Inspiration

Law walked briskly through the small port town the Heart Pirates had stopped at to resupply, headed back towards his submarine; buying medical supplies had taken longer than he expected, though the quality was excellent and the range of available merchandise was truly surprising. He would never have considered seeking out medical provisions in such a backwater place had it not been recommended to him through the Sea Network, which was likely the point of the outlet being here. However he had been forced to leave the loading up and transport to Bepo, as it was rapidly approaching the agreed time when Fox was due for her medical check-up and he had many more questions to ask.

"What's the rush, Doctor Law?"

The Surgeon of Death paused in the middle of the street, suddenly aware of the pregnant woman in a kimono who had just stepped out from under the shelter of a shop front. "Fox-ya," he said coolly. "What a surprise. What brings you to such a quiet island as this?"

The assassin smiled at him, her paper umbrella shading her from the weak autumn sunshine. "I am checking the state of my investments, Doctor Law; just passing through."

Law guessed the well-stocked medical depot he had just visited belonged to her; her father's Shichibukai status would make acquiring those kinds of supplies fairly easy. "A coincidence, Fox-ya?" he said, voice blandly mocking.

"No such thing, Doctor Law," Fox admitted agreeably, "I heard you were in the area and felt here was the best place to meet you. Did you know there is a medical facility here as well?"

Law had not. That she was volunteering the information however was highly suspect.

"Oh?" he said lightly. "Is it open to the public?"

"That depends on who you consider the public to be," Fox replied, wandering closer and placing a hand on his arm, "but if you are interested I'm sure I could get you inside. They might even lend you an examination room for my appointment."

"I would still need my notes, Fox-ya," Law noted dryly.

"These notes?" the assassin said mildly, producing a folder from one of her voluminous sleeves. Law took it off her and opened it; they were indeed his notes of her medical history. All of them. He paused to consider the current circumstances.

This whole situation was obviously bait, but very good bait. Irresistible, in fact. He trusted Fox not to want him dead so long as he remained her doctor and acted appropriately as such, so this was likely a ploy to distract him from asking personal questions. "Lead the way, Fox-ya," Law said, bowing slightly in recognition of her masterful play. Fox smiled at him, gently leading him down a road parallel to the docks and away towards the hills at the edge of the town.

Ace did not like leaving his Kitsune with the Surgeon of Death, but recognised she was perfectly capable of looking after herself. Pulling his new hat down to shade his eyes, he hooked his fingers into his new belts where they crossed over his hips and strolled down the road towards the submarine that belonged to the Heart Pirates. The crew would likely want to know where their captain had gone, so he may as well wait there for his lover to come back rather than anywhere else.

"Hey! Who are you?" Ace glanced over at the submarine he'd stopped next to; there was a man in a cap with pinkish red hair standing on the deck. The flame Logia smiled.

"I'm Spadille," he said cheerfully, swinging himself over the rail and on board. "Don't mind me; I'm just waiting on my charge." Mihawk had actually helped Fox establish a proper background for Edward D. Spadille based on the basic paperwork Pearl had provided: he was now officially a Hawk-Eye Pirate –the only Hawk-Eye Pirate in fact– and his job was to protect the daughter of his 'boss' while she was pregnant and later nursing her child. This would leave Ace only about eight months to make a splash in once the baby was weaned, but he was fine with that.

"Your charge?" the Heart Pirate repeated suspiciously.

"My boss' daughter's here for a medical checkup with a Trafalgar Law," Ace said easily, leaning back against the wall of the submarine's fin and letting his hat slide forward to cover the top half of his face. "She told me to wait here for her to get back. Hey, what's your name?"

"Shachi," the pirate said automatically. "Trafalgar Law? That's our captain! Who's your boss?"

Ace grinned. "Hawk-Eyes."

"What! The Shichibukai!" Shachi squawked. "Wait, his daughter? You're Dracule Lisska's bodyguard? She's here?"

"I left her with your captain just a few minutes ago," Ace said expansively, rather enjoying the other man's discombobulation, "so they're probably heading up to the medical facility." The poor pirate's confusion was the funniest thing he'd seen all week.

Law had to admit, it really was good bait. The medical facility was apparently built into the side of the island and only accessible from the surface through the cellar of a farm belonging to a grumpy old man who had reached for a gun as he saw them coming up the road, then relaxed, turned and ignored them on getting a good look at Fox. His patient had led him right into the farmhouse, lifted a trapdoor and walked right down the steps into a stone cellar with a door at one end. Fox had placed her hand next to the door and it had opened smoothly to let them both in.

"Welcome to the Otohime Medical Research Facility and Hospital, Doctor Law," she said, waving a hand down the dimly lit but very clean corridor, "the only Fishman and Merfolk medical research facility on the planet. You'll be the first person without Sea-kin heritage to ever walk these halls."

Well after an introduction like that, Law could hardly turn back, could he? "I thought the Merfolk rarely strayed beyond Fishman Island, Fox-ya," he said as he stepped across the threshold.

Fox smiled. "That was true once, Doctor Law, but the latest generations proved rather more adventurous than their ancestors and wished to see more of the world and its wonders. All who live and work here do so well beyond the leadership of King Neptune and the safety of the Ryugu kingdom, falling instead under the Sea Network Protectorates."

"Protectorates?" This was valuable information, Law knew it. Most pirates had no understanding of quite how much of the Grand Line there was under the sea, but being a submarine captain Law knew there was far more space and territory under the sea than above its surface.

"You saw two of the Protectorates' rulers at Marineford," Fox said with a smile as she led him into a lift and pressed a button. "Gol D. Spitfire rules the Calm Belt Protectorates jointly with Edward Tempest. The Paradise Protectorates however are the domain of Silvers Charis, my aunt."

A lot of big names. Law had seen the refined power wielded by the mermaids who had taken part in the assault on Marineford and the subtle might of Silvers Pearl; these were not women coasting on the reputation of their fathers. "I don't suppose you want me to believe the adventurous nature of the more recent generations has nothing to do with the blood in their veins?" he inquired dryly.

Fox actually giggled. "There was a surprising population boom on Fishman that started around the time of the Pirate King and reached its zenith about twenty years ago," she said sweetly. "However despite the continued higher number of births, the number of citizens living on Fishman has not changed in that time."

Meaning all those mermaids and fishmen with the blood of pirates in their veins had been steadily leaving the island and going adventuring elsewhere. How fascinating; the World Government clearly had no idea. The doors of the lift opened to reveal a large open area with wide corridors leading off in several directions and crisscrossed with canals. Fox led the way over a bridge to a desk where a woman with violet hair and square spectacles was working in front of a Den Den Mushi screen. The woman looked up as they approached.

"Lisska-dono! What brings you here?" Law raised an eyebrow at the honorific.

"I'd like to borrow an examination room so my doctor can give me my scheduled pre-natal check-up, should it be possible," the white-haired assassin said politely.

"Of course, Lisska-dono!" the secretary said, her hands flying over the controls on her desk. Law noticed she didn't seem to have recognised him; were these people not interested in following the events that occurred on the surface? "Room O-2330 is free, so I'll mark it down for your use for the next hour. Will that be enough time?"

Fox looked at Law inquiringly. "Well, Doctor?"

"Will it have the necessary equipment to hand for blood tests and ultrasound?" Law asked. The secretary looked offended.

"Of course! O-2330 has the most accurate and up-to-date obstetric facilities available!"

"Then I think two hours is more realistic, to allow for possible delays," Law said calmly, privately elated at this rare opportunity. "Could you also provide a guide?"

"Certainly," the secretary said briskly, ringing a bell and typing furiously. A woman in a nurse' uniform emerged from a door in the wall behind the desk.

"Escort Lisska-dono and her doctor to room O-2330, please," the secretary said, not looking up from her work.

"Of course," the nurse said quietly, bowing. "This way please."

Law strode after the nurse, glancing around at the décor, the signs on the walls, the humans hurrying in the halls and the merfolk and fishmen moving swiftly along the canals that took up half of each corridor's width. Large loads were pulled along in boats in these waterways, which the pirate had to admit was much faster and easier than using trolleys.

He'd have to see if he could come back here sometime; there was definitely much more here than he would get to see today…

Fox continues to broaden Law's horizons and issue subtle threats. Not that he minds.