Moving Forward
It was almost dinnertime when Law finally pulled himself away from the girl. He had his plan set in stone inside of his mind. The only thing left to do was to tell his crew about his plans. So he wandered out of the room and down the hall, noticing that the sub had finally surfaced. The sky was turning a light gray, a signal that it was going to rain soon. At least a storm wasn't coming in. It would have been a waste to come back to the surface to only have to dive back down.
The sound of his boots thumping against the stairs was the only sound that accompany as he descended. He was sure the majority of his crew was scattered around the sub talking about what the girl had done. Finally reaching the third flood, he came across Archer in the hallway. "Archer."
"Aye?" Archer turned to his captain.
"Summon everyone to the galley," Law said.
"You got it, Captain," Archer said with a nod.
Law watched as his subordinate wandered down the next flight of stairs before he turned the opposite way and headed for the galley. The mix of spices Penguin was using for their supper waft up into his nose the second he walked into the galley. Glancing over at the stove, he found Penguin hard at work adding vegetables into their stew.
"Did you need something, Captain?" Penguin asked when he noticed the man standing there.
"We're getting ready to have a meeting in here about the girl," Law said, sitting down at his typical spot at the head of one of the tables. "Also, I'm going to eat with her up in the recovery room. So when it's ready prepare us both a dish."
"Aye, Captain," Penguin said, unsure about what his captain had to say about her and what happened. Surely he wasn't going to kick her off the sub because of that. He brushed it aside. Surely it had to do with what they spoke about in the recovery room. Either way they all would know soon enough.
It didn't take long before the crew had finally assembled in the galley. Muttering to each other as some sat down at the tables while others remained standing around the room. They all went quiet while exchanging glances.
Law exhaled. He knew they were all waiting for him to speak. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms and legs while letting his hat fall over his eyes. Tapping his finger on his arm he went over his plan one more time to make sure he didn't forget anything important. He then inhaled and exhaled before lifting his eyes to his men. With their eyes all on him, he told them what he wanted them to do. He said, "No one is to mention a single word on what happened in the rec. room when the girl is around. And no one is to ask her questions about it either."
He watched patiently, understanding their confusing that was in their eyes and their murmurs. Once they settled back down he continued to explain. "I believe that it's for the best to keep quiet about it. I highly doubt she meant to do what she did."
"But how are we supposed to find out exactly what she did when we can't ask her about it?" Conner asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. His lips curled down into a frown revealed to them all that he didn't agree with their captain's decision.
"She's not going to tell us anything even if we do ask," Law replied, completely understanding Conner's disagreement with him. But he knew the man wouldn't disobey him. None of them would. They all respected him far too much to do that.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Archer asked.
"Just let her do this on her own time. If she wants to open up to us then she'll do it when she's ready," Law said. The crew exchanged looks again but clearly understood what he was saying. So he took the time to tell them what else he decided. "We're also gonna stop treating her so much like a prisoner."
"What?!" the crew, but for Penguin, practically shouted. "After what she did in the rec. room?!"
"Calm down. I'm not going to let her just automatically run free. She's still going to be limited, but being chained up all the time isn't helping anything here," Law explained. "We need to show her that she's being viewed as a human being." And there was that tick again. Human being just didn't suit her no matter how many times he called her that. He forced himself to continue. "That we're not going to hurt her. And that we're not going to hold anything against her for what she did with those weird crystals. Understood?"
"Aye, Captain," the crew said.
"Good." Law nodded. The rest of his plan could be explained later. He stood up and walked over to Penguin. He could hear the stew bubbling in the pots once close enough. The smell was it was making his stomach rumble and his mouth water. "Is it ready?"
"Aye, Captain!" Penguin jumped. Rushing around the room, he filled two bowls with the stew, placed them and two cups of lightly sweetened tea on the tray before handing it to his captain. All of their eyes followed their captain out of the room.
It wasn't until Law was out of the room that they started discussing their captain's decision. He listened to them for a few seconds.
"We're not allowed to ask her about it? I'm not so sure about this."
"Trust the captain. He knows what he's doing."
"Of course! We'll follow him no matter what!"
Law walked off then. He had no reason to worry about them at all, not even Conner who clearly didn't like his orders. Their voices had completely faded away from his ears by the time he reached the stairs. Silence had engulfed him as he worked his way up the stairs to the medical bay. He paused to look out a porthole. It was raining just like he knew it was going to. The sky was still a light gray. No thunder or lightning was around. He hoped that it didn't storm until after they arrived at the next island. The girl really needed her own clothes. His was just too big on her to wear all the time. Continuing up the stairs he wondered if he should just adjust some of his shirts that he didn't wear that often. He then brushed it aside. There was no point. In a week they would be arriving at the next island. She could just wear his shirts until then.
…
The girl opened her eyes to the ever growing familiar sight of the sub ceiling. It took a moment for her buzzing mind to remember what had happened. Her heart took a sharp jolt against her chest. She had revealed something to them. She had turned against them. Drawing in a shaky breath, she wondered what they were going to do with her now. Shifting she found she was once again chained to the bed. She wasn't surprised. It was always like that.
Rolling over onto her side, she fingered the cuff around her wrist. It was only a matter of time before someone came back in here, possibly that captain guy. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep. Nor did she know how much time had passed before she finally heard footsteps outside of the door. When the door cracked open, she shot up and waited for whomever it was to come inside and deliver her punishment. It was the man who had told her to call him captain. Violent shivers wracked through her body when he moved closer to her despite the fact it was clear he was only bring her something to eat.
Law didn't miss a single movement of hers. It was painfully obvious that she was scared, a different type of scared than from before. He could see that he was correct in his assumptions on her not meaning to have unleashed that attack or whatever it was on his crew. She didn't mean to do it and was now afraid of getting punished for it. Once he was next to the bed, she ducked her head and curled as much into herself as she possible could. Keeping calm, he sat down on the edge of the bed with the tray still in his hand and said, "I figured you'd be hungry by now. You've been out for a while."
Instantly, she straightened out her legs and held out her hands. He took his bowl from the tray then placed it in her waiting hands. Without hesitation she picked up the spoon and started eating as fast as she could. It puzzled him. He wondered if she was really that scared of being punished for what she did. Eating his own meal, he continued to watch her. Her hands were shaking from her obvious terror. She sloshed both her stew and her tea onto the tray and the shirt of his she was currently wearing. Tears streamed down her face each time she rushed to clean it up the best she could.
Law could feel his pirate heart sinking into his chest each time she did this. He showed no indication to her that he was going to punish her for what she did yet she was clearly still expecting it. It actually gave him even more confidence in taking the next step he had planned for her. It was something she clearly needed to happen. He hoped his week of letting her roam around free of the chains would help her become more comfortable around them so he could take her a step farther. Just one week was all he needed to see what she would do.
The clanking of her spoon against the bowl alerted him to her being finished. He, however, still had half a bowl left. He quickly ate it before finished off his own tea and setting the empty dishes on the tray. Picking it up, he headed for the door. He only got three steps before her timid voice reached his ears. She said, "I'm sorry for… about before… I didn't mean to..."
"Don't worry about it. It was nothing more than an accident." Law didn't have to turn around to know that she was confused. He could feel it radiating off of her. Standing still for a few moments, he let it sink into her brain a bit before finally leaving the room. Stuffing his free hand in his pocket, he made his way down to the galley to return the dishes, wondering what was currently going through the girl's head right now.
…
The next day started off like any other for her. She woke up and waited patiently for whoever was going to come get her for breakfast or bring her breakfast. After what happened yesterday she was expecting to eat in this room again. She wanted that. She didn't want to see the rest of the men. She knew they were going to hate her for what she did.
Lost in her own thoughts of yesterday's events she barely registered the door being opened. It wasn't until she caught a bit of movement from someone coming closer did she finally know that someone else was in the room with her. Her body jumped to his presence.
"I didn't mean to startle you." It was the captain. He had came in with nothing in his hands, not even his sword that he carried around often, so she knew she was going to be allowed out of this room for breakfast.
When he got close enough to her, she raised her hand for him to unlock her cuff. Once freed from her restraint, she raised her other hand in expectation of have the other chain put on her wrists like before.
"You're not going to wear that other chain from now on," he said while turning and walking away from her. Confusion flooded into her. She remained sitting on the bed, unsure of what to do until he looked over his shoulder at her and beckoned her to follow. "Come on."
The desire to stay right where she was engulfed her like a tight blanket. But her body obeyed his command. She slid off the bed and instantly followed after him. She quietly continued to follow him down the stairs. Her eyes glued to the floor below her until they had finally reached their destination, the galley. Unaware of the captain watching her from the corner of his eye, she quickly peaked up. She found a few of the other men were in the room with them. Her heart raced at the sight of them. One she knew, it was Penguin. The other one she couldn't remember if she's seen him before or not. Her eyes dropped back down to the floor still unaware that the captain was watching her twitched and fiddle nervously with the shirttail of his shirt she was wearing.
"Just relax," the man beside her said. "Nothing bad is going to happen here. My men are not going to hurt you. We're going to sit down now. Come on."
Her body once again obeyed him. She followed him farther into the room making sure to stay on his left side, far away from the other men as she could possibly get. Remaining by his side, she watched as he sat down at the head of the table he had led her to. She stayed on her feet until he gestured for her to sit down beside him. She sat down on his right hand side, plenty of distance from the other two. Placing her hands in her lap, she stared down at them unwilling to look up and around at anyone or anything. Her fingers curled around the shirt fabric when a few of the men started to come into the room.
"Just relaxed," the captain said. "They're only getting their breakfast and leaving the room. Only a few are going to stay in here with us."
She swallowed. Flickering her eyes up to the men, she watched as they filled their plates and got their drinks before rushing out of the room. A few minutes later, a couple more of the men came in. From what she could tell, none of them looked in her direction as they did what the men before had done: filled their plates, got a drink, and left the room. Soon only a few remained in the room. Besides her and the captain, the only others in the room were Penguin, Shachi, Bepo, and one other man that she couldn't recall the name of, if she even knew it to begin with. Shachi, Bepo, and the nameless man sat two tables over from them.
Penguin was the only one who made contact with her. And that didn't happen until he had her breakfast in his hand. Her body tensed up when he walked over to the table. Without looking right at her or saying anything, he placed her plate down in front of her with a glass of milk. She glanced up at the captain.
"You can eat," he said with nod towards her plate.
She glanced down at the food. She recognized the pancake, the small pile of scrambled eggs, and the sliced orange, but the other thing she didn't recognize at all. It was sort of cup shape with a dome on top of it. Picking up her fork, she poked the unfamiliar item, breaking part of it off.
"It's a muffin," a voice said, causing her to jump. She looked up for a quick glance at Penguin. He had returned at some point with his own breakfast and was sitting beside her. "It has blueberries in it. They're really good. You should try it."
She dropped her eyes back down to the muffin. Poking the broken piece with her fork, she brought it up to her lips and put it in her mouth. Her eyebrows lifted. The muffin was sweet. One of the sweetest things she had ever tasted before. She cut off a bigger piece and ate it, unaware of the exchanging glances of the men around her.
…
Law continued to watch her every second that passed by. That is, until he noticed his men gathering at the galley door. Glancing up from her, he nodded to them. Earlier this morning he realized that he didn't need her in the same room as all of his men at once. So he spoke with them to order them to come in only in groups of three to four. He also ordered them not to look at her or address her at all, just get in and get out while staying far away from her as possible. Still, he wanted a few to remain so she could start getting use to the idea of having them all around. So he picked out the few he knew she would be most comfortable around. Penguin and Shachi had spent the most time with her so they were obvious. And Bepo was also an obvious choice since she had looked him in the eye. He then chose Archer since he was one of the calmer of his men.
When his men started coming into the galley, he carefully watched for signs of extreme stress rising in the girl. Luckily, with the orders he had given his men, she didn't get as stressed out like he thought she might. She only tensed up when they came in but relaxed when they left. After all of his men, but for the chosen four, had gone, Penguin brought her food over. He watched her curiously and confusingly pick at the muffin before Penguin encouraged her to try it. It was obvious she liked it. She finished it first before eating the other food on her plate. A smile came to his lips, a smile that he shared with Penguin. His plans were working fine for the moment. All he had to do now was ease more of his men into eating with her throughout this week of testing her.
…
Over the next week the girl found herself in the same routine. When she was asleep in the recovery room she would wear the chain on her right wrist. But when she was out of the room she didn't wear any chains at all. And she was always with someone when she was out of the recovery room. And those revolved around the men she had been with before, the captain, Shachi, and Penguin. Only very few would remain in whatever room she was in. Every so often another man or two would enter into the galley when she ate until they all were eating in the room with her. Like always, she refused to look at any of them. Her mind was still buzzing with the fact that she hadn't received any kind of punishment for what she had done with her crystals.
Currently, she was sitting in the galley with Penguin and Archer who was cleaning up after lunch. The captain was with her up until a few minutes ago when he said he was going to check on something. She didn't know why, but she didn't like that he wasn't here with her. Her eyes dropped back down to her chain free wrists. She didn't understand anything that was going on.
…
"Are you sure?" Shachi asked.
"I am." Law nodded. "She really should have been taking showers a few days ago. But I wanted her to be as comfortable as possible before letting her do that. I believe now is the time for her to start taking her own showers."
"But what if she needs help?" Shachi asked.
"She won't," Law said. "She has been washing herself when I take water to her for it."
"Well, all right then," Shachi said shoving his hands into his boiler suit pockets. "I'll do it. But could you pick her up a brush while you're out? You can use part of my pay to pay for it. With her hair she really needs a nice brush rather than that old comb I've been using on her."
"I've already added it to the list," Law said with a nod. "And don't worry about her expenses. I have plenty to take care of it.
"How long are you going to be gone?" Shachi asked.
"I'm not planning on taking more than two hours," Law said. "It just depends on if the stores have what I need. And it depends on if I run into any trouble with unexpected marines or pirates."
"I hope you don't," Shachi said. "I'm not sure how well she's going to handle you not being here. She seems to react to you better than any of us."
Law nodded again. It was true. While the girl easily obeyed Shachi and Penguin, it was clear to them all that she was closer and more comfortable with him. He figured it was because he handled her more and had a no nonsense policy. He didn't care either way. As long as she obeyed them, he knew everything would be fine. "Just have her throw her bandages in the trash. I want to check her injuries when I get back."
"Aye, Captain," Shachi said.
The two parted ways. Shachi headed for the galley while Law headed upstairs towards the exit. He paused on the second floor stairs. A small bit of doubt was hovering around in his chest. This was going to be the first time he left her with his crew while he was off the sub. He forced the doubt down. This had to happen. For one, she needed her own clothes. And for two, she needed to be tested while he was away. He didn't think anything bad was going to happen, but he still wanted to hurry and get back. Pushing his way on up the stairs, he left with only his sword and his list for the girl.
…
She was still staring down at her wrists until she saw movement from the door. She glanced up, hoping that it would be the captain but only found that it was Shachi. Avoiding eye contact with him, she glanced over his shoulder in an attempt to see the captain. But the tall man never came within her view. She dropped her eyes back to her wrists and waited for his return.
She shifted when Shachi came closer to her. He said, "Captain said you should have a shower now. If you're ready, just follow me and I'll take you to it."
Obediently, she stood up and followed him out of the room without a word. She followed him through the hall and up the stairs. Cautiously, she glanced around for the other men, and the captain, she knew was on the sub with her. She didn't see anyone else. Eventually, the man she was with paused and opened a door to a room she's never been to before. Stepping inside of the darkened room, she noticed something about it smelled familiar. It took her a minute to realize this room smelled like the shirt she was wearing. She also knew she had smelled this scent somewhere else, but couldn't place where.
With a little confusion and curiosity in her mind, she glanced around the room they were in. Looking to her left, she found two double doors on the wall. There was also a desk with a matching chair on that side of the room with a porthole on the back of the wall. Moving her eyes from the porthole to her right she found a large bed with a nightstand and a small lamp beside it. Moving to the foot of the bed she found another door.
"The bathroom's here," Shachi said while walking into the door that was at the foot of the bed.
She took small steps over to the door as he opened it and walked inside. Poking her head in, she glanced around before stepping fully into it. She found that it was a rather simple bathroom. It contained a tub on her left, tucked nicely in the corner and the shower in the other corner just beside it with a towel rack hanging up near the tub and shower. Opposite of those was the sink with a square mirror over it and the toilet.
Her eyes was pulled back to the man she was with when he started speaking. He was standing near the shower, pointing out items as he spoke about them. He said, "This is the shampoo, conditioner, soap and a washcloth you can use." He pointed to the drying rack near the shower. "Here's a towel for you to use and the shirt the captain wants you to wear when you're done. Just hang the towel back up here so it can dry. Oh, and just throw away your bandages there in the trashcan. The captain will check your injuries later then bandage them if it's needed. I'll be waiting right outside for you. Just come on out when your done. Is there anything else you need?"
She shook her head. Shachi nodded then skirted around her to let her get her shower done. She glanced back when the door clicked closed. She looked around the room for another minute before finally moving over to the shower. Reaching up, she turning the knobs on. The water rushed out onto the floor below, splashing lightly on her bare legs. Letting the water heat up, she adjusted it to the temperature she wanted then took off the shirt and bandages. Looking around she found a small trashcan between the sink and the toilet. She dropped them into it as instructed then stepped into the shower, pulling the curtain closed. The warm water cascaded down her skin, heating her up and relaxing her tension from not knowing where the captain was.
After a minute of letting the water wash over her, she reached for the shampoo and layered it up before moving onto her body. When she was finished, she turned the knobs off to the shower before stepping out of it. She grabbed the towel that Shachi had pointed out to her and wiped the water off her skin before wringing as much water out of her hair as she could. Once that was done, she grabbed the shirt that was waiting for her. She slipped it over her head, pausing for a split second to take in the scent that was embedded in the fabric before letting it fall over her body. Then she adjusted it until it was in place, the hem hanging over her thighs so it fit more like a dress than a shirt. But the shirts she wore were always like that. This one was no different from the rest. It was navy blue and short sleeved. It was so big on her that it fell of her right shoulder, baring her skin.
One last wrung of the towel on her damp hair, she placed it back on the rack. Stretching it out enough so it wasn't bunched up and could dry properly. She ran her eyes around the bathroom then exited it. And like he said he would be, Shachi was waiting patiently for her by the bedroom door. He had his arms crossed and was leaning against the wall, a smile spreading over his lips when he looked up at her. Her eyes dropped to the floor.
"Let's go back to the recovery room now. I'll comb out your hair for you," he said to her.
She nodded. Following after him quietly, she kept her eyes on the floor. Occasionally, she would glance up and look around in hopes of seeing the captain. But once again she found him to be nowhere. It bothered her that he wasn't around. Still, she said no word about it to the man she was with. She just obediently followed him back to the room and sat down on the bed. Like he had done before, Shachi sat behind her. A light flinch escaped her when she felt him lifting up her hair to comb it out. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she hugged them while the man behind her started combing out her tangles. She began to think again on what she had done in the rec. room, how no one has say anything about it, and how she had received no punishment for it. Then her mind shifted to the captain. She wanted to know where he was. Swallowing, she parted her lips and asked, "Where is… where is the captain?"
With Shachi behind her, she wasn't able to see the happy smile he now wore from her asking him a question. He said, "The captain's out getting you some of your own clothes. I guess you haven't noticed that we have docked at an island. So you're not going to have to wear his shirts anymore. I also asked him to grab you a hairbrush while he was out. So no more old comb for your beautiful hair. Isn't that exciting?"
"H-his clothes?" She asked so quietly that he almost missed it.
"That's right," Shachi answered. "You've been wearing his shirts. The captain didn't want you walking around a bunch of guys only wearing those bandages around you."
She looked down at the dark colored shirt she was wearing. She almost couldn't comprehend wearing his shirts. But that did explain why they were so big on her. He was a tall man and a lot bigger than her. Then something clicked in her brain. She remembered the time when he had pinned her down to the bed. Somehow, through her fear, she was able to remember his scent. And the shirts she had been wearing, plus the room she was formerly in, were his. It was his scent she smelled. It was his bathroom she had used for her shower. She tightened her arms around her knees, resting her chin on them, unsure of what to do with this information she now had running around in her head. "But, ya know, if you really wanted to keep on wearing his shirts, I get the feeling he'll let you."
She kneaded her eyebrows, wondering why he would say that and why she would even want to wear someone else's clothes.
…
Law had hesitated again when he landed on the docks. The fact this was the first time he was leaving the girl in complete care of his crew, or a few of them, ran fresh in his mind. While they had this chance, some still got off the sub to venture into the town. A few, Shachi, Penguin, Bepo, and Archer, had stayed behind. Mostly to keep the girl company and be there to make sure nothing happened, but also to keep an eye on the sub.
He had scanned the docks for other pirate ships and navy. So far no navy ships were anywhere near the vicinity. There were a few pirate ships, but he didn't recognize their Jolly Rogers so he figured if they did try to cause trouble he'd be able to handle them easily enough. Still, he wanted to avoid fights and get back to the sub as quick as possible. Luckily, the island they had landed on wasn't very big at all. All of the shops were pretty much located in the same area.
What he found unlucky about it was the clothes shops were divided into men and women's. That meant he was forced to go into a women's clothing stores to pick up articles that most didn't see men picking up. Which is where he currently was. Disliking the situation he was in, he released a slow, irritated sigh. Shopping didn't normally get on his nerves since it was something he had to do no matter what he was actually picking up, even if it was for his mysterious blue haired girl currently taking up residence in his submarine. What was bothering him were all the looks he was getting from the women inside of the store he was in. The older generation of women were glaring at him. It was expected. They did, after all, have different values than the younger generations. There was one exception to the bunch however. And that one was about seventy years old, with glasses high on her nose as she checked out the young captain with flirtatious winks.
He did his best to ignore her and the younger women who kept giggling behind their hands and watching his every move. They were the ones who were bothering him the most. One would think if you saw a man carrying around such a large sword with him that they wouldn't be so flirty like this, especially if that man was a pirate. Apparently he was wrong. He wasn't here to cause trouble and was clearly shopping so that probably had a lot to do with it. Wishing of having someone else shop for her passed over his mind like a meteor shower.
But he really didn't have a crewmember that would fit such a task. Bepo wouldn't work because of certain female produces that the girl needed. The bear wouldn't understand them or which ones to get. And Shachi and Penguin were definitely out of the question. If he had ordered them to go pick her up female clothes and undergarments, he knew he wouldn't see them again for at least a month. He also knew that they would bring back inappropriate clothing. He was the only one he could trust to do this and actually return to the ship with the appropriate attire she needed.
Another sigh passed through his lips while he continued to filter through the clothes before him. Luckily, picking out her clothes was proving to be a rather easy. He knew she wouldn't fit fancy or expensive clothing, they wouldn't fit their lifestyle anyway. She needed clothes that she would be comfortable in, clothes that wouldn't draw attention to her. And that's what he was picking out for her, simple clothes with little to no decorations on them.
He plucked a shirt off the rack. A smirk appeared on his lips from the design that was on it. It was a short sleeve navy blue shirt with a baby, cartoon styled, polar bear on the front of it. He was definitely getting that one for her. He folded it up and placed it in the basket he was carrying then moved on to the more sensitive items.
Since he was able to take her measurements when she was unconscious and, using her height, it was easy to guess what her actual weight and body shape was going to be when he got her back to a healthy state. So this was going to be a quick in and out of the ladies underwear section. Or it would have been if it weren't for a nosy woman that popped up. He glared at her as she stared at him. "What?"
"What are you doing here? You're a man!"
Law smirked at her. "Really? No kidding."
"Get out of here before I call the authorities!" she barked.
"Relax, woman," Law replied. "I'm just picking up a few things then I'm gone."
"What do you need those for?" she demanded, poking her cane at the underwear in the man's hand. "Are you planning on something kinky?!"
Law growled. Unable to handle the woman any longer, he let something slipped out that he didn't mean to say. "Look, woman, what's wrong with a guy buying his girl some clothes?!"
"Oh my." The woman's face flushed at his words. She began to fan herself with her hand as her chest heaved up and down. She turned on her heels and walked off. "I think I'm going to faint! You are up to no good! Well, I hope you two are at least married!"
"Wait a minute!" Law called out with his own lightly flushed cheeks. "I didn't mean it like that! She's not mine! I just meant that… well, I was just saying… I didn't mean…" He groaned. The woman was gone and so was his chance of clearing the air up.
When some of the other women in the store giggled at him, he shot a harsh glare at them, making them scatter like scared little rabbits. Unintentionally, he noticed that a couple of them held jealous looks on their faces as they sauntered off with the impression he was married or at least already involved with a woman. He rubbed his hand over his face with another highly annoyed sigh. Usually he was so careful with his words and never let anything slip out like that. It was done and over with now. So he shook what just happened out of his head before finishing up his shopping for her. There was no point in stewing over a slip of the tongue. The women here apparently didn't know who he was. So there was no reason to worry about them running off to tell the navy about him having a female on his ship. But that was something he was going to have to address later on. For now, in a certain way, she was his. She was his responsibility since he brought her on the sub and was taking care of her. A strange tingle of pride seemed to settle in his chest upon having that thought though he didn't know why he even had it in the first place.
Pushing it out of his mind, he got back to his shopping. When he was finally done with his task, he returned to the sub, with six bags full of clothes and other items for her. As he reached the dock, he formed his Room and warped into the hallway of the medical bay since there was no way he could climb up the ladder with his hands full like they were. He was going to just warp into her room but figured it would scare her if he popped in out of thin air. Like he knew he would, he found Shachi was still with the girl. The man was done with her hair and was calmly talking to her about whatever popped into his head. Law noticed that the girl didn't seem as scared. She was still obviously nervous around him as she hugged her knees and stared with her blank expression down at the cover.
When he walked into the room, Shachi was currently telling her about a fishing story that happened shortly after they had gotten the sub and left to live their lives as pirates. Shachi was saying, "It was so huge! It pulled both of us into the sea. If it wasn't for Bepo being on the deck as well we could have been stuck out at sea for days, probably would have gotten eaten by a sea king."
Law smirked at the memory of that event. The giant fish they had caught wasn't a sea king, but it might as well have been. He was busy reading when Bepo came screaming into the sub about having to go after it. Bepo's words were scrambled as he took control of the sub and took off in the direction that the sea creature was pulling Shachi and Penguin.
Shachi then noticed his captain in the room. "Oh, Captain, your back."
"How was she?" Law inquired, walking over to them. He placed the bags he was carrying down before looking at them, catching her timid glance at him when he straightened up.
"Great." Shachi smiled. "She's been a very good girl."
Law nodded. "Your dismissed then."
"See you later, sweetie." Shachi waved while making his way to the door. "I hope you got her some cute outfits, Captain. She's such a cutie. She needs cute clothes."
"Just get out!" Law halfway snapped. He knew better than to completely raise his voice around her. Shachi gave his captain a toothy grin before finally shutting the door to the room. He grumbled at his subordinate's antics despite the fact he did manage to pick out a few shirts he thought were cute, like the polar bear one. "Stupid goofball." He turned his eyes to her. She was looking at the bags he had set on the floor. "You can look through them. They belong to you."
She raised her eyes to him, still unable to make eye contact, and dropped her eyes back to the bed.
"They're for you. They're your clothes. I'm sure Shachi told you where I was. Go ahead and pick something out to change into," Law said.
She lowered her eyes back to the bags. After a minute, she slid off the bed and stepped over to them. She knelt down and nervously started pulling one item out at a time. With each item she pulled out, she placed it neatly on her lap.
"I'm going to ask you some questions," Law said.
She flinched and started to fiddle with the brush she had just pulled out of the bag.
"Relax. It's only going to be yes or no questions. Will that be all right?"
She fingered the brush again before placing it, and the clothes, back into the bag. With a light nod she moved on to another bag.
"Are you a devil fruit user?" Law asked.
"I… I don't understand," she replied softly. She pulled out two pairs of shoes. One were black sandals while the others were boots similar to the ones the crew wore. She placed them on the floor beside the bags.
"Did you ever eat a fruit that tasted very, very bad?"
"No."
"Do you get weak when you touch the sea water?"
"I've… never been in it." She pulled out the shirt with the polar bear on it.
"Did you create those crystals and that wind last week?"
She flinched. Her voice was so low Law barely registered her reply. "Y-yes."
Law paused with his questions when he noticed her staring curiously at one of the bras he had bought for her. It appeared she didn't know what it was. With that information he assumed that whatever happened to her happened at a young age. She must not have had a woman influencing her and informing her about women clothes and other products. He continued with one more question. The most important question he had at the moment. Licking his lips, his palms sweated a little bit. He said, "I'm going to ask you one more question. I want you to really think about this before answering. Do you know a man who goes by the name Corazon?"
She paused, resting a shirt on her knees while thinking about his words. Finally, after several seconds, she said, "No."
Law stopped with his questioning at that point like he said he would. He believed her. She showed no signs of knowing the dead man at all. It was disappointing but there was nothing that could be done about it. "That's all I'm going to ask you for now. You did good in answering me."
Without a reply, she stood up with the polar bear shirt, a pair of jeans and underwear in her arms.
Law tapped his finger on the sheath of his sword. His eyes drifted down the bra that was sticking out of one of the bags. He knew some women didn't wear them. But he wanted her to. "Let me check your injuries. Then you can get dressed."
She nodded before placing the clothes she was holding on the bed. She then lifted his shirt off her body and allowed him to check her wounds.
Allowing her a bit of privacy to take off the shirt, he momentarily stepped away from her to grab a tube of antibiotic cream from a near by drawer where he had been keeping it in, propped up his sword, then stepped back over to her. The wounds she had caused herself had healed strikingly fast. Still, he didn't want to take chances and apply the cream to her wounds. He placed smaller bandages on her this time and recapped the tube. After everything was back where it should be, he pulled the bra out of the bag. "This is a bra. Women wear it around their breasts for support. Do you understand?"
She shook her head.
He bit the inside of his cheek, wondering if she even knew what the word breasts even meant. "Do you even know what breasts are?"
Another head shake.
"They're these." Law pointed to her body. "Would you like me to help you put the bra on?"
She nodded.
Law didn't move closer to her yet. Instead, he studied her lowered eyes. It was obvious she was only allowing him to do this because she had no self esteem what so ever. She probably never made a decision for herself on her own. It was something he was going to have to work with her on that. While he wanted her to obey him, he didn't want her to be his slave. He wanted her to understand freedom of choice and how to be her own person. Closing the distance, he instructed her on how to put the bra on while showing her how to do it. Once he was finished, she pulled the rest of her clothes on and he reclaimed his sword. "It might feel a bit uncomfortable for you to wear a bra since you're not use to them. But eventually you won't even notice it's there. There are several different styles. I wasn't sure what you would be prefer to wear so I just picked up the most basic one they had. Later on if you want to try something else then you can. Understand?"
She nodded, wiggling her foot into one of the sandals. Completely dress, she waited patiently for her next command.
"Let's go then." Law shoved his sword free hand into his pocket. She took a couple steps and stumbled in the sandals she was wearing. On instincts, Law shot out his arm, catching her around her shoulders. "Careful."
She jumped away from him and collapsed her hands in front of her, hanging her head with tears piercing her eyes. "S-sorry, s-sir."
"There's no need to apologize." Law shoved his hand back into his pocket, his eyes down on her shoes. It wasn't a surprise that she had tripped in them. "You don't have to wear those right now. I figured you wouldn't be use to wearing them. You can start wearing them later. Just start with a few minutes a day then increase that time when you get comfortable with them. There will be times where you're going to have to wear them so getting use to them is a necessity, but it's not an immediate one."
She nodded and slipped them off before following him out of the room and down the stairs.
"Captain, you're back," Bepo said, meeting them on the main floor.
"Yeah." Law nodded. "I got back a little while ago. Has anyone else returned?"
"Not yet," Bepo said. "But I'm sure they'll be coming back within an hour or two since that was the time allotted for this island." His eyes went to the quiet girl standing beside his captain. A smile formed on his furry lips at the sight of the polar bear on her shirt. "Hey, that's a very cute shirt."
The girl looked up at the bear. A light pink tint spread over her cheeks. Her eyes dropped back down the floor as she shifted back and forth on her feet.
"I think she likes the shirt," Bepo said.
Law nodded in agreement.
"And she looks really cute in it, too," Bepo said.
Law felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance. For being ruthless pirates, his crew sure had a bizarre attachment for cute things. But he figured it would be fine for them to dote over her cuteness. She did have a certain charm about her with the way she was. It was like her innocence and uncertainty was bring something out in his crew that no one else could or would be able to do. And that was just in a short period of time. He had no idea how she would affect them once she opened up and formed relationships with them all.
…
The rest of the night went the same as it always did since her arrival here. She stayed at Law's side no matter where he went, following him around, obeying whatever she was told to do which didn't turn out to be much of anything. She kept her eyes locked on the floor the entire time, only taking small occasional glances up at the men but never making eye contact with any of them.
Soon the captain had settled them into the rec. room. He had sat down on one of the couches and ordered her to sit with him. She obeyed and didn't move from that spot. Her body shivered uncontrollably at being back in this room. It was the last place she wanted to be. But nothing happened. Only a few of the men came in while they were there. It only added more confusion to her. She wondered if they really weren't upset with her at all for what she had done.
It was coming upon nine o'clock when Law caught her covering up a small yawn. He closed the book he was reading and place it back onto the shelf before speaking to her. He said, "It's time for bed. Let's go."
She stood up immediately.
Shachi and Penguin, the only other two in the room at the moment, bid their goodnights to her simultaneously. They said, "Good night, sweetie."
She only nodded lightly at them before following Law out the door. Her eyebrows kneaded when he only lead her up one flight of stairs then turned down the hall. It was the same hall that Shachi had taken her down for her shower. She wondered if the captain wanted her to take another shower.
"Just follow me," Law said, sensing her confusion.
"Yes, sir." She collapsed her hands in front of her and continued to quietly follow him. A short while later, she entered back into his room. The only difference was the bags that held her clothes were sitting near the two double doors. Her head tilted in confusion at why they were in here before she pulled her eyes to Law.
He nodded his head towards the bathroom. "You may use it first, if you need to. I've already put your own toothbrush and toothpaste on the sink."
She lightly nodded.
While she cautiously walked over to the bathroom, Law stepped over to his closet. Once she was inside the bathroom he quickly changed into his nightclothes. He was use to just wearing pants or shorts to bed, but with her around, he figured it would be best to wear a shirt from now on. He pushed his arms through the sleeves just before she emerged from the bathroom. He turned to head for the bathroom himself. He paused when he noticed a quizzical look on her face as she stared down at his bed. He said, "We're going to share it. You can lay down now."
She didn't move. She just continued to stare, quizzically, at it. Law shrugged it off and stepped into the bathroom to preform his own nightly routine. When Law exited the bathroom he couldn't help but blink several times in his own confusion. The girl was curled up against the wall near his nightstand still wearing the same daytime clothes. He knew she saw the nightclothes he got her. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it when he noticed she was shivering. Not knowing what to do about her, he ran his hands through his hair and walked over to the light switches. He flicked one switch on and another off. He noticed her curious glance at the ceiling when the main lights went out and smaller ones came on. He sat down on his bed. "They're like night lights. It would be too dark in here being underwater. We needed some kind of light at night for the times we're underwater."
Her only response was curling into herself more. He sighed and watched her. Her eyes were carefully scanning every inch of the lightly lit room. He had no idea how long he had watched her. Next thing he knew her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping. He rubbed his neck with another sigh before laying down himself and waited. A while later, Law rolled over and looked at the girl again. She still appeared to be asleep. She, at some point, had lain down on the floor and was also still curling into herself as tightly as she could possible get.
He got up and walked out of the room. Turning down the hall to the storage rooms, he pulled out a blanket then went back to his room. Placing the blanket on the floor beside her, he grabbed the pillow he had intended her to use off the bed. He quietly stepped back over to her. When he confirmed she was asleep, he gently lifted her head and slipped the pillow underneath. He then unfolded the blanket and placed it over her. He watched as she grabbed the cover in her sleep and pulled it tightly around her. It was something he caught her several times doing in the recovery room. But since she was now free of the chain, she was able to wrap it more securely around her. After he made sure she was tucked in, he walked back to his bed, climbed in, and closed his eyes quickly falling asleep himself.
…
It was a couple hours later when something woke him up. Pushing up on his elbows, he looked around but nothing appeared to be out of place. Even the girl was still right where he had left her. That's when he heard soft whimpers coming from her. Pushing his blanket off of him, he walked over to check on her. Kneeling down, he noticed her face was scrunched up with fear. She was having a nightmare. More whimpers escaped her lips from the torture her nightmare was causing her as she clenched the blanket she was now cocooned in.
He knelt down and placed his hand on her shoulder. She jumped at his touch, but didn't wake up. Surprisingly, she did calm down shortly after that. His touch, somehow, made the nightmare disappear. Narrowing his eyebrows, he watched her sleep for a while before going back to bed.
