Hi All!

Thank you for your patience! Here's the next chapter - apologizes that it's a bit short, but I wanted to focus more on Charlotte's developing understanding of Law and the Heart Crew. What do you think? As always, I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a comment or DM!

-Airi

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

Chapter 17

Lyas landed harshly on his butt. A groan leaving him as he tried to smooth out the place where he landed, fully knowing that there'll be a bruise there tomorrow. He scanned his surroundings through the slits of his masks. When did they get out of the courtroom? They were now located a few blocks away, south of the courtroom.

"You took your sweet time, Hunter-ya." Lyas turned over, watching the huntress leave his side towards the other male who had spoken. Lyas hadn't seen him before, but he guessed the two of them were together from the matching marks on their jackets. The smiley face on the back of the huntress' jacket mirrored the larger smiley branded on the bottom edge of the other's jacket. Though his was decorated by a series of spots matching the design on his white fuzzy hat, while hers was encased in a heart with branching lines.

Charlotte found the rebuttal on the tip of her tongue falling short as she drew closer to the doctor, hunching over four members of his crew. A scowl on his face, and his brows knotted together. Is he actually worried about them? She thought, surprised. She wasn't expecting this from what she read in the newspaper. Then again there were the crew's testimonies.

"What's wrong with them?" She asked when her eyes rested on four sweltering bodies. "They were fine when I left." This was not how she remembered them to be when she left them. It was then that Lyas noticed the four prisoners were also outside with them. He hadn't even noticed the four were missing from the courtroom.

"They're sick." Law answered and Charlotte could tell from the look on his face that it wasn't good.

"You're worried about them."

Law lifted his gaze to hers, a look of confusion and then disbelief on his face. "Of course, I am! They're my crew and I am their captain!" Charlotte stiffened at the emotion in his voice. Charlotte drew her eyes towards the youngest of the four. Because we're friends. She chewed at her lip.

"Hey kid." Charlotte called, turning towards the boy still trying to process everything. "What can you tell us about the flu thingy they're infected with?" Charlotte asked, pointing a gloved finger towards Rike. Law lifted his gaze towards her and then the kid that Charlotte had brought along with her. He'd teach Charlotte proper medical terms later. Flu thingy.

Lyas blinked and quickly jolted to his feet at the impatient look she shot him. Her eyes promising pain. "The seasonal flu is a plague that comes when The Change happens." Lyas explained as he headed over.

"Not everyone gets infected. Or at least not everyone all at once." Law interjected. He gestured towards Rike and Shachi. "The virus seems to be most developed amongst these two."

"Yeah…" Lyas was shocked at the quick understanding. Who was this guy in black? Lyas pointed towards Shachi. "Uh, he was infected first, so it makes sense why it's most developed for him. The flu also develops faster for those who are younger." Lyas lifted his gaze, watching the mystery man who nodded at the information, easily grasping it. He turned towards the huntress, wondering if she was just as quick or if the other was just an anomaly. It had taken them many years to understand this much. His jaw dropped. She was staring off into the distance, not even bothering to try to understand.

"How does the virus spread?" Law asked, drawing Lyas' attention back towards him. Charlotte peeked at them from the corner of her eyes.

"No one really knows how the first person gets it, but it travels fast once someone is infected. If they sneeze or cough on anyone, then they're likely to get it too."

"Droplets then. The other mode of transmission is likely vehicle." Law concluded quickly. "We all would have been sick by now if it was airborne and if it was through contact, I would have been sick by now. Assuming that this virus is fast acting." He explained to save time, knowing the other was curious.

"Very fast." Lyas nodded, trying to keep up with how fast the other was processing the information. "Mortality is high too. Almost everyone infected dies."

Charlotte froze. Die? She glanced down at the four. Their smiles and laughter lingering in her mind. "How did they get sick?" Charlotte asked suddenly and the two turned to her.

"They were trying to escape and got infected." Lyas commented and Charlotte froze at that. This was because she didn't take them with her and left them to escape on their own? She swallowed thickly. Would they have been fine if she had stayed and helped them out? She got out fine. She watched their faces twisted in pain. Their usual smiles missing.

"They're dying…" Lyas muttered bitterly. His mind drifting to his own kin. His fingers gripped at the snow, drawing lines in it. "Can you really get the Remedial Core back?"

Charlotte jolted out of her thoughts at the comment. That's right, the Remedial Core! "Will it cure them?" Lyas nodded feverously and Charlotte let the information brew in her mind. Already knowing her decision. "How old is your younger cousin?"

Lyas blinked at the sudden question and Law lifted his gaze towards the huntress, perplexed. "S-Seventeen."

"And what's Rike's age?" She turned towards the doctor this time, expectantly. "Nineteen. He's the youngest of the four here."

"How many more hours until your cousin dies?" Lyas flinched at the question, and Charlotte sighed, rewording her last statement. "On average, for someone his age. I mean."

"Oh… I'm not 100% sure, but probably seven more hours?" He grimaced as the words left him. He couldn't help but glance at the two adults before him, wanting to hopefully believe. But he was skeptical. Can they really do this?

Charlotte turned towards the sun, eyes squinting at the bright light bouncing off the snow-covered ground. Seven hours from now, she repeated. "Do you have all you need?" Charlotte asked, turning back towards the smug doctor.

It irked her how easily she fell into his plan. It irked her even more how quickly they fell in step with each other's thoughts. There was no way she could have misstepped, having already memorized an escape route as they entered the building. He had been the one to trip her, shambling something that shouldn't be there in her way.

He forced the attention on her so he could get the others out and she played the bait role to buy him time. Then to grab them the one kid who seemed to be most knowledge and in charge of the guards to supply them both with what they need. Her plan formulated based off the situation at hand. A situation that he had created. Her plan was one he already accounted for in his.

"What are you planning?" Law questioned back and Charlotte frowned at the dumb question. She could tell from the slight lilt in his voice and tilt of his lips that he probably already knew. Plus, given his record of reading through her, she wouldn't doubt him. Stupid target and his mind reading capabilities. He just wanted to hear it from her mouth. "Finding the real perpetrator and clearing my name." She hesitated, stopping herself from adding "and saving these dolts" to the list.

"And them?" He smirked smugly. He wasn't going to let her off that easily. He watched with amusement when her cheeks dusted pink, and her gaze fluttered to the farthest corner possible.

"W-What about them?" She muttered, pulling her muffler higher.

He chuckled at that. "Nothing," he muttered and then added slightly louder. "There's no need for that though." Charlotte scowled, and gave him a side eye. Maybe she gave him too much praise. "I got it."

"Are you really going to wager the lives of these four on your pride? Clearly, I don't need to tell you that whatever ailment they have is only seen on this island." She seen the books thrown across Law's study. He was studying up on winter island maladies. "No doctor on this entire island have been able to find a cure that plague them yearly and the only thing that worked in curing these people year after year is the Remedial Core." She continues, revealing all the information she collected during her stay.

"If you really want to bank on your ego and risk their lives versus having a hunter also hunt down a target in tandem, then fine!" She spat bitterly. Her emotions getting the better of her. She was exposing herself and her intentions now. Yet for some reason, she could care less at the moment. This is the stupid leader that those four dolts were telling her was so great? Yeah, right. Asshole's an egotistical betting man! He sighed at the stern and serious look on her face. She really was too easy to read. He hid the smile underneath the rim of his hat, playing the stern commander instead. "You're still going, aren't you?" He asked anyway despite already knowing.

She scoffed. "I do whatever I want. I still have a name to clear and a stupid core back to get back." She placed a hand on Lya's head. "I made a deal with this guy. I have a job to do."

"Don't go running off now." Law reminded and Charlotte was about to make a retort about how he can keep her heart. She already said it before and just because he squeezed it once didn't mean that she was suddenly changing her plans. "Do your hunt from inside the Polar Tang." He offered again instead.

Charlotte rounded at the man, a confused gasp escaping her. Her lips stretched, settling into a soft smile. She chuckled. He was serious. "Sure, I'll do just that." She shot her arm out to point at the kneeling doctor. "But be warned, you better hide that heart of mine well or else I may also take it back!"

Lyas glanced between the two, unable to keep up with their conversation. A heart? The ground disappeared from under him suddenly, and he scrambled to find purchase in the air. "I'm taking the brat with me." Charlotte explained, holding the boy by his cloak. She shot Law a look. Last chance for questions.

Law watched the two. A calm, almost bored look on Charlotte's mismatching with the nervousness and skepticism radiating off the younger boy. Law couldn't see his face exactly to tell, but he figured as much from his actions. He eyed Charlotte's features again, the tone of her cheeks, her breaths... "Just one, what does the mask do?"

Charlotte quirked a brow at the question. She figured the kid probably had a bad scar he wanted to hide or something. Or that it was just part of the uniform seeing as how they all wore the same cloak and mask. Was it related to the virus?

"Oh, this?" Lyas moved to take off the painted mask off. Charlotte pouted at the perfectly normal face and Law raised a brow at her expression. "It's something I make the team wear when The Change is about to happen. It's just a guess of mine and I don't really know if it works, but I remember reading in a book somewhere that masks are useful in fighting off diseases."

Charlotte laced her fingers behind her head and leaned back slightly. Sounded superhero-ish to me. She thought. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue to catch the snowflakes, barely listening to the conversation. "Were you in the room when they all got sick?" Charlotte heard Law asked. She guessed the boy had nodded as Law spoke again. "Was your cousin wearing his when he got sick?"

"No, he wasn't. He got sick because that guy sneezed on him."

"How about you?"

"I put on the mask as soon as I realized someone was infected."

Silence filled after that and Charlotte turned back towards the two males, "Done now?" She asked. Time was ticking and the so-called one question turned into three.

"Wear a mask before you leave." Law instructed and Charlotte's shoulders slouched.

"Why?" She exclaimed and Lyas held out a spare mask for her.

"We still don't know what causes one to first get sick. If the masks are helpful then, you're wearing one." He wasn't going to risk her getting sick too.

Charlotte eyed the simple painted red, green, and brown mask, disbelieving in its abilities. "Fine." She said and Law hid his surprise that she had listened on the first try. She swiped the masks and slipped it on. She kept it off her face, resting it on the side of her head for now. Her gaze dropped back to the four breathing with difficulties. "Can you save them?"

Law kept his attention on his patients. His lips moving silently as he made mental notes on their current physical states. He released Cole's wrists after taking his heart rate. "Not trusting in your abilities to get back in time?" He asked, voice a lilt between cocky and neutral.

Charlotte twisted on her heel and flipped her scarf over her shoulder. Platinum eyes no longer watching the strained expression in Law's face as he took note of his crew's state. She tapped on Lyas' shoulder indicating that they were leaving now. "No, seven hours is plenty enough." She said easily, and Lyas was shocked at the amount of confidence in her voice. Her lips curled, however, "Just curious whether the great Surgeon of Death title is for show."

Law didn't stop his ministrations, nor did he lift his gaze to send the two off. "Is there something you like to wager?" he sighed at her roundabout ways.

Charlotte grinned. "Have you ever done laundry?"

"Loser takes over laundry duty for a month?"

Charlotte fixed the painted mask over her face. Her voice muffled behind the screen. "Deal."