Ika & Submarines
"Hey, has anyone seen Ika?" Lami asked. She scanned her eyes over the crew that was scattered out on the deck.
"Not since this morning," Penguin said.
"He probably already went ashore," Shachi said. "You know how he gets sometimes."
"Then he's probably out playing pranks on people," Lami said. She scanned her eyes over the docks. Most ship anchored there were civilian ships while a few were pirate ships. "I hope he doesn't get caught. This isn't the only dock on this island."
"He knows to be careful," Law said walking over to her. "We should get going."
"So we're finally going to put in an order for a submarine?" Lami scanned the island again. "And this place has a sub building place?"
"So we've heard," Bepo said. "One of the best sub builders is supposed to live on this island."
"What's his name?" Lami asked.
"I think its Ramsey," Bepo said.
"Let's go," Law said.
"Can't I go with the crew?" Lami asked as she followed her dad down the rope ladder.
"No, Lami," Law said. "The crew's going to be doing adult things. Things you're not allowed to do. Ever."
"Just say what you mean. The crew's going to get drunk then get laid," Lami said.
"Lami," Law said in his fatherly tone.
"What? Sex is a part of life," Lami said. "I'm not stupid."
"Fine. Some of them are going to seek some female companionship while others are getting some drinks," Law said.
Lami rolled her eyes. Law was trying his hardest to keep her from growing up.
"I'm coming with you," Bepo said.
"Yeah!" Lami grabbed onto Bepo's paw. "We can have some fun together while Daddy's talking boring business."
Bepo smiled and nodded.
"Don't get into trouble," Law said to the crew.
"We won't," they said. They all waved then went their separate ways.
Lami scanned her eyes around again as they walked through the ship yard. Some ships and some subs were already in the process of being built, most on the verge of being finished. The area was filled with the smell of fresh wood and nails. She continued to look around as Law started talking with a man. Before long they were being guided away from the area and into another where a large submarine was being constructed.
"Yo, Tako!" the man said. "You have visitors!"
"Just a minute," another voice said.
Lami looked to the half build sub. The man's voice was coming from somewhere in the steel skeleton. Before long a dirt and greased covered man with light blonde hair popped up. "Is that him? That's Ramsey?"
"Actually my name is Tako," he said descending down to them. "Ramsey was my godfather. He's not here at the moment. What can I do for you?"
"We need a sub built," Law said. "And money is no object. We're also looking for a mechanic to set sail with us."
"Pirates, huh?" Tako asked.
"How did you know?" Lami asked.
"Several members of my family has been pirates," Tako said. "They're easy to spot for me. My grandpa was one for a while until he discovered his real passion was building subs."
"Doesn't he build ships?" Lami asked.
"Yes, but he likes building subs better," Tako said. "He leaves the ship building to his business partner who's more gifted in ship building. He said the love of the sea just wasn't in his blood like others in our family."
"And what about you?" Lami asked.
"Lami, too many questions," Law said.
"I don't mind," Tako said. "I actually love the sea a lot."
"Then join our crew as the mechanic of our sub," Lami said.
"Lami," Law said with a groan.
Tako laughed. "You're quite the young lady. But sorry. I can't even if I wanted to. I have to stay here and help my grandfather run this place. So what can I do for you? Is there a specific type of sub you're interested in?"
Law handed over a piece of paper to Tako.
"Wow," Tako said running his eyes over the detailed drawing. "You put a lot of thought into this. Didn't you?"
"I'm a doctor," Law said. "I need the sub built to these exact specifications. Can you do it?"
"Of course I can," Tako said. "But it'll take a while."
"We have plenty of berries to pay to get the word done as soon as possible," Law said.
"Well, I'll have to talk this over with my grandpa but I don't think it'll be a problem," Tako said.
"We'll be around to keep track of the progress," Law said before leading Lami and Bepo out of the area.
"So what now?" Lami asked. "It's going to take several weeks for the sub to be done."
"We'll still sail around," Law said. "There's should be plenty of pirates in the area for us to steal from and wipe off the sea."
"So basically we're going to use this time to build up our reputation," Lami said.
"It's about time I get a bounty," Law said.
"Captain! Captain!" Penguin screamed as he and Shachi ran up to them.
"What is it?" Law asked.
"We have a problem! Ika has been caught by some marines!" Penguin said.
"What?!" Lami gasped.
"What happened?" Law asked.
"We're not completely sure, but we over heard some people talking," Shachi said. "They said some marines had captured a pirate without a bounty. And that this pirate was pulling pranks on them before one back fired. They were saying they should just kill him right then and there."
"We have to do something!" Lami said. She grabbed Law's wrist and tugged on his arm. "Daddy! We can't let them take him away!"
"We won't, Lami," Law said. "But we can't just go rushing in there without a plan. Since they know pirates are in the area I doubt they'll only leave with one of them in custody."
"So what do we do?" Lami asked.
"First, let's scope out the area where the marines are," Law said.
Penguin and Shachi nodded. The small group followed the two through the town. They cut into an area of trees and came to another dock on the island. Several pirates were standing around on the deck, with their guns at the ready.
"He's in there," Shachi said.
"Is this the only marine ship on the island?" Bepo asked.
"We think so," Penguin said. "We sent a couple crewmates to look around to be sure."
"Good." Law nodded. "We'll wait for them. Once we're sure of how many soldiers and ships there are we'll form a plan and take Ika back."
"I hate waiting," Lami said fidgeting.
"Ika will be fine," Law said.
Lami nodded despite her pounding heart.
"Let's get out of here before we're spotted," Law said.
Lami lingered. She watched the soldiers pace around before following after her family. They went back to the ship. Two hours passed before the rest of the crew finally showed up.
"Well?" Penguin asked.
"There are no other marine ships here," a crewmate said. "They're the only ones."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean more can't show up," Shachi said. "If we're going to do these we're going to have to strike then leave."
"But the sub," Lami said.
"We can and will come back for the sub," Law said. "Remember it's going to take a while before it's finished."
"You sure this is a risk we should take? The guy got himself into trouble," Fugu said.
"Shut up, you stupid blowfish!" Lami said. "You don't know anything!"
"Calm down, Lami," Penguin said. "Fugu doesn't know about Ika's past."
"What about it?" Fugu asked.
"Ika was abused when he was growing up!" Lami snapped. "He plays these pranks because they make him forget! He would have died by the hands of his dad if we didn't show up when we did!"
"Well, excuse me," Fugu said. "I didn't know that."
"If you would take time and get to know the crew you would have," Lami said.
"Enough, Lami," Law said. "Now's not the time for you two to be fighting."
"Whatever," Lami said. "Just get Ika back."
"We will. And I need you to be focused right now," Law said. "You're going to help get him back."
"What am I going to do?" Lami asked.
"I need you to be a distraction," Law said. "Pull as many marines away from the ship as you can. Penguin will be going with you."
"You got it, Captain," Penguin said.
"We need to move now," Law said. "The sun will be going down soon. We'll meet back at the ship." He pointed at two crewmates. "You two stay here and have the ship ready to leave."
"You got it, Captain." They nodded.
"Then let's go," Law said leaning the rest of his crew back onto the island. They worked their way back to the marine ship. He signaled for Lami and Penguin to move farther down the beach and start their distraction.
They nodded and moved away from the group.
"I hope they'll be okay," Lami said.
"They'll be fine," Penguin said. "You know the captain is great. This will definitely get him a bounty. Before long we'll be heading for the Grand Line."
"The Grand Line, huh?" Lami murmured.
"You ready?" Penguin asked.
"I am," Lami said.
"Here we go then." Penguin stepped out of the forest. "Hey! You stupid marines! I'm a pirate! Come catch me!"
"Get him!" a marine shouted. Ten of them ran toward Penguin. The pirate ran back into the forest.
Right on cue, Lami summoned her earth orb. Using a vine she lifted herself and Penguin up into the trees. They watched the marines until all ten of them were inside the forest. Then she wrapped vines around them, making sure to cover their mouths to they couldn't scream out. She then took their guns away from them. "Sorry, boys. I have to leave you hanging here for a while. Don't worry. You'll be free eventually."
The soldiers glared at them.
Lami lowered herself and Penguin back down to the ground. They took their positions again to keep an eye out for any more soldiers that might need to be tied up. She saw her dad warping himself and the crew into the navy ship. "Be careful, Daddy."
…
"Room. Shambles," Law said. The beach disappeared. It was replaced with the interior of the ship.
"Hey! Where did you come from?!" a marine demanded.
Bepo leaped towards three marines. He kicked them against the wall. He then searched their pockets and found the keys. "Got the cell keys."
"The brig will be a few floors down," Shachi said.
"Let's go," Law said and warped them again. They found themselves in the brig. The darker walls were a dead give away. And Ika was chained in one of the cells.
"Hey, I knew you'd come for me," Ika said with a smile. His lip was busted and bruises were dotted all over his skin.
"Geez. Did they have to beat you up like that?" Shachi asked.
"Guess they don't have much of a sense of humor," Ika said.
"What did you do to them?" Shachi asked while Bepo freed their friend.
"Nothing much. Just planted some tricks around the hotel room of the marine captain," Ika said. "I guess his girlfriend didn't care much for the whoopee cushion or the handcuffs."
"Dude, tell me you didn't," Shachi said.
Ika chuckled. The door busted open. Marines filed in.
"Hold it right there!" a marine said. He fired his gun.
The pirates scattered.
"Room!" Law sliced his sword through the air, cutting the guns in multiple pieces.
"Who are you?!" the marine asked. "How did you do this?!"
"Trafalgar Law. I ate the Op Op devil fruit," Law said before slicing the ship in half. The steel walls groaned. "You might want to get out of here. Shambles."
The pirates disappeared from the ship and landed on the beach.
…
"There they are!" Penguin said. "Let's go!"
Lami lowered them down to the ground, leaving the marines in the air. They ran off towards the rest of their crew and back to their ship. The ship was ready to go. They were warped on board by Law before taking off into the sea.
"There's an island we can hide on about ten minutes from here," Bepo said. "It has lots of caves we can store the ship in."
"Good," Law said. "That'll give us plenty of time to recover." He looked at Ika. "Let's get those injuries taken care of."
"Right," Ika said.
Lami took his arm and put it around her shoulders. She and Shachi walked him to the medical bay and helped him sit down on the exam table. Sitting up there with him she watched as Law cleaned and bandaged Ika's wounds. "You okay?"
"Of course I am, kiddo," Ika said. "Those marines were weak. They only got me because they jumped me. Stupid marines never play fair."
"Maybe you shouldn't do something like that again," Lami said. "Or at least not without me. You jerk."
"Sorry," Ika said.
"You had better be. Because I won't forgive you if you get caught again," Lami said.
"Don't worry, kid." Ika put his arm around her, pulling her to his side. "I won't get captured again."
"You better not." Lami wrapped her arms around him.
"So what now, Captain?" Ika asked.
"We stay near by," Law said putting up his tools. "We found a man who's going to build us a sub. So we're going to be working on building up our reputation in this area while we wait."
"I think after taking down the marines we're well on our way to doing just that," Ika said.
"Will I be getting a bounty too?" Lami asked.
"Not for a while," Law said.
"Daddy!" Lami whined.
"You're still too young," Law said. "You'll get your bounty when you're older. Right now you're going to remain as the distraction while needed and our sniper."
"So boring," Lami said.
"Deal with it." Law smiled. "But you can train more and get stronger."
"Fine," Lami said. "I'll train and become the best sniper and distraction pirate I can be."
"That's my girl." Law ruffled her hair.
…
The weeks passed. Shortly after they had taken down the navy ship Law had received his first bounty of 50,000,000. They ventured from the island they had been hiding in and managed to take down six pirate crews and two more navy ships.
"You think the sub's done now?" Lami asked. They were heading back to Tako's to check on the progress of the sub. "It's been months since that day."
"We'll know once we get there," Law said.
Lami watched as the island came closer and closer. Finally they reached the island. Descending down to the ground they headed over to the shipyard.
"Hey!" Tako waved to them as they approached. "You've arrived right on time! It's finished!"
"Yeah!" the crew cheered. They followed Tako to the bay where the yellow sub was waiting.
"Amazing!" Shachi whistled.
"That's it!" Penguin said. "That's our sub!"
"It's amazing," Ika said.
Law nodded.
"Let's go see!" Lami ran to the sub. She climbed up the built in ladder. The door was open so she ran right inside to the main floor. She came to a receiving room before passing through to find two catwalks, one on each side of the room. On the other side of the room were two sets of stairs and two ramps for when they needed to move crates in and out. She headed up to Floor Zero. That's where the medical bay was. She peaked in the rooms before heading down to check out the other floors. She passed the main floor and went to the second one. That's where the galley, some storage rooms, and her room and her dad's room were. The galley was large with multiple tables and plenty of counter space and a big fridge, able to fit plenty of their crew. She went down to the next floor. This was where the crew's quarters were located as well as a few more storage rooms. Then next floor was where the brig and the training room were put in. And the last floor was where the control room and engine room was.
"Wow!" Lami squealed with glee as she ran through the halls of the sub. "This place is amazing!"
"Glad you like it so much," Tako said appearing from the hall with a few other crewmates.
"You have to come with us! No one can take better care of the sub than you!" Lami said.
"Lami," Law said. "You shouldn't be so forward."
"She's got a point," Bepo said. "Tako did an amazing job with the sub."
"Think of sailing sounds like a dream," Tako said. "And listening to the reports on what you all have been doing makes my dream of becoming a pirate spark again."
"You want to be a pirate?" Bepo asked.
"Of course. Sailing is in my family's blood," Tako said.
"Does that mean you'll come with us?" Lami asked.
"I'd like to but I doubt your captain will let someone like me come," Tako said.
"You can if you want," Law said.
"But you don't know me," Tako said.
"I know enough. You never told anyone that pirates asked you to make this sub," Law said. "And you never mentioned we were there when we came to check on the progress."
"Are you serious?" Tako asked.
"Yes." Law nodded.
"Then I accepted." Tako shook Law's hand.
"Yeah! We got a new crewmate!" Lami cheered.
"And we're well on our way to the Grand Line," Bepo said.
"Let's get the ship cleared out," Law said. "And get settled in here. Tako do what you need to get ready to leave."
"You got it-Ah!" Tako head for the door but ended up falling onto his face.
"You okay?" Bepo asked.
"I'm fine," Tako. "I've always been a little bit clumsy."
"Great," Fugu said walking down the hall. "We've added a klutz to the crew. I hope you don't have a klutz moment when you're driving or fixing the sub."
"I never," Tako said. Then added thoughtfully, "That seems to be the only time when I'm not clumsy."
"Not making me feel better," Fugu said.
"Get over it, Blowfish," Lami said. "He's our pilot and engineer."
"Stop calling me that!" Fugu said.
"Ignore him," Lami said. "He's a jerk."
"And ignore her," Law said. "They fight all the time."
"Hey!" Lami protested.
Law just ruffled her hair and walked on.
"Looks like I fell into a colorful crew," Tako said.
"You have no idea." Lami smiled.
Finally! Got it done!
