Pointless Report:

GYAHAHAHA~!

Hey guys, whew, wow. 3 chapters posted in one night, I'm exhausted. Well here's a little Christmas/winter-y mini chapter for you all.

So have a Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

-"~"-

Bepo bit into his toast with enthusiasm, he wasn't sure why but there was something about today that put him in a good mood. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, maybe it was because the sun was shining, no, the sun shone every day. Was there something about the weather? Hmm…Maybe that was it. Either way, something had gotten him out of bed early, he just didn't know what.

He finished up the last of his breakfast and made his way to the deck as quietly as he could. The Captain and the rest of the crew had been up late last night and he didn't want to wake them.

A shadow darted out of the corner of his eye and wound itself around his legs.

'Hello Arasoi,' he said quietly.

The cat meowed in greeting.

Bepo reached down and scratched her behind her ears. 'Keep quiet, you don't want to wake the Captain.'

The cat thought this over and meowed even louder.

Bepo checked over his shoulder and relaxed, no one had woken up.

He sighed, 'You really don't like the Captain do you?'

The cat meowed even louder.

He shook his head, 'Well if you're just going to ignore me then go back to Mariko's room. She'll panic if you're not there when she wakes up.'

The cat flicked its tail and walked away with its head hung high, as if to show him what a proud cat she was and that the only reason she even took his advice was because he'd asked nicely.

Or so he liked to think. He wasn't really sure. Cats were hard to understand.

He tiptoed up the stairs onto the deck.

A cold breeze blew and he inhaled it as any exotic perfume. The cold reminded him of home, which was so far away.

When he stepped onto the deck, his eyes went large and a grin split onto his face.

He found the reason why he'd woken up in such a grand mood.

Snow covered the entire deck in a thick blanket.

Yup, just like home.

-"~"-

Law woke up to excited murmurs and laughter. He wrapped the blankets around him tighter. God it was cold this morning. Realizing he was fighting a losing battle, he groaned and threw off his sheets.

As quickly as he could, he threw on his clothes and shoes. There was nothing like a cold morning to motivate you to get dressed as fast as you could.

Grabbing his nodachi and hat, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He had a feeling he'd need to be wide awake today.

Walking out of his room, he was nearly run over by Bepo.

'Captain,' the bear greeted, he had a ridicules grin on his face.

Law nodded in return.

'There's snow Captain!' Bepo chirped. 'It's all over the deck! Some are saying we're really close to a winter island.'

Law took this all in calmly. That explained things. Most of the crew had come from the North Blue, seeing snow was sure to make some nostalgic.

'I was talking to some of the crewmen, and they said that it's probably the next island we'll be making landfall at.'

'How soon do they think we'll get there?'

'They say it could be as soon as lunch time at the speed we're going.'

'That soon? Excellent.' Law said obviously pleased.

Bepo beamed. 'Well I'm just going to head on deck, Captain, if you don't mind.'

'No no, enjoy yourself.'

Bepo practically skipped off in glee, making it hard for Law not to laugh.

Still, Bepo found it harder to adapt to the different climates around the Grand Line. His thick fur had made the summer islands like Hell for him. He was only truly comfortable in cooler weather conditions.

'What's everyone so happy about?' A voice at his side demanded.

Law rolled his eyes, 'You know, it's a good thing I'm not afraid of people suddenly popping up. Otherwise I'd probably have a heart attack every time you suddenly appear.'

Mariko scowled, 'If you were such a pansy, I'd have killed you long ago.'

'I'm not sure about that. Your aim isn't the best I've seen.'

'Ha ha. Trust me, if I'd been serious at the time, I'd have won.'

'So the only way I can win is if I live.'

'Pretty much.'

'Well then, luckily for me, I always play to win.'

'Well guess what? So do I.'

'I've noticed.'

'Are you going to answer my question or not? Because if you're not I'm going to find someone else, preferably someone who has brains.'

'We all have brains, Princess. It's just some of us make better use of them.'

'And you aren't one of them.'

'Ouch, hit me where it hurts, Princess.'

'Idiot,'

'Thank you.'

She threw up her hands in frustration. 'You're impossible!'

'Only for you, Princess.'

She glared at him.

He grinned in return.

'Oh by the way, everyone's excited because it's snowing.' He said calmly.

She looked at him with unsuppressed horror. 'I-It's snowing?'

'Not only that, but we'll be landing on a winter island soon.'

'How soon?' she asked hysterically.

Law wasn't sure where this was going but he saw no reason to stop now. Not after the reaction he was getting. 'About noon.'

She paled. 'It's almost noon now.'

'Then I guess we must be close now, shouldn't we?'

She made a sort of squeak, and without another word, scrambled away.

Law raised an eye but made no effort to go after her.

What was that all about?

-"~"-

Law sensed there was something wrong when Zeke come up to him with a confused look on his face.

'What's wrong?' Law asked against his better judgment.

Zeke seemed a little lost for words and seemed to be gathering his thoughts. 'Well Captain, she won't come out.'

Law didn't need to ask who Zeke was referring to. 'What's odd about that? She does that often enough, it's not a big deal.'

'No Captain, it's the reason why she'd in there.'

'Well why is she?'

'She'd hiding.'

'Hiding? From what?'

'The snow.'

Law blinked. 'I'm sorry…I must have heard you wrong. I thought you said she's hiding from the snow.'

Zeke nodded. 'I did.'

Law raised an eyebrow. 'Did she say why she was hiding from the snow?'

'No.'

'…I suppose you want me to go talk to her. Don't you?'

'If you would, Captain.'

Law rubbed his temples. 'Alright, I'm going.' He sighed.

There was something strange about that girl.

-"~"-

'Come out!'

'No!'

'You can't be scared of something stupid like snow!'

'I'm not scared!'

'It's not going to hurt you!'

'Bullshit! I know what that stuff does to you!'

Law felt like ramming his head against the wall. He and Mariko had been arguing in circles for almost half an hour and he was still no closer to finding out what her problem was with snow.

'Alright, tell me. What does snow do to you?' He asked suppressing his irritation.

'You know damn well what it does to you!'

His eyebrow twitched. 'Enlighten me.'

'It's cold and wet, and if you stay outside long enough you get terribly sick that you have to stay in bed for a month and have a doctor visit you every day.'

Law sighed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'That's just an old wives tale! Being in the cold does NOT make you sick, germs do!'

'Says who?'

'Says me! A doctor! Who told you you'd get sick by being outside?'

'Yukio!'

Law face palmed his forehead. Of all the idiotic things he'd heard come out of her mouth. 'Are you really going to believe Yukio over me?'

'Do I even need to answer that question?'

'Look, you won't get sick. I can almost guarantee you that. And even if you do get sick, I'm a doctor!'

'Prove it! I've never seen any certificates awarded to you.'

'Why don't I come in a surgically remove one of your body parts? Would that be proof enough?'

'Do that and I'll stab you!'

'Not if I take off your arms you won't! If you're not out of your room by the time we make landfall, I'll go in there and drag you out!'

'Fine!'

'Fine!'

Law stormed away muttering curses under his breath.

Two crewmates stuck their heads out from around the corner they'd been eavesdropping from.

'Wow…You were right. They do have an odd way of flirting.' One of them said in a hushed tone.

'I know. I'd hate to be near them when they fight.' The other agreed.

-"~"-

Law waited impatiently as the island came in view. At least this island seemed to have a town, they needed some supplies.

He drummed his fingers on his arm.

'Where the Hell is she? Well be there soon.' He grumbled to no one in particular.

Zeke turned to him in surprise. 'You actually convinced her to come out?'

'That all depends if she actually keeps her word.'

'So…What was her deal with snow?'

Law scowled. 'She grew up believing in stupid wives tales, one which says that if you're in the snow too long you get incredibly sick.'

Zeke looked at his Captain in disbelief. 'If that were true, I'd have spent months in bed when I was a kid.'

Law shook his head and sighed. 'The sooner she realizes what a stupid superstition that is, the easier it'll be on the Grand Line.'

'Are you happy now?'

Law rolled his eyes, right on cue.

Mariko marched up to him with a look of fury on her face. She had a thick blanket wrapped around her and she was still shivering.

'Now that wasn't so hard, was it?' Law asked sarcastically.

Mariko wrapped her blanket around her even tighter. 'Easy for you to say, you probably grew up in a block of ice.'

'The correct term is "North Blue"'

'Whatever, can I go now?'

Law considered this, then flashed her a mischievous grin. 'No, you're going to stay right by my side for the rest of the day.'

She shot him a look of pure hatred.

Law laughed. 'Come on, we'll teach you the joys of winter. North Blue style.'

-"~"-

Mariko pressed her back against the tree she was hiding behind. She was bundled from head to toe in winter gear the Hearts had insisted she buy.

Her face was flushed pink. She wasn't sure what part was from the cold and what part was from the embarrassment of having to play this game.

She looked at the snowball she held clutched in her gloved hands.

She felt like a complete idiot.

She stared at the snowball again in confusion. From what she understood, they were in some sort of a war and your weapons were limited to these snowballs that you threw like projectile objects at your foe…which was everyone…

'This is so stupid.' She muttered.

'I know you're here somewhere, Mari!' Zeke's voice rang out.

Mariko peeked around the tree. Zeke was standing out in the open, other than the snowball in his hand he was otherwise unarmed.

'You can't hide forever, Mari! I'm going to pelt you with this snowball if it's the last thing I do!'

Mariko shook her head in annoyance. Didn't this idiot realize that you gloat after you'd actually defeated your enemy?

She looked down at her own snowball and sighed. If they wanted war, she'd give them Hell, just like Yukio taught her.

She checked over her shoulder. Zeke was still calling for her to meet her doom, but was standing in more or less the same spot.

She took a deep breath. Remembering what Yukio said about taking people out stealthily. She noted Zeke's position, distance and the sun's position. She closed her eyes in concentration. Then, she let the snowball fly.

Zeke turned his head at the worst possible moment.

The snowball hit him dead on, right in the face.

As quick as she could, she scooped up a handful of snow and let it loose.

Again and again she pelted him, showing not a hint of mercy.

In the end she stood there panting, a satisfied smirk in her face. Zeke lay unconscious in the snow.

'Sorry Zeke,' she said in a sing-song voice, 'but I'm playing to win.'

She reached into the snow and packed it into a little ball.

Victory was a dish best served cold, after all.

A grin widened on her face. She was going to defeat each and every one of the Hearts and finally take out the king.

Sparing one last glance at Zeke, she headed off with a goal in mind.

Trafalgar Law was going down.

-"~"-

Mariko sipped her cocoa gleefully. She glanced around the table. It was unusually empty, maybe due to the fact that most of the crew was in their rooms recovering from mild head injuries.

She'd had a great afternoon. She's managed to land a shot on almost all of the crew. Sadly, she wasn't able to hit Law full in the face. She'd landed a hit on his shoulder and she might have hit him a few more times…Had Bepo not decided to intervene. Who knew all that fur would act as an extra protection?

They'd finally called off the game when Mariko had climbed up a tree and was using the snow on the branches to bombard them with snowballs.

Law sat down in the chair across from her. 'I hope you're happy, most of the crew's out of commission for the next day and a half thanks to you reign of snow terror.'

She grinned, 'I'm very happy! I'd be happier though if I'd landed more hits on you.'

Law rolled his shoulder. 'Let's be grateful I have such a loyal crew. With that arm of yours, I'd hate to see you learn the wonders of ice balls.'

'You can use ice?' She asked excitedly.

Law grimaced. He thought fast, 'Actually, according to the rules, you can only use ice balls on certain occasions.' He lied.

Mariko looked at with large eyes. 'Really?'

'Uhh…Yes, and anyone caught using ice balls other then on said occasions is penalized by…'

'Having everyone take a free shot at you?' Bepo suggested standing in the doorway, he'd been outside sitting in the snow for so long, you couldn't tell where his clothes ended and where his fur began.

Law nodded, 'Exactly, besides we'll be here for a few days and we have a list of winter-related activities planned out.'

Mariko cocked her head and grinned. 'I can't wait.'

They were silent for a while. Everyone was lost in their thoughts, or focusing on the bruises they'd sustained that day.

'Hey Law?' Mariko asked quietly.

'Yeah?'

'Why are there so many decorations and lights all over town?'

'I suppose it's because this island is getting close to its holiday season.'

Mariko nodded even though she didn't understand.

'I think here it's called Christmas, have you ever celebrated it?'

'No, not really. On Hōseki, we have a different festival on the longest night of the year. There's a huge celebration at the capital. There are stalls and games and dances. Everyone wears white, to symbolize we're one island. It goes on until sunrise.'

He nodded,' 'It sounds nice, what date is it normally on?'

She took a sip of her cocoa. 'It's normally held on my birthday.'

His eyebrows shot up. 'And when is that?'

She stirred her drink, 'December 23,'

Law stared at her for a while.

He took a deep breath, 'Hey Princess, did you enjoy your day in the snow?'

She looked up at him and smiled. 'It was a lot of fun! I can't wait until tomorrow.'

Law smiled, 'That's great, because tomorrow I'm going to teach you all about mistletoe.'

'Will I like it?' she asked absentmindedly helping herself to the plate of cookies the inn owners had kindly placed on each table for their guests.

Law grinned. 'I guess we'll find out tomorrow.'