Chapter 6

As a crowd hovered over her shoulder, Claire examined Usopp's wounds. "You sure took one hell of a beating," she commented. She glided her fingers along a rough bruise, and his dark skin pulled away. "It might take a bit to make you feel better."

"And how long is that going to take?" he asked, struggling to form each word.

"Maybe about fifteen minutes," she guessed. Her eyes moved to his face. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to stand here and monitor you." She picked up a pebble from the ground and curled her fingers around it. "I can give you a supplement that would heal you within an hour," she offered.

Usopp's eyes widened. "You can do that?"

Opening her hand, Claire revealed a round, red pill, no bigger than the size of the pebble. "It won't start to work for about five minutes," she stated. She placed the pill in his hand and pulled out a leather pouch of water. He gratefully accepted the pouch and swallowed the pill. She stood and turned to the rest of the group. "Does anyone else need treatment?"

Zoro stepped forward, his green hair blowing in a small breeze. He had a few scratches and bruises but no major injuries. "There was some girl at the plateau that needs treatment for her arm."

At the edge of Claire's vision, a yellow flash flew across the sky, followed by a red orb. She tilted her head. "What does she look like?"

"Really short," he started. "Black hair. And she's got a long sword at her side."

Claire stared for a moment, collecting her thoughts. Then a smile sprung across her face as a small canary landed on her shoulder. "You must have met my friend," she chimed. "Was she very serious and had on this black pants suit?"

He nodded. "I don't understand how she would be able to fight with that sword, though. It's way too long for her to even pull out of the sheath," he commented.

Claire rubbed the canary's head, and it chirped in delight. "She'll be fine," she responded. Her eyes looked to the sky and spotted a brilliant red vulture so large that it appeared much lower than it actually was. A glistening red orb circled the bird in tight circles on different axes. Claire gestured to the bird. "As long as he isn't flailing, she's still standing," she told him.

Zoro scrunched his brow. "What does the bird have anything to do with that?"

Claire scanned the rest of the group. "Does anyone else need to be treated?" she asked. They looked to one another with questioning glances. There were murmurs through them and a final, small "no" from the back. "Okay," she replied. She turned back to the others, staring at King Riku. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go ahead. I'll be needed very soon."

The king nodded. "We can exchange numbers in case of an emergency," he suggested.

A light shade of blue flashed before her. She blinked, trying to chase away the floating spots. "No, thank you," she said. "I'll know when you need me." She moved towards the edge of the building and stepped onto the ledge. She looked back over her shoulder. "Usopp, please don't try to break another bone." She pushed off before he could respond.

The rubble from crushed and collapsed buildings rushed to the air under Claire's feet, creating a midair pathway for her. She landed gently and continued walking forward, the rubble behind her moving to the front. Her eyes locked on the palace before her.

Why are you going so slow? Uzuru is up there. We need to move quickly! The voice scratched at the back of her head.

"Calm down," Claire said. "Only Doflamingo will be there when we arrive." The canary at her shoulder flew off to join the vulture. "Besides, look at how beautiful it is around here." She turned her head to see the rest of the town. "What a sight."

It looks terrible. You humans have no concept of artistic architecture.

"Style differs between groups of people," she replied. "Besides, you'll probably destroy all of this when you're done with Uzuru."

I'll make sure that you at least have a place to stand. Albeit something very bare.

Claire scratched the top of her head. "If you keep doing this, I'll make the trip even longer," she threatened. The itching stopped, and she continued walking.

Once at the palace, Claire didn't interrupt the fight between Doflamingo and Trafalgar Law. Instead, she peeked over the wall and stood on a small jut she created. She saw Law's detached arm lying on the ground, but she wasn't sure if it was real or just another illusion.

Are your eyes deceiving you again?

Her eyebrows scrunched together. "I'm not sure," she murmured. She could hardly ever figure out what was reality and what was imagined.

Where is Trebol? Can you see him?

Claire's eyes scanned the roof. He was just out of her field of vision, but she recognized the end of his cloak and the trail of mucus. "There he is," she whispered. "Should we go and take him?"

A gunshot ripped through the air. Her gaze snapped back to Law, who was starting to bleed out. He slouched up against the wall and glared up at Doflamingo. The blood coming out of him was a deep red, not some strange color of the rainbow. This was not an illusion. Law's arm was on the ground and detached from his body.

Claire froze. What are you doing? Start moving!

Doflamingo lowered himself down to Law's height and pushed the gun into his chest. "You will meet your maker today-an unavoidable wretched death," he stated. "But why not make it a little meaningful? If you perform the 'immortality surgery,' I will grant you any wish."

Law gave a throaty chuckle. "Anything?" he asked, and Doflamingo gave a small nod. "I'm in," he replied. After a small cough, he told his wish: "I want you to bring Corazon back to life. This very moment. And go lick the asshole of every citizen in this poor country." Law flipped up his middle finger and grinned. "You're the one that's in way over your head here, Doflamingo. The Straw Hat crew has left nothing in their wake but sheer miracles. You'll never beat them. You'll never get Caesar back. Your future is the one that-"

The vein in Doflamingo's forehead snapped, and he fired several rounds into Law's chest. Claire ducked down behind the wall and covered her ears. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't keep out the gunshots.

What are you doing? Get up there and save that boy!

Tears streamed down Claire's cheeks. She sobbed, "That's my little boy. The poor thing doesn't even know the truth."