Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, but Kyra was my idea.

Whitebeard has been stabbed through the chest by an extremely gullible - or just very stupid - ally, and he took it with hardly a flinch. Despite this grievous injury the seemingly invincible old warrior has shattered the walls of ice surrounding Marineford, giving his allies a path by which they may choose to escape. He has just bent reality to such a degree that not a single person at Navy HQ aside from himself has been able to maintain their footing, causing the sea to look as though it has been chopped into pieces before being poorly restacked.

Kyra is starting to get a really good idea of why the Marines are all scared shitless of this old geezer.

She is laid out on the cracking surface of the bay, shielding with her arms plunged in the ice up to her elbows, and still it feels as though any second now she's going to freefall into the sky. Suddenly the support beneath her vanishes; Kyra gives a shout of surprise as she really does fall - although down instead of up - through a body-sized crack in the ice created by that colossus somewhere behind her. Throwing her arms and legs out to the sides, she drives them through the walls of liquid made solid and brings herself to a halt before she can plunge any further into the abyss beneath. The mage is unsure as to how long this will last, however; if the icy walls crumble under the force of another attack made by Whitebeard, she might be in trouble.

Damn bald show-off.

Kyra waits until the world has ceased to quiver and twist in her vision before carefully climbing back up to the surface. By this time everyone else has regained their footing and continued on, rushing in the direction of the execution platform. There do not seem to be any Marines in the bay area, but Kyra gives this little thought until thick sheets of steel begin breaking through the ice, surrounding the pirates. Soon the only opening into the plaza is the area covered by the body of the orge killed before Kyra's arrival. Apparently the corpse is too heavy to be shifted by the wall underneath.

She doesn't really have time to be grateful for this, however, because as soon as all the other walls are in place, the one admiral she has actually met in person prior to today - Admiral Akainu, Mr. 'You-will-be-a-powerful-tool-for-absolute-justice-whether-you-like-it-or-not' - begins shooting enormous blobs of lava into the sky.

Oh, shit.

It only takes a moment for gravity to take hold. Once it does, monstrous meteors of magma begin raining upon the bay and the pirates trapped within it, shattering the ice like glass and spraying molten rock in every direction. Chaos descends in an instant; screams ring through the air from all around. The ice immediately begins to melt. Those now in the boiling water shriek in agony as they cook like lobsters. Explosions sound from behind; Kyra turns to see an army of identical giant men shooting beams from their mouths and hands at the fleeing pirates. Cannons fire from slits in the walls even as magma continues raining from the heavens. Whitebeard's flagship suddenly takes a succession of direct hits. The huge craft explodes in a shower of flames.

The scene is like something straight out of Hell. All is anarchy. There is nowhere for the people inside the bay to run for safety - nowhere except the area opened by the ogre's corpse, which would be extremely stupid for anyone to try unless they want to die. Obviously the Navy will focus a shitload of firepower on the one spot of vulnerability. It's what Kyra would do if the positions were reversed.

They are trapped like so many fish in a pond, just waiting to be killed.

The sorceress debates, knowing that now is the time for her to make a decision. She can use her magic to teleport herself over the walls and into the plaza, taking her out of this flaming cage and putting her closer to Sengoku. Or she can say to hell with all of this, and flash back onto Law's sub now instead of staying here waiting for his arrival. Then again, she can stay, and try to help some of these men who are willing to die simply for the sake of an adopted brother they might hardly know.

...Yeah. Easy choice.

Cannonballs and lava bombs explode against her shield as she extends it further than she's ever tried before, not stopping until it hits the encircling walls. The army of beam-shooters is shoved back. Pirates are lifted out of the water by a solid black surface that appears beneath them. Confusion is the common response, as the Navy scrambles to figure out what the hell is going on and the pirates look around for their savior. The protective covering flickers onyx for a brief moment before becoming opaque again, and Kyra falls to sit hard on the ground, blood dripping from her eyes, nose, and ears. She coughs, and bloody mucus is expelled from her mouth.

Okay. Apparently she'll have to remember that trying to transport several hundred people at once is a very bad idea. But she couldn't just not try! She's never done it before, how is she supposed to have known it wouldn't work? The black magic encasing her legs and arms blinks in and out for a moment before solidifying, leaving Kyra momentarily terrified that's she's really fucked up this time.

Right. No more transporting today, and no more transporting of large groups ever.

"Kyra! Did you do this? Are you okay?"

Leave it to Straw Hat Luffy to ask such an idiotic yet somehow sweet question. Kyra wipes at her face with an unsteady hand, trying to clean some of the blood off. Hands go under her armpits, hauling the battered mage to her feet where she wavers for a moment as her balance returns. She opens her mouth to speak; instead all that happens is she leans over at the waist and nearly vomits blood with how fast she's hacking it up. Her body aches something fierce. It feels like she's been chewed up and spit out by a Sea King.

Yeah, definitely a very bad idea.

By the time Kyra gains control of her breathing, the Whitebeard Pirates seem to have realized that she is responsible for their momentary safety. Strangely, they are anything but thankful, hurling insults at her and commanding that she let them out of the giant bubble keeping them from getting slaughtered en masse. Some of them even stalk towards her with weapons raised, as though to force her to comply with their demands. This just pisses her off, of course. Here she is, selflessly opting to stay and risk her life to help these men, and they have the gall to bitch about it? To threaten her?

Uh, no.

"Fuck you all!" Kyra screams at them, hands balling into tight fists at her side. "I just saved all your worthless hides, how 'bout a little gratitude? What are you going to do anyway? Make a suicide charge over the ogre's dead body? Oh, great idea, the Navy's so fucking stupid that of course they won't think of that! Is there a single fucking speck of common sense in any of you empty-headed morons?"

Their responses come hot and heavy.

"But we have to hurry! They're going to execute Ace!"

"Let us out of here, bitch!"

"Yeah, don't get in our way, stupid girl! We're going to save Ace and destroy the Navy!"

"Kyra!" Straw Hat grabs her by the upper arms and shakes her, a wild look in his eyes. "Kyra, I have to save Ace! Please! He's my brother, I have to save him!"

"Then find us a way to get over those walls that isn't fucking suicidal!" Kyra snaps, unsuccessfully attempting to free herself from the boy's iron grasp. "You want to save your brother? Do you really think the guy wants to watch you get blown up or have a lava-fist put through that thick skull of yours? If you go over the corpse you're going to die! Find us another way around and I'll drop the shield!"

"Can't you just move us all like you did me earlier?" he demands, sounding desperate.

"I just tried, idiot!" Here Kyra swipes her hand under her nose and shows Straw Hat the fresh blood. "It didn't work. I can't move everyone. Hell, that went so fucking badly I can't even move the two of us! That isn't an option; think of something else!"

The kid shakes her around like a rag doll, wailing about not having time. Oddly, Kyra realizes that she's having trouble actually hearing his voice. It sounds... muted. Like it's coming from far away instead of two inches from her face. Suddenly, she is the one desperately holding onto him as her legs give out beneath her and the black around her limbs disappears. Straw Hat stumbles with her dead weight, ending up on his ass with Kyra sprawled across his lap and trying to figure out what the fuck is wrong with her body. Okay, so she's used an enormous amount of magic today and probably just did a nice little bit of damage to her insides trying to transport a shitload of people. But surely the gods don't actually hate her so much as to make her powerless and weak now of all times when she's in the middle of a fucking war and being helpless would sorta kinda get her killed? Right?

...Right?

Kyra crawls out of Straw Hat's lap, trying to remind her legs that she isn't the one made out of rubber and having no success. Luffy crouches next to her. Luckily the stable surface her magic provided has not disintegrated, nor has the giant shield vanished. If that happens, they're all going to be in serious trouble.

"Kyra! What's wrong?"

She opts to try standing again instead of answering. Her attempt ends in failure, leaving her to slump back in a sitting position as she takes deep breaths to ward off the darkness trying to creep around the edges of her vision. This is not the time to pass out. This is not the moment to be weak. Sengoku is right on the other side of those damn walls. Revenge is so close the witch can taste it.

Something is abruptly jabbed into her sides. Kyra's vision goes white as she screams with the agony ripping through her body, setting her very blood to boiling. The pain lasts forever and a half, over before she knows what's happening and not finished soon enough. Gasping for breath, the sorceress scrambles to check that neither the plate of power keeping all the Devil Fruit users from drowning nor the shield protecting them from aerial attack has failed during her little torture session. Both are still in place. Shouting next to her draws her attention to the fishman and the cross-dressing freak, who are nose-to-nose and screaming at each other like an old married couple.

"You cannot simply go around injecting people without permission! She is not a normal human child! You may have seriously injured her in some way!"

"Ve don't have time to vait for zis girl to recover! Ve vill need her in zis fight! Stop being such a nag, Jinbei! Look at her, she is fine, aren't you sveetie?"

Both of them turn to stare at her, along with the rest of the pirates clustered around where she's sprawled. Fine? Kyra slowly moves to a crouch, testing the strength of her arms and legs. She calls up a covering of magic to her left hand. It easily extends back to her elbow, the right arm yielding the same results. Legs are a go, too. Her head is no longer throbbing, and the aches and pains have dulled to a mild annoyance in the back of her awareness. Kyra feels a thousand times better than she did two minutes ago.

She is also extremely pissed off.

A lightly clenched fist has the blue-haired dude in drag falling to his knees, clawing at his own throat as he attempts to draw air into his compressed windpipe. Kyra rises to her feet, eyes glowing pitch and hair wiping around her in a frenzy. Whitebeard's men let out cries of alarm and swiftly back away, obviously not wanting to get in the line of fire after having seen the mage in action. She advances on the gasping transvestite, jerking him down by the strap of his top and forcing him to bend at the waist until their faces are within inches of each other.

"I appreciate the help, I feel lots better now. That being said, if you ever put something into my body without my permission again, I will crush your freakishly large head in my bare hands like a fucking egg. My body is not your goddamn testing center. I am not your fucking experiment. And don't you ever call me sweetie again or I'll fucking end you. Got it, freak?"

Her captive nods franticly, his face starting to turn the color of his hair from lack of air. Kyra lets him sweat for a long moment before relaxing her fist, releasing the muscles in the man's neck from her mental grip so that he is able to suck in a long drag. The scantily clad fighters she encountered earlier all immediately converge on the wheezing weirdo, wailing inquiries about his well-being. Turning away, Kyra dismisses the man from her mind and once again focuses on the walls separating her from the revenge she came here to claim.

"We still need a way over those damn walls. Anybody got some bright ideas that don't involve mass stupidity?"

"Pops! Pops'll know what to do!" one of the pirates calls out to general agreement from his companions.

"Fine, whatever. Ask the geezer what he wants you to do. But first you need to move that way -" - the mage waves her hand in the direction of the wall behind which the Navy waits - "- because I'm about to dissolve this platform you're all standing on." She stomps her foot on the black surface for additional indication; she's apparently dealing with a bunch of single-minded idiots, after all. "There's still a thick covering of ice closer to the wall, so get moving."

Over a thousand people immediately turn and book it for the wall, feet eating up the distance as though afraid if they don't hurry Kyra's going to dump their asses in the bay. Well, maybe she will. Stupid bastards, threatening her like that... she really needs to ask Law what the secret to being ruthless is, so she can stop being such a freakin' bleeding heart. It's going to get her killed one of these days.

A gigantic shadow falls over her right before Kyra finds herself being hoisted gently into the air by the back of her shirt. Cursing wildly, she flails about and demands to be released immediately. She is ignored however, and a deep voice speaks over her as a parent would to a misbehaving child.

"I can't help but wonder why you helped me and my sons like that, girlie." Figures it'd be Whitebeard who picks her up like a toy. "I'm grateful, but why did you do it?"

"None of your business, gramps!" Kyra snarls, still trying to twist enough to tear her shirt from the living legend's fingers. "Put me down or I'll break your arm! Put me down, damn it!"

Whitebeard walks her to the ice where his boys stand, ignoring her threats and curses with aggravating aplomb. He finally drops her, without warning so that she lands on her rear with a yelp.

"Jackass!"

"Gura-ra-ra-ra-ra! Such a dirty mouth for a little girlie."

"Oh shut up, fossil!" Kyra angrily climbs to her feet, flicking her wrist at the main body of the bay so that the onyx surface she created earlier disappears. That done, she sweeps an arm over her head and lowers her shield, noticing as she does so that the thought-to-be-dead ogre is back on his feet. A waterfall of blood might be pouring off the thing, but for the moment it's standing. "Don't you have better things to do than pester me, old man? Go save your golden child or something."

She shoves her way through the crowd of pirates rushing to Whitebeard for instructions, trying to get over to the wall. Once there, she throws a punch, managing to sink her arm up to the shoulder in the metal sheets. She could probably claw her way through, but that would take too long. Kyra wants in that plaza now, damn it. Figures her favored means of transportation has decided to crap out on her now of all times; she could use the help in moving and she could certainly use the possibilty of a power boost that didn't force her to rely on getting stabbed by some queer.

Come on, come on. Get me in there, the sorceress thinks to herself, punching the wall with her other hand and burying it up to her shoulder so that both limbs are completely surrounded by steel. Sengoku's in that plaza. I want in that plaza. Sengoku has to die. Get me in that plaza. Get me in there now, damn it! NOW!

There is a jerk in the vicinity of her navel, as though a hook has been painlessly attached to her stomach. The next instant, the girl finds herself being pulled forward through the solid sheet of metal, through the several feet of rock wall behind it; and into the desired plaza as easily as if she has just walked through a door. The Marines closest to where she emerges all stare at her, looking as shocked as she feels.

Ho-ly shit. How in the hell did I just do that?

Somebody screams and shoots at her. Kyra quickly decides to ponder the physics of her latest ability at a later date; right now she has Marines to kill. Running forward, she punches the head of her man who shot at her and knocks it off his shoulders, spraying blood everywhere. A fountain of water rockets over her head even as the ogre pulls a ship into the plaza amidst much screaming and gunfire. She can hear Straw Hat caterwauling at the top of his lungs somewhere in front of her, but pays him no mind. She's in no hurry; Sengoku isn't going anywhere.

There are plenty of Marines between Kyra and her target that need to die, anyway, and as Law still hasn't shown up yet, the mage has - conceivably - all the time in the world.

Trafalgar Law comes immediately awake when knocking is heard on the door of the room he currently occupies.

"Captain, we're just about there." Bepo, coming to find him because they have at last arrived at Marineford. Law gracefully removes himself from Kyra's bed, donning his hat and resting his sword against his shoulder. The bear steps back as soon as his captain opens the door, giving the man room to exit into the small hallway and falling into step just behind him.

"Where is everyone?" Law inquires smoothly, leading the way to the control room.

"Everybody's in the control room now, Captain. Gable says we'll be at Marineford in five minutes. He wants to know what you want him to do."

"Good."

All talking instantly ceases when the Surgeon of Death enters the desired chamber. His crew is clustered mostly off to one side, knowing to stay out of the navigator's way in a situation such as this. They nod respectfully at their captain, who wastes no time in getting down to business.

"We're here to grab Straw Hat Luffy - and that's it. We are not sufficiently equipped to combat so many of the Navy's forces at one time; we're picking up Mr. Straw Hat and leaving immediately. All of you will be at your stations prepared for a speedy departure at my word. Bepo, Jambal, you will be with me. Any questions?"

Law notices Penguin and Sachi sharing a look, but it is the first mate who speaks up. The bear's ears are twitching slightly; Law wonders if he can already hear the chaos of fighting some distance above them.

"Captain, what about Kyra? Aren't we going to get her, too?"

The doctor begins tapping his sheathed blade against his shoulder, a large grin spreading over his face. "No. Kyra is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. If I've gotten any kind of a feel for her personality, then I'd bet she'll be right in the middle of the heaviest fighting. We can't afford to barge into this war to look for her. With that... teleporting ability she demonstrated this morning, I'm sure our magician will have no problem finding her way back to us. Our objective is only Mr. Straw Hat, not Kyra."

Bepo hesitates for barely a second before nodding his furry head in understanding.

"Captain, we're coming up on Marineford now!" Gable calls across the room. "What do you want to do?"

Law's grin becomes a smirk, and the crew scrambles to their stations as he replies. "Take us up, Gable. We're surfacing right now."

"Aye, Captain!"

Fire Fist Ace is dead, killed protecting his stupid little brother from Admiral Akainu.

Fuck.

Kyra races towards Straw Hat Luffy, heart pounding in her chest and every muscle in her body screaming in protest. Fire Fist is dead and Straw Hat has apparently gone into some kind of shock-induced coma. Akainu, thrown back by the combined attacks of some kind of blue-flame-bird-human hybrid and a man with twin swords, is barreling towards the boy with all the ferocity of a pissed-off Sea King. If someone doesn't stop him in time, Straw Hat's going to die too and Fire Fist's body is going to be destroyed in the process.

Kyra does not want that to happen. Straw Hat Luffy, brainless idiot that he may be, possesses what might possibly be the largest heart and the most courage the mage has ever come across. Time and again in the last couple of hours she has watched the boy risk his life against supposedly superior opponents; get his ass kicked; and get back up to repeat it again, all for the sake of his beloved brother. For family. Kyra can very well appreciate someone who would go to such awesome lengths for their kin. Straw Hat has won her respect, and she will help him now if she can.

If, because the shot of what-the-fuck-ever from the transvestite has worn off now. The sorceress is in immense pain, and she is just about running on empty. So yeah, if she doesn't get herself killed before her goddamn lazy jackass of a captain decides to show up, Kyra's got a trump card to reward Straw Hat Luffy for his dedication to the one thing the lonely girl misses and craves more than anything on the planet. Sengoku will remain alive for now, but fuck him; Kyra's joined up with a Supernova, she'll have another chance someday to kill the bastard.

She reaches Straw Hat's side just as the fishman does, protected from the living volcano by the bird-human guy from earlier. The boy is still alive, if in horrible shape. The fishman immediately scoops the kid under one arm and makes to run off in the direction of the waters surrounding the devastated island, where all the Whitebeard pirates are headed by orders of the martyr they all call 'Pops'. Kyra latches onto the flowing sleeve of the blue creature's clothing and manages to stall him just long enough to catch his attention.

"Take the body, too!" she screams, trying to make herself heard over all the noise around them and pointing at the corpse of Fire Fist Ace. Jinbei looks at her as though she is insane.

"He is dead, there is nothing we can do!" he cries, making to pull himself loose and continue.

"Don't argue, damn it! Just take it! Make sure the body stays with Straw Hat, I'll find them both as soon as I can! When you get to the water look for a yellow submarine! Tell the captain Kyra sent you! He's a doctor, he can patch up Straw Hat!"

Heat flares unbearably to one side. Kyra manages to get a shield in place, though the strain causes her to staggar and fall to her knees, just in time to keep Akainu from toasting the three of them. Making a weak gesture with her free hand, the girl tosses Ace's corpse at the fishman, who catches it and immediately pelts on towards the shoreline. The shield curls itself into a sphere around her once he's clear, her magic seeking to protect its mistress as though sensing that she is currently unable to move.

Kyra is bleeding from numerous cuts and gashes. At some point after breaching the plaza, her powers had ceased to heal all but life-threatening injuries such as head wounds or those caused by bullets. The damage done earlier by attempting to move all those people is making itself felt once again. The taste of blood is a constant in her mouth. Her bones ache with fatigue. She isn't a hundred percent positive she has the strength left to get back to her feet - she might just pass out right here. Shit, she could really use some help right about now. If this bubble of protection pops, she will be in serious trouble. After the pirates had entered the plaza, that goat-fucker Sengoku issued orders for the Admirals or Vice-Admirals to attempt to apprehend Kyra alive and bring her to him. Kyra just knows if he gets his hands on her she will go back to the labs, and she would sooner die right here where she sits than suffer such a fate.

She needs a way out of here while Sengoku is busy.

She needs a ride that can take her away.

She needs... fuck. She needs Law.

And don't you know he would just be laughing himself silly if he knew she has just had that thought?

It's quiet inside her bubble. There is no light, as the shield is solid black rather than the normal transparency, but Kyra finds that she doesn't mind. She is exhausted to her very bones. Shifting from her knees until she is sprawled out on the ground, the mage wonders tiredly how pissed her new captain will be if she dies from overuse of her magic. Whatever; she's not planning on croaking just yet anyway, she has too many things left to do. Sengoku needs to die a painful death, along with his special team of scientist and him. Straw Hat Luffy and Fire Fist Ace's situation needs mending. She needs more than anything to know if her mother is still alive, and if so Kyra will tell Hell to go fuck itself - she's not biting the bullet until she sees her mother one more time.

She can feel people battering at her shield from outside - probably high-ranking Marines intending to drag her to Sengoku, as per orders. Miraculously, the protection holds under the onslaught without a flicker. Kyra wonders why her magic seems to work better when it takes on a mind of its own, but can't bring herself to care as long as her enemies can't get to her.

Stand up.

Tendrils of energy begin to split away from the bubble surrounding her, floating through the air to caress her face and arms.

Stand up. He is here. He needs your help. Stand up. Help them. Stop the new monster.

Her arms are soon wrapped to the elbows in black magic. More of it worms its way under her prone form, slowly lifting her until it sets her back on her feet.

Come. Stop the new monster. He would take our kill from us. He has put our captain at risk. Fight him. Hurt him. Protect them.

The ground disappears under Kyra's feet for half a second before she settles again, on a different part of the island with her shield gone and Sengoku the Buddha in his infamous Paramecia form a couple of yards in front of her. Standing right next to her, laughing crazily as he looks down at the girl who has appeared seemingly out of nowhere, is a large man with black hair and beard who has what looks like ebony flames curling up from his skin.

"Who's this? Got little kids fighting for you now, Sengoku?" the man bellows. He throws back his head and howls with mirth, not noticing when Kyra moves towards him until her fist connects with his side and sinks into the fat. His howls change their meaning as he is thrown off his feet, sailing through the air to land hard on his face. Kyra is already glaring at Sengoku, eyes black as pitch and hair fanned out around her.

"Leave off, lie-breather," she growls, her voice layered with others not-her-own in a terrifying effect. "No one kills you but me. He put my captain in danger; he's mine."

A thick whip of onyx disconnects from her body to lash out at the Buddha, who dodges nimbly in spite of his bulk. Turning back to her target, Kyra stalks forwards like an animal on the hunt. The man is struggling up from the ground, clutching his side and cursing uproariously.

"Bitch! What's your problem, eh? If it's death you want, I'll kill you just like the old man!" he shouts at her, pointing a sausage-sized finger over her shoulder. Glancing back, Kyra is infuriated to see the still-standing corpse of Whitebeard himself, covered in blood and full of more holes than she can count. He is dead, half his head blown off, his coat gone and his lips permanently upturned into a tiny smile.

Fuck.

"You fool," the sorceress rasps, layered voice carrying to all corners of the tiny island in her mounting rage. "Do you see what you have done? You have turned the balance of power upon its head. You have pushed the world into chaos and bloodshed. All will suffer the consequences of your actions today. And you will die for what you have unleashed upon this world."

"Die? Ze-ha-ha-ha-ha!" The man throws his arms into the air, holding them aloft even as most of his upper body is coated with the dancing shadow-flames. "I won't be dying anytime soon, bitch! I've killed the world's strongest man! I've claimed his powers as my own! I command the abilities of the Yami-Yami no Mi, most powerful of the Devil Fruits! The time of Whitebeard is over; now the age of Blackbeard will begin! No one can stand up to me! I am invincible! Ze-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

His mirth cuts off abruptly when a fist shatters his nose and knocks out a couple of teeth. Kyra strides after him when her punch once again throws him backwards, her magic tossing aside any who approach her with threatening thoughts. She is intent on killing this bastard. He has endangered the man who Kyra has finally accepted as her captain - strike one. He has killed Edward Newgate and set the whole of the world on the path to anarchy for decades to come - strike two. He has attempted to attack Sengoku, whom Kyra swore long ago would die in battle against her as retribution for the atrocities committed upon her person under Sengoku's orders - strike three.

This guy's going down.

She is standing over her intended victim, hand raised in preparation to magically rip his head from the rest of his body, when a strong arm wraps around her abdomen and gently - but firmly - pulls her into a warm chest.

"That's enough, young lady. No more people need to die today. Let it go." The man's voice is calm, kind, yet carries an undertone of command to it. Were he a threat to Kyra, her magic would be in the process of ripping him to shreds;apparently this is not the case. Even more peculiar, the girl finds herself lowering her arm just at this man's say-so.

"He should die," she croaks, her powers roiling under her skin just waiting for her command. "Hundreds will suffer because of his actions today. Death is his due."

His hold on her tightens slightly. "But not today. Not here. He'll get what's coming soon enough, kid, that I promise you. Just not today."

And just like that her magic settles. Kyra finds herself slumping against the mystery man, unable for a moment to force her legs to hold up her weight. The stranger supports her until she can stand on her own before gently leading her away from the monster she still wants dead, who scrambles to his feet and glowers at them both before retreating with a handful of others. The sorceress wants to go after him, wants to end this now before he can do anything else, but her magic is sleeping somewhere deep inside and she does not have the energy for fighting anymore.

"Do you have a ride out of here, kid?" the kind stranger asks. Kyra blearily looks up at him, is incapable of surprise when she immediately recognizes his face. Later she will wonder what in the hell Red-Haired Shanks is doing here, but only after sleeping for a week or two straight.

"My... my captain," Kyra mumbles, trying to force her body to cooperate when all it wants to do is shut down. "My captain was here... in a submarine... I don't know..."

"He's alright, they just left," Shanks assures her, removing his arm from around her and stooping to pick something up. He holds it out to her. It takes Kyra's brain a moment to process that he wants her to take the straw hat, and that his left arm is missing.

"A kid I care about is on your captain's vessel. When he wakes up, will you give this back to him for me?"

Kyra nods dumbly, taking the hat even as she stares at the Yonkou's empty sleeve.

"Only one arm," she slurs out, eyelids drooping as extreme fatigue begins setting in. Shanks smiles at her comment, bringing his remaining hand up to clasp the girl's quivering shoulder.

"Can you get to your captain? Do you need some help?"

Law. Kyra's magic awakens immediately, coming out of her skin to form a cocoon around her as the infamous pirate steps back.

"Say hello to Luffy for me," is the last thing the sorceress hears before the world goes dark and silent.

Law has finished patching up the former Warlord and is up to his tattoos in Straw Hat Luffy's chest cavity when the door to the infirmary bangs open, hitting the wall and bouncing off with a bang like a gunshot. He doesn't have the time to scold his men, however, so he settles for growling at them in displeasure.

"Captain, look! Where do I put her?"

Sachi is rushing over, Kyra's limp and blood-covered body clutched in his arms. The surgeon immediately directs the man to the bed on the other side of the fishman Jinbei, trying not to become distracted by the sight of his magician in such a condition. What the hell has happened to her?

"Check for breathing," he barks, tying off a set of stitching in the rubber man's chest muscles. "Check her pulse. Talk to me."

"She's breathing, Captain! It sounds watery but it's steady. Pulse is weak but there. What do you want me to do?"

"Stay over there with her. Start an I.V. Get those clothes off of her and try to wash her up without exacerbating the wounds. I'll get to her as soon as I can. When did she get here?"

"Just now, Captain. Me and Penguin were trying to get away from Bepo, he's bitching about the heat an' all, so we had just gone into the galley when Kyra just popped out of thin air and landed right on the table. Penguin's gonna clean up the mess. Arg, damn it!" Sachi yells, sounding extremely frustrated. "She's got Straw Hat's - well, hat in her hand, Captain, and I can't get her to let it go! Girl's got a hell of a grip to hold on so tight in her condition."

A voice speaks that sets the hairs on Law's neck on edge, at once Kyra's and not. "Law."

"Captain's working, Kyra, he'll be over here soon as he can. He's fixin' up Straw Hat, but once he's done -"

"Body."

There is a pause. Likely Sachi is trying to figure out what the woman is talking about. "Uh, what body?"

"Ace... body... where?"

The fishman Jinbei had landed on Law's deck clutching the body of Straw Hat Luffy under one arm and the corpse of Fire Fist Ace under the other. His remains had been moved to a corner of the room under the Heart Pirate captain's command. Someone has thrown a sheet over it. Law bends over his patient, listening with one ear as Sachi explains everything in a rush to the girl whose garbled breathing echoes around the infirmary.

"Law..."

"What is it, Kyra?" the doctor asks, only half-caring what she says when he's having such a good time playing with the kid on his table.

"Don't... throw it out... fix it... I... fix it later... don't throw Ace... away..."

Her voice trails off. A moment later Sachi rushes past long enough to set the infamous straw hat on the stainless steel counters before going back to the girl. "Passed out again, Captain. Still breathing, still has a heartbeat. I'm gonna get the I.V. going."

And Law can only nod his head, too busy wondering what in the hell Kyra meant to answer.

A/N: Please review. Beta'd by Tomas the Betrayer.