Lawless Stroll

Thoughts wandered in and out of Law's mind as he worked his shaving cream in his cup with even strokes. Once it was lathered up, he applied it to his face while thinking over how Neo has been doing when they stopped on islands. So far they had been lucky to stop at six different smaller islands for her to get off at. Of course little by little the size of the islands increased and they have gotten lucky enough to not get into any major fights with the navy or pirate crews. A few minor skirmishes had popped up here and there but they were over quickly. Neo didn't have to participate in those at all. He was able to get her away from the fighting before it got too serious, either by himself or having a crewmember take her back to the sub.

Now lathered up, he set the cup and brush down to pick up the razor he often used. But he didn't get the blade to his skin before an innocent bell filled giggle appeared in the room with him, making his heart strum wildly in his chest. Turning his eyes to the door, he found Neo standing there with a grin on her cute face. "And why are you laughing at me?"

"You kind of look like Bepo," Neo said.

Law cocked an eyebrow at her then looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't think he looked anything like Bepo. But he wasn't going to burst her bubble so he didn't say anything about it. "I thought you were with Archer in the control room."

"I was," Neo said. "But I got bored."

Law pressed the razor to his cheek and pulled down.

"What are you doing?"

"Shaving," Law replied.

"Shaving? Why?"

"Because I like my sideburns and goatee just so," Law said, continuing to rake his razor over his skin.

"Will I ever have to shave my face?" Neo asked.

Law smiled. "No, Neo. Women don't shave their faces. They shave different parts of their bodies from men."

"Women shave their bodies?" Neo tilted her head.

Law glanced over to her, thinking how he's not explained to her, yet, certain things women do that men don't, as well as stuff they do together. He knew he probably should have spoke about this before to her, but getting her use to people and using her crystals took priority over self-grooming. "Let me finish up here and I'll explain it and show you what I mean. Okay?"

"Okay." Neo nodded.

Law turned back to the mirror. He continued shaving while sensing Neo inching closer and closer to him. Then a small breeze filled the room, teasing his hair. He chuckled and looked over at her. She was hovering beside him, her eyes curiously locked onto his face before dropping down to his shirtless chest. Her cheeks flared up. Her wind and wind crystals disappeared causing her to drop down to her feet. He bit back a chuckle and quickly finished up. After washing off the remaining shaving cream, he pulled his shirt back one then tapped Neo on her head with his knuckles. "Snap out of it now and hop up on the sink."

"O-okay," Neo said with gulp. Placing her hands on the counter, she lifted herself upon it and waited for his instructions.

"Go ahead and take off your shirt so we don't get it wet," Law said.

"Yes, sir." Neo pulled her shirt off with no hesitation and placed it beside her. "Now what?"

Law, unwittingly, let his gaze skim over her chest before reaching for the remaining shaving cream in his cup. "Lift up your right arm."

"Okay." Neo lifted her arm up.

Law took his shaving brush and applied a little cream to her armpit. He then placed it back on the counter and picked up his razor. "Now, I don't want you to do this without me if you want to do this on your own later. If you're not careful you can easily cut yourself. Understand?"
"I do." Neo nodded.

Law nodded back then proceeded to carefully shave under her armpit. When he got it hair free he wet the corner of his towel, washed then dried her armpit. "Feel that."

"It's so smooth." Neo ran her fingers over her armpit.

"Some women shave their arms and legs for the smoothness," Law said. "But they also do it for style when they wear short sleeves, swimming suits, shorts, or mini skirts."

"Shorts? Mini skirts?" Neo blinked.

"You'll see them when you start shopping for yourself," Law said. "Would you like to try and shave your other armpit?"

"Uh, I guess so," Neo said.

"Then spread a little of this cream over it," Law ordered. "Just like I did."

Neo nodded. Picking up the brush she did as she was told.

"Good. Now take the razor," Law said. When she did he placed his fingers over hers and carefully guided the blade over her skin. "Just like that. Try on your own now."

Neo nodded again. Slowly she raked his razor over her armpit until it was finished. "I did it!"

"You did." Law nodded. "Would you like to try your legs now?"

"Yes, please!" Neo nodded enthusiastically.

Law chuckled and started mixing together some more shaving cream since there wasn't enough for both her legs. "Put your shirt back on and removed your pants now."

"Okay!" Neo slid her shirt back on before hopping off the sink to slid her pants off. When she got back on the sink, he was ready.

"Straddle your right leg over the sink here," Law said. After she positioned her leg, he started applying the cream to her leg and trying really hard not to get lost in the curve of it. Her weight gain was evident more now than ever. Which reminded him, it was coming close to the crew's health check ups. And it's been a while since he's checked Neo's weight, too. "Neo, before long I'm going to be giving you a health check up."

"Why?" Neo asked.

"Just to make sure you're remaining healthy," Law said. "I know you've put on some weight since you've been here. That's a very good thing. I just occasionally give the entire crew health check ups to make sure they don't have any medical issues pop up."

"Oh," Neo said. "I understand."

"Very good. Let's move on to your legs now," Law said, slowly raking the razor over her leg. "You have to be careful just like your armpits. Take slow easy strokes."

Neo nodded then took the razor when he handed it to her. Together they worked until both legs were smooth and free of hair. She sighed, tired. "That was quite a bit of work. And how often do women do this?"

"Most do it when their hair starts growing out again," Law said. "But some will go a few days as their hair grows. It just depends on what you feel like doing."

"Seems like a lot of work," Neo said, rubbing her hands up and down her now smooth legs. "I don't know if I'll want to do this often."

"That's fine," Law said. "We should still pick you up some of your own razors and shaving cream."

"Why?" Neo looked up at him.

"It'll be better for your skin to use what's appropriate for women," Law said.

"Oh." Neo tilted her head then smiled. "Can I go tell the crew I shaved?!"

"If you want," Law said. "But put your jeans back on and don't take them off. The crew doesn't need to see you in your underwear."

"Okay." Neo slid off the sink and pulled her jeans back on. Once they were zipped and buttoned, she dashed out of the room. "See you later, Captain!"

Law chuckled before cleaning up the bathroom.

Neo careened out of Law's room and down the stairs. Voices from the rec. room greeted her as she got closer to it.

"I can't wait," a crewmate said. "It's going to be amazing going to the New World."

"I think it's going to be scary," another said. "That's where the four emperors are."

"We'll be fine," a third said. "The captain won't let us go until we're ready. And he's becoming quite infamous. We're going to be the best crew on the seas!"

"Guys!" Neo busted into the room. "I shaved!"

"Huh?" All three of them turned to her confused at what she was talking about.

"The captain taught me how to shave my legs!" Neo pulled up the legs of her jeans as much as she could to show them her smooth legs. "He also taught me how to shave my armpits!"

"Well, what do you know," a crewmate said, leaning closer to her legs. "She's right. They're smooth."

"So the captain taught you how to shave," the second crewmate said. "That's amazing!"

"He's going to get me my own shaving razors and creams when we dock again!" Neo said before spinning around and dashing for the door again before they could say anything else. "I have to tell the others!"

Turning back down the hall, she headed right to the crew's quarters. Upon seeing Penguin and Shachi's door halfway open, she went right for it, excited to tell them. She knocked on the door before poking her head inside. She found Penguin had his head in a closet while Shachi was lying on is bed, thumbing through a newspaper.

"Hey, Neo," Shachi said with a smile.

"Ah, finally come to see our dirty room, huh?" Penguin pulled out of the closet. Smiling he placed his hands on his hips. "You can come in."

"Thank you." Sheepishly, Neo stepped into the room and looked around. Having this being the first time she entered into their room, she wasn't sure what she was expecting. There were four beds in all, built into the walls on the left and right side of the room, like bunk beds. Each bed had two shelves built into the bottom of them and two closets were at the ends of the bed as well as two desks and chairs on the back wall. The room had a strange musty smell to it. It didn't smell as clean as the captain's room, but it was still nice.

"Did you need something?" Shachi said while folding the newspaper and placing it down on his bed.

"The captain taught me how to shave my armpits and legs," Neo announced, pulling her jeans legs up again. "They're really smooth now."

Penguin walked up to her and squatted down in front of her. "Wow! So they are! That must be exciting!"

"It is!" Neo admitted. "I didn't know people shaved like this. The captain's even going to get me my own razor and shaving cream."

"That's great." Penguin stood up.

"So what are you two doing in here?" Neo asked, letting her jeans fall back in place.

"I was just putting up some laundry," Penguin said. "Shachi's being lazy."

"Hey! I'm am not!" Shachi said.

"You are to," Penguin said. "You're about out of clean boiler suits."

"I'll wash them later," Shachi said. "I still have one clean."

"And then you'll get it dirty then complain about not having any clean clothes," Penguin said, crossing his arms.

"Shachi's being a naughty boy," Neo said.

"Hey!" Shachi protested. He slid off his top bunk and quickly grabbed her in a playful headlock. "I'm not being naughty!"

"Yes! You are!" Neo giggled.

"Naughty and lazy," Penguin said.

"Oh! Come on now!" Shachi said. "I don't need you both ganging up on me!"

"Anyway," Penguin said. "How are you feeling? We're about to stop at another island. Are you ready for this one?"

"Not really," Neo said. She stood up straight when Shachi released her, but kept his arm around her shoulders. "But I'm trying not to think about it. I know it'll only upset me more if I do."

"It's understandable," Shachi said. "This is the first time you're going to walk around an island with us instead of the captain."

Neo whimpered and leaned into Shachi.

"You poor baby." Shachi hugged her.

"Oh, in that case," Penguin said, stepping back over to the closet. He pulled out one of his boiler suits. "Let's have a little fun."

"What kind of fun?" Neo asked.

"We're going to dress you up in one of my suits," Penguin said.

"That sounds like fun," Neo said.

"Just pull it on over your clothes," Penguin said, handing her the suit.

Neo did as she was told. She pulled it on over her clothes, finding it was way too big for her. The sleeves hung off her hands about eight inches. She couldn't help but laugh at how the suit swallowed her. "I don't think I'll fit this."

"But you're so cute!" Penguin squealed.

"To bad we don't have a camera," Shachi said. "Maybe we should get her a suit of her own."

"Now that would be insanely cute," Penguin said.

"And incredibly dangerous."

"Huh?" The three looked up to find Law standing in the door with a light frown on his face.

"I'm sorry, Captain," Neo said, ducking her head.

"Don't be." Law walked over to her and placed his hand on her head. "It's just, wearing our Jolly Roger would put you in a lot of danger not only from the navy but also from other pirates. You're not ready to deal with a big battle. It's already dangerous enough for you to just be with us."

"But I'm staying with you," Neo said. She looked up at him. "Right? You're my family."

"Of course we are," Law said. "Nothing will ever change that. I just want to keep you as safe as possible. Do you understand?"

"I do." Neo nodded.

"Good girl." Law stroked her hair before allowing his hand to drop back to his side. "You can wear the Jolly Roger while on the sub."

Neo smiled. "Thank you, Captain."

"She's so easy to please," Shachi said.

"When are we landing, Captain?" Penguin asked.

"In a couple hours," Law replied. "Neo, when we get closer I want you to meet me at the main door. We're not going directly onto the island. But I do want to look at it before we do."

Neo nodded.

"So how exactly is this going to work this time?" Shachi asked. "I know Neo is going to walk around with us for a while."

"We're all going to stay together until Neo is comfortable enough to leave my side," Law explained, figuring while he's already been over this with Neo it still would help her to go over it again. "I figure we'll get something to eat first then see how she's doing after that."

Neo pulled her arms up to her chest, trying to keep herself from shaking.

"Sounds good to me," Shachi said.

"Neo doesn't think so," Penguin said, wrapping his arm around her shaking shoulders.

"Neo, deep breath," Law ordered.

Neo breathed in and slowly let it out. "I'm fine. Um, do I have to wear my shoes?"

Law thought about her question for a moment. "I don't think it'll be necessary this time. You'll be under enough stress as it is. But if a fight does break out I want Penguin to bring you immediately back to the sub. Use your wind crystals to fly yourselves."

"Yes, sir," Neo said.

"You got it, Captain." Penguin saluted.

Two and a half hours later, Neo -no longer in Penguin's boiler suit- wander up to the main deck where she was supposed to meet the captain. When she rounded the edge of the stairs, she saw him standing there with the door open. He was leaning against the door frame, peering outside. Just beyond him, she could see the sky and part of the island. She fiddled with her shirttail while she walked up to him. Once she was behind him, she clung to the back of his hoodie and peaked around his arm. The sub was skirting along side the rather large island. She gulped hard and pressed into Law's back.

"It's all right, Neo," Law said. "Remember, we're not going onto the island until you're ready to."

"I know," Neo said. "It's still scary."

"You've done well," Law said. "There's no need to be afraid. We'll be right beside you the entire time."

"But you won't," Neo said. "You're going to leave me."

"I'll never leave you, Neo," Law said. "While you won't be able to see me, I will be there. And I'll have a transponder snail. So Penguin can contact me if you really need me to come to you."

"Can I have Penguin do that the second you walk away?" Neo asked.

Law chuckled. He should have expected that. "No, you cannot. I want you to at least spend five minutes away from me."

"Yes, sir." Neo sighed, reluctant but obedient to his orders. She settled into watching the docks of the island come closer and closer until the sub slowed down and the anchor had been released. The docks weren't all that busy but about twenty people were roaming around them, some on the island others on ships. As far as she could see into the town it appeared that not a lot was going on. Like the docks, a few people were out but not many.

The crew's voices and footsteps came up the stairs to greet them before their bodies appeared. They, like always, was happy to land as they made their way out onto the deck.

"It feels so good out here!"

"I know! Such a nice day to spend on an island."

"I wonder how many pretty girls are here."

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

"Still nervous about going out?" Penguin said.

"Yeah." Neo nodded to him. "But I'm about ready to leave. I think. Do you think they are other pirates here?"

Law stepped out farther onto the deck and scanned the ships. From his viewpoint he noticed a couple ships did have black flags. But since the wind wasn't blowing he couldn't check to see if he knew their Jolly Rogers. "There are a few here. I'll send a couple scouts ahead of us to check things out. We'll avoid them as much as possible."

Neo watched as Law pointed to two of his subordinates and ordered them to go ashore and check things out. They were two of the crew's scouters. They nodded then headed off to fulfill their orders. "Will they be all right?"

"Of course," Penguin said. "They're just going to see where the other pirate crews are."

"They won't get into fights unless it's absolutely necessary," Law concluded.

Neo scanned her eyes over the docks once more before taking two small, timid steps out onto the deck. The desire to run back inside the safety of the sub when some men on the ship next to them laughed filled her body. It was cut short when Law walked back over to her and stood by her side to block the men from seeing her with his body.

"They're not going to hurt you," Law said. "They don't even notice we're here."

"Okay." Neo nodded and took a half step closer to him. Her eyes continued to search over the island. The town looked a whole lot bigger than the ones she's been in before. And the forest was farther back. She wouldn't have that to comfort her if she needed it. But she did sense a lot of cats and dogs in the town.

An hour later the two crewmates had finally returned. Law walked over to the edge of the sub and looked down at them. "Well?"

"Everything's good," one called up.

"There are only four pirate crews here. And they're scattered about the many taverns in town," the second one said. "Each crew only equals about a hundred million."

"That's below the captain's bounty," Shachi said.

"We shouldn't have any problems with them then," Penguin said.

"Are we going inland now, Captain?" Bepo asked.

"Neo?" Law looked back at Neo who was now standing in the middle of the deck with three other crewmates near.

"I guess so," Neo said.

"Then let's go," Law said before disappearing down the ladder.

Neo rushed over to him, not wanting him to stay out of her sight for long. She waited for him to be about halfway down before climbing down after him. The deck was warm under her bare feet when she had reached it. It was also smooth from the wear it received from both travelers and nature. She moved closer to Law while the rest of the crew descended down the ladder. Her eyes darted from the end of the deck where the new people were and down to the deck at her feet. Reaching up, she grasped a hold of Law's sleeve and tugged gently. "I…I think I'm ready."

"Then let's proceed," Law said. At a steady pace, he led Neo and his crew down the docks. He took casual glances at her to see how she was doing. Her hand was clenching tightly to his sleeve. He didn't dare pull away. He had become her lifeline, her security. If she felt comfortable enough to release him then she would. If not, then fine. He figured most people would just assume she was his or one of his subordinates' little sister. That would be a good cover for her if anyone asked. He was going to do his best to not let her get labeled a pirate or a bounty placed on her head.

"I smell something," Neo said just as they reached the end of the docks.

"I smell something, too," Bepo said, sniffing the air. "Smells like grilled fish."

"Captain, when are we going to eat?" Neo looked up at him.

"You hungry?" Law asked.

"A bit." Neo nodded. "Mostly because that fish smells really good."

"We ran across that earlier, too, when we were scouting out the town," the first scouter said. "We can show it to you if Neo really wants to eat there."

"Can we? Please, Captain?" Neo asked.

"Very well," Law said. "Lead the way."

The scouter nodded and headed into the town. He kept his gate slow so he could stop if Neo wanted to. But it didn't happen. Neo remained quietly clinging to their captain's sleeve while taking timid glances around the town, avoiding eye contact with anyone outside of the crew. "There it is."

Neo looked up to see him pointing at a simple wood building with a sign over the door that read: Ol' Captain. The smell of the grilled fish was stronger here. It made her stomach rumbled and her mouth water. They entered to find it half full of people scattered around the room. Without a word, Law led them over to a corner table. With his hand, he directed Neo to sit down with her back against the wall so she could see anyone coming. He sat down on her right side while Penguin took the seat to her left. Luckily, no one else was sitting near them so she had a straight shot to the door if she felt like she needed to escape. But since it was a little after the lunch rush, he figured the need wouldn't arise. Still, he wanted her to know she had an escape route.

"I can also warp you out of here," Law told her. "So just relax and try to enjoy yourself."

Neo nodded stiffly. Her heart raced in her chest. It thumped harder when a woman walked over to them.

"It's just the waitress," Law said.

The woman walked right up to Law's other side and smiled while flipping her long black hair over her shoulder before passing out the menus. "This is my lucky day to serve such handsome men." Her eyes sparkled when she looked at Law. She handed a menu a lot slower to him. "Pirates, am I correct?"

"You are," Shachi said. "We're the Heart Pirates."

"And you must be the captain," she said, still looking at Law.

Law glanced up at her but didn't answer.

"I can always tell who the captain is," she said. "Even if they're wearing everyday clothes. My name is Leta. What can I get you all to drink?"

"You have any sake?" Conner asked.

"Sorry," Leta said. "We don't serve alcoholic beverages here. The boss is against drinking."

"Such a shame." Conner smiled. "I'll just have water then."

"Water it is." Leta wrote that down before writing the others drinks down. She then turned to Neo, who hadn't spoken yet. "Oh, she's such a cutie. But what's a cutie like you doing with a bunch of pirates? I didn't think kids joined pirate crews."

Neo ducked her head, unable to look at anyone with the woman paying attention to her.

"She's my sister," Penguin said before anyone else could speak. "She's just traveling with us for a while."

"I see," Leta said. "No wonder she's not wearing your Jolly Roger. Anyway, what would you like to drink?"

Neo slid down her chair, her breathing threatening to increase from the presence of the stranger.

Leta chuckled. "Shy, isn't she?"

"She is," Penguin said. "She'll just have sweet tea."

"Sweet tea it is," Leta said as she walked away. "I'll be right back with your drinks."

"Does she have to come back?" Neo asked, peaking up at Law.

"Yes," Law said. "She won't be around much. All she's going to do is give us our drinks then our meals and check occasionally if we need anything."

Neo exhaled, staring at her menu. "What is this?"

"It's a menu," Penguin said. "It shows us what meals they have here."

"Why don't you check it out?" Shachi asked.

Neo pressed her lips together before reaching for the black menu sitting in front of her on the table. She opened it and scanned her eyes over the words. "They have a lot of food here."

"And it all looks so good," Archer said. "I wonder if their BBQ sauce is any good."

"Must you always be obsessed with barbecue sauce?" Conner asked.

"I can't help it," Archer said. "I love the stuff."

"Barbecue?" Neo asked. "BBQ?

"Oh, that's right," Archer said. "We haven't had one since you've been with us. It's done on a grill. You can cook any type of meat and vegetables on it and brush yummy BBQ sauce on it."

"BBQ sauce?" Neo asked.

"BBQ is just a short way of saying barbecue sauce. It's a seasoning of sorts," Archer said. "There are many types of BBQ sauces in the world. So far I haven't tasted a single one that I didn't like. I'll let you try a bite of my food."

"Okay." Neo nodded. "Thank you." Her eyes dropped back to the menu. "Could I try the mess…messute…um…"

"Mesquite," Penguin said when he understood the word she was trying to say.

"Mesquite?" Neo stared at the word. "It sounds funnier than it looks."

"I guess it does," Penguin said.

"If that's what you would like," Law said.

"It is," Neo said.

"All right," Leta said when she appeared back over to their table carrying two trays on her hands full of the crew's drinks. She placed one tray down on a near by table then started handing out the drinks. "Have you had enough time deciding what you would like to eat? Or would you like a few more minutes?"

"We're good," Penguin said just before they put in their orders one by one.

Neo sat quietly as the crew spoke amongst themselves while they waited for their food. She continued taking cautious glances around the room as they waited. Occasionally, she would bring her eyes to Law to find he was watching her. She'd smiled at him and he would smile back. Then slightly familiar plinking sounds pulled her eyes to another table. There she saw five guys tossing small colorful coins into a pile. Tugging on Law's sleeve, she asked, "What are they doing?"

"Playing poker," Law said.

"Poker?" Neo blinked.

"It's a card game where the players bet with money," Law said. "You've seen the crew play it before."

"Oh," Neo said watching the game.

"Perhaps we should teach her how to play," Conner said.

"Absolutely not," Law said. "She's too naive for a game like that. And that's an order."

"Aye, Captain," the crew said.

"Is it a bad game?" Neo asked.

"I can be," Law said. "And it can cause a lot of problems. I don't want you playing. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." Fifteen minutes later, Leta brought them their food. She waited until the waitress was long gone before picking up her fork and taking a small bite of her fish. The odd smoky flavor danced over her tongue, leaving a slight bitter taste. "It's different."

"Do you like it?" Archer asked.

"I'm not sure," Neo said.

"Try this." Archer placed a piece of his barbecue fish on her plate.

"It kind of tastes like honey," Neo said after swallowing the sweet flavor fish. She ended up tasting a little bit of everyone's meal and had to share hers since she had eaten too much. "I'm sorry, Captain. I didn't mean to not eat what I got."

"Don't worry about it," Law said. "The crew helped you eat it. So no food was wasted." He finished off his own tea then added, "If you're ready to go, we should proceed with today's plan."

"I am." Neo nodded. She then finished off the last swallow of her tea and stood up with the crew. Stepping back outside side she looked up at Law and asked, "Will you walk with me for a little bit?"

"Of course." Law nodded. "We'll stroll around the town a little bit. If we find the correct shop, we'll stop in and get your shaving supplies."

"Thank you, Captain," Neo said. Pinching a hold of his sleeve, she followed him. The crew gathered around her, all keeping their senses open for possible fights and other pirate crews that might cause trouble. Strolling along down the street a dog came scrambling over to them. He barked happily before licking at Neo's feet. She giggled, her bells jingled through the air.

"Ahem!" Shachi cleared his throat while Penguin stepped closer to Neo.

"Careful, Neo," Penguin said. "We don't want anyone noticing you have bells in your laughter. They'll ask too many questions."

"I'm sorry." Neo clamped her hand over her both, fear filling her eyes.

"No one noticed." Law scanned his eyes over the people. No one even looked in their direction. "It's fine."

"Yes, sir." Neo lowered her hand back down and scratched the dog behind his ear. "Sorry, boy. I can't play with you right now. Go on home."

The dog barked and ran off.

"Amazing," Conner said. "I don't think I'll ever get use to how easily animals listen to her."

"She has a gift," Archer said.

Conner hummed in thought as they continued on. All were wondering exactly what kind of gift their girl was blessed with.

"Let's stop in here," Law said, pausing at a building with women's clothes in the window. "Surely they'll have what we're looking for in here."

"So nice," Penguin said, drooling over the mini dress on the mannequin in the window display.

"You all stay out here," Law order. "Bepo and I will escort Neo inside."

"Aw, Captain!" the crew whined.

Neo tilted her head at the crew, unsure of why they were disappointed but still to naive to ask why.

"Come on, Neo," Law said.

"Okay!" Neo turned and followed him into the building while Bepo trailed behind her. The building smells nice and clean compared to the sub. She looked around the colorful clothes and the few women who were also in the store. She inched closer to Law. "Are we shopping for clothes?"

"No, just shaving cream and razors." Law glanced at her clothes. Her jeans had a few worn spots in them but they should last for a while longer. They could get her new clothes some other time. So he led her through the store until they came upon what he was looking for. Lined up on the wall were several colored bottles of women's shaving cream.

"They're different?" Neo leaned in closer to the colorful bottles. "They smell different?"

"Women have different taste in smells," Law said. He grabbed a light green bottle and popped the top of it. Mint swirled out of it. "You'll have to decide which smell you like best. There should be some that doesn't have a scent, or not as strong."

"That is strong," Neo said, still smelling the mint. "I don't like it."

Law nodded, capped it, and put it back. For the next few minutes they opened others and sniffed the contents from strawberry to chocolate mint. Some of the smells were soft and pleasant while others were so strong they almost sent Bepo running for the door.

"Why do women have to have this smelling stuff like this?" Bepo said, his arm over his muzzle. "Honeydew Lavender? Disgusting!"

"I think I like this one," Neo said, holding a honey yellow bottle. "It's called honey…honey-suck-le…honeysuckle?"

"That's correct," Law said, grabbing a bag of razors off the shelf.

"At least the smell is soft and pleasant," Bepo said. "Thank you, Neo, for picking that one."

"Does it bother your nose that much?" Neo asked.

"My smell is stronger than a humans," Bepo said. "So some smells can bother me a bit."

"I'm sorry," Neo said.

"Don't worry about it." Bepo placed his hand on her head. "You've picked well. Let's go."

Neo nodded. She followed Law and patiently waited for him to pay for her shaving cream and razors before heading back out to the crew.

"How did it go?" Penguin asked. "You look calm enough."

"It was fine," Neo said. "Women have a lot of smelly stuff to chose from."

"Yeah," Shachi said, drooling.

"Are you ready to go? Or do you want to spend some more time with the captain?" Penguin asked.

Neo chewed her bottom lip and looked up at Law.

"I think it's time," he said.

"Okay," Neo replied. Slowly releasing her hold on him, she pinched a hold of Penguin's sleeve.

"It'll be fine," Shachi said.

"I have the transponder snail right here." Law pulled the creature out of his pocket and showed her it. "I'll be there in a second if you need me."

Neo nodded. Her eyes stayed on him while Penguin and crew started leading her away from their captain.

"It's just five minute," Law reminded her.

She nodded again but continued to watch him until the crew had led her out of his sight.

Law watched her go. He had to force himself not to run after her as the incident with the mercenaries popped back into his head. Over and over he told himself that she would be safe with the crew and they were still connected through the transponder snail. But that didn't stop him from following. He wanted to be close in case something happened. As long as he stayed back far enough, Neo wouldn't see him and try to run to him.

"Have you heard what the navy's doing here?" a man said.

"Not a clue," another one replied.

"They're testing an ice machine on the northern side of the island."

"What? Why?"

"It's supposed to be a way for them to capture pirates easier."

Law paused.

"You can't be serious."

"It's the truth. They've been here for several months putting the last touches on the machine. They're going to use it to freeze pirate ships and pirates. If it's successful then all the navy ships will be equipped with them."

"Freeze pirates and their ships would make it easier to apprehend them."

"Yeah. But they only have this one made at the moment. Supposedly, it's taken ten years to perfect this one."

Law didn't linger any longer. He continued after Neo and his crew. His mind buzzed with how much of a pain that was going to be for them. Sure they could dive underwater, but only if they see the attack coming. Lifting his sword free hand, he created a small Room in his palm. If he was frozen solid there was no way he could save himself or his crew. The machine was going to have to be destroyed before they left the island.

Sighing, Neo turned forward only taking casual peaks up when she felt secure enough to do so. Then joyous music entered into her ears. They rounded a corner and found several townspeople dancing on the town square. She tugged on Penguin's sleeve. "Penguin, what are they doing?"

"Dancing," Penguin replied.

"Dancing?" Neo blinked.

"It's an activity done for fun or to entertain," Penguin said.

"We haven't introduced you to this because no one on the ship can dance worth beans," Shachi said, causing the crew to laugh.

"Good thing for us then," Archer said.

"I've always seen dancing as a waste of time," Conner said.

"So you've never danced before?" Archer asked.

"Nope," Conner said. "And I don't plan on it either."

"Such a lovely lady had graced us with her presence today," a man said as he twirled over to them. He held out his hand to Neo and smiled. "Would you like to dance?"

Neo squeaked and jumped behind Penguin.

"So shy." The man chuckled.

"Get lost," Penguin hissed.

"Oh? Is she yours?" the man asked.

"She's my sister," Penguin said. "And she's not interested in you or anyone else here. So beat it!"

The crew tightened their ranks around Neo. The man took a nervous step back before dashing off. "Sorry."

"Let's proceed," Penguin said before leading Neo away from the square.

"So how you doing?" Shachi ask a minute later.

"I'm okay," Neo said. "This isn't that bad. Though I do miss the captain."

"I'm sure he misses you, too," Shachi said. He turned to Bepo when he noticed the bear sniffing the air. "What are you sniffing at?"

"The captain," Bepo said. "I can smell him from here."

"The wind must have shifted," Archer said. The crew agreed and they walked on.

Penguin smiled to himself. He figured that wasn't completely true. He had a feeling that the captain wasn't going to let Neo completely out of his sight since this was the first time she was walking around a town without him. Surely the captain was staying close by. He wanted to look around for the man but didn't want to let Neo notice what he was doing. So he continued to walk on like nothing was going on.

"Uh oh," Bepo then said. "We've got trouble."

The crew looked up to see another pirate crew, of sixteen members, walking towards them with malicious smiles on their faces.

"Just great," Penguin grumbled. The man in the middle looked to be eyeing Neo directly. He knew the look. He's seen it before on other men. The man had targeted Neo to basically be his sex slave.

"Should we call the captain?" Archer asked.

"Just remain calm," Penguin said. "We can handle this."

"Penguin?" Neo asked, feeling the crew tense up. Her fingers dug tighter into his sleeve.

"It's all right." Penguin patted her hand. "Tighten formation on Neo."

The crew moved in closer just as the other pirate crew stopped a few feet in front of them. The captain of the rival pirate crew ran his eyes up and down Neo's form. He smirked. "Such a pretty little wench. I think I'll be taking her from this point on."

"Over our dead bodies," Shachi said, the crew standing ready for a fight.

"Penguin," Neo said, her voice shaky and full of fear.

"Oh, Penguin!" the captain mocked, causing his crew to laugh. "Penguin!

Apparently, you all don't even know who I am."

Penguin placed his hand on Neo's hip and pushed her behind him. "Stay behind me."

"We don't care who you are," Shachi scoffed. "You're not laying a hand on our girl."

"Our captain has a bounty of eighty million," a pirate said. "He can do whatever he wants."

"He's taken an interest in that wench," another pirate said. "So hand her over."

"So she belongs you all of you?" The captain chuckled again. The Heart Pirates frown at the actual meaning behind his words. He ran his eyes over her again or what he could see of her. "Oh? I miss understood then? Well, if you're not using her properly, I'll take her off your hands. She's obviously a very submission woman. She'll be a wonderful addition to my crew. How much ya want for her?"

"She's my sister," Penguin said. "And you're not laying a single finger on her. Attack!" The Heart Pirates launched forward as Penguin pulled Neo away from the fight before she could see it happen. "Wind crystals!"

"R-right!" Neo summoned a wind crystal. Wrapping a breeze around them, she lifted them into the air. Suddenly the captain of the other crew appeared in front of them.

"Crap! He's fast!" Penguin cursed.

"I told you she was mine!" the captain said. He reached for his sword. A blue film spread out around them. Before the man could touch the hilt, his hand went flying off. "What the heck?!"

"Captain!" Penguin shout.

Neo lowered them to the ground and dove into Law's chest, clenching his hoodie hard. "Captain."

Law stroked her hair once. "Take her back to the sub."

"Aye, Captain." Penguin nodded.

"No! I want to stay with you!" Neo said, her voice muffled by Law's hoodie.

"Go with Penguin, Neo," Law said. "I'll be there soon." He felt her reluctance as she slowly released him. He locked eyes with her. "I won't be long."

"O-okay." Neo nodded, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.

"Let's go," Penguin said. He slipped his arm around her waist and rushed her from the scene.

"Who the heck are you?" the other captain asked. "Do you even-Ah!"

Penguin winced at the familiar sound of bones breaking. He knew without a doubt his captain broke something of the other captain. Looking at Neo, he found she didn't hear anything. Which was really good. "Summon your wind crystal again and fly us like the plan said."

Neo obeyed. Summoning a wind crystal, she lifted them into the air and had them on the deck of the sub in just a few seconds. Penguin opened the door and rushed her into the familiarity of the sub and all the way down to the captain's room. He figured it would be best for her to be where Law's scent could surround her. He guided her to the bed. "Here, just sit down."

Neo instantly crawled onto the bed and over to her side. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she hid her wet face in them and trembled.

"You did really good today," Penguin said. "I'm proud of you."

"Will they…will they be all right?" Neo lifted up and looked at him.

"Of course," Penguin said, smiling. "They'll beat those guys in no time at all. Then they'll be back here in seconds."

Neo nodded then waited in silence for the crew to return.

And like Penguin said, a few minutes later Law's familiar blue Room appeared. Law quickly followed. He nodded at Penguin. The subordinate nodded back and rushed out of the room. He propped his sword up on the wall and sat down on the bed, his arm slipping around Neo's waist as she leaned into him and clenched his hoodie again. "It's all right. You're safe now. The crew's safe as well."

Neo nodded against him. Her soft voice asking, "Did you…did you k…"

"No," Law said. "I didn't kill him. You don't have to worry about that. He won't bother you ever again."

Neo relaxed with a sigh. "Thank you, Captain."