Sabaody
Neo ran her fingers through Law's hair as his trailed over her back and her stomach. His lips trailed down to her neck as she arched into him. A soft moan escaped her when he nibbled on her soft spot before working his was back up her neck. Their lips locked in another heated kiss before a knock on the door interrupted them.
"Yes?" Law called pulling away from her just long enough to answer.
"Captain, we're approaching Sabaody," Conner said from the other side of the door.
"All right," Law said between kisses. "Prepare the sub to dock. Try to find a place away from people."
"Aye, Captain," Conner said.
"So we finally arrived," Neo said with a sigh while pressing their foreheads together.
Law nodded.
"Well, I guess I better straighten myself up," Neo said. "Kai will be wondering where I've been."
Law smirked at her. "I think he knows exactly where you've been."
"Yeah, I don't know why I said that," Neo said. "The majority of the crew has figured us out." She shrugged, got off his lap, and headed for the bathroom. "All well."
"Have you thought about how you're going to find your godfather's friend?" Law walked over and leaned against the doorframe.
"Not really," Neo said. Running her fingers through her hair she tried to figure out the best way to find Rayleigh. She knew he was retired. And he was famous. But how many people here would know who he is? When was his picture last taken? Did he still look like it? Pirates surely would know what he used to look like and probably still do, but that didn't mean they'd know where he was living or if he was even on the island. "I guess we'll just have to ask around. Someone has to know him."
"And you won't tell me his name?" Law asked.
"You'd have a heart attack if I did." Neo smiled at him before looking back at her reflection.
"Not hardly," Law said.
Neo shrugged. With her hair back in place she walked over to Law. "What if he was and still is a famous pirate?"
"Just tell me." Law squeezed her hip, pulling her closer. "You're not going to be on your own anyway. So we're going to find out one way or another."
"Fine." Neo sighed. "We're looking for Rayleigh."
Law's eyebrows twitched, his body became stiff. "You don't mean Dark King Silvers Rayleigh, do you?"
"That's him." Neo nodded. "Godfather met him when he was a younger pirate. He's someone Godfather trusts completely. He'll know about my people and me. Hopefully he'll know where Godfather is." She studied his tense expression. "Are you upset?"
"No," Law drawled. "I'm just a bit shocked. I guess."
Neo bit her cheek. If this shocked him then wait until he found out who her Godfather was. She thought about telling him that now, but couldn't get the words to come out of her mouth. "Well, we better get up to the deck."
"You go ahead," Law said.
Neo nodded and left the room. The crew was gathered around at different places in the sub chattering about what Sabaody was going to be like as she made her way upstairs. Soon the stuffiness of the sub gave way to the salty air. She stepped outside and was greeted by large striped trees she had never seen before. "Amazing! What kind of trees are those? I haven't seen them on previous islands."
"Mangroves," Bepo said. "This place isn't an actual island. The people and towns here live on the roots of these trees."
"They're incredible," Kailen said as he walked out of the sub. "And their roots even go into the ocean. Pretty far from the feel of it."
"So this is the place pirates go to enter into the New World," Neo said. "But if this place isn't an island it doesn't have a log. So how did we get here?"
"This place might not be able to be found using a eternal pose but Fishman Island can be. Its one of two ways to get to the New World," Bepo said. "You can go across, above water, but you need the Celestial Dragons' permission to cross their land and you'll have to leave your ship behind."
"Pirates actually do that?" Neo asked.
"Not many do," Bepo said. "Besides there's another way. And that's by going underwater towards Fishman Island."
"But ships can't go underwater," Neo said. "How do they do it?"
"They can if they get their ship coated." Shachi walked out with a few other pirates following him. "The coating puts a bubble around the ships so they can go underwater. But the bubbles can also be popped. So it can be fairly dangerous."
"I'm so glad we have a sub," Penguin said. "No worries about it going pop."
"Are you all going to the New World now?" Neo's nerves fluttered. It wasn't something she thought much about since they were nowhere near the New World. But now that they were standing at the doorway to that harsh place it was all too real. The Heart Pirates were getting closer and closer into going there. Of course they were. That was the destination of all the pirates. It was where the One Piece was hidden. She swallowed, hard. Her godfather told her so much about that place. She didn't want the crew to go. Seeing what they could do she was sure they weren't strong enough to handle the New World yet. They were nowhere near measuring up to her godfather's crew.
"Not yet," Law said stepping outside.
Neo exhaled, her nerves vanished. She eyed his posture. Like always he was calm and collection. One hand holding his sword while the other was in the pocket of his jeans.
"For now we're going to see what this place holds," Law said.
Neo turned her attention back to the trees. The sub glided up along them until Archer slowed it to a stop. Looking over the side she saw he picked a good spot to dock. There was a piece of root jutted out from the rest, give a small platform for them to descend to. When everyone had gathered onto the deck Law gave the order to go ashore. They all climbed down the ladder and made their way up to root.
Neo gasped when they reached the top of the roots. Bubbles were coming up out of the ground. "Amazing. This place is creating bubbles." Squatting down she pressed her hand onto the ground. "It's sticky." Curiosity filled her when she pressed her hand onto a bubble and it didn't pop. With a giggle she stepped up onto the bubble.
"What do you think you're doing?" Law asked.
"Being curious," Neo said as she rose higher and higher into the air.
"Neo." Kailen shook his head.
"She's like a curious kitten at times," Shachi said.
"A cute kitten." Penguin smiled.
"Annoying one," Conner said.
"Just shut up," Archer said.
Conner glared at him.
"Will you get back down here?" Law said. "We don't have time for this."
Neo ignored him. Turning her eyes up towards the sky, she watched the other bubbles rising above her. Then she noticed they started popping. "Uh oh. That can't be good." Summoning an earth crystal she threaded out a vine and slid down it.
"I didn't expect you to obey," Law said.
"I wasn't going to." Neo smirked. "But I noticed the bubbles started to pop when they got above the trees. I figured I should come down before the one I was one popped."
"That would have been a hard fall," Bepo said.
"Not at all," Neo said. "I still have my crystals to use." She gave Law a sneaky grin. "Besides, your lovely captain wouldn't have let me hit the ground."
"Don't be so sure of that." Law smirked.
"You wouldn't." Neo stuck her tongue out at him. "We all know it."
"All right, you two." Kailen placed his hands on their shoulders and pushed them into the forest. "We're not going to sit here and debate who would or wouldn't do what."
"It's not a debate. It's the truth!" Neo said. The crew chuckled. Walking along they all glanced over the large trees. "I wonder if we can grow some of these on Luminous."
"It's possible," Kailen said. "But they most likely wouldn't thrive back home without a lot of attention."
Neo hummed. Their people was good at attending to nature but she couldn't see anyone spending tons of time to make sure a tree would grow if it wasn't in its natural habitat. Still the trees were nice. Before long they finally came upon a town bustling with people.
"Hey, here's some maps of this place," Archer said grabbing a couple off the stand. "Here, Neo. You should hold onto one."
Neo took the map from him and looked at it with Kailen glancing over her shoulder. Her eyebrows knitted as she tried to trace the size of the island in her mind. Apparently this place was rather huge, bigger than she had first thought. There were several clusters where someone could be. She had no idea how they were going to find Rayleigh. The Sabaody Archipelago felt like multiple islands knitted together just to confuse people. There was a lawless area, a shopping district, the area where the navy headquarters would be, an amusement park, and a couple other areas. She sighed. Perhaps Rayleigh lived in the lawless area. It would make sense since he was a pirate.
Still, as the crew scattered to do whatever they felt like, she and Kailen looked around for people who might know where the old man was. They didn't have any luck despite having the crew there to help them, after they got over the shock of knowing such a famous pirate. No one knew where Rayleigh was or if they did they weren't telling. After a couple hours of searching her group sat down at a restaurant to eat. She slumped onto the table. "Why does this have to be so difficult?"
"We'll fine him." Kailen gave her an encouraging smile.
Neo wanted to smile back but was unable to.
"I still find it difficult to process that your godfather knows the Dark King," Shachi said.
"I hope he doesn't hurt us," Bepo said.
"Shut up," Penguin said. "He has no reason to do so."
"I'm sorry." Bepo hung his head.
"Don't worry." Neo patted his head. "He won't hurt you. He's retired now."
The waiter came over. As everyone was giving him their orders Law leaned closer to Neo. "At least we get more time together."
Neo smiled. That was a huge plus from not finding Rayleigh right away. Her smile grew as his hand slipped over hers. She turned her hand over so his fingers laced through hers. They gave their own orders to the waiter then waited for it to arrive. "So what are we going to do now?"
"After we eat I want to see who's all here," Law said. "I need to know who's going to be our competition in the New World. Those who survived the Grand Line might already be here or might be arriving soon."
Neo's hand trembled under his. Anyone who survived the Grand Line would be tough pirates. And they were all gathering here to go to the New World. He gave her a concerned look but she smiled and forced her hand to stop trembling. She reminded herself that there was no need to worry. Just because they were here, or coming here, it didn't mean they were going to fight.
Thankfully she didn't have to worry or wait long before their food was delivered. The waiter set their plates down and walked off. She breathed in the garlic from her spaghetti before picking up her fork. They all dug into their food, occasionally making a remark about something. She ate a little over half of her spaghetti before pushing the plate away from her with a groan. Her stomach was tight with food. "If I had known they gave so much spaghetti I would have order something else."
"No problem." Shachi reached across the table for her plate. "I'll finish it for you."
"Glad to know I have help eating things," Neo said.
"You're such a pig," Penguin said.
"I am not. I'm just not wasting food," Shachi said around his mouthful of spaghetti.
"Sure." Penguin rolled his eyes.
Leaving the scraping of silverware and clanking of dishes, the group got up from their table and stepped outside. They followed Law once again. Neo scanned her eyes around in hopes to get a glimpse of Rayleigh and to watch and see how many people noticed her and Kailen's differences. Several people looked in their direction, curiously inspecting the elementals. One guy stared for far to long. A hide of lust appeared in his eyes, making her shiver. Kailen stepped between him and Neo. "Thanks, Kai."
"No problem." Kailen nodded.
Law glanced back at them.
Neo smiled to let him know she was fine. A few more minutes of walking went by before Law sat down on a crate. The rest of them stood behind the captain. Neo stood more to his side, her eyes still carefully surveying their surroundings. Before long a fight broke out amongst some pirates. One was a large man with wings and the other was a masked man with long, spikey blonde hair. They were about to clash with their weapons when another man, with a scar on his chin, jumped into the way and stopped them.
"Hey, it's some of the other supernovas," Shachi said.
"Supernovas?" Kailen said. "Aren't those the rookie pirates that are causing a lot of trouble in the Grand Line?"
"That's them," Bepo said with a nod. "That's Killer from the Kid Pirates. The one who was fighting him is Urouge, captain of the Fallen Monk Pirates. The one who broke up the fight is X Drake, captain of the Drake Pirates."
"They're insane." Neo stepped closer to Law. Without all of her crystals she felt extremely exposed with all these strong pirates around. "This whole place is insane."
The man called Drake walked their way.
Neo looked at him, making eye contact. Her body stiffened. His gaze was easy to read. He could tell something was different about her. She held her ground, keeping her chin high in hopes he would move on without saying anything.
"Man, just when it was getting good," Law said. "Tell me, Drake. How many people have you killed?"
"Trafalgar," Drake said looking away from Neo. "I should have known you would be here. You've made quite a name for yourself, Surgeon of Death."
Law smirked.
"Though I didn't know you were the type to have a woman on your crew." Drake's eyes bounced between Neo and Kailen. "She and the green haired one are quite interesting."
"They're not different from anyone else," Law said. "So just walk on."
Neo swallowed. Drake's intense gaze made it very clear he didn't believe Law's words. Her body coiled tighter. She wondered if they were going to get into a fight right here and now. But the pirate walked on without another glance at them. Neo knees wobbled. Her body sunk down to the crate Law was sitting on.
"You okay, Neo?" Penguin asked.
"I'm fine," Neo said. "I guess I just wasn't prepared for so many people noticing our differences."
"Let's get out of here then." Law stood up.
The group walked through the town for several minutes before deciding to rent a couple bubble bikes since they were going to head over to some other groves. That and Neo really wanted to ride on them. It didn't take long before Law caved and rented a couple. One was smaller than the other. Penguin and Shachi shared the smaller one while the others climbed upon the bigger one; Bepo sat in the driver seat while the rest sat on the back. The noises of the town soon left them as they floated through the serene forest.
"Wow!" Neo exclaimed upon seeing the colorful park. Screams from the people and rumbles from the rides broke the silence that surrounded them. "We have to go there! Luminous doesn't have anything like this! It's amazing!"
Law grunted in disapproval.
"Oh, come on, Law." Neo leaned into him, fluttering her eyelashes. "Please? I've never seen anything like this before. It'll be a real shame if I can't experience a place like this while we have the chance."
Law twitched. His cheeks tinted pink. The pirates and Kailen snickered at his predicament.
"She called the captain by his name and didn't even notice," Shachi said.
"Oops. Sorry." Neo flushed.
"Don't worry about it. We knew you two were a couple anyway. It was easy to figure out since Neo came out of the captain's room so much." Penguin smirked. "So no point in hiding it anymore."
"Well, so much for being discrete." Neo looked to Law. They had planned on going with the flow of things. "So?"
Law shrugged and slipped his hand into hers.
"I knew it!" Penguin said.
"Man, I figured they'd try to deny it for a while." Shachi sighed.
"I wonder how Godfather is going to react over this," Kailen said. "With how protective he is of you."
"Shut up." Neo's cheeks darkened. "He won't cause trouble."
"Uh huh." Kailen smiled.
"Let's get this over with." Law pulled Neo off the bubble bike and towards the park.
"You mean it?" Neo asked.
Law nodded.
Neo squealed and hugged him. "You're the best!"
"But only for a couple hours," Law said. "There's other stuff we need to do here."
"Okay!" Neo nodded. Her heart fluttered with joy. Her eyes dashed all over the rides, games, and snack stands. She didn't know what she wanted to do first. Since they were on a time limit she knew they would have to pick rides that had shorter lines. Then a ride with different types of animals going in a circle caught her eyes. "Oh, what's that?"
"It's called a Merry Go Round," Shachi said.
"Some people call it a carousal," Bepo added.
"You want to ride it?" Penguin asked.
"Yes!" Neo nodded then drug Law over to it. Waiting for a few minutes they climbed on. She picked a light green horse and climbed upon it. It started, playing music as they went around and around while her horse rose and fell slowly. "Wow! I didn't think it would be so much fun!"
Once that ride ended they hopped off and walked around for a couple minutes before Neo picked another ride. This time it was a roller coaster. Law wasn't thrilled about it but he went along, sitting with her in the very front of the cars. After that they rode a couple more rides before taking a break to east some snacks and play a few games. "That was amazing! The roller coaster felt like flying! Only less free."
"Come on," a woman said. "Can't you hit the stupid target at all?"
"Shut up," a man said before throwing a ball at some bottles. The ball flew past them, hit the back wall and bounced somewhere behind the stall.
The woman huffed and walked off.
"It's not my fault! These games are completely rigged!" The man stalked after her.
"Rigged?" Neo asked. "What did he mean?"
"Games like this are often rigged so people can't win the prizes without having to pay more money," Penguin said.
"That's just wrong." Neo frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why would they do that?"
"That's just how it is." Penguin shrugged.
Neo glanced over at the man standing behind the stall. "If I had my wind crystals…"
"You're going to cheat?" Kailen asked.
"Well, no." Neo flushed. "I just meant that…it just mean for people to do that to others."
"Maybe so but it's their games," Kailen said. "So they can run it how they like."
"Too bad." Neo scanned her eyes over the toys until she spotted a large white bear. She pointed at it. "I'd like to win that one. It looks like Bepo."
"It sure does," Shachi said.
"I don't see it," Bepo said.
"You should win it for her, Captain," Penguin said.
"That's not necessary," Neo said.
Law walked up to the game and placed his money down.
"Really, Law." Neo grabbed his arm. "Don't waste your money like that."
"Don't worry. I'll win it for sure." Law tossed her a smile before picking up the first ball.
Neo watched. Sneakily, Law spread out his Room. The man at the stall didn't notice. He was just smiling greedily as Law threw the balls. His smile vanished when the bottles suddenly were sliced in half and littered to the ground.
"I'll take the white bear," Law said.
The man's jaw fell open. He pulled the bear off its hook and handed it over. "I don't understand. It shouldn't have been that easy."
"Here you go." Law handed Neo the bear. It was almost as big as she was.
"You're such a cheat!" Neo grinned and took the bear as they rushed away from the stall.
Law just smirked in return.
"But thank you for winning this for me," Neo said. "You really didn't have to."
"I wanted to." Law shrugged.
When they got back on their bubble bikes, Neo took off her shoes and stretched out her feet. "That was so much fun! But my feet hurt like crazy! I should have worn sandals instead."
"I take it that's the longest you've ever walked," Shachi said.
"Yeah." Neo nodded. "Usually I fly for long distances."
"Well, we'll be sitting for a while once we get where we're going," Law said as they took off once more.
"Where are we going?" Neo asked.
"To an auction house," Law said.
"An auction house?" Neo tilted her head.
Law tensed. "It's a place where people buy other people."
"You have got to be kidding! Neo said squeezing her bear.
"That actually happens here?" Kailen asked looking around at the happy people.
"Yeah." Penguin nodded.
"Why are we going there?" Neo looked at Law with a pointed looks. "Don't tell me you're going to buy someone."
"No, I'm not," Law said. "We're just going to look around."
Neo frowned. She was not at all pleased to hear this.
"I'm sorry," Law said. "I should have warned you about this before hand."
Neo looked to the ground. Anger brewed inside of her. She really didn't want to go to a place like that. But if they did maybe she could free some of the would be slaves. "Well, I'm not happy about this. But I guess it would be good for us to learn about this place."
Kailen gave her a skeptical look.
She shrugged.
The rest of the ride was a quiet one. They ended up coming across a few crewmates who were heading back to the sub. They offered to take the teddy bear back for Neo. She agreed. It was best. Lugging such a large toy around would be tiring. Thirty minutes later they pulled up to their destination. Neo twitched as she stared up at the auction house. Moss had grown over its walls and ceiling.
A heavy thickness was settled into the air around the building. This was a bad idea. She could feel it. Still she followed the pirates inside. They sat close to the back of the room, just a few rows down from the top of the stairs. Neo sat with Law and Penguin while the other three sat behind them. Rows and Rows of fancy dressed people sat in front of them. The stairs and chairs descended down to the large stage. Her eyes drifted to the smiley face on the back of the stage. It looked familiar. It looked like Law's jolly roger but there was a cancel sign over it. She looked at Law. "That smiley…"
"Doflamingo's," Law said, his hat hanging over his eyes.
Neo gulped. Turning back to the smiley, she wondered if Law had other intentions of coming here. The symbol must mean that Doflamingo owned this place. It made her wonder what Law would do while they were here. Was he going to destroy this place because Doflamingo owned it?
Minutes past before things got more intense. A couple Celestial Dragons had arrived in the auction house. Everyone stopped talking and turned away from them when they started down the stairs. Neo and Kailen followed the pirates' lead and ignored the Celestial Dragons. Once they passed them, Neo couldn't help but watch them until they sat down in their special chairs close to the stage.
Then the auction started, the crowd cheered. People were being paraded out onto the stage in chains, looked extremely miserable and scared, wearing explosive collars as Shachi told her. The idea of freeing them quickly vanished from her mind. She wanted to free them, not kill them. Her eyes were trained on the slave standing on stage before she felt someone looking at her. Casting a glance over her shoulder she saw another pirate with spiked red hair standing at the back of the room with a few others. He wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Law. She jumped when he noticed her, her difference. She spun back around. "Friend of yours?"
"Rival. He's another supernova," Law said. "That's Captain Kid of the Kid Pirates."
"He looks beyond dangerous," Neo said. "And insane."
"Ignore him," Law said.
She did. She ignored everything behind them, even when a third Celestial Dragon walked in. All she wanted was this to be over. And to be back on the sub, surrounded by its familiar walls and security. It wasn't until now did she realize how comfortable she had become in the Polar Tang. Now it was a second home to her.
Little did she know it was about to get worse, a lot worse. One of the slaves, a pirate captain, bit his tongue in hopes to get out of becoming a slave. The announcer was doing his best to cover it up with some bull story about the pirate being nervous and fainted. That's when he brought out a shocking surprise. The curtain was still pulled closed but a light lit up behind it, revealing a silhouette.
It was a mermaid. They were selling a real live mermaid. And one of the Celestial Dragons was very excited about it. Neo gripped the seat in front of her. All of the air vanished from her lungs as if someone had punched her. She never met a mermaid before. But she could sympathize with her. The light green haired mermaid was so scared as she looked out into the crowd. Neo wanted to so badly break the glass surrounding the mermaid and get her out of here. But she couldn't. The mermaid wore an explosive collar around her neck.
Neo watched for a few more seconds before closing her eyes tightly. Kailen's hand appeared on her shoulder. She knew he felt the same way. Both held their ground. That is they held it until a loud bang happened behind them. Everyone jumped and turned around to see what had happened. Dust and debris was everywhere. Neo's heart leaped into her throat when the dust cleared. She couldn't believe her eyes. Straw Hat Luffy was standing in the same room she was. The boy her godfather gave his hat too was here. Her lips parted to call for him, but he ran down the stairs, screaming the mermaid's name as he went.
A spikey haired octopus ran after him. Neo barely registered him as a sea creature before his extra, hidden, arms came out from his jacket. He grabbed onto Luffy. "Straw Hat! Stop it!"
"Eek! It's a fishman!" a woman screamed.
Neo looked around as the people started panicking. "What's happening? Why are they so afraid?"
"Humans often discriminate against fishmen and mermaids," Shachi said.
"What?" Neo gasped.
A shot rang out.
Neo turned to see the octopus falling down the stairs.
"Thank goodness someone shot it," a woman said.
"It could be carrying a disease," a man said.
Neo's body trembled. Her eyes filled with tears and anger. "No…" Blood leaked out of the fishman's body, staining his cloths and the floor as the people around them continued to be pleased that the fishman had been shot. Anger bubbled up in her chest at their words.
"I shot it! I got it! I got an octopus fishman!" the Celestial Dragon sang.
Neo growled and stood up.
"Calm down, Neo." Law grabbed her hand, pulling her back down to her chair. "You can't attack a Celestial Dragon. You'll be killed."
"I don't care," Neo said through gritted teeth. Thunder rumbled outside. "They have no right to treat him like that!"
"Neo, calm down," Kailen said placing his hands on her shoulders. "You can't reveal your crystals here. I know you want to help but you can't."
Neo growled again. Closing her eyes she focused on getting her emotions under control before it started storming, outside and inside the building. Opening her eyes she looked back to the fishman. Luffy was now kneeling beside him before he stood up and marched up the stairs towards the Celestial Dragon. Anger was clear in his eyes. No one could do anything. It happened too fast. Luffy got close to the Celestial Dragon. And punched him. The Celestial Dragon flew to the back of the room, crashing through some seats before resting in a pile of debris. There was a pause before the people in the room screamed and ran for the exits. She smiled despite knowing she shouldn't. If she could she would have clobbered the Celestial Dragon herself. "So what now?"
"We stay and see what happens," Law said. "You probably didn't notice but the navy has this place surrounded."
"What?" Neo asked. "Do they know we're here?"
"Of course they know," Law said. "But they're after someone else since they were here before we were."
"Someone else? Who?" Neo asked, but Law didn't answer as a fight broke out between the Straw Hats and the workers plus some guards. She stayed in her seat despite wanted to help the Straw Hats free their mermaid friend. The fight only lasted a few minutes before the back of the stage started to crumble, revealing a giant. A gasp escaped her. Below the giant was the one man who they were looking for. "Rayleigh!"
"You can't be serious! What is he doing here?!" Kailen said.
"We found him," Neo murmured. She held her ground for a second before she sprung up from her set and leaped over the chair in front of her.
"Neo!" Law called.
Neo felt his fingers brush against her shirt but she was out of his reach before he could stop her. She ran down the stairs, careful to not step on the injured fishman. Reaching the stage she leaped up on it and threw herself into Rayleigh's arms. "Rayleigh!"
"Hm? Do I know-" Rayleigh paused.
Neo looked up at him. "You know me. Or you know about me. Right?"
Rayleigh studied her before nodding. "What in the world are you doing here?"
"Long story short, the darkness crystal returned, our people were betrayed by a man we trusted, he killed our parents, and I lost the use of my crystals. Recently I got back my earth and water crystals. My brother and I have been searching for Godfather with the Heart Pirates," Neo summed up as quickly as she could. "Do you know where he is? We have to find him. Please!"
"I'm sorry, Princess. But, no, I don't." Rayleigh shook his head. "I have no idea where he is at the moment."
Neo sighed. "Figures."
"Don't worry, Princess. I'm sure you'll find him. But I have something I need to take care of here before things get too out of hand." Rayleigh looked around the room, assessing the mess before him.
Neo watched him address the mess the Straw Hats had got themselves in. He even revealed that he knew the fishman. She wasn't surprised at all when he used his haki then. Shanks had told her that Rayleigh was protective of his friends. The soldiers and workers from the auction house passed out. This left only the pirates and elementals on their feet.
Rayleigh looked at Luffy. "That straw hat suits a fearless man like yourself. I've wanted to meet you, Straw Hat Luffy."
Neo watched as Luffy placed his hand on his hat. Next thing she knew Rayleigh had the mermaid free of the explosive collar and his hand on her back while leading her up the stairs.
"Well, Dark King Silvers Rayleigh," Kid said. "You're a legend old man."
"I'm just Ray, the coating mechanic on this island. Don't go calling me that other name," Rayleigh said before kneeling down to the fishman. "Hachi, what have I told you about walking around on this archipelago?"
"I know. I'm sorry," Hachi said.
Neo looked at the fishman. He now wore bandages around his body, but he was still bleeding. If only she had her solar crystal. She could help heal him. When she looked up she noticed Law walking towards the door. "Law? Where are you going?"
"Outside to take care of the navy. Stay with the crew," Law said before disappearing down the hall.
Neo nodded and sighed. Figures they'd end up in a fight with the navy. Her eyes dropped back down to the fishman. She knelt down to him. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine," he said.
Neo's eyes locked onto the bloody bandage around his chest. He needed more help.
"He'll be okay, Princess," Rayleigh said. "Don't worry."
Neo nodded, unsure if anyone heard him call her Princess.
"Who are you?" a small voice asked.
Neo lifted her eyes to the voice. She found herself staring at a little reindeer. His little blue nose was twitching, a clear sign that he smelled her scent of nature. Before he could ask why, she said, "You're cute."
"You're cute too!" He smiled. "I'm Chopper!"
Neo took his outstretched hoof. "I'm Neo."
"Neo? That's an interesting name," Chopper said scanning her face.
"Yeah." Neo shrugged. She wanted to answer the questions inside of his head but knew she couldn't.
"We should get ready to run," Rayleigh said. "We need to get out of here before the admiral arrives."
Chopper nodded and headed up the stairs.
"What about us?" Neo asked. "What should we do?"
"It's up to you," Rayleigh said. "You can stay with me if you want to. Or you can continue to sail with the pirates you're with."
"I don't know." Neo sighed.
"Well, you don't have to decide right now." Rayleigh pulled the fishman upon his back. "I'm going to head to Shaky's Bar over on grove thirteen. You can take time and think about it. When you want to find me again you can come there. If I'm not there Shaky will know where I went."
"All right." Neo then remembered the mermaid. Looking back to the stage she found the mermaid was now being carried by one of the Straw Hats. A huge amount of tension left her body. The mermaid was safe now. Standing up she followed Rayleigh up the stairs and rejoined her brother.
"Well?" Kailen asked.
"He doesn't know where Godfather is." Neo shook her head. "He did offer for us to stay with him."
"You're not going to, are you?" Penguin asked in alarm.
"I don't know what to do." Neo sighed.
"First, we need to get out of this mess," Shachi said before leading their group up the stairs. They stood off to the side, away from the Straw Hats.
"We should have asked Straw Hat if he knew anything," Kailen said.
Neo nodded, but doubted he did. Guns exploded outside, swords and spears lifted up from the floor and shot towards them. They dodged the sharp objects with ease. It was possible they were going to have to fight as well if they wanted to get out of this place alive. She braced herself for it.
"What?! Such a cutie!" someone shouted.
Neo looked up to find a strange faced, blonde haired young man looking at her, right at her. She had to bend backwards to keep his nose from touching hers. "Uh…"
"Never before have I seen such a blue haired beauty!" he said.
"Sanji!" Chopper screamed before whacking the blonde over the head. "Don't flirt with her like that!"
"I can't help it! She's so beautiful!" Sanji took her hand. "Tell me, my sweet. What is your name?"
"Uh, Neo," Neo said.
"Such a beautiful name for such a-" Sanji paused. His eyes locked onto hers.
"Well, that's nice of you to say." Neo pulled her hand away from him when she noticed her was noting her difference. "But I'm kind of involved with someone already."
"That's…fine," Sanji said pulling back.
"Just get back to your crew, Straw Hat," Penguin said.
Neo glanced at the guys. All of them wore looks of displeasure on their faces.
"Hey! Sanji! Let's go!"
"Coming, Nami!" Sanji ran away from them.
"Let's get out of here," Penguin said. The two groups of pirates headed outside.
Neo looked around, amazed at the mess the three captains had made in such a short amount of time. Soldiers were lying all over the ground; one's head was in Law's hand as he tossed it up and down before throwing it at another soldier. Her eyes turned back to Law when he called for Bepo. The bear leaped out, spun in the air, then landed a kick on a soldier. Law walked over to a large man that wasn't sitting outside when they got there. The man wore a collar around his neck so it was obvious he was a slave. Law freed him with his Room, the collar fell heavily onto the ground. Words were exchanged between the two men before the large one hit some soldiers.
It didn't take long for the rest of them to get involved in the fight after that. Kailen, like before, had his crystals concealed in his hands. Since he was using them she decided it would be best to use her water crystals. Hopefully the navy would think they just devil fruit users too. She only wished her had some form of disguise so they wouldn't be able to recognize them later. They all fought for a few more minutes before the captain called a retreat. They ran. And ran until they came upon the Kid Pirates. A cloud of dust was hovering in front of them. Neo said, "What's going on?"
"Is that?" Law said.
Neo peered into the dissipating dust. Another man, bigger than the one Law freed appeared. "Who is that?"
"Kuma," Penguin said. "One of the Seven Warlords."
"A warlord?" Neo asked. Her heart leaped into her throat when the warlord opened his mouth and shot some form of beam at the captain. She lunged forward. "Law!"
"Hold on!" Penguin grabbed her.
"Neo! What were you thinking?" Kailen said. "You can't fight him!"
"I don't care!" Neo struggled against Penguin's hold.
"Stop struggling. That captain's fine!" Penguin said. "Just look."
He was right. Law walked out of the dust the blast created. He was unharmed.
Neo sighed. The fight resumed with the navy coming up from behind them. She used her water crystals to knock down some soldiers while Kailen used his vines to wrap the soldiers up so they couldn't follow. They turned back to the warlord. Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo were fighting him now. But they were easily knocked away. Neo used her water crystals to catch them. They flashed her a smile of thanks before she turned her water crystals onto the warlord. Her water soaked him, causing sparks to fly. "What the heck?"
"That guy ain't no warlord," Law said.
"Then what is he?" Kailen asked.
"Some sort of machine." Law lifted his sword. "Let's take it down. Kailen, use your vines to pull his legs apart. Neo, use your water on him again."
The elementals nodded and did as they were instructed. Neo dumped water on the warlord, causing it to spark and freeze. Kailen grabbed it by its ankles and pulled. The hips creaked and snapped. Law warped himself onto the machine's chest and sunk his sword into it. The machine stopped moving before falling back onto the ground.
"Geez." Neo brushed sweat off her chin. "What is this guy made of?"
"That fight was ridiculous," Bepo said rubbing his leg. "I think it broke something."
"Why would anyone want to make a robot of a warlord?" Shachi asked.
"I don't know," Penguin said between his pants. "But I don't ever want to fight one of those things again."
The group gathered closer to the Kid Pirates. Kid glared at them. "We didn't need your help."
"Keep telling yourself that," Law said.
"Well, at least the woman and the green haired one were somewhat helpful." Kid looked at them. "I've never seen those types of devil fruits." He took a closer look at them. "What are you two? You're different from everyone else."
"They are none of your concern," Law said.
Kid opened his mouth to reply but was stopped by another Kuma machine dropping in on them. Another fight ensued. Knowing what they were up against it took them a lot less time to get rid of this one before escaping to their respective ships.
"Why in the world were their two of those things?!" Shachi screamed as he dropped to the deck of the sub.
"I'm just glad we got away," Penguin said.
"Thanks to Neo and Kailen," Bepo said. "We might have gotten hurt worse if they weren't around."
"It would have been better if I could have just flown us out of there." Neo eyed the bruises forming on the crew. All of their chests were raising and falling from trying to catch their breath. "Sorry."
"These are nothing," Penguin said gesturing to a bruise on his arm. "We're fine."
Law walked over to Neo. Tilting her chin to him, he scanned her for injuries.
"I'm fine," Neo said. "That thing didn't touch me at all."
Law nodded.
"So what now?" Kailen asked.
"We lay low in the sub," Law said. "The rest of the crew will soon hear about what happened and come for orders."
"I think I'm going to make some tea," Neo said. "My nerves are shot. I need to relax."
"Okay," Law said. They headed inside.
…
Neo fixed the tea while the other sat at the table to relax from the battle. When the tea was done she placed them all a steaming mug down in front of them before sitting beside Law. They drank in quiet. An hour later the rest of the crew started to show up.
"Hey! We heard what happen!" Archer said entering into the galley.
"And you're not going to believe what we found out," Conner said before dropping a newspaper onto the table.
Law picked it up.
"The navy is going to publicly execute Fire Fist Ace," Conner said.
Law's eyebrows narrowed.
"Is that bad?" Kailen asked.
"Yeah." Archer nodded. "Very bad. Ace is the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Whitebeard won't let anyone kill Ace. This is going to cause a war between them and the navy."