A/N: I'm sorry for the wait. I have no excuse other than I simply haven't been inspired. Probably because this chapter was a pain since I'm not too good on writing what hopefully comes off as action packed. If its bad or unorganized tell me. If its good, let me know. I can't improve without structural criticisms from you lovely people.
Hope you enjoy.
It was cold.
It was really, really cold.
If Ember was ever able to swim, she imagined this was what it felt like to go against the currant.
Flying high against the wintery winds that penetrated her hide down to her very core, Ember fought the chill that practically froze her wings, the thought of seeing Law fueling her journey.
She took the risk of being easily spotted in her black dragon form for the sole purpose of having the extra fat from her size retain whatever heat she had available.
She was certain that she would have frozen in place if in her normal form. Human or reptile, neither could ever adapt to such frigid temperatures.
Ember found the chink in the armored facility she had escaped through before and reentered from there, transitioning to human form mid air to slip through the mouth of the gaping hole, careful to avoid the jagged teeth that were pieces of rusted, weathered metal.
It was such a dramatic difference in temperature to the point where the metal pipes and walls felt almost cozy in comparison to outside. Sheathed in her scaly armor, Ember quietly padded down the hall to the reinforced doors that were not originally there when trying to reach the lounge.
This raised a red flag for the Zoan user. Armored doors were a defense strategy that could be used for several purposes such as keeping unwanted guests at bay, but Ember knew better than to consider such a thing. Who in their right mind would visit here on their own will?
Option number two unfortunately made its way to the stage. They were keeping someone in.
Law.
Ember could feel the skin beneath her scales prickle at the troubling thought of Law captive. All because she left him here alone for a possible misunderstanding; she didn't know but she wasn't about to make any assumptions, not when she came back to get answers straight from the source and right now, these suspicious characters in this facility were in her way of doing so.
To save on time, Ember took to the air to quickly search and make sure there weren't any other entrances she wasn't aware of. Unfortunately every door she found was a steel barricade, a complete lockdown of the laboratory.
Frustrated, she rammed herself into the reinforced door, scales scraping along down until she slumped to the floor in complete agitation. She could easily barge through with two or three slams in her dragon form but what may lay on the other side had her hesitant. Law could be on the other side equally as he could be absent and Ember wasn't sure if she was ready to make such a grand entrance, grabbing unwanted attention from the laboratory's security personnel. She had to approach this situation through a strategical perspective.
What would Law do?
Ember looked up into the high ceilings, studying the network of wires, pipes and other connections that failed to be engineered in a neat, organized fashion. Holding her chin in a brief moment of thought, she decided to test her hunch by flying up to search through the jungle of unorganized framework until she found what she was looking for.
A soft hissing sound was heard as steamy air was filtered through a ventilation shaft. Ember ripped the grill from its rusty hinges, letting it fall to the ground with a loud clatter before slipping inside.
It was cramped and hot as heated air passed through to warm the facility. Beads of sweat began to form on her brow and her cheeks were slightly flushed as she crawled through the narrow passageway. Making sharp turns to follow another connecting shaft was a hassle as there wasn't even enough room to crawl comfortably, let alone completely maneuver her body into another direction.
Thirty minutes felt like thirty years as Ember struggled to find an end to this maze. Panting from the uncomfortable heat, she wanted to lie down for at least ten seconds but worried of being unable rearrange herself onto all fours again in the cramped space. Ember briefly wished for her Zoan animal to be a rat, since dragons were not meant for this sort of thing.
A bloodcurdling scream startled her from her silly thoughts, causing her body to unconsciously jolt upward and hit her head on the metal above. She listened as the wails echoed throughout the vents while rubbing the small bump that was beginning to form. The screams grew more agonizing to the point where it almost didn't sound human anymore, sending a chill to rattle Ember's spine despite the humidity. She reluctantly followed the sounds that bounced throughout the cramped metal space, reaching the end of her maze by peeking through the slits of the vents grill. What she saw caused some bile to bubble at the back of her throat.
"Let me tell you something interesting," said a man in a quilted white coat, with what appeared to be a half eaten hamburger patty on his face. With a leg that looked to be composed of pure iron, he proceeded to kick a chained and crumpled form along the floor, like a child kicking the same rock along his route home. With every kick, Ember could have sworn to have heard a cracking sound, a possible rib or bone fracturing every time, she wasn't sure. "I had always thought, after your treason against Joker, that New World would give you the horrific death you deserve in no time at all."
Pulling his leg back for extra momentum and power, he sent his victim flying into the hand railing of the expansive metal walkway that was suspended above countless chemical tankers and moving machinery. "Never did I expect to be the one administering your torturous demise. Trust me, it hurts me more than it hurts you, Law."
More agonized howls erupted from Law's throat as he felt his heart in the stranglehold of Vergo's fingers, sparks dancing behind his eyelids as pain radiated throughout his body. Every nerve ending was aflame as his body began to spasm uncontrollably within his seastone bindings from the overwhelming torture.
Sudden relief came, as if his flaming internal suffering was doused by a bucket of cool water. Once his vision regained focus, Law saw Vergo standing there with a lax grip on his precious organ, head tiled to the side as if listening to something.
The Haki infused bamboo stick whistled loudly as it twirled rapidly in Vergo's hand, delivering a loud crack despite the swiftness of the blurred figure, sending them flying into the wall behind him,
"Interesting," Vergo began, unfazed by the sneak attack. "I was not expecting company."
Law's jaw was clenched so tight to prevent the string of obscenities that could possibly summon a demon, his teeth were on the verge of shattering in his mouth. What the hell was she doing here? She was safe, an escape attempt finally done right. Why on earth was she returning back to enemy territory? She might as well hand Vergo a shovel and ask for her shallow grave to be right next to Law's.
"You stupid, stupid reptile!" Law managed to shout in a cracked voice, the vastness of the open space they were in carrying his message along in an echo for Ember to hear. It was the only insult he could manage despite the long list of foul vocabulary lined up in his head. Law couldn't just have a torturous death; humiliation had to be tacked onto it as well. The notorious Surgeon of Death getting assistance from this not so organized creature. What kind of message is that sending? Law could practically feel his reputation decreasing in value already.
Ember shakily got to her feet, ignoring the loud ringing in her ears as she took a blow that rattled her bones down to her very core. She couldn't even recall a time where she had taken a hit that hard and the frightening realization hit her even harder.
Vergo could actually break her if she wasn't more careful.
She had his full attention now, as he completely disregarded Law and turned to face her in an intense stand off. It was ladies first as Vergo waited for Ember to make the first move and she used this brief period of time to devise an attack plan that would wipe that hamburger off his stern looking face. The element of surprise seemed like a worthy enough approach since no one here knew the full extent of her abilities, so saying a quick little prayer to a higher power, Ember lunged forward.
Spinning his bamboo stick in one hand while holding Law's heart in the other, Vergo prepared for her attack, wondering why she was making the same mistake twice but who was he to complain? If she wanted to die then so be it. He swung his weapon, missing by mere inches as she jumped, wings launching her into the air with one powerful beat. Vergo looked up, confused by the black mass morphing above shrouding him in a large shadow as if witnessing an eclipse. When he realized it was approaching rapidly close, dropping down onto him, he did his best to jump out of the way but was unable to escape her great size as Ember literally sat on him, earning a horrified choke from the incapacitated surgeon since Vergo still held his heart.
As if sensing his concern, Ember shifted slightly, revealing Vergo's arm that poked from under her rear, twitching slightly as it still clutched Law's beating organ. She gently nudged it out of his grasp with her snout, allowing the cubed heart to totter across the floor like dice before resting on one of its four sides before Law.
Law could only watch with a blank expression, as Ember's long, slender neck reached down to his restraints, not sure how to respond to the Zoan user's strangely successful rescue. Unusual feelings began to brew as the thought of Ember risking her life to save his own despite everything he had put her through, touched something deep within him. Law was actually grateful, another mental confession he swept under the rug of his mind, never for his conscious or subconscious to accidentally utter aloud.
Sharp teeth shattered the bindings, sending a powerful toothache that rattled her teeth as the sea stone chains made its debilitating effects known to her Devil Fruit infused body. She watched Law wince as he reached for his heart, returning it to its rightful place in his chest before struggling to roll on his back to rest.
Blood oozed from his nose and mouth and the black eye was the only visible bruise out of the possible hundred that most likely decorated the tan body underneath his tattered clothes. A soft, grumbling whine was released from her throat as she gave a nudge to Law with the tip of her nose. Seeing him battered like this pained her more than she would ever like to admit as this was not the Law she was used to seeing but when he gave her his small yet dark smirk that always accompanied his smug and confident personality, it reassured her that there was hope in getting out of this alright.
Law shakily opened his palm and reached out, wanting to caress Ember in her Zoan form and feel the hot steam that blew from her nostrils, the thick hide that armored her face. He wanted his fingertips to take in all her different textures, to appreciate what she truly was that he had taken for granted before.
Ember leaned forward, mere inches away from nuzzling her snout into his palm when a thick wall of snow suddenly separated them. Snarling, she whipped her neck to slam her head into the wall, shrouding a wing over Law to protect him from the falling snow mounds.
Snowflakes began their gentle descent as if out of thin air and judging by Law's defensive look, she knew this was not a normal occurrence within the facility. The flakes accumulated on the floor unusually quick, swirling in a soft whirlwind that began to solidify and grow. Ember brought herself onto all fours, kicking a crumpled Vergo aside with a hind leg as she prepared to investigate.
The snow slowly began to take shape, causing Ember to tense as it grew to equal her in size, the weight of both herself and this snow structure earning loud screeches of warning from the flooring that had them suspended above the tanks.
The snow mound suddenly stilled into a curvy tower and Ember looked down at Law, who now had his back against the bent railing as he sent her a cautious glance.
The large dragon crept closer, her head reaching out to sniff the snow mountain before turning to express her confusion to Law. She tilted her head by his horrified reaction and before he could lift a finger to point behind her, Ember's neck was being crushed by what she first assumed to be teeth.
Each tooth-like object shattered against her armored neck, only one finding its way into her skin by the soft spot so kindly provided by Eustass Kid's knife.
The dragon roared in anger, thrashing her head against the snow creature before the shard could sink any deeper and released a gust of fire to melt it down to a puddle.
Silence followed, the echoing drips of water falling through the grated floors was all that was heard. Law looked around furiously searching for any signs of movement before he decided it was time to get a move on. Shakily getting to his feet, he hastily limped towards Ember when a large, snowy wing slapped him away with a force that sent him tumbling several feet away from Vergo's crumpled form.
Ember let out a high-pitched cry before shrinking down to human form, rushing to Law's aid in panic. She quickly rested him in her lap, trying to keep it together as Law's pained gasps tore her apart from the inside. Red eyes quickly skimmed the surrounding area, finding it difficult to believe that despite the size, Law's sneaky attacker was no where to be seen.
The Heart captain was struggling to keep his eyes open as he stared up at Ember, watching the blood trickle down her chest from the shallow neck wound. Her gaze however, was focused elsewhere and although he was too weak to even muster the strength to turn his head, he heard the beating of wings that did not belong to his dragon.
He could feel the tension radiating off of Ember before she carefully set him down to rest, which gave Law a better view of what was going on. He watched as Ember slowly stood to her feet, stepping in front of him defensively where looking through her legs, he saw the harpy Monet standing with a mysterious smile in front of Vergo's position on the floor.
Of course Law's strange interests would allow him to find the fascination behind the current situation despite the odds stacked against them. As if straight from an animal documentary, Law took in the powerful scene as two winged creatures of myth stood protectively in front of their injured males, poised for battle.
Being a pirate all his life, safety was not a word in Law's vocabulary. The captain always held caution to his surroundings and associations. Even with loyal subordinates and reliable connections, Law never put the trust of his well being in the hands of others up until this very moment as he watched Ember guard him with full intentions of fighting to the death. This was as close as Law could get to experiencing true safety, especially when the probability of Ember emerging victorious was equal to both of them being killed but despite these odds, the fact that someone was actually willing to protect him with their own life was something Law never thought to appreciate until now.
"Oh dear," Monet said with mock concern. "Did you return all this way to make me feel sorry for playing with Law?"
Ember laughed. "I'll admit you had me at first, that prank was so convincing," A smirk then split on her face. "But I eventually caught onto your little scheme simply because Law wouldn't involve himself with a woman composed of scrapped bird parts. He has much better taste in hybrids than that."
A smug smile appeared on Law's bloodied lips. Ember did have some faith in him after all and that was enough incentive to try and get back on his feet to help her. She wasn't the most organized fighter but Law tried to shake off the negativity. If she had the confidence in him to uphold the voluntary loyalty in their strange relationship despite the convincing lies told by Monet, he should show the same in regards to her fighting capabilities.
Monet gave a chilly giggle although the struggle to disregard the insult was there. "I was wondering when you were going to catch on. Don't worry dear, you can have him," her voice suddenly held slight excitement as if she had just came up with a fabulous idea. "In fact, I'll make sure you two are thrown into the garbage incinerator so you can burn together like the cute couple you are."
Monet lunged at Ember who braced for the attack only to watch the harpy break into snow. Ember panicked as she lost sight of the enemy yet again, whipping around behind her only to find Law on his feet, casting his blue Room to have his nodachi return through teleportation.
"That's not going help against a Logia user." Ember growled the reminder to which Law gave no comment.
It then happened so fast; the sudden chill before a feathery embrace. Ember's struggle lasted no more than three seconds before the sub-zero chill immobilized her, like an insect caught in a venus flytrap. She tried to call upon her flame but only a puff of warm breath escaped into the frigid air, her body slowly losing its ability to function as the temperature dropped. If this was how Ember was going to die, she couldn't really complain. Being frozen to death seemed quiet and peaceful as she debated on following the urge to slip into a permanent sleep.
But something more inviting immediately changed her mind as warmth coming from her left side led her out of Monet's hold. Ember heard the soft impacts of snow hitting the ground followed by a mildly surprised gasp from the harpy as Law cut one of her wings. Ember couldn't help but feel brief jealousy of Monet; at least she could reform the appendage rather than wait for a certain surgeon to return it. It must be nice being a Logia user.
While Monet was recovering her wing, Ember used this time to scramble towards Law, limbs still slightly numb. Law reached her first, quickly extending his sword to intercept the bamboo that was about to swing a punishing blow on her. Ember then realized why Law needed his weapon stat.
Ember spoke while sword and bamboo ground into each other. "It amazes me how that hamburger is still on your face."
"Hm?" Vergo took Law by surprise, shoving him a good distance with a kick so he could investigate Ember's claim. He touched his face, finding the slab of meat before peeling it off and discarding it over his shoulder. "How rude of you not to inform me earlier."
As punishment, Vergo dashed to the Zoan user to deliver a good whack only to be intercepted by Law's blade yet again as he swiftly leapt in front of her. Monet had returned with a vengeance, talons spread to slash Law while his sword was occupied with Vergo's bamboo until Ember shot her down with a ball of fire.
Their weapons disconnected as Law and Vergo jumped backwards from each other, their females following suit. The two pairs stood in a tense stale mate; both parties trying to find a solution to the unsaid yet mutual agreement that fighting all at once would be pointless. Every attack was just going to be deflected by the other trying to protect their ally, resulting in an endless circle that would lead them nowhere. They had to fight two on two but there was not enough room for two battles to take place.
It was hard to determine who thought of it first as both Ember and Monet took to the air at the same time, flying high in a strangely synchronized upward spiral while leaving their men to engage on the ground. There was something unsettling about Ember holding her own without his assistance but Law saw no option other than to hope she can apply her skills and strength in a tactful manner. He did see some major improvement in coordinating her attacks, but she pales in comparison to Monet. Joker doesn't hire just anyone after all.
So then it began, the onslaught between enemies as they battled their counterparts; Creatures of myth dominating the skies while two past acquaintances with bitter scores to settle fought from below.
Every so often, Law would glance upwards to check on his dragon in between swinging and deflecting, hoping his fight with Vergo would be quick so he could provide his assistance to Ember. Being acquainted with her for some time now, Law became all too familiar with her poor combat skills that were not even close to bringing her victory in this fight without the cunning surgeon. Law still had Monet's heart stowed in his coat pocket, keeping that knowledge to himself for now knowing Vergo and Monet would gang up on him if that information were to be revealed. He had to wait until Vergo was defeated before moving onto Monet and could only hope Ember could hold off long enough until he gained the uninterrupted chance to kill harpy. She simply was no match against a Logia user. Surviving a battle with this type fruit user was an impressive feat and usually makes for good bar time stories in the pub but killing one is a tale not many are able to brag about.
"Stop worrying about your freakish pet," Vergo's face was flat and unreadable as he watched Law through the gap where their weapons crossed. "Monet is merciful in her kills. The girl's frozen death will be like a peaceful sleep although I can't say the same for yours when I'm done with you."
Law's gut received a lowballed kick, causing him to double over in pain while exposing the back of his neck. Vergo took no time in using this to his advantage, slamming Law with his stick until the doctor's face was planted unceremoniously into the floor. He then lifted his foot above Law's head; taking a mental photo of the moment he squashes the traitorous subordinate.
Something large fell on top of the pirate, the speed sending him crashing into the floor, missing Law by several inches as he managed to roll out of the way. Grey eyes sought the source of impact, face imprinted with the grated flooring pattern as he found Monet back to back on top of Vergo.
Law couldn't believe it; he was practically dumbfounded by the thought of Ember delivering something containing that much brute force. He looked upwards, watching as gravity dragged her downward, wings folded tightly to her side for less wind resistance. At that velocity Law was certain she was going to break straight through the flooring and with Monet in her crosshairs, he only hoped that she could spear the man beneath the harpy on some sharp machinery below. Just several more seconds before impact; Law counted in his head. Three…two…one…
There was a ringing in his ears, but it wasn't due to her touching down on to the floor. It was like listening to a radio, hearing the soft white noise before finally tuning in where the station comes crystal clear. The sounds of punctured flesh, the echoing of blood drops that bounced off the tanks below had Law turning the dial in his mind but the same thing was on every channel.
Ember's red eyes were wide with shock, almost asking how? Monet stared up at her, licking her lips hungrily before pulling the icicle pick from the patch of Ember's stomach left unprotected by scales thanks to her encounter with Eustass Kid.
As soon as the entirety of the weapon was withdrawn, one by one her scales began to fall until they all rained down in a noisy shower, leaving her naked, exposed. Monet pushed her off with little effort, where she rolled to the side, completely still.
A hot rage began pumping through Law's bloodstream, burning his veins as his once dark grey eyes became fierce and light like an incoming storm cloud. Law's neutral features were breached as his brows furrowed and teeth clenched with unrestrained anger.
Law reached for the heart within his pocket and threw it into the air, savoring the expression on Monet's face as it finally registered with her. Law's arms were wound practically behind himself as he swung like a batter hitting home run. The heart split so seamlessly that Monet wasn't even able to utter a dying scream, being split in half for good measure along with Vergo and half of the metal flooring.
Both halves of Monet and the bottom half of Vergo fell into some rotating gears, the crushing of flesh and bone echoing loudly. The undercover pirate knotted his fingers into grates of the flooring, holding on to the structure that began to dip dangerously low into the machinery below with every unsettling jerk of bending metal before completely falling to its demise.
Law quickly cast his room, Ember suddenly appearing in his arms. He proceeded to calmly walk toward the steel doors, taking in the destruction one last time over his shoulder before disappearing to the other side.