I don't like you!

by BloodyMarryMe

By pure chance and unluckiness Miyako finds herself at the Sabaody auction house as a slave. And of all the people, the one interested just had to be the most smug, egoistical and sadistic pirate she has ever met. So at least she can give him as much trouble as possible, right? LawXOC

48. Chapter 48

'I don't like you!' by BloodyMarryMe

This story is rated T for violence, blood, language and suggestive themes.

I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own my OC Suzune Miyako.

Well, the new chapter is finally done so I hope you enjoy. Have fun!

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CHAPTER 48

The yellow submarine slowly emerged through the clear waters of the sea, cutting it with its two masts before it completely rose onto the water's surface. As soon as the vessel was safely above sea level, the metal doors slammed over and a polar bear ran out, breathing in the fresh morning air.

"Aaah, finally fresh air! I couldn't stand being in that stuffy place anymore." Bepo stretched with both hands high in the air.

Soon after, men in white jumpsuits followed, stepping out onto the deck one after the other. They all wore different and colorful hats with grins and excited smiles.

"We're finally here! Our first Island in the New World!" Shachi almost fell over the railing because of how far he leaned forward just to see the small island they were approaching.

Miyako sighed with content clear on her expression. "Thank God. I would have killed Josh if I had to spend one more day trapped with him in this submarine," she confessed, an exhausted look crossing her face.

"Hey!" An angry voice of a certain redhead came from somewhere in the back.

"I hope we find some materials for the sub. It got somewhat beat up on our way here…one of the side engines has been rattling ever since we got tossed around by that underwater twister." Penguin walked towards the railing with a long list in his hand, checking everything they needed to buy.

Kai sighed. "Yeah, we need to buy fresh food too…we're running out of supplies."

"Is that why we had oatmeal for all three meals yesterday?!" Josh exclaimed with a grimace, remembering their recent diet that shouldn't even be called that. He didn't even like oatmeal.

The captain of the Heart Pirates stepped out on the deck, looking at the island ahead of them. "Don't forget we are on a tight budget. We didn't really have time to get our hands on some money lately." Law didn't look thrilled by their situation either. The only ship they encountered was the one belonging to One-eyed Lynx pirates and they didn't have much to loot from anyway. The Hearts have been having some money difficulties ever since Fishmen Island where the crew, much to Law's dismay, spent almost all their savings on women and booze. Of course that got them a week of scrubbing the bathroom toilets, which never looked pretty as they were used by about 20 men. Law hoped they could change their Beli issues real soon as they approached the new island; one way or the other.

Bepo and Miyako looked at each other for a moment, as if thinking the same thing. "I wonder if we should've taken some of that gold in the caverns after all," Miyako mused out loud.

All heads suddenly turned towards the polar bear and the samurai girl. "Gold? What gold?"

"Ah! I was so worried about captain, I totally forgot about the treasure!" Bepo exclaimed suddenly, hitting his open palm with the paw of his other hand.

"Treasure? Gold? What are you talking about?" The Heart Pirates still demanded an explanation, huddling around the pair.

Miyako hummed as if troubled, before shrugging. "Well the cavern where those sea creatures attacked us, there was this big room with all kinds of treasure. But to be honest, we were hurrying to find you guys and later you all wanted to find the submarine as soon as possible and get out of there, so I didn't really concern myself with it anymore." Once again the girl shrugged, finishing the explanation.

Everything was silent for a while as the pirates stared at the unfazed girl with slack jaws. She didn't seem to get why everyone were so shocked.

"What?" Miyako finally asked, slightly annoyed that the men just kept staring at her like something was wrong with her head.

"Miya-chan!" Penguin was the first to call out in a shocked response, grabbing Miyako's shoulders with both hands and talking in a rushed pleading voice. "How can you pass a treasure and not take it! That goes against every pirate's nature! Looting treasures is…is….a pirate's romance!" The mechanic explained, still holding onto Miyako's shoulders as if he was desperately trying for the girl to understand. Behind him, the crewmembers nodded in earnest. "It's the same as yelling out 'Land ahoy!' when you see a new island or sending someone right into the depths of Davey's Locker! It's definitively a pirate's...no, a man's romance!"

The girl tilted her head in slight confusion and furrowed her eyebrows as if trying to solve a particularly hard mathematical problem. "Who's Davey and why would you stuff someone into his locker? That's just mean." She often had no idea what these guys would spout but today they seemed even more into it than usual.

Once again, a complete silence enveloped the deck before Josh's voice, a few octaves higher than usual, yelled out in anger, pointing his finger right into Miyako's face. "You're a disgrace to all pirates!" The girl got slightly taken aback by his outburst, but before she could give her own retort, the redhead continued. He took a determined stance with a raised fist. "That's it! We're going to teach you how a true pirate acts! And if you fail, you will never become one of the Heart Pirates!"

"Eeeeh?!" The girl was sincerely surprised by his statement. How did things turn out like this? Hasn't she already been accepted by the Heart Pirates anyway? Was this really so important; to know each and every term in their strange 'pirate' lingo? It took her long enough to get used to the strange way people spoke out of Wanokuni in the first place. Her gaze sought out one man whose one word could end this whole charade, but Law stayed suspiciously quiet as if amused by this turn of events. As their gazes met, the captain shrugged with a barely noticeable gesture, silently telling her there was nothing he could do. That was a blatant lie of course; a lie that sealed her fate for the rest of their stay on this island.

"Wait, what do you mean 'we'?" Cody walked over to the two, having a bad feeling about this.

The shorter medic turned to his friend with a straightforward expression. "You're gonna help of course." The blunt tone in his voice clearly stated Josh had no qualms that Cody will join them in this task; as if it was expected.

On the other hand, Cody sweatdropped with a grimace and looked away.*I knew it!* After a moment of collecting his composure once more, the medic sighed and looked back at the expectant Josh and a still shocked Miyako. He couldn't help but sigh. "Fine." It's better for him to not leave those two alone in their antics; who-knows-what disaster could follow.

"We're here!" Their chat was interrupted by Bepo's excited call as they came to an autumn island and the view of the harbor sprawled out in front of them. Not just the harbor, but the whole island became clear before them, showing off its wonders.

It was a rather small island, where everything seemed clustered together, with narrow streets between houses and shops. The whole town seemed full of life as voices and ringing echoed around. Tall metal chimneys rose up in the air, puffing grey and white smoke now and then while other whistled like kettles with boiling water. Even though the white smoke rose up in the air, it only dissolved in the atmosphere like some benign gas, slowly disappearing. It was nothing like the black, polluted air that flowed ominously above Jade Island, where factories worked days on end. All sorts of vehicles rode down the streets, with some people even standing on small machines they steered down the paved streets. The whole town seemed alive and moving, creating a charming scenery.

The yellow submarine docked into the port next to a ship that looked like a black and brown metal contraption combined with wood, creating a scrappy-looking vessel. The Hearts jumped down from the deck onto the wooden pier, fastening the sub's harnesses and metal chains that their crewmates threw from the deck.

Miyako looked around in awe when they finally headed away from the port and into the town's heart. The buildings were all closely fitted one next to the other, metal pipes of some sort connecting some of them; they were set up throughout the whole town. A clock tower with a black pointy rooftop rose in the town's center as the highest building and chimed loud enough for the whole town to hear as it stroke ten o'clock. All the buildings looked scrappy with metal and wood united together to form houses and shops.

Men walked by in leather cloaks and top hats, while women wore puffy dresses and corsets, holding canes or umbrellas. A strange contraption that looked like a quadruped walked without anyone steering it side by side with a human child.

"Wow…everything is full of machinery!" Shachi exclaimed excitedly. Just then a loud rumbling sound came from behind him and the mechanic swirled around just in time to see a building rising. It was a shop but it looked like the shopkeeper was closing as the man shut his window and lowered the shutters. Two big holes on its floor opened and large, metal legs came out. They squeaked and shrieked as the whole building rose up and literally walked off, the wooden sign of the shop clattering against the wall from behind. Shachi just stood there, his mouth open, a shocked expression on his mostly hidden face. "Penguin…that shop just…walked away." The brown-haired mechanic couldn't say much more, still too perplexed by the view.

Penguin was staring at the leaving building as well, a similar expression on his face. "I think I'm gonna cry a little." The man admitted with an obviously moved expression on his face, clear even with the yellow rim of the hat hiding his eyes. Shachi simply put a hand on his friend's shoulder, indicating to Penguin that he knew exactly how the other felt.

Almost in harmony, both mechanics cheered with tearful eyes and excessively loud voices. "This place is awesome!" They couldn't stop looking around, going up the numerous stairs that led to different wooden and metal bridges leading around the town.

"Wow, they're really in paradise." Miyako looked at the mechanics with a sweat-drop. They were acting like excited children, exploring every nook and cranny around them. When they saw a large zeppelin slowly flowing through the white sky, Penguin really did cry.

"What's the name of this town anyway?" Bepo looked around, a bit wary of the moving machines and rumbling pipes that made a connected web throughout the town.

"I believe it's called Noir, just like the island…well, this whole town is the island actually." Sai explained, looking at a small river that was actually sea water as it passed through the island with a few stone bridges connecting the two sides. There were roots and weed growing from the stone blocks, slowly resolving the stone. The bridges, much like everything looked old and in slight ruin but somehow only added to the charm of the whole town.

A sudden loud whistle made Miyako jump and she looked behind her. Near the port was what looked like a station of some kind but she couldn't see any tracks on the town's road. At better expectation the girl noticed a long metal contraption with carts, standing there right on top of the water as if that sight wasn't canceling the laws of physics at all. The front had a small chimney that whistled now and then, blowing white smoke out of it.

"Oh, it looks like the Sea train is here." Cody commented, not at all surprised by the sight before him.

"The Sea train?" Miyako, on the other hand, couldn't be more amazed by the sight. She never even saw a train in real life; only in pictures of some books she often read.

"Miya-chan never saw one, did she?" This time it was Sam who spoke, but there was no mocking in his tone. "They've become popular recently, after the one in Water 7 became so known as a big success. Now a lot of islands have them, connecting one island with the other. It really helped the trading business. This train seems to be transporting cargo."

A slight disappointment crossed Miyako's face. "So we can't ride it?" She looked at Sam with big, expecting eyes, as if he was the one to decide on the matter.

The man blushed, a bit embarrassed by Miyako's sudden intense stare towards him. "W-well…maybe. But I doubt it's for tourists…or pirates for that matter." He shrugged at the last part, silently apologizing.

Miyako still kept that disappointed look as she watched back at the Sea train that was once again ready to leave the island, following the rail tracks situated on the sea. "It's amazing." She read about trains and so much more in all those books of hers that she read even as a child; dreaming of one day seeing that world; experiencing all those adventures she read about. And now, finally, she was. She was right there, watching a Sea train in real life as it drove off on the sea. She felt disappointed that she didn't get to ride it but she was exhilarated just being able to see such a sight.

A hand draped over her shoulders in a comforting manner. Cody's smile pulled Miyako out of her thoughts as she looked at the medic beside her. "Don't worry Miya-chan, I'm sure you'll be able to ride one. There are so many amazing things in the New World after all."

"And dangerous. Don't forget dangerous things…" Kai muttered and gulped at the thought. Just the horrific stories of the New World were enough to send a shiver down his spine.

Eli jogged down the street towards the group, the earflaps of his hat dancing on the wind behind him. "Captain, what will we do about the supplies?" Some of the Heart Pirates were already awaiting Law's orders. They didn't have enough money to buy everything they needed so for now they had to focus on the crucial items.

Their captain sighed, looking over the list of the supplies that had to be bought. He already knew the parts for the submarine will, as always, be most expansive, but they were definitively obligatory since they didn't want the vessel to break under water pressure if some of its elements were too weak. That would, indeed, be a gruesome death and Law wasn't prepared to die for such a foolish reason. Luckily, the island seemed equipped with mechanical goods for the engine and there were bound to be a few engineering shops around here. Taking Eli's pen, the captain marked their most needed supplies. "For now, buy this. I'll find a way to make us some money." He was hoping to find some source of gain after looking around the island. Hopefully there was something useful to be found, though Law really doubted they had such luck that a golden opportunity would just wait for them, ready to be taken.

The captain turned to his large navigator. "Jean Bart-ya, how long till the log pose sets?"

The ex-captain looked at the log pose, the fragile item looking tiny in his large hand. "I talked to a few locals; they say less than 2 days."

"Oh, great! Let's look around then." This time it was Miyako who answered, excited to start the new adventure of exploration on the small but interesting island where buildings walked and people drove.

Her bright smile was soon extinguished as Josh pulled her back by the collar. A slight choking sound escaped her mouth as she stopped in her step and instead took one back, barely containing balance to prevent herself falling on her bottom. "No, you don't!" The medic exclaimed, securing a safe hold on the samurai.

Miyako swiftly turned around, escaping Josh's grasp, and punched him over the head without mercy. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" There was a seething glare burning from her eyes and right into the medic's.

The redhead held his pained head and glared right back, angered by Miyako's actions. "You and I have work to do, remember?! You can't get out of it, I'll burn all the things you need to know as a pirate right into your brain!" The short man looked awfully determined about this; obviously having no intention to forget about this.

Miyako looked around her, a bit uncertain. She gazed at Cody questioningly, but the man just shrugged with a tired sigh, already used to Josh's stubborn behavior. Once the temperamental redhead sets his mind on something, it's impossible to sway his determination. And right now, Josh decided that this was happening and wasn't letting Miyako get out of it.

Before she could even answer, the redhead grabbed the girl's hand and started dragging her away. "Come on!" Seeing Cody a few meters away, silently turning his back to them and trying to sneak away, the shorter medic called out to him. "You're coming too!" Cody grimaced but turned around, resigning to his fate. Both he and Miyako shared the same defeated expression as they quietly gave up and gave in to Josh's demandes.

As the final hope for her escape, Miyako turned to Law with a pleading look that clearly conveyed; Take me with you. On her dread, the captain just ignored her big puppy eyes, completely unaffected by the begging look she was silently giving him. Instead, he dismissively waved his tanned hand at them. As much as the whole scene amused him, he needed to return to more important matters right now; like planning how to get his hands on some money. "Have fun." He simply mumbled, not really caring about Cody and Miyako who were being dragged away by Josh, the redhead still holding them tightly to prevent their escape.

"Law you traitoooor!" Miyako's angry yell was carried on the wind as it slowly diminished, along with its source, who was currently being dragged into the crowd by the red-haired medic and disappeared not long after.

"You think they will be alright?" Bepo scratched his cheek with a sharp claw, his gaze still following the three pirates where they disappeared into the mass of people.

Law turned to look at the same direction, a slight smirk of amusement on his face. "They'll be fine." The captain turned back to stroll down his own way, putting both hands casually into the pockets of his trousers while his trusted first mate carried the long nodachi. The bear trotted after Law, shyly lowering his head as he noticed the onlookers around them giving him puzzled and interested stares. It was probably the first time they saw a walking, talking and clothed polar bear holding onto a large sword.

~…..~

Shachi and Penguin couldn't get enough of exploring every single shop and street in this town. They ran through the small main square with the big clock. One mechanic went up the stairs, taking a deep, excited breath when he saw some of those small robots in a shop's window. Shachi practically glued his face to the cold glass, looking at the small mechanical contraptions standing on their metal feet on a small platform.

Meanwhile, Penguin followed one of the rumbling pipes from one metal bridge to the other, until he came to the town's postal office and realized those pipes were postal tubes where mail traveled from one place to the other. The clerks would put the message in a wooden tube that would be sent down a certain entrance of one of the pipes.

After some more running around, the two mechanics finally met up again, bumping shoulders as they both stopped at one certain shop. It looked old and small, barely standing and with nailed boards patching up a few holes in the wall. On top of the metal rooftop that consisted of metal boards and panels, two chimneys happily puffed out the white smoke that traveled high into the air and dissolved into nothingness. Despite its run-down appearance, the mechanics stayed there standing in awe, slowly walking towards the glass window of the store. There was only one item presented there; a heavy-looking, large engine with wires and circuits traveling through compartments, while joints held various parts with skillfully fitted screws. An air went occupied a large proportion of the engine, set up just right so the contraption doesn't overheat.

"Is that…" Penguin started, looking at the engine closely with his trained eye of a mechanic.

"Air dependent, Sterling 2000x" Shachi finished just above a whisper, still staring at the engine in front of them.

Meanwhile, Penguin stepped back to look for the shop's name or some kind of sign. After a while, he found a wooden board, so dirty with grease and soot, it was hard to read what the name spelled. With a little bit of strain and some squinting of his eyes, Penguin finally read the sign out loud. "Mister Bingley's Tinker Shop of Engineering."

The two mechanics looked at each other, a wide grin crossing their face, as they repeated in harmony. "Engineering."

Shachi headed for the doorknob of the small store even before Penguin could voice out the suggestion. Just as the brown-haired mechanic was about to pull the knob, a voice came from the inside. The pirates couldn't really distinguish the topic of the conversation but it sounded like someone was arguing. Shachi and Penguin looked at each other once more, this time an expression of questioning confusion replaced the previously excited smiles.

A bit hesitant, Shachi slowly opened the doors, the voices from inside becoming loud and clear now.

"I'm telling you it's the only way!" A woman's voice raised an octave higher, one foot stomping on the hardboard floor.

"It's far too dangerous, Ettie. Besides, we don't even have enough people needed for it, you can't do it alone." A much older man's voice followed in a calm but clearly worried manner. He seemed tired as if this wasn't the first time he held this conversation with the woman.

"If we don't do something, the shop will-!" The woman stopped herself as soon as she heard the store's bell that chimed with the opening of the front doors. Her head whipped back to look at the two newcomers, an annoyed glare boring into the two men.

"H-hi." Shachi greeted awkwardly, rising one hand in the process. Both mechanics just stood there, shifting in their position, unsure what they just interrupted but the glare of the woman never diminished as she stared at them.

However, even in this situation Penguin's cheeks managed to form a light blush when he got a closer look at the woman standing in front of them. She seemed in her early twenties, tall and lean, with flawless tanned skin, which seemed even darker than Law's. She wore high leather work boots that almost reached to her knees, while the heels supporting them only added to her height. Appearing from the boots and up her legs were skin tight beige pants, accompanied with a white loose blouse tucked into her pants, with the first two buttons carelessly left open. There was a heavy tool belt on her waist, carrying a pouch and a strapped pistol, together with various tools. Her curly and wild mid-length black hair that was restrained by a red bandana on top of her head, whipped behind her as she swiftly turned towards the two mechanics, boring her two big brown eyes into them. She put her callused hands covered in fingerless leather gloves on her hips and tilted her head slightly, her full lips forming a slight frown. "Who're you?"

Shachi and Penguin looked at each other for the umpteenth time that day; however this time there was a clear look of wonder on their faces. After exchanging quick glances, the pirates looked back at the woman, unsure how to answer.

Instead, they looked back at the other person in the room; an old man sitting behind the shop's counter. He wore a strange pair of goggles that had a tube mechanism on it, while one of the eyeglasses was green and glowing. The tube suddenly pulled back into itself and the green light dimmed before disappearing completely. The said man took off the goggles and showed them his wrinkly, pasty face. Snow-white unruly hair fell on his face, accompanied by the same-colored mustache.

The old man spoke up before they had a chance to say anything. "Now, now, Ettie, don't be mean to the customers. We barely have any to begin with…" Clearing his throat, the man smiled at the two pirates, showing off his yellow teeth. "Welcome to my shop. I am, as you chaps can already guess, mister Bingley! How can I help you gentleman?"

Penguin managed to get out of his daze long enough to answer. "Ah! Mister, is that really a Sterling out there in the window? Where did you get it?"

The old man, who was stroking his mustache up until now, stopped his actions and looked at Penguin with wide eyes, blinking a few times in wonder. To the mechanic's surprise, the old man laughed whole-heartedly, before managing to calm himself enough to answer the baffled mechanic. "Got it, young man? I'm afraid you're mistaken. I built it." He showed them another grin that resonated amusement and pride at the same time.

The mechanics couldn't help but gape at the old man, who was now walking around the counter and towards them. He was so short, he barely reached passed Shachi's waist. Still, that didn't seem to bother the smiling geezer as he walked up to them with a grin on his face and put a pair of regular, thin glasses on his nose. The whole action reminded Shachi of a grandfather trying to see how much his grandson has grown since the last time they saw each other.

Penguin stepped forward, towards the man, still gaping and in shock. "Old man, you're telling us you built that engine from scratch!? But this is an air-dependent model, only factories with hundreds of people working on it can make this!"

"Fufufuf" The old man simply chuckled, amused by Penguin's shocked expression. But even more, he was impressed by the young man's enthusiastic and excited demeanor now that they were talking engines and mechanics. The old man could instantly see these boys weren't just tourists, looking around, but honestly knew about the matter.

"Hmpf, of course! Gramps is the best engineer on the island and his work is of much better quality then some factory work." The woman crossed her arms on her chest, puffing a loose strand of hair from her face.

The old man laughed again. "Well I can't take all the credit, this young lady helped. This is my granddaughter Etella, and also my best apprentice…well then again, she is also my only apprentice. Fufufufu." The man laughed at his own joke, but the laugh soon turned into a coughing fit.

"Gramps!" The woman ran up to him, stroking his back soothingly. "Did you drink your medicine today?" There was no trace of that frown on her pretty features now, only honest worry.

"Yes, yes, Ettie. I'm fine. Don't treat me like a child, girl, there's still some fight left in these old bones!" The man waved at her dismissively, shaking off her worried gaze. Instead, he turned towards Shachi and Penguin once again. "I'm surprised you managed to recognize that engine; it looks quite different than the ones produced in the factories. Who might you be, gentleman?" The old man fixed the small glasses on his nose, taking a better look at the two men before him.

The two men tensed a bit, not sure how to respond. They both knew how people reacted at the word 'pirate' and not many wanted to be in company of one. They didn't know if people of Noir tolerated pirates or if the man will start calling for the town's officers as soon as he hears the name of their pirate group. Shachi gulped, stalling the inevitable.

"They're pirates." The woman, now known as Etella, answered before Shachi's dry throat could voice out a response.

Penguin looked as startled as his friend. "How did you-?"

Once again, his words were cut off when the woman continued. Her whole attitude seemed rather aggressive but Penguin just couldn't find the strength to be angry at the exotic beauty before him.

"You're running around with your pirate mark on your overalls. You're standing out in those outfits, Heart Pirates. I've seen your wanted posters in the newspapers…your captain is quite infamous." A small smirk appeared on Etella's lips, amused by something the mechanics couldn't see.

The two pirates were sure the old man would chase them away, but instead he only looked at them in amused wonder. "hoooh, pirates you say? How interesting, we didn't have any in quite some time. Not since I helped that young lad with his new arm…" The man lost himself in thought for a while, reminiscing on some other time in his life.

Shachi and Penguin just looked at each other, not sure how to respond. They seemed to be at a loss of words quite often next to this pair.

However, Penguin soon got out of that state. The younger mechanic always knew how to break the silence, usually with his inappropriate behavior. "So old man, if you're such a good engineer, how come this place is all cheap and run down? Uf!"

An especially hard jab in the ribs by Shachi's elbow made Penguin lose all air in his lungs. The mechanic looked at his pirate friend with a perplexed expression, not understanding what he did wrong this time.

Shachi stayed quiet but gave him a warning stare. On the other hand, a shiver went down Penguin's spine when he noticed Ettie's burning glare on the nape of his neck. The mechanic fidgeted uncomfortably, staring at the dusty floor and avoiding her hard gaze. "Sorry," the young man mumbled.

On their surprise, the old man Bingley just chuckled once more. "That's quite alright. You youngsters are all straightforward, aren't ya?" He gave Etella a quick amused glance accompanied by a knowing smile, as if the statement was meant for her as well. However, as he continued, the man's gaze became somewhat somber. "The truth is we aren't doing that well. There aren't many customers that come here. This shop and I…no, our whole family has been through a lot, but at this rate it seems I'll have to close down the business for good..." Bingley walked over to one of the shelves that had various mechanical items on it. He slowly swiped his hand across the shelf, feeling dust underneath his fingertips. These items have been waiting on these shelves for a long time, for someone to buy them, but hardly anyone comes here anymore.

"Gramps…" Etella stated with a sorrowful gaze, not knowing what to say. She knew best how important this shop was to Arthur Bingley, her grandfather. It was a family business and he hoped for Ettie to succeed him in it one day, but now there was poor chance of that ever happening.

"I don't get it." Shachi honestly exclaimed, crouching to look at one particular item in the shop. He took it off the shop and presented it towards Bingley. Penguin instantly recognized the strange apparatus and whistled, impressed. "This is a GP for a battery cell. And look at this Penguin, this part here! It's genius" Shachi presented it to the other mechanic who's jaw slackened in astonishment.

"Old man! You actually managed to think of a way to proof the battery from salt water contamination!" Penguin exclaimed as he examined one of the crucial parts of the large battery cell they used at the submarine. However, this one part was slightly different from theirs as it was modified and clearly improved.

"How can someone with this skill have problems with getting costumers?" Shachi continued in an amazed and completely perplexed tone.

Old man Bingley and Etella looked at each other; the woman had a troubled expression on her face while the short man just smiled sadly. Ettie's fists suddenly tightened in anger as she glared at her feet. "It's all his fault." She suddenly spat, surprising even Arthur Bingley.

Shachi and Penguin both looked at each other with questioning gazes. They noticed Bingley's expression turned rather awkward as well. "His?" The two mechanics asked in unison, putting down the items they have been admiring up until now.

"Viscount Caffrey Thorneye. He also owns an engineering shop, though his is much bigger. He's the most popular engineer in town. " Etella started to explain, her expression darkening as she went on. "He proclaimed to the whole town that gramps' marchandise isn't safe and completely wiped out our business!" The woman slammed her fist onto the counter, gritting her teeth in frustration. She knew how much her grandfather has been suffering because of everything that happened, yet she couldn't do a thing about it. She felt weak and useless.

"Isn't safe?" Shachi tilted his head to the side, looking at Mister Bingley with a questioning gaze hidden behind his sunglasses.

The old man sighed, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. "It's my fault."

"Gramps!" It seemed Etella wanted to protest but Bingley stopped her, rising one arm.

He shook his head as a signal to his granddaughter that he wanted to finish with this topic. "That's enough, Ettie. These young boys shouldn't trouble themselves with our problems." Once again he turned towards the two pirates, smiling, but his gaze still seemed troubled and less alive than before. "If you are still interested, feel free to look around. However, as you can see, there isn't much left…I haven't had much money to buy needed materials."

Shachi felt sorry for the old man and his granddaughter. Even though they were both talented engineers, they're business will go to waste along with all these wonderful inventions. He looked at his friend, who was once again in his own world, marveling numerous items in the small shop.

Penguin was momentarily in awe by a contraption which mechanism rotated on various wheels, big and small. The rotation made a certain cylinder move, which then transferred the kinetic energy to the rod that was moving inside a wooden bowl. On the other side of the contraption, there was a metal container above a burner, for warming up liquid. The Penguin tilted his head on one side, then hummed in thought, before tilting it to the other side. He just couldn't figure out what it was for, even though it looked familiar.

Etella chuckled quietly, amused by the troubled mechanic. "It's a tea-brewer. Well, coffee works too actually. It can do anything, from brewing tea to boiling water and finally it mixes it here, pouring the tea out of this tube." The woman pointed at a long but narrow tube leading downwards. "It's one of gramps' inventions, of course." There was a smile on her face now, showing she was proud of her grandfather's work. Then she crossed her arms on her chest again, looking between the two men. There wasn't a frown of annoyance on her face as she looked at them, only slight amusement, as if she warmed up to them slightly. Or at least wasn't as suspicious as before; perhaps it was because the pirates obviously acknowledged her grandfather's work. "I'm more interested as to what are two pirates doing here? You seem to know quite a lot about some of these items."

"Oh, that's because we are the mechanics on our submarine." Penguin stood up from his crouch and bumped his chest with a fist, grinning proudly.

"A submarine?!" Both Etella and her grandfather opened their eyes widely as they stared at the two mechanics.

"Mhm, we helped in building it ourselves! Ah, that's right; I'm Shachi and this is Penguin." The mechanic finally remembered to introduce them as he pointed with his thumb at Penguin next to him. His younger friend tipped the yellow rim of his hat, in a brief hello.

"A submarine, you say? Now, that I would like to see. Ah, I remember, in my younger days I also worked on a design of one submarine. Urtica, we called 'er. A beauty, indeed." Once again, Bingley let his mind wonder in his younger days of life, strolling down memory lane with a nostalgic gleam in his eyes.

"Then you boys know your stuff. Why don't you look around? We have some great wiring slots that I myself worked on." The young woman announced proudly.

Another blush covered Penguin's cheeks and the man smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Etella-san, did? Then I'd definitively want to buy it!"

Another elbow in the stomach stopped Penguin from taking any further. Instead, Shachi continued. "That's great but to be honest, we don't have much money to spend." A bit awkwardly, Shachi reminded Penguin of their current financial situation.

"Oh…that's right, we're kinda broke." Penguin continued, sighing disappointedly. He pulled out a list of things they had to buy. "But perhaps if you have these items…?" The younger mechanic handed Bingley their list.

"Um but…" Shachi shifted a bit uncomfortably in his place, looking around the room. The rest couldn't see his mostly hidden expression but his demeanor was enough to suggest that he felt reluctant about asking something.

Etella, being a straightforward woman that she was, frowned, annoyed by Shachi's unwillingness to speak up. "Just spit it out already, what is it?"

The mechanic felt uncomfortable cold sweat form on his brow but decided to continue anyway. However, Etella's piercing gaze only made him more hesitant to do so. He didn't really want to test her wrath and somehow had a feeling he was treading dangerously close that territory. "I don't really want to ask this but…what did you mean by 'unsafe'?" Mister Bingley and Ettie seemed like likable and good people, even if Etella could be rather harsh, but as a mechanic, Shachi's priority was to ensure the safety of the crew and vessel. If the merchandise wasn't of good quality, not matter from who it was, Shachi wouldn't risk all their lives by buying something of uncertain standard.

"That's a lie! It's not true!" Etella yelled out even before Bingley could answer properly, her brown eyes once again furious and burning.

Shachi gulped, not wanting to provoke the woman any further.

Before anyone could say more on the matter, a sound of carriage rolled down the street, stopping right in front of the small shop. The horses' light galloping ceased as the coach stopped. Small metal steps swung out and unfolded themselves on their own, before the doors of the carriage opened. A sole polished black shoe stepped out of the carriage, before the other followed and finally their owner stepped on the paved road.

The four people inside the store watched the unusual sight through the dirty glass window, staring at the newcomer who was now opening the front doors. The bell rang as the stranger walked inside, closing the doors behind him.

Shachi and Penguin stared in silence at the person in front of them. They looked like a gentleman with finest fabric for their elegant suit. A long black coat of leather spilled almost to the floor, while a top hat rested securely on neatly combed red hair. White silk gloves decorated his hands as he held a black cane with an ornamental metal ball on top. His posture was stiff and upright, as the man held his chin high proudly while walking. Thin red mustache decorated his face of mid-forties. The man glanced at the two strange men wearing white overalls, but seemed to dismiss their entire presence as they proved of no interest to him. Instead, his one eye behind a golden monocle focused on Mister Bingley and his granddaughter.

The tall man flashed a smile towards the pair, showing perfectly white teeth; except one which was replaced by a silver tooth. "Arthur Bingley, it's been too long."

The woman just glared at him furiously, as if trying to release the fires of hell itself to consume this person. On the other hand, old man Bingley only looked at the newcomer with disinterest, as if bored by the other man's presence. "I'd rather say; not long enough, Viscount Thorneye." The old man retorted in distaste.

The younger man smiled as if amused but it never reached his eyes. He looked back at the two mechanics. "I see you have customers. That's quite unusual."

"That's none of your business! Go back to the hole from which you crawled out, you snake!" Etella didn't even try to pretend to show some manners towards the gentleman as her grandfather did. She was slowly losing her composure and it was obvious to everyone in the room. The tension could be cut with the knife while the air grew deadly and cold.

On Etella's disgust, the man only chuckled at her, unfazed by the outburst as if he was used to it. He stepped closer to the woman and narrowed his eyes in delight when he saw her flinch and shrink back in suspicion. "Oh dear Ettie...still as feisty as ever…and yet even more beautiful than the last time I saw you."

The man reached to touch her cheek with his gloved hand but stopped abruptly when he heard the cocking of the pistol. In a second, Ettie had drawn out her pistol from her belt and aimed it right between Thorneye's eyes, only inches away from his face. "You don't get to call me that and don't touch me." Her voice was no more than a growl now, deadly serious as she held her finger on the trigger.

The man's face flinched in slight alarm as he stiffened. Still, he managed to save most of his composure while stepping away and moving his hand back to his side. As soon as he stepped away, Etella also put away her flintlock pistol back to its holster.

"I apologize for my granddaughter's behalf, Viscount. She's been in a slightly ill mood today." Even though Bingley expressed his apologies, there was a clear tone of amusement masked underneath them. "So what can I do for you this time?"

The Viscount cleared his throat and looked back to the old man. Once again, his tone returned back to that proud and mighty one, obviously he considered himself better than anyone else in this room. "I have come to ask you about my offer once again, Bingley. I hope you've given it some more thought this time."

The old man sighed, exasperated. He knew this is why the Viscount came here, but honestly he was tired of repeating himself so many times. "As I've said before, the answer is still 'no.'"

Thorneye scowled. "Think about it Bingley, this place is already over, as is your business! You have nothing. But it'd be a waste for a man of such skill as yourself. If you and your granddaughter come to work for me, you can still do what you do best and make a living. I am being quite generous here, despite your….history." Viscount gave Bingley a knowing look, reminding him of something that happened long ago.

For the first time, the light smile left Bingley's face and was replaced by a more serious expression. He took off his small glasses and blew hot breath into them a few times, before cleaning them with the edge of his sweater. "Viscount Caffrey Thorneye…" He started as if trying to remember something about that name. "I know you got your wealth by making your engineers develop weaponry that you sell to the World Government. Nevertheless, as much weapon trade is a profitable business, I have no intention of creating things that hurt people. As you can see, my inventions and creations are all based on helping them one way or the other." He gestured around the small space, showing all kinds of devices working on the shelves. "So I'm afraid, I can't lend you my knowledge." His voice was completely serious now, no amusement left in it. "My answer won't change no matter how many times you ask."

The Viscount looked anything but happy, giving a dissatisfied glare towards the old man. He narrowed his eyes while responding. "We'll see about that," the man spat out before turning around swiftly and leaving the shop, his black coat fluttering behind him. The doors of the shop slammed closed, the bell ringing loudly, while the sounds of galloping resonated down the street.

Bingley sighed in exhaustion as he finally relaxed. "That man just won't give up." Another coughing fit attacked the old man and he had to sit down behind the counter to calm down. Etella quickly ran to the back and returned with a glass of water, handing it to the pale old man.

"So…that was the guy you were talking about earlier?" Shachi watched towards the doors where Thorneye stood not long ago, with a frown on his concealed face.

"Yes…He is the one who publicly ostracized our merchandise and grandpa's skill."

"Ettie…" Bingley panted and put a wrinkled hand on Etella's. "In the end…it was my fault." A somber expression reappeared on Bingley's face just like before.

Etella only shook her head harshly. But then she remembered their conversation from earlier, before the two mechanics interrupted them, and reached for her back pocket. Perhaps, this time he will listen to her. "Gramps…That's why I said; if we try this. If we win we will show everyone what our skill can do. We could win it all back and have enough money to save the shop!" The woman showed her grandfather the small leaflet once again.

"No!" The harsh response from Bingley threw him into another coughing fit. After he managed to calm down, the old man continued. "I already lost Henry that way…I won't lose you too. Listen to me girl, it's too dangerous! You must promise to me you won't even try it!" The old man was now desperately clutching at her shoulders, staring right into her eyes with his own. "Promise me!"

Ettie looked away guiltily but then looked back at her grandfather with a sad gaze. "I promise," she mumbled.

Shachi and Penguin stood there, completely forgotten, and looked at each other in puzzlement. "Um, what's all this about?" Penguin asked after a while, staring at the pair in front of them.

Etella glanced at them before standing up and walking over to the two men. She grabbed each mechanic by the arm and escorted them towards the exit. "I'm sorry, but my grandfather is not feeling well. You'll have to leave." She walked them out to the exit but then added in a whisper so only they could hear, "Meet me at the clock tower at 8 tonight." Before the mechanics could ask anything, they were pushed outside on the street and the doors of the store closed in their faces.

The two pirates looked at each other once again, staring at the shop quizzically. Penguin shrugged, not really knowing what to say.

But then Shachi stiffened and grabbed his head in despair. "Ah!" He exclaimed, remembering something vital. "In the end, we didn't buy any of the parts we needed! We'll have to come back to Captain Law empty-handed!"

Both mechanics felt a cold shiver run down their spines at the uncomfortable thought.

~…..~

Law walked down the streets of Noir in interest while watching various mechanical beings and items, from vehicles to pets, passing him by. A loud sound of a horn made Bepo jump next to him and move out of the way as a two-wheeled vehicle that Law never saw before, even in books, drove passed them, carrying two people on its back. It had wheels and pumps on one side, a dark liquid running through see-through tubes and into the engine.

"This place is pretty crowded." Bepo noted, feeling even larger than he actually was. He felt like he was in the way even more than usual and a feeling of discomfort washed over him.

The subtle change in the bear's expression didn't escape Law's perception and the doctor noticed his friend was feeling nervous and uncomfortable. The people around were still staring at Bepo with wide-eyes as if he was the real wonder here and not the occasionally walking buildings.

Before Law found time to retort, he felt a hand on his shoulder. The man quickly spun around, expecting a danger he needed to address, but the real sight confused him more than any marine would. A woman with long and curly hair and large dark eyes stood before him, smiling seductively. She wore a provocative dress with a tight leather corset and open cleavage, much larger than it should be as the attire only boosted her chest more. The frilly dark green dress had a slit on the side, showing one long leg covered in fishnet stockings. She held a metal fan in her hand, while other still caressed Law's shoulder. The only thing out of place and ruining the girl's allure was one glass eye that was held in place by thin metal hooks surrounding it, which were sunk deep into the girl's skin and creating a supporter for the eye.

"Hey there, cutie. Want to have some fun?" The girl smirked at him, winking with her good eye.

Law looked behind her, in a narrow and dark alleyway, seeing more girls dressed similarly as she was. It wasn't hard to guess these girls' profession. One noticed him and grinned with rotten teeth, showing off one of her legs which was obviously wooden. Law frowned for a second, trying to hide his disgust; did someone really even buy women like her? He turned back to the smiling girl before him. However, the pirate captain had no interest in prostitutes and as a doctor, the idea of all the diseases such wenches carried only repulsed him more. The captain gave the woman a smirk; she was actually pretty lucky. Some other time she might've ended up on his operating table instead of his bed as one of his new toys to practice on. However, he was more worried about their money issues and Bepo, who was getting anxious now, so he let this opportunity escape him. "No thank you, sweetheart," He answered polity, turning the woman down.

She could instantly see he wasn't one to be swayed, so she gave up on trying to persuade him. Still, it seemed the woman liked his good manners, because she smiled with a subtle bow in her knees. "Well if you change your mind…" She left the statement unsaid but gestured with a tilt of her head towards the alleyway, before turning around and walking back to her spot.

The captain turned, noticing his first mate was out of sight. At first he thought Bepo ran to a more secluded area, away from all these people, but then noticed the big orange jumpsuit not far from here. Law walked up to the polar bear, noticing Bepo was staring at a window of one of the stores.

"Look captain, it's a music shop." The bear seemed a bit brighter now, his nervousness momentarily forgotten as he watched small items in the window. Law noticed three strange-looking robots that reminded him of bugs. They had miniature trumpets and other instruments on their backs. When Bepo and Law came closer, as if on cue, the little creatures grew six legs each and ran towards the two men, lining up in front of them. With one motion of a small mechanism on them and a final click, music started playing out of them. The little bug robots sounded in perfect harmony, resonating the sound of pianos and violins from their little horns. The bear's eyes widened in excitement and awe as he stared at the little things, a wide smile on his face. That smile only got bigger as music continued. Law let him have his moment, watching the show himself, until the miniature concert ended.

With a smirk, the captain turned around, glad to see his first mate in a better condition. "Come on, Bepo. Let's go."

"Captain, can we get one of those?!" The bear didn't try to hide his excitement as he trotted down the street next to Law, now completely oblivious of the incoming stares.

"If we get our hands on enough money," was Law's honest reply.

"You know, I want to show it to Miya-chan. I bet she would love this music shop." The bear's smile never left his face as he continued.

Law wondered about that statement for a while. "Yes…I suppose she would." The man mumbled, slightly in thought. His mind trailed back to his samurai; who knows what she was doing now. Probably nothing fun if Joshua-ya still had his grip on her. The captain bowed his head slightly, a shadow falling over his eyes, created by his hat. His lips pulled back into a smirk. As long as the girl was with Joshua-ya and Cody-ya, she won't be anywhere near trouble; and that meant less exhaustion for him. Law was quite pleased with that.

"Are we gonna go eat something, captain?" Bepo's voice brought him back from his thoughts. "I'd like to eat fish."

"Whatever you want, Bepo. I don't care." Law nonchalantly shrugged, not really minding either way. "As long as it's not bread." He mumbled in continuation, but the first mate and his longtime friend already knew that much anyway. Instead, Law's attention was once again occupied by something else; a tattoo and piercing saloon. The red and black letters on the front window clearly stated so. Law looked down on his tattooed hand, the letters written in black ink just beneath each of its knuckle, forming a word 'death'. He looked at his other hand, the left one, which held no such mark. The pirate captain hummed in thought.

Law turned another page of his book, ignoring the intense stare he was getting from two golden orbs. He was currently enjoying the light breeze of the Grad Line, the weather stable and sufferable for once, as he sat on the upper deck of the surfaced submarine. The sounds of his crew's shenanigans were echoing from the deck below in the front of the submarine while the Heart Pirates played cards, fought and overall enjoyed the fresh air while they still could. Meanwhile, Law was enjoying his own time of peace and mostly quiet, leaning against a sleeping Bepo next to the upper railing.

On his surprise, Miyako came to join him, after she got sick of Penguin cheating in their card games and Shachi trying to see up her skirt every moment he could. Then Josh mentioned an embarrassing situation he recently stumbled upon with her and the captain involved, making the crew tease her endlessly and ask even more embarrassing questions. After giving a good punch to Sam and throwing Josh overboard while secretly wishing he was a fruit user so he could just sink away like a hammer to the bottom of the sea, Miyako finally had enough and stomped to the back of the sub in search of Bepo, the only crewmate she could never get angry at. On her dismay, the polar bear was soundly sleeping, his much larger body hidden behind the captain's while the other silently read his book.

The girl didn't want to wake the polar bear, but she also didn't feel like going back to the rest of the Heart Pirates right now. So she, on Law's utter surprise that he hid behind the rim of his hat, decided to stay with him here. It wasn't often that Miyako came to him; at least not without a good excuse like 'doing her job' when she would bring him his meal in the quarters. Still, Law asked Munk about that once and the head chef told him he hadn't had to ask the girl to do it for months, Miyako did it on her own now. Law simply rationalized that fact by saying she must be used to it already and so that was the reason she did it on her own accord. The captain also ignored the knowing look Munk gave him as if silently disagreeing with Law's logic and having a reasoning of his own. Trafalgar never asked Miyako about it to confirm his theory in fear that it would make the girl self-conscious and she would stop doing it altogether. He didn't really know why he'd care either way but a little voice inside him whispered that their silent arrangement, with Miyako sometimes coming to his quarters, suited him just fine and Law didn't want to spoil it.

A hum broke Law's train of thought, returning him to reality. The captain noticed he had been staring at the same page for 20 minutes now and didn't even remember what he read there. The girl was distracting him. A slight frown crossed his features as he sneaked a peek at the samurai. She was lying on the ground, staring at the covers of his book for a while now. She was obviously bored.

At first she had been amusing herself by playing with Bepo's sleeping face. She would poke his cheek or nose, examine his fangs or touch the spot on his ear that always made it twitch. The girl would giggle every time, like a small child playing with a big teddy-bear. However, after a while, Law warned her to leave Bepo alone to sleep in peace so Miyako stopped, flopping back down to the ground with a dramatic huff. She blew away some hair from her face, staring at the blue sky and the white fluffy clouds slowly sailing through it. After a while, the girl turned back to lie on her stomach, propping her head with her hands and stared at Law's book with an intent gaze, humming now and then as if troubled.

Law's eyebrow twitched, feeling the girl's eyes on him. The silent staring was slowly getting on his nerves. "What is it?"

"Why do you have the word Death tattooed on your hand?" Miyako didn't even blink as she asked bluntly, staring at the tattooed words on the captain's fingers.

The strange question took Law by surprise as he wasn't expecting it at all. It seems that she wasn't really staring at his book all this time, but actually at his hand. He raised his left hand, looking at the black inked letters there. He furrowed his eyebrows for a while, thinking about her question and remembering something in the distant past.

At first Miyako thought he would just ignore the question and stay silent, but after a while, Law started, "After I ate the ope ope fruit and started using my powers, I could only open my Room and operate it with the left hand." A sadistic grin appeared on the captain's face while he remembered something amusing. "The Room that meant sure death to anyone in it." Then he added in a more serious tone, "A long time ago I made a vow to myself; that from then on, my death will be in my hands alone. While at the same time, I will hold the death of my enemies in these hands and deliver them to it. How I die and how they die...that will be my choice." Since his devil fruit powers were usually the deliverer of that death, it just seemed appropriate to tattoo the hand which could summon them.

"Hmmm…" Miyako hummed once again, still staring at his tattooed hand with the same expression on her features, while propped up on her elbows. "But now you can create your Room with both hands, no?" It was more of a statement than a question, since Miyako already knew the answer to it.

Once again, a bit surprised, Law nodded uncertainly. He wasn't sure where she was going with this, but it was strange for her to suddenly ask about his past even in this indirect way. Miyako usually didn't pry into his past or business unless it concerned her. "Un," was his only short answer, accompanied with a nod. She must be really bored.

"Then, shouldn't you tattoo it on your other hand as well?" Her gaze traveled up, from his hand to his shadowed eyes, staring at him questioningly.

The captain blinked a few times, not really expecting such a suggestion from her. He looked down at his right hand, tanned skin without any inked marks on it. He didn't really think about it much but now that he did, it kind of made sense. "I suppose," he muttered, not really liking the idea of following someone else's ideas. But Law could tell a suggestion from an order, so it didn't really make him irritated.

Miyako grinned at him, which only surprised the captain more. "Yeah, I think it would look better after all."

Law stared at the smiling girl for a while, perplexed by her sudden words. However, he realized he shouldn't have been surprised about it since it was Miyako who he was talking with, after all. The captain bowed his head down, the hat shadowing most of his face, but an amused smirk appeared on his features as he thought over her suggestion. "Yeah..."

Law stared at his right hand before glancing at the tattoo and piercing saloon once again,

"Captain, what is it?" Bepo leaned forward, looking at Law's hand over the man's shoulder.

Still, even if Law wanted a tattoo this was not the moment to get one. They had money troubles as it is; to the point where everyone needed to reach into their personal savings to compensate for the lost money and buy needed supplies. He had to be practical and think economically for now. The captain sighed and returned both hands into the pockets of his spotted trousers. "It's nothing, Bepo. Let's go." Once again, the captain continued to walk down the crowded street.

~…..~

"Alright. If I say 'You're about to dance the hempen jig' what do I mean?!" Josh pointed a pencil right at Miyako's nose, ignoring the girl's completely bored look while she practically lay on the table.

They were currently in a small inn where most of the Heart Pirates gathered around to eat their meal, exhausted from the stocking up on supplies and carrying crates to the submarine. The place immediately became louder and rowdier when the group of men in white overalls entered, laughing and talking while enjoying some food that didn't look like a pile of goo for a change. They've had it rough on the sea for some time now, as the crew's chefs scrapped up the last of their food supplies for their meals, which really didn't look that presentable. For a change they could enjoy a hot, tasty dinner with even some beer on the side. They were also looking forward to sleeping on actual beds but that dream soon disappeared when captain warned them they had to stick to the budget; if they wanted to buy what they needed on the island, they'd have to sacrifice their night of coziness and spend the night in the submarine's quarters.

Miyako scrunched her nose as she stared at the pencil in front of her. Josh really got into this; he was dead serious about this little lesson of being a pirate. But Miyako couldn't really join him in his enthusiasm since she was bored to death, only dreaming of sweet escape at the moment. "I don't know; is it a funky pirate dance?" She stared at the redhead with half-closed, displeased eyes while keeping her voice in a monotone mumble.

The medic gritted his teeth in annoyance. Was she even listening to him?! They had just been over this. "No! It means you're going to hang!" The man gestured with the pencil, forming a line with it from one side of his throat to the other. "Now let's go over this one more time." He wasn't about to get beaten, still completely determined to educate Miyako on this matter.

"Uuugh." The girl groaned in absolute pain as she watched her life pass her by, waving happily right before her own eyes as it left her behind. "Just throw me in Davye's Locker instead!" She had enough of this; Miyako looked around, already planning her escape one way or the other.

A light laugh echoed somewhere on her left. There, Cody was lying on a bench near the wall, playing with a single apple as he tossed it in a straight line in the air and then caught it with ease. "You actually got that right," he noted, chuckling in slight amusement. He could see the girl was slowly reaching her limts in patience as she was now banging her forehead on the wooden table repeatedly.

Miyako looked at the old clock on the wall of the inn. It was already 9 in the evening and they had been doing this for a few hours now, ever since they docked on this island. She looked out of the window seeing it was already dark outside. Josh was still telling her something, but Miyako effortlessly ignored him as she tuned him out, focusing on her own thoughts. Most of the crew was already here at the inn; everyone but the two head mechanics and captain Law. Miyako remembered the scene that unfolded a few hours ago, something that caught her interest.

"Alright you landlubber, let's see what you know!" Joshua pointed his pencil high up in the air as if proclaiming an important point.

"You know, I have no idea what you just said but I have a strong feeling you insulted me." Miyako pierced Josh with a suspicious look, a frown on her face.

The redhead just smirked, returning Miyako's stare with his own, challenging one. "Well if you were a 'real' pirate, you would know for sure." He purposely emphasized that part, irking the girl further.

Miyako shifted in her seat uncomfortably, crossing the arms on her chest while her frown deepened. She huffed in displeasure. "I still don't see why I have to go through all this trouble...who cares how I speak. My way of vocabulary is just fine." With her pouting posture, the girl looked like an irate child who just got grounded. She could be enjoying the island right now; exploring, seeing new things… It looked like such an exciting town with so many various machines and possibilities. Instead, she could only enjoy the view while sitting next to the inn's window.

The doors of the inn opened again, letting some of the autumn breeze from the outside in along with a few stray leaves. The pirates reflexively turned their heads towards the newcomer in interest and immediately some of them formed bright smiles underneath their hats. "Captain!" The crew called out when they saw Trafalgar Law step into the room, Bepo right behind him holding onto the nodachi.

Law acknowledged everyone's presence, gazing across the filled space of the small room. He found an empty seat in the corner, with a single unoccupied table. Perfect. The captain relaxed in his chair, soon with a bottle of rum in his hand. Sipping the burning liquid, he looked around the room. He saw Joshua-ya dictating something to the samurai who was lying with her face on the table, looking dead tired of it all. Law smirked in amusement at the sight. His attention was then directed at the two head mechanics who were acting rather strangely; which meant they weren't causing any trouble nor were they in the center of the big group where some serious gambling was going on right now. No, instead they were sitting calmly on the side, whispering something to each other every no ad then. It looked like they were discussing something fiercely, but it wasn't one of their usual loud arguments accompanied by an occasional fist. Law's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Still, the captain let the two be for now; as long as they were in his sights they couldn't be getting into some kind of trouble. Law kept drinking from his bottle in silence, ignoring the rowdy bunch around him. However, every now and then his piercing gaze would glance at the fidgeting mechanics who seemed to still be discussing something.

A grandfather clock chimed, slowly counting down 8 o'clock. Suddenly, the mechanics nodded to each other before standing up and proceeded to try and sneak out of the inn while the others were still busy. However the movement didn't go unnoticed by a certain perceptive captain, who followed the mechanics' with his gaze as they walked out of the building. Taking the last sip of his rum, Law stood up taking the nodachi in one hand as he headed out after them.

Bepo blinked a few times in confusion, watching as Law suddenly stood up and started leaving. "Captain?" His asking expression stayed unanswered just like his question. The bear thought for a while, planning to follow his captain but then decided against it. Law would have called for him if he wanted the bear to follow and since he stayed quiet it only meant Law wanted to do this alone. Whatever it was.

~…~

Shachi and Penguin looked around at the small town square. It was 10 past 8 but there was no sign of the engineer woman yet. There were only a few people strolling through the streets now, creating quick shadows as they walked under the bright full moon.

"Do you think she'll come?" Penguin sat down on the stone stairs leading towards the big clock tower.

"She better. She was the one who invited us here." Shachi crossed his arms on his chest as he looked around the small town square. There was still no sign of Etella.

The two Heart pirates must've looked like quite a sight; wearing flashy white overalls that stood out even in the middle of the night with their color. Both of them wore colorful hats even though the sun set a long time ago. One of them even wore sunglasses, which only contributed to the weirdness of the whole scene. The two men were definitively the focus of attention for anyone passing by near them.

"What do you think this is all about?" The younger pirate just couldn't contain his curiosity as he fidgeted on, asking question he knew Shachi couldn't answer anyway.

"I know as much as you do…which is pretty much nothing." Shachi sighed in annoyance at his friend. This could be a trap for all they knew; the beautiful engineer woman Ettie could be conspiring with the authorities, setting them both up as they speak. Still, Shachi didn't want to think that the fierce but pretty lady like Etella would try and trick them. She looked quite honest. Instead, maybe she wanted to ask them a favor…and who knows what the reward would be. A slight blush appeared on Shachi's cheeks as he smiled at the idea.

"You're thinking of something perverted, aren't you…?" Penguin's voice brought him back to reality, but just as Shachi wanted to argue and deny that statement completely, he noticed Penguin's own blush on the man's cheeks. They were probably thinking of the same thing.

"So you came." A simple statement thankfully broke any more thoughts that could've gone into disturbingly wrong directions. A shadow moved above them on the higher ground level which led to some more streets and houses of the town. The figure swiftly jumped down from the railing and ended up right in front of a surprised Shachi.

"Ettie-chan!" The older mechanic exclaimed in mild surprise.

The woman raised one eyebrow at the informal nickname, but let it slide. She had more important things she needed to discuss with these two.

"What's all this about?" This time it was Penguin who asked, rising his head from the sitting position to look at the woman from under his big hat.

"This." A sound of paper rustling brought Shachi's and Penguin's attention to Etella's hand. She unfolded a paper and showed it to the two mechanics.

Shachi took the paper and read the printed red letters on it, squinting his eyes as he strained to read in the darkness. Penguin appeared instantly by his side, looking over the other's shoulder in an attempt to see what his friend was reading. It seemed to be a flyer to some event taking place in Noir every year. 'An annual competition' it said, 'between our finest engineers on the island,' the leaflet continued.

"It's a chance for all the engineers to show their work to the rest and gain prestige in this occupation. Not only does it show others their work, but also proves who is the best. In a sense; the winner takes it all." Etella explained, tapping to one certain part of the paper with her index finger. "Last year it was a race of aircrafts but…this year the competition is a bit different." A dark scowl crossed Ettie's features as she spat out, "And I'm sure Thorneye had something to do with it."

"Why do you think that?" Penguin couldn't help but scratch his cheek in wonder. Both Etella and her grandfather obviously hated the Viscount since there was some kind of bad history between them. Penguin didn't really know of the Viscount that well but by Thorneye's attitude he could see why they would want to hate him; he was nothing but an arrogant man drunk on his own power and wealth.

Etella sighed and sat down on the stone wall beneath the clock tower. "Once Thorneye got power and made money by creating and selling weapons to both marines and other countries, he put pressure on all the chief engineers here. He wanted to cut down all competition so he bought them and now most of them work for him. They create weaponry under him and he soon gathered both riches and prestige in Noir." The woman scoffed before continuing. "Even though other engineers do most of his work anyway; he's just a showoff. More of a businessman than a real engineer." She nodded towards the leaflet, signaling for the mechanics to look at it once more.

"This year the competition is a kind of battle. It is needed to create a battling machine and compete against each other. That's conveniently right up Thorneye's alley, wouldn't you agree?" The woman chuckled darkly, but there was no real amusement on her features. "I think he's taking precautions in case I decide to compete."

"But why is he so afraid of you?" Penguin questioned with a light shrug of his shoulders.

"The engineers who wouldn't stand beside the Viscount all moved from Noir. They had no choice, since the man was slowly destroying their business with his connections. The only one who stayed was gramps. He didn't want to bend under the Viscount's demands so he opposed him and kept working in his shop. The Bingley family ran it for generations after all, working in the engineering business." A smile crept on Etella's face as she remembered a happier time of her life, while the workshop was running constantly and the store was prosperous. "You've seen the work of my grandfather; he's got both the knowledge and skill to stand against Thorneye with his work all on his own. That's why Thorneye keeps pestering us to just sell our shop and work for him instead." She clenched her fists at the mere thought of working for that insufferable, sleazy man.

Shachi frowned a bit, not understanding one thing about Etella's story. "Even if you say that, you're store is actually already lost…" He didn't want to upset her, but the fact was obvious that they were already losing against Thorneye's power. The old man Bingley said it himself; they hardly had any customers at all.

"Tch. I know." Etella, scowled but didn't get angry openly like the last time they started this topic at the shop. "It all happened five years ago…It was the time when Thorneye was still accumulating his power and buying all the local engineers. But of course the Bingley family refused him. Before, we also participated in the annual competition of the chief engineers, and that year we were especially determined to win and beat Thorneye. My father, gramps and I; the whole family worked together on the project and my father piloted the machinery on the day of the competition." Etella's voice became softer and more solemn as she told the story. "But something went wrong during the competition and suddenly the craft burst into flame and exploded, with my father still inside."

"Ettie-chan…" Penguin started, not sure what to say or how to console the woman. However, Etella's demeanor soon changed back to her serious and harsh one, in no need for consolation. What she wanted was something else.

"After that incident, Thorneye seized the opportunity and declared to the whole town that our products were unsafe. After that everything went downhill…customers stopped coming and the shop slowly withered away while the Viscount rose to the top with his money and popularity. Gramps couldn't forgive himself either…he blames himself for my father's death." She sighed deeply before continuing. "After that competition, he forbade me to partake in them and we haven't since. But we need to win in it now more than ever! That's what I've been trying to tell him right before you entered the store."

"Why do you need to win so much?" Penguin tilted his head, not understanding how the win would save their shop.

"As I already said, the one who wins gets the reputation of the best engineer in Noir. If we can win against Thorneye, we could show everyone that our equipment is better! We could show everyone gramps' skills! And not only that; the prize for the competition isn't just the reputation as the number one engineering team but also money. Enough money to rebuild the shop and then some!" Etella's voice got higher as she got more elated by the thought of success and finally saving their business.

Shachi and Penguin looked at each other, suddenly understanding where this is going. "And you need our help." It came out more of a statement than a question.

Still, Etella nodded firmly. "Whole teams work on these engineering projects but I don't have anyone to hire. Even if we would have the money, Thorneye would just work his influence and pay them more, making it impossible for us to find someone. Gramps is against the whole thing too so I can't count on his help but I just know that we could win if I do this. Gramps thought me everything he knows about this business, I can do it! But I can't do it alone, I need your help."

"We'll do it!" Penguin instantly exclaimed, touched by Etella's story. It also didn't hurt that he would be working alongside this dark beauty.

However, Penguin's hopes and dreams were abruptly cut short by Shachi's hand that slapped him at the back of his head, tilting Penguin's hat in the process. "Don't just agree so easily!" Even though Shachi was also one to want to please a beautiful woman, at least he had a little more sense than his younger friend. As much as he would love to help Etella with this, Shachi still had another person at the back of his mind, reminding him in a cold voice that they couldn't act on their own. It was bad enough they sneaked out and came here behind that person's back. Shachi gulped at the thought of what captain would do if he found out they were talking business here without him.

Seeing doubt on Shachi's face, Etella tried to win him over as she continued to explain. "I wouldn't ask you to help me for free! I heard you in the shop; you said you needed money for new parts. Well, I'm offering you a part of the prize money if you help me build the machine for the competition. Beating Thorneye and restoring our reputation is enough and we only need a portion of the money to rebuild the shop. You can take the rest." Her voice became more assertive as her determination raised to try and talk the mechanics into doing this. "If I had anyone else to ask I would but…Nobody in Noir would help us. You are a neutral party and not under Thorneye's influence, so I'm asking you. " It was hard to say 'no' to Etella's big brown-colored eyes, but remembering icy grey ones made Shachi waver in his helpfulness.

"Look, we really would like to help you but…it's not up to us." The older mechanic started cautiously, trying to let the girl down softly. "I'm sorry Ettie-chan."

The engineer sighed in disappointment, but she wasn't ready to completely back down yet. "Then who is it up to?"

Shachi opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off by a new voice. "Me." Everyone turned around to see a figure standing there, clouded in the shadows. The person took a few steps closer, moving into the moonlight, so everyone could see their identity.

Law's tanned face came into the light, looking over the three suspicious people conversing in the town's square. He adjusted his nodachi on one shoulder but stayed calm, his demeanor relaxed as usual while his expression stayed an unreadable mask.

"Captain!" Both mechanics exclaimed at the same time in surprise. They're bodies stiffened from tension when they realized they were completely busted.

"W-what are you doing here?" Penguin barely managed to get the words out, stuttering in the process.

"Your conversation sounded so interesting, I decided to join in as well." A slightly mocking tone carried together with Law's words as he watched his two subordinates carefully. He enjoyed how guilty and rigid they looked as they shuffled around nervously. He still kept the same unreadable expression, which only prolonged the mechanics' suffering. They couldn't tell if the captain was angry, disappointed, or something completely different and that only made them even more worried.

"Captain Trafalgar Law of the Heart Pirates, I presume." Etella on the other hand didn't look scared in the slightest. She walked over to him in a confident manner, sizing him up and down with a dead-serious expression. Law noticed, however, she was cautious and even as she moved towards him she did it prudently. She was decisive, but not a fool; she knew how dangerous the pirate before her could be sine the tales of the Hearts came all the way to the New World. Law liked that, it was obvious she wasn't underestimating him. Still, she stopped right in front of the pirate captain and looked at him right in the eyes, acknowledging his presence and showing a strong character. Even when she said his name, it wasn't spat out in contempt or fear as the civilians usually did when addressing pirates. Even in her shining eyes, Law saw none of the usual distaste. She could be well enough talking to a marine right now and she would look at them in the same way. This woman didn't differentiate between classes or pirates and marines; she differentiated between people and their characters. "My name is Etella Bingley." She held out her hand for the pirate captain.

Law tilted his head ever so slightly, an amused shine gleaming in his eyes for only a second. "Shaking hands with a pirate? People got hanged for less." Even with that comment, Trafalgar took her hand and gave it a squeeze with a proper shake before releasing it.

"Pirates are no strange occurrence here; you must've noticed that after walking the streets. We are already used them here; it is the New World after all. You'll soon see for yourselves, these parts of the world are quite different from what you're used to." Etella never broke eye-contact as she kept her chat with the pirate captain, but the serious tone never left her voice. This wasn't just some light-hearted chat and the tension was clear in the air. She did every move carefully, keeping a watchful eye on the man and his long sword. She might not have anything against pirates but that doesn't mean she would let her guard down around one.

"Captain, we can explain." Shachi started, wanting to clarify the situation before it went out of hand. He didn't want Law to get the wrong idea.

"I'm already aware of the situation Shachi-ya. I've been here from the start. I've heard your entire conversation so I think I understand what this is about." Law brushed off the mechanic's attempts to ease the situation and explain. He didn't need it since he heard most of their conversation and could easily deduce the rest.

"In that case, I don't have to repeat myself. So, are you in?" Etella kept her eyes focused on the Surgeon of Death in expectation of his answer.

Law looked back at his two mechanics who gave him the most pleading looks they could muster with their partially hidden faces. Then his gaze traveled back to Etella as he reached his decision. "Make it all the prize money and we have a deal."

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "All of it!? Wait a minute, we also have to rebuild our shop and buy some new parts for the merchandise-" She argued with a raised voice, thinking it was unacceptable to just give away all their prize money to the pirates even if they did help.

However, Law didn't even let her finish as he continued calmly. "You said the win will bring you back your customers; you might slave away for a few months but if the people return, the business will too so you can use that money to repair your shop. If you're thinking this deal isn't fair, you should've thought of that before making a deal with pirates. Take it or leave it." His expression left no room to argue or try and bargain.

For a while more Etella kept quiet but then finally sighed deeply in defeat. "Fine."

The pirate captain smirked in victory. This time it was him who reached out his tattooed hand and waited for Etella to shake it and seal their deal. The woman did just that, noticing the tattooed letters of 'death' on it. That only made this whole scene seem more ominous as she made a deal with pirates in the middle of a moonlit night. Law's smirk never disappeared as he spoke. "If shaking hands with a pirate doesn't get you executed, making a deal with one surely will." There was a look mixed with challenge and amusement in his eyes as he pierced hers, almost as if he was mocking her.

It was hard for Etella to tell if that were really true but she had no thoughts of backing out now anyway. "You need to risk some to gain some." Her expression stayed determined as she returned the smirk.

When the intense negotiations were finally over and the dark atmosphere let up a little, the mechanics sighed in relief and grinned instead. "Alright!" Penguin cheered, happy it all ended so well. He didn't know if they'll still get punished for their actions by captain later, but at least they could help Ettie-chan now. Besides, the whole mentioned competition sounded very appealing for two mechanics who loved to tinker anyway. Working on a project with engineers and creating interesting machinery sounded right up their alley and the two pirates couldn't wait to get started. However, now that Shachi thought about it; started on what exactly? Etella mentioned it was a battle competition this year so he presumed they will be building some kind of war machine, but nobody was really clear on the details. And what's more, the competition was tomorrow! They didn't have much time left. How could they build anything on such short notice? The more Shachi thought about it, the more panicked he became.

"But what do we do exactly…?" Before Shachi had time to voice out his concerns, Penguin broke the silence. "And how can we build a whole battling machine from scratch in one night?"

On their surprise, Etella simply smirked, not concerned at all.

"What?" Shachi shrugged looking at Etella's mischievous expression. She still didn't answer though.

"What?!" A bit louder, the mechanics tried again, slowly beginning to get freaked out by the woman's smirking face and silent stare.

Law just observed the engineer without a word, wondering what she had in mind. She obviously had a plan already.

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So it's done! The new chapter. Actually I got it back on Friday but just couldn't decide where to cut it off since this Arc will be done in two parts. I'm already working on the other, so hopefully it'll be up in two to three weeks. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm really having fun with this Arc :D A lot of you mentioned the forgotten treasure in your reviews and it's because at that time I was already staring on this Arc and I needed them broke. :P I couldn't say anything though cause I didn't want to spoil the story. XD

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Special thanks to MsStripey.

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As always, I'm answering your reviewers. Thank you for everyone's kind comments and reviews; it means so much to me. ^^

Kiteria Faye: Ugh, I don't think there's anyone who doesn't hate the World Nobles. Piercy is my original character that I made, and put into the Tenryuubito family. :) I tried to make him as insufferable as the cannon ones. I'm glad you like the Law/Miyako angst part, I was a bit worried if I did that correctly. ^^' To be honest, I never wrote a lemon so I'm not sure if I'd be so good at it. So yeah, this story won't have one; at least not a completely, described scene. Thank you so much, I'm really happy you like it so much. ^^ I do try to find a balance between the anime (more comical) and more real aspect, since it is about pirates after all. Thank you for all your kind reviews. :)

Wings-chan: hehe That's ok, no problem. ^^ Yep, Law is a real manipulator. :P Unfortunately, I didn't put the actual scene after the Hearts saw Miyako's hickies but who knows, maybe I'll add a flashback about it or mention it throughout the story.

Thunderqueen-nat: Yeah, Miyako definitively has to go to Punk Hazard. :D It'll be a fun way to do the cannon story, I think. ^^

Yumi sawamura: haha Yeah, I heard that joke before. :D There's definitively something there, though I wouldn't call Miyako a masochist. But I think Law fits perfectly in that sadist role (That joke is definitively something he would do, I think. XD) Noooooo! Law, you can't experiment on Yumi-san, or I'll dye your fuzzy hat pink in the next chapter! .

lucyknight13: Hehe me too actually. :D

pharoah999: hehe Thanks. Yeah, I thought about it and decided she would be too irritating for the crew to put up with anyway. XD Yeah, I'll change some things in PH Arc since I plan to involve Miyako in it, but the cannon plot will remain the same. :)

aqua-empress: Oh it's nothing really, it's just those small characters who die off easily, so they don't require a lot of planning for them. ^^' Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! :D

florachi: Haha Even Cody can be in a situation where he is at a loss. :D

ThexWhitexPhoenix: Hahaha! 'Retarded Hyena…' XD

Shiningheart of ThunderClan: Yeah, sucks when you live in a small vessel with 20 other people. There's no privacy. :P I think the only reason Law doesn't get pissed at them for being in Miyako's room is because they're all always in a group so he knows there's nothing going on….well, not counting their everyday shenanigans. :P

Windheartyuki: Nah, the woman was too annoying for anyone to stand so Law would only want to kill her anyway. Not much to get jealous over. XD

TealWarrior: Thank you! :D

indescribable music: Well, I try to make the Heart Pirates a bit more serious and 'evil' than the Strawhats for example. I mean, they're pirates after all and even Kid said he heard some 'pretty bad rumors' about Law, so I want to make him dangerous and more pirate-like. :D

Hitoshirezu Ryu: Yeah, they were on Fishmen Island after all, so I just watched to add more cannon in it, especially some cannon characters. :D hehe I also want to make it a fun game between them. It'll be a real battle I think. XD I also wanted to work more on Law's cool and cold-blooded, evil side in chapter 47. I think it fits him well. ;D

NightStar85: haha I'm sure that's pretty much how Law reacted in his head when he heard Cody's name, too. XD

JustChan: You noticed it, too! Yeah, I thought something was just lacking in chp 46. ^^' To be honest, I haven't yet decide about Laura's involvement in the future story. I definitively don't want to make them invincible, I always try not to at least, so don't worry. Yes, well, there's always someone stronger. ^^' haha I can't help it, it's fun to see Law irritated. XD About the rest; I have plans, but all in due time, that's all I can say for now. ;)

Animagirl: Well it can't be too easy. ;)

K9Train: Thank you! :D

KotoriRod: Yes, I will get to Punk Hazard and the cannon story, and I already have some plans what to do in it. :)