A deafening silence had wrapped around the Polar Tang, as she was softly bobbing up and down amongst the waves. Inside the submarine it was just as dark and silent.

Penguin, Bepo, and Kaisei all had sat down in the galley after they had brought Law to his quarter, undressed him and tucked him into his bed. The only sound had been Bepo who constantly had apologized to their captain. Afterwards they all had come to the conclusion, that it would be better to strengthen themselves and to discuss their next moves.

Penguin had been close to bashing in Kaisei's nose when he thought it appropriate to offer sake as tonic for their tired bodies. That had just led to even more silence. Both he and Bepo really had enough alcohol for the day. They all had instead agreed on coffee.

In front of each of the remaining Heart-Pirates now, stood a steaming cup of the brown drink of the gods. Each cup was decorated with a unique motif that fitted its owner. Penguin's showed a … well … a small penguin hunting a fish, Kaisei's was adorned with an oversized starfish, whose arms turned artistically over the handle of the cup and Bepo's … Bepo's cup showed a compass with ears and a lightning bolt in its center. Uni had felt like Bepo already was a bear, so he didn't need another one on his personal cup. He was talented in drawing and Kaisei had helped Uni to get the designs on the desired material. (There had been a big fight over what to put on Law's cup. The end of all of it had been that Law just had a spotted big cup that simply said "Captain" in bold letters instead of the leopard or the spotted seal that had been planned at the beginning)

"Was the drinking tour at least a success?", Kaisei says to break the - for him- unbearable silence. Penguin sighs. If it would have just been a drinking tour.

"You gonna tell me what happend or …?"

"We didn't party", corrected Penguin after considering his coffee. "We just went to a bar to talk."

"And then Law got up and screamed at us", continued Bepo meekly.

Thoughtfully, the tired Penguin drops forward and comes to rest with his head on the table. His hands reach for the cup of coffee in a tired effort. Not to drink from it, but just to warm his fingers.

"Someone dared to mix something in his grog", he mumbles, barely understandable into the table-top. "He forbade us to drink more", added Bepo obviously feeling guilty. "And then he ran out and pushed a finger down his throat."

That was also the reason why Law hadn't worn a shirt anymore when they had returned to the submarine. Kaisei grimaces at the thought of his captain throwing up in an alley.

"After that he collapsed …", concludes Penguin. He wondered what had been in the grog that Law had been drinking. They were lucky that the doctor had noticed and recognized the drug … even if it had been a bit too late, otherwise he and Bepo might have joined him in the land of dreams. Trafalgar Law had probably saved them from the worst. Never before had Penguin been so glad to not have touched his drink. Now they had a whole new problem to deal with though. Just as he wanted to ask Kaisei about the missing crew members, Bepo decides that their story wasn't finished yet.

"Penguin then made a commotion in the bar", the navigator continues. "And we tried to find out what happened and who did it."

"Had nothing to do with it", Penguin rumbles, too tired to lift his head from the table. "At least that's what they all said."

Kaisei frowns and shakes his head. "You think it was on purpose?" Who was dumb enough to try and drug Trafalgar Law of all people?

"Of course it was on purpose!"

"Where's Shachi by the way?", asks Bepo looking around like he was expecting the redhead to jump out of a corner. Penguin finally lifts his head from the table too. True … Shachi should be here with Kaisei.

"He went out to search for you guys", answers Kaisei, deliberately withholding the information that it had nothing to do with them not showing up. After all it was partly his fault that Shachi had left in the first place.

"Like I said, except for you no one turned up … You think something similar happened to them?"

A second heavy sigh escapes Penguin. That was worrisome … What if someone was after Law and his crew? He had to agree with Kaisei, maybe the others hadn't come back yet because they simply couldn't. What if they all had been taken out in the same manner?

"The navy maybe?", suggests Bepo. He hadn't touched his coffee either. Penguin couldn't blame him.

"I don't think the Navy uses drugging to catch pirates", answers Penguin. It didn't sound convincing though, after all there were black sheep anywhere who didn't give a crap about rules and regulations.

"Maybe someone just thought our captain was cute and wanted him for themselves", says Kaisei sarcastically. He sips his coffee and peers over at Bepo. The mink seemed to think that was very possible and now looked even more worried, even though Law was safe and sound in his bed sleeping.

"Great, but what idiot tries to put out the surgeon of death with a drug or some sort of medication of all people?" Penguin pulls his cup closer to breathe in the aroma of the coffee. It had a calming effect on him.

"Maybe they didn't know who he was", says Bepo staring down at his own cup. He was the only one who had finally decided to empty it, but obviously did not dare to get up for a refill.

Kaisei laughs humorlessly. "Well it obviously worked."

"Even if, they would have to get past me and Penguin to get to the captain!" Now Bepo sounded a bit hurt in his pride.

"Who says they didn't try?"

"What if someone poisoned capt'n?" Bepo whines, ignoring Kaisei's comment and continues to blame himself. "We don't know what to do."

Penguin starts massaging his nose. "We should have taken the drinks with us. Then we at least could have found out what it was."

Once again there was an aweing silence between the three. Until Bepo slams his paw on the table and gets up. "We find it out anyways!"

The shift in Bepo's voice made Penguin flinch, obviously startled at the sudden newfound energy of the navigator. He nods and gets up for himself. "We … or better", he looks over at Kaisei who hadn't been infected by the sudden rise of motivation and was hanging limply on his chair. "Kaisei and I will go into town and you, Bepo, stay with the captain and take care of him until he wakes up." The mink nods in agreement. "I'll contact you if the others come back. Remember not to eat or drink anything while you're on the island!", Bepo warns before squeaking in surprise. Penguin was pulling the mink's cheeks. "Who's giving the orders here?" It was playful but Bepo still let his head hang depressed. "I'm sorry."

Kaisei groans and sinks further into his chair. This was getting ridiculous and all he wanted to do was sleep. Hopefully everyone was okay!

The day could not have started better. Happy music echoes in from outside, voices could be heard that were buzzing and singing, and Shachi could not have wished for a better position to wake up in.

Sarcasm.

His headache, which boomed to the beat of the dull sounds from outside, made the Heart-Pirate groan. He tried to slide up a little bit, to at least get more comfortable in his position, but finds that he couldn't move. He was laying on a cold stone floor, and he couldn't see a single thing. … not that he was unhappy about that fact.

That was the worst way to start his day and Shachi felt terrible. He desperately tries to remember what had happened the evening before, but just finds a thick cloud hanging over his brain. No matter how much effort he tried to put into remembering, his memory seemed to be on a business trip … or out to party … how would he know? Another groan escapes him when he tries a second time to sit up. At least he knew one thing: He felt like a train had rolled over him and, who knew, with his lack of memory that might as well be the actual reason.

What the hell had happened yesterday evening? Or … was it still evening? The sounds suggested otherwise but the lack of light didn't help with figuring out the time of day either.

"Okay, keep calm", the pirate inwardly says to himself. He hadn't drunk anything … okay maybe a glass of sake to calm his nerves after one of the shopkeepers had offered it to him, but that wouldn't knock him off like that. He had visited the colorful town, and he had browsed through a few shops … and … then?

It wasn't very helpful either, that his instinct was telling him to switch into panic mode. Keep cool. Keep cool. Wait!

Shachi stiffens noticeably as he finally understands what his instinct was trying to tell him. An instinct he had to owe years at sea and constant confrontation with the navy or other pirates. And now it was telling him that he was not alone ...

Sadly that realization didn't help him at all. The only contribution it made was to scare him even more.

Whoever it was, they hadn't done anything to him … yet. … Or maybe they were the ones who had put him in this situation? Or they weren't any better off than himself. Maybe they were also tied up? Because the ropes were the reason why he could move neither his arms nor his legs.

For a few moments Shachi just listens … but there weren't any other sounds besides the dull music and voices in the background and the constant scared beating of his own heart in the foreground. Everything else was silent. Whoever was there with him, didn't make a single sound.

Shachi exhales softly - What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't move, let alone get up. His arms were tied together on his back and to his lower body, while his legs had been forced into an angular position, making it impossible for Shachi to sit up or change his position at all. Furthermore, it was ridiculously uncomfortable.

It was a shame! HE was a shame! Shachi served under one of the most feared and infamous pirate captains of the grandline, and he was one of the founding members of the also infamous crew … and now here he was tied up like a christmas package, without any memories and probably on the way to the nearest prison.

He at least tries to calm himself by encouraging himself that the others would search for him …. hopefully they would search for him. After all Law was probably still mad at him.

OH SHIT! Oh my god!

Shachi bites down on his lip, fighting the sudden nausea that creeps up on him. What if they thought that he deserted after the last incident? They would sail on without him! Penguin would be sad and angry and just talk bad about him. Law would forbid anyone to put his name in their mouths ever again. His existence on the Polar Tang would be erased forever! No one would ever find out what actually had happened to him! He didn't even know what was happening to him!

"_", says Shachi in his panic.

His throat felt like he had swallowed a desert. The attempt to talk turns into a painful cough. The sound seems to have startled something in the shadow, because out of the corner of his eye, Shachi could sense a movement and his heart drops.

Nothing happens and Shachi dares to breathe again.

Now he just lays there still and with closed eyes … not that it made any difference after all he couldn't see anyways and what he could see just scared him.

He did, however, manage to pull himself a bit across the ground. The urge not to lie in his own vomit had given him the strength to do so.

Outside there were still the sounds of music and people and Shachi wonders once again what time it was.

He listens for a while, fighting against all sorts of emotions that stirred up inside him. He listens in hopes to hear a familiar voice or maybe the sounds of someone breaking in, in an attempt to save him.

But there was nothing.

Suddenly Shachi pricks up his ears at a new sound. Did he just hear steps and voices coming from a different direction? He tries again to concentrate on the darkness and to filter out the disturbing noises from outside. His head was still throbbing constantly, making it hard for him to concentrate.

In fact, just a few seconds later, he heard a metallic click in the immediate vicinity, indicating that a lock had been opened. Then another movement in the shadow accompanied by a strange smelling draft. The now opened door, to which Shachi lay with his back facing, provided sparse light. For the first time since waking up was it possible for Shachi to see more of his surroundings. Not much more because now he notices his blurred and out of focus vision. However, it was enough to see some boxes and barrels lined up on the wall in front of him. From that he figured that he was in a basement of some sorts.

Shachi's heart starts beating faster with each step that came closer behind him.

"Here are two more", a bright voice declares. "Seems like today is our lucky day. One of them even has a bounty."

Bounty hunters? The navy?

Even though it wasn't appropriate for the situation, Shachi couldn't help but feel a bit proud to be right. His instinct had not betrayed him. He really wasn't alone, but he really couldn't be very happy about that either.

A whimper escapes him as a startling and painful sting digs into his stomach. One of the newcomers had just kicked him and were now turning him to his back with their foot.

"Oh look at that", the bright voice says mockingly, "Seems like someone woke up." A different voice comments from the door, "Great, Lary is going to make me clean that. Next time we take them straight to the harbor."

"_", participated Shachi in the conversation. His protesting words had been drowned out by a second coughing fit.

Fingers burry into his hair and pull him up. Shit that hurt!

It wasn't possible to see much of the person who had just invaded his space so rudely, with the light that was still pouring out of the door on the back of the figure. It also worried Shachi that his eyes refused to focus. The Heart-Pirate still tries to flash the person a defiant look not wanting to show the fear that kept beating into his ribs without mercy.

"Oh don't worry", says the figure, the body shape and voice suggesting that of a woman. "Next time it won't be our problem anymore."

Shachi clenches his teeth and tries to see what she was pulling out of her pocket. A second hand appears out of nowhere and makes him flinch. The guy who had complained earlier was now wiping his face with a foul-smelling rag. "Talk is cheap. It's not your problem anyways. I am the one who has to stay and clean."

"Oh shut up", the woman answers in annoyance, shooing his hand with the stinking rag away. Shachi couldn't help but be thankful for that. That doesn't last long though. His heart sinks back into his stomach as his brain decides that he should be able to recognize the object she was holding even if it was blurred.

A syringe.

And that concludes chapter 3.

Thank you so much for reading