It was twenty minutes until high noon and Bepo continued staring out one of the windows in room of which other male guests resided in – waiting for the word to take their seats in the outside pavilion. The white-polar bear pirate clasped his white paws together and sighed sadly. The bear, normally seen wearing his one-piece orange jumpsuit, was dressed in a black suit and pants. The bear was slightly uncomfortable in the uniform, but suffered it anyway, because it was a very special day; the day where one of their nakama was getting married.
"What's wrong, Bepo?" the pirate to the bear's left asked. The bear turned and looked at his captain, Trafalgar Law.
"I'm sad that Miss Jiru isn't here." The bear morosely answered his captain.
The pirate captain had opted not to wear the normal black suit and tie, but instead kept his unique apparel. Crisp black jeans with yellow cheetah spots running up the side went well with the navy-blue shirt/hoodie. The hoodie, too, had animal spots printed all over. Law's face, having slimmed down from his pre-New World days was clean and the facial hair trimmed and handsome – the pointed goatee was a guaranteed woman-magnet. His slicked back black hair was spiky and uncovered by his newer trademark spot-printed fluffy hat – he left that back in the room. Three piercings in each ear was the order for today, as the pirate's black-inked tattoos were mostly covered. The few tattoos that did show were the ones on the Surgeon of Death's hands and fingers; the letters on his digits spelling out 'DEATH'.
Of course, Bepo didn't care, Trafalgar Law was his captain and the polar bear would follow him to the ends of the earth. His captain could look like whatever he wanted to look like.
"It's not fair that Kin-chan is marrying that rubber-loser." Penguin spoke quietly, as there were other guests in the room. "She should be marrying you, Captain."
The third nakama of Law, the brown-unruly haired man by the name of Penguin used the pet name for their long-absent and only female Heart Pirates nakama, the treasure hunter of the Mugiwaras. She had crewed with them for a short two years; three and a half years ago, before the pre-planned reunion of the separated Mugiwaras came to pass. Having been thrown away from her first crew, the woman managed to stop her three-day flight to the unknown by using her own Akumi No Mi powers. Her Reiki-Reiki (Aura-Aura) fruit was quite formidable in that respect; allowing her to negate other Devil fruit powers.
"Well, she's not, so just shut the hell up about it, Penguin." Law gruffly answered back. "Besides, maybe she will when she sees me again, eh?" He laughed loudly as he thought back on his first meeting with the soon-to-be-married bride.
Years back, the Heart Pirates managed to rescue the confused and injured Mugiwara woman from the other pirate crew present – the Kidd Pirates. Eustass Kidd was stuck fighting his way away from the Pacifista Kuma, like the Heart Pirates. The two pirate crews were not winning the fight, and were both shocked and surprised when the girl fell from the sky; blinded by light, enraged to the point of insensibility, and injured in a fight on another grove of the Yarukiman Shabody islands. Having used her heightened rage to focus her Reiki powers into an incredibly strong, transparent sword-edge, the twelfth Super Nova had sliced and quartered the Pacifista, defeating and destroying the strong cyborg. Eustass Kid wanted that kind of power and threatened the woman with physical harm.
Of course, Trafalgar Law was already completely infatuated with the second female Super Nova; he had been since he had first heard of her from the Enies Lobby Incident. She had sparked his curiosity completely. The Surgeon of Death would never allow somebody so blood-thirsty like Eustass Kidd to lay hands on her. Fortunately, she rebuked Kidd and allowed Law to take her into custody, tending to her injuries. She had convinced Law to lend his assistance to her 'previous' captain during the Whitebeard-Marine War. Trafalgar Law had jumped in to rescue the pirate known to the world as Monkey D. Luffy. It was a smooth get-away from the Marine Capital, since his ship was a submarine. Manipulating events to get her into his crew for the two years, they grew extremely close and cultivated feelings for each other – both socially and physically. When he had let her return to her original crew two years later, Law had counted that as the most painful and hardest choice he ever made. His crew knew it, he knew and she knew it.
So it was with surprised joy and heartbreak when the Heart Pirates received a wedding Invite set on the island of Water-7. It had been written by the Golden Thief, extending her goodwill and apologies. But she wanted him there, and he would not fail her. It wasn't about his control over her anymore; Law's feelings went beyond that – even if it broke his heart.
"So, are you here as friends of the bride or the groom?" A husky voice interrupted Law's train of thought. Looking up from the floor, Law turned his dark eyes towards the largely-built man from – where was he from? – an island named Drum.
"Friend of the bride." Law answered, smirking to himself as he viewed the powerfully built man. "I'm Trafalgar Law, who the hell are you?"
"Dalton, from Drum Island."
Law sized up the man, and decided that there was no way his treasure hunter would have invited such a poser to her wedding. Dalton had sharp eyes, dark-brown-black hair swept to a backwards point, and was built like a barrel. His attire, like Law's, wasn't the normal black-suit and pants; but a black shirt and navy-blue pants.
"What side are you here for?" Law asked, as he leaned back in the chair.
"The groom's side." Dalton answered.
"Well, that's interesting." Law smirked.
"Why is that?"
"It would appear that everyone here is on behalf of Monkey D. Luffy." Trafalgar sneered at the name. The townspeople the Heart Pirates all came across chattered excitedly about the groom, and rarely about the bride other than how lucky she was. If Law wasn't on his best behavior, the pirate would have ran rampant on those chatty city folk, terrorizing them in the name of the Heart Pirates; showing them just how the bride was more respected over the groom
"Oh, I'm here to support the bride as well." Dalton informed back. "She is not completely forgotten."
"Oho? That's news to me. How do you know the bride?" Law leaned forward; very curious to hear the connection between his Golden Thief and the tank of a man.
"She stood up to a very bad man, and won." Dalton replied shortly.
"I don't doubt that in the least." Penguin joined in. He, Bepo and Shachi joined the huddle; all wanting to hear more stories about their female nakama. "When was this?"
"I believe it was before she had her bounty placed on her. We met on an island named Drum Island." The large-built man mused to himself. "Their navigator was sick and the crew was sailing in search of a doctor. She herself wasn't much of an attention-drawer, standing quietly in the background. A series of regrettable events took place and the island was under siege from a very bad man, a tyrant who abandoned his people months earlier. He had found a way back to the island and demanded to be king again. I served as that man's guard before he fled, and thought Drum Island would never see the horrid man again. But fate was against the newly freed people and he returned, taking her hostage. She was brave enough to stand up to that horrid man. She supported the people of Drum as she helped her captain defeated the tyrant."
Before Trafalgar Law could ask more, Dark King Raleigh walked in with Shakky by his side. The Dark King wore a nice, black-jacket and black capris. A white shirt sat under his jacket and his white hair was tied back with a tie.
"It's time." The older man said. The six or so males who sat within the room stood up and shuffled out the door; each one of them thinking about today's event and its meanings. Pel, Chaka, Dalton, Penguin, Bepo, Shachi and Law shuffled out the door and were escorted to the outside seats, waiting for the ceremony to start.
The large, dark figure sat silently in his chair, his strong knuckled hand grasping the mug of beer tightly. The sunlight streamed in the room's single window and almost touched his boots with its line. Ignoring the room's sparse furniture, the pirate man kept his eyes glued to the window. It had been a challenge to occupy the very room he sat in now. The price was outrageous for the meager fare – a single bed, a round, used table and chair; but it would be well worth it in the ultimate run. The room was positioned high up enough to fill the need to view the happenings. The eighth room's window offered a straight shot view of the Galley-Ra headquarters and its large back lawn. His prey was going to be in that clearing in mere minutes. The wedding of the century would happen at high noon and the pirate was all too willing to let it happen, letting his trap spring at just the right moment.
It was a shame he had to leave his nakama behind, a few islands over, for this hunt. They all were too conspicuous. The only person he needed for this job was the pirate woman. She was so very incredibly luscious, but wisely had refused his offer of intimacy. He used her anyway, giving the promise of safety and freedom should she complete a single task for him.
He chuckled a bit loudly as he thought back to how he managed to apprehend the woman and her talents. The marine female-brat had been stranded on the island that had many carnivorous plants, and had stumbled into his camp – practically fell into his lap. It was a stroke of luck that he just so happened to have enough wits about his person to use his own devil fruit to overpower hers. It had been tricky, but, having overcome her unique fleeing powers, he had finally caught himself a valuable tool.
It was just as well he held her in thrall, planning to use her power in the future – the future that had revealed itself days ago. The hunt was on again, and he had finally tracked down his quarry: the supposed daughter of the Silver Queen, the Golden Thief.
It was rumored that the woman was going to be found within Water 7, along with the band of pirates she sailed with. The pirate woman was one of the only two Super Nova women and the single surviving female within the elite, infamous group. He had quickly taken care of the other Super Nova piratess years ago; leaving her to the mercy of the marines.
Picking up his spyglass and walking to the window to look out upon the clearing where multitude of chairs were filled and the sparse few that were empty, quickly were being claimed. Chuckling to himself as he saw a few other high-ranking faces within the crowd, the pirate knew that none there would be able to stop his deviously simple plan. It was a plan made so much simpler when he had joined forces with the marine-pirate brat female. Her power would have become his, but he figured it would be more interesting to let her use it herself. It wasn't that much of a task, talking her into helping him.
Behind him, the door from the room's off-shooting bathroom opened and a feminine murmuring interrupted the room's silence.
"Ah, my dear, are you ready to have some fun?" The black-haired pirate turned around and gave a toothy grin. The woman, his tool, looked absolutely lovely. She stood there, dressed in a wedding uniform that was almost a dead-ringer for the bride's dress. The ruffle of lace on the front skirt alone coast him an insane amount of beri. The piratess's hair was curled up around her temples and a gauzy veil sat on her dark-brown hair. If he used his most active imagination, the woman could almost pass for the real bride; regardless of the difference of height and breast-size. It was a shame that the pirate man didn't care one wit for his faux pawn. It was the real bride he wanted, and her Reiki-Reiki no Mi power.
"Yes, yes I am. I have my arrival all planed out." The woman shuffled out of the commode room and joined the large, large bellied pirate by the window. "I would have never thought to pull this off, let alone think of it."
"That, my dear, is why I am the mastermind, and you are a woman." The large man laughed through the three missing gaps of his teeth. "If you do indeed follow my master plan, my dear, then you are free to go."
"You better keep your promise then, of not harming any other of my beloved's crew." The doppelganger piratess snapped away from his roving hand as the most feared and notorious pirate captain tried to run a finger down her cheek. "Otherwise I will hunt you down."
"Yes, yes, I know, my dear. I am not interested in the rest of the Mugiwaras, let alone the fishman you so love."
"Good. Then I am going to do this task you want me to do and then I never, NEVER want to see you again."
"Good that we understand each other. Let us enjoy the party, shall we?" The large, ugly man grinned and turned back to the window, putting the spyglass up to his eye.