It was odd really.

Shachi sighed. "You're overdoing it, Captain."

Her eyes landed on the Marines as she stood beside Bepo outside of the auction house while Straw Hat and Kid's crews stood alongside them. To think if the disaster at Sage's Island hadn't occurred then she would be on the opposite side, firing rounds unsuccessfully at the three captains. There were perhaps hundreds of Marines surrounding the building and only a handful of them. It was odd how that event put her on this course to becoming a wanted woman among these other pirates.

The wall of rubble laid in front of the three which she had to assume were hundreds of swords and guns. Ginger felt the invisible force attempt to pluck her knives from their holster back in the building while managing to dodge the ones that came out through the doorway. Roronoa Zoro's swords had almost left their place at his hip which caused him to use both hands to pull them back.

When they began to move into position she suddenly realized what they were doing. The maneuver was familiar considering that she had done the same whenever she came across criminals who were noteworthy. Of course, these Marines were assuming that the rest of them didn't have any special skill sets.

"They're gonna attempt to break rank," she said, catching the attention of those around her. "They're going to aim for us."

Robin brought her hand to her chin. "They couldn't get a hit in on the captains so they're going to try and take us out first."

In one fierce movement the member of Kid's crew who had his face concealed behind a helmet sprinted forward, stopping a Marine from getting a hit on his captain. It was all so sudden after Kid and Luffy exchanged words. Kid's crew stepped up behind him, departing from the site, but not before getting a few strikes of their own. One Marine tried to get an attack on Law who was too preoccupied with what was going on beside him. When Ginger turned to Bepo she found that the bear was no longer standing beside her as she previously thought.

"Where did he go?" she asked Penguin.

Instead of answering her question with a response, he reached out, took her chin in his hand, and turned it up towards the sky. She quickly slapped his hand away, keeping her eyes above as she saw Bepo come crashing down on the Marine. From there, he took on others while Law walked away unfazed by the attempted attack. He came to a stop in front of a large man who was chained to the pillars of the establishment. She picked up her bag from the ground and followed Penguin and Shachi.

"I suppose he's still recruiting," Ginger observed as they came closer, ignoring the Marines who stood not far away. "But we should really be leaving this area before an admiral shows up."

Shachi looked back at her. "I agree, but it's the captain's call."

"Of course."

From where she could see the Straw Hats were making quick work of the few Marines who dared to attack them. It was still astonishing to see five of the eleven supernovas all in one place. From Monkey D. Luffy to Trafalgar Law. Even more astonishing was the fact that she willingly joined Law's crew despite knowing his past deeds and accusations of brutality. Still, she figured joining him was better than joining none and being alone. She never did enjoy being alone, often afraid that she would meet a grizzly fate with no one to mourn her. Her mother was dead, her mother's crew had gone their separate ways after the execution, and her father was no more than a distant memory. She supposed she would still have Marigold, though returning to her now would be asking for an arrest.

Her fingers brushed the strands of her hair behind her ear, frowning at the thought that she wouldn't have time to buy more black dye. She had been dyeing her hair for sometime now, ever since Marigold believed that age seven was safe for a child to color their hair. Between her and Marigold, it was no secret that Ginger dyed her hair a dark color to mask the light auburn hair she had been born with. She had gotten it from her father who Greta claimed was a pirate just like his good for nothing brother. His name was Stede and, rather than serve under his younger brother, was a subordinate under Captain Woodes Hornigold. He was probably in the New World oblivious that he had a daughter.

The large man swatted at the Marines as they charged at him before flying in different directions. She noticed he was no longer chained, assuming that Law had freed him from his confinement after agreeing to join. Bepo was back at her side while she watched the man take down more who dared to charge at him.

"He's a big guy," she commented.

Bepo looked from her to the man she was referring to. "Since you both are new that makes you guys my subordinates."

She chuckled, amused rather than annoyed. "Oh? I didn't know pirates had a ranking system too."

"Don't listen to him. He gets jealous when someone new comes along." Penguin exchanged a glance with Shachi.

Shachi turned to them. "Yeah, until he finds out they can overpower him."

The bear suddenly became depressed, hanging his head oblivious to the fact they were merely poking fun at him. "I am weak. I'm sorry." Ginger remained amused as the pair exclaimed in unison at how meek he was. The exchange reminded her of the Marines she knew back at base. They too were always striving to beat the other but remained as close as ever despite the competition. She frowned at the memory.

"Hey!" Law called to the four of them. "Hurry up! We're going to cross the bridge."

They ran behind the man while dodging the Marines who tried to stop them. Ginger placed a hand on one of her knives, brought it out, and slashed straight at them. They dodged the attack but failed to realize she meant for it to look obvious. Through the numbing pain, she lifted her left hand and curled her forefinger as a sudden strike came from above and caught them from behind. It was her signature move; a single strike that made it seem as if it would cut them from the front, but in reality would disappear before hitting them only to return from the enemy's blind spot to land the hit. Shadow Strike, she called it and depending on how much Haki she used in it, it would land an either non-critical or lethal hit.

In this case, it worked in making sure that they wouldn't come after them. Before they knew it they crossed the bridge just before the big guy smashed it. Ginger ran through the dust of the wreckage, running alongside him with Bepo on her left.

"I already mentioned it to Ginger-chan," he began, looking up at him as they ran. "You two are new so you're my subordinates." Her expression deadpanned for the umpteenth time that day.

"As long as I'm not a slave." The other man retorted.

Her eyes widened suddenly as she looked ahead to the open area. Shachi had already brought it to Law's attention as they all came to a stop. From their vantage point she could clearly see that Kid and his crew had run into trouble in the form of a familiar figure. He was tall and intimidating, face devoid of any emotion as his large form towered over everyone present. She knew him as Bartholomew Kuma - one of the Seven Warlords of the sea. One of the seven who the World Government personally handpicked, and in exchange for their services their current wanted bounty was frozen and they had free reign to do as they pleased.

"What is he doing here?" she asked, her breath heaving as she stared at the towering figure.

Ginger was frozen in place while being unable to move out of fear that he might attack if she did. The heels she wore pinched the soles of her feet but it went unnoticed. To be here so suddenly meant that the Marines decided to go all out in capturing as many pirates as they could, and since the eleven rookies were present all together on this land it made it all the more easier. Perhaps Kuma was already aware of her deeds and would attack her as well.

"I was wondering the same," Law replied, eyeing her with sudden suspicion. "I knew the Marines would surround the auction house as soon as Straw Hat-ya started the commotion. But the Marines could've gotten information beforehand and called a Warlord here."

"Great theory except I don't have a Transponder Snail on me." Her voice remained calm, ignoring his suspicion as Kuma suddenly turned his attention to them. "I told you from the start that the Marines would be looking for me."

"Trafalgar Law," Kuma suddenly said, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"You know my name?" Law turned his nodachi around as his hand clamped down upon the handle.

Ginger waited, listening to see if he would mention her as well, but when he opened his mouth the beginning of a beam was forming and she leapt back just before it destroyed the hill she and Law were on. The smoke clouded around her as she lifted her arm to shield her eyes from the dust, looking to see if he had dodged the attack too. Bepo called out to him, and it wasn't until her eyes fell on Kid that she saw a form walking towards him.

"Get out of my way, Trafalgar. I got him." Whether Kid was annoyed that he survived or not remained lost on her as soon as Law came to his side.

He was eerily calm given the situation. "Didn't I tell you not to order me around?" He smirked then while holding his left arm out. "I'm running into a lot of big shots today." A sudden circle appeared from underneath his hand, spinning in an endless cycle as he kept his focus on Kuma. "I don't want to run into an admiral on top of it. I'll make you move out of the way so we can pass."

Her eyes narrowed in sudden uncertainty.

Though it had been brief she remembered meeting Bartholomew Kuma once when she was under Marigold's command. There had been meeting that day for the Seven Warlords, and yet only he and another showed up to address it. She remembered because she had been assigned to guarding the room that the two were waiting in while preparations were in order for the meeting to begin. It was vivid in terms that she recalled standing at the doorway dressed in her uniform while her peer stood across from her. Kuma was seated on a couch across from Donquixote Doflamingo, reading from a book he walked in with as they waited for Sengoku to call for them.

Doflamingo, Ginger remembered, unnerved her right down to the bone due in large part to the smile he often sported. Though his eyes were concealed behind a pair of white-rimmed purple shaded sunglasses she could tell then that he enjoyed every moment of it. Kuma, on the other hand, only spoke once asking if she was familiar with a certain verse in his book. Though his voice was just as stoic as it was now, she could sense then that he was attempting to make small talk perhaps aware that Doflamingo wanted to entice a reaction out of her. When she replied that she didn't know he merely turned back to reading right before a Marine came inside announcing that they were ready for the two.

That had been her only interaction with the man, though she couldn't say the same for his ally.

She joined the Heart Pirates in standing behind their captain as they watched while the Kid Pirates made numerous attempts at attacks. One of them blew a ball of fire, hoping to burn him to a crisp, but Kuma was resilient and merely shrugged off the attack. That was when the three Heart pirates got into position and went at Kuma with a set of furious attacks one right after the other. Bepo kicked him but suddenly fell over while clutching his leg.

Law smirked. "Room." Ginger tilted her head as Law's power came into view. The large blue sphere covered the vicinity like a dome, trapping them and Kuma inside. His back was to her, but with the way he moved his fingers about as he stood she could tell he was enjoying this. "Shambles." The man who she found was named Jean Bart was now up against Kuma while Bepo took his place in back of her and Law.

The unnerving part of this experience was the fact that Law had this kind of power. She would be lying if she said it wasn't frightening, for the thought of being on the receiving end of it was a horrible thought to have. The blue dome disappeared from over them as she saw Kid intervening with his unusual power. Being surrounded by three Devil Fruit users was more than she could handle, and she felt herself cringing when Kid used it on the unsuspecting Kuma. When the dust cleared, Kuma laid unresponsive on the ground, causing him to believe that he had won.

"It's not over, Eustass-ya." Law said, amused when the Warlord got himself up despite the damage it should've caused him.

Ginger was amazed at the fact that he was using his laser beams in favor of his Devil Fruit powers. She hadn't seen them first hand, but knew enough from the reports that she came across during her time as a Marine that his power was extraordinary. So far he didn't use them, and from that she didn't understand why. His impassive gaze went from Kid to Law before suddenly coming upon her. She didn't know if he remembered her or not, but from the way he focused his attention back to them seemed to indicate that he couldn't be bothered with her. She ignored the bickering between the two captains in favor of trying to understand why he wasn't attacking her.

"Ginger!" She was grabbed by her arm and pulled suddenly, forcing the air out of her lungs.

Law stood beside her on the hill behind Kuma. Before she could ask the hand that was gripping her right arm pulled her in front just as the Warlord looked behind him for a brief moment. Ginger held her breath, meeting his gaze that was hidden behind the glasses he wore. He turned forward and shot another beam at Kid.

"Just as I suspected," she looked back at Law, realizing he used her as some sort of shield. "He didn't attack you."

"That doesn't prove your theory." She shot back while he came to her side. "I'm certain the information about me hasn't reached headquarters yet. For all I know he thinks I'm a hostage."

His smirk didn't falter. "Tch, if you're not going to help then stay out of the fight. Room." She moved back to avoid the beam she knew would come, and as though on cue Kuma unclenched his hand and shot a beat straight for Law. He narrowly managed to avoid it, shielding his eyes from the flying chips of the tree roots that made up the ground they were on. "Can't he use anything aside from the beams?"

"He has a Devil Fruit power," Ginger replied as she took out one of her knives. "I just don't understand why he's resorting to these beams."

His gaze fell on her, scrutinizing her every move as he heavily weighed each word she said. From across, Jean Bart and Bepo decided to attack Kuma head on while Killer struck a slash at his leg. Law, however, was thinking carefully over what Ginger had told him. It was possible for her to know Kuma for perhaps she had been present when he showed up for a meeting between Sengoku and the Seven Warlords. That also meant that there was a slim chance she knew of Doflamingo too.

The suspicion that he had before returned as he shifted his gaze from her and back to Kuma. With a swipe of her arm she sent out what looked to be a shock wave before it dissipated, missing him altogether. Ginger then curled her forefinger and brought back the attack, hitting him from the front. The damage seemed to be minimal, but it gained his attention as he turned back again and aimed for her. Law jumped out of the way, landing in front of his crew members while Ginger slid down the hill and landed further away behind the Warlord.

"Stay out of this." Law looked to see if Eustass was speaking to him, but found that he was looking over at Ginger as she prepared another strike. "I don't care if you're part of Trafalgar's crew or not."

Ginger huffed, but resorted to keeping quiet.

Law smirked, turning his attention back to their shared target. The suspicion of Ginger's intentions grew, but the nature behind Kuma's sudden appearance on Sabaody became his primary focus. He looked like Bartholomew Kuma, but his moves didn't match up to his Warlord status. Granted, Law never witnessed him fight but surely he was a formidable opponent if he was able to be granted a Warlord status. This didn't seem like him at all; he moved within certain boundaries as noticed by Law when he didn't aim for Ginger the first time.

It seemed to play out for an eternity as they attacked at him relentlessly until Eustass used the last of his energy to send a large mass of weapons at him. The attack alone sent him up in the air, causing him to fall at a rapid pace before the ground broke his fall. Everyone shared a collective sigh of momentary relief, and yet they waited for something to go amiss.

Though Eustass declared this victory for his crew, Law thought otherwise as he watched for anything out of the ordinary. "Bartholomew Kuma wasn't any stronger than this?"

Kuma suddenly got up again, once again unfazed by the attack.

Sparks began to radiate from the cuts he received. Flesh may have covered him from head to toe, but it was obvious that mechanical parts made up the entirety of his body. He lifted his hand aiming again for Eustass. That was when Law sprang forward, using his Ope-Ope fruit to enclose the Warlord within the dome, and with a single strike he buried his nodachi in one of the openings. The entity that was Bartholomew Kuma sparked again as Law unsheathed his sword from it before leaping back. The beam disappeared as it fell back with a large thud. Out of anticipation the two groups waited again, looking to see if he would once again rise up and shrug off their attacks without so much as a grunt. But the android remained broken on the ground.

The Captain of the Kid Pirates didn't take too kindly to Law's assistance. His teeth barred as he glared at him with a look of pure frustration. "Why'd you interfere?!"

Law, meanwhile, remained passive while laying his sword back upon his shoulder. "You overestimate yourself, Eustass-ya." The nickname struck a cord as Eustass clicked his tongue at the causal use of his name. "Did you really think he was a Warlord?" His smirk served to only infuriate the man further.

"What do you mean?"

The sudden shouts of the Marines made Law look back as they surged toward them. "We've got some more company. We'll talk after."

Her arm seemed to ache even more than it did before as she clutched it.

The fight between them and Kuma had dragged on and even though Law managed to single-handedly take him down another one had suddenly appeared in his place. It was a terrifying ordeal since it charged at them without a second thought, and it also proved that something was wrong. She didn't know if the real Bartholomew Kuma was even still alive. The World Government could've easily gotten rid of him as the prototypes seemed to do an effective job of giving pirates like Law and Kid a challenge. Indeed, if they hadn't slipped past it then they could've very well ended up arrested or left for dead. She walked beside Law as they opted to remain out of the populated areas.

"You have an injury," Ginger was startled out of her thoughts at Law's observation. "When did you get it?"

She looked down at her arm as the bouts of pain shot through it. "It was back on Sage's Island. Jax was gripping my arm too tightly and I assume he broke something."

He remained quiet while looking ahead, making sure that they weren't being followed. "I'll examine it after you agree to the condition."

"What is it? We're away from any Marines now."

Law stopped as did she and the others. The area they were at was surrounded by the countless groves that made up Sabaody and the population of its residents and visitors alike were in the next part over. He smiled, though it held no warmth, and closed his eyes while the grip on his nodachi tightened. "You'll be accepted into my crew if you allow me to keep your heart." He opened his eyes then and looked at her. "It's insurance until I know for sure you're no longer in the Marines."

The reaction among their small group was nothing but silence as Ginger placed her hand over her chest. Her fingers clutched at the fabric of her white blouse, staring at him with complete and utter surprise at his supposed proposition. She didn't know how to feel about it; her emotions ranged from anger to disbelief to fear. The memory of Jax's death after Law removed his heart was the most prominent.

"You killed Jax when you did that," Her voice was shaking. "That will kill me too."

"Jax-ya was already dying thanks to you. He would've died anyway even if I didn't take his heart." The way he sounded so causal about the whole ordeal put her off, yet she remembered that Trafalgar Law was mostly known for his brutality and this talk of him removing hearts was common to him. The thought of him doing such an act made Ginger cringe, knowing that he would use his Devil Fruit powers on her to carry out this procedure. She evened her breath steadily through her nostrils and looked straight at him. His eyes were the most alarming thing. They held the coldest stare she had ever seen.

"What are you going to do with it?" Ginger asked quietly.

The question made him chuckle at her apprehension. "Do you think I'll cut it open and experiment on it? If I do that, it will kill you."

"Then why do you—"

The nodachi fell from his shoulder as the butt of it hit the ground with a noticeably loud thud. The brim of his white fur hat obscured his eyes again as he turned his body to face her. "How do I know you're not using the guise of being hunted by the Marines for your chance to join? Bartholomew Kuma's double didn't attack you the first time, and surely your deeds at Sage's Island would've reached Marine headquarters by now." His tone had turned just as cold as his glare. "You could be undercover, working for the Marines or someone posing as one within their ranks."

She shook her head as her calm resolve all of a sudden withdrew. "I'm not part of the Marines anymore! I called Marigold, I told her I resigned, and by then she would've reported that to someone above her." Ginger was shouting by then, and even though she wasn't close to crying or begging for her life she was still afraid of the possibilities. Having her heart taken from her was something she didn't want to hand over, and yet she knew Law could kill her if he wanted to. The proof would come with her answer. At this point he could dismiss her excuses and simply end it there by taking her life.

Law opened his mouth and said, rather impassively, "I could take your heart or your life."

Her eyes narrowed at him in anger as she clutched the fabric of her blouse tighter. "Then do it."

Before she could react he placed a hand on her shoulder as his nodachi fell to the ground, and in one swift move he brought his right arm back and slammed his hand into her chest. The action alone caused her to double over as she was certain that her life was over. A sudden sprout of pain inflamed her chest as Ginger's eyes widened and a choke was pulled from her throat. The rest of the crew remained silent though their faces revealed the shock of Law's sudden act.

Upon hearing the familiar pop he smiled. "Scalpel."

Ginger's heart, encased in its transparent prison, fell atop the grass. Beating steadily for all to hear.

A/N: I just want to thank those of you who took the time to review as well as those who have added this story to their favorites and alerts. It's motivating to know you're enjoying this story and I enjoy writing it just as much!