One Piece
The Five Second Rule
Chapter Eleven: Golden Rule
The Heart Pirates have been staying on Amaretto for well over a week already. Everyone was beginning to grow anxious over the long wait. Almost every day the crew would leave around noon and come back looking as if they'd been crying or in fights – it's been different for particular crewmembers.
Neither Celine nor Law found the appeal in drinking with vulgar men so they had stayed put onboard the ship for the whole week.
Things have been quiet between the new couple over the week. They had barely seen each other, with Law had been busy down in his bedroom doing more reading and research while Celine has spent almost every moment she can in the dojo.
"Hey Celine…"
Turning from a training dummy, Celine looked to the door and saw Ryuu giving her a short wave.
"Hey," she smiled. "What's up? You look pretty pale…"
"That giant woman is back again," he shuddered. "She gives me the creeps."
"Seriously?" Celine sighed. "Here for Law again?"
"I already told her we don't know a Trafalgar Law," Ryuu groaned. "Thank god she doesn't fit through the door, or she might be down there smothering him right now."
"Thank god for that," Celine agreed with a light chuckle.
Ryuu watched her as she went back to her kicking. Things have changed drastically over the week. For starters Celine's become painfully nice to everyone. All smiles and grins to everybody, to the point when it's starting to become creepy.
"I got you something," he reached into his pocket.
"Oh?" she glanced over. "What is it?"
It was difficult to speak with Celine practicing. She's gotten a lot better in a week's time, that he concluded while watching her land two good kicks. The dummies creaked and bent unsightly, as Celine kicked.
"Uh- I'm not sure how useful you'll find it…" he pulled out a silver chain. "But it might solve your little touching thing with Law."
"Huh?"
Her foot stopped an inch away from the clothed dummy. Bringing her foot back down quickly, she then hurried over to examine the chain. At a closer look she immediately understood what he meant by solving her problem… The chain held a Kairoseki pendant.
"Wow, you got this for me?" she picked it off him. "Does it work?"
"Are you feeling all dizzy and grossed out?" she nodded slowly in reply. "Then yes, it works."
Celine touched the bright blue gem and immediately shivered from the feeling. It may feel bad, but if it'll give her the chance to touch someone, then she'll take the chance.
"Help me?" she turned around and held the chain around her neck. Ryuu fastened the clasps for her. "Thanks."
"Feel any different?" he asked.
"Just a little sick," she rubbed her forehead. ""Here, give me your hand."
Ryuu hesitated ever so slightly, and that made Celine grow anxious.
"Oh, just give me it," she grabbed his hand. "… Okay, let's give it a moment."
They stood silently as the seconds slowly ticked by. A small grin crept onto Celine's face when they passed the five seconds mark.
"Oh my god," she sounded disbelieving. "… Thank you, Ryuu."
She released his hand and gave him a brief hug. Celine wore very little when she was down at the dojo, she was wearing a pair of shorts and a thin tank. Skin on skin. Flesh on flesh. The hug wasn't very long, but it gave Celine a whole different perspective on hugging.
"This is incredible!" she squealed. "Where did you get this Kairoseki from?"
"I swiped it from the med-bay," he shrugged.
"… Don't tell me this was the one that was in Jareth," she played with the chain.
"The very same one."
"Oh sick," she made a face.
"Well I washed it and everything," he recalled. "Forget about that, go tell Law the good news."
"Oh, you're right!" she nodded. "Thanks again!"
Celine gave him another excited pat on his relatively bare shoulders and ran off squealing. Ryuu watched her go with a small hint of a smile. There was no point in feeling regretful now, they've both made up their minds… and he has to come to terms with that.
'I did the right thing.'
XoXo
Law felt a strange sensation when the large door swung open. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but it was so minor it almost felt like nothing. Emerging from behind the door, an ecstatic looking Celine walked in.
"Law, look at this," she pointed to her neck. "Pretty, huh?"
"Yes," he nodded. "Where did you get it from?"
"Ryuu gave it to me," she grinned. "But that's not what's important. The pendant… it's Kairoseki."
The gem shone brightly under the intense lighting. It was no doubt the same gem that he had extracted from Jareth last week. It was no wonder Ryuu was hanging around the med-bay on that day they arrived at port. He must have slipped away with it then.
"It's nice," he nodded.
"Very," she smiled. "And… I can touch people now… well without them dying."
"Yeah?" he seemed preoccupied with something else.
"Yeah!" she placed her hands on his shoulders. "I can touch you… all of you!"
Law stared back at her glassy-eyed.
"What's wrong?" she placed a careful hand on his cheek.
"It's nothing," he snapped out of his daze. "That's brilliant."
"You're worried about the Ryuu-present thing, aren't you?" she sighed.
Somewhere on the inside, she remembered Ace's words from the bar a few days ago. He may have claimed that Ryuu had feelings for Celine, but he hasn't made a move or said a thing that could have suggested it.
Maybe it was a men's intuition, and maybe that's why Law was so wary of it.
"I've already told you!" she brushed off the thought. "There's nothing to worry about! He just realized a better use for it is all."
It took a while before everything had processed through Law's mind. After another moment's time he smiled down at her.
"Come here," he wrapped his tanned arms around her.
"Oh no, don't," she winced. "I'm all sweaty and gross."
"You're perfectly fine, Celine," he rested his chin on her head. "… The chain bothers you, doesn't it? It bothers me and I'm not even the one wearing it. You don't have to wear it just-."
"No, I want to," she pushed away slightly. "I really do."
"Alright," he murmured, loosening his grip on her.
Law had agreed with her, but his face said otherwise. It really wasn't a problem for Celine, it might be a little bothersome but it's worth all the trouble if it means she can touch Law.
"Law?"
"Hm?"
"Why don't you hold me closer?"
Law couldn't help but chuckle at her boldness. He obliged to her little demand and pulled her into his chest. At such a close distance, Celine could hear his heart hammering away in his ribcage.
"Your chest's going doki doki," she giggled.
"Only for you, my heart," he whispered.
"Heh," she smirked. "That actually sounded romantic."
"That's generally what I was aiming for."
An unbearable knot was building up in Celine's body. From her heart to her stomach, things were growing hot and sweaty. Being held so close to Law, without the worry or the chances of hurting him.
"Shall we move this along to the bedroom?" his voice sounded dark and hoarse. "That is if you-."
The floor shook under their feet then, the entire submarine was shaking over something. Law had caught onto Celine before she tumbled onto the ground from the impact.
"What the hell was that?" he hissed.
"Disappointed?" she teased.
"About the interruption?" he looked at her. "Yes. Very."
"Should we go check?" she asked.
"No, it seems that it's passed," he looked towards the ceiling. "I'm sure whatever it was, Ryuu could handle-"
"TRAFALGAR LAW!"
The voice was thunderous but sounded weakened all the way down on the third level.
"Was that… Olive?"
"We're not going up there," Law crossed his arms.
The submarine jolted again from a heavy hit.
"Whoever said I was going?" Celine pushed him down the room. "You're going to sort this out."
It felt like she was trying to get a little boy to leave on his first day of school. It was difficult with the faces he was giving her, but she managed to get him out the door. As soon as Law was on the staircase, she turned around and headed to his bedroom.
While he sorts out his mess, she might as well give herself a well-deserved break from all that training. Something grabbed her from behind. She looked down and saw the pair of tattooed hands that she was held in moments ago.
"You're coming with me," he murmured into her ear.
XoXo
"Uh… lady, you need to get off," Ryuu scratched the back of his head. "Please? Our ship might sink."
"Get Law out here now!" Olive cried. "I want to see him."
"For the last time. We don't know a Law, alright?" Ryuu frowned. "You've got the wrong place."
"Don't lie to me!" she thumped her foot, causing the floor to shake again. "I did some research on him. His crew travels on a submarine just like this."
"… Don't sink our ship please," Ryuu sighed. "Alright, alright… Law did own this ship."
"Did?"
"The crew had a mutiny and we kicked him out," he shrugged. "He left the island last night."
"What?" Olive took a shaky step back. "He's gone?"
"I'm afraid so, yeah," Ryuu nodded. "Now can you please get off our ship?"
"How do I know you're not lying?"
"Why would I lie to you?" he stuck his hands into his pockets. "There's no reason for me to protect that bastard."
Olive seems to consider his words when she looked down to the wooden floorboards. It had been at least a minute before she started speaking again.
"Alright, I understand," Olive turned around. "I'm sorry for the trouble."
The moment Ryuu thought it was over, he heard footsteps coming up onto the deck.
"I don't want to go," Celine whined.
"Quiet down," Law hushed back.
"But she scares me," she said.
"She scares me the most!"
It wasn't loud, but Olive was standing that far away from the hatch door. Ryuu watched as Celine and Law appeared from the door. Neither looked as if they were particular motivated to do anything, in fact, Celine looked as if she was going to cry.
"Law!" Olive's eyes practically sparkled at the sight of the man. Her gaze grew thin then turned to glare at Ryuu. "You! You did lie to me!" then she noticed Celine hiding behind her beloved. "Skinny! What are you doing with him?"
"Miss Olive, please," Law walked forward. "Why don't we step off before we speak?"
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Olive grinned, her eyes brimming tears. "He told me that the crew mutinied against you and then you had to leave!"
"Oh, did he?" Law tried to sound amused. "I've just been busy these past weeks."
"With what?" Olive's eyes trailed over to Celine. "What's going on with you two?"
"Uh, Olive-san," Celine stepped forward. "I would like you to back off on Law, please."
"Do you like him or something?"
"I do like him," she nodded.
"I don't like your tone," Olive glared down. "I thought you were dating Ace."
"For the last time, I'm not," she sighed. "He's just a friend and nothing more."
"… But Law is mine!" Olive cried.
Celine and Ryuu exchanged skeptical looks whilst Law just looks plain annoyed. No doubt the three of them just wanted her gone, but this proved to be more difficult than they imagined.
If she is indeed who she claims she is, the daughter of this island's owner, then they shouldn't anger her before their pose sets. The man at the shop had said a week and three to four days. With being the third day after a week, they certainly hoped it was going to be the third day.
The pirates turned away from Olive and huddled up.
"I say we kick her into the water and watch her drown," Ryuu whispered.
"You can't be serious," Law sighed. "Ideally, we want no trouble on and island such as this. We should go with her demands until the log pose sets."
"No! As if we'd hand you over to someone like her," Celine snapped. "I'm with Ryuu on this one."
"Don't be impractical-."
"Law!"
Before anyone could react, a large grubby hand circled around Law's waist and picked him up. Both Celine and Ryuu with their mouths hanging open watched Law get lifted into the air.
"Uh…" Ryuu tucked a hand in his jumpsuit pocket. "What d'ya say, Celine? How do we get our precious captain back?"
Celine stepped up to the fight. She took a step forward towards Olive and looked her square in the eye. Even though the other woman was much larger than she was, Celine was determined to knock her down.
Knowing exactly what she was planning to do, Law gave Celine a look.
"Don't do it, Celine," he spoke softly. "I don't want the trouble, I can handle my own affairs by myself."
Bartering with Celine was difficult but she eventually stepped down.
"Alright, thank you Celine," Law nodded. "Miss Olive, I'm all yours. Please put me down."
Olive gave Celine a spiteful look as she placed Law down back on the ground.
The tension in the air was obvious, and Ryuu felt as if he was suffocating with these people around him. Giving his captain a short glance, he saw that Law was thinking the same thing.
"Let's go, Celine," Ryuu tapped her shoulders. "Why don't I help you with your punches?"
Placing his hand firmly on her heaving shoulder, he turned her towards the hatch door. Her steps were shaky and quick, Ryuu didn't blame her, but even if she was Law's lover she had to follow the captain's absolute orders.
"Don't worry about him, Cel," he whispered low. "Law's a big boy, he knows what he's doing."
Celine said nothing as she continued trudging down the staircase in silence. The fact that Law had asked her to leave like he did annoyed her greatly. If they really were together now, the least he could do was stand up for himself more in front of other women.
From the deck, she can hear Olive making all sorts of demands and comments. What she's asking for was all beyond ridiculous, and every word she spoke just agitated Celine even more.
"Celine?" Ryuu placed a sturdy hand on her shoulder when she stopped walking. "What's the matter?"
Without a word, Celine pushed past Ryuu and headed back upstairs. Ryuu protested behind her, but made no move to stop her. If she didn't know better he probably wanted her to go.
The metal doors creaked open wider, Olive and Law both turned to the door simultaneously to see Celine standing by the metal frame. Ryuu was nowhere in sight, and Celine looked upset.
"What's up with you, skinny?"
"I've got a name and it's Celine."
"Yeah? I only remember the names of people worth remembering, and frankly you're not one of them."
If Celine had been mad before, she was now furious. Without thinking, she kicked the larger woman off the deck and into the sea. It caught everyone by surprise, it definitely caught Olive by surprise, and the two men watched in both horror and shock. It's been not so long ago that Celine was practically useless in a fight, but now she's more than capable.
"Law, I'm afraid your little fits of jealousy are nothing compared to mine."
It was a strange feeling having a smaller woman defend him, to have Celine hold an arm up in his stead. It was almost attractive how fierce and defensive she's being; something Law was growing to admire. Her chest was shifting rapidly to her heartbeat, and her arms shaking from the excitement. She'd never looked more perfect to him.
"Ryuu, go fish her out."
"Huh? And then what?" Ryuu frowned, pulling his shirt off. "Return her? I don't think she's got a collar, Cap."
Celine snorted out loud before Law could reply. Ryuu too chuckled as he unlaced his boots. After a couple of seconds of silence, the two burst out laughing much to Law's dismay.
"…" Law glanced at her. "That's not funny."
Ryuu coughed uncomfortably as he zipped up the jumpsuit up to his collar. It was the first time Celine's seen Ryuu properly wearing his jumpsuit, and she couldn't help but giggle again.
"That's enough, Celine," he held her into a loose headlock. "Ryuu, would you just carry Miss Olive out of the sea and bring her to some of the locals. They'd know where to bring her."
"… Right," Ryuu climbed over the deck. "On it."
Once Ryuu hopped off the edge, Law gave a long sigh as he released Celine. In a matter of minutes, things have made a drastic turn for the worst. Olive Grenadine might not have been very threatening or strong, but he wasn't sure he could say the same for the rest of her family. Especially by the way she went on about the number of guards they have on the island.
"… Oh, I'm sorry," Celine's lips twitched. "I didn't mean to. She was really getting on my nerves, and I just… snapped."
"It's fine, it's fine," Law murmured as he planted a kiss on her cheek. "We'll take on whatever they come at us with."
XoXo
The news of Olive's 'attack' reached the Grenadine family by nightfall. It seems the people that attacked her had left her to dry by the docks after trying to drown her. The details were sketchy but the point was one of theirs was attacked. There was golden rule on the island of Ameretto, and that was don't mess with any of the Grenadine family (and definitely don't mess with the boss' children).
Olive and Gin were children of Toni C. Grenadine, being the children of the local mafia boss meant that people knew to get out of their way. But occasionally, some pitiful foreign traveller may not know of the rules, and get mixed up with the Grenadine children; those men would end up 'disappearing' from the dark alleyways of the island and never to be seen again.
"Been a while since someone last messed with us, eh Sei?"
From across the room, a white-haired man straightened up at the sound of his name. Sei was a pale and frail looking young man whose only purpose in life was to serve the Grenadine family. Sei, like every single other member of the mafia wore a black and white suit; with the only exception that he wore wooden clogs instead of polished leather shoes.
The two men were in the bedroom of Olive Grenadine, and she lay unconscious on her large bed. On a chair pulled next to the bed, Gin sat staring at his sister's unmoving body. Unmoving was putting it lightly as the woman seemed to shake by just breathing.
"Yes, Gin-san."
"Maybe they're targeting us?" Gin laughed. "Not very smart people… who did you say they were again?"
"Pirates."
"Pirates, such uncivilized trash," Gin repeated with a snarl. He ran a finger down his sister's dry cheek. "Why would anyone ever dream of hurting sweet Livs?"
'I can think of a few good reasons,' Sei's jaw grew tense. "I have no idea."
"Hm…" Gin nodded with an unreadable expression on his face. "Let's see the posters?"
Sei reached into his jacket and pulled out the two posters he had received earlier. One was of the Surgeon of Death, and the other of Devil Hands. He had only taken a brief look at the two before he was sent to escort Gin, but from what he saw the two had to be relatively skilled to have acquired such high bounties.
The man took the posters and looked them over. He examined both pictures carefully, but his eyes seem to linger on the second poster.
"Pretty, isn't she?" he showed Sei Devil Hands' bounty. "Devil Hands Celine… what a sexy name. Maybe I'll keep her after she's defeated… What do you think?"
"… I don't think that would be the best idea, Gin-san," Sei picked the posters from Gin's hands. "These people do not look to be the types that you can so easily defeat. Both their names and bounties are ominous. Perhaps-."
"Oh shut up, Sei," Gin frowned, grabbing the posters back. "Isn't that what you're here for? Remember your place. You've got no word on this island. You belong to the Grenadine family, and we keep you for your skill not for your voice. Are we clear?"
"Yes."
"Good!"
The shorter man took another good look at the posters in his hands. Thumbing Devil Hands' bounty in his hand, Gin looked back and forth between Celine and Law.
"You'll be taking care of the Surgeon of Death, got it?" he passed Law's poster to Sei. "Round up the men, we'll leave in ten."
"Understood."
"I want to keep her all for myself…"
Sei ignored the dark glint in the man's eyes and turned away. All this has been far too much for one day. Things have been moving far too quickly than Sei liked. From seemingly out of nowhere, these strong pirates have appeared and now they've taken out the boss' daughter. If he's not careful, if Gin gets taken out, he'll have to answer back to Toni… and he's not a man you'd want to disappoint.
His breathing began to grow jagged as he thought of the possibility of failing to kill Trafalgar Law. Surely Toni and Gin would think of some way to take away more of the little he already had… if he wasn't already dead.
It was time again.
When he got so restless, it was time for that pointy little needle and jar of drugs. Sei had developed a certain illness over his teenage years; it was an incurable disease that turned him albino and forced him to take medicinal drugs on a weekly basis. The drugs weren't healthy for the rest of his body and messed with his Devil Fruit powers but it kept him alive. Even if he objected to using the drugs, Toni would probably force it through his veins. He was destined to work until his last breath for the man that both gave him a home and took away his chance of fully living.
Death seemed so glorious to the young man, but like many he was afraid to tread into the unknown.
Filling up the needle with great speed and skill, in less than thirty seconds he's sterilized the metal point and injected the fluid into his blood stream. The feeling was close to euphoric as he slowly began to grasp his reality again. Jumbled bits of his mind were now pieced back together. If only he had a key to lock everything in place. Then he wouldn't have to be so dependent on the drug.
Clearing his throat, he pulled out a mini Den-Den Mushi.
"Gather the men up, we're leaving with Gin-san in nine minutes."
"Where to?"
"The docks."
"Got it, Sei-san."
The line clicked off and he placed the Den-Den Mushi back into his coat pocket along with the little box containing the needle and drugs. It was going to be a long night ahead, and he wasn't looking forward to it one bit. For starters, these folk seem like they'll put up a decently difficult fight, and two, he wasn't feeling his very best tonight even after the drugs, and lastly, he hadn't ate yet.
Heading downstairs to grab a quick bite before leaving, Sei hurried along the stairs towards the bar. Unluckily for him, he wasn't alone in the bar. Sitting by the counter was no other than Toni C. Grenadine, or 'the boss'.
Toni was the exemplar of perfect aging. The man looked no older than twenty-five but was over twice that age.
"Sei."
"Boss."
"A group of my men just marched outside," Toni lifted his cigar from his lips. "They said they were under your orders. Where exactly are you planning to take them?"
"I'm under your son's orders," Sei replied. "I am sure you are aware of Olive-san's attack. Gin-san had brought it upon himself to take revenge for her."
"Ah… yes," Toni nodded along. "Olive's attack, of course. Hm… What do you think my son's chances are against these pirates?"
"… Forgive my bluntness," Sei sighed. "But I think he could get killed."
"Well good thing you're going to be there, huh?" Toni smiled, patting his shoulder. "But if anything gets too out of hand – which I doubt will happen, just give me a call and I'll hop right over."
"Got it, sir."
XoXo
"Being on guard is kind of boring."
"You're the one to speak," Penguin yawned. "You caused all this, remember?"
"Oh, I didn't mean to, alright?" Celine groaned.
Currently the two were camped out on deck along with Bepo and Jonah. Kane and Ryuu were below deck, bulking up for the upcoming fights. No one knew what exactly to expect, but they're not willing to take chances.
In the evening, the air grew dark and chilly. It wasn't as terrible as the last island, but still Celine wasn't used to the coldness. Lying back against Bepo on the wooden deck, Celine gazed up to the thousands of stars in the sky.
As an evening breeze blew past, she closed her eyes and shifted with the wind.
"You serious, Celine?"
"Huh?"
"I leave for a moment to get drinks for you, and you fall asleep?"
"I'm not asleep," opening an eye with a slight frown. "And it's partially your fault for taking so long."
Shachi placed the sake bottle next to her legs and opened one for himself. Glancing to her feet, she picked up the bottle and twisted the cap off.
"Should you two really be drinking while we're on a lookout?" Jonah asked.
"We've been at it for two hours and no one has shown up," Shachi shrugged as he passed a bottle to Penguin. "Plus, the rest of us aren't doing much anyway. Ryuu is asleep down there."
"Of course he is," she rolled her eyes. "That's just like him to slack off at such a critical time."
"… Seriously Celine, how big of a hypocrite are you?" Jonah sighed.
"What?" she shrugged, crossing a leg over the other. "I'm on lookout with you guys, aren't I?"
"Just because you're the captain's girl now, it doesn't mean you get special treatment," Penguin said. "You're still same old newbie Celine."
"On contraire, I think it means you've all got to treat me like a queen," she chuckled.
"Ha-freaking-ha, Celine," Shachi grumbled, nudging her feet ever so slightly. "I'd die before I bow down to you."
That little gesture from Shachi proved to be a mistake, because in little to no time were they involved in a kick battle. It was a little one; with either one too lazy to move from where they were positioned, but it was enough to annoy everyone else present on the deck.
"You guys are so noisy…" Bepo whined.
"That I actually agree with," Penguin watched them with distaste. "It's getting late and its cold, I get it. So why don't we all just drink our sake and-."
"Uh… guys?"
"What?" Penguin snapped at Jonah.
"There are people coming this way…"
"How many?" Celine's movements didn't falter.
"Twenty? Thirty, maybe?"
Jonah couldn't see well in the dark, but he can clearly see dots of lit torches coming their way. Penguin and Shachi joined Jonah by the edge of the deck and watched for any of the Grenadine family.
"What should we do?" Jonah asked.
"Why don't you three go out and try to stop them before they get to the docks?" Celine suggested. "Bepo and I can stay here, and in case things go bad, we'll go get the rest of the guys."
"What? No!" Shachi called. "I'm sick of doing all the work around here!"
"Please," Celine rolled her eyes. "You don't see the other boys complaining."
"Uh… Celine…" Bepo shifted upwards.
"What? Bepo! No! Don't!"
Before she could finish, Bepo had stood up and Celine's head flew straight down onto the wooden floor. Celine grabbed a hold of her head as she cowered from the pain.
"Ow…" she muttered. "Bepo! You're gonna pay for that!"
"I'm sorry!" he cried. "I'm so sorry! Your hair was tickling me!"
"You go on ahead with the guys," she instructed. "I'll watch from here."
The boys (plus Bepo) gave her a look but went on ahead regardless. Sending four should be more than enough to stop them if they were all at Olive's level of skill. The four dark figures soon disappeared into the shadows, and not long later shouts and cluttering can be heard from the darkness.
Though she couldn't see, Celine knew that the fights raging on were not in their favor, but neither were they losing. It seems they're going toe-to-toe by the sound of guns firing and kicks landing.
As the minutes ticked by, Celine grew anxious; it seems that she might just have to call the rest up. Taking one last sip from her sake bottle, she headed towards the hatch door. She was almost certain that sending Kane and Ryuu out as backup should be enough. There was no need to call Law out over something like this, especially since she was responsible for the mess.
Before she reached the metal door, she heard voices coming from just below on the docks.
"I'm not sure if we should have gone ahead alone, Gin-san."
"There you go running your mouth again, Sei. I'm not interested in what you have to say. Just shut up and fight when I need you to."
"…"
"See! That's much better."
Celine turned around when she heard clunky footsteps on the wooden planks behind her. Two men stood before her, both wore dark suits but one wore wooden clogs on his feet, which explained the loud footsteps. The shorter man had light fair hair and carried a katana. The second man's hair was equally light – maybe even lighter, and his skin was pale and clear. The two looked threatening.
"Who are you?" Celine called.
"My name is Gin Grenadine," the first man eyed her strangely. "And you're Devil Hands Celine, the woman that attacked my baby sister."
"Your sister is a menace," Celine frowned. "And she had it coming."
"Doesn't matter what she did," Gin shrugged. "It's a rule here; you don't go around beating the Grenadine family."
"Like I give a crap," Celine crossed her arms. "If that's all you have to say, then I suggest you leave. You've got no chance against my captain."
Celine glanced over to the other man ever so slightly. He may have been silent this whole time, but he gave off a powerful presence by just the way he stood and watched. They may actually have a problem with this one.
"I don't think so," Gin chuckled. "If you're so certain that your captain can defeat me, then go get him now. I'll even wait for you here."
"Oh, you're going to regret that," Celine warned.
"Go on, go get him," Gin challenged. "I won't move an inch from where I'm standing."
"Fine, then I'll-."
"That's not necessary, Celine."
Three figures emerged from the hatch; Ryuu and Kane came out first, followed by Law behind. They took the initiative and stepped past Celine, straight up to the two outsiders. Law gave off quite the presence whilst carrying his large nodachi.
"Ryuu, Kane," Law spoke. "You two go ahead and help out with the fighting by the docks. Celine and I will take care of these two."
"Are you sure?" Kane glanced over to his captain. "The taller guy looks a lot tougher than normal guys."
"I am," he stepped forward. "Go on ahead."
The brothers each gave Celine and Law looks before walking towards the edge of the dock. The two men made no moves as Ryuu and Kane walked past them, they let them pass without so much as a word.
"You should have asked those two to stay," Gin called. "We're not so weak to be defeated by a single man and woman."
"I don't doubt that," Law balanced the sword between his neck and shoulder. "Your friend looks like a formidable opponent."
The other man, Sei, took a step forward in front of Gin defensively.
"Room."
Law raised his hands up, and the familiar circular dome surrounded the four on deck. When the two glanced around in confusion, Law took that chance to unsheathe his sword.
He made a clean cut towards Gin, and his head flew right off.
"Gin-san!"
"What the hell!"
"Shambles," Law turned to face Celine. "Your necklace."
"Way ahead of you," he saw Celine pulling the chain into her shorts pocket. "Give it to me."
The man's head began flying towards their direction. Celine caught the head with ease, and gripped the man's cheeks.
Sei watched on, unsure what exactly was going on. He's made out that even with Gin's head removed, his life was still intact, but he didn't know how long that was going to last with the Surgeon of Death and Devil Hands moving so quickly.
His first priority was to get Gin's head back where it belongs – on his body.
"Sei! Save me! Save me!"
"I'm coming, Gin-san."
When Sei took a step forward, Law gave him a deadly glare. The pirate lifted his sword arm again and made another cut his way.
Never once has Law missed when cutting up someone in his 'room', but he did this time. He was almost certain he'd sent it the right way, and that it did hit the man. But still, he stood in front of him in one piece and undamaged.
Law desperately made another cut, but the results were the same.
"Sei! Hurry the hell up! I can't-."
It was too late for him to do anything for his friend anyway. Even if Celine's powers were acting funny again, it's been well over ten seconds. Like he thought, Gin's body stopped flailing around on deck, and it collapsed onto the ground.
"Sorry, Sei-san," Celine passed the head to Law. "I'm afraid I've killed him."
"… G-Gin-san."
"I take it he was in charge?" Law held up Gin's lifeless face. "Not a very tough guy, is he? Neither is he smart. One of Miss Olive's relatives?"
"Her brother," Sei reached into his pocket. "And I assure you that our real boss won't be as disappointing."
Pulling out a mini Den-Den Mushi, Sei murmured a few quiet words into it as he kept his eyes on both Law and Celine.
"I hope not," Law tossed the head over when he put the Den-Den Mushi away. "Did you just call him down?"
The man awkwardly caught Gin's head with two hands. He doesn't seem all that upset that his superior was dead, just a little bothered by a dead person's head in his hands.
"… Yes," Sei placed the head on floor carefully next to Gin's body. "You two have got strange powers."
"And so do you," Law's room vanished. "What exactly did you do just now? I couldn't slice you at all."
"… You've got your secrets," he shrugged. "I've got mine."
The man was defensive, and so were Law and Celine. The two pirates weren't sure what to make of Sei. He seemed completely loyal to Gin, but the he didn't look genuinely grieved when he died. It made relative sense, since Gin was rude towards Sei the whole time they were together.
"So, what now?" Celine crossed her arms. "Are we just supposed to go along with your stalling until your boss shows up?"
"If you like," Sei shrugged back. "In all honesty, I don't want to fight you two; but if the boss asks me to then I will. For now… when it's just us three, I'd prefer not to do anything."
"You don't seem very concerned about these people," Law said. "Why do you work for them?"
"… I belong to them."
"People are not property," Law sheathed his sword. "You belong to no one."
"And if I'm not a person? How can one be so sure about that?"
"What do you mean?"
Celine took a step forward towards the man, much to Law's distress. Sei back stared at her beadily as he seemed to think things through his head. His built up thoughts and feelings were dying to be voiced, but he felt it would be inappropriate to tell strangers about such things – especially as they are Gin's murderers.
"Sei-san?"
"Don't take a step further, Devil Hands."
From behind Sei, an aged man walked onto deck. He bore similar resemblances to both Olive and Gin; he was no doubt their father. The man was older than he looked, this the pirates could tell by his tone of voice and they way he carried himself.
Having heard the second part of their conversation, Toni placed a hand on the taller man's shoulder and looked to Celine.
"I don't appreciate you trying to sweet-talk my subordinate," he said. "He's very sick, you know? A delicate boy, one that can be swayed easily by a pretty face."
"If he's so sick then perhaps you should relieve him from his duties," Celine didn't like the way he spoke about Sei. "You are responsible for him, right?"
"Oh, you do make me smile, Miss," he chuckled back. "Of course, I'm responsible. Sei take your meds, before you start fighting again."
Sei gave him a quiet nod and began fumbling for something in his jacket pocket. The older man stepped forward towards Celine to distract her from whatever Sei was doing.
"I'm Toni C. Grenadine," he spoke softly. "And I believe that one of you has killed my son and injured my daughter."
Celine took a shaky step back, feeling a dreadful pressure coming onto her. The man maybe a hefty bit older than her, but that just meant he's had more experience and power.
"That would be me."
Coming to her defense, Law held a hand around Celine and pushed her behind his frame. Celine didn't like the fact that someone had to step in for her, but she did feel a little spooked about Toni. If she had to pick between her pride or safety, she'd easily choose safety.
"Hm," Toni placed a hand on his chin. "You wouldn't happen to be Trafalgar Law, would you?"
Law confirmed it with a small nod.
"Oh dear…" Toni shook his head. "And it was just last week that my daughter came up to me and told me she's found her soul mate… that's rather unfortunate."
"Your daughter was mistaken."
"Looks that way," Toni glanced to Celine then back to Law. "So, Trafalgar Law, it seems I'm obligated to take revenge for my children. Ready, Sei?"
"Yes."
"Good," Toni cornered Law away from Celine. "You take Devil Hands, and I'll take Trafalgar."
"Celine?" Law quickly caught her eye.
"I'll be fine," she nodded. "You go on."
Law knew that Sei had a power of some sort, and the man wasn't exactly mentally stable either. But if Celine was confident to fight against him, then who was he to say no? She's had plenty of training these last few weeks, with this last week's training being more vigorous than the rest.
"Come Trafalgar!"
From out of nowhere, Toni pulled out a pair of pistols and shot at Law's feet, forcing him to jump back a few steps. It was obvious by his approach that Toni wanted them out of the way for Sei and Celine. That probably meant that Toni trusts Sei to take care of Celine.
"I warn you," Law dodged another round of shots. "Celine's not as weak as you think."
"Oh, I know."
Toni fired again, now having successfully forcing Law off the submarine. Law landed on his feet with a slight stumble, he looked up and watched Toni too hopping off. Deciding to take an offensive measure, Law raised his hands up in preparation for his 'room'.
"I know exactly what Celine's capable of," Toni spoke. "But I'll have you know that Sei's the strongest amongst us all – including me."
It's been a while, but here's a new chapter with brand new baddies! :)
Thanks to everyone that reviewed, alerted and favorited this story!
Reviews:
Caramel27 – Glad you liked it! :D
Eviline – oh, she returned all right! And she brought along her gang of scaries! I'm afraid Ace won't be appearing again (maybe later-notsure) :P haha yeah, she's definitely gonna have to fix that power of hers, but for now she can wear her pretty necklace until she gets it sorted!
Aiko Yamazaki – finally updated! :D haha it's been a while so I might as well be dead from all the pineapples you've thrown at me xD
Noitalapsi – yaaay!cookies! :) yeah, they're together (sort of whatever xD) and thank you! I'm glad you liked it!
the everchanging – Typical Ace, he can pull anything off :P Thank you, I hope you enjoyed this one!
xxOMGgalxx – ehehe, he got cockblocked again this time xD
ladeste – Who doesn't love a little Ace? ;) You're very welcome! :D
10th Squad 3rd Seat – And a seriously handsome doctor/pirate ;D
SongJaemin – oooh! I'm glad you think so! I did spent a bit of time trying to give them more of a back story I suppose (more of my OCs' at least :P) I just wanted to add more life to rest of the crew. You're welcome and thank you for your kind words!
Crazydoglover – Thank you! :) Yeah, he does, but she's chosen to ignore it and he's trying to come to terms with her being with Law.
Elys – Thank you! I'm putting a lot of effort into coming up with these mini arcs xD Eerrrmm, I want it about the same as the islands the Strawhats had to go through… so after this island about four more? (but I'm desperately trying to get to Saboady because I've got so much stuff I want to write about that :P). It's active all the time right now (but it's kind of like an on/off thing), she just needs to find a way to hit that switch to an off. I want at least one Supernova to show up before Saboady, and maybe a shichibukai… I'm still not sure though.
SoraLover987142 – hehe, I thought so too!
Girl-luvs-manga – yup! And for now we have a temporary solution!
law – glad you like it! and love your username ;)
Shiningheart of ThunderClan – you called it! xD though I don't want her to keep having to use it to suppress her powers though, it's kind of a hassle and it's not exactly secure.
Falling Right Side-Up – thank you!
EW2d – aaah, 'great one piece feeling'. You have no idea how happy that makes me xD thank you!