penguin's curiosity at bay but he couldn't lie to Bepo. The polar bear was so trusting and would never laugh or hold anything against him. Compelled, Law sighed with defeat. "I know her from…before. We haven't seen each other in some time. Actually, until yesterday each of us was convinced that the other was dead."
"What?!" Instantly Ikkaku regretted to have been poking around, and both Shachi and Penguin looked at each other with surprise, unable to imagine their captain having a life before the Heart Pirates. That was probably why Law didn't want to talk about it in the first place. It didn't sound like a pleasant story. Somewhere they expected Bepo to burst out with jealousy. Instead the bear stared at Law's cell with horror. "Oh no! I ruined a romantic reunion between the Captain and his long-lost love! It's my fault you won't live happily ever after! What have I done?"
"Not again…" Shachi sighed when the polar bear broke out in tears.
Law buried his face in his palm, and considered to stop talking altogether. "Bepo, you got it all wrong. She isn't…" But before he could convince the bear that there had been nothing to ruin in the first place, the prison door flung open and Savenna entered the hallway.
Bepo hid shamefully behind Ikkaku, who eyed the young marine with open curiosity. With her head held high, wearing her make-up like a layer of warpaint, she was quite different from the girls Law usually brought to the ship: no stammering, no staring at her feet, and the approximate cuteness of a minor sea storm. But to her surprise Savenna didn't even look at Law. Followed by a convoy of a dozen marines, she marched past his cell as if he wasn't there.
"Good morning, Madame… I mean Captain… I mean Silvers. Captain Silvers," Shachi stuttered, as she approached. For a second everyone held their breath. Idiot… Bepo flushed with embarrassment and Law didn't bother looking up from his palm. Savenna however, laughed before winking at him. Then she turned around, shot an icy glance in Law's direction and left.
"Wait, what just happened?" Penguin asked once she was gone.
"Nothing," Law said dryly.
His crewmate wasn't convinced. "No, I know this look," he insisted. "What did you do?"
When he didn't respond, Penguin rolled his eyes. "Really, I'm curious. We're in jail waiting go get our heads chopped off, so how exactly did you manage to piss off the only person willing to help us?"
"I didn't do anything!" Law finally grumbled. "She's the one who started it..."
"Who cares! Did you look at her?" Shachi threw in. "She could start whatever she wants with me!" Penguin shook his head with resignation. "We're officially doomed."
Seeing Law behind bars filled Savenna with particular delight. He had come dangerously close to rid her of the purpose of her short life, and it had taken a full hit of Amber Lead, including a fast advancing heart condition, to get his words out her head. That morning Savenna had decided that she was stronger than him, and that she needed to make it clear that his judgement was meaningless. And she had succeeded. The outraged expression on his face had said it all.
But she knew this wasn't the time to play games. Her heart fighting the lead settling inside her blood vessels was a problem she couldn't solve, but Trafalgar Law and his crew were one she was forced to deal with. She needed a plan of how to dispose of them quickly, attracting as little attention as possible. While a little bit of torture never failed to retrieve people's good manners, deep down Savenna knew that it wouldn't change her relationship with Law. And apart from associating with a narcissistic psychopath, his crew had done nothing wrong.
Hoping that doing paperwork would help her wrap her head around a conflicting death sentence, she sat down at her desk. As she accidentally spilled her coffee a few minutes later, she saw a letter had fallen out of pile of papers. Instead of throwing her mug against the wall, she picked up the envelope and ripped it open.
Savenna would have recognized Pulmon's small, ugly handwriting everywhere, mostly because it took her two readings to decipher it. "What is it with doctors today?" she muttered, her eyes scrolling through the hastily scrabbled paragraphs.
Like Rayleigh, Pulmon had been sending her regular letters since they had parted at the archipelago. Only his didn't solely travel under false names but were also coded in medical terms. Even after their fallout, Savenna knew she needed to access the information he gained from his visits to Marijoa. First, she had considered blackmail, but it turned out his guilt was enough to supply her with intel about Flevance's royal family. He agreed to help her as long as he still got to treat them and wouldn't know what his observations would be used for.
Mechanically Savenna opened her secret drawer, one of the many objects concealed by Nell's abilities. It contained most of the intelligence she had been able to gather in her years under cover: maps of Marijoa, the location of the family residence, the names of their friends in the government, the marines in charge of their protection, their seats in the Reverie, and the growing number of pirates on their payroll. But that was nothing compared to Pulmon's latest news.
The princess' health was deteriorating, and the queen had set course to see one of the doctors Pulmon himself had recommended. Both were on one ship with fewer guards than usual, aiming to keep a low profile. And that wasn't even the best part. The ship was to come Savenna's way. In a week, it would pass about five hundred miles north of Water Seven.
It was a unique opportunity. If she left tomorrow, Savenna could catch them in open water where she would have the upper hand. With a few well-aimed canons and a Haki blow, it could all be over. Savenna didn't even bother thinking about it. With her heart limping toward the finish line, she might not get another chance. Immediately she picked up her transponder snail and dialed the numbers so hard, the animal shot her an offended look. On the other side of the base, Nell picked up the phone.
"Oh, hello my favorite traitor! What's the current situation of our ship?" Savenna wanted to know.
"Still being repaired," Nell replied in her working voice, hiding every hint of emotion. What a fun it would be to torment her, Savenna thought. Then she did her best to keep her impatience at bay while Nell double-checked with the shipwright. "They'll need another week."
"What on earth is taking them so long?"
"You sailed it into a cliff. There was hardly anything to salvage."
There was a sigh on Savenna's end. "What other ships do we have?" It took Nell a while to assess the transport situation. "At present there are four two-masters down at the docks." She could almost hear Savenna roll her eyes. "Those won't get us anywhere… Is that all?"
"Well, there are also about a dozen skiffs and…" Nell hesitated. "The Polar Tang."
"The what?"
"The Polar Tang," Nell repeated. "The Heart Pirates' ship. Since they're the only crew still held at the base, we haven't yet received orders to destroy it. And also, no one has managed to open the hatch."
"Why the hell not?"
"It's a submarine. The marines here aren't trained for these kinds of vessels. Apparently, it requires a crew of at least three people to be seaworthy," Nell explained. Savenna was ready to slap someone. "For fuck's sake, Ray took me shopping in one of those things. Sometimes I forget how useless marines can be…" Then she thanked Nell and hung up. She couldn't afford to disclose more information on public snails.
Alone Savenna pondered over her dilemma. If she wanted to go through with her plan, she needed a good, steady ship. And with hers still being repaired she would have to wait for the arrival of the marine commander to steal a better one. But that would be in three days and she would never make it to the rendezvous point. Savenna's fist hit the table. No matter how far she stretched her imagination, there was no other way.
She needed that submarine.
"Are you serious?" Nell protested on the way to the prison. "I know you're mad right now but isn't this a little rash?" Nell had begrudgingly been filled in on the plan, but refused to agree. "This is not the right time. We lack weapons, intel, manpower… There are so many ways this could go wrong!"
Savenna threw her a threatening glance. "You owe me, remember?" she growled. "And I might not get another chance." Nell sighed. Afraid of finding out what she meant and how exactly she was to persuade Trafalgar Law to hand over his ship and his men while sitting in prison, she followed Savenna downstairs.
This time captain Silvers didn't care much about making an appearance. Savenna flung the door open, dismissed the guard and waltzed in front of Law's cell. Hearing her steps, the rest of the crew cautiously approached the bars. "Long time no see, Mushroom Head," Savenna remarked. "I need your sub and two men to operate it."
Shachi and Penguin stared at each other with round eyes. "What did she just call him…?"
"Shhh!" Ikkaku hushed. "Maybe we'll finally find out what's going on."
If Law was surprised, he didn't let it show. His gray eyes scrutinized his captor, wondering how different she looked in daylight. But in all she was quite faithful to herself. Hell would probably freeze over before Savenna admitted to the existence of please and thank you. A knowing smile crept on Law's lips. "And why should I do that? You have an entire marine base at your disposal. Why don't you ask your uniformed friends for help?"
Savenna was about to point out his crew's peculiar dress code but decided to let this one slide. Instead she replied calmly, "My ship is being repaired and I need to get about seven hundred sea miles north within a week. Can your tin can handle that?"
Law shrugged. "Of course. But not without my crew." Casually, he added, "I'm a pirate. I'm not giving you anything unless I get something in return."
Savenna held his sharp gaze for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. "Pirate…Ha! You once managed to get lost inside my house. You wouldn't find the One Piece if Roger himself dangled it front of you."
The entire Heart Pirates gasped with horror. Bepo's fur stood up as if hit by an electric wire and all color drained from Penguin's face. No one was crazy enough to mock Law in front of his crew. If in the beginning it had only been Ikkaku, now everyone was asking themselves the same question. Who was this woman?
Law however, didn't seem to mind. "Well, if you're headed somewhere that means someone finally taught you the difference between a hairpin and a compass."
"Is that all you've got?"
Law tilted his head and approached with long, lazy steps. "You need us alive and you know it. So, here's the deal," he said putting on his new hat - a subtle point Savenna didn't miss. "The sub will sail north but only if my crew goes free."
Asking Trafalgar Law for help was one thing. Savenna hated it but she had no other choice. However, giving in to his demands after what he had said the night before, was beneath her. But before she could throw it into his face, Nell broke the jittery silence. "That sounds like a reasonable offer."
"Excuse me?" As Savenna turned around with indignation, Law raised a surprised eye-brow. Now all eyes had fallen on Nell, who shifted awkwardly under the attention. She felt more than uncomfortable interrupting their conversation, but if Savenna were to go through with that reckless plan they needed help, whether she liked it or not. "We don't have much time. Soon the guard will be replaced and the quickest way out of this is to find a solution that works for everybody," she reminded them.
"She's got a point," Penguin threw in carefully.
Overruled and slowly becoming conscious of the crew's curious glances, Savenna crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Fine! But even if I were in a merciful mood, I'm a marine. I couldn't just let us walk out of here holding hands without risking my own neck."
"She also has a point…" Penguin commented. Simultaneously Savenna and Law shot him an irritated glance. But he was right. Their deal could only be as good as their escape plan. A set of keys would guarantee their freedom, but it would put Savenna behind bars for helping them get away. Everyone grew silent, until Nell chuckled lightly. "I think I have an idea."
While looking Trafalgar Law's Wanted poster hanging on the wall, she couldn't help but remember Savenna's ample collections and the ridiculous adventure books she had forced her to read. The solution was just as ridiculously simple. "You'll get kidnapped by the Heart Pirates," she announced.
"What…?"
"It would explain how you get on the pirate ship, and no one would suspect you of helping them. We'd have to stage an outbreak first, of course," Nell explained. "It sounds stupid but if we plan it carefully, it will work." Yes, Nell owed her but she still got to choose how she settled her debt. Judging by the look on Savenna's face, however, she only agreed with the stupid part. "I'm a captain. It would make me look weak."
"Better weak than wanted," Law pointed out.
Savenna turned around with disbelief. "Don't tell me you're with her on this."
"Actually, I am," Law said soberly. "We get out and you get to keep a clean slate. We would have to split up, though. Someone needs to catch their attention upstairs while the others take back the ship with your help," he suggested, looking at Nell. The girl nodded.
Savenna had no choice but to concede, wondering how Nell of all people could have come up with such a plan. "Alright, you win. Pack your stuff, we're planning tonight and leaving tomorrow," she ordered and marched away as swiftly as she had arrived, all eyes of the Heart Pirates pinned at her back.
Then slowly the crew retreated back into their cell, discussing their escape and even more passionately, their captain's new nickname. For once Law ignored their chatter, staring wordlessly in the direction Savenna had disappeared. Too late he realized Nell was still there, watching him.
Slightly uncomfortable, he turned around. "That's a clever plan," he admitted, a little surprised to see someone so levelheaded at Savenna's side. He was certain he had never seen her before, but he recognized the safe distance she kept from the Sea Stone. And like Savenna, she didn't flinch under his inquisitive gaze. "Who are you?" he finally asked.
Nell smiled attentively. "I am her Lamie," she said. "And I have a good sense for people who lie. So I suggest you don't get too comfortable."
"What does one wear to a kidnapping?" Savenna asked laying her entire wardrobe out on the bed.
"I don't know. What did you wear last time?" Nell replied, busy browsing through their sea charts. Savenna hesitated, remembering Rosie's burnt dress, the pair of stolen shoes and the few liters of dried blood. "No… that would be too much."
After Savenna gave it some though, she had to admit their plan wasn't flat out terrible. First, they would let the Heart Pirates out of their cell, and then, with the polar bear's help, she would make it look like someone had punched the gate open. Then they would split up. While Nell guided the crew down to the dock and secured the ship, she and Law would stage a kidnapping to provide her with a solid alibi. It could even have been a good plan, if it hadn't been for her designated partner in crime.
Law did it to save his crew and wouldn't care less about her purpose. They should have been in this together, but as always things ended up the wrong way around. Secretly she wondered why she couldn't for once have a text book kidnapping. Genuine screams, occasional fainting and a few well-paced threats uttered in a husky voice. Why, of all people, would she have to share this exciting moment with someone who didn't care and, even worse, didn't understand the meaning of fun?
Savenna observed Nell who used the remaining time to plan the journey ahead. She didn't know it yet, but Savenna would be leaving her all the intel she had gathered on the World Government. There wouldn't be much time left for her after the attack on the queen's ship, and Savenna would instruct Nell to pass it on to one of Rayleigh's contacts in the Revolutionary Army. At least someone would be able to finish what she had started.
Savenna never really stopped wondering why Nell was still around. Even though she was still mad at her, she realized that she couldn't remember how to be without her anymore. But the fact that Nell wasn't driven by the same desire for vengeance, never ceased to remind her that she was free and could walk away at any moment. "Are you alright?" Nell asked, as she caught the other girl starting into space.
Carefully she put the maps down on the bed. "I know you don't like the plan. And we don't have to do this if you don't want to. It's not too late to call it off."
Savenna shook her head, pretending not to understand the question. "Of course, I'm alright. I admit I wasn't charmed by the idea of being threatened by a little boy and his kitchen knife. But if that's what it takes to get that ship, it's a small price to pay.
Nell wasn't convinced. Hugging her knees amid Savenna's discarded clothes, she said," I'm sorry about what happened between you two." She paused. "Are you sure you can stand being around him for so long?" As someone who rarely pulled her nose out of other people's business, she couldn't blame Nell for eavesdropping. But luckily that deal didn't demand honesty on her part. "Sure I can," she scoffed pretending to admire herself in the mirror.
"Without setting the sub on fire just to settle the score?"
Annoyed, Savenna flipped her hair over the right shoulder. "Please, I can handle myself. And besides, small fish like him are barely worthy of my revenge," she said with a mocking smile.
But as she finally did look at herself, her eyes hardened. You don't have that kind of power… Oh, if he knew what power she had! How strong she could be if she weren't sick. What she would do if she had more time… He'd be on his knees begging for forgiveness, and she wouldn't spare a thought for him and make his life a living hell. Savenna sighed, regretting how reality always tended to disappoint. "Don't worry. We will help each other out and then go separate ways. Nothing dramatic," she promised.
Nell considered it for a while. "And what is this, then?" she asked gesturing toward the shirt that hugged Savenna's body a little too tightly and could barely contain the D-cups she had insisted on.
"That's just for me." Proudly, Savenna examined the outfit she had chosen. "What other occasion is there to look dashing with a blade to my throat? Being kidnapped is a complete waste of time if you don't get to enjoy the attention."
Nell had rolled her eyes and stuck her nose back into the sea charts, when Savenna smiled at herself. She hadn't had the chance to plan her last kidnapping, so she would make this one as memorable as possible, regardless of whom she was sharing the stage with.
Back pressed against the wall of the prison building, Law peered out into the courtyard. Having finally been able to retrieve his weapons, his firm grip around the sheath of his fur trimmed sword hadn't loosened for a second. After the crushing weight of the Sea Stone, the Kikoku felt ridiculously light in his hands.
The outbreak had happened without complication. Savenna's taciturn friend had organized everything with clockwork precision. Law had been impressed with her cool-headed efficiency but he couldn't get her last words out of his head. I'm her Lamie… Law hadn't pronounced his sister's name in years. She was a ghost, just like everybody else who had died in that fire. And hearing her name from the lips of a stranger, felt like someone had invaded his mind and laid his memories out bare. He didn't like it. And he liked her threat even less, especially since he didn't understand what she had meant.
The more he happened to be around Savenna, the less he understood altogether. How could she have spoken to another marine about what had happened back then? Even if it was her assistant? How had she not been afraid to out herself as a survivor? And why was she so desperate to sail north and couldn't just phone another base to provide her with a ship? Something was off but Law couldn't tell what.
Impatient, he looked at the clock above the gate. She was late. He should have known. Punctuality had never been one of Savenna's strong points.
Law sighed nervously as he watched the marines prepare for their morning spar. There were at least fifty men, not heavily armed or particularly strong but still… Fighting them all together wouldn't be easy. He could only hope it wouldn't come to that.
The more Trafalgar Law thought about his role in the escape plan, the more he regretted agreeing to it. He had never been very good at acting. As he rarely cared for what other people thought, he had little experience making them believe anything but the obvious. Penguin would say that's why his disguises were never much of a success… And now he had to stage an actual kidnapping, a crime he would never even consider committing. It would oblige him to even more social interaction than he already had to endure. Law didn't deny it. He would have been much more comfortable securing the submarine and leave this comedy act to Bepo, who had proven himself quite a talented performer.
"Relax, Mushroom Head. You look like the teacher just found out you didn't do you homework," a voice teased from behind him.
Immediately Law turned around. "Where the hell have you been?"
Savenna was leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe, her black eyes mocking him silently. In her new pair of heels, she almost reached his height. She had left the white marine coat behind, revealing blue uniform trousers and a shit that must have accidentally shrunk in the wash.
"Packing. I trust you've done the same," she replied without noticing how his eyes lingered on her for a little too long. She was busy disheveling the shiny blond hair until it exploded around her head like a bird's nest. Law watched her with slight confusion when she came back up, face flushed red. "What exactly are you doing?"
"Prepping the costumes," she explained matter-of-factly before tearing one of her sleeves. Then, she stopped, eyed him from top to bottom before shaking her head. Outraged, he tried to fight her off when she did the same to his pants. Savenna shot him a reprimanding look without bothering to argue. "Give me your sword," she ordered instead.
"What?"
When he hesitated, she reached out for the furry blade. Wielding the sword steadily, Savenna placed two superficial cuts on her thigh and upper arm, slightly gritting her teeth. Immediately Law snatched the sword out of her hands. "This thing could cut you in half!" he protested watching with bewilderment how the blood drained through the fabric of her clothes. She, however, couldn't care less. She had always been a first-class liar, but Law had forgotten to what lengths she would go to get the reaction she desired.
"This is a performance, Mushroom Head," Savenna explained, speaking especially slowly as if he wouldn't get it otherwise. "The costumes need to be convincing. If we want this to work, we have to look like we've been struggling. Or do you really think they'll believe their captain just let herself get kidnapped?"
Jaw clenched, Law had to admit he hadn't thought of that. There were hardly enough words to express how much he regretted his decision.
"Now comes the critical part," Savenna announced. "Since our act also needs to be convincing, I count on you to make a little more effort with that sword. You know, swing it a little here, a little there, just to make them buy the whole pirate thing."
"What pirate thing? I am a pirate captain, if you haven't noticed."
Savenna shrugged. "Well, you've been splashing around Grand Line for a while, but if we want to get out of here in one piece, those marines have to believe you're an actual threat. So, could you at least pretend you know what you're doing?"
"Pretend?!" he seethed. "I am an actual threat! Do you even know who you're talking to?!" Savenna remained unimpressed before strolling toward the gate. At this point, Law couldn't decide if he wanted to chop her into little pieces, or straight out surrender.
Who did she think she was? Suddenly he regretted not having met her before, so he could strap her to his operating table and show her exactly how much of a threat he could be… Only when he was boiling with anger, did Law realize he was allowing emotion to cloud his judgement. This was Savenna and this was how she worked. Under these circumstances, she would say anything just to get to him.
Coldly Law's eyes narrowed in her direction. Her audacity may have startled him before, but things had changed. Crossing lines was something he had stopped being afraid of long ago. She wanted convincing and he would give her exactly that.
"Help! Please, somebody help!"
Half of a marine battalion turned around in surprise, when a panting woman staggered out of the prison building. It took them two confused seconds to recognize their own captain under the layer of blood and anguish. Just as Savenna had predicted, they were both too paralyzed by the ratio of naked skin to do anything useful. For a moment, she was glad she didn't actually have to rely on their help. The crowd parted in awe as she stumbled to the dusty ground.
"What happened?" someone called out.
"The Heart Pirates…" she cried, theatrically gasping for air. "They've managed to escape! They broke the locks and took my assistant. I tried to fight them, but the captain…"
A wave of terror rippled through the crowd. Savenna stifled a content smile. The news alone was enough to wreck chaos. Before any of them could receive orders, panic spread like a wildfire through the base. The sergeant had made his way through the crumbling ranks and carefully pulled his captain back on her feet.
Savenna couldn't care less for the gesture. Instead of comforting her men, her anxious glance darted to the prison building. What took him so long? The sub should be lifting the anchor by now. She didn't flinch when the siren kicked off, wailing in every corner of the island. Could he have betrayed her and gone off without keeping up his end of the bargain? With his crew free she had no leverage over him. Nothing prevented him from leaving her there and disappearing again.
"Don't worry, Captain. We are going to stop them," the sergeant promised bowing low, but Savenna didn't get to answer. All of a sudden, a dozen marines collapsed in front of her, blood spurting from their chest. Then she was seized her by the arm and pulled from the sergeant's side.
"Nobody is going anywhere," Law's voice resonated from behind her. Where had he come from? Not even she had seen him cut through the crowd. Confused, Savenna twisted around. Law was surrounded by marines. But as his sword flashed in the morning sun, his lips curled into an amused smile. The cold had crept back into the gray of his eyes. With another pull, she bumped against his chest, startled by the sudden strength of his grip.
But Law didn't mind her questioning glance. Blocking her from all sides, he swung his sword before putting it to her throat. Color successfully drained from the faces of their audience. "Move and your captain dies."
Not bad… Savenna almost forgot to pretend to struggle. Although she hadn't planned for Law to actually make a kill, the blood had perfectly splashed across her face and chest. Nice move, she had to give him that. Secretly enjoying the menacing feeling of the blade against her skin, Savenna regretted nobody was taking pictures. This turned out more dramatic than she had expected. Then she decided that if her captor was stepping up his game, so would she.
Instantly, she pulled the strength from her knees and collapsed into his arms. Heavy tears gathering in her eyes, she shifted so the sea wind caught her hair in the right angle. "Please… Do with me whatever you want but don't hurt my men!" she begged when Law caught her with one arm, and couldn't help but stare at the fake blush blossoming on her cheeks.
What are you going to do now, Mushroom Head? She was pretty sure it was anger that fastened his grip around her body. In the corner of her eye, Savenna detected Law shaking his head. Just as she wanted to relax, the blade drew dangerously close. Instead of addressing her, Law turned to the marines.
"No one needs to get hurt today, unless you make the mistake of getting in my way," his voice suddenly thundered. "I'm not one for playing games, so should any of you try and follow us, your captain's heart will be sent back in a pretty little box. Am I making myself clear?"
A deathly silence settled over the base. Despite herself, Savenna felt a little chill run down her spine. While the crowd buzzed with terror, his pulse remained perfectly calm. "I said, am I making myself clear?" Law repeated, louder this time. The sergeant was the first to break. He nodded, lowering his sword at the sight of the marine hearts scattered on the pavement.
"Good," Law replied coldly. "Now make way for your captain." Immediately the marines moved to the side to let them pass.
"Well, that was something. I didn't know you had it in you," Savenna muttered almost impressed, as she let herself be dragged toward the harbor gate.
"Oh, I could never have done without your help," Law growled through gritted teeth. Then he suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" Savenna hissed under her breath. Discreetly Law pointed at the gate.
It was closed.
"Shit! How did this happen? It should be open until at least nine…oh." The clock showed half past.
"I don't know…" Law scowled down at her. "Maybe someone took too much time to pack?"
"So now this is my fault?"
Law shook his head with exasperation but didn't say anything. She could see he was thinking. Then, suddenly he grabbed her and turned around. "What are you doing…?" she whispered. "We need to get out of here. The sub must be already moving out of the harbor."
"Precisely." The eyes of the marines still on them, Law made his way toward the lower part of the battlement wall. Savenna held her breath when she realized what he was about to do. The narrow channel leading out of the harbor flowed right underneath them. He must be crazy… But before she could say something, he grabbed her by the waist and jumped on top of the wall. For the first time, Savenna's scare was genuine.
"Are you insane? Those are at least seven stories! There's no way in hell we'll make it," she yelped, staring down at the rows of tiny ships and the bright blue ocean that look like it was going to swallow them whole. Even the marines had surged forward in distress, and stopped only at Law's threatening gaze.
"You'll have to trust me on this one," he whispered. Strangely calm, his eyes followed a small yellow dot approaching from the distance.
"Really?" she hissed. "And why should I do that?"
"I'm afraid we have no other option…" Before she could argue, he stretched out his hand. ROOM. Suddenly a blueish sphere mushroomed within his palm. Savenna stared wordlessly as it expanded, soon engulfing them both. She expected it to feel cold or to shut out the air from the outside, but it just kept spinning around them like a blue crystal ball. "What the hell…?
"Hold on tight."
"No, we can't…" Savenna screamed, when he stepped took a step back and jumped into the blue void, pulling her down with him. Convinced she was going to die, she clawed her fingers into his arm after trying desperately to reach the disappearing edge. Cold wind brushed past her as they fell, muffling the anxious voices of the marines. Her eyes pressed shut, Savenna braced for impact. But while her stomach performed one looping after another, the air just kept flowing steadily, whistling faintly in her ear. Suddenly, something shifted awkwardly behind her.
"Could you please move a little to the side?" Law's voice complained.
"What…?"
"Your hair is in my face." Savenna didn't understand. When she finally opened her eyes, Law was still behind her, looking about as annoyed as before. His hat had slid down on his forehead, casting a shadow over his eyes.
But Savenna didn't dare to move. The outside wall of the marine base was creeping past her at an unnaturally slow speed. What the hell had happened to gravity? When she tilted her head, she saw the blue surface of the water approaching just as slowly. And only then did she realize they were still inside Law's blue bubble, suspended in the air like an invisible elevator. In a surge of panic, Savenna pressed her knees to her chest. "Holy Roger…"
"Was that convincing enough?"
Savenna froze. His voice was so close she could feel his warm breath on her neck. She swallowed, trying to remain calm. After one deep breath her mind was back on track and she forced herself not to punch her human lifeline. "Are you out of your freaking mind? What the hell is this?" she yelled pointing at the inacceptable distance between them and the ground.
"Oh, you know. A little Devil Fruit here, a little Devil Fruit there…"
"Shut up, this isn't funny! You almost killed us, Mushroom Head!"
Law didn't seem very worried. "It's quite safe, as long as I stay away from the water." Just as Savenna's stomach made another dangerous flip, she remembered his ability. She had been too concerned about other things, and she had barely spared a thought on the mysterious power he had gained. Curious, she studied the invisible force allowing their perilous short cut. "I thought the Op-Op only worked on body parts..." she ventured hesitantly.
"That's mostly what I use it for," Law explained. "But it can affect everything inside the sphere."
Looking down, she saw Law's fingers twisted in a sign she couldn't read. He was concentrating. Tiny beads of sweat had gathered on his forehead. It must be just like Nell, Savenna thought. The fruit provided the power, but when it came to control, the users had appeal to their own strength.
Secretly, Savenna wondered how strong he had become. She hadn't recognized it at first or hadn't cared to. But caught in the circle of his Devil Fruit, she could help but think of the marines he had killed in the blink of an eye. Now she began to understand the protests when she had insisted on holding him captive. Ordinary marines were afraid of him. And Savenna couldn't say they were wrong.
Suddenly, she became aware of his body pressing against hers, and of the muscles that hadn't been there before. Imagining how many bones they had crushed, she wondered if he would have to restrain himself not to crush hers…
"Are you alright?" Law asked as she grew quiet. The sound of his voice made her flinch. "Me? Yes, Perfectly fine."
"Good... I wouldn't want anyone to feel threatened in my presence after all."
Savenna rolled her eyes. "Fine, I take it back. You're officially a real pirate, Mushroom Head. Are you happy? Now get us down!"
"You shouldn't eat before a fight," Law pointed out holding Savenna's hair as she threw up over the side of the ship. "Height can be quite unpleasant if you're not used to it."
"Go away…"
"I'm afraid that might be difficult..." His eyes narrowed as he looked back into the direction they had come from. The waters were calm and the marines base was almost out of sight. Just as predicted, nobody was following them. First Savenna had thought they had been lucky, that the submarine had entered the narrow harbor passage just when they had been sailing down. But noticing Law's lack of surprise, she realized he must have planned it the moment he had stepped on that wall. The ROOM, or whatever he called it, had landed them safely on one of the outer fins of the fish-shaped vessel. Savenna had just had enough time to notice its outrageous color, before her stomach decided it had enough. When the worst was over, she let herself sink against the hull of the ship. "That was a disaster," she concluded, green in the face.
Law watched her from the corner of his eye. "Does every victim have such high expectations when it comes to kidnapping, or is that only you?"
"Probably the latter."
"Good to know."
A surge of frustration and resentment reminded Savenna that this was no simple get-together. The desire to make him suffer was strong, but she decided to put it off for when she was capable of holding her breakfast.
"CAPTAIN!" After their own big escape, the crew had finally gathered on deck yelling and waving at them with excitement. The murderous polar bear had tiny hearts dancing in his eyes, and was already climbing over the railing to pull his favorite captain back on the ship. Savenna recognized Nell standing in the back, fake shackles dangling over her shoulder. When Savenna waved back, she couldn't help but notice a quick flush of panic in Law's face.
"Still not a people person, ha?" she asked flatly.
"Only during anesthesia …" he admitted. After three days in prison and with Amber Lead weighing heavier on Savenna's heart, they sat side by side, too exhausted to pretend or to mind each other's company. Only a frown knitting Law's brow broke the somewhat familiar silence.
"What's that?" he asked, pointing at her neck. Instantly Savenna's fingers brushed over her skin. When they came back red, she inhaled sharply. Blood had been running out of her ear for some time now. Casually, she brushed it away and dressed her hair into place. "Nothing. Probably from one of the marines…"
Before he could say something, the rest of the Heart Pirates lowered the ladders and yelled for them to come on board. Savenna was on her feet before Law could ask any more questions. She gripped the rungs of the ladder, silently cursing herself.
How had she not thought of that? Sharing a ship was one thing, but there was a bigger problem she had completely neglected to prepare for. Law was an actual doctor. And one she couldn't trust. She was getting weaker, and nothing would prevent him from blowing her cover and hand her over to the marines, should he find out the truth. How was she supposed to hide her condition from someone who knew exactly what Amber Lead looked like?
When she finally climbed on deck, Savenna hoped that her lies were as good as she thought they were.