The Next Step
Neo was slowly walking up the stairs to the main level of the sub when she heard some of the crew talking amongst themselves. Since she was a few steps below the level she only caught bits and pieces of their conversation as she moved up the stairs. They sounded excited about getting to do something. Then she reached the floor and turned the corner. The men that were talking were gathered around the large door that led to the main deck, or so she had been told. She never went outside so didn't know for sure where the door led. Staying close to the stairs, she watched as one of the men spin a strange looking circular devise. It released several unfamiliar clanks, clicks, and groans before the door was pushed open with a loud creak. Light filtered inside the room as the men wandered farther outside.
While peering out the now open door, she saw part of the sea in the distance along with the edge of an island. Gulping, she inched closer to the door. Her heart fluttered like the wings of a hummingbird, rushing blood through her veins. Part of her didn't want to go near the door. But her feet didn't listen. They kept carrying her closer to the open door. The familiar smell of salt from the sea poured into her nose. A warm breeze brought the smell of the island to her as well. The wooden floor was warmed by the sunlight when she reached the arched sunlight carved out by the door. The sub curved. Her heart took a sharp jolt in her chest when she saw the town. Then the people came into her view, dotting the coast like colorful ants. Fear gripped her chest. She was coming closer to strangers. Her mind filled with her past. The closer the sub drew to the island, to the people, the more her heart pounded. Seeing the crowds of people gathering all together, the air in her lungs hitched. She spun around and ran away from the door. Through her tear blurred vision she saw his familiar yellow and black hoodie rounding the corner where the stairs were. She instantly dove into his chest. Gripping the front of his shirt, she pressed her face into his body and cried. Her voice cracked when she said, "I don't… want to be here. Don't l-let them hurt me."
Law felt his eyebrows lift in confusion. He then heard his men laughing about something out on the deck. Upon seeing the door open and seeing the island's people, he understood. This was the first time since she was on his sub that she had seen the outside world. Of course it was going to bring back memories for her. Slipping one arm under her knees, he lifted her into his arms, careful to angle his sword away from her, and descended back down the stairs. He said, "It's all right, Neo. No one's going to hurt you. I won't let them. You're staying on the sub anyway. I have to go onto the island for a while, but Bepo is going to stay with you. I want you to stay with him and work on your lessons. Do you understand?"
Neo nodded against his chest.
"Good girl." Law walked into the rec. room, noticing the books and papers that Penguin was using to tutor her scattered on the table. He sat her back down on her feet and looked into her eyes when she looked up at him. Despite not saying anything, he could clearly see it in her eyes that she didn't want him to leave her. Reaching up to her hair, she flinched but didn't pull away, he tucked a soft strain back behind her ear then brushed his thumb over her cheek. "Don't worry. We're not staying over night here. We're just picking up a few supplies then we'll be gone."
Neo nodded.
"Oh, there you are," Bepo said as he walked into the room with a book in his hand.
Law quickly dropped his hand from Neo's face. The brim of his hat dropped over his eyes as the bear came closer.
"I'm staying with you while the others go get supplies," Bepo said. He then noticed his captain standing there. "Something wrong, Captain?"
"No, nothings wrong," Law replied. He shoved his hand into his pocket and headed towards the door. "I'll be back later. Make sure she stays in the lower levels until I get back."
"Aye aye, Captain," Bepo said. He turned back to Neo with a smile. "Well, what would you like to do now? Some worksheets? Or would you like to read?"
"Um." She turned her eyes to the table. "Read?"
"Good choice," Bepo said waving the book he had. He walked over to table and sat down. "I have to catch up with my logbook. Feel free to sit down and start reading when you feel like it."
Neo stayed where she was. Her eyes roamed back to the door. She wished the captain would come back and stay with her. But she knew he wouldn't be gone for very long. So she wandered over to the table and sat down beside the bear. Pulling the book she had been reading closer, she opened it and scanned her eyes over the pages. Curiously, she started taking several glances up at Bepo. His black eyes scanned over the pages of his own book while he wrote furiously in it. Her eyes then drifted up to his ears. He was different from the animals she had seen before, but she didn't know why. Several more times she looked up at him until he finally caught her looking at him. She jumped. Her cheeks flushed as she tucked her head down.
"Is there something wrong?" Bepo asked.
She shook her head. Her eyes flittered back up to his. He was still looking at her with curiosity. Her eyes then drifted up to his ears before dropping back down to the book in front of her.
"It's all right if you want to ask me a question," Bepo said.
Neo slowly drew her eyes back up to him. Unable to keep their eyes locked, she stared at his orange boiler suit. She licked her lips. Softly, she said, "You… you're different."
"What do you mean?" Bepo asked.
"You... you're an animal," Neo said. "But you're different."
"Oh, I see," Bepo said. "I am different from other animals you've seen. I'm a mink."
"A mink?" Neo asked.
"I'm still an animal but I can walk on my feet and talk," Bepo said. "There's a whole island with minks on it. They're the same as me and some are different. And this island is on top of a giant elephant."
"Giant elephant?" Neo finally lifted her eyes to him.
"Yeah." Bepo nodded. He then went into a description of what an elephant was since he was fairly sure that she didn't know. And despite the fact she didn't smile at him, he could tell that she was enjoying listening to him talk about the elephant. "But I don't really remember much about my home island. I left there when I was really young to look for my brother who had left." He paused then added, "Would you like to touch my fur?"
Neo shifted in her chair. Her eyes roamed over his white fur and ears. "Can… can I?"
Bepo nodded. He leaned closer to her, resting his chin on the table. "Go ahead."
Neo swallowed. Slowly, she lifted her hand off of her lap and reached out for him. Gently touching the tips of her fingers to his fur before pulling away. Hesitantly, she reached back out for him. Her fingertips touched his fur again for a few seconds before she slid her hand over his soft fur on his head. Gently she stroked his fur then scratched behind his ear.
Bepo reveled in the attention he was getting despite keeping the happy noises down his throat. He didn't want to scare her in anyway. When she pulled back from him, he glanced over at her. Her cheeks were rosy red as she shifted in her chair. He could tell that she loved petting him. Her eyes, despite still gray, showed a small light of enjoyment in them though it only lasted a few seconds. And maybe, just maybe, he would let her do it again when she was feeling better and more vocal. He wouldn't mind getting petted by such a cute little girl. The two settled back down into their reading until noise came from the hall. They lifted their eyes to the door just as Shachi and Penguin walked into the room.
"Hello!" Shachi chirped. "And how's our favorite blue haired girl doing?"
"I'm… fine," Neo said.
"We have a surprise for you," Penguin said. He lifted the bag he was hold and swung it a few times. "Come with us. We're heading down to the training room."
Neo hesitated and looked at Bepo.
"I don't think the captain will mind," Bepo said. "He never said that you couldn't leave the rec. room. You go on. I'm going to stay here and finish my logbook."
Neo nodded before standing up. She followed the men into the hall and then down to the fourth floor. Her eyes scanned around the room they had led her in. It was a room she had peeked into a couple of times but had never come into. There were objects in this room, some lying on the floor while others hung on the walls and were laid across bars, which she didn't know what they were or what they were for. One time she did saw a few of the men in here. They were holding a couple strange bars in their hands and lifting their arms in the same up and down motion. Unable to be vocal with her curiosity, she stood quietly for her orders. Her eyes curiously scanned over Penguin when he pulled something colorful from the bag. He then put part of it to his lips and blew into it. The colorful thing grew and became round.
"This is a blow up beach ball," Penguin said.
"We saw it and just had to buy it for you," Shachi added.
"We're going to play," Penguin said. He twirled the ball between two fingers. "You ready? Here it comes."
Neo remained standing still while Penguin tossed the ball towards her. It hit her arm with a low pop then fell to the floor and rolled to a stop.
"Uh, okay," Penguin said, picking the ball up off the floor. "That wasn't a bad first time."
"You're right. It was terrible," Shachi said.
Penguin elbowed his friend in the ribs. "Don't be rude. She's not use to this after all."
"Sorry." Shachi adjusted his hat. "Perhaps we should give her a demonstration."
"That will probably be a good idea." Penguin turned to Shachi and started tossing the ball back and forth. "See? It's fun."
Neo watched them, unsure of what was actually fun about what they were doing.
"Would you like to try now?" Penguin asked.
She nodded.
"Here it comes then," Penguin said. He gently tossed the ball to her.
Neo mimicked the men's movement. Her eyebrows rose when she captured the ball between her hands.
"Very good." Shachi clapped.
Neo tilted her head. She ran her fingers over the smooth surface, unable to place its unfamiliar texture.
"Now, toss it back to me," Penguin instructed.
She did.
"That was great," Penguin said. "Here it comes again."
…
Law was sitting at the local tavern having just finished up getting the supplies that they needed. It was always his policy that the work needed to be done first then they could kick back and relax. And that's what some of the crew was doing right now. He figured some stayed back at the sub when they went to load things up. But some had stayed with him and were scattered around the tavern. A couple was chatting up a few beautiful women. The sight of them made him hope they remembered they weren't staying very long here. His attention on his men was broken by a slender, long black haired woman that walked over towards him with a delectable sway of her hips. Instantly he knew what she wanted. It's what they all wanted when they saw him: sex. He just wasn't into that. Besides, his mind was only on one girl. And that girl was back on the sub waiting for him to return. He needed to do that. He needed to speak with Bepo again before starting the girl on her training in self defense.
"Hello there," the woman said. She sat down in the chair beside him, crossing her legs to reveal a slit in her dress that went all the way up to her hip.
Law took another sip of his beer.
"You look rather lonely over here," she said, her eyes trailing down his shirt then back up to his eyes. "Would you like a little company?"
"No," Law said flatly. He saw her eyes dim a little then light back up. His lips curled down into a light frown when the woman reached out and traced her long finger over his knee. It really bothered him when women did this.
"That's such a shame," she said. "I would like to have some company. It's getting a bit rough in here."
As if on cue, a glass shattered against a wall. It was followed by shouts of two drunken men and cheers as they tore into each other. Law gave the brawl a causal glance to make sure it wasn't his men that was involved. Satisfied that it wasn't his men he turned back to his drink to finish it. He had to get back to the sub now.
"Why don't we get out of here? Just the two of us?" she purred and leaned over to reveal more of her cleavage to him.
A cheap trick that worked on most men, but it wouldn't work on him. He was far too cautious of the women around him. Some were bounty hunters only looking to catch him off guard so they can capture or kill him for his 150,000,000 and growing bounty. A few have tried, but none succeeded. He also knew a few have tried to get to him through his men by using them as bait. It didn't work either.
Law chugged back the last of his drink and stood up. Resting his sword against his shoulder, he turned and left. He caught a glimpse of disappointment in her eyes as he left but didn't bother saying anything to her. Making his way back to the sub he wondered how Neo was going to react to her self defense training. He figured she wasn't going to like it very much at all. Still, it had to be done. Despite knowing she wouldn't be fighting any time soon, she still needed to be able to defend herself when the time came.
Working his way through the crowded streets he found his eyes looking over the people. He wasn't sure exactly for what. He was just doing it. There had been no reported sightings of the navy and only a few other, low level pirate crews were on the island at the moment. His eyes just seem to have a mind of their own today. Before he knew it, his boots were clunking along the wooden deck where the sub was anchored. Grabbing a hold of the ladder, he easily hauled himself up and sauntered into the open door of the sub. Once inside a couple subordinates greeted him hastily as they headed back to the island. Without a word to them, he headed down to the rec. room where he found Bepo but not the girl. "Where is she?"
"Probably down in the training room still," Bepo said, looking up from his book. "Shachi and Penguin said they had her a gift. Did you need something?"
"We're going to start her training today," Law said.
"Are you sure it's not too soon?" Bepo asked.
"I believe she'll be fine," Law said.
"Aye, Captain," Bepo said, closing his book. "I'm ready."
Law nodded and left the room. Despite sounding so confident in answering his navigator he was having doubts about this. She was such a scared little girl he had no idea how this was actually was going to affect her in the long run. He grunted and pushed the thoughts aside. Reminding himself once again that this was necessary. It was the first step in getting her to use her crystals. This was just to get her self confidence up. And she was going to need it when he started her on using her crystals.
Upon reaching the training room he leaned against the door frame and watched the scene before him. Neo, Shachi, and Penguin were tossing a blow up beach ball back and forth between them. And Neo appeared to be enjoying it despite not smiling. A smile, however, appeared on his own lips. He never thought about doing something like this with her. He was glad that his subordinates thought of it. She was, in a way, still a child. She needed to have fun and play games that she didn't get to do as a child. He allowed her a few more minutes before making his presence known. "All right that's enough play time. It's time for Neo to come with me and start her self defense training."
"Sure thing, Captain," Shachi said, tucking the ball under his arm.
"We were just having some fun with her before you came back," Penguin said.
Law nodded then turned around. "Come along, Neo."
"Yes, sir." Neo rushed to catch up with him.
"See you later, Neo," Penguin said with a wave.
Neo waved to the two men then disappeared down the hall.
Neither of them spoke while Law led them back up to the rec. room where Bepo was waiting for them. He kept stealing glances at her, wondering once again if he should wait a little bit longer before starting her on this. Determination to not coddle her hit him once they had reached the rec. room. There was no turning back and no second guessing now. It was going to happen. They stepped inside. "We're starting your self defense training now."
Neo instantly started to fiddled with her shirttail. Her eyes were down on the floor again, looking like the scare child she often was. "Do I... do I really have to do this? I don't want to hurt anyone."
Law exhaled. Doubt wanted to seep into his mind again. A side of him that he hasn't felt in so many years was starting to bubble to the surface again. And that was his protective big brother side. He wanted to protect Neo from all harm. But he knew that was just naive thinking. He knew he couldn't protect her from everything that was going to hurt her in this world. Just like he couldn't protect Lami. His hand tightened on his sword at the thought of his little sister. Perhaps that was why he was being so protective of Neo. There must have been something about her that reminded him of his sister and he was projecting his big brother protective side onto the blue haired girl. "Neo, we've talked about this. You have to do it."
"But you want me to learn how to fight," Neo timidly pointed out. "And fighting hurts people."
"Neo, look at me." When she didn't his voice took on his authoritative tone while remaining calm and soft. "Neo, captain's orders, look at me."
She took a breath then obeyed and looked up at him. She gave him such a sweet, innocent, yet scared and vulnerable look that he almost gave into to her in a split second. Luckily, he was able to keep control of himself and stomp down his protective side. He knew this had to be done. "Learning how to fight doesn't mean you have to hurt someone. A lot of people learn how to fight so they can protect themselves from getting hurt. Doing this doesn't mean you will have to fight. At this point in time, we'll protect you when the need arises. All you're going to do here is gaining some self confidence."
…
Bepo had locked his eyes onto his captain ever since he and Neo came into the rec. room. He got up and walked away from the table to the end of the room where they would have more room to work. While standing there, he couldn't help but observe how his captain was with Neo. It was unusual to see the captain talking in such a soft tone to anyone. In fact, he couldn't recall a single time when his captain had talked so softly. Usually, his captain was all business, even when they were just teenagers.
And this wasn't the first time he's seen Law acting this way. He has seen it before. But it really came clear shortly after the surgeon inform him and the rest of the crew of the girl's past. He wasn't sure how exactly the man had come to know of her past, outside of her glowing thing, but he could tell something had changed in the man. He wasn't really sure if Law had noticed it or not. He figured the man did. But knowing his captain, he knew Law wouldn't talk about it unless he wanted to. So he didn't push it.
…
"Bepo is very good at what he does. He'll go slowly in the beginning until you're comfortable enough to move on. And he will be the only one in the room. Of course I'll be here, occasionally, but for the most part, it will just be you two for now. This is a necessary first step in helping you gain control over your abilities. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir." Neo nodded.
"Good." Law nodded back. "Time to start. Bepo?"
"Aye, Captain!" Bepo nodded. "Are you ready, Neo? We can start right now if you're ready for it."
Neo took a slow, deep breath before walking closer to Bepo. "Y-yes, I'm ready."
…
Law leaned against the wall. His eyes were carefully watching Neo's reactions to what Bepo was telling her. The bear was starting off with showing her how to throw a punch.
"Now just bend your knees slightly. Keep your chin down and your fists beside your face like this." Bepo raised his paws and bent his knees to demonstrate what she was supposed to do. Neo immediately mimicked his position. He smiled. "Good, good. Now throw your fist out like this."
Bepo demonstrated the punch for her a couple times in slow movements then a couple times faster. Neo continued to mimic his moves.
Law remained leaning against the wall for a couple of hours. During her training, Neo kept stealing glances over at him. He knew she didn't want him to leave her while she was going through this. And despite the fact that he wanted to leave the room, he stayed. He stayed for her. But he wasn't going to stay each time she would do this. She would need to get use to him not being around since there were going to be times he would have to separate from her. So he spent his time going over his crew and which ones would be the best sparring partners for her. He had a few in mind that would work, as long as they didn't go too easy on her, which he figured they would. There wasn't a single man on his crew that didn't want to already spoil her. For a split second he thought that he would have to spar with her. But a sharp jolt of his heart told him that he wouldn't be able to lift a hand to her at all. He sighed heavily, wondering what this girl had done to him that caused him to be so weak towards her. There was something there between them. He couldn't deny that to himself even though he was denying it to his crew. Something had happened between him and Neo when she engulfed them both in that glow of her. He just didn't know what it was. And he was fairly sure she wouldn't know either. It looked like he was just going to have to do the best he could for her until they found someone who could tell them who, or what, she actually was. If they ever found anyone for that.
…
"You are getting ready good. I think you're going to have really pretty handwriting when you've mastered writing," Penguin commented. He was comparing one of the first pages of Neo's handwriting to a new one that she had done today. They were once again in the rec. room for her tutoring session for the day, sitting at the table like always.
"Really?" Neo asked softly.
"I do." Penguin slid the papers across the table to her. "See for yourself how much you've improved."
"I guess." Neo stared at the pages. She felt her eyebrows lifting on her forehead. Penguin was right. She was improving. The first letters she had done was large, crooked, and really sloppy with bold lines from her holding the pencil too hard. And now her writing was a neater, smaller, her lines were straighter and lighter in color from now holding the pencil more gently, and they were within the lines that Penguin had drawn on the papers for guides.
"You guess?" Penguin chuckled. "I know you have. The proofs right there, literally, on paper. Bepo talks all the time about how you have improved on your self defense lessons as well. He's really impressed."
"Yeah." Neo rolled the pencil in-between her fingers and thought about the past few weeks and what all the martial arts master has taught her and was teaching her. The lessons started off with just her and Bepo. He showed her a lot of offense and defense moves. And he was the first one she ever sparred with. Of course he went easy on her. She went through the moves while he acted out the part of an attacker. Over three weeks she got faster and more confident in her moves. So Law had stepped up her training. While she was still a beginner, Bepo was no longer holding back as much as he did when they first started. He was more of a challenge for her despite the fact he was still holding back quite a bit of his strength.
She had even started sparring with a few other crewmates, Shachi and Archer. Yesterday she even managed to toss Shachi onto his back, but she suspected that he let her do it. He's had years of practice after all. She figured he was just trying to give her a confidence boost and so she'd know if she was tossing him correctly. "Well, I admit I like my tutoring sessions of cooking, writing and reading with you a lot more than the fighting sessions."
Penguin smiled at her. He tilted his head and studied how much she has improved with everything. She was talking a lot more now. It still mostly happened when there was only her and a few others in the room. She still had issues being vocal around the entire crew, but she was obviously improving and becoming more and more comfortable within the crew. His captain's plan was working very well despite the fact they were just flying by the seat of their pants.
Penguin leaned back in his chair and pushed it back on two legs while continuing to study the girl sitting with him. He had to wonder why his captain was actually doing this for her. It's not like him, the Surgeon of Death, to be so nice. While his captain did tell them about Neo's nightmare vision thing he couldn't see that actually being the whole reason. He had noticed a change in his captain since that day. A change that he couldn't help but assume that his captain was starting to have feelings towards the quiet blue hair girl on their sub. But what kind of feelings? He knew his captain had a little sister. So was his captain only looking at Neo as a sister? He had noticed that his captain was always more relaxed when Neo was in the room. Could a sister do that? Or was there more to it?
"I wonder if the captain is possibly developed feelings for…" Penguin's voice trailed off when he realized he was speaking out loud.
"What?" Neo asked.
"Huh?" The legs of his chair tapped against the floor when he sat them back down.
"You wonder what about the captain? Something about his feelings?" Neo blinked innocently at him.
"Nothing." Penguin waved his hands at her and smiled. I almost slipped there. I only suspect the captain might be developing feelings for her. The captain wouldn't have been happy about that if I brought it up. She wouldn't understand those feelings at this point anyway. "I was just... it was nothing important. I guess I just got lost in thought."
"Oh." Neo tilted her head. "Okay then." She dropped her eyes back down to the paper in front of her and started writing again. Thirty minutes passed before she heard footsteps coming down the hall. She glanced up just in time to see the captain walk into the room. "Hello, sir."
"Neo." Law nodded at her. "How's it going?"
"Great." Penguin held up the two pieces of paper for his captain. He released them when Law took them. "She's improved quite a bit."
"Good work, both of you." Law smiled before returning the papers to Penguin. He shifted on his feet and fingered the sheath of his sword.
"Was there something else, Captain?" Penguin asked when he noticed the man actually showing signs of hesitation.
"We're docking in about an hour," Law replied, looking at Neo. "The place that Bepo located for your crystal training is near."
"Oh." Neo shifted uncomfortably. She dropped her eyes to the pencil in her hand. "Okay, Captain."
Law studied her, unaware that Penguin was studying him just as hard. He watched as Neo fiddled nervously with her pencil. Joy spread over him upon having Bepo chose an island that didn't have any people living on it. He knew she wouldn't be able to handle people at all. With a nod to Penguin he finally left the room.
Penguin watched their captain go before he looked at Neo. He studied her nervousness then said, "Hey, how about we switch gears and work on your reading until we dock?"
"All right." Neo nodded.
Penguin reached behind him to the bookshelf. He pulled a book off the shelf that she had been reading and handed it to her.
She opened it to the place she had left off the last time she read from the book. As she read out loud, Penguin half listened to her and half worried about her.
Penguin took this time to mentally filter through his own feelings for her. He hadn't realized how much he had grown fond of her from all the time they spent together. And because of her tutoring, they were spending a lot of time together. He was the main one who was teaching her how to read, write, and cook. It was always hard for him to tell how she actually felt about these activities before. Today was the first time she admitted that she liked them out loud. He felt that it was more proof that she had grown to trust them. He hoped it continued. Whether she knew it or not, he and several others already considered her part of their crew. Without realizing it, she had become a little sister to him. He wanted to help her in any way he possibly could.
And while she was making progress in all of her sessions, Penguin couldn't help but worry about her taking the next step in her training. Their captain was getting ready to start her in using her crystals again. Her crystals that held the power to destroy so much and so many people. He wasn't sure if she was mentally ready to face that part of her past like this just yet. But he did trust his captain. And with how intently he notice his captain studying the girl a few minutes ago, he knew that Law wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt her now. The man obviously knew what he was doing and how Neo needed to be handled despite never having been in a situation like this before.
Penguin's lips pulled into a smile. I'm starting to think that my hunch about the captain is right. And I always had a feeling that the captain was leaving something out about what happened when Neo revealed her past to him. He must have bonded with her through that experience somehow. Maybe because of his own past?
"Um, Penguin? Penguin?" Neo's voice broke into his thoughts.
"Yes?" Penguin slightly jumped before turning his attention to her.
"I'm stuck on a word." Neo blinked at him. "You weren't listening. Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no, of course not." Penguin smiled at her. "I'm sorry for making you feel like you did. My mind just drifted off for a moment. It won't happen again. I promise. What word are you stuck on?"
"This one." Neo pointed to the word on the page.
…
Penguin was leaning back in his chair when Shachi had walked in the room about an hour later. He was so lost in listening to Neo read to him that he didn't realize how much time had passed. "What's up?"
"We're docked. Captain wants you two to meet him on the deck," Shachi said.
"Thanks, Shachi," Penguin replied.
"See you later." Shachi waved to Neo before disappearing back into the hall.
Penguin then quickly put up their learning tools for the day. "Let's go."
"Okay." Neo nodded, stood, and then followed him out of the room.
Their walk was fairly quiet as they slowly made their way through the sub hall and up the stairs. The passing crewmates gently greeting the two, still making sure not to get too close or trap her in any kind of way. She greeted them back softly, with a low 'Hi or Hello' while Penguin greeted them more openly.
When they got to the door and the bright light pouring in with the salty air, her body froze. Her heart thundered in her chest. She didn't want to leave the safety of the sub.
"It's all right, Neo," Penguin said. "We're the only people who are going to be here."
Neo nodded slowly. She took one step into the bright sunlight and then another. When her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw Law patiently waiting for them. He wore a smile upon his face that she didn't understand.
Law said, "Follow me."
Neo obediently followed him over to the edge of the deck, Penguin tailing behind her. She waited patiently, and watched curiously, while the captain unhooked a part of the railing. A metallic click sounded through the air. Timidly, she asked, "What… what are you doing?"
"We're climbing down the sub ladder," Law explained. He pulled the railing up until it was angled in the air. "It's built into the side of the sub so we can get off and on."
"Oh." Neo watched carefully as Law descended down the ladder with ease. When his head vanished over the side, she walked closer so she could see him. She hesitated when reaching for the railing.
"Just take it slow," Penguin couched. "Hold onto the rail until you get your foot in the first rung. You have plenty of room so you won't fall. But if you do happen to fall the captain will easily catch you."
"O-okay." Turning her body, she mimicked how Law lowered himself down. Her hands were tight on the railing until she could feel the warm metal of the first rung on her toes. Slowly, she made her way down one step at a time. When she got to the bottom of the ladder herself, Law was standing on a rock. She lowered herself to it finding the rock he was standing on was warmed from the sun but also cooled by the sea slapping up on it. She wondered if the captain wanted her to wear her shoes but figured since he didn't say anything about them it was fine for her to be barefooted. Once Penguin had joined them, they walked along rocks that had formed a rocky bridge to the island. She eyed the island as they got closer to it. Just as Penguin had told her there appeared to be no other people on the island. All she could see were different size and shape rock formations and a few trees. She barely noticed the roughness of the rock being replaced with the warm, soft sand of the beach.
"Walk out into the water," Law said.
Neo looked at him. "W-would it be all right I ask what for, sir?"
"I just want to make sure you don't have devil fruit powers," Law replied. "We who do have them can't get into the sea without it paralyzing us."
"Para-lyz-ing?" Neo sounded out the word carefully.
"Immobile," Penguin explained. "The captain is a devil fruit user. If he were to get into the ocean he wouldn't be able to move."
Neo's eyes shimmered with concern upon hearing this bit of information.
Law quickly noted it and quickly put an end to it. He said, "You don't have to worry about it. I'm not going into the water. And Penguin will be right by your side while you are. If you feel weak at all, just grab onto him and he'll pull you out. We're not going to let you get hurt. But this must be done. Into the water now."
"Y-yes, sir." Neo walked towards the water with small steps. She paused when the cold water brushed up against her toes. She didn't continue into the water until Penguin appeared at her side with a warm, comforting smile. She then continued to step farther out into the water. The water was cool on her skin. A small shiver ran over her body the farther they walked out into the sea. She felt something brush past her leg and jumped.
"How are you feeling?" Penguin inquired. "Do you feel weak at all?"
"No." She shook her head. They were up to their hips in the salt water. "Not at all."
"Come back then," Law ordered. "You officially don't have devil fruit powers."
The two turned and wandered back onto the beach. Neo pulled at her now wet pants as they clung to her skin. She didn't like how they felt on her now.
"What now, Captain?" Penguin asked.
Neo looked at him before looking at their captain. She wondered that same thing but didn't have the courage to ask it.
"I want you to escort Neo around the island," Law explained. "Neo, for today, all you're going to do is familiarize yourself and get comfortable with this island. We're the only ones here. There are no other people. And there are probably not many animals. It's the perfect place to take the next step in your training. Tomorrow I'm starting you on using your crystals. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes, sir." Neo nodded with her eyebrows kneading together in worry.
"Well, shall we get started on exploring the island then?" Penguin asked. "This is going to be fun. I love checking out new islands."
Neo looked at him then back at Law.
Law instantly knew the reason she was looking at him. She was seeking permission that it was fine for her to leave now. He said, "Go ahead now. Just be back before it gets dark."
"Aye, Captain." Penguin nodded. "Let's get going, Neo."
"Okay," Neo said. She waved to Law before she turned and followed after Penguin. Without a word, she followed Penguin as he led her farther into the island. Once they had rounded a large rock formation, they found several patched of trees clustered together at random spots on the inner island. They looked dull. Several of the leaves were tinted brown. It was clear that this place didn't get much rain. They weaved through some of the trees for a while. During that time, her jeans were starting to dry off. It made her feel better not to have them clinging to her skin.
"How about we climb up there and get a look at the entire island?" Penguin asked.
Neo brought her eyes back to the man she was with. He was pointing up to a rock formation that had a lot of smaller rock formations along the sides. "Can we climb up that?"
"Of course we can," Penguin said. His eyes ran over the rocks before him. "It'll be easy. There are plenty of footholds. Just follow me."
"O-okay," Neo said.
Penguin stepped forward. He planted his foot on a rock and began to haul himself up.
Neo followed, placing her feet and hands where he did. She glanced over her shoulders went small rocks pinged down the sides. Turning back to Penguin, she continued to climb.
"Wow!" Penguin stretched out his arms as far as he could, having reached the top of the rock formation. He breathed in a breath of satisfaction while staring at the scene before them. "Look at that view! You can see forever! You can also see over the entire island. The captain was right. We're the only ones here."
Neo carefully scanned her eyes over the horizon. The sun was just on the verge of setting. It's golden yellow and oranges painted the sky and the water below. It was one of the prettiest things she had ever seen before. And the man was right. They could see over the entire island. She pulled her eyes away from the sunset and looked over the almost barren island. She saw a few small animals scrambling around on the island, hunting for food probably. Her eyes eventually landed on the rest of the crew. They were small black spots scurrying alone the beach where they had previously been. She wondered what they were doing.
"We should start back now," Penguin said. He walked back towards the way that they had climbed up the rocks with Neo following close beside him. "It's gonna get dark soon. And I don't want to freak out the captain if you're not back by his side before the sun sets."
"Freak out?" Neo blinked innocently at him. She followed him back down the way they came. "I've heard some of the men say that before. You mean he'll get upset, right? Why? Because of his orders? We're going to be back before the sun goes down. And I'm with you. He said I could leave the sub as long as I'm with someone."
Penguin chuckled. "Don't worry about it. You're right. It's just his orders. He is our captain after all."
"Our captain," Neo mumbled softly. "Penguin, would it be all right if I ask you something?"
"Of course." Penguin held up his hand for her to take. He waited patiently as she debated whether or not to take his hand.
"Am I a pirate now?" Neo asked. Slowly, she slid her hand into his. Her entire body tensed at the contact of their skin.
"Um." Penguin looked at her. He could feel her tensing under their touch. This was the first time they had actually made solid contact with each other since that first day. He forced himself to relax as his mind recalled what had happened when his crewmate touched her for the first time. He knew that that wasn't going to happen again. Still he knew that he needed to remain calm so she didn't feed off his energy. She stepped down from the rock and he released her. "Honestly… I never really thought about it. I think that's a bit of a tricky question to answer. You don't do the things we do, but you are with us. And the navy will label you one if they saw you with us. Hmm, I'm not sure. Um, hey…" He placed a friendly hand on her shoulder making her tense again. "Which ever the answer is, you are definitely part of our lives now. You are our friend. We care a lot about you. And don't you ever doubt or forget that."
"Friend." Neo whispered as she raised her eyes to him.
Penguin remained quiet while she looked him over and tried to process his words. He could see easily that she was confused. It was obvious that she was. But he also saw acceptance of the crew in her eyes. Noticing his hand was still on her shoulder, he dropped it to his side. "Let's go."
Neo nodded and continued to follow him.
…
Neo shifted and clenched her blanket against her. Drops of sweat speckled her forehead. She was panting fairly heavily from her nightmare that plagued her mind. She curled more into herself and started talking in her sleep. "No… please stop… I didn't do anything… I didn't…"
"Neo." Law shook her shoulder once he was woken up. Like he always did he placed his hand on her shoulder and woke her up. "Wake up now. You're all right."
Neo's eyes sprung open. She gasped and shot up, he eyes darted around the unfamiliar outside area. She grabbed her head and shrunk into the log she had claimed earlier that night when she and Penguin had returned to the beach where they were setting up camp. Without having the wall to sleep next to, she had claimed a log as a substitute. This gave her the security she needed as well as an easy escape route if she felt she needed it.
Law sat quietly, noting that she was more scared this time. He figured that was because they were outside instead of inside of the sub. She was use to waking up in the familiar surroundings of his room. When this would happen in his room, Neo would cower into the corner on the bed until she had calmed down enough to listen to him.
So he continued with that routine here. He gave her a minute or two for her senses to register she had the nightmare again and she was awake now. When she gave signs of settling down, Law moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. As always, she stiffened up at his touch, but eventually settle into his secure embrace. Giving her a few more seconds to relax, he then said, "You're safe. Settle down now. Was it the same one?"
Neo nodded against him.
As he held her he could sense that there was something on her mind other than her nightmare. He said, "You know you need to tell me what's on your mind. It will only hurt you to keep it inside. Speak to me now."
"Wh-what if I lose control again?" Neo's soft voice was barely registered over their crackling fire. She scanned her eyes over the sleeping crew that was scattered out on the ground with their sleeping gear. Penguin, Shachi and Bepo were camped out on her left side, Law had been on her right and the rest of the crew was laying across the fire from her. Two crewmembers were walking the beach closer to the water edge for security purposes. "I don't want to hurt any of you."
"You won't hurt us," Law said.
Neo turned her eyes up to him. Her worried eyes locked onto his confident ones.
The wind started to blow. It waved a strained of her hair in her face. He reached up and tucked it behind her ear. He chuckled at the intense stiffness he caused her in doing this gesture.
"B-but how do you know that?" Neo whispered.
Law's eyebrows lifted on his forehead as he stared into her worried eyes. Though she was consciously unaware of it, she was pleading to him to help her.
"I won't let that happen," Law replied, his voice soft. He brushed the back of his fingers over her cheek, earning another stiffening reaction from her, before lowering his hand to his lap. "I'm going to start you off slow, one element at a time. It'll work out just fine. I promise nothing is going to happen to you or the crew. You might not realize it, but you have gained some trust in us. Hold on to that and I'll prove to you that you can fully trust us. Now, come here and close your eyes."
He placed his hand on her head and gently guided her down to his chest.
"Shouldn't I lay-"
"Hush," Law ordered. "Just close your eyes."
Neo didn't say anything more. She obeyed his order and closed her eyes.
Law continued to hold her like that, unaware that two of his subordinates were still awake and watching them.
…
Shachi and Penguin had witnessed the entire event between their captain and their favorite blue haired girl. They exchanged grins before laying back down to avoid a serious scolding by the surgeon.
