"I don't like you" by BloodyMarryMe
This story is rated T for violence and suggestive themes. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own my OC Suzune Miyako.
Enjoy and have fun! :)
CHAPTER 47
"Aaargh, I can't take it anymore! When are we getting to the island?!" Josh suddenly stood up from the floor and ruffled his red hair, making his hat fall on the ground.
"Who knows...We should be happy at least the weather is on our side," Cody answered, throwing another card at a small heap in front of him and Shachi.
"You mean like yesterday when that rain of fire started falling. This New World is insane," Shachi added, throwing his own card on the pile with a happy 'Ha!' and collected the whole heap, putting it on his side.
Miyako's eyebrow twitched a little as she tried to concentrate on her book while lying on the bed.
"That was nothing...remember the day before that when we got attacked by those sea serpents? We couldn't even outrun them so we had to kill each and every one of them," Penguin said, turning yet another page of his rather questionable magazine. It said 'Ships' in big plain letters but on each ship photo, there was a pretty half-naked lady as if trying to use that tactic to attract buyers. Everyone knew Penguin had no intention of buying a ship nor was he interested in them particularly; he was a mechanic, not a shipwright.
Miyako's eyebrow twitched again. "That's all fine guys but…Why the hell are you all here in my room?!" The girl ended her question with an annoyed shout, sitting up on her bed and staring at her crew mates who have taken over her quarters.
Somewhere in the corner of an already crowded and small space, Bepo's snot-bubble burst and he mumbled a 'Sorry' before going back to his peaceful snoring. The group stared at him for a while with sweat-drops but then returned their attention back to the previous discussion.
"We can't help it, Miya-chan. We're bored!" Shachi answered, as if it was the most normal and logical argument for her question.
He shrugged and completely ignored Miyako's stare that bluntly asked one question; 'Why should I care?'
They had been sailing for a week now and there was no sign of any island yet. Only dangers leaped out in all shape and form, making everyone stay on their toes constantly. Lately, for some reason to Cody, Josh, Penguin, Shachi and sometimes even Bepo, that meant hanging out in Miyako's small room, ready to run to their original posts when needed. Usually they argued that she had privacy since their quarters were shared and always full of other scruffy guys, having no peace and quiet. But that only meant that now Miyako had no peace and quiet.
"What's wrong Miya-chan, you seem agitated lately?" Cody tilted his head as he looked from his card game and straight at the girl. He was always good at reading her.
"Ah! Could it be captain's not giving you any?!" Penguin exclaimed, sure that he hit right on the mark.
Whack!
Next thing they knew, the poor mechanic was lying on the floor, black and blue from Miyako's katana sheath. Shachi was crouching beside him, poking his friend to make sure he was still alive.
"You had that one coming," Josh noted in Penguin's direction though doubted the half-dead mechanic could even hear him.
Miyako's eyebrow was twitching again as she tried to ignore the ridiculous comments of her crewmates. They were her friends, but sometimes the girl just wanted to throw them overboard from the submarine's deck. Of course she doubted the captain would be pleased by it, but at least she would have those few seconds of satisfaction and peace before Law decided to strap her to the operating table for drowning half of his crew.
She was sure the next to come would be a question whether she was on her period, hence acting strange, but luckily it didn't arrive. Probably because they knew whoever dared to ask that would end up much like Penguin.
Still, little did they know that Penguin's remark wasn't far from the truth, which only made Miyako more upset. Ever since she proclaimed her challenge to Law, there had been a dance going on between those two, each of them refusing to back down. The girl remembered the scene when she headed back to her quarters after that talk they had. At that time she almost banged her head against the wall when all that embarrassment finally came loose out of her. She was keeping it in for so long in his quarters, but as soon as she was out of there the girl's brain turned into mush. However, she had to keep her mask on when she was alone with Law; not to show him anymore of her bashful side even though it was definitively there, only deeply hidden. Unfortunately for her, sailing for a week without a stop made the submarine seem even smaller than it was, as they constantly bumped into each other on the vessel. She felt as if she was trapped inside a small metal maze that were the sub's corridors, but every exit led straight to the captain. It was frustrating to say the least; trying to keep her mask on, while Law seemed determined to break it. He was teasing her even more lately but it was different than usual. After that talk, he didn't kiss her even once. Forget kissing, he barely even touched her. However, he always seemed unnervingly close. It always appeared like an accident; taking a book that was right behind her or passing by in the corridor while brushing his shoulder against hers. The girl's body would always stiffen reflexively, expecting...something. Yet nothing ever happened. Miyako soon realized that she found such a thing frustrating, and that fact only made her even more agitated. It was always simple, minor things, yet they had greater impact on her than the captain suddenly kissing her, which he often did before. Was she getting addicted to Law's touch and now that it was gone, she was actually craving it? Was this another one of her weaknesses? The man seemed fairly good at creating those in her and then exploiting them to the fullest. She was sure that he was doing all this on purpose but Miyako still didn't know exactly what game he was playing at. That fact thwarted her the most.
The girl sighed and sat back on the bed, suddenly feeling tired. "Truthfully, I also hope we'll come to the island soon." She couldn't stand being so close to Law all the time anymore. Wasn't she the one who told him; she would turn the tables on him? She was the one who started this game with him, so certain in her victory. The one who falls in love first is the loser; that's what they say, no? In that case she couldn't afford to lose.
Miyako bit her lip, still in thought. Now that she thought about it, she never really considered 'love' and being 'in love' with the captain. That word still sounded too foreign to her. Trafalgar and her simply…were. They had their own little thing going on and Miyako's didn't hate it; far from it, even though she would never admit it out loud to anybody. But talk about love or boyfriends never really crossed her mind. She cared for Law, certainly. And it was a different kind of 'care' than for the rest of her nakama. But for now, Miyako was satisfied with just that. Just defining this thing with Law as a relationship of some kind and admit she cared for him.
"-yako? Hello, Earth to Bakaonna?" The girl blinked a few times, slightly startled as Josh brought her back to reality, waving his hand in front of her face.
Miyako frowned. "What, Shorty?"
"We asked, why are you so agitated?" The redhead glared at her, but decided to ignore the nickname this time. Still, he gave her a suspicious look as if believing something was definitively wrong with her head. Even Joshua noticed she wasn't acting like her usual self.
Miyako scowled and looked away. "I'm not particularly agitated…" She trailed off in her mutter, definitively only succeeding in appearing even guiltier.
The guys looked at each other with slightly worried looks; even Penguin, who recovered from his near-death experience by now.
Suddenly Shachi stood up, a grin on his face. "Hey, I know! Let's do something to cheer you up!" His enthusiasm rubbed off on the others in the group and everyone grinned, looking at Miyako with hopeful eyes.
However, that only made Miyako suspicious. After all, every time these guys had an idea, it was nothing good. Somehow it always ended up with them getting into trouble, usually with the captain. "Um…guys, I appreciate the offer but-" She started, trying to avoid a certain catastrophe.
"Nonsense! It will make you feel better for sure!" Penguin stood up as well and grabbed her by one arm while Shachi already held the other. Before she could weasel herself out of their grip, they made sure to have a secure hold on her. The group grinned mischievously, only making Miyako tenser with suspicion.
Before she could sense their motives, they were already leading her down the halls. "What do you want to do?" She glanced between Shachi and Penguin warily. Cody was right behind her lightly pushing her while Josh led the way.
The Hearts looked at each other, those grins never leaving their expressions. "How about a dare game?" Penguin finally suggested; always the first one to come up with nasty ideas when boredom hits, which is more often than you'd think when you are in a submarine, unable to even step outside for some fresh air most of the time.
Miyako definitively didn't like it. "What kind of dare?" She asked carefully, the tone in her voice even more alert now. Before she could get an answer, they found themselves in front of the swinging galley doors that had two little round windows on each side.
Both mechanics looked at each other with those mischievous grins before answering in perfect unison. "Steal Munk's wooden spoon!" With just that, they shoved her into the galley.
The girl was pushed inside without even getting any time to protest. She sharply turned around with wide eyes and a frantic expression on her face that clearly stated she did not want to do this. However, in the little windows she could see the group's grinning faces. Shachi was gesturing to her and urging her to go on while Penguin gave her the thumbs up. Cody just shrugged his shoulders with an apologetic look and Josh was too short to even reach the round windows.
Miyako sighed tiredly when she realized the two mechanics at least had no intention to let her go back without doing this task. She turned around back to the closed off kitchen of the galley where happy humming was coming from. She gulped and looked at the room uneasily. Everyone knew what happened to those who pissed off Munk and Miyako had no intention of becoming one of them. Especially since she wanted to stay on his good side. But stealing Munk's large wooden spoon will definitively earn her a day in hell from the head chef if he finds out. He carried that spoon everywhere and nobody was allowed to touch it except him. The unlucky ones would often taste its hard wooden surface, combined with Munk's strength. Definitively not something you'd want to experience. Miyako turned around to her friends one more time with a pleading look but received no mercy, only stupid grins that prompted her on.
The girl looked back at the kitchen and sighed. There was only one thing she could do in this situation; not get caught. That was the only way to complete this task and not get in trouble.
She unfastened the katana from her waist and leaned it against the wall carefully. The girl started sneaking ahead as quietly as she could, using all her stealth skills for this task. The humming sound in the kitchen grew louder as she came closer, now combined with the noise of boiling water and chopping sounds. Great…he also had a knife in his hand; a perfect thing he could throw at her while she ran for her life out of the galley. Miyako wondered how it became like this; all she wanted was to relax in her room with a good book and away from a certain pirate doctor. Instead, she was in the galley, risking her life by possibly antagonizing a large chef pirate who showed no mercy when somebody was messing with his kitchen.
The girl got on her hands and knees as she looked towards the open doors of the kitchen. She had to pass the doors and then the serving counter that had a large window, which led into the kitchen, where the chefs usually left the food servings for hungry crewmembers at meal time.
The girl crawled on the floor to the doors, peeking to see Munk's broad back as he worked in the kitchen. It was past lunchtime so nobody worked here now but Munk always had something to do here. The head chef never rested as he tried out new recipes hoping for even more nutritious meals for the crew. He must've been working on the new one as he occasionally stirred his stew that was slowly bubbling on the fire in a large pot. The girl's sharp eye immediately noticed he was stirring with his big spoon that he would then put aside on a nearby plate. The chef would then turn around and proceed cutting some vegetables to put inside. Miyako recognized that was her moment to act. If she could only reach through the serving window and grab the spoon while Munk's back was turned around. However, if she got caught while doing so, consequences will sure be dire. The girl promised retribution to the two mechanics for making her do this. Her eyes narrowed at the simple thought of those two as their satisfied expressions kept grinning in front of her eyes.
Putting the two twats at the back of her mind, Miyako concentrated on the task at hand. She peered at the large pirate again from her spot on the floor and waited until he was turned around to quickly crawl on her hands and knees passed the open doors and right under the serving counter, below the kitchen window. She sat down and took a deep breath, finding courage to slowly rise on her knees and peek upwards, right in time to see the chef turn towards her. Her eyes widened and she quickly lowered down, waiting for a while as she heard his steps around the kitchen along with the humming song where he would mumble a word or two every now and then.
After a while, Miyako once again dared to raise her head and peek, seeing that Munk had turned his back to her again. She locked her gaze on the wooden spoon laid there on the counter; so close yet so dangerously far away. The girl licked her dry lips, gulped and stood up to climb over the serving counter and reach for the spoon. A bead of sweat appeared above her brow; if Munk turns around now she was dead meat. The samurai could hear her own heart pounding in her chest and all the way to her ears as she stealthily tried to reach for the serving spoon.
Her golden eyes brightened as a relieved smile appeared on her face the moment her fingertips touched the item. Grabbing it hurriedly, the girl jumped down and hid against the counter once again. She crawled as quickly as she could until she finally found herself against the wall where she started this whole operation.
"Huh?" Munk turned around looking for his big spoon but without any luck. The chef scratched his head with a frown. "I be sure I port 't here … Am I gettin' old?" The pirate looked around, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.
Miyako grimaced at Munk's voice and quickly stood up, taking her katana in the process and sneaking on her tiptoes to the entrance of the galley where the rest of the group still waited for her.
As she came out to the hall, hands behind her back, the men looked at her expectantly, trying to guess her final result. Her expression turned into a proud grin ad she removed one hand from behind her back and showed everybody her little prize.
The guys laughed in excitement. "Well done, Miya-chan! Don't you feel better already?" Penguin grabbed her and put a hand around her while Shachi rested his elbow on her other shoulder.
Miyako chuckled devilishly. *Oh, I'll feel even better soon.* There was no way Miyako was leaving without giving the mechanics some form of payback for her troubles. She smirked and looked at the pair, still sporting that mischievous gleam in her bright eyes. "I do. So I'd like to thank you two for that."
The two mechanics first looked at her in wonder but then grinned widely, a bit of saliva in the corner of their mouths. Their cheeks turned slightly red as they expected a big reward from the smiling girl. However, instead of getting a 'thank you' kiss as the mechanics expected, the girl shoved the piece of wooden cutlery in their faces.
"So I'll give you a task that will make you feel exactly as I did," the girl finished, her expression suddenly turning less sweet and more vile. "I took this spoon from Munk without him noticing; now it's your turn to bring it back," she sang in a cheerful tone.
Josh chuckled beside her. "That old chef will really think he's going crazy; first his spoon mysteriously disappears and then it mysteriously comes back." The redhead liked that idea and he liked the devilish look on Miyako's face even more, as soon as he realized what she was planning.
The two mechanics lost their grins as they fell down into nervous frowns. Sweat started forming on their foreheads.
"o-oh, that won't be necessary, I mean…we're fine with just this so…" Shachi started, slowly moving passed the group, ready to run away.
"Y-yeah, we're fine to end the game here for today," Penguin added, right next to Shachi as he too tried to escape.
However, arms around their shoulders stopped them as Miyako appeared behind them, putting each hand around their neck. Meanwhile Cody and Josh appeared before them, blocking their route of escape, both medics grinning evilly.
The girl chuckled quietly and both mechanics could swear she looked like a cunning fox. "Now, now, boys. It would be such a pity…after all; you gave me such a fun time." There was still a light tone in her voice, amused by their nervous appearance.
"B-but if Munk sees us, he'll kill us! We'd end up much worse than if it was you." Penguin begun in a pleading voice.
"Yeah. Have mercy on us Miya-chan." Shachi added.
The girl only raised an eyebrow with a face that said she wasn't impressed at all. "No." The blunt and simple word pierced right through the mechanics' hearts.
*Heartless…* All men thought at the same with a sweat-drop, looking at the girl.
"Miya-chan is as bad as captain. Completely heartless!" Penguin finally announced with a teary voice and Shachi only gave him a warning to shut up by elbowing him hard in the ribs.
However, the girl didn't get angry, but instead just smiled even sweeter at them. Unfortunately for the mechanics, everyone on the sub already knew what that look meant. "Why thank you very much." She took the large spoon and stuffed it in Penguin's jumpsuit collar, patting the bulged fabric there. "Good luck," the girl sang in a cheerful voice.
Next thing they knew, both mechanics were shoved harshly through the swinging doors and fell face-first on the galley floor.
Cody and Josh chuckled at the display while Miyako still kept that foxy expression on her face. A few minutes passed before loud noises and shouts came out of the galley.
"So it be ya' rascals!" Munk's deep voice boomed all the way to Miyako and the medics.
"Ouch!" Shachi's voice exclaimed before more clattering was heard.
Footsteps followed and the doors swung open with force, both mechanics struggling to exit at the same time, getting stuck for a while before Penguin fell on the floor and Shachi right on top of him. Through the still open doors, a pot flew out and Miyako ducked quickly to avoid it hitting her right in the head.
"Cam'er ya two!" Munk's voice boomed again as heavy footsteps echoed towards the hall.
"Run!" Both mechanics scrambled up and ran away as if their asses were on fire. Miyako laughed at their backs, staring at the scene, but then remembered it would be better for her to get lost before she ends up just like them. The three remaining pirates cut and ran down the hallways, laughing all the way.
~…..~
"Hahahaha!" Both Miyako and Josh laughed until their stomachs were sore, once in their life agreeing on something; that that was probably one of the funniest scenes they ever saw.
"Cut it out you guys!" Penguin yelled, red in the face due to anger and embarrassment. Shachi was right there beside him, cradling his hurt head as he got a pretty big bump due to Munk's wooden spoon. They were all back in Miyako's room after they successfully escaped from the enraged chef.
"Guys, what happed while I was asleep?" The bear tilted his head, looking at his friends suspiciously. They just rushed back in; most of them laughing like idiots, while Shachi and Penguin fumed in anger.
Miyako finally managed to calm down, falling back on her soft bed. Her chiming laugh turned into a series of chuckles before she was finally able to pull herself together, wiping small tears from her eyes. "You should have seen your faces when you burst back through those doors."
Cody chuckled, remembering the scene of the two mechanics struggling to exit the galley at the same time, which only resulted in them both getting stuck. "You only have yourselves to blame this time, guys." He shrugged not really feeling any pity for the two troublemaking mechanics. They wanted to mess with Miyako and it bit them right back in their asses. Quite literally since Shachi's ass was still sore from the thrown metal pot that hit him there.
"Guuuys, what's going on!?" Bepo continued to whine, not liking that he was excluded from this.
"Nothing Bepo, it's just Shachi and Penguin being idiots," Josh answered, shaking his head and flopping on the bed beside Miyako.
"Oh. So the usual then." The bear answered bluntly in a completely even tone as if it was nothing surprising.
"You shut up Bepo!" Penguin shouted, glaring at the bear under his hat.
Shachi only sighed, feeling disparaged all of a sudden. "How low have we fallen if even Bepo thinks we're idiots."
"Sorry." As always, the bear only bowed his head with a sudden somber look on his face.
"How come my head mechanics can always be found anywhere but in the engine room?" The new voice startled almost everyone in the room, making them jump a little. The pirates looked towards the doors, seeing their captain leaning against the door-frame with a wide smirk on his face. He always enjoyed surprising them like this. The only ones who weren't shocked were Bepo and Miyako. Bepo due to his sharp nose that could recognize his captain's scent anywhere, while Miyako's Kenbunshoku haki allowed her to feel Law's presence even before he entered the room.
"Captain!" The bear exclaimed happily, completely forgetting about his depressed mood from just a second ago.
Miyako only turned her gaze towards Law silently, with an unreadable expression on her face.
"Captain, don't sneak up on us like that!" The redhead complained though no matter how many times he already said this, Law never listened even once. As always, the captain just smirked, amused by his crew's startled faces.
"But captain Law, we're all done with maintenance. We don't have any work now." Penguin answered Law's question with a shrug.
All the others in the room did a mental facepalm unanimously, looking at Penguin.
Shachi turned to his friend mechanic with mixture of anger and bewilderment on his face. "You're really on a roll today, aren't you!?" The question was obviously rhetorical but Penguin still gave Shachi a questioning look indicating he didn't know what the other was talking about. Only when Law answered did it become clear to even him.
"Oh, you don't have work?" Law mockingly made a surprised face. "Well we wouldn't want you feeling bored, so why don't you two make full maintenance of the boiler room as well." The captain finished with a wide smirk once more, an evil gleam in his amused grey eyes.
Shachi sighed tiredly, already knowing this was coming while Penguin just watched in disbelief, his jaw slack, as he finally realized he should've kept his mouth shut. Finally, he sighed as well, leaning forward as if there was a weight on his shoulders. "Captain is merciless too…just like Miya-chan…" The mechanic mumbled in a whiny voice, earning an annoyed look from Miyako and a questioning raised eyebrow from Law. If Law asks and Penguin blurts out about what they were doing just moments before, they'll all be in serious trouble and the mechanics' work won't end with the boiler room either. Everyone silently prayed for Law not to ask about it, but somehow they didn't feel so lucky.
On their surprise, a small den den mushi sounded itself from Law's pocket. In a lazy movement, Law pulled it out and answered. "Yes?"
Sai's voice emitted from the snail contraption. "Captain, we've got company above us." It was enough to indicate that there was a ship coming towards the submarine that was still slowly sailing underwater.
Law put the now silent den den mushi back into the pocket of his trousers and kept silent for a while, as if in thought. Then he turned around, adjusting the heavy nodachi on his shoulder and headed towards the control room. "Bepo." Before walking off, he called for his first mate, who was right beside him in a flash with a simple 'Aye, captain!'
The others waited for Law to leave, still tense, and only relaxed when he was out of sight. Everyone sighed collectively and mumbled the same word. "Saved…."
~…..~
Law put his crew's strange behavior to the back of his mind for a moment and instead focused on more important things. He walked into the control room, Bepo at his heels, and headed right towards the control panel where his navigators awaited him.
"What's going on?" Before Law could ask the same, Bepo inquired.
Sai, however, turned to his captain. "There's a pirate ship 140 meters in front of us at North-North-West." The navigator answered, looking at the moving numbers on his radar.
"It has two jolly rogers, captain. And one of them belongs to the Pirate Emperor Kaido," Jean Bart added, still looking through the periscope.
Now, when Law heard it was a pirate ship heading their way he neither expected much nor did it hold a lot of interest for him. But as soon as that certain name was mentioned, Trafalgar turned into all ears. *Why, luck must be on my side today.* The captain couldn't help but grin excitedly with an evil expression on his face. Of all the ships, the first one they encounter in the New World is the ship of the Pirate Emperor Doflamingo was having a deal with. The timing couldn't be more perfect as Law needed more information on Kaido's and Joker's arrangement anyway.
"What about the other flag?" Law asked, interested in who those pirates were exactly. They were obviously sailing under Kaido but the main question was; how much could they tell him about their boss' work with Doflamingo? How much did they know?
"Hmm, I don't recognize it." Jean Bart admitted, squinting his eyes as if that would help him remember the Jolly Roger that fluttered on the black flag in the wind.
Law closed the distance to the periscope in a few long strides, replacing Jean Bart's spot as he too looked into the object. He saw a large ship, at least three times bigger than their submarine, sailing slowly on the calm sea. There was a smaller flag that undoubtedly belonged to Kaido's jolly roger and also a bigger one which had an animal's skull on it, probably a tiger's, Law guessed by the looks of it.
"A tiger's skull…" Law mumbled trying to remember where he saw that jolly roger before. It was definitively familiar.
"A tiger's skull? Does it have a scar on its left eye?" Sai called out, hearing Law's musings.
The captain looked back at Sai with interest before checking into the periscope again. "Yes, it does." He turned back to his navigator, expecting an answer. Sai obviously knew who these pirates were.
Without even needing to hear the question, Sai explained. "The one eyed lynx pirates. I remember seeing their captain's wanted poster in the newspapers; Jonna 'Silver Tooth' Craggs. He has a bounty of 180, 000, 000 Beli." The navigator looked at his captain a little wearily, as if trying to silently warn Law from doing anything rash. Jonna was obviously not just any pirate since he sailed under one of the Pirate Emperors and had quite a hefty amount on his head.
Law thought for a while, but then grinned, surprisingly pleased with this information.
Bepo recognized that look before Law even had a chance to say anything. The doctor had nothing good planned and it was obvious what his intentions were. However, that only caused more worry for the Bear. "Wait captain, you're not really thinking about raiding them, are you?!"He knew that question was futile even before asking it, since the bear already knew the answer to it.
Law ignored the polar bear and turned to the navigator instead, the smirk never leaving his face. "Sai-ya, tell everyone to get ready."
"Captain!" Bepo exclaimed with tears in his eyes and an equally teary voice. He grabbed his fuzzy head before clasping his pawed hands together. "Please, captain, we just got to the New World, we shouldn't antagonize one of the Pirate Emperors already!"
"Don't worry about it, Bepo." Law didn't seem worried at all as he kept his confident smirk steadily on his face. That expression clearly said Law didn't plan to just bust in without a plan; that wasn't his style. No, this expression clearly stated the captain already had a plan. Besides, having a submarine gave them certain advantages; only a fool wouldn't make use of those advantages. And Law was no fool.
"Even if you say that..:" The bear couldn't be so easily convinced but he stopped trying to persuade Law to give this one up, already knowing his captain for too long and too well. When Law wants something, he'll take it; it's as simple as that. Right now, Law had a goal of defeating these pirates and nobody could get in his way.
Sai hung up the den den mushi after finishing the announcement to the crew, warning them to prepare for emerging and battle.
"So what do we do captain?" Jean Bart awaited his captain's orders in silence. The man's face was an unreadable mask that showed nothing of what the large navigator thought of it all.
Jean Bart-ya, dive deep and pass beneath the ship. We'll emerge from behind, away from their cannons." The captain announced with a smirk.
"Aye, captain." The navigators exclaimed, Sai smirking as he already knew what his captain was thinking. Taking them by surprise by coming from behind, then destroying their mast and ruder, leaving them no chance to escape. The navigator already knew how his captain worked and he knew the plan would go something along those lines. And after that, there was nothing else to do but a full-out battle with the lynx pirates.
~…..~
"Captain!" The first mate of the One-eyed Lynx pirates called out to his captain as something started emerging from the sea behind their ship.
"Is it a sea monster?" Another pirate questioned as they saw a shadow of something rising from the water.
Everyone prepared for the worst. This was the New World after all, a place where anything might happen, and that anything was usually deadly and dangerous. The pirates pulled out their weapons even without their captain ordering them to, however, everyone still got startled when they finally realized what the object before them actually was.
"A ship?" The first mate exclaimed with a perplexed expression.
"A submarine." Jonna 'Silver Tooth' Craggs muttered, surprised as the rest of them but hiding it better.
The vessel appeared in all its yellow glory, the Jolly Roger grinning at the Lynx pirates as if mocking them. The submarine was much smaller than Jonna's ship, to the point where its deck didn't even reach that of the One-Eyed Lynx pirates.
Jonna narrowed his one good eye and stepped closer to the wooden railing of the stern, eyeing the metal vessel suspiciously. Suddenly, the doors of the submarine opened and a man stepped out. He was shorter than Jonna and his lean body was no comparison to the other man's large and toned one. The one-eyed captain was at least two heads taller than this runt. The next two things Jonna instantly noticed were the fuzzy hat on top of the man's head and a large sword that was almost as long as the man was tall.
"Who are ya, ya scurvy dog!?" The first mate yelled out at the man in a fuzzy hat, forgetting his place for a moment. Soon he was reminded when Jonna gave him a glare accompanied with a warning growl. The captain didn't like to be interrupted.
However, the man in a fuzzy hat didn't answer. Instead, he grinned widely, showing a nasty look on his face as if he was preparing to do something delightfully evil and amusing at the same time. "Room," was all the young pirate said, a blue sphere suddenly enveloping both the submarine and the ship with everyone in it.
The startled Lynx pirates took a few steps back as if trying to escape this bluish circle, but with no avail; it completely surrounded them all.
The captain of the large ship widened his one yellow eye as he saw the mysterious man unsheathe his large sword. But what could he do? He was still standing on the deck of the submarine, too far away for even his long nodachi's reach. Still, Jonna had a bad feeling about this and didn't intend to risk it. Suddenly, his eye narrowed as he remembered that tanned face along with the fuzzy hat. "Surgeon of Death…One of the 11 rookies of the Worst Generation, aren't ya?" The captain mumbled quietly, staring at the other captain. However, an alarm quickly sounded off in his head as he remembered that this pirate, Trafalgar Law, was a devil fruit user. "Everyone, to arms!" The large captain called out loud enough for his whole crew on the ship to hear. The said crew didn't waste a single moment as they all prepared their weapons; from pistols and rifles to swords and axes.
However, Law only smirked as he swung his nodachi, still far out of reach. And yet, only a second later, Jonna's ship started creaking and moaning ominously.
"The mast!" Someone from the crew yelled, as their mast fell down, taking a few pirates with it, crushing them in an instant. The large pole crashed down from the ship's deck all the way to the submarine's where it made a bridge between the two vessels.
Not only that, but another crack was heard and Jonna watched as his ship's ruder along with a piece of the stern broke off and fell into the sea with a large splash. Shouts of surprise and displeasure filled the air as his crew realized they were completely immobilized, unable to sail.
Meanwhile, the doors of the small submarine slammed open and pirates wearing white jumpsuits ran out, one after the other, filling their deck. Every one of them had an excited gleam in their eyes and a grin on their face as if they couldn't wait to get started with whatever they were planning. Getting some action was long overdue. By now, it was already painfully obvious what the Heart Pirates had in mind.
The captain strode closer to the railing, growling at Law and his crew. "You are a fool, Trafalgar Law!"
The other captain just looked at the larger man with an unfazed expression. He looked almost bored as if he was already expecting for Jonna to say something along those lines. In the same bored and laid-back manner, Law gave his orders. "Give them no quarter men. But leave the captain to me."
With that the Heart pirates cheered and rushed across the mast, invading the other ship's deck. Law stayed behind for a while, watching the scene, his bored look suddenly replaced by a grin that slowly spread across his face. Indeed, some workout and fun was long overdue.
~…..~
In a flash Law appeared on the pirate ship, mowing down opponents in the process. A few others shot at him, trying to fight his long-rage abilities with their own long-range weapons. The captain noticed Miyako just slashed her opponent near them, his blood splattering everywhere. In the same second, Law twitched his finger and called out a simple world. "Shambles." In that instant, the blood drops that were about to spray some of Jonna's men were replaced by bullets previously flying towards Law, hitting the enemy pirates, while a few blood stains splattered near Law's feet. The captain grinned at his opponent's stunned expressions. Not waiting for them to recover from their shock, Law swung his nodachi, splitting the pirates in a few pieces. He raised his hand once more and shifted it to the side, the pirates' body parts following his movements. They were attached to other parts and formed a gruesome sight of unrecognizable lumps of flesh, still groaning in pain and startled yelps. With a sharp movement of his wrist, Law sent those forms flying right into some of his other enemies, sweeping them away until everyone fell overboard and into the sea. Most of those pirates would experience a painful death of drowning, unable to move in their new forms the doctor gave them. However, that thought only made Law more motivated to continue his ruthless assault.
The Dark Doctor stopped as he heard a loud animalistic growl and turned towards the sound to see none other than captain Jonna himself, standing near the helm of the ship. The already large man grew even larger, his back twisting and hunching a little, the shirt ripped apart as his body slowly started to transform. Deadly claws and sharp canines appeared on his pawed hand and in the yellow snout. The man turned into a beast, a huge tiger humanoid, rising up on his two feet and towering over some of the Heart Pirates. Bepo and a few others attacked him, but the captain was swift and had animalistic senses and reflexes, dodging Bepo's kick and blocking Shachi's and Sam's fists with his much larger hand, then blasting them across the ship. Ben came from behind him but the captain swiftly made a turn, avoiding a kick to his spine, and entangled his tiger tail around Ben's ankle, swirling him and sending the pirate flying into the railing. Jonna had no problem fighting a few of Law's men at once; truly a man worth 180, 000 000 Beli. However, Trafalgar only grinned at that thought. *Good. We'll have some fun then.* The Surgeon of Death clutched his nodachi and stepped forward, walking carelessly towards his prey.
~…~
Miyako blocked one heavy sabre, seeing her own reflection in the gleaming metal sword so close to her face. She ducked as the other came from her side and spun around while pushing away the sword and its wielder away from her, stepping backwards to gain more room. She looked at the opponent in front of her; a scrawny fellow but fast, wielding two sabers at once. The man wasted no time as he jumped towards her, closing the distance between them, and attacked again. Miyako blocked both sabers with her katana, stepping back and using that leg as support while her opponent used all his strength and weight to try and push her down. She gritted her teeth as she tried to endure the strong force pushing her towards the floor but then an idea crossed Miyako's mind and the girl smirked.
"Why go against the wind when you can simply flow along with it." Her master's words echoed in her mind.
Suddenly, she moved aside, letting the man stumble forward by the loss of support. She used that second of weakness to spin around and cut at the man's neck with one swift movement before passing him by. His head flew in the air and rolled onto the already bloody deck, while his body stayed standing for a few seconds before it toppled to the ground.
Not giving her any time to rest, another, much bigger pirate attacked her with a broad axe. She quickly dodged his weapon by ducking and stepping forward, before cutting at the man's side. The sharp steal of her katana cut through his flesh like butter, sliding easily in and then out of the pirate. His whole side came open, a few organs spilling out as the man fell on the ground with one last cackle.
A few more pirates ran towards her ready to attack, but Miyako seemed to disappear in a flash and reappeared in a crouch behind the five men. The next moment, blood spurted out of them as cuts appeared on each of the pirates, either on their sides or necks.
The girl swiftly jumped high in the air to avoid a mast that Jean Bart ripped out of the ship's deck and swung with it, sweeping a dozen opponents of the deck in the process.
"Oy, Jean Bart, watch it! You almost swept me with them!" Josh yelled in anger, reprimanding the older pirate before dodging one opponents and hitting him in the back of the neck with a chopping attack, sending the man to unconsciousness.
"My apologies." The navigator called back in a simple apology before turning around to effortlessly blast away a few more pirates with his one large hand.
"Tch…you don't sound sorry at all…" Josh mumbled, noticing that Jean Bart didn't waste much attention on him, since he was busy crushing a few pirates with part of the ship's railing that he effortlessly ripped out with his bare hands.
On her other side, Sai blocked a sword with his sturdy rifle before twirling it and hitting the man in the face with the butt of it. He then twirled the rifle back in position and only needed one second to position himself and aim before firing at one of the pirates who were about to sneak up on Shachi. The shot got the pirate right in the middle of his eyes, sending his head backwards where his body soon followed.
As much as the Heart Pirates argued or fought among themselves, when it was time for battle, all of them worked in perfect unity with flawless teamwork.
"Shoot her down!" A pirate yelled, signaling to five pirates with rifles who were aiming at the samurai girl and it brought Miyako's attention back to her own enemies. The girl narrowed her eyes but rushed forward, right towards the pointed guns. The air shifted as Miyako's haki blasted out, just as the pirates shot their guns. To the slower eye it seemed like all of the bullets simply missed without even grazing the girl, but it was Miyako's haki that told her the exact path of the bullets, making the girl dodge them in lightning speed before they could even get to their target. The samurai jumped in the air, landing right in the middle of the group, twirling around with a sword and cutting their guns first. One managed to reload an aimed the rifle at Miyako but as much as he tried pulling the trigger nothing happened. Confused, the man looked down and his eyes widened in shock and surprise, seeing his hand was gone from the trigger, lying on the floor in a small puddle of blood. Everything happened so fast, the pirate didn't even have a chance to feel a thing. Looking back up, the man found himself eye to eye with the Golden-eyed Miyako of the Heart Pirates and her bloodied katana, Yawarakai-Te. He opened his mouth to say something, perhaps to beg for mercy, but never had a chance to as the katana pierced his throat and pulled out, letting the man bleed to death as he choked on his own blood.
The girl straightened up again and swung her katana downwards, making the blood splatter from it and onto the floor and the corpses around her. She turned it a little, making the gleaming metal shine on the afternoon sun ominously while her eyes burned with the color of gold, really seeming as if on fire while the sunlight gave them an even brighter glow.
~…..~
Jonna raised his heavy paw in the air, the long claws glistening on the light. He was just about to bring it down on a barely conscious Kai when a long nodachi stopped him, blocking his attack. The tiger man growled and looked to the side to see Law next to him, clutching the sword with both hands. With a round kick aimed for Jonna's ribs, the Hearts' captain sent the bigger man flying. Jonna crashed through the cabin's doors and fell down the stairs into the inside of his ship.
Not wasting any time, Law jumped down the cracked stairs and saw a heap of wood entangled with Jonna's body. The tiger suddenly busted out of it with a loud angry roar, sending splinters of wood everywhere. In one fluid motion the animal man rushed at Law and tackled the smaller body, pushing the other captain into the wooden wall and creating a smaller crater in the process.
Law felt the air escape his lungs with the painful contact of his back against the wall. Another, sharper pain, soon hit him as the tiger sank his claws into Law's shoulders, holding him in place. The beast-man opened his large snout, showing rows of sharp long teeth. Saliva dripped down from them and Law could sense the hot breath on his face as Jonna prepared to sink those teeth right into his neck.
The Dark Doctor grimaced, struggling to break free from the tiger's grip but Jonna wasn't a giant beast only for show; he had the strength of one as well. Getting away from the tiger while being held against the wall with the humanoid animal's claws ripping into your skin, proved much more complicated than Law imagined. Just as Silver Tooth's teeth, glistening with saliva and giving Law a pretty good idea where the pirate got that nickname, were about to tore into his flesh, Law used his fingers to slightly change his odds. Luckily, his operating room was still there, giving him powers to turn the tables around.
"Shambles." Just as the tiger man was about to bite into Law, the younger captain disappeared and instead Jonna's teeth bit into hard wood, reducing it to pieces with his mighty jaw.
That same second, Law appeared behind Jonna and took his fallen nodachi from the floor. Law swung his sword, a bit awkwardly due to the small space that limited both their movements. However, the tigerman swiftly jumped forward, the slash missing beneath the captain while both of Jonna's arms reached for Law, flying towards him with claws ready. Trafalgar jumped to the side against the wall and dodged the other captain who landed on the ground but had to jump backwards into a closed room to dodge another of Law's attacks.
Trafalgar scowled in annoyance as Jonna Craggs appeared a more fitting opponent than the Surgeon of Death expected. His zoan devil fruit powers gave him all the agility, instincts and strength of a real tiger. Still, Law had no intention of losing. The sole reason he attacked their ship was to find out more about Kaido and he was not leaving without at least some information.
Law rushed in the room, jumping over the broken doors and faintly noticed it was the captain's quarters. How fitting. The Dark Doctor smirked, but his amusement didn't last long as a long tail sprung towards him, trying to wrap itself around Law's neck. The captain instantly noticed that was only to get his attention and lose the focus of the real danger, Jonna clawing at him from the side. So instead, Law ducked and avoided the clawed hand coming from the side and the tail going for his neck. Before Jonna could move his tail down to hit him and send him to the floor, Law moved forward, still in a crouch, and swung with his nodachi. The sword cut both of Jonna's legs in one move and Law stood up when he passed the other pirate, standing behind Jonna now. Seeing as they were still in the doctor's Room, instead of blood gushing out, the legs simply split away little below the knees and fell on the floor while the tiger man crashed into the ground.
Just because there wasn't blood, didn't mean Jonna didn't feel pain from getting his legs cut off. Quite the contrary. The large man screamed in pain and the lack of concentration made him transform back into a human. The man propped himself on his elbows and tried to stand up but a tip of a sword was pointed right into his face, making him stop instantly. Jonna glared up at the smirking man before him. "What do you want, you bastard?" The captain spat out through his gritted teeth.
The question only made Law's grin widen. "Information." He ignored the puzzled expression on the other's face. "I want you to tell me about Kaido and more importantly, his deal with Doflamingo…or do you call him Joker?" Law's eye caught a slight change in Jonna's expression when he heard Doflamingo's underworld name. Craggs' good eye widened in the slightest, but it was enough for Law to notice the man knew at least something. "So you do know something." Law stated calmly, noticing Jonna's surprise at his statement. The other didn't notice he gave himself away with his little reaction, but nothing escaped Law's acute eye.
However, the larger captain decided to do things the hard way. The man glared at Law with a disgusted look and spat in front of the younger man's feet. "I ain't telling you nothin'!"
The doctor decided to ignore the double negative of Jonna's statement, which made his sentence completely irrational, and instead gave his opponent a wide grin. A wide, sadistic, excited grin. "To be honest, I was hoping you'd say that." His expression was enough to send shivers down even Craggs' spine and suddenly Silver Tooth looked more worried than before.
One of the benefits of Law's powers were that no matter what you do to your victims, they don't die. No matter how many times you slice them, they never bleed out. Yet, they feel the pain of every cut just like any other human would. That made his abilities a perfect torturing tool; something Law often used to his benefit.
The Lynx captain groaned in pain through gritted teeth, desperately trying to hide his agony from Law, as his hand bent in an unnatural way and broke in the elbow.
"Tact" The Surgeon of Death moved his finger again, making Jonna's kneecap burst out of the man's leg. The bone tore through the flesh and stuck out of the leg like a pinnacle. Even Craggs couldn't suppress the scream of pain that followed from his dry throat.
"Y-you…sick…bastard…" Silver Tooth glared daggers at Law, panting and weak from all the hurt.
However, the other captain stayed unfazed by Jonna's words. He looked bored as he raised his hand again and Craggs' forearm split open by its length, showing him a clear view of nerves, veins and the bone inside. Jonna screamed again, completely bewildered as he watched his own bone move and break in the middle, sticking out just like his kneecap earlier. Yet it perfectly avoided cutting any veins in the process so he wouldn't bleed out. Law was good at this; skillful as an expert, though Jonna couldn't tell was it from Trafalgar's experience being a surgeon or torturing people. Probably both. "That's not what I want to hear." Law sighed, his patience growing thin by the passing minute. "What I want to hear is what is Kaido planning and how much do you know of Joker's hand in it." Finishing his question, Law moved his nodachi in a slash and Jonna's arm spilt in length; from palm to shoulder. The captain screamed again.
"I...I don't know much…Please…" Jonna panted and lifted his still whole other hand as if that would protect him from the sadistic surgeon.
Trafalgar smirked. "I don't need you to beg, I need you to tell me what you do know." Just in case Jonna didn't get the message, Law made it more clear by cutting off Jonna's hand that was raised in the air.
With another grunt and a lot of panting, Jonna fell on his back. He could see his own legs lying there on the floor in front of him. The sight was bizarre and terrifying at the same time, which made the captain gulp painfully. "Kaido is…building a zoan army…He wants to overtake the power of the Emperors now that Whitebeard is gone. H-he wants…to rise to the top while everyone is still recovering from the War of the Best. Everything grew silent…and Blackbeard is a force on the rise…Kaido wants to turn it all in his favor with manpower. It's…only a matter of time before…Teach shows up again and tries to take all the power for himself."
Law narrowed his eyes. "Kaido thinks Blackbeard will try to kill the rest of the Emperors as well." Whether that was really Teach's intention, Law could only guess. But it wasn't odd that Kaido thought that way. So instead, the Emperor wanted to forestall everyone else, and become a much greater power than all of them. He could rise to the top and protect himself with one go; but he needed an army of zoan users for that. Law read the data of Vegapunk's research; the scientist wasn't able to find a way to make logia or paramecia devil fruits yet, but somehow the zoan type fitted Kaido of the Beasts perfectly. "So? How big is Kaido's amry now?"
"A-around 300 zoan users and rising…But there are regular pirates too." Jonna gulped, shifting uncomfortably. He noticed his sword leaning against the wall, thinking whether he had time to leap towards it to stab Law. However, as soon as the other captain followed Jonna's quick gaze and understood what the other was planning, he stabbed right though Jonna's still good knee, wringing out more screams from the pirate.
"And Joker?" Law was much more interested in Doflamingo's part of the deal, trying to find any weakness he could use against the Shichibukai. Just in case, the doctor rose his nodachi a little, giving Craggs a fair warning.
Jonna gulped. "A-alright! I'll tell you everything."
~…~
The deck was stained with blood and covered in fallen pirates, as the sounds of fighting finally started to quiet down. The last crew-member of the One-eyed Lynx pirates fell on the deck, taken out by Cody's dagger.
There were a few moans of pain as the Heart Pirates didn't come out of the battle uninjured either. Some were shot while others sported cuts or broken bones, but luckily there were no dead among them. The medic team was already searching for any injured, giving everyone first aid.
"Where's captain?" Sam looked around but saw no sign of the tall man in a fuzzy hat.
"The last time I saw him, he was fighting with Silver Tooth. Both of them jumped below deck, inside." Cody pointed at the entrance to the ship.
"He didn't come out yet…" Jean Bart stared down the stairs but saw nothing but black darkness. Suddenly a scream ripped through the air. The Heart Pirates stiffened but instantly recognized that the voice wasn't their captain's. With a sigh, everybody relaxed. It seems captain wasn't in any danger; on the contrary, he was having fun.
~…~
The man on the floor panted from all the pain and strain as he finally finished telling everything he knew. He tried lying or covering up some things a few times, but Law was like a lying detector, instantly noticing the subtle changes or twitches in Jonna's expression.
Trafalgar sheathed back his nodachi, turning his back to the dismembered enemy. Jonna had both his feet and arms cut off now.
"You won't get away with this, Trafalgar. Kaido will rip you apart when he finds out you attacked his men!" Craggs was able to get back some of that courage as he remembered his boss was a mighty Pirate Emperor.; one known for his cruelty and power. Unfortunately, Kaido wasn't here right now; and that's why Law turned around with a bored expression towards Jonna, his expression an unreadable mask.
The Surgeon of Death stayed quiet for a while but then his lips stretched into a wide grin. A sadistic expression stayed on Law's face as his eyes shone with a new emotion Jonna didn't see before. "In that case, we'll just have to make sure Kaido doesn't find out." Somehow, the combination of Law's look and the slightly gleeful tone in his voice, made Craggs stiffen in discomfort. With those words that sounded much like a promise, Trafalgar Law walked out of the room and disappeared from Jonna's view.
~…~
"Captain!" Bepo exclaimed happily when he saw his captain and long-time friend walk up the stairs and onto the deck.
Law gave Bepo his nodachi and tuned to look at the state of his crew. A few injured man, but all in all they were successful. "Take anything of worth you find inside the ship!" He declared, hearing another cheer from his crew as they were given permission to freely plunder the vessel. Law turned to walk away but then stopped as he remembered one more thing. "Oh. And leave the gunpowder." A wide grin spread across his face once more.
~…~
While the crew enjoyed their free time of stealing whatever they could carry, Law had plans of his own. He called Eli and Ari to discuss his plan with them. Eli was his master gunner though in this case the brown-haired man with an ushanka on his head took care of torpedoes and made sure the torpedo tubes and mechanisms were in order. Ari, on the other hand, was an explosives expert who often designed and created bombs and dynamite.
Meanwhile, Miyako and some of the others went down below to see were there anything worthy of taking. Still, the samurai girl didn't really have any desire to scavenge the ship so instead she turned away to do a bit of exploration.
"Miya-chan, where are you going?" Cody's voice stopped her as he saw the girl leave from the group.
"Oh, I'm just going to explore the ship a little." The girl answered despite seeing a few questioning stares from the crewmembers. They probably never had a wish to explore an enemy ship if it wasn't in case of looking for treasure.
Cody didn't really seem surprised by the girl's answer, probably used to such antics from her. Still, he gave her a slightly worried look. "Ok well, just be careful," he warned in an ambiguous tone.
Miyako smiled and turned around without a word, going further below to the second floor.
Meanwhile, Cody and the group found a chest with various items; from log poses to golden coins and maps.
"Hey guys, who do you recon this was for?" Louis lifted up a frilly, big victorian-looking, dress with flower patterns and bows on its light blue fabric.
"The captain?" Josh question and the group chuckled imagining the bulky, large captain of the Lynx pirates parading around in that dress.
"Hey guys, don't be mean!" Penguin started giving them a reprimanding expression, until a wide grin spread across his mocking face. "Maybe they had tea parties in their free time so he wanted to look nice?" he added and everyone burst out laughing openly this time.
After some time of looking around and finally finding their two main goals; the armory and a treasury, along with some crates of useful supplies, the Heart Pirates started moving the cargo and loading it into their own submarine.
However, the uneasiness returned to Cody's chest as he noticed Miyako was nowhere to be seen for a long time now. "Hey, Miya-chan still hasn't come back?" he turned to Josh, who was struggling with a heavy chest beside him. Unfortunately, the treasury was mostly empty as they didn't find much of interest on the enemy ship.
"Nope, haven't seen her." The redhead didn't bat an eye as he answered, obviously not feeling even a bit anxious about it.
"Hm…There might be some more enemies below that we didn't encounter. Josh, go find her." Cody put down another crate on the submarine's deck and turned to his medic friend.
However, Josh simply gave him a perplexed look, not liking the idea. "Why? She can take care of herself." Indeed, even he admitted Miyako wasn't some lady in distress who needed looking after. She had her katana with her and that was enough to make her a serious threat to anybody who dared cross paths with her.
Cody just sighed and rolled the sleeves of his jumpsuit to his elbows, feeling the heat under the afternoon sun along with their straining activates right now. Two dark tribal tattoos of their jolly roger revealed themselves on each of his forearms. "It's fine, just go see. Maybe something happened."
"Nothing happened!" The redhead spat out, not willing to strain himself with this fruitless task. However, as soon as he saw Cody's slightly agitated look, the shorter medic sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll go…" He mumbled and waved as if he was trying to dismiss the whole subject. The redhead lazily turned around and trotted back to the pirate ship, walking inside.
~…..~
After exploring most of the large ship, Miyako finally came to the lowest level though she didn't find much of interest in it. Mostly, there were some spare parts for the ship, ropes, cloth for sails, and in the far end was a brig. It was cold and wet in here as water puddled around her feet. A scent of mold was in the air and the girl scrunched her nose in response. She walked all the way to the end, looking at empty cells. That is until she realized one of them wasn't completely vacant.
Miyako's eyes widened when she noticed a girl sitting on the floor in one of the cells, shackled with chains to the wall. She was dressed in a ripped underdress and a mess of long black hair hid her dirty face.
The samurai quickly walked over to the cell and cut the lock with her katana, not wanting to waste time on finding a key. At first the girl looked at the newcomer with wide, fearful eyes and tried to scoot away from Miyako, but only bumped into the wall behind her. She had a cloth tied around her mouth like a gag, only allowing her to muffle a few incoherent words.
"It's ok, don't be afraid." Miyako tried to calm her. "I'll cut the chains so move aside," she continued, bringing forth her sword once more.
At first the woman seemed uncertain but then did as she was told, giving Miyako more space. In a flash, the metal cut the old chains and freed the girl. However, the metal cuffs around her wrists still remained, leaving scarred flesh underneath. Finally Miyako crouched down and removed the gag from the woman's mouth.
"W-who…?" The woman's dry voice cracked in half, unable to finish the question.
A third voice sounded behind them as Josh walked over, seeing Miyako's red ribbon swaying around in the distance while the girl moved. "Miyako, where the heck did you go? What are you doing here?" The redhead didn't seem at all pleased but he abruptly stopped when he saw the black-haired woman, who once again looked alarmed.
Miyako turned to Josh with an uncertain expression, not really knowing what to do with the woman. "I found her in the cell."
"Who are you people?" The woman tried speaking again, this time managing to finish her question, but only in a soft whisper.
"Pirates." Josh answered bluntly, without hesitation.
The woman's eyes went wide again and Miyako looked at Josh with a 'What are you saying, you idiot?!' look. This woman was imprisoned by pirates and they did who-knows-what to her. The last thing she needed was more pirates around her. Still, Miyako knew they couldn't really hide this fact for very long, seeing as there were around two dozen pirates outside on the deck.
"P-Pirates!? Stay away from me! Don't come any closer!" Once again, the woman tried to crawl away from the pair but had nowhere to escape.
"Don't be scared, we won't do anything to you!" Miyako tried to calm her but to no avail. After a few more words of reassuring, the woman finally started to calm down again.
"What happened to the pirates of this ship…?" The woman whispered, unsure again.
"Killed them." once again, Josh blurted out with no concern how it might sound to the woman.
And once again the woman stiffened in response. Miyako turned and gave him a glare, while Joshua just shrugged with a 'What?' question written across his face as if he couldn't understand the problem here. The samurai really wasn't sure anymore was he really being so clueless or just messing with them on purpose.
"Then I demand you take me to your captain!" Unexpectedly the woman burst out, a sudden confident look on her face.
Miyako didn't know where that confidence came from but she was worried it would soon be completely wiped away when the woman met their captain. She knew how intimidating Law could be and after having such a traumatic experience with pirates, Miyako doubted it would be a good idea for the woman to meet a man who put sadism on a whole new level.
"I don't think that's such a good idea-" Miyako started, wanting to explain, but the woman cut her off and brushed her efforts away with complete certainty.
"Nonsense! You killed those ruffian pirates so there might be still hope for you lot. Come now, help me up and take me to the person in charge." There was a demanding tone in her voice, bordering with orders now. The woman reached out with her arms as if expecting for someone to help her up.
Miyako and Joshua looked at each other with slight confusion, uncertain how to proceed, but the medic's expression soon changed as an idea crossed his mind. A mischievous grin appeared on his face, which only made Miyako more unsettled.
"Alright. I'll take you to captain." Joshua answered unusually obedient for someone who was ordered by an unknown prisoner. He even grabbed her hands to help her up.
"Hey, not so rough!" The woman yelled as the redhead started pulling her outside to the deck, not so gently but far from caring about it either.
Miyako didn't even need to ask what Josh was planning to understand his trail of thought. It was quite obvious what he had in mind. As soon as they heard this woman's tone, it was obvious what would happen if such a person met Law and started acting as she did now. They would be picking up her pieces across the deck. The samurai sighed and jogged behind the couple, with Josh still holding the woman's writs tightly in case she tried to escape; such an attempt would be completely useless in this situation.
~…..~
"Unhand me, you ruffian!" the woman exclaimed, struggling from Josh's grip and ripped apart from his hands once the pair stopped walking. She looked ahead of her to see a tall man with a white, fuzzy, spotted hat. Such a sight didn't really look intimidating on a man but the dark, dangerous aura made up for that fact. He looked at her, or rather pierced, with his grey eyes that had dark circles of sleep deprivation under them. He only gave his two subordinates a questioning gaze, silently demanding an explanation.
Josh shrugged. "We found out who that dress belongs to." He started to explain, but then remembered Law wasn't there when they had their little talk about the One-eyed Lynx pirates having a tea party in frilly white dresses. Perhaps that was for the better, Josh concluded, and cleared his throat to start from anew.
However, this time Miyako was quicker as she continued instead of him. "We found her locked up in a cell."
Before Law could ask anything more, the woman started talking again. And talk she did…a lot. "I demand you take me back in your…" she looked behind Law at the small yellow submarine next to the large pirate ship and made a slightly dissatisfied expression that didn't go unnoticed by Law. "…vessel! I will not be treated like a prisoner or some lowly commoner! If you have any dignity, you will treat a noble woman with respect! I also demand a safe quarter for myself, food and water and of course a hot shower! And-" She looked around to see one of the pirates still holding that dress, her dress. Without hesitation she stomped towards him, making the uncertain man flinch a little, and ripped the dress from his hands. "I will be having this back!" She stomped back to Law in quick strides, putting the dress in front of herself as if trying to protect herself from their view.
Meanwhile, Cody scratched his head in thought, staring at the young woman. She couldn't be older than 25, with messy black hair and pale skin. Her physique seemed frail, her hands without any blisters as she probably never worked a physical job in her life. She did say something about being a noble woman, didn't she? Still, even with her hair sticking to her wet and sweaty, dirty face, the medic had a strange feeling of familiarity as if he saw her somewhere before. Suddenly, a light bulb lit up in his mind and the medic jogged back to the submarine.
Miyako's eyes widened as the woman kept talking, on and on, both demanding and ordering while also insulting the Heart pirates as they were only just 'low-life pirates who would do anything for money so it was better for them to listen and help her if they wanted to be rewarded.' Honestly, even Miyako was losing her patience with this arrogant and loud woman, and everyone had similar glares in their eyes while staring at the talking noble woman. And Law? Oddly enough, he just stood there and listened, looking bored. But Miyako knew it was just an act. He was probably wondering what else the woman had to say before he sliced her to pieces and tossed her ass overboard. If Miyako didn't do something, he'd definitively kill the noble but truthfully right now even Miyako imagined cutting the woman's head off just to shut her up. She was getting more and more agitated by this noble.
"As I was saying; these ruffians didn't deserve anything better than to be killed." The woman nodded at some pirate corpses of the other pirate crew. "And if you want to be well rewarded, you better listen to me carefully. I have my demands that you better-"
The woman's antics were abruptly cut off when a fist flew right into her face, making her fall on the wooden floor, unconscious and finally silent. The Heart Pirates all stared at the sight and then at the culprit; Miyako, who straightened back up while waving her slightly pained hand. She wasn't really used to punching people, so the sensation seemed foreign to her. Even Law blinked a few times with slightly wide eyes, not expecting this scenario. On the other hand, Miyako just shrugged. "It had to be done," she explained plainly, but everyone understood its meaning perfectly so they all just shrugged and nodded with agreement.
"So can we kill her now?" Eli muttered, looking at the unconscious woman on the floor.
"Wait!" Suddenly, Cody came running back, holding a newspaper in one hand. He looked at the front page and crouched down over the woman. Moving her hair away from her pretty face, he put the newspaper next to her, looking at the picture on the newspaper page.
"It's her!" Bepo exclaimed seeing undisputed similarity with the picture and the real woman.
Miyako took the newspapers and read out loud. "Laura Talliage, the daughter of the textile industry Tycoon and nobleman, Taijirou Talliage, was kidnapped while traveling with a merchant ship back home from a trading meeting on Solaria. It is said that the pirates attacked and plundered the ship and took the noble woman for ransom money. The suspects are the One-Eyed Lynx pirates, underlings of the infamous Pire Emperor Kaido."
"So they'll come looking for her! Captain, this girl is just unnecessary trouble." Ari noted. They already pissed off the Tenryuubito once, not to mention they already became a serious threat for the marines with the Abney Cove incident and their captain was a supernova with a 440 million Beri on his head. Kidnapping this woman was really unnecessary though there's nothing much they could do to anger the World Government more anyway. Still, who would want to listen to this woman for one more second than necessary?
As the Heart Pirates commented among themselves what to do with the woman, Law stayed strangely quiet. The crew started to become suspicious when he still didn't word out his final decision on the matter. "Captain?" The Hearts called out, uncertainly.
Law had the same laid-back look he usually did while he looked down at the unconscious woman. After a while, he finally said one word; or rather a number. "35."
Everyone looked at each other with puzzled expression, nobody understating what their captain was talking about. Law ignored their confused stares but continued anyway. "She gave me an order 35 times."
"You actually counted?!" The crew exclaimed in perplexed shock, staring at their captain in disbelief.
Josh sweat dropped seeing that Law definitively had an idea in mind. "You're not planning to cut her to 35 pieces, are you?" The redhead looked at his captain suspiciously, guessing that would be exactly what Law was planning to do.
On their surprise, Law didn't change his bored expression. "No. That would take too much time and we can't stay here much longer. We need to make sure Kaido never finds any remains of this ship, nothing that could lead him to us." He stared at the woman on the ground. "And that means; no witnesses."
"Ah, I like that thought." Bepo smiled contently as he thought about them covering up their trail so Kaido could never bring down his furious retribution on them.
"So what do we do with her then?" Miyako gestured at the woman. She wouldn't mind having some girl company on the submarine but somehow she doubted she would enjoy it with this woman.
Law didn't answer, but instead looked at Eli and Ari. "Is everything ready?"
The two pirates nodded in unison. "We can light 'er up as soon as you tell the word, cap'n."
A grin slowly spread over Trafalgar's face, giving everyone chills. Now everyone was sure; their captain definitively had something in mind. And as always, they doubted it was anything pleasant…well, not for this woman anyway.
~….~
When Laura Talliage opened her eyes again, still hazy and with a splitting headache, she couldn't quite understand what was happening around her. The first thing she noticed was the high distance between her feet and the ground. A slight uneasiness came over her as she looked down, noticing she was high in the air. That uneasiness only grew stronger when she realized she couldn't move; her whole body was tied. But to what? As her mind cleared up a bit, Laura understood she was tied to a mast. Her slightly panicking mind remembered clearly that mast was broken, but was now sticking high from the ground once more. However, she didn't really have time to wonder about such unessential details and instead tried to desperately free herself. She voiced out some muffled complains but unfortunately she once again had a gag in her mouth; curtsy of Josh himself. The woman kept struggling and trying to scream, her eyes wide and teary from fear.
A safe distance away, a yellow submarine slowly rocked on the small waves. The Heart Pirates stood on the deck looking at the large pirate ship in the distance. Only seconds later, the whole pirate ship blew up, enveloped into flame and cinder. Parts of it flew in the air and into the sea with a sizzling sound of fire hitting cold water. The ship continued to burn, both flags slowly disappearing into ashes. The Heart Pirates stood and watched as the ships slowly started falling apart and disappearing into the sea. Some wood still continued to float around, carried by the waves.
"I doubt Kaido will be able to find out anything from the wreckage now," Jean Bart concluded as the ship fell apart completely.
Meanwhile, Miyako sighed at the sight. She wasn't really happy about killing that woman but she didn't really have any pity for her either. Those kinds of people didn't bring out any mercy from the samurai; she didn't feel like they deserved any. She glanced at Law standing beside her, staring at the burning ship with his usual calm expression, his amusement short-lasting as always. "I bet that was more than 35 pieces though," Miyako mentioned, remembering their previous talk. With so much gunpowder that exploded and destroyed the ship, Laura must've blown up in many more than 35 pieces.
Law glanced to his side at Miyako and smirked at the samurai girl. "You think?" He turned around and walked back into the submarine nonchalantly with his hands in the pockets. Bepo noticed his captain leaving and trotted after the man, holding Law's long nodachi in his paws. Miyako watched after the captain for a while but then simply sighed again and walked inside while slightly shaking her head. She didn't know what was worrying her more; the fact that her captain was a sadist or that she was already so used to it, it didn't even faze her anymore.
~…~
The doctor made final stitches on his subordinate's shoulder before taping the gauze over it. "Don't strain the shoulder too much or your stitches will break," Trafalgar warned, letting the crewmember put his shirt back on.
Cody smiled beside them as he put down some antiseptic and started sorting new medication in the cabinets. "You'll be fine, Louis, just watch the shoulder while you're working down at the engine room."
The said assistant mechanic smiled, putting back the hat on his dark blonde hair. "Thanks captain." The man hopped down from the bed and with a tip of his cap said one final goodbye before exiting the room.
Even though there weren't any casualties in the Heart Pirates crew, the battle was still bloody. None of the men were seriously injured but most had cuts and bruises and some even gained broken bones throughout the fight. Kaido's men weren't a joke and the Heart Pirates learned that the hard way. However, Law deemed the sacrifice worthy for the information he got from Silver Tooth. He was one step closer to reaching his goal; it won't be long before trouble starts stirring in this world. The name of D will once again make a commotion and that person's long lasting dream will finally come to realization.
The sound of the doors opening pulled Law out of his thoughts. Without turning around the doctor took out his equipment, sure it was yet another patient for patching up. Either that or the boys got too happy with a bottle of whiskey and wiring in room 2B again. Law shook his head with a sigh, remembering that scene. Once again, his thoughts were broken when Cody addressed the newcomer.
"Oh, hi Miya-chan. Don't tell me you got hurt too?" He looked at the girl with a worried reprimanding look of an older brother towards his frivolous little sister.
The girl walked over to the infirmary bed and hopped on it, where she sat comfortably, swinging her legs like a playful child. She really seemed like a mischievous little sister at the moment. Miyako sighed, a bit too dramatically, and showed Cody a small but deep gash on her upper arm. "Shachi insisted I come here to take care of it. I told him I could do it myself and that it wasn't so bad, but he wouldn't even hear it." The girl gave Cody a fleeting smile before turning to Law who was cleaning a few instruments and already picking up the needed ones after scanning over Miyako's wound. "Captain." She nodded, greeting the man, more serious all of a sudden.
The blue-haired medic noticed the tension between the couple, looking from Miyako to Law. They didn't say much, but that was weird in itself. Usually they would already exchange a few snarky comments and teasing remarks, but instead, both of them seemed at a standstill. *Are they having another fight?* The medic sighed with a tired expression. It seemed like those two will never get along perfectly; there was always something going on between them. Deciding to give the pair some space, the medic took some medical supplies and headed for the small medical storage in the backroom. "I'll just put this away," he commented innocently and excused himself.
Miyako knew exactly what her friend was thinking and locked eye-contact with him, silently begging him to stay. *Don't you dare, don't you dare, don't you dare- aaand he's gone.* She sighed in disappointment as Cody disappeared in the back room, completely ignoring her pleading eyes. *How merciless…*
"Alright, let's see it." Law sat in front of the examination bed and took of his fuzzy hat on the side before putting on his white rubber gloves. He took Miyako's upper arm and turned it carefully to have a better look at the wound. "It's not that bad. You'll need stitches though." He rolled away in his chair to his equipment and took some cotton wad and alcohol to disinfect the wound. Putting some antiseptic on the medical wadding, the doctor reached for the wound with it, trying to clean the gash.
However, as he moved his hand closer, Miyako leaned slightly back. Law stopped and looked at her with slight annoyance, seeing an innocent blank face staring back at him as if she didn't notice anything. He tried again, but the more his hand reached forward, the further back did Miyako lean. Law finally gave up and sighed, losing patience. "Miss Miyako," he warned, putting the wad aside.
Miyako just looked to the side, a guilty expression clear on her face, and a small pout appeared with it. "But it stings," she muttered, a bit embarrassed. She really didn't like putting alcohol on wounds even though it was often used to clean her wounds when she was a child. As a kid training kenjutsu, she always obtained various cuts and injuries so she had plenty of experience with disinfecting them, but no matter what she could never get used to the uncomfortable stinging sensation that came with it.
Trafalgar had to fight the urge to sigh again at the girl's actions. Honestly, she got wounds all the time, injuries that certainly hurt more than some disinfectant on an open wound, yet she was complaining about this? He watched her slight childish pout and noticed the little blush that appeared on her cheeks from embarrassment. How could there be a person with so many inconsistencies; serious and cold-blooded one moment, while completely acting like a child the next. She could be merciless and fighting with all her power while enduring her own pain, but then she comes to him and does this, complaining about a little sting. Next thing he knows, she'll be running away from a simple syringe for blood analysis. Even though his patience was growing thin, Law's doctor professionalism kicked in and he closed his eyes for a while, before looking at the stubborn girl in front of him. "If I don't clean your wound, it'll get infected."
"Can't you just wash it with water?" Miyako mumbled, still rejecting the idea. The look that the doctor pierced her with, gave Miyako a clear answer to that question. "Guess not…" The girl muttered, looking back at the awaiting doctor. She glanced a few more times at the alcohol suspiciously but then sighed and scooted closer to the edge of the bed. "Fine." She sighed. She knew when she was defeated and Law didn't look like he was in the mood for any more struggling on this matter. He took his doctor profession quite seriously after all, and he's been taking care of his wounded crew members ever since they carried on with their journey, carefully sailing underwater so nobody could see the yellow submarine suspiciously close to the burning scene of Kaido's pirate ship. The captain must've been tired himself, after the fight with Jonna that also left Law with some injuries. So Miyako decided to show some mercy this time and take her stubbornness down a level. She turned her bare upper arm towards the doctor, letting him work; glad she wore her black spaghetti strap shirt to make it easier for him. It was a better option than having to take her t-shirt off in front of him.
Nonetheless, Miyako couldn't forget that they were slightly on weird terms these days. Especially with Law's latest attempt of teasing her, or at least that's what she thought he was doing. She still didn't know what was his game as he kept on giving her only a little; accidental brushes or feather touches, yet that simply made her want more. It was slowly driving Miyako mad as Law would pull back every time she thought she would finally get what she wanted. And what was that anyway? Miyako gulped as she realized she was once again dragged into his own pace. If she didn't pull herself together, he would definitively win. The girl looked at the man in front of her, his eyes focused on her wound as he worked quickly and with great precision. His tattooed hand worked around her wound rather gently; how ironic that it was the same hand that spelled the word 'death' on it. The same hand that killed dozens of his enemies only a few hours ago. The same calm and collected expression that was now concentrated on his work, yet not so long ago it made such a sadistic grin while planning to strap a woman on a mast and blow her up. Thinking about that grin made Miyako's eyes gaze down to the man's lip. The girl gulped unconsciously and bit her own lip. It seemed forever since Law even kissed her; the last time was when Miyako kissed him. Presence of that memory made the girl blush and quickly look away, as she reminded herself of such an embarrassing display on her part. A kiss she initiated. She still couldn't believe she did that and quite forcefully when she thought about it. Nevertheless, Miyako had to admit she liked the feeling. A feeling of being in charge for once, taking Law by surprise and not the other way around. A barely visible smirk passed Miyako's features before she remembered to keep her calm again.
Deep in her thoughts, she didn't even notice when the last stitch was tightened on her wound and closed the deep gash. Law cut off the string and put down his medical items, all done with his work. Miyako blinked, realizing it was already over and she hardly felt a thing. She was so into her thoughts, the girl completely forgot Law was treating her. Either that or he was indeed so skillful she barely felt it as anything more than discomfort on her arm. "That was quick and actually pretty painless. Well as much as sticking a sharp needle in your skin can be," the girl noted, mumbling in slight surprise.
Law stood up and turned to move the equipment away, before turning to face her with gauze in his hand to put it across her now treated wound. At the same time Miyako hopped down from the bed, making the two almost bump their foreheads together. The girl gasped despite herself, startled at the sudden unexpected closeness. Law on the other hand didn't bat an eye, giving her the same unreadable expression as always. "Well I am a doctor," he noted, and the girl could feel his warm breath on her face. It smelt of the dark coffee he always drank but it wasn't unpleasant. Her lips parted a little without her even realizing. The doctor kept his eye contact on her, stepping even closer, but still remaining that hair's-breadth of a distance away, enough for them to stay apart. Suddenly, a slight pain on her arm brought Miyako out of her daze and she looked down to see Law stick the gauze over her wound. Before she could even realize what happened, the doctor finished and turned away from her again.
The girl's face flushed once again as she felt both played and unsatisfied, but the thought that Law was able to do that to her only frustrated her more. She shouldn't want him. She didn't want to want him! Yet, she still bit her bottom lip at the deprived expected contact. However, she wanted to get to the bottom of Law's recent actions one way or the other. She narrowed her eyes and frowned with displeasure as she watched the doctor's back. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
The captain walked over to his desk and leaned on its rim, crossing his arms on the chest. The sleeves of his yellow hoodie pulled up in the process, showing the black tattoos on his forearms. There was a mischievous smirk on his face as he watched the flustered girl with amusement. "Doing what?"
She wasn't at all fooled by his innocent act. Actually he didn't even look innocent and she was sure that was also done on purpose. He knew exactly what she was talking about; and he knew she was well aware of that fact. Miyako scowled feeling that this time it was her patience which grew thin. "You know what I'm talking about; you've been doing the same thing for days now. Getting close to me and then…" She quieted down instantly, closing her mouth with a small pout, not really sure how to voice out what she wanted. If she did, he would instantly know what was bothering her; the fact that he has refused to kiss her for two weeks now. But there was no way she could show such weakness and tell him that, could she? Didn't she proclaim so confidently that she will make him fall for her ?
The smirk never left Law's face as he tilted his head, obviously amused. "And then what?" He urged her on, waiting for Miyako to finish her sentence.
"Never mind…" The girl muttered with another scowl and started walking towards the doors. There was no reason for her to stay here now that her wound was treated.
"If you want something, then just do it." Law's casual voice behind her stopped the girl in her tracks.
Miyako turned around and blinked in surprise. "Huh?" She wasn't sure what he was referring to. She noticed his smirk was gone and once again that unreadable expression replaced it. He didn't answer anything, just kept piercing her with his clear eyes that were now in plain view instead of hidden underneath the rim of his spotted hat like usual. As Miyako locked her eyes with Law, she suddenly understood exactly what he meant; because he already knew what was on her mind. Once again that man was a step ahead of her. However, that realization brought a bright blush on her pale cheeks. "Y-you mean…you want me to…I mean, you intended to…" She continued to stutter, uncertain how to even form that idea into words.
Yet Law simply kept staring at her with the same unreadable expression. He was still standing in the unchanging laid-back posture, leaning against the desk. He looked as if waiting for something, settled there with his arms across his chest. After a while, a smirk came back to his lips, amused by the girl's flushed appearance. He tilted his head questioningly, a teasing expression appearing on his features. "So? Is there a problem with that? You've already kissed me once so it shouldn't be hard to do it again."
The girl only blushed harder at the memory. "Why all of a sudden?" She didn't even know which question to ask first. Why was he making her do that all of a sudden? Is the reason why he was teasing her this whole time because he was urging her to make a move? Rather, it seemed like he was pushing her. Perhaps, he was testing her boundaries; trying to see how serious she was about her proclamation a few weeks back.
Law simply shrugged as if there wasn't any particular reason. "Who knows…Maybe I was just tired of always making the first move." His laid-back expression changed into a devious one, decorated with a wide grin. "From now on, if you want something from me then come and get it. You won't accomplish anything if you just wait for me to give you what you want."
The girl's body stiffened at his words. They sounded mocking, yet pierced her heart with an uncomfortable truth. It hurt her right in the pride; where it hurt the most. "I'm not so dependent on you." She bit back with challenging eyes, glaring at him. *This is just ridiculous!* She turned around to leave again but stopped as she heard a deep sigh behind her, as if Law was truly disappointed.
"Can't do it after all," the man muttered behind her back, uncrossing his arms and putting them in the pockets of his trousers instead. There was a mocking disappointment in his voice as he started to turn away from her, getting back to his work.
Miyako knew Law said that only to provoke her. She knew he was just trying to push her to do what he wants. And yet she couldn't stop herself once blood rushed into her head, her embarrassment forgotten, as she turned back towards the man and closed the distance between them with a few quick strides. Before she even knew what was happening, the girl grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him further down so their lips could meet. It was a bit surprising and awkward at first, but Miyako didn't pull away. Instead she did something even more unexpected; she licked Law's bottom lip.
Even Law was surprised by this action, not expecting that the girl would go this far even if provoked. Perhaps he pushed her a little too much. Still, the captain wasn't complaining and he couldn't help but smirk into the kiss by the girl's somewhat awkward but determent actions. He pulled his hands from the pockets and circled the girl's waist instead, while opening his mouth and letting Miyako inside. He gave her some freedom to explore for a while, before he took charge and entangled his tongue with hers easily winning the little war. He could feel the sweet taste of her mouth, reminding him what a sweets addict this girl was. Her scent enveloped him; a fresh flowery smell of her shampoo. That's when Law remembered it was indeed two weeks since the last time he had any real contact with this woman. He had to admit he was slowly getting tired of his own game, only allowing himself fleeting touches and limited contact with her until she came to him on her own. He had enough patience when he wanted to, especially when it came to reaching a certain goal, but now that he finally had her in his arms that patience slowly dissolved, making him realize he missed this scent, taste and soft skin. He would never admit it, but he couldn't stop himself from wanting more of those soft lips right now.
He pulled her closer, his hands roaming more freely across her body now. Law groaned into the kiss when he felt her shiver against him. His hand moved up her back to her neck and he cupped her cheek to deepen their kiss, tenderly biting her lower lip. His eyes opened ever so slightly, examining her blushing cheeks and her long lashes so close to him. He noticed her red ribbon, instantly getting an urge to untie it and entangle his hand into her silky long hair. He wondered how it would feel under his fingertips. Even more, he wondered how her soft skin would feel under them; her body lightly shivering in reaction to his touches.
His lips made a trail down from her jaw to the neck and he bit down at that spot that always made her moan. Miyako winced in his arms, her hands that were gripping his shoulders now entangled around his neck. He sucked and bit down on that spot, leaving dark purple marks on the pale skin. Law wanted to mark her, make her his completely, subdue this woman. The thought of Suzune Miyako completely compliant under him made his blood boil. He wanted to push her down and tame her completely, but he knew it wouldn't have meaning if she didn't give herself to him willingly.
Still, that didn't mean he couldn't urge her on a little. Law trailed his lips back to hers and kissed the girl once more. He expertly turned her around without breaking the kiss as she didn't even seem to notice, too much in a daze from the pleasure he was giving her. With a smirk he gently pushed her to sit on the desk, resting his palms on her thighs. Unfortunately she wore jeans instead of her usual skirt today, but that didn't stop him from moving his hands up her tights to her hips and played with the rim of her shirt teasingly while resting between her legs. She warned him before that she didn't have any intention going all the way with him, and Law decided to at least make her regret those words. And he knew a perfect way to do it too. The captain put his hands around her waist again and pulled her towards him, making their bodies flush against each other. The girl's breath hitched but she didn't resist and instead encircled her legs around him, pulling him even closer. Law groaned as he took that as a sign to continue. Looking at her eyes, he could see her golden irises were hazy and unfocused, while the girl panted through lightly parted lips. Her cheeks were red and the flush traveled all the way down to her chest. Law's gaze remained there for a second as he watched her well-developed bosom move up and down while she breathed shallowly. It felt like it was inviting him. Law unconsciously licked his lips like a predator preparing to pounce on his prey.
"Cody!" A word came from Miyako's mouth that Law wouldn't even dream of hearing at this moment. The captain stopped instantly, blinking a few times and waiting for his mind to process what he just heard. Did she just call out another man's name?
~…..~
Cody set down the medical items on their appropriate shelves in the small medical storage backroom of the infirmary. He took his time, seeing as Miyako and Law obviously had something to discuss between themselves. He felt a bit sorry for Miyako when he saw her pleading look directed towards him, but he knew it was better for them to settle things on their own and in private.
He could hear them talking for a while, before complete silence fell over the infirmary. *Did they leave?* Cody blinked, confusion hitting him as he realized he never heard the doors of the infirmary close behind them. Still, he took the silence as a sign that it was safe for him to go out. As soon as Cody opened the storeroom doors and took one step outside, his body stiffened and a light blush appeared on his cheeks when he saw the sight before him. Remembering to close his slack mouth, the medic stepped back into the storeroom and quickly closed the doors behind him. Once again in the dim light of the small room, Cody scratched his spiky head with a deep sigh. "They forgot about me, didn't they?" He mumbled softly and slid down on the floor, unsure what to do next. The medic rummaged through his overall pockets and found a half-empty pack of cigarettes. Even so, he knew he wasn't able to actually smoke in here. Staring at the pack for a while, Cody's head fell along with his mood. *I'm trapped…*
He didn't know how long he stayed sitting in that closed up space, but the medic felt he had to get out and breathe some fresh air or he would go insane. He wasn't normally claustrophobic, but the more time he spent in this small room, the more he felt he couldn't breathe freely.
More than anything the medic was bored to death. He read all the labels on the medical bottles and boxes on the shelves. He numbered all the bones in a human's body. He even read through all the crew's medical charts in metal cabinets here, arranging them in an alphabetical order. Finally snapping, the medic stood up suddenly. "This is ridiculous!" How long will he have to stay here? More importantly, how long are they going to keep that up!? Cody didn't even want to know where their little make out session will lead. Not that he wasn't happy for the pair; he was glad they obviously resolved their differences but he didn't really have to witness that. Some things were better left unseen.
"Perhaps I can just casually walk in there and pretend everything is fine? No, no, that's stupid…" The medic walked in a small circle while thinking, the room not allowing him much space to operate. "Perhaps I can sneak out the door? They probably won't even notice." He felt silly even imagining it, sneaking out of the room like some burglar who didn't belong there in the first place. And how awkward would that be if they saw him! The medic sighed again tiredly, wanting nothing more than to smoke a cigarette…or a whole pack for that matter. He noticed it was still pretty quiet. If they proceeded from where he last saw them, it was sure to get more vocal. Cody blushed dark red as soon as that thought crossed his mind. What the hell was he thinking of at a time like this?! He wasn't the same as those two perverts! A picture of Shachi's and Penguin's grinning faces crossed Cody's mind and the medic sweat-dropped. Who knows what stupid idea those two would come up with if this had happened to them.
Still, he had to do something since Cody had no intention of staying here any minute longer. Deciding to try his luck outside, the medic opened the doors of the storeroom as quietly as he could manage. If he was careful enough, perhaps he'd be able to get out of the infirmary and disappear before the couple notice him. Seeing how into it they were, it shouldn't be that hard.
The medic tried to be as silent as a mouse, and approximately the size of one, as he walked on towards the doors.
"Cody!"
Unfortunately, his plan didn't go so well. Why did Miyako have to open her eyes now!? The medic stopped in his tracks, uncomfortably looking around. "H-hey…" What should you even say in a situation like this?
Law growled and looked back at the medic with a sigh, not even bothering to straighten up and move from his position between Miyako's legs. Still, the girl did that for him as she nervously pushed him away, jumping from the desk and staring at Cody with wide eyes and completely red cheeks. It looked like she wanted to say something but didn't know what. Cody couldn't really help her there since he was also at a loss of words. She was too embarrassed to even form a coherent sentence, while Cody on the other hand, looked like he was ready to disappear into himself as he nervously looked between Miyako and Law. He probably knew in what kind of mood his captain was at the moment and didn't want to worsen it by saying anything unnecessary.
"You were here?! Oh right, you were here!" Remembering that Cody was in the infirmary from the start, Miyako cursed herself for even forgetting such an important fact. And then she cursed Law, realizing he was the reason why she forgot it in the first place.
"Y-Yeah, sorry…" The medic mumbled and smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. The whole scene looked nothing less than awkward with Law glaring at Cody, Miyako fidgeting nervously with a red face and Cody standing in the middle of the room uncomfortably. Wanting to escape from this moment as soon as possible, the medic slowly started walking towards the doors. "So I'll just-"
Unfortunately Miyako cut him off and stopped him instantly. By her expression he could guess she was trying to run away from here as much as he was. "No, no! You were working so you stay, I'll go." Without waiting for him to answer, the girl headed for the door.
However, Cody had no intention to stay here alone with a pissed off Law. He grabbed her arm and pushed her aside gently, heading for the door himself. "No, no, I insist. Don't let me disturb you. I'll just go."
The girl appeared in front of him, putting both of her hands on his shoulders as if trying to stop him. "No, no. I'll go."
Both of them were still smiling politely, but their bodies seemed stiff as they both slowly lost their patience. Neither of them really wanted to stay here in this uncomfortable atmosphere and no amount of smiles on their faces could hide that fact.
However, when Law's voice echoed throughout the room, both Miyako and Cody stopped and went quiet, grimacing at the icy-cold tone behind them. "Nobody is going anywhere." The two straightened their stiff backs and slowly turned around, seeing Law's clearly irritated expression. Just as he was about to continue, narrowing his eyes in the process, the infirmary doors opened and Ben came in.
Both Cody and Miyako were probably never so glad to see the assistant medic and they both gazed at him with a hopeful expression. They looked as if they were about to cry from gratitude, staring at this angel before them. The bulky man got confused by their piercing stares, momentarily forgetting his purpose for coming here in the first place. He wasn't really sure what's going on, but even he could feel the tense air in the room. "Um…Miya-chan, Munk told me to send you to the galley when I see you. He could use an extra helping hand." He gazed uncertainly from Miyako to Cody and finally turned his head to Law who seemed to be the source of the deadly cold pressure in the room.
Miyako almost jumped in happiness at that news. She was saved. "A helping hand? Right! That's me." She gestured towards herself as if only remembering her job at the galley now. With a bright smile of relief on her face, the girl headed towards the exit. Cody gave her a stare that clearly stated; 'Don't leave me here with him!' much like she did to him not too long ago. But just as Cody walked away at that time, now it was Miyako's turn to leave the medic at Law's mercy. She shrugged at him apologetically and silently hoped he'll get out alive without too much trauma.
She passed by Law, trying to squeeze between him and the wall while the captain still kept a piercing gaze on her. She did her best to ignore it, but had to stop when Law's arm blocked her way as he put it on the wall in front of her. "Miyako-" He started warningly, indicating that he still had something to say on the matter but the girl rather quickly and expertly passed below his arm and stood up straight again on the other side, twirling back to face him. She did it all in one fluid movement, which was actually rather impressive. Unfortunately, nobody in the room had the time or will to address it since they were still focused on the growing tension in the air. Miyako put both index fingers in the air in front of Law's face as if emphasizing something. "Munk. Galley. Gotta go." She hurriedly tried to explain, still gesturing with her fingers, but didn't even have time to form a complete sentence as she focused all her energy on escaping Law and disappearing from there. Before the captain could protest, she turned around from him and disappeared through the main doors.
Law stared at the closed doors of the infirmary for a while, before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose in the process. Once again the girl managed to escape from his grasp. Not to mention he was, once again, left with nothing but thoughts of a needed cold shower. "I never wanted to strangle a woman so much in my entire life." He murmured, though both medics heard him. They sweatdropped with slightly shocked expressions. Since it was Law, they were a bit worried he might actually do it.
The picture of Miyako was still far too vivid in Law's mind; the slightly glazed stare of her golden eyes while she looked at him, the inviting parted lips, the attire that showed off all her curves perfectly. Her tight jeans that framed her well-built legs and the spaghetti-strapped black shirt that didn't have much of a cleavage but that just left more room for imagination, especially since it was skin-tight and making the nice curves of her chest visible. Miyako was still against too revealing clothing, unable to understand the newest fashions where women walked around in bikini tops, but she was certainly getting used to the style of clothing in this part of the world. Law preferred the types that could keep him interested anyway and Miyako was definitively one of them.
The blue-haired medic looked at his captain with sympathy and without a word offered the man a cigarette from his pack. Law actually thought about it for a moment, looking at the opened pack, but decided against it after all. He didn't like that addicting habit that only gave you a fleeting placebo effect. What he wanted right now was something different and much more real. The doctor shook his head and went to sit behind his desk instead, remembering he still had some work to do. At least that will make a good distraction to focus his mind on other things, less aggravating things.
At least he gave her a parting gift, a small sign of his victory, before she escaped. Law wondered how Miyako will react when she finds out there was a pretty large and dark kiss mark on her neck. It was quite an obvious contrast from her white neck. Too bad for her that she had to go to the galley, where most of the Heart Pirates were dining right now.
As if on cue, a loud scream resonated throughout the submarine. Ben almost dropped a bottle of chloroform while Cody's hand twitched and did a line on the report he was writing. Unlike his two medics, the captain just calmly sat in his chair, leaning his head on the knuckles of one hand that was propped onto the chair's arm. He wasn't even remotely startled by the echoing scream of their samurai. His samurai; which he made obviously clear with that mark. Instead, a wide grin slowly spread across Law's features.
Special thanks to MsStripey for beta reading this chapter.
Another chapter done, I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for all your lovely comments and as always reviews and constructive criticism are welcome. ^^
Wings-chan: Sorry about the reviewing problem, I think it's because I shifted the chapters when I deleted some announcements. I hope it won't cause a problem again. :/ Haha That will have to stay between the Hearts and those mermaids. ;)
NightStar85: Well it's Law after all, so he'll definitively strike back. ;D
JustChan: Yes, I wanted to make it longer but I also wanted to make it a one chapter length. ^^' I hope I will. I have most of it in mind already, especially the Shichibukai stuff. :)
pharoah999: Don't worry, there will be more Miya/Law moments and those two often fight so there will definitively be more of that too. :P It's definitively not over, I mean I haven't even got to the Punk Hazard arc yet. :D However, I don't have any new Law fanfics in plan, since I'm still not finished with this one. Thank you very much for your support! ^^
izzie: Yeah, I think I wanted to make it a bit more adventures since it was Fismen island and everything. I guess, that's why. Still, I'm glad you liked the chapter. :D
Kiteria Faye: Thanks, I do try to make it fun (the whole One Piece adventure world) but also realistic. And they can't get stronger without sacrifice after all.
Neeky-chan: Thanks, I'm glad you like it so much. :D I hope you have a lovely day as well~
KotoriRod: Heh yeah, I think the title and the beginning averts a lot of people because it's pretty much cliché. ^^' But I'm glad some give it another chance and get pleasantly surprised. :D
Yumi sawamura: Haha Oh, it sure did. I believe things are just gonna get more fun between those two from now on. Yep, it's my first story. I still have a lot to work on, though. ^^' Oh, I didn't even know about the hat. :O Ah well, let's just put that in the 'author's freedom while writing fanfiction' department then. :P
lucyknight13: I know, I love him! :D