Dust to Dust

Chapter 7

Shachi gave the deck one last swipe with the mop and swept his eye across it to make sure there were no more scuff marks on its surface. The wood glistened brightly and after hours of solo cleaning, he tossed the mop back into its bucket and slumped against the railing. Cleaning the deck in the heat of the afternoon sun was a punishment he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

The air was crisp and salty, tantalising as ever as it reminded him of the water lapping against the sub. Man, how he loved the sea and the freedom it offered—he had always loved it. The earth was simply too firm—hard and sturdy, anchoring him down to the point of suffocation. But on the sea where the water never stopped moving, it felt like the entire world was open and he could take in the deepest breath and it would never be enough.

Maybe not now. As much as he wanted to inhale the sea in all its glory, Shachi hadn't recovered from the sparring session with Penguin where he'd been kicked through a tree. His sides still hurt and they'd worsened since he'd been dumb enough to demand a rematch this morning. Given that he wasn't in peak condition, and that he wasn't as strong as Penguin, there had only been one possible outcome and that was a serious butt kicking.

It happened on a bi-weekly basis, which meant he needed change to his training regime. Perhaps more protein in his diet—he'd have to speak to Ban about increasing his meat intake. Or maybe he could try sparring against someone with a different fighting style, see if the new guy was up for a few sessions.

Maybe later. Shachi held his hands above his head and stretched his back taut until tingles ran from his back all the way down to his toes. It'd been a tiring morning and the warmth from the afternoon sun enveloped him like a blanket promising safety. His eyelids drooped and it wasn't long before he began to snooze.

A shout shook Shachi from his sleep, and he flailed on the hard, wooden deck. As soon as he got his bearings, he cast a dazed look at the sky and figured it was late afternoon, bordering on the evening.

"Shachi!"

He scrambled to his feet and looked around in bewilderment until his eyes settled on a familiar flash of red bobbing closer and closer to the submarine.

"Over here!" Shachi leapt over the railing and regretted it at once. Pain knifed through his ribs and he doubled over midair with a squawk, landing on the ground in a messy heap of limbs and remorse. How did a person forget they were injured?

Footsteps thudded into the ground and he peeked up, eyes widening when he saw his sister dashing towards him with a crazed look in her eyes. "Wait, Iruka!"

"Heads up!"

She dove forwards and tackled him into the ground like she always did when they were children. Unfortunately, Shachi couldn't catch her in his condition. He let out a wheeze as her weight bore down on him and her bony arms crushed him into oblivion.

"Hey, Shach!"

"I-Iruka." A bead of sweat dripped down his neck and he desperately patted her arm. "C-Can't breathe!"

Iruka immediately released him and sprang back with a knowing grin. She held out her hand and said, "Sorry, sorry. Let me guess, you got beaten up by Pengsie again?"

"You know it." Shachi took her proffered hand and hissed when she yanked him up. He shouldn't have refused Bepo's offer of painkillers. "Were you doing business around here?"

"Yup." Iruka personally travelled the world to collect and verify information, which was why her fees were one of the highest on the market. But her clients got what they paid for so she rarely received complaints. "Just digging up dirt on a company which is pretty much what I always do—oh, leave my bags. You're clearly not up for the hard work."

"I can't believe you said that." Shachi lifted one of the bags experimentally and grimaced. What did she have in there, enough food to feed the entire Grand Line? "I was helping out so you wouldn't break a nail."

"Whoa, whoa. Don't give me that rubbish. You ripped out my nail."

"That was an accident."

"How could you have accidentally grabbed my nail with the pliers?"

Shachi burst out laughing. Yeah, okay. It hadn't been as much of an accident as he played it off to be but he'd never admit that for fear of giving her leverage over him. Iruka could do a lot of damage when it came to information and he wasn't willing to give her the chance.

Iruka stood on the deck with her hands on her hips and fondly gazed around. "I've missed this," she murmured. "Really, it has been too long."

"You know you're always welcome to visit. That said…" Shachi paused, wondering if he should bring it up. He might as well, seeing as the explosion would only worsen if he let it build up. "You're not going to yell at me yet?"

The smile slipped from her lips as she considered her answer. "No. That can wait."

"Oh." Shachi didn't like the look on her face. It reminded him of the stormy skies in his childhood and the sadness that came with it. He hurried to say, "You're worried about Captain, aren't you? You shouldn't be. He's the strongest person I've ever met. No-one can hurt him on Punk Hazard."

"We'll talk later," Iruka said. "Can I settle in first?"

She rarely uttered words like that because she wasn't the type to hold back. If there was a problem, it wouldn't matter where they were or what they were doing, Iruka would stand tall and voice her opinion. It was a given, in line with her loud and brash personality. It was when she bit back her words that Shachi knew something was wrong.

The main door flew open and a blond boy dressed in a black boiler suit at least five sizes too big for his lean frame raced out. He stopped, seeing them on deck, and gasped.

"Iruka!" He bounded over and grabbed her hands through his flapping sleeves. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"That's a bit of an exaggeration, Ginji," Shachi remarked.

Two years ago when Iruka visited, she had accompanied them on the streets while they guarded Law when a street rat pickpocketed Bepo. It had been his lucky coin pouch and Bepo became depressed to the point where he lost his appetite and mooched around for hours.

Law tracked down the thief, sliced him into six equal pieces and cast the body bits all around town before returning the polar bear's coin pouch. It had been Iruka, too kind-hearted for her own good, who collected the boy before the dogs made off with him.

She learned that his name was Ginji, and he stole for a living because no-one else in the world would help him. Taking him onboard hadn't been the best idea because Law threatened to cut the boy up a second time until Bepo said all was forgiven. After all, the boy stole out of necessity, not malice.

"You're not cut out to be a pirate," Penguin had snorted. "You're too meek. If someone nicks off with your wallet, you don't tell them it's okay. You chop their hand off so they can't steal again."

Poor Ginji blanched and hid behind Ban, who suggested recruiting him because who knew when those nifty fingers would come in handy? The kid could weave in and out of crowds without being seen, and swipe important documents and disappear long before the victims realised they'd been robbed.

No-one had been impressed until Ginji started making small talk with Iruka's encouragement, and brazenly stole five thousand belli from Penguin's breastpocket without the man ever realising. Amused, Law agreed to let Ginji join on the condition that he thieve only under command. Ginji happily agreed and ever since then, had kept close contact with Iruka.

"You've grown heaps since I last saw you. You're even taller than me now." Iruka reached out and ruffled his hair, tousling it even more.

"And I'm gunna keep growing!" Ginji bounced up and down, excitement lighting up his eyes. "Captain says boys can grow till they're twenty-one, so I've still got five years to go!"

"Ginji!" A bellow echoed deep within the belly of the sub. "You idiot, where did you go?"

"Uh-oh," Ginji said, a guilty look flashing across his face.

A man with curly black hair and a plumed hat skidded out onto the deck. He stopped, seeing Iruka, and quickly shoved Ginji aside to take Iruka's hand and raise it to his lips. "Oh my, this is certainly a surprise. Why is a lovely maiden like you setting foot on our unworthy submarine?"

"Oi!" Shachi swatted the man's hand away. Who knew what diseases that silver tongue was transferring? "Leave my sister alone, Wakame!"

Wakame's perfectly plucked eyebrows arched high on his forehead, almost like they were about to take flight. "A woman as beautiful as you is related to this oaf? I simply cannot believe that."

"I find it hard too, sometimes," Iruka drily said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shachi demanded.

"Simply that, dearest brother."

Choosing not to ask for an elaboration, Shachi turned to the other two who had commenced bickering. "Why are you two running around the sub? Safety issue, guys. We've been over this dozens of times."

"Wakame started it!" Ginji dramatically pointed to the older man, but his flapping sleeve ruined the desired effect. "He hit me!"

"You deserved it, you imbecile," Wakame snapped. "You lied about your measurements and now we don't have enough material for other people's accessories!"

"You mean you don't have enough for my casquette?" Shachi asked.

"That's right."

Shachi tilted his head. Everyone knew his signature casquette and it was almost a crime to be without it. "Is that so, Ginji?"

"No!" The boy babbled, backing off a few paces. "Well, yes, but I was joking. I didn't think Wakame was dumb enough to believe those measurements. I mean, look!" He gestured to the crotch area, which was hanging around his knees, and the excess fabric gathered around his ankles. "If Wakame was as skilled as he said, he'd had known."

"I thought I misread the name and that it was for Jean Bart!"

"Jean Bart's too big for this!"

"Maybe he was dieting to fit in it!"

"Enough!" Shachi yelled, throwing his hands up. "Wakame, just go down to the shops and buy more material."

Wakame looked down at Ginji. "You do it."

"Shachi told you to do it."

"You lied to me so you have to go."

Shachi massaged his temples. He'd been told that he was rather childish but he couldn't believe that when these two were arguing like ten year olds right in front of him.

"Why don't you both go?" Iruka suggested. "Ginji won't be able to carry all that fabric by himself."

"I couldn't possibly," Wakame argued, sticking his nose up in the air. "Can you imagine me labouring like a mere slave?"

Shachi placed his hand on Wakme's shoulder, tightening his grip to show he meant business. "You'll do it," he pleasantly said, "because if Ban finds out you're bullying Ginji, you'll find peanuts in your food. Again."

The colour drained from Wakame's face. On several occasions, Ban had crushed a handful of peanuts and mixed them into the food because Wakame had bossed Ginji about. Wakame wasn't deathly allergic, but peanuts made him swell up like a pink balloon and it was plain unattractive—something he could not bear to be.

Wakame snapped his jaw shut with an audible click and marched on, nodding in Iruka's direction but otherwise not giving a farewell. Ginji giggled and chased after the older man, pulling up the legs of his boiler suit so as not to trip over it.

"He's going out in that piece of elephant skin?" Iruka asked.

"He's Ginji, he does what he wants." Shachi shook his head. "Those two give us the most trouble."

"You don't mean that." Iruka nudged him with her elbow. "Ginji's a lot more cheerful now and you wouldn't do anything to hurt him. Plus he gets along well with Wakame—now that guy is suave."

That was one word for Wakame. Shachi had a few more slightly negative ones. He just couldn't understand the new guy, what with him hogging the bathrooms for an hour every morning to fix his hair and check his face for imperfections, or insisting on a carb-free diet to maintain the definition of his abdominal muscles. Wakame was too much of an alien. Ginji, on the other hand, reminded Shachi too much of himself when he was younger and he was happy that Ginji managed to escape the hellhole known as poverty.

"Yeah, Ginji's made himself at home. He's got Ban totally whipped—the dumb cook will make anything Ginji asks. He can't resist those puppy eyes."

"You're all whipped," Iruka said. "Same old, same old. Except those boiler suits. Black, hey? They'll cover up those…" She gestured towards an orange stain on Shachi's uniform. It might have been pasta sauce from a week ago.

"It was Penguin and Wakame's idea. They think we look and smell like slobs, which is a load of rubbish. I mean, we work with chemicals and all that every day. If anything, we should smell like bleach because we practically douse ourselves in it."

"It's a good idea." Iruka ran an eye over him. "White's not the best colour when you're a pirate."

They continued their friendly banter as they made their way inside, greeting other members of the crew by saying hi to old friends and introducing her to new ones. Once formalities were over and Iruka was settled into a spare bunk, Shachi took her to the galley. Ban wasn't there so Shachi slipped into the kitchen and began filling a kettle.

"Where are Pengsie and Bepo?"

"Dunno," Shachi said. He hadn't seen them around since early afternoon. They were probably discussing plans to dispatch a squad to a nearby island in search of a reliable mechanic. They had no luck locating the problems with their engine—it rumbled and took too long to start up every time. They did their best but there were no specialised mechanics in Zo so they had to resort to more drastic measures. "They're around."

Once the water boiled, Shachi poured it into two teacups, picked grabbed a few biscuits and set them down on the table.

"As much as I enjoy your company, I know you didn't come here for tea and biscuits." Shachi cut to it. There was no point beating around the bush. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"The crew, for a start. Things aren't as lively as they usually are," Iruka said. "The last time I visited, Law chucked a scalpel at a salesman, Penguin threw dirty laundry water on me and Bepo ended up with twenty lollipops stuck in his fur. And that was all in the first two hours. It's a bit too quiet on this sub. What's going on?"

Iruka was too astute for her own good. No wonder her business was doing so well.

Shachi let out a loud breath and ran a hand through his hair. "You know how Captain went off to Punk Hazard?"

"You don't have to remind me. I was the one who told you how dangerous it was."

"Uh, yeah." Shachi gulped. She had been quite mad the last time they spoke on the den-den mushi. "The thing is you, uh, might have been right. About the dangers and stuff."

Iruka sipped her tea, waiting.

"Everything was going to plan. Captain slipped into the laboratories under the guise of working with Caesar Clown. But for some reason, his vivre card started burning a few days ago and it's been getting smaller ever since. We tried calling his den-den mushi, all of us, at every hour possible but he doesn't answer. We don't know what's happening." Shachi knotted his fingers together and softly added, "There's barely a tenth of the original paper left."

"I wondered why you didn't call me," Iruka said. "I was kind of surprised to hear Law had been taken prisoner from the grapevine rather than you, my own brother."

"Prisoner?" Shachi's head shot up. "Are you sure?"

"I heard about it soon after our last phone call. Why didn't you tell me?"

Shachi shook his head, still trying to wrap his head around the new information. "I didn't want to make you anxious. I know how much you like Captain."

"If Law is the only reason you think I'm hanging around, you need to get your head checked." She set down her tea. "You know, you guys are faring better than I expected."

"We can take care of our sub while our captain's away. Come on, we need to find Penguin and tell him this." Shachi began to stand, but Iruka kicked the point of her boots into his shins and he doubled over with a gasp.

"Sit down." Iruka glared at him until he lowered himself back into his seat. "You don't know what you're being dragged into. You're not chasing after Law."

"We've got next to no information, I'll admit that but it's not like we haven't been in similar situations before. Besides, Captain planned this for months. We can't let his efforts go to waste."

"His plan has already gone down the drain."

"Captain's plans have been bent but they've never been derailed."

He knew what she would say before the words even left her lips.

"The Rocky Port incident."

"That was my fault," Shachi snapped. Any reminder of the incident still stung. "I was careless and got caught in the enemy's trap."

"Don't you think that should have been accounted for?"

"What, my mistakes?"

"Your mistakes are his mistakes. That's the point of a crew, isn't it?" Iruka leaned back in her chair. "It should be the other way around too. But this is too much. Law made a terrible mistake and it's not something you should be involved in. I don't want you going to Punk Hazard to rescue him."

Shachi gaped at her. His little sister, the most compassionate and caring person he ever knew, was suggesting they leave their captain in the hands of an enemy?

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm not. If you interfere, things will only get worse from here on out."

"We're not abandoning our captain."

"You won't win."

"We're strong enough."

"There's no evidence for your conviction."

"What's it to you?"

"How well do you know Law?"

"He's my captain."

"That's not what I asked." Iruka glared, anger simmering in her irises like a fire that threatened to burn him. "What has he told you about his plans?"

"You know the details as well as I do," Shachi snapped. "Destroying the SAD production line in Punk Hazard is the first phase of taking down the SMILE factory in Dressrosa. The lack of man-made devil fruits means Kaido's crew will be weakened, and then we'll topple the balance between the emperors."

"And you never thought there was something strange about that? If destroying the SAD production line was all Law wanted to do on Punk Hazard, why did he insist on leaving you here?"

It had been an odd decision, one that the whole crew argued against, Penguin most of all. But in the end, Captain pulled the 'captain's orders' card and they had no choice but to back down, obey and send him off with a smile.

"Maybe he didn't see the point of lugging us all over there when he's enough."

"He's hiding something from you, but you believe in him so firmly that you won't face any other possibilities. It's an illness in your mind, that's what it is. How else can you explain how delusional you're being? Law is in over his head. His vivre card is burning. He's dying."

Shachi slammed his hand on the table. The teacups rattled on the table surface and tea slopped out of the rims.

"Iruka." Contrary to his actions, his voice was controlled, barely concealing the anger that rolled underneath. "Are you trying to rile me up? Because I'm warning you right now that no-one, not even you, is allowed to speak of my captain like that."

Iruka plucked a tissue from her pocket and began wiping the spilt drops. "I'm being realistic. As much as you think I fawn over Law, I'm not blinded by faith and devotion. I think with a rational mind, I conduct my own research, I see the problems and I see the consequences."

"Captain would never willingly put us in a situation we can't handle."

"His strength doesn't mean anything when you can't protect yourself."

Shachi flinched. He'd said it himself to himself many times over and over until it was a mantra that would not stop repeating in his head. It took the rest of the crew ages until they could assure him that he belonged. Even now, those plagued him but of all the people he expected to hear it from, his sister was not one of them.

"I'm not incompetent." But his voice sounded hollow even to his ears.

"How many times have you injured yourself?" Iruka demanded. "How many times have you almost been killed in battle? Do I need to count up every occasion?"

The implication pummelled Shachi in the gut and he curled his hands into fists. "You've been reading up on me?"

"Someone has to do it. It's not like there's anyone else in this world who would."

"Captain does. Penguin, Bepo, Jean Bart, everybody on this damned sub! They care about me and they are just as devoted to this crew as I am."

"Too bad Law doesn't return your devotion."

"Stop that."

"He doesn't care about you."

"I said stop."

"What will it take for you to see that Law is using you?"

"We have a goal."

"Law has a goal."

"It's our goal to see him stand on top of the world. We believe in him, so we follow him and support him. Is that so hard to believe?"

"He's dying!" Iruka shouted. "Or are you so blind you'll ignore the fact that his vivre card is burning to dust?"

Shachi folded his arms. Yes, he knew he was being stubborn but their captain never failed them before so why would this time be any different? "I know I sound stupid, but I'm not going to give up on my captain. None of us are. You don't know what it's like. You're not a part of us."

He regretted his words as soon as he said them.

"Oh, I know." Bitterness tinged Iruka's voice. "You left our family to join a new one."

"Don't."

"Don't?" she echoed. "Don't what? Bring up the past because you'd rather run away from it like the coward you are? Screw you, Shachi! You don't have the right to tell me what to do after you announced you were dropping everything to run away and become a pirate. You left me in that godforsaken town, convinced you'd take me out one day. Like I needed your dirty money!"

"Then what's the problem?" Shachi demanded. So he'd left his sister in their hometown but that'd been because she had been too young and too weak to join the crew. He'd always planned to go back but she'd taken to the informative business and scraped herself out first.

"Did you think I wouldn't check out your new so-called family once I had the means?"

"Are you upset that I left?" Shachi slowly asked. "Because I told you over and over again that I had to do it to get us off the streets. I thought you understood."

"If that's what you think, then you don't know me at all," Iruka hissed. She stood so fast that her chair screeched against the floor. "I'm leaving."

"Where are you going?" Shachi asked in exasperation.

"I think I'll find a motel to stay in while I'm in Zo. Thanks for your hospitality while it lasted."

At that moment, a shrill howl ripped through the submarine. It reverberated in the metal walls, loud and painful, and slowly died into silence. Chills crawled down Shachi's spine and he jumped out of his seat.

Iruka spun around, eyes wide. "Was that Bepo?"

"Yeah."

Shachi flung the door open and bolted out to source the scream of anguish. He came face-to-face with a wide-eyed Ginji, who was running down the hall with rolls of black fabric in his arms.

"Have you seen him?" Shachi urged.

"I thought he was with you!" Ginji blurted.

A bundle of black burst through the door. It was Wakame, laden with even more fabric. He skidded to a stop and shook the leaves from his hair. "He's not in the nursery."

Iruka came up behind them, eyes swimming with worry. "What about the control room?" she suggested. "That's his workspace, isn't it?"

The three of them looked at each other and began to run.

"Bepo!" Shachi slammed his fist against the door of the control room, jiggling the handle that refused to give. "Bepo, open this damned door!"

"Let me do it, I got it." Ginji took his lock picks out of his pocket and inserted them underneath the knob. Within seconds, he gave a nimble flick of his hands and the lock unlatched.

"Good job, Ginji." Shachi nudged the boy away and, together with Wakame, heaved the heavy metal door open.

The room was a mess. Desks were overturned, inkwells broken and maps littered the entire floor.

Wakame swore under his breath. "Penguin's going to be pissed."

"Doesn't matter now." Shachi eyed the shaking form kneeling in the middle of the room. He slowly approached Bepo and placed a gentle hand on the bear's shoulder. "Bepo? What's wrong? Talk to us."

Ginji sidled up on the other side and gave the bear a comforting smile and a pat on the arm. "You're all right, Bepo. We're here for you."

Bepo looked up at them, tears falling from his eyes. Wordlessly, he held up his paws where a small pile of ashes sat.

It hit them all at the same time.

Captain.

A.N.

So much for getting back into the swing of things. I'd been wrestling with this for three months or so and it's still a complete train wreck. I dislike it very much and just want to move on. Sorry for the poor quality and the ridiculously long wait.