'I don't like you!' by BloodyMarryMe
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters as it all belongs to Oda-sensei. I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for blood, violence, language and suggestive themes.
Hey guys! How have you been? I finally finished the chapter and my exams are over (for now)! Whoot! Sorry for the long wait, but exams, life blah blah...all those unimportant things. ;)
I hope you have fun reading the chapter. Enjoy!
CHAPTER 60
*Hnn, so there are marines at our front gates, some random pirates docked on the other side of Punk Hazard and a samurai from Wano killed a bunch of Caesar's men today. Not to mention Momonosuke-kun might be connected to that rude guy,* Miyako compiled all the information she gathered today. *This is really a mess, and I fear it will only get more troublesome. I have a bad feeling about all this…my instincts tell me Law and I will have to make our move soon. Maybe it won't be so bad to attack Caesar in all this chaos, but in the end, that's Law's decision. We also have the problem with our hearts being in the enemy's clutches, at this point we can't do anything until our hearts are safe and sound in our bodies once again,* the girl continued to think in silence. Her gaze traveled across the large room of sector B in the facility, finally stopping on the tall bird-woman ahead. Monet was currently talking with the logia scientist about their situation as Caesar deplored his henchman into different sectors, just in case of any trouble. Miyako's eyes narrowed as she focused on the harpy, her sharp orbs carefully following the other's every move. That woman had her heart, which meant she practically held Miyako's life in her hands…or wings, in this case. And today Monet proved to the samurai that she had no qualms about cutting the girl's life short if she happens to become a threat to Caesar or their plans. Whatever strategy Trafalgar had to develop to take Caesar and destroy the SAD tank, he needed to do it with caution or both of them will have their hearts squeezed and die before they even deliver any damage to Doflamingo.
Monet suddenly turned towards the samurai girl as if sensing the girl's burning eyes on the back of her neck. Almost as if knowing what Miyako was thinking, the harpy gave her a smirk before she turned back to her conversation with Caesar. Miyako instantly looked back down to her feet with a frown on her face, as she didn't want Monet to know she was observing and thinking about her. Instead, the girl's thoughts traveled back to the thing that was bothering her the most at the moment; Momonosuke. She wanted to confirm her suspicions, but she also didn't want Monet or anyone else to know what they were. *I'd rather keep it to myself than give them any reason to go after Momonosuke-kun later. The samurai is subdued and captured right now, so he isn't a threat to us any longer; there's no reason to involve Momonosuke-kun in this.*
Deciding to take this opportunity while everyone was busy, Miyako stood up from her seat on the couch and headed out, towards the Biscuits Room.
She wasn't even out the door yet, when Caesar's high pitched voice called after her, "Oy, Suzune, where do you think you're going at a time like this?! If something unexpected happens, we'll need your sword."
The samurai girl turned around with a lax expression on her face. "And you shall have it. I am simply going to the Biscuits Room. The alarm that went off recently might have scared the kids, so I'll go make sure they stay where they are and keep calm. If you need me, just send for me. This place should all be connected with intercoms anyway, no?" Miyako shrugged as she lied to the logia with a straight face. Even though what she said wasn't entirely true, it was still believable. Miyako didn't exactly like to lie, but sometimes it was necessary and she didn't really feel any guilt or responsibility towards Caesar anyway. It's not like Trafalgar and her were truthful towards the people here from the beginning.
"Mmmm, well that might not be a bad idea. It'll be a pain if we had to think of those kids at a time like this so you better take care of it," the scientist approved, nodding to the girl and signaling for her to proceed.
Miyako felt Monet's interested, amused stare on her, but deliberately avoided the harpy's all-seeing, sharp eyes. She didn't want Monet to suspect anything, which was quite possible. That bird woman had remarkable instincts, almost as good as her intel, which was pretty admirable on its own.
Turning her back to the duo and the yellow suits in the room, Miyako finally headed for the Biscuits Room. She wanted to ask Momonosuke a few questions about how he got on this island and ask him about the samurai man. She didn't know if the kid will have any intention of answering her questions since he was still suspicious of everyone around here, including her, but she wanted to at least confirm some of her worries before she proceeded. There was nothing she could do about the marines or the pirates, but wait to see how the situation will develop, so this was the only thing she could focus on right now.
It didn't take long for her to walk to the Biscuits Room, taking a long dark hallway to the area. Even before she entered, she could hear the children's voices coming from the inside. Pushing the large doors open, the artificial light in the room splashed her across the face as it always would when she entered. The room was always bright until it was time for the kids to go to sleep. However, there were no windows in the whole area, so no sunlight could ever reach this room. It was sad when she thought about it; these kids could only play in this one large room, never even seeing the light of day. On the other hand, there was nothing but a cold wasteland outside anyway. Even if they were to walk out of this facility, only freezing death would await them outside. There was truly no escape for these poor children as they were used like laboratory rats in here. Miyako tried not to think of it, reminding herself once again that she shouldn't get attached to these children. There was no way for her to save them either way, so thinking about it only made her feel even worse.
As soon as she entered, a familiar cheerful voice came to her ears. Little Rachel ran over to her, almost stumbling in the process as she ran on her two little, bare feet. It's like the girl could sense Miyako's presence as soon as the samurai would enter the area; she would instantly appear next to her. "Miya-neee!"
"Honestly, how do you instantly spot me? You're like a little dog or something," Miyako commented in a mutter.
"That's because Miya-ne is really easy to spot," the girl responded matter-of-factly.
*I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult…,* the samurai girl thought back with a deadpan expression. However, she decided to let it go as she had other business to attend to right now. She wanted to find Momonosuke, but even as she searched around the room with her gaze, she couldn't spot him in this crowd of kids of all shapes and sizes.
"Say, what was that loud noise earlier? Did something happen? Are we attacked? Did mom and dad come to get us? Is Master alright?" Rachel continued on her barrage of questions, clinging to Miyako's coat.
The pirate sighed and put a hand on the girl's head, ruffling the orange strands a little. Luckily that move managed to shut the girl up for a while. "Don't worry, it's nothing important that you would have to worry about. Everything is fine," she tried to persuade the girl.
However, the girl was not so easily persuaded. "But what was that?"
As they heard Rachel asking about the alarm, other kids joined them, also interested in what happened. Soon, Miyako found herself surrounded by kids, some that were even taller than her, asking about the situation in unison.
"What was that sound? Will we still get candy today? Is Monet-san coming? I want to go home! Is it because we're sick!?" All kinds of question rushed at the samurai girl and she felt herself drowning in them. Everyone talked all at once, making it hard to even hear her own thoughts and decide what to say.
"Enough!" She raised her voice, finally feeling tired of the loud noise around her.
The kids instantly quieted down, but they didn't look shocked or scared by her outburst. Actually, they were quite used to Miyako's reprimanding voice by now. Monet and Caesar were always gently smiling at the children, but Miyako was a bit different. She was strict, but fair towards them. If they crossed the line, she puts them in order and if they were good and behaved, she would sometimes even play with them. She would rarely raise her voice at them, but that's why they knew she was serious when she did. At first it shocked them, but after a while they got used to her behavior. She wouldn't spoil them, but she would still be kind to them in her own way. In that aspect, she was closer to acting like a real mother than Monet, who was more of a gentle aunt.
When she finally got everyone's attention, Miyako spoke, "You will get the candy after dinner as always. There is nothing to be frightened of, nothing bad will happen. And if something does happen, I will-" She was about to say that she would protect them, but stopped with her mouth still open before she finished that sentence. Could she really make such a promise? In reality, Miyako had no bases to make sure that she would be able to keep that promise when her mission with Law is over here. She couldn't even promise that they would be fine in the long run. When lying to Monet or Caesar, Miyako felt no guilt, but lying to these children's faces was different. She could feel a pang of guilt well up inside her as they stared up at her with innocent expression of complete trust towards her. So for now, all she could do was to tell them the truth to the best of her ability, "My job here is also to protect all of you, and as long as that is the case, that is what I will do. Don't worry," she finally answered with a sigh. It was the truth after all; for now, her job here while working with the logia was also taking care of the children. So as long as she could do it, she would; at least while she was here as an accomplice in Caesar's work. Unfortunately she couldn't promise anything after Law and her take down Caesar and this establishment. She would do for the children what she could at that time, but she could make no promises or even say anything to them about it right now. It was better if they are kept in the dark for now.
Luckily, the kids calmed down by her words and slowly returned to their groups to play. Rachel, however, stayed by the woman's side. "Will you stay and play with me today?"
The samurai knelt down so she could be eye-to-eye with the small girl and sighed. "Sorry kiddo, I'm actually looking for Momonosuke-kun right now? Have you seen him?"
"Ah, thaft strangfe onef…I hafen't seen fhim in a wfhile, afctuallfy," Rachel answered, while biting her fingernails. She was barely understandable with her fingers in her mouth, but perhaps since Miyako was already so used to different accents, including Munk's, which was still the strangest one she ever heard, she could understand the girl perfectly fine even now.
"I see…where has that boy gone off to now," the samurai girl wondered in a mutter.
"Momonosuke-kun?" Another girl's voice came from behind Miyako and both her and Rachel turned their heads to see another small girl. She was wearing a simple white dress made from a thin material, just like the rest of the girls here. She was about Rachel's height and age, but had blonde hair that reached to her shoulders. "That boy always gets into trouble, so I get worried. We came together to this island after all," the girl sighed. She seemed a bit more eloquent than Rachel as she spoke softly.
"Did you see him lately?"
The girl nodded, but then faltered as an uncertain look crossed her expression.
Miyako could read what the girl was thinking and put a hand on her small shoulder. She could feel how bony it is under her fingers and fleetingly wondered if the girl was eating enough. "Don't worry, he won't get into any trouble. I won't be angry…but it would be better if I find him, instead of the guards," the pirate woman gave the girl a knowing gaze, silently telling her she understood the girl's worry.
After a while of silence, contemplating Miyako's words on whether it was alright to truly tell the samurai the truth, the girl spoke again still holding a troubled expression. "I saw him in the Secret Room not too long ago, but then the men came so I ran and hid…we got separated after that," she started, but Miyako noticed there was something else the girl wasn't telling her. Without a word, the samurai nodded for the girl to continue, encouraging her. "Well…that is…I saw something weird," she gave Miyako a fearful look as if she was worried the woman won't believe her.
Miyako smiled at her. "It's fine. You know, I've seen a lot of weird things in my day so it's hard to surprise me anymore. Whatever it is, I will believe you," the woman nodded.
"Well…Momonosuke-kun turned into…a dragon," the girl sighed with that sentence, as if finally letting out something that was weighing down on her chest.
Miyako couldn't help but widen her eyes and blink in surprise a few times. She knew there were dragons on Punk Hazard, but they were all artificially made by Vegapunk. What the girl was telling her was a completely different story. She knew Momonosuke for about a month now, but she never saw him turn into a dragon or anything else. Could it be that the kid was a devil fruit user? But she never saw him use his devil fruit powers here. "Can you explain that a bit more?"
However, the girl simply shook her head with a saddened gaze. "I don't know anything else. I just saw him turn into a dragon and then he ran away from the guards and disappeared. I couldn't find him later. I asked some of the guards in yellow suit about him, but they didn't know anything either so they just turned me away. I'm worried about him," she squeezed her small hands in front of her chest.
Miyako listened carefully to the girl and nodded. "Thanks. I'll look for him so don't worry." She stood up with a frown on her face, thinking about what she just heard. *He went into the 'secret room'…that's how kids call the lab where the SMILE are. That's where I found Momonosuke last time too…* Suddenly, Miyako's eyes widened at the realization. *That's where the prototype of the first SMILE is being kept. Don't tell me-!* An idea crossed her mind and Miyako turned to leave in a hurry.
"Rachel, if Momonosuke-kun comes back here, tell him I need to see him immediately!" She called to the girl behind her who nodded in return, a bit startled by Miyako's sudden change in behavior. Running, the Wano girl slammed the doors of the room open and disappeared into the hallway.
"Hehe, Miya-ne is really funny, right?" She smiled back to the worried girl beside her as if trying to cheer her up. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll find your friend and help him. Miya-ne is kind too and a real swordsman, so I bet she's strong," she grinned in confidence, though the other girl simply wondered why Rachel was so sure about any of that.
~…..~
When the front gates of the long-forgotten research facility finally opened, of all the people who could've taken up residence there, the one who showed himself never crossed the marines' minds. Even Smoker was taken aback by the sight before him, when one of the new Shichibukai walked over and leaned onto the metal doorframe with a smug smirk on his face. That expression irked the White Hunter even more, as if Trafalgar Law found no fault in him being on this island that was prohibited from entering even for the likes of him. Then again, the marines had no right to be on Punk Hazard without special clearance from the World Government, yet Smoker didn't care about such trifling matters either.
He was getting annoyed by the loud voices of his men, warning him about this Shichibukai and some even having the gal to beg him to leave this creepy place and the even creepier guy with it. Only Tashigi stayed silent and observed the situation, not yelling in his ear like the rest of these bastards.
Finally, the Vice Admiral decided to break this atmosphere with a simple question. "Why are you here?" He glared at the ex-pirate, sharply observing the expression hiding underneath a white, spotted hat. "This island is off-limits even to those concerned with the Government, Law," the marine warned in a calm, but deadly voice. The tension around those two could be cut with a knife.
However, the Shichibukai actually had the nerve to talk back with a snarky comment, avoiding Smoker's question with an inquiry of his own. "Well that means it's off-limits to you too, White Hunter-ya. So why are you here?" Law gave the vice admiral a wide smirk, not even trying to hide his taunting behavior.
This time it was Tashigi who spoke, stepping forwards and getting out a single black den den mushi, which the Navy used for tapping purposes. She replayed the message they heard; the same message from the dying man of Punk Hazard, minutes before he was killed by the samurai. All the marines stayed silent while it played and so did Law, calmly listening to the man's dying screams.
Law could feel Tashigi's and Smoker's keen eyes on him as they observed him for any change in his expression. They wanted to see if he'll react to the message, recognizing its sender, but the Shichibukai gave them nothing. His expression stayed completely blank as he listened to the message without a change in him. Still, he knew he had to be careful not to betray himself in front of the White Hunter. The rest of the G5 were really nothing to worry about as they were all a bunch of no-good, small-fry that couldn't make it anywhere else, in Law's opinion. It was common knowledge that the G5 squad was the low of the lowest, where all the sadistic trash went when the Navy didn't know what else to do with them. Trafalgar was actually quite amused by their scared looks as they talked about him and his becoming a Shichibukai; it seems he created a lot of rumors that still flew around, with that incident. Even when they called him a 'creep,' Law felt amusement instead of anger as he saw their anxious expressions. Anxiousness that he created with his presence alone.
However, the vice admiral was a bit different. He was perceptive and a completely different level than this squad of no-good marines. *He could actually prove to be a bit troublesome,* the Shichibukai thought while the message still ran in the background.
Finally, it ended with the man's death cry and everything went silent; both in the den den mushi and on this snowy field. It was captain Tashigi who spoke first, inquiring Law further about the message and Law's intentions on this island. All the while, the Shichibukai stayed quiet and listened to them. His interest was piqued a bit more when Smoker started mentioning Straw Hat Luffy and his pirate crew.
"You know Straw Hat Luffy, right? At the Tenryuubito Oswald incident 2 years ago at Sabaody, you, 'Kid', and Strawhat fought together. Furthermore, when Straw Hat was chased by Akainu in the war, you helped him escape!" Smoker yelled the last statement as if emphasizing it, accusing the Shichibukai.
Law's expression didn't change even then, but his thoughts rushed in his mind with suspicion.*Why Straw Hat? It's true I helped him before, but I don't see why I would know anything about him now? What is Smoker aiming for by saying these things?*
Still, Law swiftly avoided each question, pretending not to know anything, and instead kept his own pace as he finally broke his long silence. "What do you want? Forging emergency signals is a specialty of you marines, right?" He tried to change the subject as he spoke.
However, the White Hunter was true to his name. When he sniffed out a lead he would stick to it, biting his fangs into it and not letting go, just like a feral dog that found a bone. "This one was not made by us! Enough of this! Show me the inside of this research facility!"
"This is my vacation house right now…so no," Law could already see how this will end. Unfortunately, he won't be able to get rid of these marines so easily. Not without a fight, obviously. Still, he feigned ignorance with a straight face of someone who was being bothered during his free time.
Smoker narrowed his eyes angrily and bit down on the two thick cigars in his mouth. This kid actually had the nerve to talk back and refuse orders of a vice admiral. What's more he was giving him such a stupid reason, calling this restricted place his vacation home. It was obvious Trafalgar was messing with him, yet he did it with such a straight face, as if he was being serious, which only irritated the marine more. He could hear Law's voice as he continued to talk back calmly, feeding them a bunch of lies. Smoker could smell something fishy here and wasn't buying Trafalgar's story in the slightest. Even so, the pirate turned them away without a second thought. Just as he was about to give Law a final warning, not having any intention of giving up, a new voice shrieked somewhere behind the large doors of the facility.
Law tensed in confusion and surprise as he heard an unfamiliar woman's voice behind him. He knew for a fact, there were only two women on this island; Monet and Miyako and this voice didn't belong to either of them. *What was that?!* It wasn't long after that he could hear even more voices coming from the room inside, and none of them were recognizable. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
When the large doors burst open, Smoker, the entire G5 and ever Trafalgar stared at the sight in bewilderment. Law was able to keep his cool on the outside, but his mind was racing with question as the sight before him became more and more bizarre by the second. A tanuki, the kids from the Biscuits Room, a woman in a bathing suit and so many more came flocking at the entrance. However, it didn't take him long to recognize some of the faces from the bounty posters; these people were indeed some of the Strawhat pirate crew. Their captain was nowhere in sight, but Law was sure it was them. His expression darkened as he just realized all his efforts of sending the marines away were in vain now. *What are these people doing here? And they're as crazy as ever, I see!* He ignored the banter between the pirates and the G5, until the woman and a strange animal spoke to him.
"Aaah, it's you! From Sabaody! Did you lock these kids up, you villain!? We aren't giving them back!" They protested loudly, glaring at Law.
His eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he could feel his patience thinning. They were ruining everything! He stayed quiet even as the strange party decided to turn around and disappear through the doors just as they appeared. But by then, the damage was already done.
"What alone…They're here!" Smoke yelled at the pirate, glaring daggers.
Law could feel a drop of cold sweat drip down the side of his face. "They were…I'm still surprised," he muttered more to himself than anyone else. *Why didn't Caesar tell me about this? That scientist is also troublesome.* That's when a plan started forming in his head, while the plot around him thickened. *I'll have to take these new events into account and make my move. It's a bit sooner than I expected, but it can't be helped now. This situation…is still salvageable,* he thought with a smirk as a plan hatched inside his head, creating a spider's web that was about to caught its pray; Cesar Clown. *For now, I can't let the Strawhats leave Punk Hazard on their own,* he called out his room and turned towards the entrance, seeing the strange group running inside the facility again.*And I have just the thing to make sure they stay here,* with a smirk, he pointed his hand towards the pirates. "Shambles!" *There, this should make sure they come to me again, so I can devise my plan properly.* He turned back toward the still-perplexed marines, who were slowly recovering from their shock. "But first thing's first…I need to take care of you," he muttered with a cold stare aimed at the marines in front of them. He'll have to deal with one nuisance at a time.
~….~
Miyako ran down the hallways of the facility, turning yet another corner before she finally found herself in the large room she was looking for. Once again that irritating alarm went off, signaling something was wrong in the building, but she had no time to research what it was.
Just like before, the whole area was scarcely furnished with various metal contraptions and monitors on the side. She found the large glass case on a metal stall at the center of the room, but there was one important difference this time; the glass was broken and the prototype of the SMILE fruit nowhere in sight. *I knew it! That kid! He seriously ate an artificial zoan devil fruit!* She frantically looked around the room, searching for any trace of him, but there was no sign of the boy. "Momonosuke!?"
Outside the room, a rhythm of running footsteps echoed through the halls. The loud noise of the alarm once again drowned out all the other sounds as it engulfed the facility. *What now!?* Her first thoughts were aimed at the Navy outside their doors, thinking that the marines caught wind of their doings and rushed into the research facility.
She ran out of the room just in time to be passed by a group of ex-prisoners. She stopped one, pulling his arm that was clutching a gas gun. "What's going on?!" Miyako had to yell to be heard over the alarm. Flashing red lights blinked in the halls, making the situation look even direr.
"The pirates that we caught as prisoners and brought to the facility, escaped!" A muffled voice came from the masked man in a yellow suit.
At that moment Miyako remembered Caesar's words, mentioning the pirate ship that docked on the fiery coast of Punk Hazard. "Where are they now?"
"The last we heard was that they took the kids form the Biscuits Room and escaped. Some of the guards went after them, but with no luck. We were sent as backup to find and catch them," the guard explained. His group already went further on without him, while he stayed to explain the situation to Miyako.
The samurai was momentarily taken aback by his words. "They've taken the kids?" She thought about what a bunch of pirates would want with a few dozen children, but nothing relieving came to mind. *Are they using them as hostages?* It's not like Miyako really wanted the kids back in Caesar's clutches, but perhaps their newfound situation was even worse. She didn't know anything about these pirates nor what their intentions were, but she couldn't bet safely that they would be so understanding towards children as her friends from the Heart Pirates crew were. Perhaps the poor kids were thrown from the frying pan and into the fire.
Biting her lower lip to think for a second, Miyako let go of the guard so he could be on his way. *I better go to Caesar and assess the damage of this situation. I also need to find Law…things are seriously getting out of hand today,* Miyako decided and ran towards the large B room of the facility where Caesar and Monet were before.
When she burst into the room yelling "Caesar!" she could only see Monet, hunched above her book on her usual spot at the long table and the stool. She was scribbling in it, making notes, as if completely oblivious about the chaotic situation around her.
Without even looking at the samurai girl, Monet answered her calmly, "He's doing his experiments," as if she didn't have a care in the world.
Miyako, for one, couldn't believe it. "Experiments?! We don't have time for that right now! The marines are at our front gates and I just heard the news about some pirates escaping and taking the children with them. Aren't you a least bit worried?!" She walked into the room, ignoring the shortage of air in her lungs from her previous running.
"Fufuf," the harpy woman snickered, still focusing on the book in front of her. "They won't be leaving this island…any of them. And isn't it yours and Law's job to make it so?" Finally Monet turned to look at Miyako with a teasing smirk as she questioned her.
The pirate girl glared back at the bird woman, but stayed quiet as Caesar finally appeared with an irked look on his face. "It's not as good as I hoped…it's still not done," he was muttering something, with a troubled expression. "And will you finally turn off that awful noise!" He yelled, trying to overpower the sound of the alarm. Hearing his annoyed order, one of the yellow suits hurried towards the control panel in the room and switched off the alarm. The deafening noise along with the flashing red lights disappeared and the people could finally speak normally again.
"Another failure?" Monet asked calmly from her spot, surrounded by a pile of books.
The scientist became outraged at her question. "Failure? Watch your mouth! My experiments do not fail! The same goes for what happened four years ago! A failed experiment?! My weapon that could kill an entire island! Just where did it fail, World Government!? I kill my enemies above anyone! Shololololo! I even managed to keep all the victims under supervision! Just watch…I'll teach you who's the world's number one scientist!" The logia laughed loudly with that specific laugh of his, the voice booming through the room.
A shiver ran down Miyako's spine as she listened to the scientist's crazy banter and the ominous laughter that followed. He was indeed responsible for all the misfortune that fell upon this place and these people four years ago, but there was no one to hear him now and realize his true intentions. No one could even hear the screams of the people slowly dying on the other side of the den den mushi line, which were trapped in a special room and tortured by Caesar's gas. Rather than torture, Caesar called it experimenting. Those were the people who weren't able to do their duties before…and this is how they ended up. Yet everyone still believed in Caesar Clown who was a perfect picture of a kind master and a savior. Just thinking about the irony made Miyako feel sick to her stomach.
It seemed the gas logia only now realized Miyako was here. "Ah, Suzune, why are you still here? Shouldn't you be out looking for the damned pirates as well?!"
The pirate girl ignored his remark as she stared back at him. "Where is Law?"
"Law went to take care of the marines and a battle started. However, it seems he's keeping everything under control for now. He should be back soon," Monet answered instead of Caesar, finally lifting her head from the pile of papers in front of her.
The girl scowled at that answer as it was a vague one and gazed back at the gas logia with suspicion. "You are weirdly calm considering your precious children disappeared and were taken by pirates," she stared at the man, observing his reactions.
The scientist hovered closer to her and a malicious grin spread on his face, making his purple lips appear even wider than usual. "Shololo, that's right, you don't know. It's fine, I'm not worried because even if I don't do anything, those brats will return to me of their own accord," the man couldn't stop grinning as he spoke.
From her seat, the harpy woman snickered in amusement at Miyako's confused expression. The samurai girl narrowed her eyes skeptically. "What do you mean?"
"Remember the candy we used to give the children after every dinner? Actually those are stimulants drug. The kids can't survive long without them, so it's only a matter of time now. Shololo. Soon, they will start hallucinating and being in pain…and then they'll come running back to me, beginning me to give them more candy! Shololo!"
Miyako could feel frustration rising inside of her as she heard the man speak. *That bastard! He's making those kids suffer even more!* She had to take a few breaths to calm herself, clutching a fist at her side. Finally, she looked at him with cold eyes of steel, "You really have some bad hobbies," even her voice sounded freezing.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Monet's light voice brought back Miyako's attention, ending the tense atmosphere that was slowly starting to appear in the room. Miyako glared towards the bird woman, one hand on her trusted katana, when she noticed Monet holding something in her hand. It was a cube made from Law's blue sphere, and it didn't take her even a second to realize it was her own heart. With an irritated click of her tongue, the samurai girl let go of her weapon, but still kept a cold stare on the harpy.
"Don't get so mad, Miyako-kun. Rather than that, you still have your own purpose to fulfill," the green haired woman reminded.
As if only now remembering, Caesar turned towards Miyako again. "That's right! If you're so worried about the children than why don't you go after the pirates and try to bring the kids back here. My men have failed and are now even engaging in a fight with the marines, but you might do it," the scientist grinned.
Miyako was silent for a second as if thinking about it, but finally huffed in defeat. She really wanted to meet up with Law to discuss the situation, but it's not like they could talk about their plans in front of Caesar or his henchmen anyway. So at least she could find the children and make sure they were safe…she promised them after all. She didn't know if Caesar's laboratory was any safer for them, but at least they won't be in any immediate danger from some pirates. *I also wanted to find Momonosuke-kun, but it will have to wait. Besides, he might be with the children that were taken by the pirates.* Miyako sighed as she made up her mind and nodded with closed eyes. "Fine, I will go look for the children." Putting the hood of her winter coat on, the girl turned around and headed for the secondary exit of the facility, away from marines' eyes that were still lurking around the area.
After the girl was already gone, Monet once again lifted her head from the book she was currently reading. In it were pictures of the pirate crew that mysteriously disappeared two years ago without a trace and there was information written on each member. The captain of the crew wore a large grin across his face, one that he was already famous for, and a simple straw hat on his head. "Ah, that's right," Monet started as if she just remembered something. "I completely forgot to give her the information about the said pirate crew." She stared back down at the book in front of her. "Oh well…she'll soon realize for herself anyway," the bird woman sang in amusement.
~…..~
Law strolled through the snow, ignoring the wind blowing into his face and the frost biting his skin. Being from the North Blue, he was already used to such cold weather and didn't think much about it. Instead, on his mind were the occurrences that happened not so long ago. After he beat Smoker and the marines, he returned to the facility only to find Caesar and Monet casually sitting in the main sector of the building as if there wasn't chaos happening at all sides at the moment. However, Caesar didn't look very troubled about the situation as he had confidence in his plans, sure that he was going to end up on top after everything was over. Trafalgar wouldn't be so sure, knowing that he had his own plans on how to proceed in this situation, but he sneakily kept them hidden from the logia scientist.
There, he gave Caesar Smoker's heart, or at least that's what the logia was expecting, not knowing that Law's plans were already in motion. Instead of the heart of the vice admiral, the man actually received back the heart of his assistant Monet, but the scientist was obviously clueless about it. Trafalgar had some minor problems with Caesar's suspicious character after the logia heard about his involvement with the Straw Hats on several occasions, but luckily Law once again managed to convince the scientist there was nothing to worry about. Luckily, even though Caesar was skeptical, he was also overly confident so he didn't think of Law as a threat as much as he should have. Still, even the young Shichibukai was surprised by the appearance of the Straw Hat pirates on this forsaken island. At first he was annoyed by the fact, sure that it was disrupting his plans. However, new possibilities started forming in the pirate's mind and he soon realized that there was an even better option in this case; to use Straw Hats to his benefit. That's why he did a Shambles on their bodies, making sure that the pirates couldn't leave this island without coming to him to change back first. It was his little assurance that they weren't going anywhere without seeing him first.
Law realized it was time to make his move against Caesar and Doflamingo. With this new turn of events, it was time to act. That's why, as soon as he wasn't needed by Caesar anymore, the Shichibukai went outside to look for his next target; Monkey D. Luffy.
As he walked through the snow, he left bodies of Caesar's men behind him. It didn't matter anymore even if he did cut them up while they tried to stop him in suspicion. After this, his false loyalty to Caesar won't matter anymore. And after that, it was only a matter of time before he makes his move against Joker too. However, first thing's first. He hears loud shots and shouts coming from the mountain where he was heading. The tricky wind carried the sounds, making them seem closer than they actually were. Still, he could see the large silhouettes and falling rocks of ice that suggested a fight was occurring at the mountain. It wasn't hard for Law to guess that Caesar must've sent the Yeti Cool Brothers to do his bidding again. It didn't matter to Trafalgar, as he just proceeded up the snowy mountain through the deep layers of snow. An exited grin appeared on his face when he thought about the realization of his next step in his plan. Only a little longer and he'll have both Caesar and the SAD in his grasp.
As he trotted through the snow, Law thought of his samurai as well. He needed to find her and tell her about their change of plans, but when he came to the facility Monet informed him that he just missed her. The girl went on ahead after the pirates and to retrieve back the children, not even knowing that the pirates were actually the Straw Hats. It would be bad if she engaged in a fight with them, especially with what Trafalgar was planning on next. They shouldn't get on the wrong foot with their future allies after all and it would be bad if Miyako killed any of them. However, he didn't know where the girl was at the moment, but by the signs of battle nearby he knew exactly where the Straw Hats were. That's why it was better to go to them now and if he's lucky, he'll even find Miyako close by, considering her mission. Sooner or later, she'll come to them to attack so he just needed to find Monkey D. Luffy and wait for her arrival. *As long as that girl doesn't do anything overly reckless, it should be fine.* After he heard that thought in his own mind, Law stopped for a second and a dark look crossed his expression. *But knowing her…am I being too naïve perhaps?*
~…~
Three figures ran through the snow, stepping onto the thick layer that slowed down their movement. Even so, they continued running without a breath, still slightly confused about their whereabouts and what exactly happened. The trio were a strange sight of their own; a tall skeleton with an afro, a young woman with long orange hair and a green-haired swordsman who carried three katana at his waist. They all had thick coats that protected them from the winter, even though the cold snow still fell onto their exposed necks and heads, chilling them to the bone. At least they were warming up by running through this snowy desert. One thing all three of them had in common was a large bump on each of their heads, which looked quite painful.
The three people were arguing as they ran, seemingly forgetting about their dangerous surroundings and Caesar's men that were after them.
"We have to hurry and find the samurai!"
"Then hurry it up already, stupid cook, you're slowing us down!"
"Yohoho! I have the longest legs here so I don't have a problem…though I don't have any muscles for running! Yohoho!"
"Shut it with the skeleton jokes already! Where's that shitty samurai," the woman was neither gentle nor lady-like as she expressed herself rather angrily.
"Why did you come anyway?" The swordsman muttered with a bored expression, looking at the woman that was trying to keep up on her weak legs.
"If you were Nami-san, I would offer to carry you, but I have no interest in guys. Sorry Sanji-san," the skeleton laughed again as he apologized, though his words were still quite blunt. "Maybe if you show me your-I mean, Nami-san's panties," the skeleton added in wonder.
"Idiot! Like I'd let you see Nami-san's precious panties!" The woman jumped surprisingly high in the air, kicking the skeleton in the chin. As she landed back on the ground, she didn't miss a step as she continued running. "Although…" Suddenly the woman slowed as she thoughtfully pondered about the skeleton's words. A sickly grin spread through her face; a lewd expression that definitely didn't befit a lady.
"Are you guys even serious about finding the samurai?!" The green-haired man with a large scar over his left eye yelled, half-shocked and half-angry at his companions.
While they were bickering in their own little world, the trio didn't even notice they were being watched from a nearby snow slope. Two alert eyes followed their every movement as they ran, the person waiting patiently for their chance. They couldn't see well the three figures' faces in this distance and the bad weather, but they could hear their voices as they carried through the area perfectly. The trio seemed to be calling for someone.
"Heeey, samuraaaiii!"
"Come out, samuraaai! Are you dead already?!"
"Heeey, samurai-saaan!"
The figure lying on the snowy slope, using the white carpet for their cover, widened their eyes in wonder as they heard what the three people were shouting. *How did they know?! Did they notice me somehow? If that's the case, then I'll-!* The person decided on their next move swiftly, disappearing from their spot and running down the slope towards the trio to leap at them.
~…..~
"Ooooy, samurai-san!?" Brook yelled out again in hopes of getting some answer from the missing Kin'emon. The Wano samurai recklessly ran off on his own in search of his last body part, leaving the group of Straw Hats behind. However, it seems Sanji still felt somewhat responsible for the man they met and wanted to help him find his torso; hence they were in this freezing cold, looking for the samurai-san right now.
Sanji, who was now in the body of Nami, much to his delight and the navigator's dismay, also walked around the area, trying to find any sign of Kin'emon. However, there was nothing but mountains of snow all around them.
That's why, since the two other Straw Hats were so focused on finding the samurai, when it came, Zoro was the first to notice. His haki warned him even before his eye did as he felt a new presence that was rapidly getting closer to them. A flash sliced through the air and a sound of metal clashing together carried through the whistling wind. It was the sound of two swords meeting in a duel. Even Sanji and Brook turned their heads in wonder towards the metallic sound as the two swordsmen met with their weapons. Zoro had a moment to observe the figure that suddenly appeared before him and attacked him with what appeared to be a katana. The hood of their checkered winter coat fell from their face because of the speed of their movement, and from it, long dark blue hair collected in a pony-tail swished around and danced in the wind. Two focused golden eyes stared back at Zoro, showing that the person was serious about their attack just now. That's when the swordsman realized, the opponent in front of him was actually a woman. A woman clutching a katana as she kept pressure with her sword on Zoro's own Wado Ichimonji that he swiftly unsheathed to block her attack.
However, before their fight could continue, the woman's expression suddenly changed from a serious to a confused one. Her eyes widened as her mouth formed a shocked 'o.' It wasn't the same expression his enemies would sometimes make when they finally realized who they were fighting against, nor did she pale like many others when they realized their skills weren't on par with his. Instead, there was confusion in her eyes as if she just saw something completely out of place, someone who she didn't expect at all to be here.
"Roronoa…Zoro?" With a soft tone of puzzlement that went well with her confused look, the girl asked. She relaxed her grip a little, the fighting spirit in her fading. She was still on guard, but didn't seem to know how to proceed.
Roronoa kept his blank expression as he stared at the girl. However, when she relaxed a little so did he, not feeling her killing intent anymore. His acute senses were telling him the girl didn't intend to fight at least for the moment, so he also stepped back accordingly. It was like the instincts of an animal, which knew perfectly well if it was threatened or not. "Do I know you?" He finally asked with the same straight face as always, as if he wasn't at all puzzled that some strange girl that knew his name just appeared before them and tried to attack him.
When Miyako first got the orders to find the escapee pirates and either apprehend them or kill them, she never knew the pirate crew would be that of Straw Hat Luffy. What were the odds of that happening anyway? She didn't know how to react now; should she proceed with the fight or stand down? It's not like they were friends, but Law saved and fought alongside Monkey D. Luffy on more than one occasion, didn't he? What would his decision be if he were in her place; would he really want to fight them? That made Miyako wonder; did he even know the Straw Hat pirates were here? The last time she saw him, Law was going off to take care of the marines at the front gates. Before making the situation even more complicated, she should find him and tell him about her discovery.
Finally deciding not to engage in a fight for now, the girl lowered her katana, still keeping it in her hands just in case. "No…You don't know me, but I know your captain…even though he probably doesn't remember me," Miyako answered, remembering the horrid state she saw Luffy in after the War of the Best. She doubted he noticed her at Sabaody either, since he just crashed into the auction house and started creating trouble almost instantly. Suddenly she remembered that she hadn't even introduced herself yet, "Ah, how terribly rude of me! I didn't even introduce myself," she bowed down which was a custom greeting in Wanokuni. She still wasn't used to the handshake that people of the other countries used and some of her homeland customs were hard to get rid of. "My name is Suzune Miyako and I am one of the Heart Pirates," she finally introduced herself, straightening her back again. "I apologize for my earlier behavior. When I attacked you, I didn't know you were the Straw Hat pirates." She sheathed back her Yawarakai-Te into its scabbard, as a sign of her peace offering.
"That's alriiiight~" A very cheerful voice sang beside her as the orange haired woman danced over to Miyako. Behind her, a tall skeleton walked over. Both people were also of the Straw Hat pirates, who joined Zoro and her after overhearing their conversation. "Cute girls should always be forgiven," the woman continued with a wide grin on her face.
Miyako felt her jaw slacken at the sight of a real, walking-talking skeleton. She remembered vaguely seeing him at Sabaody's auction house, but at that time she was too busy making her escape to examine him thoroughly. Yet now as she gazed at him, it was obvious this was no disguise or a trick; he was indeed a living skeleton. What's more, he casually walked over to her without a word, making the girl even more nervous. She gulped and felt a drop of cold sweat slide down her cheek when the skeleton loomed over her. He looked deeply into her eyes and Miyako felt a shiver as she stared back into two, dark hollow sockets. With the same serious face, the skeleton finally spoke in a somber tone; "Would you mind…showing me your panties, young girl?"
At first, the words didn't register in Miyako's mind as she just kept staring back at the boney face of the skeleton before her. It's just that his words were too conflicting with the situation and his expression, making the girl think she misheard something. After a long silence, the girl blinked in uncomfortable confusion, "Eh?"
However, the very next moment a loud crack was heard as the orange haired woman bashed her foot into the side of the skeleton's head. "What the hell do you think you're asking a lady, you perverted skeleton!" With a high kick and an angry voice, the woman sent the tall skeleton flying into the snow.
"Yoho! Sanji-san, that's harsh!" The skeleton laughed like the fact that he just got hit was no big deal, even as he was still buried in the carpet of snow.
Yet the situation only got more bizarre as the woman in front of her, who the skeleton called Sanji, even though that was obviously a man's name, stood before the samurai girl and took Miyako's cold hands into hers. The woman gave Miyako an expression a man would have when hitting on a woman, as their eyes met. The flirty behavior never went away as the orange-haired woman continued talking to Miyako. "I apologize for Brook's behavior…he's an idiot who doesn't know how to treat a lady. However, if you let me, I would be honored to take care of you properly, sweet Miyako-chan," the woman practically had hearts in her eyes as she spoke to the samurai girl.
If Miyako saw her own expression in the mirror right now, she would probably laugh at herself. That is, if she weren't so shocked and confused as she was at this very moment. The girl had an expression of dread as a dark look crossed her eyes. Her face paled until it reached the color of the snow they were standing on. She choked up, unable to even spoke as she tried to wrap her mind around the scene before her. *W-w-what!? Am I being hit on right now? Is she flirting with me!? Why!? Ah…that skeleton called her Sanji…could it be she is an okama?! But Okama are after men, aren't' they!? Seriously, what's going on here!? I heard those Strawhats are crazy, but they are completely off the scale of craziness at this point!? What's with this people?!*
Still being held by her hands by the woman, Miyako turned to her last hope, seeking salvation from the last member of this strange trio; the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro. However, he simply stared at the scene with a blank expression of someone who couldn't give a damn about what his other two companions were doing. Didn't he find this scene strange at all?! That's when Miyako realized something and that realization almost made her burst into tears of despair. She felt the need to laugh and cry at the same time as she felt the misery of knowing she won't be saved by him. *Ah…that guy is a muscle-head; he doesn't get my hints of distress at all! He's a total muscle-head, isn't he?*
"Ah, let me introduce myself first; my name is Sanji, but you can call me however you want~" The woman said, finishing the last statement in a cheerful voice of a crazy fool in love. "And these shitheads aren't important," he added, pointing his thumb back at the duo behind him.
"Oy!" Zoro angrily responded at the insult, but the woman named Sanji completely ignored him.
Miyako was getting more and more confused by all this, but she knew she had to act soon. If she got sucked into their pace any more than this, she felt her brain would explode. Somehow, she managed to slide her hands out of Sanji's grip as she gave the woman a polite, but awkward smile. *I have to let her down easy,* the samurai girl thought, not wanting to hurt the other woman's feelings. "I-I'm sorry…you're really pretty, but I don't swing that way…" Miyako kept her awkward smile as she softly spoke, feeling a drop of cold sweat slide down her temple. This was definitely a first for her.
The woman named Sanji looked confused by the girl's answer. She blinked a few times, staring right into Miyako's large eyes. She stared so hard that she noticed a reflection of herself in the other girl's golden orbs. With realization, the orange-haired woman suddenly grabbed her head with both hands and yelled as if just remembering something crucial. "Aaaah! I completely forgot! Dammit, this form is so nice, but I forgot I am a girl. Aaah, the bitter-sweet irony. I'm so glad about this body, yet it betrays me so! Dammit! I'm so thorn right now!" The woman fell to her knees, banging her fist on the snow in despair.
The three other pirates watched the woman on her hands and knees, with a sweat-drop forming on their foreheads. "Is she going to be alright?" Miyako felt guilty, thinking the woman was depressed because she rejected her.
"Aah, don't worry about it, he's just an idiot," Zoro answered, while the skeleton nodded in confirmation by his side.
"I see…" Miyako watched the woman for a while in silence. Then she suddenly turned back towards Roronoa with a shocked expression. "Wait! 'He'!?"
~…~
"So that's how it is! My captain used his devil fruit powers on you to switch your bodies," Miyako repeated after she finally heard the whole story.
After the whole spectacle, Miyako finally got some straight answers about what was going on. The three Straw Hats finally introduced themselves properly, telling her the story about how they came to Punk Hazard because of a distress call and how they met Trafalgar Law who used his powers on them.
"Ah, but, I don't really mind even if he doesn't change us back! Actually, I'm very grateful to him," Sanji added with a love-struck gaze as he thought about all the nice moments he could have in Nami's body.
Miyako laughed at Sanji awkwardly, unsure how to interpret his words. However, somehow as he spoke, she would think of Penguin, finding a lot in common between those two. *I think I get it…he's a pervert just like Penguin,* she concluded in her thoughts. Still, she decided to ignore the man as she continued. "Well, I'm sure he had a reason to do it. Anyway, where is the rest of your crew? I would like to talk to Monkey D. Luffy about what is happening on this island. Even though I see you know a lot already." Miyako didn't tell them about Law's true plans on Punk Hazard, since she first had to consult with her captain about all this. But at least it seemed Law was aware that the Strawhats were here.
"Yeah, they're back there the way we came…If you go straight you will find a mountain cavern. They were there before we parted to go find the samurai at least," Zoro answered.
*Ah, they must be around sector F-12 then…* Miyako thought about the swordsman's words until her mind suddenly stopped. *Wait a second…a samurai?* "That's right, when I first saw you, you were all calling for a samurai. I thought you saw me so I moved quickly, but…could it be you weren't talking about me?"
"Huh, Miyako-san, are you also a samurai?" Brook, the musician skeleton of the Strawhats, asked the girl. He stepped closer to her in interest, making the girl a bit uneasy. She still wasn't used to the appearance and the sole existence of this living skeleton.
"Heh, so we have two samurai on this island. Things are getting more and more interesting," Zoro grinned after hearing this new discovery. "It seems there should be more than one strong warrior on Punk Hazard. So women can become samurai too," he muttered in a thoughtful voice, new to that fact, even though it wasn't exactly right.
"Hmm? Is that so? Are you also from Wano then, like the other guy? Are you friends or something?" Sanji stepped in.
Miyako was a bit confused, but the pieces of a puzzle started to slowly set into their place. Suddenly the girl had a bad feeling about this. "If you didn't mean me then…-" she took a step backwards unconsciously, looking around for someone. Just as she took that one step, a muffled noise came from beneath her feet.
"Gfwaah!" The voice howled in pain as Miyako stepped on their body.
Miyako and everyone looked down in shock, screaming in surprise at the same time, "Waaaahh!?"
"Whoa, isn't that the samurai!?" Zoro was first to recover from the sudden revelation as they found a body buried beneath the layer of snow. It looked completely frozen by now as it stayed for who-knows-how-long there, in this weather.
"What's up with him, he's all frozen?!" Sanji exclaimed in bewilderment, coming closer to the body and stepping on him. It resulted into breaking a layer of ice on the samurai's body.
"Gweaah!" The samurai man started moaning and panting, as if he almost suffocated and froze to death at the same time.
"Are you ok, samurai-san?" Brook asked with worry in his voice.
"Haa…somehow I started feeling all stiff and thought I'd die," the man answered, sitting up on the ground.
"More like you were about to freeze to death!" Sanji yelled back. He couldn't believe the shitty samurai was trying to act tough even at a time like this when he almost died.
"No! I'm not cold at all!" The samurai from Wano responded, yet he was obviously shaking all over.
"What's up with your pride!? This guy's such a bother!" Sanji couldn't stand it anymore. He wanted to kick the damned samurai a few more times until the guy gets back his rational senses. This warrior's pride was really over the top.
All the while Miyako was standing at the back of the group, completely silent as she had her own thoughts on her mind. *This is bad…why did I have to meet with this troublesome guy yet again? He's such a bother…and to think he's here at all places. Also, he must be the samurai the Strawhats were looking for! Well at least I'm in luck as he hasn't spotted me ye-*
"Ah!" Suddenly Kin'emon exclaimed in surprise, staring right at the girl at the back of the group. "You! The rude woman from before!"
*Gah! Too late!* Miyako felt a nerve break in her brain as she could already expect what was to follow.
"Why are you here!? Are you also together with these pirates!? Are you here to attack me and bring me back to that man?!" Kin'emon yelled towards her as he remembered she was with the man who cut him up and dishonored him in the first place. He was too weak to get up and walk so he dragged his body across the snow like a worm, closer to her.
That's when the girl noticed the man only had his legs up until his waist and a head attached to it. The sight of that monstrosity, slowly creeping towards her on the ground, completely freaked her out. "What's up with your appearance?! You're even creepier than when you were just a head. Stay away, don't touch me!" She made a disgusted face, trying to keep the samurai at bay. However, the man paid no heed to her words as he inched closer to her.
She frowned, not really in the mood to continue their argument from back in the research facility. "I'm not here because of you." That's when she remembered something she was meaning to ask this samurai for quite some time now, "But now that we meet again, I do have a question; Do you know a kid named Momonosuke?"
At that moment all hostility was replaced by bewilderment in the man before her. He was silent for a while, until he suddenly threw himself at Miyako's feet. He couldn't grab her with no arms, but he used his legs to kneel and lean on the girl as he shouted in panic, "You know Momonosuke?! Where is he!? Is he well!?"
The sudden erratic behavior of the man only freaked her out even more.
Suddenly a kick from the side brought Kin'emon back into the ground, his head getting stuck in the snow. "You're scaring Miyako-chan, you idiot!" Sanji yelled angrily.
"Yohoho, he is quite a feisty one!" The musician of the crew laughed at the scene.
The girl had to blink away the bewilderment of what she just saw before she could speak again. "Yes, I believe he's fine. At least he was…but he disappeared not long ago. He's probably still somewhere in the research facility," the girl answered. *So there really is a connection between them. Perhaps this is his father?*
Completely ignoring the fact that he just got kicked, the samurai started rolling on the snow, trying to get up. However, he was still weak and his body was stiff from the cold. "I need to go to that building then! I must find my son! Momonosuke!" The man yelled out into the wind as if his son will hear him somehow.
"Oy, oy, I know you are worried, but you can't do anything in this state. You have to find your torso first," Sanji warned, sighing at the warrior. He calmed down after seeing the man panic about his son, feeling some sympathy for him. The pirate took out a cigarette and was about to light it, when he remembered the stern warning he was given by Nami-san. Shivering at the memory, he put the matches back into his coat, leaving the unlit cigarette between his teeth.
"You are right…Indeed; I am useless without my whole body. I should prioritize." Kin'emon finally calmed down, thinking more reasonably about the situation he was currently in. "But it seems my torso somehow got submerged in water…at this rate I cannot move much nor can I use my magical abilities," the man added.
"Water? Could his body have fallen into the lake?" Zoro turned to Brook, the last person who saw the samurai's torso.
"I heard that the water in the lake is actually sea-water. If he has devil fruit abilities, that would explain it," Miyako commented.
"In that case we should hurry and get him out before his torso gets eaten by sharks," the swordsman said.
"In the water…? But you'll have to dive in!" Kin'emon exclaimed with surprise as he stared at the pirates.
"We know, but you can't swim, can you?! You second-rate samurai!" Sanji bit on his cigarette as he stared at Kin'emon.
Beside him, Miyako snickered after hearing Sanji's nickname for Kin'emon. She pretended not to notice when Kin'emon gave her a glare in return, but she still kept an amused smile on her face.
"But you are pirates and you do not even know me? Why would you go that far for me?" Kin'emon just couldn't understand how these people worked as they were willing to risk their lives for a man they just met and had no connections with. He stared at Sanji with wondrous eyes.
"Like I said, it's our responsibility! And the deal is still on afterwards; when you get your body back, the fight is on and I'll beat you to a pulp!" The man inside a woman's body just glared back at the samurai. He was threatening him and about to help him at the same time, and it just confused Kin'emon even more.
Even Miyako wasn't sure what to think about what Sanji said, but a soft smile appeared on her face nevertheless. One thing she did know from their actions here; she really liked these Strawhats. They were both interesting and gutsy, and they definitely kept her amused. At moments, they even reminded her of her own nakama on the yellow submarine.
However, it was time for her to be on her way as well. She still had things she needed to do. "As much as I would like to help, I will have to take my leave now," the girl said to the group, turning their attention towards her again.
"What? You're leaving, Miyako-san?" Brook titled his head, making some of the snow fall from his afro that accumulated there. "But you didn't even show us your panties ye-" The skeleton continued with distress, only to get kicked by Sanji before he could even finish that sentence. Luckily for Miyako, since she was still unused to dealing with perverted, undead skeletons.
She nodded in return to Brook's more normal, previous question. "I still need to find my captain, and also I want to talk to Luffy-san about the master you talked about…Caesar Clown," she explained. If Luffy was about to go after Caesar to save the children as she heard from Zoro and the others, she didn't want to stop him, but she also needed to talk with him about how it fits into Law's plans. It could either be of use in their plans or it could mess them up and cause problems. In any case Miyako wanted to ask Luffy to hold off any actions until they also find Law and discuss it all together. Otherwise, she was afraid they will only create bigger trouble that might even put the children in jeopardy. *That's right, I also need to warn them about the candies the children have been eating. They might already be suffering from the withdrawal symptoms of the drugs. In that case I better find Strawhat and the kids soon; Sanji-san said they are all together right now.*
"In that case, take care, Miyako-chwaaan!" Sanji waved after her as she gave her final bow to the pirates and was about to leave. Even though he might have the best intentions, Miyako just found it creepy as he still had the body of a woman, yet kept staring at her with such a love-struck gaze. She never had a woman hit on her…though she wasn't sure if this situation would count as such anyway.
Before she left, the girl stopped one more time and turned back to look at Kin'emon with a frown. "If I find Momonosuke-kun, I will be sure to bring him to you…" She didn't like the samurai man, but she felt a bit responsible for that young boy and wanted to protect him. Even she couldn't stay cold as she saw a father's worry and love towards his missing son; she could at least sympathize with that.
The samurai bit his lip at the woman's words as he felt conflicted inside. He still found the woman to be an outrage towards their culture of Wano, but he also felt somewhat moved by her words just now. Finally, he nodded with a serious expression that still looked troubled, "I thank you...," he managed to say, although barely.
"I'm not doing it for you," Miyako muttered with a sharp stare towards the prideful man, silently telling him she was thinking of Momonosuke rather than him. She then disappeared into the fog without another word, running towards sector F-12 where the rest of the Strawhats and the children should be waiting. She didn't yet know that there will be another curiosity waiting for her there.
Kin'emon quietly watched the swordswoman go, deep in his own conflicted thoughts and cursing his inability to go rescue his son properly. He pursed his lips in a thigh line, keeping his gaze downward as he had mixed feelings about the woman that was willing to help him despite their animosity towards each other. In that aspect she was similar to these pirates, making her even more curious in the samurai's eyes.
~…..~
"I hope they get Nami back soon…I'm worried." A tall man with blonde hair sighed, pacing nervously across the cave's floor. It was actually Chopper in Sanji's body and he even had a small mask on his forehead to reveal his identity to others.
"Well even if they died, there's nothing we can do about it from here," Robin answered in a calm tone which went well with her blank expression even as she was saying such terribly negative ideas.
"Stop iiiit! You're worrying me even more with such talk!" Usopp yelled back at the woman, holding onto a terrified Chopper who just imagined all the gruesome things that could've happened to Luffy and the others.
However, the archeologist of the crew simply snickered in amusement at their panicked faces. "Now, calm down, you don't think Luffy would die that easily, do you?" She asked the other two with a teasing smile, already knowing full well what their answers will be.
"Ah, you're right! Luffy is even stronger now after two years! There's no way he would lose, even to those two weird giants!" Chopper beamed in response, as if completely relieved by the sudden revelation.
"Ugh, but they sure looked like trouble…those two. What were they called, 'Yeti Cold Brothers' or something?" Usopp shivered at the memory of large silhouettes suddenly appearing out of nowhere and shooting right at their former nakama, Brownbeared. "They didn't spare him another glance, before shooting their own comrade," he continued, looking at the still-unconscious Brownbeared who was barely clinging to life now. Beside him, children of all sizes were peacefully sleeping, tied up with chains as a precaution.
"Still, I think we should worry more about ourselves now. You never know when those men in yellow suits or the marines could find us here and attack us. We should be prepared," Robin warned, still wearing the same unconcerned expression despite warning her crewmembers of danger.
"Y-you think they will find us here!? Usopp?!" Chopper turned back to the sniper of the crew with a pleading expression of someone silently asking to be reassured by his friend.
However, the idea that just crossed Robin's mind seemed to have shaken Sogeking as much as his friend. "D-don't worry Chopper, I will protect us of any enemies that come!" He said it with a stuttering voice. It was hard to feign confidence when his legs were shaking like fallen leaves in the wind.
Just then, the wind blew harder outside their shelter, making dusts of snow fog their vision of the outside. Inside the said cloud, a silhouette of a person's form started emerging, as someone stood at the entrance of the cavern. It didn't take long for the three Straw Hat pirates to notice the suspicious form approaching them.
"Kyaa, it's the enemy!" Chopper exclaimed in fear, turning behind him to his friend that swore to protect them, "Usopp!" However his ray of hope was soon extinguished when he saw the brave sniper hide behind Robin, with his knees wobbling.
"A-a-alright, Robin! I'll back you up from here," Usopp answered, standing behind the woman's back who instantly stood up with her guard prepared when she saw the newcomer.
As the unknown person stepped inside the cave, away from the hard conditions of the outside, they revealed to be a young girl. It was a girl of around 20 years of age with long, dark blue hair tied with a red ribbon in a pony-tail and two, large golden eyes. Their gazes soon fell onto the katana around the girl's waist, replacing their wonder with suspicion once more.
However, the girl raised her hands in front of her as if to reassure them of her intentions. "You must be the rest of the Strawhat pirates. I mean you no harm. I am here to speak to your captain, Monkey D. Luffy," the girl spoke calmly, showing that she had no interest in fighting them.
Chopper relaxed again. "Ah, so it's not an enemy after all….Wait, who are you!?" He stiffened again instantly, realizing the situation was still bizarre as some strange woman just walked into their hiding place.
"My name is Suzune Miyako, I am with the Heart Pirates," she explained. Miyako gazed over the three pirates, searching for something or rather someone, but she couldn't see their dark-haired pirate captain anywhere. *So he isn't here either…* She sighed, but then another thing caught her attention; a conversation she just overheard while entering here. "You said you were attacked by the Yeti Cool Brothers? What happened?"
Robin, Usopp and Chopper exchanged suspicious looks with each other, as if silently deciding by telepathy if they should trust this weird girl or not. After all, she just appeared before them suddenly and who's to say she wasn't just tricking them and waiting for the right moment to attack.
"If you are looking for our captain, he went to fight them right now…And you said you were with the Heart Pirates? I heard Trafalgar Law is on this island too, so that would explain it…," Robin talked knowingly, taking initiative in this situation. She narrowed her eyes as she continued, "What are you planning on this island?" That question was directed not only at Miyako but for Law's plans as well, since the Heart Pirates obviously had some interest here on Punk Hazard. "I heard Trafalgar Law is a Shichibukai now."
"Yeah, that's right! What are your plans!? And what did you do with the children?!" Chopper yelled from his safe spot, well away from the samurai. However as soon as the girl turned to look at him, he winced and hid behind Usopp again.
"Don't try anything suspicious!" Usopp warned.
The samurai girl only sighed, seeing all three pirates still eyeing her with distrust. The two men were especially wary as they stared at the girl from their spot on the side. They were huddled close together, the blonde holding his hands in front of him protectively as if he was a martial artist, while the dark-skinned man with a long nose aimed a weapon at her, one that appeared to be a slingshot.
"Now how could I dare to try anything, with such fearsome warriors over here," she smirked at the duo jokingly, seeing their shivering forms. They gave her a gulp in return and Miyako turned back to Robin with a more serious expression. "I have come to discuss exactly that with your captain. Caesar shouldn't be underestimated and attacked lightly," Miyako warned. "You probably know him as Master already," she explained.
Robin furrowed her eyebrows slightly. "So you're saying, you are also against that 'Master'?"
The girl frowned at the mere thought of the logia. "Of course…still, I don't know how much I can tell you without consulting my captain first. That's why I wanted to talk to Strawhat and ask him to hold off on any actions until I find Law and we discuss the situation together," Miyako sighed again, this time in disappointment, as she continued, "But I guess I missed your captain and I still hadn't met up with Law either."
As Robin thought about the girl's words with interest, nodding her head in agreement of the idea, Miyako stared at the older woman. "You are Nico Robin, are you not? I recognize you from the wanted posters of the Straw Hat pirates," the girl stated questioningly, though she was almost completely positive that this was the case.
"I am. And these are Usopp and…hm…well Chopper, however, he is in a little predicament as his body isn't his own at the moment," the archeologist pointed at the two shivering specs on the side.
Miyako sweat-dropped, already knowing the reason for this. "Ah…Law…I've heard from your other friends; Roronoa-san, Sanji-san and Brook-san, that Law switched your bodies with his powers," she explained with a soft apologetic smile towards the tall blonde called Chopper.
"Eh? You met the other group that went looking for the samurai? Did they find him?" Usopp calmed down from his fear a little as it was replaced by curiosity. He was once again his old self now that it looked like this girl really wasn't their enemy.
The pirate girl nodded. "Yes, and they found him…unfortunately," she muttered the last word under her breath with a displeased frown. "But more importantly…you mentioned the children," she added, her gaze traveling to the group of young kids sleeping soundly on the side. Still, her calm expression turned troubled as soon as she noticed the chains around them, binding them all together. "What happened," her voice turned just a shade colder as she could clearly tell something wasn't right.
"The kids…they started acting aggressive all of a sudden. I tested them and found a trace of a drug in their bodies," Chopper winced at the thought. "Usopp put them to sleep and we had to tie them up to keep them in check," he finished.
Miyako's eyes grew darker; the gaze wasn't aimed at the Strawhats, but a much farther enemy who was the cause of all their problems. "I heard it from Caesar himself…the kids were fed candy, which were actually stimulant drugs," she bit her lip, staring at her feet guiltily. "I didn't even know…I am responsible for this as much as Caesar and the rest of them…I didn't do anything to help them and even gave them those candies sometimes without knowing what they truly were," she muttered apologetically.
Miyako flinched a little when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She glanced behind her to see Robin stepping by her side with a serious expression. "You said yourself that you didn't know those were drugs, so it's pointless to beat yourself over it now. If you really want to atone, then help us bring Caesar Clown down and save these children."
The samurai gave the raven haired woman a nod with a slight smile tugging at her lips. "It would be my pleasure," she answered with her eyes burning in anticipation. She was anxious for the chance to finally let go and free herself from her role, giving Caesar and Monet exactly what they deserved.
"Then you're in luck, Miss Miyako," an amused tone of a deep voice called out to her from the entrance.
The girl's eyes widened as she heard the voice behind her, but her expression changed into a knowing smile before she even turned around to face the newcomer. "You have been quite elusive today…captain," the girl teased as she turned to face the Shichibukai with a grin.
"We're baaack!" Another voice echoed behind Law, making the man flinch slightly from the power of it. A young man ran inside the cavern with a wide smile on his face, carrying some kind of animal in his arms. Finally, the third to enter was a large man with what appeared to be robot parts on his body, but he didn't look as excited as his young comrade. Instead, the man dragged his feet through the snow with an unhappy expression, which bordered with gloominess.
"You guys, you did it! And Nami's here too!" Chopper and Usopp cheered while Robin gave her captain a pleased smile.
It didn't take long for Miyako to recognize the Strawhats' captain among them; the boy was just as she remembered him two years ago as if he hadn't changed at all. The short black hair ruffled underneath his trade-mark straw hat, the small scar just below his left eye, the lean stature of his body and the cheerful smile on his face; there was no doubt about it, that this was the man with a 400 million Beri on his head. Still, Miyako remembered him in a much graver state, just after losing his brother and gaining terrible injuries in the War; that sight was a complete contrast to his usual self that created havoc all across the Grand Line back in the day. She couldn't help but smile in relief, realizing he managed to bring himself back up after losing everything two years ago. She couldn't help but respect him for it.
But one question still grinded on her mind, as the girl glanced back at the dark-skinned captain of her own crew, who casually strolled to her side. "But how come you two are together?"
After she said that, the others stopped their actions as well; as Usopp and Chopper were currently wrestling with a laughing Luffy, while Robin watched on in amusement. The large robo-guy with funky blue hair was still silently standing there with a dark expression of foreboding. After Miyako asked this, he noticeably cringed.
"Ah! That's because we're forming an alliance." Luffy announced it so easily, as if simply remembering a common fact such as that the sky was a shade of blue.
For a moment, complete silence cast its shadow down on the cavern, while everyone processed Luffy's words in their minds. Then, at the exact same time they all blurted out the same reaction; "Whaaaaat!?"
After their captain explained the situation and told them what happened after defeating the Yeti Cool Bothers in which Law seemingly played a major role, the Strawhats were completely shocked, still unable to believe this situation.
"We're forming an alliance with the Heart pirates!?" Chopper and Usopp were the ones most baffled by this as they shouted in unison.
Even Miyako couldn't mask her surprise, though she was rather pleased with this development. She didn't know what this new alliance entailed exactly, but if it helps them take down Caesar, all the better.
Unfortunately, the others didn't look as pleased about this as she was. Actually, they were downright against it. So much that Usopp grabbed Luffy by his collar and started shaking him in panic; "How come saving Nami turned into something so eccentric!?"
"Saving Nami?" Miyako repeated with a confused blink of her golden eyes.
"Ah, right! I'm Nami…nice to meet you. You are also one of the Heart Pirates? I don't remember you from the auction house, th-" Then the large robotic man stopped, widening his already round eyes further. "No, wait, I do remember you! Weren't you in the auction!? As one of the people being sold!?"
Miyako clapped her hands, forming her lips in a silent 'o' of being impressed. "Oh, you have a good memory. That's right! Well….a lot happened since then," the girl chuckled, a bit embarrassed by remembering her past, while scratching the back of her head.
The large man turned to Trafalgar with a menacing angry expression, "Oy, Trafalgar, don't tell me you're making her work for you as a slave!? If it's true I'll never forgive you!"
"….." The Shichibukai didn't respond, though his expression darkened ever-so-slightly, along with his mood, as usual when being threatened.
However, the Wano girl intervened before he managed to answer. "No, no, don't worry, it's nothing like that," she started, but decided to leave out the fact that she was indeed somewhat coerced into joining his crew in the beginning. "I am a proper Heart Pirate," she answered rather proudly with a smile. "My name is Suzune Miyako," she repeated for the nth time that day; it was getting a bit tiresome, introducing herself to each group separately. The samurai looked at the large man called Nami before her, examining his features along with his peculiar metal nose. "Forgive me but…isn't Nami a girl's name?" She asked bashfully, trying not to offend the man who was almost twice as large as she was.
"Ugh, that's because that guy did something weird and switched our bodies! That's right, Trafalgar, switch us all back!" Nami pointed a large, artificial finger towards Law accusingly, but got no response from him. She didn't wait for an answer as she turned back to Luffy who was still being persuaded by Usopp and Chopper to give this idea up.
"How can I sleep peacefully at night when we're collaborating with that suspicious guy!?" The sniper of the crew continued in a shout.
"See Luffy, everyone's against it! Let's stop this, we can't go along with something so dangerous! Besides, we have our own pace of traveling! Look, this guy is way too suspicious and creepy to trust!" Nami continued, then blinked in realization and turned back towards Miyako, "Ah, no offense Miyako-chan," she added.
The samurai girl, however, simply waved her hand as if dispelling any need for apologizing. "None taken. When I first met him I felt the same way too, so I understand," she explained matter-of-factly, forgetting the existence of her far-from-pleased captain right behind her.
Law's eyebrow twitched at the whole scene, making a dark atmosphere appear and surround him. He didn't particularly care what other thought of him, and being intimidating was always welcomed, but these guys weren't holding back even in his presence. He was slightly getting annoyed, but decided to stay quiet and observe the situation. This was between Strawhat-ya and his own crew, and the other captain should settle this on his own; Trafalgar knew better than to get involved in their business. Still, he hoped the younger captain will show some sort of authority over his crew soon, settling the situation and putting them in their place; at least that's what Law does when he is faced with direct insubordination and objections like this. However, Strawhat didn't seem to want to do anything like that, leaving his whole crew to voice their complaints freely and rather noisily. Though honestly, to Law it looked like all their complaints towards Luffy went in his one ear and out of the other.
"That's right Luffy, we can't set our sights on an Emperor yet, there's no way we can fight them!" Chopper added his two cents, while desperately trying to salvage his broken body which was occupied by Franky, the pirate cyborg of the crew.
Miyako glanced at Law, and he returned her knowing look with his own. She heard the gist of it from Strawhat as they planned to take down Kaido of the beasts, one of the four pirate Emperors. She knew why Law specifically chose this Emperor as he collaborated with Doflamingo and was known for his ruthlessness. It was part of the plan that Law already explained to her and the Hearts; destroy the SAD tank that creates SMILEs, kidnap the only scientist who can make it and let Kaido destroy Doflamingo for crossing him. It seemed efficient, but in no way did Miyako think that it will be a simple task. Still, she wondered how much did Trafalgar really share with the Strawhats and how much did he leave unsaid; certainly he didn't mention his plight with Doflamingo and the real reason for doing all this; that meant he was trying to manipulate them through this alliance and use them to his advantage. As far as Miyako could tell, Luffy didn't know anything about Doflamingo's connection in all this.
This time Robin stepped forward, who was silent and observing this whole time, to talk to Luffy. "Luffy, I'll go along with it, but bear in mind that along with 'Pirate alliance' comes 'betrayal'. It might not be the best option for you who rely on people too easily," she warned tactfully.
The younger pirate captain blinked in wonder, turning his head to Trafalgar who was now standing beside him. "Huh? You'll betray us?"
"No," the other captain simply answered with an immediate response. Surely, it would be strange if anyone would answer affirmatively to this question.
The Strawhat looked back at his crew with a proud grin, sending a clear 'See!?' aura.
"Hey now!" Usopp snapped back at his dimwitted captain, wondering just how trusting the guy could be.
Even Miyako almost chocked on air by Luffy's easy-going and too trusting nature. *Oy now, how trusting are you!?*
However, the straw hat wearing boy didn't let himself be diverged in the slightest. Instead, he just grinned from ear to ear and crossed his arms on his chest proudly. "Anyway, isn't it cool to have a pirate alliance!? I think Trafl-guy's a good guy, but even if he isn't, don't worry! I've got all of you with me and we all trained for two years!"
Suddenly, the whole atmosphere changed, first a shocked one and then to one where his crew got completely flustered by the compliments. In just a second, they forgot all about the dangerous of this alliance and even their own warnings, as Nami, Usopp, Chopper and Franky all started exclaiming with pride and confidence how they will support their captain.
*And you guys are way too easy too!* Miyako yelled in her mind, completely baffled by the sudden change in them. It slightly reminded her of the Heart Pirates who would always forget their complaints after Law's motivational speech, getting them all fired up and ready to follow their captain even to the depths of Hell.
Even Law couldn't believe the sudden turn of events, as the Strawhats proved to be such a simple-minded crew. And he was forming an alliance with these guys!? Suddenly, the Shichibukai got a bit worried by his choices.
Miyako couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as she watched the Strawhats interact with each other. They were such an interesting bunch to her.
Finally, Trafalgar decided to get a move on, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. "In any case, we should proceed with our plans if we want this to work," he called out.
"Before that, change our bodies back to normal!" Nami pointed out angrily.
"Very well," with a blank expression, the captain called out his Room, before using "Shambles" on the Strawhats. Everything seemed to be right with the world once again when Chopper returned to his small furry body, Franky returned to his large robotic one much to Robin's relief, and Nami….
"Bahahahahaha!" Laughter echoed throughout the whole cavern, as Luffy, Usopp and Chopper couldn't stop their amusement at the sight.
"Nami ended up in Sanji's body!" Usopp exclaimed through his fits of laughter.
"Shut up all of you! You have no idea what this is like!" Nami yelled back in absolute frustration. "Hey, Law, why is it like this!?"
Trafalgar just shrugged his shoulders in disinterest. "It can't be helped since your body isn't here," he explained.
"Aaagh, dammit!" The blonde man screamed with tears in his eyes.
"Ah, don't worry, Nami-dono, we just need to meet up with Sanji-san," Miyako tried to cheer her up with an awkward smile. The other woman, in a man's body, seemed to be radiating anger at the moment, making it hard for the samurai to approach her.
"Hahah-gyah!" Chopper stopped laughing and started coughing wildly as the pain from his body hit him once more. He glared at Luffy and Franky, who were still exchanging the blame between themselves for his poor condition.
"Ah, Tanuki-chan, are you ok!?" The Wano girl knelt beside the apparent doctor of the crew. A cute, fuzzy creature with a hat on and a blue nose. She just wanted to cuddle him, as he reminded her of Bepo, but held back as she deemed it inappropriate at the moment. It would just hurt him more, since he was so badly injured. She couldn't believe Luffy's one punch caused all this damage.
"I'm not a Tanuki, I'm a reindeer!" Chopper shouted back in annoyance as he was yet again mistaken for a raccoon from fairy tales and folklore.
"Eh? A talking reindeer?" Miyako blinked her eyes in confusion as she stared quizzically at the animal lying on the ground.
Chopper was silent for a while, before he murmured an explanation, "Well I ate a devil fruit before...Hito Hito no mi. I'm a monster now," he nodded, but there was confidence in his eyes as he said that.
The girl still stared at him silently, as she felt both awkwardness and defiance in his tone as he spoke about himself. It almost seemed like he was both proud and somewhat bothered by his strange nature. Suddenly she smirked down at him. "Heeh, so there are cute monsters like this too, hm?" She teased, tapping his blue nose once with her index finger.
Suddenly, his whole demeanor changed as he lay there broken. A wide smile spread on his face along with a slight pink blush. His eyes sparkled with happiness as his words and body language completely contrasted each other. "Who are you calling cute~? That doesn't make me happy at all, you bastard~!" He wiggled on the ground as if embarrassed, ranting insults at Miyako, who just chuckled at the sight.
*He's obviously happy about it, though,* she stared at him with a sweat-drop.
Robin snickered beside them. "He's saying 'Thank you' in his own way," the archeologist explained.
"Yeah, I figured," Miyako winked back at her before standing back up again.
She turned back towards her captain who was currently having a discussion with Luffy. It seemed Strawhat wanted to save the kids and take them along, but Law was against it, deeming them too much of a burden. It made Miyako frown as she wanted to help these kids just like the rest of the Strawhats. That's why she listened carefully to the rest of the conversation, and was pleased when Luffy appeared to be getting his way much to Law's displeasure. Also, to be honest, she was rather enjoying herself seeing Law's expressions of surprise and disbelief as Luffy kept taking him by surprise and rattling his usually collected demeanor.
"To be honest, I also want to save these kids…" Miyako gave Law a burning stare as she tried to persuade him, showing him she was serious about this matter. With the corner of her eye she could see Rachel sleeping peacefully in the arms of one of the giant kids, as if reminding Miyako of her own part in their predicament at Punk Hazard. She also noticed that Momonosuke-kun was not here, which deepened her worry for the young Wano boy who was still missing. "I promised to protect them…and I want to keep that promise," she finished.
"That kind of promise wasn't yours to make," her captain reprimanded her swiftly in return.
He was right, Miyako knew this, but it was still a promise she wanted to keep. She nodded at his words, "I know, but I can't turn my back on them after everything that already happened to them here. We share a part of that responsibility too," she reminded Law even though she doubt he would care about that. But she did!
Finally, the Shichibukai sighed in defeat seeing that these guys were too stubborn to reason with. He didn't have time for this; it was easier to just go along with them and agree, then try and persuade them. What's more he could see Miyako pleading with him silently, and he knew that the girl would probably act of her own accord either way since she felt so strongly about this. "Fine, I'll figure out what medicine the kids were given. Who's your doctor? Come with me, we'll have to go behind Caesar's back," he answered with resignation, noticing everyone's faces annoyingly beam up at this.
However, what followed was so sudden and unexpected that even Law had no time to react and stop them in his own confusion by the act. Before he knew it, the Long Nose-ya was seriously tying…that thing from their crew that belonged to some animal species, to his head….his head! Right atop his fuzzy, white hat. Trafalgar was so shocked, he was unable to act, which was probably a good thing considering he had to fight a strong urge to cut them all up with Kikoku…and not in the way where they could still reattach themselves back together.
He could already hear snickering and chuckles behind his back, quite sure that one of those voices belonged to Miyako who was trying her hardest not to laugh at the sight…and completely failing at it.
"Shishishi! Don't drop him Torao!"
"Haha…sorry…can't stop…laughing…haha…"
"Suuupeeer cute!"
"Hmhm…"
Miyako could feel her eyes tear from holding back as she tried to keep her mouth shut. However, it was no use as she burst out laughing at the sight when Law finally turned around to face them, with Chopper securely tied at the top like some kind of lookout device. "D-don't worry captain…it looks good on you," she managed to squeeze out between fits of laughter. "Maybe you can use his higher position as surveillance for enemies," she suggested teasingly, making everyone laugh even harder at that image in their minds. *I know I'm going to regret this later, but even if I'm cut into pieces like a jigsaw puzzle, it will be worth it!* She thought, unable to hold in the tears at the corners of her eyes as her laughter finally died out into small giggles.
Miyako's comment must've been the last straw as Trafalgar finally came to his senses and ripped Chopper from his head, tying him with the same rope to the top of his long nodachi.
"Oy, be careful, I'm hurt," the small reindeer struggled and protested at the treatment, but was unable to move and ended up hanging from Law's sword like a dried ham.
When everyone finally returned to their serious selves, in which time Miyako pretended not to notice Law's death glares towards her, the Shichibukai finally rounded up everyone to explain the plan properly. The plan was to create confusion, as Law so eloquently put it, by kidnapping Caesar Clown. All the while, Miyako already knew the real reason behind doing that, but stayed quiet as Law took the lead in explaining the details of the plan.
Robin, Franky, Luffy and Miyako were supposed to go and find Caesar, using Miyako's information and knowledge of the facility to their advantage. She was to help them in the battle, but also was to be their guide through the research facility since she already knew the whole place and also knew where Caesar mostly spent his time there. Meanwhile, Chopper and Law would go and research the drug used on the children so that they could cure them. Usopp and Nami were to stay here at the hiding place and protect the kids, since they will be quite a handful when they wake up.
"Alright, everyone has their tasks now," Law nodded approvingly at the group.
"Alright! Let's do this!" Luffy raised his fist in the air, excited as always.
As they headed out, the samurai felt a thug on her elbow, making her turn around in question. She saw Law silently staring at her. With cold sweat appearing on her brow and an awkward smile, she started explaining, "Ah, if it's about the Chopper thing, sorry, I was just-," but was cut off by her captain before she could continue.
"My heart is still in Caesar's hands. I didn't mention this to the Strawhats, but when you get to Caesar, be sure to take back my heart as soon as you have the chance," he started with a completely different, and much more important topic, right now. "And don't forget that your heart is still with Monet…be careful of her. If you get the chance to retrieve your heart from her too, do it," he commanded seriously. "I'll also try if the chance arises," he added.
Miyako's expression was completely serious now, as they both knew how much trouble they could get into if either Monet or Caesar decide to use the pirates' hearts against them. They could kill them in seconds by stabbing their vital organ. At least they were still fine, meaning that Caesar didn't know of their betrayal yet. The girl nodded at Trafalgar with determination and the captain let go, as they both headed their own separate ways.
~…~
In front of the research facility, which was completely closed off with large metal gates now, was a bloody battlefield. Marines fought Caesar's henchman; ex-prisoners and pirates with animal legs that proved both dangerous and quick as they fought, battled the scruffy marines. Even so, neither vice admiral Smoker nor his right hand, captain Tashigi, backed down as they fought, even as their bodies were uncomfortably switched with each other. Tashigi also faced a humiliating defeat by Law, his words still echoing clearly in her mind; "Weaklings can't pick their way of death!" She cringed just remembering them along with the sight of his dark glare as he wouldn't even give her the satisfaction of an honorable death, yet it didn't sway her determination as she tried her best to control the devil fruit powers of the Moku Moku no Mi and be of some use in this fight. Sadly, she was mostly getting in the way as her body parts would turn into smoke and randomly, but quite dangerously, fly around at other people.
All fighting stopped, however, when an unidentified, mysterious object started flying towards the battlefield from the sky.
"Look, something's up there!"
"A bomb!?"
"A balloon!?"
Both the marines and Caesar's men stopped fighting and stared up in confusion, trying to decipher this incoming object. It went down fast, crashing into the ground and taking out some of the men with it. Finally, four forms landed in front of the small army of enemies, revealing four pirates. A tall, raven haired woman who created wings from hands to land safely to the ground, a large cyborg who already took down three men with his large fists just after landing, a samurai girl who easily landed on one of the marines, rendering him unconscious in the process and putting a careful hand on her katana, and finally a young captain with a straw hat and a smiling face, rising both his fists in the air and yelling for all to hear; "Come out, Master! We're here to kidnap you!"
Robin chuckled at the sight of her young captain, reprimanding him teasingly, "Luffy, that was supposed to be a secret."
"Suuuper Franky is here! We're gonna beat you up, Master!" Franky the cyborg laughed, while grinning and clenching his hands into fists.
Miyako sighed at the scene. "Law isn't going to like this," she commented, but a smirk still tugged at her lips as she spoke this.
And just as the samurai girl predicted, everything went into chaos.
"Strawhat!" Smoker, still in the body of his right-hand Tashigi, glared at the newcomers.
"It's the Strawhats!" The men working for Caesar exclaimed in unison, preparing all their weapons. A few of them blinked in confusion though, when they noticed the familiar blue-haired samurai. "Suzune-san? Why!?"
"Tch, that idiot! Who told him he could take on the entire fleet!?" Even Trafalgar Law exclaimed in surprise at the sight, perplexed by the lack of any subtlety in Luffy's plan to take on Caesar. For the second time that day, Trafalgar cursed under his breath and wondered if he made a right choice by forming this alliance.
Owarimashita! The chapter is over and I hope you liked it. I had fun writing it and it was fairly easy to do so; I love when the chapter just flows naturally, almost as if it was writing itself. ;D I tried to make it interesting and not too repetitive, since you guys already know the whole cannon story and everything that happens. But it's fun observing it all from Miyako's perspective, and she's just running all around the place this time, being everywhere! XD
So from this point on, only one thing to do; Begin strategy! :D
Thank you all for the wonderful comments! I'm sorry you had to wait so long for it, but at least I gave you a longer chapter. :3
Guest: haha I agree, when it comes to Strawhats, it really is just mayhem and chaos. XD Thanks, I try to keep him in character, yet want to build a relationship between Miyako and him throughout the story...we'll see how it goes in the following chapters.
Also, don't worry about the bounties thing; I sometimes misread things and then have to go back to re-read it, cause I'm just confused, like: 'Whut?' Anyway, I'm really glad you like the story, thank you for reading! :D
Mawuppa: You are very welcome. ^^
Apple bloom: There you go! :D
Bioware: Oh, I can't wait for the two of them to meet too! But I don't want to spoil anything for you, so you'll just have to wait and see. :D (I fear we won't get to see Law's fight in the OP for quite some time yet, it's going pretty slow. :/) Thank you for reading!
TheCaramelSecrets: hehe I'm glad you like it so much, I hope this chapter will be enjoyable for you too. Yeah, English isn't my native language so I'm sorry if there are some mistakes in the story. ^^' And don't worry, even though I'm sometimes slow at posting, I don't intend to quit writing any time soon. ;) Thank you for taking the time to read my story! ^^
Red knight 2004: Well there will be in the future, but probably not right now since they will be running around Punk Hazard for a while longer.
Bizzy: Fanfiction kills links. :') Don't worry, Miyako's shyness isn't really gone, but she is getting more used to Law being close to her. Or rather, she lets him do it a bit more openly now. ^^
SurgeonOfLove: I think she will, she's just not used to being so open as Law is, as of yet. And Law is more straightforward in taking what he wants than her. :) I'm thinking about it so even if it's not yet for certain, there will probably be a chapter about the Heart Pirates journey towards Zo, yes. Can't say anything for sure yet, though. (But I know how you feel, I miss them too!) No problem about the questions, though I don't want to give anything crucial away. ;)
TCP4ever: Thank you! Hope you enjoy this one too!
Lucy Jacob: Whoot! Congratulations! :D hehe Sometimes you have to be mean to your characters to get the story going, I know what you mean (I tortured Miya-chan). :3 Sorry for keeping you wait, but I hope it's worth it. ^^
Shiningheart of ThunderClan: You know, I thought of the exact same thing after writing that Law/Miyako scene (tsk tsk tsk, they weren't careful enough).
That's a very good question, actually. I won't spoil anything for you, so I can't go into detail, but the two of them will definitely have to resolve some issues before being able to work together at all.
Ah, another good question, but once again I can't give you a straight answer without revealing anything. :') But I can tell you that I believe Zoro will be more interested in Miyako's outlook on all this than the actual fact that she's a female swordsman (swordswoman?). I think that even though Zoro doesn't want to hurt women so in a way he doesn't fight them seriously, he doesn't actually believe that women can't be stronger than men in kenjutsu (after all Kuina kicked his ass every time :D).
Akai gousto: Thanks. Heh, I have a feeling many readers don't like him; I'm guessing because of his old-fashioned nature towards women. ^^' Maybe Miyako will be able to change his mind. ;) If not, Nami can always straighten him out with her punch as usual. :D Thanks for reading!
Zecrea: I know what you mean; now it's my job to input Miyako into the cannon story and make it seem natural, as if she truly belongs there. I hope I will succeed. :)
Memarvo: Sorry, but since I'm sticking to the cannon when it comes to Strawhats, I'm not planning on pairing anyone up. But hey, there's always Sanji's antics. :P heh, yeah, feudal Japan was a bad time to be a woman and Wano is kinda like that. ^^' Happy Late New Year to you too! XD Thanks for reading!
Hitoshirezu Ryu: hehe Thanks, I don't have a younger sibling, but I can imagine it being something like that. :D I tried to make everything interesting (in this chapter also) even if it is all mostly already known, plot-wise. I hope you will like Miyako's involvement in the future scenes of the cannon too. Thank you for reading!
BatmanSwim2016: Yep, the Straw Hats are here! :D I hope you enjoy this chapter!
geckogal077: Thank you for reading. :D Thanks, that's what I'm aiming for and I hope the other chapters will be interesting even if they are following the cannon, as well.
Xxikarishipper99xX: Thank you for reading! I also hope Miyako's interactions with the Straw Hats will be fun and interesting in this chapter. :D
Chocogirl24: Yep, they this big sister-younger brother thing going on. Maybe she'll reeducate him on how to treat Wano women too. :)