A/N: Just wanted to thank the wonderful people who took the time to review! It was the first chapter and i honestly wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised! Love you, beautiful souls!
"Captain Ember! We've finished securing the Heart Pirate's submarine. It should trail behind our ship nicely." Said a dark skinned man with a forked tongue, who bustled through the double doors to deliver the news.
"Wonderful. Hoist up the anchor and resume our previous course."
"And where exactly are we going?" Law drawls, lazily swishing the coffee around in his cup.
"Just a little island close by for the sole purpose of restocking supplies. Perhaps there's a good mechanic to get your engine fixed."
"Perhaps there is."
"Are you really Trafalgar Law?" Ember's crewmember interrupts. "The Surgeon of Death?"
"Yes, that is I," Law answers, smiling darkly at the man. "Who wants to know?"
The man eagerly takes a seat across from Law, unable to contain his enthusiasm. "Please Mister Trafalgar, sir. It would be such an honor if you would perform a modification surgery on me."
Law released a short chuckle of amusement, looking down at his coffee with a smile as he ponders the request. Although it would be nice to have some flesh to work on after so long, it's no fun when they're on the operating table willingly.
"Now Komodo, don't you think that's a very demanding req-"
"I accept." Law interjects.
Ember eyes dart toward the doctor suspiciously, wondering if it's safe to trust this man with the well being of one of her own. He isn't exactly called the Surgeon of Life.
"Is there an infirmary of some sort located on your ship?" Law asks the baffled lady captain. She hesitates before answering, uncertainty apparent in her voice.
"Well, yes. On the upper deck but you don't exactly have to agree to this."
"I do things on my own accord Miss Ember, and I accept the task simply to keep the boredom at bay."
With that being said, Law rose to his feet, allowing the all too eager patient to lead him to the operating space. As they slipped through the double doors, Ember glances at the table of Heart Pirates with great concern.
"No need to worry miss, although his epithet is Surgeon of Death, he hasn't had one fatality under his care." Bepo reassures.
She sighs. "I hope so, Teddy Bear."
Law begins to reconsider taking up the job as he enters something that looks rather similar to a shabby tattoo parlor. Graffiti art decorated the four walls and by the way the used needles and numbing agents were left scattered and undisposed properly, Law immediately knew that there was no true doctor on the ship. Just amateurs with experience equal to an artistic criminal in a jail cell, using whatever materials at their disposal.
"So in what shape or form do you wish to desecrate yourself today?" Law asked as he put on some latex gloves he found. He wouldn't dare touch anything in the room without them.
"I want horns implanted onto my head, big ones." He says, pointing to a certain drawer. "Look in there."
Law opens the drawer, suppressing a chuckle as he pulls out two horns, which he assumes to be from some breed of goat.
"For a firm hold, a craniotomy is necessary, which means I will have to open and remove a small portion of skull. Do you consent?"
"Whatever you need to do, doc. Its hard to find someone willing to take on this kind of job."
"That is because no surgeon is capable of stomaching this kind of work, unlike myself." Law said with a dark smirk as he gathers the tools that may prove the most useful since there wasn't a single instrument with a purpose intended for this kind of procedure.
Injecting some horse tranquilizer, since it was probably very difficult for this crew to get their hands on legitimate anesthesia, Law put his patient under. He fondled the tools awkwardly, not particularly liking the way they felt in his hands simply because they weren't his own, but it still brought great relief to finally have a body to play with nonetheless, especially a procedure so dark and taboo.
Lips curling into that sinister smile, eyes bright with the thrill of cutting into flesh, Law got to work on the man's head.
The Heart captain wipes away a spatter of blood that landed on his cheek when he sawed into the man's cranium. He took off the gloves that were once white and tossed them into the trash, pleased to hear the man beginning to stir awake from the heavy sedative. Once semi-conscious, Komodo immediately reaches over for the hand mirror located on the tray of bloodied tools. When he sees his reflection, he appeared on the verge of a joyous breakdown.
"I look absolutely stunning!"
Holding his chin with thought, Law observed the man admiring his new features. He has never concerned himself with other peoples' motives behind their actions simply because he didn't care enough to ask, but this particular case was a different story.
"I usually refrain from probing into another's business but I can't help but question your reasoning behind these pointless alterations to yourself."
His eyes never leaving the mirror, Komodo answers. "We try to mirror Captain Ember's appearance as our own way of showing our loyalty and admiration to her strength and ability."
Law's lips form into a sarcastic smile. "If I may share my opinion, I must say that none of you come even close to comparison of her apperance."
"We can only try, Doc. Anyways its time for me to show off my new look. Thanks for the work, it's amazing!"
"Well of course is it, it was done by me."
As Komodo proceeded on his way out through the door, Law saw the curious red gems of Ember peering from around the doorframe. Upon discovery, she revealed the rest of her person and entered the room.
"That was an awfully long procedure. I was beginning to worry you killed him."
"Well if he died, it certainly would not be from my doing, but more of a staph infection from the sheer filth of this place." Law said with absolute disgust. "I truly hope that you haven't received any type of care within these four walls."
Ember laughed. "Well this used to be a medical room until my crew turned it into an artistic playground. Besides, it's more for their use since I detest entering doctor clinics."
A hint of something dark played within the smoldering grey of Law's eyes. "Is that so? Can I safely assume that it has been some time since you have received some form of a physical or check up?"
"Yes, since I can't determine whether to go to a doctor or a veterinarian."
"Well, if you allow me to take a detailed look, I can accurately refer you to the appropriate specialist." Law's neutral smile caused Ember's eyes to darken with suspicion as she struggled to determine the true motive behind his offer.
"If I even see an attempt to reach for a needle or-"
"Miss Ember, please. You are insulting my credibility as a doctor by assuming I would touch you with such contaminated tools." My own tools however...
Using some cotton balls and rubbing alcohol, Law disinfected the earpieces of a stethoscope, the only health related tool he has found so far. Ember eyed it with distrust.
"This will not be painful. If it was, I would be much more excited. Now sit yourself on the counter since this medical recliner is an absolute disgrace."
She begrudgingly did as she was told, watching the surgeon as he put the pieces in his ears. When Law began to untuck the front of her sweater from the inside of her shorts, she held his wrists in a firm grip, eyes bright red and filled with warning.
"I will be unable to hear your heart beat if the chest piece is over your clothes." He stated calmly.
With an annoyed sigh, she releases her hold, allowing Law's tattooed hands glide underneath the loose garment with ease. When the piece makes contact with Ember's skin, she releases a short gasp. Law eyes catch hers in an analytic gaze, studying her expression carefully for the potential problem.
"It's cold." She says with irritation.
The frown from the false alarm quickly fades as his face falls into a deep concentration, moving the piece around from beneath her shirt in search for the best sound quality of her heart. The loud thrumming of the muscle beating erratically within her chest was music to Law's ears as it wasn't due to a health complication but the all too familiar pattern of fear.
Law smirks, looking at her with dark eyes. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked. "There is nothing to be afraid of."
"There is when I'm receiving a physical from the Surgeon of Death."
The Heart captain released a sound of amusement as he removed the stethoscope. His skilled fingers then reached for her face, holding her jaw and chin in a gentle grip as he tilts her head to look toward the dim light bulb that dangled from the ceiling. Such a simple form of control sent a strange thrill throughout his body but one can never tell through his stoic features.
"Hardly. Although you would not want to know the things I would do for the opportunity to have you on my operating table." he tells her. "Look up into the light."
Ember did what was commanded of her so Law can study the dilation of her cat-like irises. "I can't tell whether I should be flattered or frightened."
Law reaches for a jar of tongue compressors located along the countertop and by pulling down on her chin, he silently tell hers to open up. "I will leave that up to you to decide," he says as he pushes down on her tongue with the wooden stick. Law's grey eyes lighten with interest. "Well, what do we have here?"
The back of her throat was pitch black causing Law to painfully stretch her jaw wider for a closer look. Using the stick, he poked the area and was surprised to hear a soft tapping sound, indicating that it was hardened. Law smirked evilly.
"Well this certainly raises some questions, such as what on earth is this hardened material? And what kind of practice have you come across to have such a disciplined gag reflex?"
A burst of fire suddenly erupted from the back of her throat, causing Law to curse and drop the compressor on the floor where it burned for several moments before being snuffed by his foot.
"Sorry about that, I seemed to have choked when you prodded me with your stick. What were you saying about my gag reflex?" Ember said rather smugly.
Law smirked. Normally in the rarest of occasions when someone has caught him off guard, they weren't together as a whole for very long to celebrate the fact, but Law couldn't find it in himself to be upset. How could he be mad at this woman, this beautiful creature who held so many unusual and interesting physiological secrets? Ember was something fresh and new for his intellectual mind to study and grasp and the more time he spent trying to figure her out, the more it grew into an obsession.
"What happened to the endless amount of patience you so confidently spoke of?"
"There's an exception to being under the heavy scrutiny of a doctor who isn't exactly known for saving lives."
"I see. Well, allow me to complete one more test before we draw a conclusion to your check up."
Ember looked up toward the ceiling as if silently asking the gods the reasoning behind her torture. It's when she felt the warm hands of Law snake back under her shirt to flip the cups of her bra, did she quickly return back to the reality of her situation. Like lighting, her hands quickly snatched his forearms; stiletto nails digging into the tanned skin painfully as her eyes shone bright with warning. She looked absolutely dangerous and Law loved it.
"I am simply examining for cancerous lumps or tumors." He said calmly, fighting the dark smirk that wanted to curl at his lips. Law has found himself smiling a lot lately. This female was just too amusing for his own good as every button he pushed showed him an interesting feature about the peculiar creature before him.
"I highly doubt that doctors frisk their patients like this."
"It's quite a common practice actually. You would know if you would frequent a medical clinic more often than none."
Ember looked at Law with eyes that silently asked if this is really necessary.
"It will be quick."
She released his forearms without a complaint, not even a huff of annoyed breath as Law resumed his course of action. Careful and precise fingers maintained a strict level of professionalism as they circled and kneaded her breasts in search of anything out of the ordinary and although he found nothing to be alarmed about, he did notice that her skin was not soft the way a normal woman's should be. Not that it bothered him because he thoroughly enjoyed how she was anything but normal yet he was curious about the flesh that held such an interesting texture like leather. His fingers appear to be taking a liking to it as they trail down toward her sides and back up to her collarbone, fingertips studying the mysterious flesh.
"I'm assuming this isn't part of the exam?"
"I don't detect any signs of a potential skin disorder so I am curious about texture." he explains.
"Oh that. It's some kind of dragon skin. Rough and tough."
Law's hand snuck up through the collar of her shirt to hold chin so she can look directly in her eyes. "You, Miss Ember, are an absolute marvel." He said in a velvety whisper.
Red eyes eyed him suspiciously, unfazed by the compliment. "What is this fascination you have with me?"
Law chuckled, leaning forward so she can feel his hot breath in her ear. "I am a very dark and complex man, Miss Ember, and I enjoy studying equally dark and complex things."
He slowly arranged her bra back to its rightful position and withdrew himself and his his hands just in time before the door opened, revealing Komodo.
"We're about to dock Captain."
Law smiled inwardly as he noticed the faintest flush of Embers cheeks that competed with her ability to maintain a face of indifference. It appears he got a reaction from her after all.
"Alright," she started after clearing her throat and hopping off the counter "Split the crew into pairs so we can get what we need quickly. I do not want to spend any more time than necessary here."
"Yes Captain." He said before making his way off. Ember was about to follow him out until Law called out to her.
"Will you come back to me later for your results?" he said as he casually leaned against the counter with arms folded.
Ember glared at the smug surgeon. "I think I would much rather go get a second opinion." With that, she left Law by himself in the room, which was a big mistake.
You never leave Trafalgar Law alone in his own thoughts, allowing him to plan his next move accordingly.
It was late afternoon and Law was pleased to see Ember returning with her men from supply shopping, carrying lots of heavy boxes filled with essentials. He was getting rather bored watching the mechanic they have found to tend to his ship's needs and quite frankly, he missed the witty exchanges between him and his lovely new acquaintance but more so, he was eager to put his idea into action.
Ember approached the Heart Captain with caution, purposely keeping a distance she deemed comfortable for herself. "So what's the estimated time it will take to fix your engine?" she asked.
"A day or two approximately."
"Oh. Well I am glad I could be of service to you and your crew and I do wish you the best." She said shortly before continuing her way.
"Why, thank you Miss Ember but if I may ask a question," Law says in a very dark voice. Ember catches a smile she has never seen him wear before and it strikes a sense of unease but stands her ground. "What shall you do with all those supplies when you don't have a ship to put them on?"
Ember looks at him rather perplexed. She knows better than to believe such a smart man like Law has had a moment of stupidity so he had to be up to something. She looks at her ship that was bobbing gently along the docks and looks back at him suspiciously. "My ship is right where it should be so I can't say I understand what you're talking about."
Law chuckled darkly. "Room"
A blue aurora stretched over a great distance covering everything in its path, including Embers ship. Her eyes shot toward the Shichibukai, glaring menacingly.
"Law…" she warned, her voice shaky as she struggled to maintain the rage from peaking out beneath her composure.
He smiled before uttering the single word that will lead to her downfall. "Tact"
Ember, her crew and a large crowd that has now gathered watched in horror as her ship became suspended in mid air, miscellaneous items from the deck falling into the ocean with a splash. With several swift moments from his nodachi, Law sliced the vessel like butter, scattering the levitating pieces across the ocean with dismissive hand movement.
As the very last bits of what used to be her pirate ship sank beneath the surface to meet their grave on the ocean floor, Law casually strolled over to Ember who had collapsed onto her knees. Crouching to her level, he tilted her chin ever so gently so he could get a perfect look of the glassy red eyes that refused to spill tears.
"Now then, I will ask you again," he said in a smooth voice. "What shall you do with all those supplies when you don't have a ship to put them on?"