The image of his flag burned brightly in her mind. During the whole ordeal with retrieving Luffy from the battlefield she, as well as Law, noticed that Red Hair Shanks had arrived to stop the war. His efforts had arrived too late with all the casualties both sides of the field had endured. It was a shame that they too had come too late to the field, but perhaps for that Ginger ought to be grateful.

They had passed through the gates successfully, though confused as to how they were opened, and managed to slip into the heart of Marineford without drawing too much attention. In a matter of minutes, Luffy and the fishman Jinbei were in the care of the Heart Pirates thanks to a red-nosed man whose legs were missing from his torso.

And so, Ginger sat across from the medical room waiting patiently for any sort of progress on Straw Hat, knowing full well that entering the medical area without a valid reason would lead to an argument. It was something of a surprise when Law revealed that they were there to save him. She didn't question it then for she knew she would receive no answer that would satisfy her curiosity. She wondered briefly if their time back on Sabaody had anything to do with his sudden decision to save Luffy's life.

Her eyes stared straight ahead as the submarine swayed and rocked with such force. Her body remained perfectly seated in the chair while various crew members rushed back and forth in front of her in haste.

It was peculiar to feel something akin to worry while she waited for the results on Straw Hat to be made known. She didn't know him personally to call him a friend, and in fact she didn't give him a second thought back on Sabaody or the time before. To her his name was just like any another, but now she didn't know what to think. Her teeth grazed her bottom lip as she continued to stare dead ahead, silently hoping that the procedure Law was doing at this moment would save the boy's life.

Almost as if she willed it Law suddenly emerged from the medical room. His eyes immediately landed on her as she looked up at him, watching as he cleaned his hands with the white rag.

"How is he?" The question prompted itself before she could retract it. "Did he take to the surgery well?" Law's eyes narrowed in response.

He noticed her concern and almost immediately suspicion began to seep in. Ginger was unaware that he had taken note of the slight pitch in her tone as well as the way her eyes fluttered as she waited for a response. "He's stable for now."

A soft sigh slipped past her lips, and without another word he turned to leave just as the submarine seemed to calm. Ginger stood then and quickly followed after him. Her heels clicked in repetition. She figured following Law would take her mind off of wanting to see the boy.

"Is there something you want?" He bluntly asked.

"I have a question."

His hands slid into his pockets, looking as if he expected that response from her. Ginger, however, folded her arms mindful of the splint she wore while staring straight ahead. "Is there a reason in particular that you saved Monkey D. Luffy?"

"He and I will be enemies someday. It would be a waste to see him die this easily." It was a typical Trafalgar Law response, something she expected.

"I see." She replied, noting that he spared her a glance. "Is it true? Are Whitebeard and Ace dead?" The curiosity had been eating away at her from the moment they arrived. She hadn't seen either man among the battlefield. Her attention had been focused solely on Luffy and his deadly wounds the moment Law spotted him and Jinbei being carried by the man with no legs.

If Whitebeard was truly dead then that meant that the world would become just a bit more vulnerable in the wave of pirates that followed. His era would be decreed over, and in his place thousands would seek to claim their glory in a chance to overshadow him. Ginger didn't know the man personally. Much like Luffy she came across his name dozens—if not hundreds—of times among her paperwork with the Marines. He was one of the Four Emperors in the New World. His name had influenced a generation.

Portgas D. Ace on the other hand was only three years her junior but had already created a name for himself. Aside from being the Captain of the 2nd Division of Whitebeard's crew he had also eaten a devil fruit and earned his reputation as "Fire-Fist Ace". In such a short amount of time he managed to establish himself among the people whereas she was merely a number among the ranks of the Marines. If he was dead too then what did that mean for the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates?

"I'm not sure." Law's statement was as firm as his tone.

They walked in silence side by side as she was unsure of their destination. The tension among them was palpable. Begrudgingly, she knew she would have to make the first move to attempt to earn his trust. It was evident in his manner that he didn't give it away so easily to just anyone, why would it be any different for her? She was a former Marine, and something about that bugged him in a way she couldn't understand. Most pirates outright hated them and they openly acknowledged it whereas Law remained quiet and chose to carefully observe her and pick apart her intentions. This, she assumed, meant that Law's quiet but unyielding distaste for anything having to do with the Marines and the World Government was deeply rooted in his past.

"You're from the North Blue?"

His eyes never moved toward her. "Yes."

"I was born there when my mother went back. I think she was born there." She gauged his reaction and continued. "Where exactly in the North Blue are you from?"

At this question his eyes did dart towards her. "Why are you asking?"

Ginger became flustered, trying her best to not become discouraged with his abrupt attitude. "I'm just making small talk."

"Why?" Law's stare was making her uncomfortable.

"Why are you so quick to dismiss me?" She countered, stopping in her tracks as did Law.

He remained impassive as he continued to stare at her. "What's the point of making small talk? There are other things to worry about. Sharing pasts is not one of my priorities." It would be difficult to try and convince him otherwise Ginger realized. Law wasn't the type of person to relent and divulge any bit of information, even as something as harmless as where he grew up. She supposed that he was tight-lipped about it for a good reason, and whether or not Ginger would ever find out remained a mystery. Still, words cut deeper than swords often striking at the heart faster than any cut or bullet could, and at this moment she felt like a fool for trying to make civility a daily routine among them.

Ginger smiled nonetheless. "I can guarantee that the marines couldn't care less about where you were born."

The awkward tension returned as he turned to walk away without another word. She followed suit soon meeting his strides in unison until the sudden movement of the submarine nearly threw her off her path. Law stopped to calmly observe the sudden shift onto a new course, and remarked. "We're ascending."

"Does that mean the Marines found us?"

He shook his head while turning to look at her. "I doubt it. This must be something else." His tone took a different approach from the apathetic tone she so often got from him. Now he sounded apprehensive, unsure of what the sudden ascension of the submarine meant for them.

Unfortunately for Ginger that also meant that a sudden bout of motion sickness managed to settle itself in the pit of her stomach. Normally, she never had this issue when sailing on the open seas, but the force of the rocking from earlier caught up to her. Her hand covered her mouth as she struggled to keep the urge to vomit down. Her other hand laid itself upon something firm. She squeezed and turned to find that she was holding Law's upper right arm. Upon seeing this he merely furrowed his brow while gazing at her with slight annoyance at the fact that she was touching him.

"Would you rather I threw up here?" Ginger asked while swallowing. "Let's go see why the submarine is going up."

"You don't have to hold onto me."

"It's just for now." A hiss of air passed through his teeth as he walked forward and pulled her along. "I don't want to touch you anymore than you want me to, but I need the fresh air or everyone will see how well I digested Keki's meals."

Law said no more on the subject and continued to clean his hands from the surgery.

He suddenly for the first time became the unwillingly guide.

Trafalgar Law was uncomfortable with the physical contact at first, noticing the way she squeezed his arm as though she was feeling some sort of pain. However, gradually he relaxed and allowed her to hang onto him while dismissing the uneasiness. He so rarely was touched by anyone even though never sought it. The only time he did was when it came to his crew members who required the physical contact in order to be treated for their wounds. Though Ginger's grip on his arm was far from sexual he had still been uncomfortable with it.

Trust was far from being earned at the moment. Her intentions still weren't clear to him, and the fact that she had gone at great lengths to change her appearance did little to dwell the suspicion. The dark hair she had originally was gone, leaving red in its place and if her coiffed hair was anything to go by then he assumed that she also allowed someone, perhaps Keki, to cut her hair. Yet despite these changes she was still in shock to see her wanted poster. Perhaps she was ready to shed the Marine persona.

Never trust a marine.

Whatever Ginger's intentions were, whether she did want to exact her petty revenge on Jax's crew or not, remained to be seen. Should the worst come to fruition Law knew he wouldn't hesitate to deal with her. In more ways then he cared to admit he found himself sounding like Doflamingo.

The sudden thought of comparing himself to such a man stirred the betrayal that laid forgotten.

The door to the deck came into view in a matter of seconds, Ginger took the opportunity to steal away from his side in order to open it. Once she did they came across the sight of Bepo, Shachi, Penguin and another figure standing upon the deck.

"Captain!" Bepo exclaimed while immediately following up with Ginger's name.

Law continued to clean the excess mess from his hands as he kept his features carefully in check. His eyes stared straight ahead as he came to recognize that the other woman, tall and slender, was none other than Boa Hancock accompanied by her large snake. She appeared concerned though he immediately assessed that it was Straw Hat with who she was distressed over. Ginger, feeling somewhat better, nervously scratched at the splint she wore while staring at the pirate empress.

"I've done all I can." He stated firmly.

"So, he's safe, right?" She asked.

"His condition has been stabilized," he answered as Hancock's face contorted into one of relief, "but he suffered an unbelievable amount of damage. I can't guarantee his survival." Her hopes were immediately dashed upon learning the truth. To Law there was no point in sugar-coating reality no matter how grim it sounded. He preferred being honest and sounding cold than lying just to make someone feel better with the false hope that things would turn out fine.

"That's to be expected!" Law saw the Marine ship and looked as though he knew it had been there the entire time. Ginger noticed it and promptly moved to go inside before the voice stopped her. "In Impel Down, Straw-Hat Boy had been injured to the point where he could not stand!"

The other members on board that ship began proclaiming praises for Luffy, shouting all the while as the five of them continued to look up. "Who are they?" Shachi asked.

Ginger added, "They don't look like marines."

Hancock spared the men on board the battleship a small glance before she turned her attention to them. "They're not. They're prisoners from Impel Down. Somehow they became Luffy's allies and snuck on board the ship."

One of them leapt off from the deck and landed behind Hancock. Irritation set in Law as the man rocked the submarine upon landing. His noticeable feature was his abnormally large head and body while his full tooth grin seemed to accentuate his size.

"Vi'm impressed by how hard he fought, and it was all to save his brother Ace!" He announced proudly while the others from the other ship began to cheer once more. Law had no care of their optimism as he remained silent and listened to what Emporio Ivankov had to say. "And then, in an attempt to protect him, that brother...died right before his eyes." He became sympathetic then which suggested that Hancock was right about her assumption. It was likely that Ivankov too became an ally of Luffy's sometime during his time in Impel Down.

"I don't understand," Ginger began as all eyes turned to her. "To my knowledge, Ace was under the watchful eye of every marine they managed to pull including the three admirals, you shichibukai, and Sengoku himself. Are you saying Straw Hat managed to get past them all and free Ace while doing it?"

"Don't doubt, Luffy!" Hancock said exasperated as Ginger raised an eyebrow. "He did all of this with a passion to save his brother."

Ginger folded her arms again. "I wouldn't underestimate him, but he was going up against the might of the marines. Even if he managed to catch them off guard their combined prowess would've still been difficult for him to handle alone." Law's eyes narrowed at her once more, observing that she was sounding more and more like the marine she used to be despite the fact that she made some sense in her conclusion.

Ivankov merely waved a finger at Ginger. "Don't be so quick to dismiss Straw-Hat boy! Vi'm sure if you ever see him in action you'll know that his power is unlike anything anyone has ever experienced. His will is always stronger than his opponent's." More cheers from above confirmed this fact.

Ginger seemed to take this into perspective as her frown deepened. "Though I'm sure Straw Hat knows he didn't win a victory today. He lost a brother instead."

Hancock put aside her anger for the moment, realizing what she had said. "If it were possible, I would gladly take his place." She cupped her hands then as tears formed in her large dark blue eyes. "I feel so sorry for you, Luffy!" Her hands then hid her face as she wept, turning away from them to continue to do so while her snake provided what comfort it could.

Shachi and Penguin equally looked completely smitten with the way she fawned over Luffy. Law shook his head at the two, folding his arms as he did so. When he looked over at Ginger he found that she kept her face impassive. From what she mentioned, and from what Law had heard, her mother had lost her life to the marines too. Ginger didn't have to openly express it to understand what Luffy was going through.

Ivankov then turned his attention to Law. "By the way," Law turned back and awaited his question. "Are you and Straw-Hat boy friends?"

"No, I don't really have an obligation to save him." He quickly dismissed, ever so blunt in his responses. "If you're wondering about my motives, I can give you a reason."

The voices coming from below deck suddenly reached his ears. Law turned then as did the rest of them in time to see that Jinbe was struggling to reach them despite the crew members telling him that he had to lay down and recover. The fishman was breathing hard while managing to stay on both feet all the while. His eyes found Law's, ignoring the rest of the people. It was obvious to all that he was in no shape to be standing let alone walking such a distance.

Law watched with curiosity as to what the fishman was up to.

"You're Trafalgar Law...from North Blue." Jinbe proclaimed in between shallow breaths. Law nodded once in response his eyes still trained on him.

"Are vyou alright to move around in that condition?" Ivankov inquired as his eyes inspected the fishman's battered body.

Jinbe paid him no mind as his attention stayed solely on Law. "Thank you, you saved my life."

"Sleep," Law demanded as his eyes never wavered, "or you'll die."

The shallow breaths, the stillness of the eyelids, and the nearly peaceful look captured Ginger's immediate interest.

Monkey D. Luffy made no effort to wake from his slumber, perhaps subconsciously choosing to stay this way. She stood by his bedside, eyes scanning the young man from head to toe while stopping momentarily to see that Law's nodachi was propped up and entangled in the tubes that were keeping Straw Hat stable.

She had heard so much about this kid. He had popped up all along the Grand Line with his crew in places from Alabasta to Water 7, causing mayhem from one end to the other. It was almost hard to take in the fact that he was indeed Garp's grandson. However, she supposed that it wasn't that much of a surprise considering that Straw Hat shared the same traits as him.

"You make being a pirate look easy."

She left the medical wing on that note, opting in favor of walking around the submarine to dwell on their current situation. They were headed for Amazon Lily, commonly known as the Island of Women where no man was permitted to enter. It was ironic in so many ways as it also raised questions as to why Boa Hancock cared enough for Luffy to do this in the first place. Ginger passed the open doorway, ignoring the faces of the others who were too busy with the idea of going there in the first place.

Her feet carried her forward as she descended down the flight of stairs, heading towards the lower deck in search of Keki. Perhaps talking with the old cook would help her put two and two together. Once she reached the confines of the kitchen she was relieved to see that Keki was busy washing the dishes in solitude.

"What now?" The old cook grumbled, casting a look over her shoulder briefly. "Oh, it's you."

Ginger rolled her eyes, taking no offense. "Hello to you too."

"I thought you were Law," she confessed, stacking the last plate atop the pile. "I have a few choice words to say to him."

"Such as?" Ginger entertained while taking a seat on top of the stool beside the counter.

Keki made a few more noises under her breath before shutting off the water and wiping her hands dry on the front of her dress. "Like, 'Why do we have an enemy on board the ship?' but more importantly 'Why would you take us into Marineford in the middle of a battle?'"

Ginger crossed her ankles while folding her hands in her lap. They weren't the first questions to come to mind when entering the battlefield so suddenly, but they were certainly close to it. She wasn't sure what to make of it all, but at this point she knew to not question things and assume that Law knew what he was doing. Keki, however, seemed to be the only one not keen on the idea of accepting Boa Hancock's help.

"You can question him all you like. You've certainly earned that right."

Keki scoffed. "He doesn't respect me half as much as you think." She paused then, and quickly looked over at Ginger. "How are you feeling?"

"My stomach is feeling much better."

"Your empty chest is what I meant, girl."

Ginger swallowed the lump in her throat, completely forgetting about that incident. "I'm hanging in there." It was close to the truth as she was going to get. The dull ache was ever present which served as a reminder that her heart was no longer in her body. Her hand subconsciously reached up to touch the open square space hidden beneath her shirt.

The cook overlooked her action and turned her attention towards the newspaper that laid forgotten upon the table. Her eyes scanned the pages before she reached out and double-tapped a random section. "This incident will be in the papers soon. The Marines victory they'll call it."

Her words caused her to frown. "I didn't see Marigold on the field." The thought of her former foster mother turned superior made her anxious to know if she was still alive and well. "I hope she's okay."

The wooden spoon Keki had been carrying smacked the side of her arm, leaving a searing sting in its wake. Ginger recoiled with a startled cry as the red print settled on her skin. She glared at the cook in both disbelief and anger. "What the hell did you do that for?!" She demanded with her eyes never leaving her.

"You said you were gonna cut all ties with your Marine self." The end of the spoon was leveled at her face. "Saying that kind of thing now after what happened is not letting go. Law catches wind of that and you'll be out of here."

"What's wrong with being worried about someone you care about?" Ginger hopped off the counter and smacked the spoon out her face. "It doesn't mean that I'm sympathetic to the Marines!"

"To truly let go of being a marine you need to stop acting like one. You're a pirate now―a wanted woman with a bounty. They aren't looking to take you back; they're looking to capture you and lock you away for the rest of your life!" Keki's eyes turned away as Ginger's anger slowly waned. "The more you keep being that way the longer Law will keep your heart. You think living without your heart won't affect you?" Her anger disappeared altogether. "The only reason you're still alive is because your body is physically within a certain distance near your heart to not be affected by it. Truth is if you were to go out of that distance your body will start to shut down until eventually you die."

Once again her hand reached up to her chest. Keki didn't bother to turn back to know that her words had struck a chord. The stinging pain on her arm no longer mattered. Instead, she realized she needed to make a decision right then and there. Though Keki hadn't outright said it she knew there was a hidden meaning behind her words. Either die a marine or live as a pirate. The choice was simple and yet Ginger was making it difficult for herself. Her old life would never become her normal routine again, and that meant her morals needed to shift.

The nausea she bit back before was rising.

"Okay, I get it. I need to start thinking and acting like a pirate and leave my old life behind for good." Keki looked back up at her as Ginger steadily kept her gaze. "Do you think this is the first time I lived among pirates? Until I was six that was all I knew. My early childhood was nothing but the open seas and my mother's crew. I lived and breathed with the best of them and in a snap that was taken from me."

"I see, Ginger-san," Keki mused with a wry smile. "You only knew your pirate mother for six years while this Marigold was your surrogate for nearly seventeen. Yet you talk more of your mother and her crew than you do of Marigold and the Marines."

The cook had caught on too fast for Ginger's liking, but in a peculiar way she was glad that the old woman was so quick to connect the pieces. With a soft smile she confessed, "I was the happiest when I was with Greta."