I had a lot of things to say... but I didn't note them down and now they went POOF!

Anyways, thanks a lot for the reviews, follows and favorites [ that a word? probably not in this context...] You guys brighten my day! *love you*

Hope you enjoy!

"The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed."

- Ernest Hemingway

Sitting on his chair in the center of the room, Law examined the newest addition to his crew.

She was a paradox to him.

He felt like strangling her when she commented out of line, when she ordered him around, even if it was in a joking manner. She could be so infuriating, so defiant. Even the way she looked at him, with such distrustful eyes, made him kill her in his mind a few times, all in the few hours she had been aboard his submarine.

He also wanted to dissect her like a lab rat, see how it was exactly that she moved her left arm so gracefully when it was completely metal. Find out what made her tick. He wondered if her brain was connected to her arm, sending it impulses to move and grab thing or pop out a seastone cuff. What other things could she be hiding in there? Was she able to feel things with her left arm? Things like heat or the brush of his fingers over her wrist? Law shook his head.

There were also times when his thoughts about her took odd turns. Like how her smile seemed so genuine to him as she was talking to his navigator, explaining to him where her ship was. He thought her face lightened up when she was curious about things. She had probably asked Bepo about his tribe, because Law heard him apologize a few times before she giggled and told him it was alright. He found out her laughter was something he would not mind hearing more often.

When Bepo turned to steer the submarine to the location of her ship, Thesa moved closer to the big window. She was staring through it, looking after every fish that crossed their path. She was bent over the control panel, careful not to push any buttons. His eyes trailed up and down her legs and wished her dark knee-high socks gone.

No! He didn't have time for this. He had a plan to get to and an evil bastard to kill. And even if he made some time, she was a really bad choice. Not only was she an ex-mercenary who was rumored to be ruthless, she admitted to wanting him dead. How was that a good thing? How did it help him get closer to his goal? She'd probably end up killing him in a jealous fit, she look the type to go crazy after a while. The fact that she was called 'widowmaker' and 'breaker of men' supported his theory that she had something against males.

But seeing her laugh with Bepo at silly things, like funny-looking fish, made him doubt all those rumors. She looked innocent and somewhat cute. He was not going to forget that she was deadly, but maybe there was more to her than her work as a mercenary. Maybe she was broken, but not completely destroyed. Much like himself.

Although she hadn't really had a choice, he wondered why she joined the crew. Was it all only because of the debt she owed him? If so would she ever get to like it there on his submarine? She was already getting along with Erin, but then again, everyone got along with Erin, she was too nice for her own good. Even Cara refrained from talking badly about the redhead and Shachi kept his more graphic comments to himself when she was around. Well, Erin was at least a start. She could make Thesa feel comfortable and wanted there, maybe even loyal to the crew if not to him directly.

Law felt the submarine ascend to the surface at a slow pace. He was trying hard to keep his calm. Their schedule had been already screwed as the Heart Pirates were supposed to be on their way to Fishman Islands already. Instead, they were still on the bloody archipelago, chasing after the vile woman's ship. The whole ordeal couldn't be over fast enough.

The submarine got to the surface and her ship came in view. Thesa let out an excited squeak and ran to get to the hatch that led outside but stopped, turning towards them.

"I…um, don't know the way…"

"Don't worry, Thesa-chan, I'll take you there."

"Thanks, Bepo, you're awesome."His navigator blushed. He was just so naïve. Of the whole crew, Bepo was probably his closest friend, but sometimes he wished his navigator would get just a little more self-confidence. He two of them left the room, trailed by the black feline. Law sttod in the doorway just for a few seconds longer, before deciding he was curious to see his cyborg's vessel.

He was disappointed when they reached the top level and went into the blazing sun. Seeing her ship without the dark smoke it was surrounded by in the last time diminished the frightening effect it had had. It looked more like a wreck than anything else: the black sails had holes in them, the paint was scrapping off and Law could see some of the dock's railing was missing in places.

"It looks pitiful."

"It's a disguise, stupid. It's all smoke and mirrors." There it was, the murderous itch in his fingers. She looked back at him with big eyes as if finally realizing she had said something wrong, or as if she sensed the death glare on the back on her pretty little head. "I'm sorry, I get a little sensitive about my ship." Law sighed deeply. He could understand that, but it wasn't a reason to insult him so blatantly.

"Try to watch your tongue before you lose it, little pirate." As they boarded her ship, reaching a wide metal plank from the submarine towards it, the captain entertained himself with the thought of actually removing her eager tongue, watch her struggle to form the apologies without it, try desperately to beg for it back. A grin spread on his face - he'd do just that the next time she spoke out of turn. He could already foresee he wasn't going to have to wait for too long.

Despite the deplorable condition of the exterior, the inside was rather impressive. The first thing Law noticed was that it was completely made of metal, the floor, the walls, the tables. Even the chairs were steel, though they had fluffy cushions on top. Wall lamps lit the entire ship, as far as Law saw. He thought his own vessel wasn't such a huge change of scenery for her. Maybe she'd feel right at home in is yellow submarine.

Thesa went straight into a room with her pet hot on her heels. Law exchanged a look with Bepo, both wondering if they should follow. He decided he still wanted to see the rest of her barquentine, so he stalked after her, his navigator behind him.

By the decorum, he guessed it was her room: a canopy bed with thick dark curtains and lots of pillows, an entire wall covered with shelves full of books, an enormous walk-in closet on the other wall. It would have looked like an average woman's room, would have, if not for all the metal parts and tool boxes scattered around her desk. Not to mention the furniture was made of steel and iron there too. She came out of the closet and sighed.

"This is going to take a while."

"You're taking everything?"

"Most of it, yes." The day was never going to end. At least not with both of them alive. She was irritating him more and more every second, making him regret ever asking her to join the crew. What was he thinking? That she'd fall into submission just because she still owed him one favor?

"Should I go ask some of the guys to help, captain?" His navigator's intentions were good natures, but Law didn't want to ask his crew to help her move her things. It was already annoying that she apparently wanted to move her entire ship aboard his. Sure, all his subordinates came with luggage, but most of them carried it in a bag over their shoulders.

"Please don't!" She sounded so desperate. Law realized she didn't want them to find about she was a cyborg. Her room being filled with spare parts would surely bring up some questions. "Erin and the guys are already clearing up a room for me… besides, I can do this alone. I'll just need some boxes to put my things in."

"I know where I can get some. I'll be right back."

Just like that, Law was left alone with her. He was not counting the cat that was lazily cleaning its paws on a stack of pillows at the foot of her bed. He wandered around the room, as the girl went back and forth between the bed and the closet, piling up neatly folded clothes. He walked closer to look inside and had to suppress a gasp. It must have been at least four times bigger than her actual room, with a huge vanity mirror in the center and hangers with clothes all around. There were shoe boxes lined up beneath the hanging clothes. Thesa was picking up clothes apparently without giving much thought to her choices and Law wondered if she knew where everything was or it didn't matter what items she folded because she was packing everything!.

He was about to release some of his ire on her, when he noticed another table behind the vanity. Scattered on it were thin wires and a lot of equipment he really didn't know the purpose of. But the thing he found most interesting was the stack of silicone grafts. He picked one up and felt the skin-like texture. There was nothing unusual about it, nothing that indicated it could help her sense. She came by the table and started gathering the tools, placing them in their metal boxes.

"You know all of this is never going to fit in your new room…right?"

"Well, since I won't be needing so many disguises, I'll be taking just the things I actually like. Which, you'll be surprised, are not that many." She took out from a drawer some small metal boxes and piled them on top on one another. Law wondered what was in them. "Besides, I can always buy more clothes. What's going to take the most space and time are the cyborg related thingies." He picked up a box and opened it, only to find it was filled with extremely small screw nuts. "Yes, like all those boxes."

Bepo came back with several cardboard boxes and started helping her without asking. They were filling them with all the items she placed in the first room. He saw her giving Bepo curious glances when he'd lift a metal box or a roll of copper wire, but the navigator didn't seem to notice. Well, why would he? He was helping their new mechanic move her tools. She was freaking out over nothing.

Law hated lying to his crew. He knew it was not his place to reveal her secret, but he wished she'd realize she had nothing to hide. Being a cyborg was not synonym with being a monster or an abomination. Law wondered what kind of people she had the misfortune of running into along her journey. All of them were probably idiots if they only saw the metal arm behind the girl.

His eyes were pinned to her, following after her when she moves to gather more clothes or metal boxes. When he realized he had been staring like a creep, he moved t inspect the bookshelves. Reading the titles one by one, he sighed. Most of the volumes were romances, many were epic fantasy adventures and others he had no idea. A book called 'A wild sheep chase' could literally be about anything.

Law turned to his two subordinates and was rather impressed they managed to fit almost everything in only eight boxes.

"Almost done." Thesa brushed the knees of her pants as if to clean them, and then went to get the dark blue veils off the canopy.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking the bed!" She was taking the…

"You have to be joking."

"Thesa chan, I don't think it's going to fit through your door."

"Oh, I will. I designed it myself." His curiosity was peaked; he was interested after all to know how skilled a mechanic she actually was. But that didn't mean she wasn't still stepping on his every nerve.

It took her longer than expected to get the damn fabric off the canopy, then push all the pillows and mattresses on the floor. She went to the front of the bed and opened a little panel. He stepped closer and saw her twist a little handle. The canopy slid down completely, merging the framing, then the bed compacted into itself, the legs pulled up. In a matter of seconds her bed was no bidder than one of the cardboard boxes Bepo had found. He had to admit, it was kind of cool. He was not about to call it impressive, but it clearly looked like she had put a lot of thought and dedication into making the furniture. Law sighed.

"Are you done now?" He saw her frown and open her mouth to say something, probably stupid, only to snap it shut. She pursed her lips into a pout instead. Damn! He was really looking forward to punish her a little, but maybe she was learning her place.

"Remarkable, Thesa-chan."

"Thanks Bepo. You're really sweet."

"Will the two of you stop chatting and finish here? We're already off schedule." Law strode to the other side of the room, in an attempt to get back to his ship. He was stopped when her hand grabbed the helm of his hooded sweatshirt.

"Oh, captain, wait! I'll have to take my ship somewhere safe. Is it alright if I take off for an hour or so?" He growled. He thought he should just shut her and her pet in a room on the submarine and depart. But he wanted her to be an actual member of the crew, regardless that she's joined because she had to. So he nodded.

"We leave in exactly four hours. You better be back by then!" With that he left the two and her panther on the ship. He wasn't entirely sure why he didn't help. He could have created a room big enough and transported her things in a matter of seconds. Why then leave her to carry all of those boxes? And why was Bepo being punished with her? Well, he didn't seem to mind, he was all bashful and blushing.

The sun was setting when he entered his yellow vessel. He played the events of the day in his mind: went to a human auction, witnessed that kid punch a Celestial Dragon, the mercenary saved Bepo's life, then tried to end his own and now she was part of the crew, getting her own room.

Overshadowing even the attempt on his life, was the young captain at the auction house. Monkey D. Luffy. The will of the D. was brewing trouble again. But he could use the kid. He appeared to be friends with the Dark Knight, and Thesa was friendly enough with him. Law could use her as a bridge between them. He could get jet another pawn in his war against Joker. Plus the kid seemed easy enough to manipulate.

A faint pain struck his skull and he massaged his temple. There was time for plotting in the morning. The day was filled with enough excitement. All he needed was a long hot bath, some food, and finally, a good night's sleep.

His quarters were at the back of the submarine, past the crew's quarters and the gym. He walked past Thesa's new room, the door wide open and saw it had been already cleared. Erin was inside, cleaning the small round window. He resisted the urge to go inside and dismiss the woman. It was her choice to do as he pleased with her free time, and he really wanted to relax for the remainder of the night. No more ex-mercenary related stress.

The bath did wonders to his stiff, aching muscles. He cladded himself in a fresh change of clothes, something light he was going to get rid of once he crashed in his bed. He strolled to his usual table and saw Bepo and Shachi already there. A plate was waiting for him between the two.

"Ah,captain, you'll be glad to hear that Thesa's back."

"Already?"

"Yes. She said she'll come to diner after she took a bath."

Law rolled his eyes a bit and hoped she was going to take her sweet time. He could eat quickly and retreat in the comfiness of his mattress. But he didn't get to take two bites when she shyly entered the dining hall, the black panther like a shadow at her side. There was a moment of silence, all heads turning to her and Law couldn't condemn them.

She wasn't an entirely different person; you could still recognize her face. But somehow she was portraying a different character. Her once warm brown hair was styled in thin blue braids, gathered in a high pony tail. The braids reached all the way to her waist. Her once steel gray eyes were coal black. She was wearing a white blouse, tucked in blue shorts and black boots. The knee high socks were ever present just like gloves it seemed. Was it merely a fashion statement or was there more to it?

Erin waved at her and Thesa walked rapidly to the table and sat down. Her slightly lost expression vanished little by little as the pirates at the table laughed and talked with her. Micha even brought her and the cat food.

"She's weird."

"Give her a chance Shachi, she's actually really friendly."

"Of course she's friendly to you, she's a woman and you're a fluffy talking bear!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Bah, stop that!"

Law shut out the noise in the room, concentrating on the girl. Was she still deceiving all of them? Was his idea to use her in his plans going to backfire?

"You should keep an eye on her, Shachi."

"But, captain-"

"You too, Bepo. Nothing extreme. Just see if she's up to anything suspicious."

"Yes, captain!" They both said, but one was more eager than the other. Finishing his meal, Law pushed the plate away. Before he left for his room, he snatched the newspaper from the table. With all that was going on, he hadn't the time to see what else was going on in the world. Scanning the first page as he walked, he thought the information rather interesting. The marines had captured Firefist Ace. They were having a public execution in a matter of days. That was like declaring war with the Whitebeard pirates! The Navy was sure getting bold.

More importantly, Portgas D. Ace.

Maybe a little delay in his plan was worth the while.

Oh I wanna ask you some things.

1. Do you have any preference between American English and British English? I think I use both... randomly. But in some words like color/colour, favorite/ favourite... Should I use the British one? O.o I am rather confused by this...

2. Now, Law's eyes are yellow in the manga but gray in the anime. Which should I use? I made them gray I think in a previous chapter. Should I just leave thm like that? Make them yellow? Flip a coin? :))

Till next chapter! *Hugs*