Another chapter out! Hope you guys enjoy! As always, R&R and thank you for reading! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, just the OC

Chapter 11

Charlotte sat on the railing of the Polar Tang, and away from the rest of the group crowding their captain who was resting against a sleeping Bepo. Law had called them aboard for a meeting and while Charlotte didn't care for it, she kept her ear open should there be anything of importance. But she kept her distance from the group, claiming her spot precariously over the edge of the ship. A strange placement for someone weak to the sea, but it didn't bother her. Her purple tresses shifted slightly in the calm wind and her eyes focused on the open blue waters.

They had left Amazon Lily a little while ago after Rayleigh had shown up. Law passing off the duty of looking after Straw Hat's recovery to him, much to the dismay of his crew. They wanted to spend more time with the woman on Amazon Lily, but they weren't against moving on. They were already behind on the others in entering the New World.

"What? We're still not going back to the New World?!" Charlotte piqued at that.

"I said we should wait for the right time." Law corrected calmly, a contrast to the rest of the crew. "Don't worry. One Piece isn't going anywhere."

"But Blackbeard and his bunch are wreaking havoc." Shachi interjected and Charlotte recall the new name added to the Supernova bunch. She had seen the news recap. He's also Devil Fruit user. She thumbed the rail before her with a frown. Her bare arms suddenly cold. She hadn't been able to wear her thick gloves since she had been cuffed.

"If they want to kill each other, let them. I'm not going to get mixed up in any pointless fights." She heard Law reply and she grinned into her muffler at the words. At least that's something we can agree on. "Now stop complaining and follow me!" Law finished and his crew seem to jump in awe at the statement. Charlotte rolled her eyes at the display, returning her gaze towards the sea with a slight frown. When did I look over? She tensed, feeling a pair of eyes watching her. "When there's something we want… we'll get it, no matter what!"

Her eyes narrowed at the declaration, but she didn't turn back to face him or his cheery crew. Instead, her eyes darted towards the cufflinks around her wrists. Then she got to her feet and strolled back towards the open door. That was enough air for now.

"Do you have something to add, Hunter-ya?" Law said and his crew grew silent. All heads turned towards the lone huntress directly across from Law's reclined position. His steel eyes watching her intently. She was the only one who had taken a different response than his crew. She seemed almost relieved that they weren't going to the New World.

"A smart choice." Charlotte stated after a moment. She turned toward the Captain, scanning over the Heart Pirate crew before locking eyes with her target. "The Heart Pirates wouldn't survive in the New World as they are now."

"What was that?!" Said pirates growled, teeth clenching, and fists raised at the tall woman who seem indifferent to their threats. Her eyes remained locked with Law's. Confident.

Law hummed at the news as if considering it. "Only the crew? What about their captain?"

Charlotte's face turned cocky. "As if I'd let my target get done in by anyone else. Don't worry, I'll protect you." She chided while tossing her hair over her shoulder, continuing her earlier steps to go inside.

Law's calm grin dropped at the insult. Still, he made no move to reprimand the female. His crew did though, leaping out to punch her for insulting their captain, but it only proved her words.

Charlotte dodged their attacks easily, side stepping this way and that, as if she could predict where their attacks would go. His crew were left panting, annoyed, and confused, while Charlotte barely shifted, the clanging noises of her chain cuffing her arms together only adding salt to the wound.

"You know nothin' of us or our abilities!" Cole grunted, swiping at the sweat that had pooled around his chin. Charlotte glowered down at him, platinum eyes making another once over at the male and Law piqued at the calculative look. "What makes you think you know how we'll survive in the New World? We've faced many challenges up until now and we're survived just fine!" He lunged at her from behind, emotions getting to the better of him. His hand reached into his pocket.

Charlotte sighed at the display. She raised her leg to kick away the gun he was pulling up. She snapped her leg back, shifting her weight to land a rough kick up his chin and sending him flying backwards. "That is how. None of you know the extent of your own abilities or the strength of others. For starters, you can't even land a hit against someone who have awoken the colors of Haki! And you expect to survive in a world where Haki control is commonplace?! Don't make me laugh, you're all just walking off to your deaths!"

"She's right." Law interrupted, coming to a stand. His gaze locked with the huntress who had turned back to look at him. "She knows because she came from the New World."

Silence fell across the deck and Bepo snapped awake at the sudden pressure. No one made a move as they let the news sink in. The Heart Pirates stared up at the uninjured slender woman who they met on Sabaody Archipelago, a mangrove forest on the side of Paradise.

Charlotte met Law's knowing eyes with a frown. "…Did Ray-san tell you that?" So that was why she was drug. Information gathering. She couldn't say she was completely appalled to his methods. Knowledge is wealth after all.

"No, I guessed." He grinned back at her in thanks for confirming his earlier statement and her anger flared for a moment. "Rayleigh-ya and you provided some details though. He said you weren't from Sabaody Archipelago and you only been to four islands, two of which were with us."

"You were eavesdropping." Charlotte said but she couldn't help the grin that crawled on her face. She really didn't condemn his way of information gathering.

He matched her grin. "I am a pirate."

"Ha!" Cole panted, climbing back to his feet. "In other words, ya just a coward who couldn't tough it out and ran way." He spat, glaring up at the woman who had turned back to him. Platinum orbs glowing.

She looked at the smug look on his face with apathy and said, "I rather be a coward than be dead." Charlotte placed her foot back down, standing tall against the Captain now beside her. "So, what is it that a bunch of prideful death-seeking pirates want with a coward?" She asked, voice challenging despite the seastone cuffs biting into her skin and draining her already limited energy.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Law said, raising a finger to poke at her sweaty forehead. "You're no match for me."

"Touch me… and I'll cut you!" She growled, yanked her head to the side. "Take off these cuffs and we'll see about that." She said evenly, despite seastones already having fatigued her greatly. She really couldn't do much with them; a few kicks and she was already tired.

Law eyed the way she had pulled back. Like his hand would have burned her. His eyes found hers again, the glare harsher than before and alert for any subtle movements. She was more cautious around him than the rest of the crew. He grinned at the compliment. It only makes sense. He is the Captain.

"You're going to teach us Haki." Law said, returning to her earlier questions.

This time Charlotte was in in agreement with the rest of the crew. "Huh?" they deadpanned.

"It's as you say. We're going to be in trouble going to the New World now." He said calmly and Charlotte was surprised that the man admitted it so easily. "I don't want there to be troubles."

"And why should I be the one to help with that?" Charlotte scoffed, throwing the tail end of her scarf over her shoulder as she turned away from them. Away from the stupid ridiculous requests.

"Do you think that room and board is free here?" Law spoke, voice calm and level. But the finality was clear in his statement. His lips curled when Charlotte stopped. "You'll have to work to keep your share."

"No, I thought you just decided to run a free hoteling service on your dingy yellow boat." She said sarcastically, ignoring the flares of anger from the ship's mechanics. She spun around on her heels and stalked up to the doctor. She didn't stop until she was well in his personal space, something that the huntress probably wouldn't have done if she had more control over her emotions. "And I told you I'm leaving at the next island we get to."

"And yet you're still here after what, Marineford. Let's not forget about Amazon Lily too." Law shot back, looking down at the girl.

"We didn't even dock at Marineford!" She retorted, raising her chained hands to shove at his chest. "And you left Amazon Lily while I was unconscious no thanks to your drugs." She spat. Her chained arms never actually shoving at him. They hovered a centimeter away from him, the action pulled back at the last second.

Law eyed the space curiously and then the chains. The cuffs. They agitate her. Rayleigh's words echoed in his mind, but he pushed them away. "It appears you have a bad habit of falling asleep at the worst times." He said instead, not bothering to correct her that technically she drugged herself. Charlotte exploded, screaming out in frustration. Law expected the hit then, but still it never came.

He raised a brow at the huntress who had stormed off to the far side of the ship, screaming profanities underneath her breath until she reached the edge of the submarine. Her hands gripped at the rail, and she let out a large scream in anger. The pirates near her jolted in shock.

"Have you calmed down now?" Law asked when the woman came back, platinum eyes still flaring and her shoulders still heaving from her cries. She didn't give in to his poke. She wouldn't.

"…yeah," she huffed, honestly, and surprising them. She closed her eyes, choosing to use her sixth sense to see the pirates around her. "You," she called suddenly, her arms jolting out to point in the direction of some pirates. "And you… you too." She added.

They watched her curiously, wondering what it was she was doing. Or why they were being called. They waited patiently as she called them out one by one until she had pointed at everyone but their Captain. She groaned then, eyes flickering back open. "Go jump into the sea and die." She hissed, storming back into the submarine, and slamming the door behind her.

Law stared at the metal door curiously, amusement lining his face. "Well, that went better than planned." He commented easily while the rest of the crew were busy getting over their shock.

"She told us to die, Captain!" The crew protested.

Their captain ignored them, turning towards their furry navigator. "Bepo, how much longer until we arrive?" She had agreed after all. And that was what he wanted.

Charlotte grumbled as she descended the steps, anger coursing through her veins. She wanted so badly to hit that smug look of his face. But she couldn't. Not without getting whiplash from her own Devil Fruit ability. She kicked at a random crate beside her. God, did she hate Devil Fruit users.

"Rough day?" Jean Bart asked, ducking past the flying debris.

Charlotte turned towards the voice, tilting her head to the side when she spotted the large man. "You weren't at the meeting." She said slowly as if trying to register the fact.

He scratched the back of his head, chuckling lightly at her confusion. "Someone has to steer the sub."

Charlotte nodded, her hands resting against her chin in thought. That makes sense, she guessed. Honestly, she had no clue about the submarine or how it worked.

"It's not that bad, you know." Jean Bart said suddenly, voice light almost like a whisper. Charlotte wouldn't have heard it probably had the halls haven't been empty. She lifted her gaze towards the other, confusion on her face. He gestured to the chains linking her arms and she realized that he had been staring at it. "I've seen the way you look at them. I know that look."

Her hands slipped from her face, falling to their usual spot by her thighs. The chains echoing as they brushed against each other. Her wide eyes narrowed, and her lips drew together thinly.

"I was one too, not too long ago." He commented, picking up the broken pieces of the crate that Charlotte had destroyed earlier. "I may not know what life you led before, but I can attest that this—" he gestured to the many empty halls around them with a broken piece of wood, "—is miles better."

Charlotte fell silent at his words. Her gaze dropped towards the wretched cuffs and wished that her arms could shrivel and slip away from the seastone. "Easy for you to say, I don't see you wearing cufflinks." She spat.

He chuckled at that, and Charlotte's eyes flared at the open back facing her. Susceptible. Vulnerable. She could attack him. It'll be difficult, but she trusted her abilities to be able to finish him in the end. Broken ribs would be a problem. The after math of dealing with the crew would also be a problem.

"I won't tell anyone." His promise cut through Charlotte's inner debate, and she straightened when he looked back at her over his shoulder. The look told her that he was fully aware of her murderous thoughts just now and she frowned. It definitely won't be easy.

His sigh caught her off guard though. "I'll try to talk to him about them."

Charlotte blinked, "Why?" She found herself asking, unable to come up with a logical reasoning.

Now he was the one surprised. "They agitate you, don't they?" He knew they would him if he was to be chained up again. "But have you tried asking Captain to take them off?"

Her gaze fell back to the seastone prisms, questions swirling in her mind. Had she asked? No. Did she think to ask? No. Why? Well, he had put them on her for a reason. Right? There was no way that he would just take them off because she simply asked him too. Right? "But I'm the enemy." She reasoned.

He gathered the rest of the broken pieces into a pile and lifted the whole thing easily. He made his way towards the nearest garbage chute and Charlotte followed after him. "Are you?" His voice was muffled as he spoke, and Charlotte was glad he was looking away. The question throwing her off. She was grateful again when he moved on, "You haven't made a single move to capture our Captain."

"I'm not stupid enough to not know the limits of my own abilities." Charlotte responded instantly. She let her eyes fluttered close and replay the likely scenario if she was to try now. "I won't stand a chance against a Captain and his entire crew." Not to mention even if she did, there wasn't anything she could do in the middle of the ocean. She knew not how to navigate much less drive the submarine.

Jean Bart turned his attention back towards the huntress after disposing the garbage. He wondered just how far into the future she could see with her Haki, if she managed to get to that level. He shook away the thought a moment after. He had seen her proficiency when they were escaping Kizaru's widespread light attack and while it was very well controlled, he doubt it was at a level that advanced.

"That's for sure." He said and was surprised when the huntress didn't seem at all offended by his easy response. She wholly believed so too. "I can see why Captain's taken interest in you." She was a quick judge in abilities too. Quite accurate too.

"You can tell him no thanks." Charlotte huffed, resting her elbow against a porthole. She rested her chin against her palm, her fingers curled against her cheeks as she stared out into the waters. Her eyes shone when she caught sight of a fish. "I don't need his interest."

"Even if you don't need it, you have it." He said and Charlotte arm darted out in a blur.

Charlotte lifted her chin off her hand, turning back towards the ex-captain. Perfectly fine and unscathed. She flipped her karambit away. "You." She breathed and the ex-captain took a step back. An uneasy feeling pooling in his stomach. "You know Haki." She said simply. A preppy look suddenly filling her eyes and Jean Bart simply nodded, unsure where the topic was coming from or of the sudden change in her demeanor.

"Not as well as you." He admitted. Marineford was truly a great spectacle.

"That doesn't matter!" She beamed, pushing away at the negativities. She ran up towards the large man, her hands grasping his eagerly. "You know how!" She cried joyously and the larger man was only further confused by her actions. She pulled an arm to the side to point back at where she had left the rest of the crew, cursing when her body jerked to the side due to her arms being bounded together. "You can be the one to teach them about it." She could feel the anger from earlier already dissipating. "Go tell that bastard Target that you can use Haki too!"

Jean Bart stared at the ecstatic look on her face for a moment more and followed her bound arms, eyes lingering at the chains for a moment, before continuing to the door. He sighed, figuring out what was going on now. "I don't think that'll work, Charlotte." He said earnestly.

"Nonsense!" Charlotte tried again.

"If I'm being honest, I'd also like to learn better Haki control from you." He scratched his cheek, looking bashful as he said so.

Charlotte slapped her hands to her face, rubbing it hard as she groaned. Jean Bart chuckled lightly at the dramatic action. "It won't be that bad. Besides it'll be a great way to bond with the group." He said and Charlotte's platinum orbs glowed from between her fingers.

"And why would I do that?" She asked, a bad feeling pooling around the pits of her stomach.

Jean Bart shot her a confused stare. "Because you're part of this crew." He said and Charlotte's hands dropped from her face.

The chains echoing in the metal ship.

What?

Question for you readers: Maybe it's just me, but anyone else find Charlotte's slow understanding of what is happening around her entertaining and somewhat cute?

Once again, hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts! I love reading them!

- Airi