Several days of peaceful silence gave the crews some time to recover and restock. Hyorinmaru was a very helpful fisher-dragon, choosing to remain in his large form gliding through the water when not sleeping in his master's shadow. Toshiro himself had been getting much better rest with the help of the music box, which in turn put him in a better mood, the charm still around his neck never losing its azure tone. The lack of nightmares was helping him to feel more relaxed around the two crews, and while the emotion was still foreign to him, it was easier for him to laugh. He felt… so free. Dextra was healing up nicely between the two doctor's and Toshiro's healing Kido, only light scarring remaining, though she held no hostility to the one who put them there, making sure he knew that as well.
A bird came by and dropped a newspaper and a letter for Thursday – who quickly left with it - tasked with handing the former out to anyone and everyone, pirates included. The Straw Hats enjoyed getting them, they liked looking through the bounties, seeing who they recognized and if anyone's went up. Toshiro went ahead and took a look as well, taking notice that everyone in the Straw Hats – besides Chopper, the poor reindeer – had quite the number of zeroes on their bounties. He was particularly shocked by Luffy's.
"I didn't know you were one of the Pirate Emperors." He said to the rubber man. "One and a half billion is quite a lot."
"Yeah, isn't it great!" Luffy just grinned, proud of himself. He didn't seem to care about the title at all, just pleased with the numbers.
Narrowing his eyes a bit, Toshiro tried to figure out how someone like this could be considered so dangerous. In comparison, Law, who was much more intimidating of a figure, had only a third of Luffy's bounty. His shock returned as he spotted one for Dextra as well… her picture was that of her 'other' self, the deadly harpy that only obeyed orders and left the child completely behind. He saw Law give it one glance before tearing it apart with a scowl. No one commented, though Dextra herself looked a little put out, whether from the bounty or having it torn up he couldn't tell.
"Hey, Snowy, look at yours!" Luffy grabbed the paper from an irritated Nami.
"M-mine?" Toshiro paled a bit; he wasn't supposed to be making himself noticeable, he would be gone from this world soon enough, but now he had a permanent mark on the place. "Oh no…"
It was at sixty million, which while low compared to everyone but Chopper – even Dextra's was higher at one-hundred and fifty million – was still a pretty big number, big enough for people to want to recognize and chase after him. And they could easily recognize him, his distinctive hair and eyes plain for the world to see, even his name in bold print making it easy for anyone to know him. That was bad. Really bad. In the fine print it even stated he was with the Heart Pirates as a 'new member'. Nothing about Hyorinmaru seemed to be mentioned, even as its own poster, so there was that hope, but Toshiro was definitely not happy.
"I guess Fujitora couldn't really keep you a secret, someone would notice you eventually." Law mused aloud as he glanced at the poster. "Congratulations, you're an official pirate now."
"That's not a good thing!" The Nobody snapped. "I was supposed to disappear once I got this situation fixed!"
"You still can, you'll just become a rumor." The surgeon responded with a shrug, not as worried.
Allowing the calm of being a Nobody to push aside his concern, Hitsugaya tried to figure out how to go about his mission without stirring up any more trouble. He couldn't interfere in fights between them and Marines if he wanted to avoid more unwanted attention. It was best he tried to lay low from now on, only stepping in if the Heartless became too big of a problem. Perhaps he had been too open in his negotiations with the Marines… but that was the only way to get his word across in a believable manner. There was too much to do, to go back to, he couldn't get caught up in pirate spats now. Even if he stopped being a Soul Reaper, he had so much to learn and see… time to go back to the shadows, become unknown again.
"Oh, back again, eh!?" Usopp's shout pulled his attention away from his thoughts to look out at sea. Two more of the living Heartless ships were heading their way at startling speed. "We destroyed more of ya then this last time!"
"There won't be any destroying this time." Law argued, stepping over to the side of the ship.
"Aw, why not?" Luffy pouted, as he had wanted to take part this time, Nami holding him back before out of concern for him getting drowned since these ships had a habit of diving.
"I need test subjects for figuring out how to fix Hitsugaya." The surgeon explained calmly. "The ship is unnecessary, but I'd like to take the crews captive."
"How are you going to do that, Captain? They can go in the shadows." Shachi asked.
"Not if another Heartless denies them passage." Toshiro added in this time, Hyorinmaru on his shoulders again, teeth bared. "Plus some of my Kido can no doubt hold them in place. We'll find out."
"What is the plan then?" Jimbei questioned, wishing to be of use.
"They'll no doubt try to take a bite at our ships once they get to us, so we'll need to keep them still once they're close enough to board." Law stated.
"Shall we do that, then, Sir dragon?" The fishman asked of the Heartless.
Hyorinmaru jumped to the larger figure's shoulders to show he agreed, and they both dove into the ocean, the water gaining a black hue as the dragon grew to his natural size, waiting under the ships with Jimbei for the right moment.
"You guys have fun catching them." Seeing as he couldn't kill anything, Zoro chose to lay back down and return to his nap, to some of his crew members' dismay. Law just ignored him and focused on the plan.
"Once they're in range, Hitsugaya should be able to bind them all, where we'll just have to move them over to my ship."
"Oh, I might have something that can help." Usopp dug through his seed bag for the particular ammo he wanted.
The ships were almost upon them, the Heartless on board jumping around with taunts.
"What idiots." Sanji could only sigh at the ridiculous monsters.
The ship further in front started to lift itself up in a familiar pattern. That essentially signaled its doom, the water churning as Hyorinmaru moved through the water underneath it. Black ice rose from the water, trapping the ship in place with the jaws forced open, leaving it vulnerable. None of the spikes pierced through, leaving the ship to float in place, growling angrily. Toshiro Flash Stepped over to it and set about to his part of the plan, using the binding spell Horin to trap the groups in magical ropes, sticking them together until he had them all. Some got a few scratches on him in the struggle, but those were easily ignored.
Meanwhile, Jimbei held back the other one in a spiral of water, making sure it couldn't get out of the currents while Usopp took aim. The seeds flew and hit their target, the sniper deadly accurate even with unconventional projectiles. Vines grew quickly, latching onto anything moving, living ropes that entangled the Heartless crew, catching even the ones that tried to jump. The plan went off without a hitch.
"Perfect." Law smirked, pleased. Now he had some Heartless to work with. Not only was this necessary for his deal with Toshiro, but it would provide valuable information on the creatures for future encounters.
Meanwhile, Thursday was reading a letter that had been addressed to her that had come with that day's mail, hiding away somewhere in the submarine. It was from Tebliel… the Human-Mink was concerned for her, and her siblings, having seen what Hyorinmaru could do and the continuing threat of the Heartless hunting down their ships. She wanted to try and help them, to get them away from such a dangerous target as Toshiro, who would only bring more destruction in his wake. Thursday was hesitant, knowing their guest was just an unfortunate victim… but she couldn't deny that his appearance had brought a powerful force behind him that had caused the death of someone she dearly cared for. She had said she didn't blame him… but could she risk another of her precious siblings, these other orphans she grew up with, trying to help the Nobody? There were Heartless on their ship now for crying out loud!
The doubt was only growing deeper.
Her Papa basically vanished after the successful capture, hard at his 'work' and demanding he not be bothered. Toshiro was the only exception since he was directly affected by the results and also had the most knowledge on the Heartless. The Nobody wasn't happy with it, that's for sure, but did what he could.
He was sitting on a nearby seat as Law went through another Heartless, the Room up to hopefully prevent them vanishing.
"The only real difference between you and them seems to be how you exist." Law spoke aloud as he worked. "You both still bleed and have no real hearts, but this one is made of shadow itself and you might as well be a zombie."
"Thanks." Hitsugaya grumbled. "And I know this already. We have similar creatures in my world, the difference with them being they are spirits. The Heartless do possess a heart, despite their name, but it's only the darkness part of one, that's why it seeks out more hearts of the light."
"Yes, but it definitely makes it hard to actually study them." Law grumbled. "The moment I try to look beneath the surface it's like they pop, and everything vanishes, even the heart when I try to hold onto it."
"In other words the body is just a barrier to a spirit of darkness. Break the barrier and it spreads out, free."
"It would seem so… I need to figure out a method to work with the spiritual rather than just physical. I've never tried before since I don't usually work with the dead."
"And even then, Hyorinmaru and I have our own set of problems."
The frown on the doctor's face was deepening with each obstacle presented to him. He'd been excited for the challenge, but trying to dissect smoke was exactly as it sounded, pointless and impossible. He had to go deeper, figure out if there was anything he could grasp onto, anything he could manipulate with his Room. Perhaps a way to bind the 'soul' inside to the body, so it couldn't disperse like a gas? Perhaps even attach whatever was solid about the body over the heart so it couldn't pop into wherever they all went. It was going to take some very technical thinking, which meant understanding more about the creature's physiology.
"If I took a piece off of Hyorinmaru, it would vanish, wouldn't it?" He asked over his shoulder to the Nobody.
"It seems that way, and he can just regenerate it back since he's ice." Toshiro answered.
"May I?"
Naturally the Nobody was skeptical, but called for his Heartless, the dragon gliding easily over to the table Law was using. He sniffed at the squirming Heartless trapped there before baring his fangs as it tried to move into an attack. The Heartless did not fear or despair, they could only attack. Hyorinmaru was a special case, which is why Law wanted to study him where he could to see any differences. The dragon gave a growl of warning to the man, making him aware that he, too, would attack if provoked, before holding out his wing. Making sure to focus his ability, Law took off a small chunk from one of the tips of the wing, letting it fall into his hand. Surprisingly, it did not disperse into shadow or melt.
"Interesting, perhaps my Room can still keep a Heartless solidified." He mused aloud, examining the piece of black ice. "To an extent, once I get near the heart it all falls apart. Hyorinmaru does seem to otherwise have the same composition as the other Heartless, it's simply shaped into an ice-like form, no doubt still utilizing his ability over the element."
"He is able to vanish into the shadows, it's likely he loses any form in that state." Toshiro added on, curious now.
'Perhaps there is some secret to be learned with such an ability?' The dragon spoke only to his master, since Law wouldn't be able to understand the growls anyway. 'I am able to hold my form and spirit even when dispersed in shadow.'
"Trafalgar, it might help to see if you can still grab at a Heartless in its shadow state with your ability." Toshiro explained for the surgeon.
"Oh?" Law looked intrigued.
"They can retain their self even when they go into shadow, there must be something to that, it might help."
As Hyorinmaru was not being forced to remain whole by the Room, he could slip himself into Law's shadow, yellow eyes looking up at the tense doctor from within.
"You basically no longer exist within the Room, though." Law looked skeptical.
"Your shadow does, therefore so does he."
"Shadows are just absence of light, blocked by another form, they're not physical. I've only ever been able to manipulate what is physical."
"Light is radiation, it is still a physical state, if far tinier than the atoms that make up our own bodies. Besides, the darkness of the Heartless does create a physical form… there must be SOMETHING physical there, even in the shadows."
Law went into thought again while Toshiro looked on with hope in his eyes. It was true Law's powers basically manipulated the molecular level to achieve what he wanted. Cutting someone apart without killing them or letting them bleed, removing a heart far from a person while they remained breathing, he'd even learned to manipulate radiation in a few attacks to cause more permanent harm, so Toshiro's ideas of messing with the radioactive light elements might not be impossible. However, shadow was the absence of light, meaning that the physical radiation was missing… so what took its place?
"I'll need time to think about this before I try anything on your dragon." Law finally stated, Hyorinmaru responding to the words by removing himself from the doctor's shadow and returning to his master. "I need to figure out what it is I'm targeting first. I might take another look at the samples of the Stigma I had as well, see what the source of the spores is."
"Alright, let me know if you figure out anything." Toshiro responded, standing and taking his leave. "I think we'll be landing soon as well."
"Jean Bart has already agreed to take care of things." The surgeon waved his hand to show he didn't want to be further distracted and that the information was unimportant. With a shrug, the Nobody and his Heartless let him be, returning to the surface.
"Anything?" A curious Dextra asked as he emerged, sitting on the sub's railing.
"Maybe… we need more time to look into it."
"Papa's the best, he'll figure it out." She stated with utmost confidence.
Toshiro couldn't help a small grin; her loyalty and respect for the surgeon was admirable, especially considering what she had told him not too long ago when they listened to the music box.
"If the next island isn't a Summer one, perhaps we can take a look around?"
"Sure." The eagle girl beamed, happy he was asking to come along instead of her and her siblings having to drag him onto land. He already had a Wanted poster, it was pointless to hide away now, and she was eager to keep him moving on this path towards a more relaxed version of himself. The music box had been a huge help, all she wanted to do was make sure he got that final push. Her adopted father might fix his physical condition, but he had more problems than that, and she knew better than anyone that fixing the inner problems would help a lot more.
"Oh, hey, can I race Hyorinmaru now? Before we get to the island?" She continued, jumping onto her feet excitedly. When Toshiro gave her a confused look she pouted. "Every time I asked he was busy; can I race him now?"
The Nobody looked to his shoulder, seeing what his dragon wished to do, as it was ultimately his choice as the potential racer. He wasn't eating or fishing this time, so no excuses. Hyorinmaru looked back at him for a moment before snorting.
"He says he's fine with it, but you'll probably lose." Toshiro translated.
"We'll see about that!" Dextra rose to the challenge eagerly.
'Can we fly together?' The dragon asked of his master before he went to join Dextra – now in full eagle form – at the edge of the boat.
"Together? She just wants to race you, though, won't I slow you down?" The Nobody replied, confused.
'Hardly. It has been some time since we flew together, and without Bankai this is the closest we have.'
"Are you going to fly with us?" Dextra turned back to them with a grin, having only heard part of the conversation. Some of the other Heart Pirates had gathered around, curious about what was going on, and a few of the Straw Hats observed from the Sunny. "Come on!"
"… Sure." Toshiro finally agreed, feeling the same way as Hyorinmaru. It wouldn't quite be flying with his own wings, but enjoying a casual – if racing – flight through the air and not having to be in battle might be enjoyable.
Overjoyed, Hyorinmaru jumped to the ground and began to enlarge, the Heart Pirates having to hurry to the edge as the dragon's body took over the deck, just big enough for Toshiro to jump onto his back and ride on with ease, but not full size.
"To that outcrop and back!" Dextra called over, gesturing to the grouping of rocks jutting up from the water off on the horizon. It was far enough to be a challenge but still within sight of the two ships.
"Easy!" The dragon roared his challenge, lifting a foot up onto the railing and spreading his wings.
"What are they doing?" Nami asked her companions as she came out to the loud sounds.
"Racing!" Chopper answered excitedly.
"Go dragon! Go Dextra!" Luffy cheered happily for both racers, not really caring who won and just excited to watch them fly.
"Go!" The eagle shouted, launching off the railing with ease. Her smaller form was easier to get going, giving her an immediate head start while Hyorinmaru took off into the air. Toshiro griped tightly to the icy body of his partner as the dragon picked up speed, large wings bringing him up to speed with relative ease, matching Dextra's pace as she remained ahead for now.
The wind rushed past them, the water beneath them glittering in the sun as they sped over its surface. Dextra's feathers ruffled in the breeze as she flapped and flapped, a rush in her veins that made her laugh excitedly. She could hear the dragon's wing beats behind her, the force of them starting to let him catch up, the sleek black body moving through the sky with surprising agility.
If one looked hard enough, the black shadows of the Heartless had gained a blue hue, seeming to brighten.
Hyorinmaru was enjoying the race. Sure, he wanted to win, but feeling the wind rush past him, brushing over his icy scales, his master at his side, for just a moment he didn't feel like a Heartless. He gave a mighty beat of his wings, his head reaching past the eagle child, moving himself up into the air so his shadow passed over her as he took lead. As they passed, Dextra saw a smile on Toshiro's face.
He was finally enjoying something.
Just like his dragon, Toshiro had never felt better, the pendant around his neck almost a light blue, though it went unnoticed. He was laughing, a truly joyful laugh. Never had he took notice to the rush of flying, the feeling of pure freedom to go where he pleased, as he only ever had his wings in battle. For once he was flying just to fly, and it was amazing. Hyorinmaru let out a joyful roar, an icy mist shooting from his mouth and dispersing in the air. Dextra was not affected, being below them, and was rushing to catch up to the beast, though Toshiro did get a bit of frost in his face. It didn't bother him though, rather it was refreshing, and he couldn't help but laugh at his dragon.
They reached the outcrop. Here Dextra pulled ahead again, her small frame able to turn much quicker around a rocky pillar while Hyorinmaru's large body had to go around the whole outcrop. The momentum of the turn and another huge flap of his wings was quickly bringing him back behind the eagle, however, and Dextra was really having to put in some effort to stay ahead. Hyorinmaru went below this time, the tips of his wings skimming across the top of the water as he basically glided past her, ice swirling through the water at his touch. They approached the ships, and with a single flap of his wings, the black dragon shot up over them, continuing to fly even as Dextra came to a stop on the Sunny's turf, panting but rushing with adrenaline. She had only been seconds behind the dragon.
"That was absolutely SUPER!" Franky cheered, striking his favorite pose with his arms up together, the big star easy to see.
"It really was! I kept pace with a dragon!" Returning to her human self, hair in a wind-strewn mess and face glowing with excitement, Dextra agreed with the cyborg.
"But you lost." Her twin pointed out.
"I kept UP. With a DRAGON!" She restated, hugging Book and finding this outcome to be completely okay with her. She was as fast as a real dragon, if a few seconds slower, and definitely more agile. Sure for a straight stretch she would lose, but she had better mobility and she counted that as a plus.
There was another roar and they all turned back to Hyorinmaru, the dragon spinning through the air as he continued to fly around the ships at high speed, his master holding on tightly but enjoying it just as much. Everyone watched the pair with grins, the excited energy contagious. At one point the Heartless even took a dive into the water, shooting back up in a spray of dark blue snow and looking powerful and majestic with his wings spread wide, his rider sitting proud.
Once the two finally got tired, they returned to the Sunny, the dragon satisfied and hungry and his master bright-eyed and stress-free, natural spikes of hair only slightly more ruffled than it usually looked. The pirates all cheered and gave encouragement to the two racers, a few asking if Hyorinmaru would let them fly, to which the dragon easily refused. This didn't damper the mood one bit, and they all ate well with Sanji's cooking.
It was hard for him to admit, but Toshiro felt like he belonged for once. That this was the only place he could act as he did and not receive scrutiny from his peers.
A place to be free.
"I guess Sora was right, pirates aren't too bad." He chuckled to himself.