Chapter 1. The Magician

The card can mean that a manipulator is floating around, usually if it's reversed. He may be a beneficent guide, but he does not necessarily have our best interests in mind. He may also represent the querent's ego or self-awareness. He can also represent the intoxication of power, both good and bad.

˝I'm surprised you came this fast˝

˝Why? I'm not a housewife!˝

˝You could have fooled me˝

˝Pff˝

˝Some things never change, eh?˝

˝Who invited you?˝

˝I did actually˝- Azalea came in the light grinning. Her hair was sparkling under the sunlight and her eyes seemed more vivid, more alive than ever. Of course, she was alive now. Her hand touched the fountain.

˝You still have that habit˝- Niklas spoke. He emerged from the shadows and bowed to the other three figures. His smile was still bright.

˝So we are all here˝- Azalea said.

˝Let's start, Elijah is here as well? ˝- Gloria joined. A hand grabbed her shoulder. Elijah pulled her and looked down at her.

˝Would I ever miss it?˝

The sea was rough that day, waves white and angry rocking the ship. The wind was merciless and unsailable. Kidd frowned at the sky. They were resigned to use the paddles and that made them slow and sluggish. The crew was still fuming at him and cursing, but they had orders so they did what they were told.

Something was happening on the horizon. Birds were flying too low, almost touching the angry waves.

˝Killer! The hell's going on with those birds?˝ - Kidd roared. His first mate turned and waved his head.

˝I've been watching them now for a while, it seems something is attracting them. Maybe some dead Sea King.˝- He replied. Kidd frowned. A dead Sea King and the corpse wasn't thrown in the currents? Something else was there.

˝Paddle next to them, I wanna see it˝- Random "aye Captain" filled his ears. Kidd watched from the helm as the ship approached the birds. There were hundreds swarming around, gawking and flapping their wings. He didn't recognize most of them.

˝What's that?˝- Wire asked next to him. His trident firmly gripped pointed at something purpelish-green. The ship was next to the birds now when the men cursed and bent over the railing. Was that a trick? A bush of lush purple flowers floated above the angry waves. The flowers were small and thickly nestled next to each other.

˝Captain..that's Wolf's bane..˝- Heat said breaking the silence. Kidd turned to him confused.

˝Heat, that shit grows on the bigger, Fall Islands˝

˝And yet there it is, floating in the middle of the ocean, question is, why are the birds attracted to it so much?˝- Killer asked.

˝None of the damn birds are wolves˝- Kidd said smartly. Killer almost said something but stopped.

˝Wolf's bane was a symbol…but of what?˝- He remembered reading about it. ˝It was called the Devil's helmet in some lore…˝

Kidd snorted at this. He turned to the flowers and used his powers to grab knives from the galley. Slowly rising his hand he lowered them and used them as forks to take the bush and transport it to the ship's deck.

˝Captain..˝- Killer started nervously. Kidd was famous for stupid decisions after all.

˝War's favourite perfume was called Devil's helmet. It smelled like opium and made your head turn. The bitch is still alive…˝- He said and positioned the bush next to the mast. Immeditely the bush levitated and shook his branches like there was water residue.

˝Fuck me sideways…˝- Kidd cursed and turned to the sea. The birds have flown away, the waves no longer angry but still and calm, even a small breeze came. Gloria, what are you doing know?

The sub was still in deep waters, nose sticking into the crater of the volcano. Law was chewing his lip, wondering how deep he could go with his Devil Fruit. Teleporting himself into a Volcano was one thing, but actually breathe and come back was another. What if it was a trap? This had Azalea's signature all over it but something felt off… Wouldn't she brag and stomp her foot all over his submarine by now? She was about attention and this quite…timid for her.

˝Captain? You don't really think of going in THERE?˝- Penguin voiced everyone's concern. His eyes were huge under the hat. Law gave him a hard look and lopsided grin.

˝I want to see it for myself. The skeleton is …grinning, isn't it?˝

˝Yeah but..˝

˝I want to examine it˝

˝And not punish, if it really is Miss Azalea?˝- Shachi spoke carefully. He was smart enough not to bring that name up until now. Everyone knew Law still had a certain revenge in his mind. After the last meeting he was more bloodthirsty and ruthless than ever. The crew including the Captain got a nice bounty raise and more enemies. Law had this strange plan in mind and only shared minor details.

Hearts.

Many hearts.

˝I will have a nice chat with her˝- Law said in an icy voice. The crew shuddered and dispersed to their positions. They could feel the change in posture, he was about to attack and they didn't want to be close to him then. Law's palm outstretched.

˝I will contact you with the baby den-den mushi if needed˝- Briefly he addressed his crew before a blue circle emerged enveloping him. In a second gusts of warm air exchanged positions with the dark haired captain.

Law held his breath unconsciously as he teleported into the center of the volcano. There was enough air for him to breathe a few minutes. He landed directly in front of the skeleton. Jaws open formed an ugly sneer as the skeleton spoke.

˝Trafalgar Law...˝- It wasn't Azalea's voice. Law's protest was quickly muted by popping sound. His sphere was no longer there, the air escaping him and leaving him in the cold, ocean water.