Chapter 33
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, but Kyra was my idea.
Beta'd by Tomas the Betrayer.
"KYYYYRA! YOU CAN'T LEAVE YET! DON'T GOOOOOOO!"
The Demon Witch allows herself to be subjected to the indignity of having Straw Hat Luffy tackle her to the deck of his ship so that he might wrap his arms and legs around her multiple times. He is sobbing without restraint as though about to lose contact with his closest friend for the rest of their lives.
Kyra lies in his embrace, letting him bawl into her shoulder as she meets the unhappy gaze of Fire Fist Ace. The older D is standing over her, looking frantic at the thought of the sorceress' imminent departure. The Straw Hat crew, minus their wailing captain, are clustered close by with varying expressions, none of them exactly pleased. She thinks the reindeer might be crying a little, but it's kind of hard to tell from this position.
"Change of plans: I won't be meeting up with Law. He'd flip his shit if he knew what I'm going to do. Can you get your brother off of me, please?"
Ace grudgingly does so. Kyra climbs to her feet and sighs in resignation when Luffy immediately latches onto her again, grip on her arms so powerful it hurts.
"But you can't leave! I want you to stay!" Tears are still pouring down the boy's cheeks; Kyra is baffled by such a display of emotion. Luffy has only been in her company for a month - why is he so upset?
"I can't stay. I've got things to take care of," Kyra explains flatly, keeping her face clear of her confusion. "I've wasted enough time already. I've got to go now."
"What kind of things do you need to take care of, witch?" This from the scowling figure of Zoro, one hand resting on the hilt of his white sword. "And why do you have to leave to do it? Don't trust us to help you or something?"
"If I didn't trust you, I'd have gone somewhere else to mope a long time ago," Kyra replies rather dryly, putting her foot against Luffy's chest and pushing. The rubber pirate's arms stretch to adapt to the new space between them, but he does not release her. "You can't help me. I don't want any of you getting hurt or dying because of me. So I'll go alone."
"What about me? Or Marco?" Ace pipes up, gently prying his brother off for the second time. "We're almost immortal, sort of. We can't be shot or cut or whatever. We could go and watch your back."
Why would he offer something like that, not knowing exactly what she plans to do yet? Kyra eyes the pyrotechnic warily. "I don't feel like racking up a debt to the Whitebeard remnants, thanks."
"It wouldn't be like that," Fire Fist insists, sounding slightly offended. "You resurrected me! If anybody's in debt here, it's me."
Kyra is still getting used to that concept. "Then keep your brother from grabbing me when I actually leave. We'll be square, if you do that and don't try to stop me. Fair enough?"
Fire Fist immediately opens his mouth, probably to keep arguing with her, but Kyra has already turned away. Just one last thing before she returns to that arrogant flamingo for her trip to Merrick. All these years of running from the man, only for her to literally drop herself in his grasp as a means of protecting someone else. At that moment Kyra really wishes she had learned how to be so ruthless as to not give a shit about anyone but herself. It would make life so much less complicated right now. Maybe she should just leave Law out of the loop, like he did sending her away at the absolute last second when it was too late for her to prevent their separation.
But... she might die soon. Or be bound to Merrick, which is a fate worse than death. And if these things come to pass, Kyra wants to have the comfort of knowing that she at least said goodbye to the most important person in her life. She never got a chance with her mother; she needs this chance with Law.
She approaches the feisty Strawhat navigator hesitantly, not because she is afraid of the woman but because she is unsure whether her next request is seriously a wise idea. Maybe not. "Can I use some of your paper and something to write with?" she asks, glad her voice does not tremble. She needs to do this quickly and leave, before her courage fails her.
"Sure. It'll cost you ten thousand belli per sheet," Cat Burglar Nami replies flippantly, one hand on her hip as she uses the other to toss her long orange hair over a shoulder.
Kyra stares at her for a moment, wondering if this woman is joking or just insatiably greedy. Like hell she's paying any money. If the navigator doesn't feel like cooperating, Kyra will paralyze everyone on board the ship until she writes the damn letter anyway and leaves.
Her choices are taken away when Luffy shuffles over to stand at her side, eyes shadowed by the brim of his famous hat. "Let her use your stuff, Nami. Don't charge her."
Nami sends her captain an incredulous look. "Luffy, do you have any idea how hard it is for me to get ahold of that kind of paper? How am I supposed to map everything out if I don't have any-"
"Nami."
Kyra instantly tenses, taking an involuntary step away from Straw Hat at the tone of his voice. It is not at all that of the foolish rubber twit who refuses to leave her alone, the boy who eats like a pig and picks his nose when he doesn't understand something enough to be interested. It is quiet, powerful, dangerous.
It reminds her of Law in a fury.
"Kyra's our friend," Luffy reminds his navigator, eyes still hidden by his hat. "She needs some paper. Give it to her, and some privacy to write. I know you use that paper to make your maps, and I get that you don't want to give stuff away when it's helping with your dream. But Kyra really needs that paper. She's gotta send someone a letter."
Kyra stares at the boy incredulously. How the hell did he know? Is this kid psychic or something?
The captain's voice makes it quite clear that there is no option for refusal. Nami's eyes search Luffy's face for a long moment before she sighs and straightens her spine to perfection.
"Aye-aye, Captain," she murmurs softly, walking by him with a gesture for Kyra to follow. The mage does so, watching Luffy uneasily all the while. This boy is different than most any she has ever met before. If she lives through this, Kyra makes a mental note to tell Law that Straw Hat Luffy bears some close scrutiny if the Surgeon of Death wants to claim One Piece before he does.
The navigator wordlessly leads Kyra to the women's quarters, where she immediately produces a thin stack of high-quality paper and a single pen. The former she places on Kyra's cot; the latter is leveled at the sorceress like a weapon.
"Listen up," Nami hisses quietly, obviously not wanting the others to hear her. "You have no idea what Luffy is asking by making me do this. My captain has never, not once in all the time I've known him, done a single thing that might impede any of us in the pursuit of our dreams. And that's exactly what he's doing now. So you better be grateful, Demon Witch, and you better not hurt him."
The girl proceeds to throw the pen at Kyra before stomping past her out of the room, slamming the door shut as she leaves. The mage moves to sit on the cot, transferring the paper to her lap and then staring at it for a long time without moving. What is she supposed to write? How do you say goodbye to someone you love? She has no experience with this, and it is not the type of thing she feels comfortable questioning anyone but Law about.
Quite the dilemma, seeing that it's Law she's trying to say goodbye to.
I love you, my magician.
Stay safe.
Damn her luck.
It takes a hell of a lot longer than Kyra had anticipated to finish the damn note. Finally, the sorceress tosses the pen aside and stands, not caring that she scatters Nami's precious paper across the floor in the process. A few sheets of the stuff are clutched in her hands; she folds them carefully in half before turning to place them in her satchel. At the last moment she reaches up and drags her mother's locket from her neck, placing it with the letter before cinching the drawstrings tight.
Kyra places her hand on the outside of the bag and feeds magic into it, thinking hard about exactly where on the sub she wants it to appear. After a moment, the pack is engulfed in black and vanishes into thin air, taking all of her worldly belongings with it. She has only the clothes on her back; even Law's old fur hat is in that bag, now waiting for the newest Shichibukai on his bed.
He's probably going to be really pissed off when he reads that note.
Oh, well. At least he should be safe.
Kyra breezes out of the women's quarters empty-handed, leaving Nami's paper in a neat stack on the bitchy woman's bedding. Her hands, which have started to shake at the enormity of this venture, are jammed into the front pockets of her trousers. She doesn't want any of the Straw Hats or Whitebeards to see that she is afraid.
Marco has shown up on deck while Kyra was busy. He stands next to Ace, Luffy on his brother's opposite side, all three of them watching the Heart pirate approach with creepily blank expressions. Kyra eyes them suspiciously in return. "What?"
Marco holds a hand out to her as though in offering. It takes a moment for her to register the tiny snail sitting in the pirate's palm, sound asleep and sporting a shell the color of Marco's phoenix flames. Ace and Luffy likewise proffer their own miniature Den-Den Mushi's, one of them with a fire-adorned shell and one wearing the smallest straw hat Kyra has ever seen. She glances over them for a moment before raising an eyebrow at the trio.
"I can't take those with me. Keep them," she says, waving her hand dismissively at the admittedly touching gifts. Under different circumstances she would accept them with genuine thanks, pleased to have a means of communication with at least two of the crazy fools. But that isn't feasible here.
"Don't be stupid, girlie," Marco deadpans even as he hides the snail away on his person. "You want to tell us how we're supposed to explain to the newest Shichibukai that we let…?"
"He'll know you didn't have a choice," Kyra immediately interrupts, shrugging in a dismissive manner. "He'll be furious, but not with you people. I'll be the one in deep shit with him, and right now I don't care. I appreciate the concern, and the offers - really, I can't tell you what that means to me. But it doesn't change anything. You don't know the kind of people I'm about to piss off. They'd kill you all in a heartbeat."
She glances up at the sun to gauge the time. "I should go. Thanks for the hospitality," Kyra says without looking at any of them. "I appreciate everything you've done for me." She loosens the leash on her magic, which begins to closely creep upward to encase her in a solid black cocoon. "I've got to go. That prick Doflamingo is waiting, and I've always hated goodbyes anyway. Take care of yourselves, yeah?"
Luffy is now holding the sobbing Chopper, wailing right along with him in a most undignified manner. The rest of the Straw Hats wear expressions ranging from uncaring to disappointed to upset, depending on the person. Ace looks as though he'd like nothing more than to spring forward and force Kyra to take him with her; only the restraining hand of Marco on his arm keeps him in his place, the phoenix meeting Kyra's eyes and giving a single slow nod of understanding.
And then her magic swallows her whole and the Demon Witch blinks out of existence.
Puru-puru-puru-puru!
*Click*
"How may I help you, Sir Doflamingo?"
"Fufufufu! Actually, Rear Admiral, it's more of a question of what I'm about to do for you!"
"I hate to be rude, but you'll understand that I'm somewhat busy of late. Please make it fast."
"How quickly can you get to my establishment on Bagnio Island? I've got a special little lady coming any minute now who I think you'd like to greet."
"...You're certain?"
"Black hair, green eyes, Trafalgar's Jolly Roger tattooed on her neck - oh, and let's not forget that interesting black energy she can throw around like nobody's business! Sound like your gal?"
"Yes. Please do not allow her to leave if she arrives before I do. I will be there shortly, I need to make a few arrangements first."
"Fufufufu-!"
*Click*
Trafalgar Law wakes to knocking on the door to his room, Bepo's subdued voice calling through the metal. The light through his small windows indicate that it is late morning.
"Captain, sorry to bother you, but there's a Navy ship on approach. We were just wondering what you want us to do."
Law stares at the door, a frown of concentration on his face. Normally he would simply tell Bepo to blast the damn Marines out of the water. But considering he still hasn't heard anything about his little present for the Navy, he decides against killing them now. If he feels like it after talking to them, a little slaughter before lunch might perk his crew up a bit.
"Tell the men to prepare themselves and meet me on deck. I'll be there shortly."
"Aye-aye, Captain."
Time to begin another day.
Kyra's hackles go up the second she reappears in Doflamingo's whorehouse. The air feels wrong. All of the people that had been present when she visited are gone; the place is deserted but for the older pirate, who is sitting at one of the tables with a mug of some drink in front of him. He looks up at her when she clears her throat and grins broadly.
"Welcome back, little sister! I was starting to think you were going to bail on me. Didn't Law teach you that it's rude to be late?"
Kyra brushes his words off as unimportant and walks closer, stopping just outside of his reach. "When can we leave?"
"Leave? But you've just arrived! Pull up a chair, take a load off. You kids are always in such a hurry, fufufufu!"
Two seconds ago he teased her about tardiness and now he's telling her to relax? Kyra's magic stirs in unease. She scans the large bottom floor again, seeing no one but her feather-bedecked host. "I'll pass. You said you could get me on Merrick's ship unnoticed. How soon?"
Doflamingo studies her in silence for a moment, his habitual grin replaced by an assessing look. "How'd you like to join my crew, little sister? You've obviously separated from Law, so I take it you're a free agent now? Screw Trafalgar; I can keep you plenty entertained if you agree to work under me. All you have to do is say yes. Then you can kill and plunder and terrorize to your heart's content. What do you say, Demon Witch? Interested?"
"No," is the immediate and blunt reply. "Law's my captain. I'm still a Heart Pirate. Besides that, there's no way in hell I'm sailing under the command of the asshole who tried to sell me into slavery. How soon can you get me on Merrick's ship?"
Doflamingo stares for a long moment before grinning again and bounding to his feet, apparently not that concerned with her rejection of his offer. "Alright then. Let's get going."
Instead of taking Kyra's proffered hand, the blonde jams his own into the pockets of his brightly colored pants and walks in his odd high-step waddle around her, heading for the stairs to the upper floors. Magic racing just beneath her skin, Kyra follows at a safe distance. He leads her back to the lounge in which they had conducted their private audience, waving her in and closing the door behind her. There is very little light to see by, nothing but a single dim lamp sitting on a table deeper into the room. Kyra edges slowly toward it, wishing to get further away from the dangerous pirate at her back and wondering why he thinks they need to leave for Merrick's sub from here.
A hand reaches out of the darkness and turns off the lamp when Kyra is halfway across the room, freezing her in her tracks and plunging the chamber into pitch blackness.
"Hello, lovey."
If Kyra's heart resided in her chest as it should, it would be plummeting to her shoeless feet at the sound of that voice.
"Good evening, little Kyra."
Fuck!
Merrick and his monstrous father, here in Doflamingo's brothel. The fucker set her up. He's not even in the room for her to kill; must have slipped out in the last few seconds. Damn him!
Something hits her hard in the chest, knocking her off her feet and driving the air from her lungs. She struggles to get up, throwing her hands out in front of her. One wrist is caught and held while the other is slammed to the floor and pinned. Her magic is screaming for release but nothing is happening, it's not doing anything and it wants to, what the fuck -
A wet tongue laps at the skin of her wrist before cool lips brush a kiss over her vein. "Finally," Merrick whispers against her wrist, nibbling lightly on the delicate skin. "Finally, lovey, you're going to be mine."
And then teeth are sinking into her skin and she is screaming. It hurts, oh gods it hurts, what is he doing to her? It's agony, like he's sucking out her bones, please somebody stop him make it stop make it stop make it stop -!
Little one?
"Help me!" she screams out, her thoughts a muddled mess of pleasepleaseplease as Merrick slurps at her wrist and the pain shoots through her like a continuous electric shock. "Please I need you help me please -!"
And then Merrick is thrown off her, and the Divine is there, roaring its fury for all to hear.
Filthy half-breed! You dare challenge me in such a fashion! I shall feast on your flesh!
Kyra huddles in the creature's shadow, weakly cradling her bleeding wrist and sobbing from the pain. It hasn't stopped, hasn't even abated, and still her magic cannot act. It roils within her like an angry snake, ready and willing to strike but chained by something Kyra has no control or knowledge of.
Another voice speaks from towards the door, sounding almost as furious as the Divine. "That is not the bond you assured me you would use! You are hurting your mate, my son! What have you done?"
...Mate?
Her body is shaking uncontrollably. The pain inside her is indescribable. Her magic is trapped and useless for protection. She is completely helpless, surrounded by monsters, with no hope for aid and no strength to get up and run.
A forced bond? You dare perform something so foul on her? She is not yours to claim, scum! She is mine to protect, another's to love! You shall suffer her pain a hundredfold before I eat your heart!
Merrick's voice is indescribably smug. "I don't think so, uncle. In fact, I believe I'm done playing games with you. Let's settle this for good, shall we?"
As he speaks her limbs begin moving without her command. Before she can question, Kyra's power explodes out of her body. She is standing in the dark room, screaming in pain, her magic lashing out. But not at Merrick; at the Divine,and even its brother. The pent-up energy engulfs them both with the force of her restrained fury. Their howls seem to make the whole island shake, and for the first time Kyra knows distress for her self-appointed savior. She tries to stop it, to redirect it, and is horrified to find that nothing happens. Her magic will not follow her commands!
Kyra collapses into a heap on the floor, every bone in her body shrieking, head swimming and powers once again locked away inside of her. Her cheek lands in a warm puddle that smells strongly of copper, the sounds of someone struggling for breath torturing her ears.
"W...Why?" a voice rasps somewhere ahead of her, wet and soupy and so shattered she imagines tears on a pale face. "Why would you... betray me? I am... your father... I have made you... more powerful... my son..."
"Yes, thank you for that, Father." Merrick sounds completely bored, as though explaining something to a simpleton. "But you see, all I wanted from you to begin with was a way to bind Kyra to my will. And now that she is completely under my control, you have no further value in my world. "
Kyra's magic is abruptly yanked from her once again, drawing a scream from her lips that is eclipsed by the gurgled cry from Merrick's beautiful parent.
"It's nothing personal, really. I'm just a little old to need a father anymore."
A burst of meat and bone erupting, and then the room is drenched in the nameless entity's gore.
She sobs weakly into the rich carpet, now soaked with the blood of Merrick's slain sire. The Divine has vanished at some point without a sound, whether on its own or with help from the victorious half-breed. She wants to be somewhere, anywhere other than this room.
She wants Law...
A cool hand runs soothingly over her hot cheek, gathering the hair away from her face and trailing curious fingers through the curls. Warm breath puffs in her ear as an arm goes under her, dragging her limp body up against Merrick's chest.
"Shh. There, there, lovey. It's over now. No more pain tonight. You'll get used to the bond soon and it won't hurt at all anymore. I'll give you time. We have all the time in the world now. You're mine, now."
"All mine..."
Law stands upon the deck of his sub, watching with his confident mask firmly in place as the Navy ship sails closer. Someone in that vessel's crow's nest is waving a long piece of white fabric, and Law's men are ranged around the deck behind him, armed but currently ordered to hold their fire. If this is what Law thinks it is, then fighting will be unnecessary and would work against his goals. If not, killing these lying Marine scum will be easy as pie for the Heart Pirates.
When the ship pulls within shouting range, a deep male voice calls out, "I want a word with Trafalgar Law!"
Still grinning, Law steps up to the railing and calls back, "And what business does the World Government have with me that doesn't involve my capture and execution as a pirate, Mr. Marine?"
A feminine voice answers him, causing surprised mutters to issue from his men. "We come under a flag of parlay! Vice-Admiral Smoker is here on official business by order of the World Government!"
'White Hunter' Smoker, eh? Law shifts the nodachi slightly against his shoulder, a subtle message for his men to stay on their guard. The new Vice-Admiral is not a man to be trifled with.
"What do you want?" he inquires, eyes seeking out the grey-haired head of the man he is addressing. "I'm not in the habit of entertaining Marines for longer than it takes to cut them into pieces."
"We're not here to fight you, pirate," Smoker retorts around what look to be three burning cigars, all clamped between his teeth at the same time. "I've been tasked to relay the announcement that you've been elevated to the rank of Shichibukai. Your bounty is hereby suspended. You work for the good of the people now, Law."
Shichibukai. Law's grin morphs into a smile to make blood run cold.
Excellent.
"That's wonderful news. Thank you for telling me, Mr. Smoker," Law calls out cheerfully, turning his back on the Marine ship and letting his men see his expression. "If that's all, we will be taking our leave."
"Trafalgar!" Smoker shouts back at once, causing Law to halt momentarily on his way to the hatch. "Are you really just hearing this from me now? Why didn't the Demon Witch already tell you?"
Every muscle in Law's body tenses in shock, the manic grin dropping from his face as his eyes grow wide.
What?
"Room."
The Marines under Vice-Admiral Smoker give cries of alarm when a giant blue dome appears over them, linking their ship with the Heart Pirates' submarine. Louder exclamations are given seconds later when the Dark Doctor himself appears on their deck in exactly the same place the pretty Captain Tashigi stood moments ago. A girly scream from the submarine quickly reveals the woman's current location, much to the distress of the burly Marines.
Law ignores them all, unsheathed nodachi leveled at Vice-Admiral Smoker's neck and a terrible look twisting his handsome features.
"Where did you see my magician?" he demands quietly, his voice promising ample amounts of agony should his question not be answered in a timely fashion.
Smoker glares at him for a moment before deigning to respond. "We've been looking for you for several weeks now. The Shichibukai Doflamingo is known to have ties with your crew. We went to his current haunt on Bagnio Island to try to acquire a guess as to your whereabouts. While he was busy playing with us, the woman known as Demon Witch Kyra appeared in the company of Phoenix Marco asking for a private audience."
He uses a jitte clutched in his hand to knock the tip of Law's sword away, managing to poke the surgeon with the end of it as he does so. The searing pain and accompanying weakness tells Law that there is sea-stone in the weapon; he backs off slightly, wary of this man and his abilities.
But a large part of his mind is paying no attention to the danger Smoker poses, too busy processing what he's just learned about his magician's whereabouts. She is alive, at least. In the company of Phoenix Marco, formerly of the Whitebeard Pirates. Straw Hat's brother had also been a member of that famous group; if the Divine did indeed dump Kyra with Straw Hat, it is not so farfetched to think that Marco and the rest of the late Edward Newgate's adopted brats would not be far off. She demanded a private audience with his old captain, something that has the beginnings of rage stirring in Law's gut. Kyra is not a stupid person; she knows how much Law hates that fucker. The thought of her alone with Donquixote Doflamingo makes him want to butcher something - preferably the Don.
If Vergo puts a single hand on Law's magician - if he so much as bruises her - Law will cut the man into a thousand tiny pieces and feed his body to Bepo.
"What did she ask for?" he demands now from Smoker, flexing his free hand in preparation for a different kind of attack.
"I said she wanted to talk to him in private, didn't I?" Now the White Hunter sounds annoyed, as though Trafalgar is wasting his time.
He's wasting his own damn time. She's close, only a few days away from here. He has to try. In seconds Law has swapped places with the female officer again, back on his own deck and striding fast towards the hatch. His men scramble to follow, the continued shouting of the Marines summarily ignored.
"Gable, set a course to Bagnio. I want this submarine going as fast as possible, I don't care about fuel. Get us going."
"Aye, Captain!" Gable breaks off from the others and bolts towards the control room. No doubt he will squeeze every last drop of speed from the ship to please his captain.
"Did anyone aside from Mr. Neil keep a Den-Den to contact Doflamingo's crew? Do not lie to me, men: if you have the snail, give it to me now."
No one says a word. Law has already assured himself of the loyalty of every one of these men, so he doesn't waste any more time pressing them. "Very well. We'll just have to wait then. Prepare yourselves - we're getting our magician back, through force if necessary. A little tussle will be quite enjoyable, wouldn't you agree?"
He leaves his cheering crew to their preparations and heads to his room, needing to be alone for a moment. She's so close - so damn close. A few days away, and his sub can move much faster than some Navy hunk of lumber. No time at all and Law's magician would be in his grasp once again, Doflamingo's interference be damned.
The sight of the worn, patched piece-of-shit satchel sitting innocently on his bed stops the Dark Doctor cold. It had not been present when he left the room half an hour ago. It does not belong to Law - but he knows exactly who has placed it here.
Kyra.
He doesn't move for several long moments, already knowing that she is not here. If she had set foot back on this submarine Law knows without any doubt that she would have immediately come straight to him. She's not here - so why is her satchel on his bed?
Approaching the bag with all the wariness of someone dealing with a wild animal set to rip his throat out, Law advances upon his bed and takes a seat on the very edge of the mattress. His hand does not quiver as it slowly reaches for Kyra's belongings, gripping the canvas fabric and pulling it into his lap. His fingers are steady as he loosens the drawstring and opens the top of the bag, revealing several folded pieces of paper wrapped up in the chain of Kyra's precious necklace. The gold half-heart pings gently against the silver ring as Law carefully untangles the bauble from the folded parchment. Setting the necklace aside for now, the Surgeon of Death turns his attention to the letter clutched in his hands.
The first paragraph is crossed out. Law must squint to read the words.
What am I doing? I don't have a clue, and you're not here to ask. How do you write a goodbye letter? I'm not putting 'Dear Law' up top you asshole, I'm still pissed at you for using that monster to send me away. Wait, this is stupid. I'm trying to say goodbye and I'm bitching at you. How the fuck
Sorry. I've never written anybody a letter before. I've never wanted to, but I'm about to go do something extremely risky that might end up getting me killed or worse, and I wanted to say goodbye to you before that happened. You didn't really give me the chance after the love confession before I ended up on Straw Hat's ship last month. Smooth, Law; don't think I'm not still pissed at you for that. I told you not to trust the Divine. I wish you'd listen to me sometimes - occasionally I do know what I'm talking about.
I met Doflamingo. I can see why you hate him so much - the guy's a dick. You know he still likes you though, right? Anyway, I'm threatening him into doing me a favor that's going to piss you off to astronomical levels. Don't run off half-cocked to kill Doflamingo. You're strong and everything, but I'm pretty sure he'd slaughter you. And fuck you and that glare you want to give me. If I have to be relocated because you decided something without my input, then you can just deal with taking a fucking order for once.
I'm going after my heart on my own.
A cold band of dread wraps itself tight around Law's chest. He stares at the paper, hands shaking in earnest now - whether from fury or terror is unclear.
I don't know if I can get it back. Merrick will be keeping it close, and I'm sure his father won't be far either. But I can't let you keep going with whatever insane plan you've cooked up. You're going to get yourself and everybody else on the crew killed on a suicide mission. I know you won't want to read this, but you CAN'T beat Blackbeard. You rely too heavily on your Devil Fruit powers, which would be useless against him. If you'd let me go with you, we could kill Teach together. So since I can't do this the way you'd like, and I refuse to let you get yourself killed, I'm doing things my way.
I don't care if you like it. I don't care how pissed you are. I don't give a fuck if you want to kill me right now with a butter knife and a couple of dinner napkins. I will not be the death of somebody I love ever again.
There's my confession for you, Trafalgar Law.
I love you.
Stay safe. Goodbye.
Stupid little bitch. She thinks she has a chance against Merrick? How many times has she tried and failed to kill the man? She really believes she has any better chance against Rafe Merrick and his immortal father than Law does against the Yonkou Blackbeard?
Fucking imbecile.
He finds himself standing in his room, the chamber a wrecked shambles around him. Book pages and women's clothing and pieces of his desk chair are scattered about the floor. The knuckles on both hands are busted, dripping blood into the mess. His right hand is clenched into a tight fist around the pages of his magician's letter while his left is clutching her necklace so hard it has cut into his palm.
I love you.
Fuck her love. Kyra's love is immaterial if she is dead. To hell with her fucking love; he'd rather she hate his guts if it means she can live to return to his side.
Stay safe.
How dare the bitch give him orders. Don't kill Doflamingo, don't die, stay safe - command after command from his magician. Law is the captain. Law has the power to give orders. Law does not bow to anyone's demands, ever.
Goodbye.
NO!
The incensed pirate flings open the door to his trashed room and strides off down the hall. He will tell Gable to push the engines to the max. He doesn't care that in all likelihood he has already missed the chance to stop his magician from throwing herself into danger. Doflamingo is going to tell him exactly where to find Kyra or his guts will decorate the railing of Law's submarine for however long it takes them to rot. If Vergo tries to interfere, all the better.
And when Kyra is back in his possession, Law is going to beat her to within an inch of her fucking life. She will never order him again. She will never doubt his strength. She will never sacrifice her freedom or throw her life away for him as she is bent on doing now. Law will remind her of the fact that she belongs to him and him alone, and as such her life is not her own to throw away.
Stupid, stupid fucking woman!
"Why haven't you stopped her?" Law abruptly yells out, suddenly remembering the Divine that claims to love her so much. "If she goes to Merrick he'll enslave her or kill her! Stop her, you damned fool! Bring her to me!"
He ignores the shocked reaction of his men surrounding him in the galley that he doesn't recall entering. He pauses for the barest heartbeat to wait, hoping against all reason that his magician will suddenly be deposited before him by the bastard who separated them in the first place. When nothing happens, Law continues on his way to the control room, fury burning hot in his gut.
He throws the door open, sending it bouncing off the wall with a bang that has Gable jumping a foot in the air from fright. A relay Den-Den falls from his hand, Penguin's annoyed voice sounding from it as the man bitches.
"- can't pull speed out of my ass, here, Gable! The engines are already operating beyond the max potential! If we push them any harder they're going to burn out and we'll be dead in the water! You wanna be the unlucky bastard that explains to Captain why we can't move? 'Cause I don't fancy getting gutted, you got it?"
"Captain!" Gable blurts out, swiping his cap from his head as he gathers fistfuls of his own hair in his hands. "Captain, I'm sorry, we're already cutting through the water faster than usual, but Penguin says if they screw with the engines any more we'll cripple the sub! There's nothing we can - HOLY FUCKING SHIT! CAPTAIN BEHIND YOU LOOK OUT!"
Law immediately yanks a scalpel from one pocket and pivots around to face the threat, ready to kill whatever it is with somewhat more viciousness than usual.
What he sees is enough to send his heart plummeting to his stomach and kills any hope that the Divine might return Kyra to him posthaste.
The Divine isn't going to be helping anybody with a single damn thing for a while, because the Divine is crouched on the floor in the control room of Law's submarine, copious amounts of its blood pouring from large chunks that have been gouged out of its skin. Its animal form is covered in the crimson liquid, most of it looking to be expelling from the creature's many horrendous injuries.
One onyx wing hangs crooked as though broken; it is favoring one leg that is spewing increasingly smaller spurts of blood as Law watches, and there are noticeable tears trickling from its eyes. The voice that sears into Law's brain is thick with sorrow and fury.
My brother is dead. The abomination has slain him and taken possession of the little one.
And the Divine proceeds to throw back its head and howl.
A/N: Please review.