Auction House

Neo continued to watch Drake's back as the man walked away from them. She could feel that something was inside of him. It was familiar but she couldn't place exactly what it was.

Penguin looked down at her, noticing her kneading her eyebrows. "What is it, Neo? Is something wrong?"

Law quickly turned around in alarm. He found Neo was staring off in Drake's direction with a confused look in her eyes. He stroked her hair. "Neo? Neo, talk to me. Are you all right?"

"Hm?" She signaled him with a hum that she did hear him. Slowly, she pulled her attention away from the stranger and back to Law. "There's something strange about that guy."

"What do you mean?" Law asked.

"He felt different," Neo said. "Like an animal or something. He's human, but he's somehow not human. It felt like there was a lizard inside of him somehow."

Law relaxed with a relieved sigh that nothing was wrong. He rubbed his neck before answering her. "That's Diez Drake. He's a zoan devil fruit user. That's probably what you sensed."

"Zoan devil fruit?" Neo blinked. "Kind of like you? I think you've mentioned the different devil fruits before."

"That's right. He's like me, sorta," Law replied. "This type of devil fruit allows the user to transform into another species and inter-species hybrid. They have three different forms. Human, human-beast and beast form. I forgot that you've never been around this kind of devil fruit user before. I'm sorry. I should have better prepared you for it."

Neo shook her head. "No, it's okay, Captain. I was just confused. It just felt very strange to me. I've adjusted to it. I'll be fine now."

Law studied her eyes intensely. Slowly, he nodded. The group settled back down into watching the crowds around them. While they sat there, Law would occasionally look back at her to check on how she was doing. She was slightly more relaxed now. She still was avoiding eye contact with people, but was looking around her surroundings more than ever before. Every time she met his eyes with her own, she smiled, making his heart skitter wildly.

"So what other types of devil fruits are there?" Neo asked.

"There are a lot," Penguin said. "As you know, there are paramecia, logia, and zoan types."

"Come to think of it, you'll probably have some issues with devil fruit users that are element or animal based," Shachi said.

"What do you mean by that?" Bepo asked.

"Well, you just saw what happened between her and Drake," Shachi said. "Neo can sense animals. So she'll be able to sense if someone has a zoan type devil fruit."

"I never thought of that," Bepo said.

"That'll mean she'll also be able to sense logia types," Penguin said. "I wonder how many logia types deal with nature. Isn't it all of them?"

"Does that mean she'll be able to control them?" Bepo asked.

"It's possible," Law said. "But we'll discuss this more in detail back on the sub. I don't want anyone overhearing what Neo can do."

"Right," Shachi said. "Sorry about that, Captain."

"How much longer are we going to stay here?" Neo asked.

"Do you need something?" Law asked.

"I need to use the bathroom," Neo said.

"We'll head back to the sub then." Law stood up. He led the crew back to the sub. They all went inside since they were here. While waiting for Neo to get done using the facilities, he leaned against the wall just outside of his room.

"You all right, Captain?" Bepo asked.

"Fine," Law said. "Why do you ask?"

"You just looked like you had something on your mind," Bepo said just as Shachi and Penguin appeared.

"I do but I'm not sure about going through with it," Law said.

"What?" Shachi asked.

"I over heard a couple men talking about the action house," Law said.

"Don't tell me you're thinking about taking Neo there," Penguin said.

"I am." Law nodded.

"But why?!" Penguin demanded. "We're trying to avoid getting detected by Celestial Dragons! Going there with Neo isn't a good idea! Not to mention what a place like that might do to her!"

"There's a possibility that they won't show up," Law said. "Besides, this is a much needed lesson for her. She needs to know about this side of humanity."

"Yeah, but…" Penguin trailed off. There was no argument he could make to change his captain's mind. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Law nodded.

"Where are we going now?" Neo inquired as they walked along more unfamiliar groves.

No one answered her right off. They all just shifted uncomfortably and exchanged looks, all but for Law. Neo looked up at him when she noticed a change in the atmosphere around them. Shadows were cast over his eyes by his hat. She tightened her hold and tugged on his sleeve. "Captain? What's going on? I don't like this."

He took a deep breath then he finally looked at her. "We're going to a human auctioning house."

"A what?" Neo raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's a place where slaves are sold," Penguin answered hesitantly.

"Slaves?" Neo tilted her head. "What are slaves?"

"They are, um…" Penguin hesitated. He really didn't want to tell her because of her innocence. But she really needed to know of its existence as their captain had pointed out back on the sub. "A slave is a person who is legal property of another person and is forced to obey the one who bought them."

"So…the person who buys another person is like a captain?" Neo asked.

"No, sweetie." Penguin shook his head. "Our captain doesn't own us. He doesn't make our decisions for us. And he certainly doesn't beat us. Slaves typically have no hope of obtaining their freedom ever again. The person who bought them also often beats them in several cases. And, sometimes, they are killed."

"Oh." Neo lowered her head with her eyebrows turned up in sadness. She snuggled into Law's arm, wanting his protective strength to engulf her from this new information. "That's so sad. I don't like it."

"Yeah." Penguin placed his fingertips on her back and moved them like he was scratching her shirt. "We don't like it either."

"Captain, are you sure about taking her there?" Bepo asked, his voice dripping with concern.

"Yes. This is an important lesson that she needs to learn about." Law nodded. What he didn't say was, he too was having his doubts of taking her to such a dark place. In a way, she had been a slave, too. It could remind her of her past. He didn't want that. "It'll be fine."

"At least we haven't run into any Celestial Dragons yet," Shachi said, looking around carefully as if the Celestial Dragons would just materialize out of thin air right in front of them.

"For now," Penguin grumbled. "Its well known that their favorite place is the auction house. We're really going to have to keep on our toes while there. You know they're going to show up at some point. We can't let them get a good look at Neo."

Shachi and Bepo nodded in agreement.

Neo looked at the crew, but didn't say anything. She followed along with them and thought about the new information that plagued her mind. She raised her eyes up when she noticed they were closing in on a building. She tilted her head and inspected it silently. The building was kind of dome shaped with a triangular roof. There was moss hanging all over it and a sign over the arched doorway reading: Human.

Her eyes remained locked on the sign as they walked up the stairs. She tilted her head back until she couldn't see it anymore. Next thing she knew, they were inside walking through an arched hallway. A strange, unidentifiable thickness settled into her chest, making it had for her to breath. She tightened her hold on Law's sleeve.

They paused when they got to the other end of the hall. There were already so many people inside sitting on cushioned benches. The number of people seemed to match the number of strange sweet, flowery, almost sickening smells floating in the air that Neo didn't recognize. The combination of the different smells annoyed her nose. She rubbed her nose with the back of her wrist and looked at the people. They were happily chatting with an energy that Neo didn't like. She pressed her temple to Law's arm and rubbed her nose again. "I don't like it here. It doesn't feel right. And it smells funny."

"That's the darkness of this place that you're feeling," Law said softly. "And it's all the perfume the women are wearing that's messing with your nose."

"Perfume?" Neo looked up at Law.

"It's a fragrant liquid that's made from oils taken from flowers and spices. It's used to improve a person's body or clothes," Law explained.

"Improve? It stinks. And it makes my nose feel weird." A light pout appeared on her lips, making Law chuckle at how cute she looked.

"Give it a few minutes and the smell won't be as bad. If it still bugs you in a little while, I'll take you outside for some fresh air." After Neo nodded in understanding, Law led them farther into the room. He quickly scanned his eyes over the seats and picked out the one that would best suit Neo's needs. When he found the right spot, just a few rows down from the top, he led them all over to it.

He wanted to make sure she felt secure in this place so he signal Penguin to enter first then signaled for Bepo and Shachi to sit behind them. He then guided Neo inside the pew and sat down with her. He passed his sword to Bepo for the bear to hold it and rested his arms on the back of the cushioned bench. He watched quietly as Neo continued to shyly take in her surroundings. The pressure, sounds, and smells of the place caused her to shift closer to him and duck down. He placed his hand on her head and whispered into her ear. "You're doing great. Remember, we're right here."

"Thanks, Captain." She smiled lightly. "I'm fine."

Things were fairly quiet after that as they waited for the auction to begin. The crew remained in their spots, protectively guarding Neo, while casually chatting occasionally with each other. Neo didn't move much until Law turned to look at someone behind them. Curious at what caught her captain's attention, she leaned forward a bit to see him raise his hand and middle finger. She then peaked over her shoulder. She flinched when she noticed a spike red haired man, with a crazy look in his eyes, staring towards Law. She quickly faced forward again. She lowered her voice and asked, "Who's that man, Captain? He looked at you."

"That's Eustass 'Captain' Kid. He's a rival pirate captain from the South Blue," Law replied.

"Rival?" Neo asked worriedly. "Are we in danger here? Should we leave?"

"Don't worry. If he wanted to cause trouble, he all ready would have done it." Law tapped his knee against hers.

She nodded in understanding and allowed herself to relax again. "So what was that hand thing that you did?" Neo asked. She raised her hand and preformed the gesture.

Penguin, Shachi and Bepo about lost it. They choked back their laughter, but ended up snorting in the process.

Law felt his face grow hot. He quickly covered her hand with his, bending her finger back down against her palm, his mind rapidly going over possible solutions to this problem. "It's, uh, just a gesture to tell him that I'm not afraid of him. But this particular gesture could cause fights. I don't ever want to see you preform it again, that's an order, Neo. Do you understand me? Never ever do it again."

"Yes, Captain, I understand. I promise I won't do it again." Neo smiled at him then settled down, unaware of the panic she sent spiraling through the man beside her.

Heart pounding wildly, Law glanced at her then at his men. Of course they found the scene amusing. He sent them a disapproving frown that settled them all back down. But their stupid grins remained on their faces. That was until Penguin suddenly cursed under his breath. "Crap! Captain, it's the Celestial Dragons!"

Law tossed a quick, and slightly panicked, glance over his shoulder. There were two of them, a man and a woman. He watched as an auction house worker ran over to the Celestial Dragons and dropped to his knees. This wasn't good.

Neo turned to look at him when he growled slightly. Before she could get her eyes on him, he planted his left hand on top of her head, immediately pulled her into his chest, and hid her face with his right hand. Sensing the panic in her captain's body language caused her own panic to rise. "Uh, C-Captain? What's going on? What's happening?"

The captain lowered his voice so only she could hear him. He brought his lips close to her ear, his breathe tickling her skin. "Stay still and keep quiet."

Neo did as she was ordered and stayed stiff against his chest. An intense few seconds later, Law pulled his hand away from her face, and she felt him relaxed a bit. She lifted her eyes up to him. "Captain? What was wrong? What happened?"

"Those two people." Law gestured to the two walking down the stairs.

Neo followed Law's gaze. She quietly studied the oddly dress pair with bubbles around their heads.

Law said, "Those are the Celestial Dragons we've been talking about. They're arrogant people who have no pity or sympathy for those of lesser status. They're also known for owning slaves. The men can take a woman because they like the way she looks. They can take you away from us just because you're as beautiful as you are." He stroked his thumb over her hair when he felt her body flinch against his own. She ducked back down against his chest, clenching a hold of his shirt like she always did when scared. He gave her a gentle squeeze. "It's okay, Neo. You're with me. I'm not going to let them take you. But its best if they don't see you. You can sit back up now."

Neo hesitantly sat back up and shifted even closer to Law. He brushed his thumb over her shoulder before leaning back against the pew. He kept his left arm draped over her shoulder. His stomach did about a million flips and his body twitched when she bent up her arm and slipped her fingers through his. He hoped that no one outside of their crew notice her doing this. Penguin, of course did, since he was sitting on the other side of her. The man barely managed to choke back his snickers. But soon after that, things settled down, the crowd cheered again when the auction got started.

She flinched when the auctioneer's voice rang out over the loud speakers. With a deep breath, she relaxed to the stranger's voice booming over the room.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! Please, welcome to the stage, the one and only, Disco!"

The crowd cheered as a man wearing a dark purple rob, a tall hat, and star shaped glasses walked out onto the stage.

Neo watched the man as he started the auction and another man was lead out onto the stage by chains and a collar around his neck.

Law and Penguin took several glances at her during the auction to measure her stress level. She seemed to have calmed down as soon as Law did after the Celestial Dragons were seated. She was watching the auction with a little interest, slight curiosity, and some concern for the slaves being sold. Each person they pulled out on the stage, lead by chains, looked so scared and miserable. Her mind kept replaying what the crew had told her before they entered into this place; slaves, no freedom, no choices, and even death. She shivered. "Captain, how much longer are we staying here?"

"It's almost over," Law replied. "We'll be leaving soon."

Just then another Celestial Dragon walked into the auction house causing another disruption. And once again, Law pulled Neo into his chest to keep her from being seen. When the Celestial Dragon was seated, Law allowed her to sit back up. He inspected her carefully. "You okay?"

Neo nodded and turned her attention back to the stage. The next person that was brought out was a pirate captain. Disco was delivering his speech about the man when suddenly blood dripped from the pirate's mouth. The pirate fell to the ground and the curtains were pulled over the stage. "Captain, what happened to him?"

"He bit his tongue," Law said.

"Why?" Neo asked.

"To keep from being a slave," Law said. "He's trying to kill himself. But it won't work."

"Oh." Neo looked back at the stage. The curtains were once again opened and there was something else on the stage but other curtains were covering it. She watched as lights lit up the curtains from behind. The shadowy figure of a person with a fish tail appeared before the curtains were removed and the next slave was revealed.

"All the way from Fishman Island," Disco said. "It's the mermaid Keimi!"

Excited chatter filled the room, but none more so than one of the Celestial Dragons. The black haired man shouted out, "It's a mermaid! They actually have a mermaid!"

Neo didn't really hear the man yelling. She was slightly transfixed on the current merchandise being held in a glass jar. "Captain, what is that? Why does she have a fish tail?"

"It's a mermaid. She's half human, half fish," Law replied. "Mermaids are highly sought out slaves. They're hard to catch because they're so fast. So it's very rare to see one here."

"SOLD!" the announcer shouted. His loud declaration and slam of his gavel was followed by a sudden, very loud crash behind everyone.

Startled, Neo jumped and grabbed her head with a whimper. "Captain…"

Law brushed his leg against hers.

She timidly glanced up to her captain who was inspecting what the crash was about. A smile formed on his lips. She carefully let her eyes drift to where Law was looking. A black haired boy wearing a blue vest, a straw hat and shorts was running down the stairs towards the mermaid. He was shouting, "Keimi! I've come to save you!"

"Stop it, Straw Hat!" Another man, this one with white spiky hair, grabbed onto the black haired boy.

"Captain, what's going on?" Neo leaned against his side. "What's happening?"

"I'm not sure. But it seems that mermaid is a friend to Straw Hat," Law replied, not taking his eyes off the scene before him. He slipped his arm down around her waist and securely tucked her into his side giving her the security he knew she needed right now.

"Straw Hat?" Neo whispered. A piercing scream made her flinch and brought her attention back to the ruckus unfolding in the auction house. The man with the white spiky hair had stopped running and let Straw Hat loose. Her eyes widened when she saw he had more than two arms. "He's an octopus?"

"Looks like it," Penguin said. "A fishman octopus to be exact."

"He's a fish man!"

"Gross!"

"Help! Someone! Stop it!"

Neo jumped again when gunshots rang out in the room around them. She covered her ears and tucked herself into Law's chest again with a whimper. He tightened his arm around her waist while placing his right hand on her back and soothingly rubbed his palm against her, thankful that everyone was more concerned about the disruption than them. "Deep breaths, Neo, slow deep breaths. They're not going to hurt you. I won't let them."

Neo did as she was told. She took a couple slow deep breaths to calm herself down. Instead of looking up, this time she kept her eyes closed and stayed tucked into his chest as pandemonium broke out in the building. She tried to block out the loud noises of people screaming that was going on around her. But she couldn't do it. She took a timid peek to see the one Law called Straw Hat walking back up the stairs with a strong, dangerously determined look in his eyes. "Captain, what's that guy doing?"

"Nothing good," Law replied with a frown. He placed his hand on her head and pulled her back to his chest. "Close your eyes. I don't want you to witness this."

"Um, okay." Neo closed her eyes. She flinched when she heard a strange cracking, thump sound followed by another crash then more screaming from the patriots of the auction house.

Law relaxed and loosened his hold on her, allowing her to sit back up.

Neo glanced around to find that it was only now the pirates, auction workers, and some guards remaining in the room. Sensing fish she looked up to find two flying fish buzzing around the room. A skeleton jumped from one while a black haired woman jumped from another. Her eyes darted back and forth between the skeleton and woman when the woman suddenly grew wings from her back.

Shachi spoke up at that point and said, "Well, I was expecting trouble, but nothing like this."

"That Straw Hat really is crazy," Penguin added. "Their whole crew is crazy."

"That's why he has such a high bounty on his head," Law said. He looked down at Neo at the same time she looked up at him. He locked eyes with her for a few seconds. She was handling this mess a lot better than he figured she would. He gave her a rewarding smile that made her heart thump against her chest and turned her cheeks red. They both then turned back to the battle before them.

Neo's eyes wandered to the orange hair woman running down the stairs, away from some guards. The woman tripped and rolled down the stairs. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered when storm clouds appeared in the building. "St-stop it…"

Law dropped his eyes back down to her.

Penguin looked down at her as well. "Neo, what's wrong? You don't look so good."

"Th-that girl," Neo said, nodding at the orange haired girl with the long staff in her hand. "The storm in here didn't come from nature. She somehow did it herself. She manipulated the elements around her, but it's not like I do with my crystals. It doesn't feel right. I'm okay though. I just need to adjust to the way it feels. I didn't know someone could make and control the weather like that." She took a deep breath. "I'm better now."

Law kept his eyes on her until he noticed her body relax.

Neo watched as the fight continued. Suddenly everyone stopped when the female Celestial Dragon pointed a gun at the mermaid and threatened to kill the mermaid. "Captain, is she really going to kill the mermaid?"

"I don't know," Law said.

Neo bit her lip. Her heart pounded in her chest, as her palms grew sweaty. She wanted to look away from the stage, but was unable to do so. Without anyone saying or doing anything, the Celestial Dragon suddenly fell backwards off the stool she was standing on. Then, before anyone could question it, the wall just above the woman began to crumble and fall to the floor. With more of the wall pulled away, a giant appeared at the same time an old white haired man wearing glasses walked out onto the stage. She looked over the old man while he addressed the fishman that got shot.

"Hachan! Is that you?! How have you been? Wait," the old man said with a stern look. "Did someone hurt you? No, don't speak." Stroking his beard the old man looked around. "I see. Such a terrible situation. Well, you were fighting for what you believe in. Now then."

Neo started to turned to Law to ask him who the old man was. Suddenly, she felt something strange washing over her just after the old man narrowed his eyebrows and gave an intense look out at the seats. She slumped forward as the world around her went dark.

Law shot out his arm at the same time Penguin grabbed for her shoulders. Their worried voices faded away from her as they calling out her name. "Neo!"

"Neo? Neo?"

Neo groaned slightly as Law's worried voice filtered into her ears. She felt his hand cup her cheek as she cracked her eyes open to see his concerned steely orbs looking back at her before he pulled her firmly into his chest.

Sweat had beaded on her forehead. She panted and struggled to talk. "W-Wha…hap-en? I dun…fel-so good."

"You're going to be fine, sweetie," Penguin said soothingly. He picked up and patted her hand lovingly. He too was holding concern in his face.

She didn't need to see Shachi and Bepo to know they were worried about her as well.

"It can't be," Law mumbled.

Neo tilted her head so she could look up at him. She followed his gaze with her own. He had his eyes on the strange old man that had walked out onto the stage before she blacked out. She wasn't sure but through her blurred vision it looked like the old man had his eyes locked in her direction. If she didn't feel so tired, she would have flinched at being looked at. All the movement she, and everyone else, was doing was starting to make her feel nausea. So she leaned her head against Law and closed her eyes. The world and voices around her once again faded away from her senses as her eyelids fell over her eyes.

She didn't know how long she had her eyes closed, but she suddenly woke up when she felt Law moving. She grasped onto his arm as he stood up. She spoke to him in a low, dazed, and panicked voice. "Captain?! What's…what's happening?"

Law paused and looked back at her, turning his arm so he could grab her arm and brush his thumb over her skin. "I didn't mean to wake you. I just have to take care of something. Stay with the crew now."

Neo didn't want him to go, but nodded in obedience to his orders. She kept her hand on him as he moved away from her. When their hands touched, he gave her a gentle squeeze then let go. Penguin sat down and put his arm around her when she started shaking. Bepo placed his paw on her head while Shachi placed his hand on her shoulder. She looked at them all then smiled softly. "Thanks, guys. I'm okay. I just feel a bit tired and nauseous."

"We should move away from here. Can you walk?" Penguin looked her over.

She was still a bit shaken from whatever it was that caused her to feel this way. Neo nodded and stood up to follow them back up the stairs. They guided her off to the side, making sure to keep her close to them.

"Are you feeling better?" Bepo asked.

"Yes. My mind is clearing up more now." Neo nodded, but it was obvious that something was on her mind.

"Something bothering you, Neo?" Shachi asked.

"The captain's going to fight, isn't he? Will he be all right out there?" Neo turned her worried eyes up to them. "He's not going to get hurt, is he?"

"Yes, he's going to fight some marines that are outside. And he's going to be just fine." Bepo placed his paw on her head. "He'll take care of those marines in no time at all. You know how strong he is. They won't be able to touch him."

Neo smiled lightly with a nod. They stood there quietly until all the swords and spears suddenly started floating up into the air. The crew watched carefully as the weapons flew past them. Luckily none of them got pierced by any of the sharp projectiles flying through the room. Once all of the sharp objects were out of the room, the Heart Pirates relaxed.

"Wow! She's so beautiful!"

Neo jumped when an unfamiliar voice shouted out. She glanced up to catch a glimpse of a black and yellow twister spinning towards her. She jumped again when the twister stopped spinning and revealed a strange faced blonde haired man. She dove into the protective arms of Penguin. "Penguin!"

"What is a little cutie like you doing in such a horrible place like this?!" the strange faced man asked. "You're too lovely to be exposed to this horrible place! Allow me to be your bodyguard and escort you out of here!"

"Back off, Straw Hat pirate!" Shachi snapped.

"Huh?" The blonde opened his eyes and blinked. The Heart Pirates were glaring harshly at him. "What's with the looks? All I did was give her a compliment. She is a cutie."

"You idiot!" The orange haired woman shouted, causing Neo to jump again. She punched the blonde on the head. "Can't you see you're scaring her?!"

The blonde looked at the woman then over at the small group of Heart Pirates. Penguin was rubbing Neo's back and whispering something to her.

A tiny voice broke into Neo's ears. "You both are scaring her."

Neo slowly turned upon sense another animal inside of the action house and looked down to find a strange animal looking up at her. He gave her a friendly smile and said, "Forgive him. He acts like that a lot. I'm sorry he scared you. He never thinks when a pretty girl is…"

They all paused when the reindeer's voice faded off. He stared at her with curious eyes.

"Chopper?" the orange haired woman asked.

Neo, keeping one hand on Penguin, bend down to the creature. She tilted her head and inspected the animal at the same time he tilted his head and inspect her. His cheeks flushed. He giggled and twisted shyly then held out his hoof to her. "Hi. I'm Chopper. I truly am sorry that Sanji scared you. I promise he won't do that again. If he does, I'll give him a sedative that'll make him sleep for a month."

"Hey!" Sanji protested. "I did nothing that should result in a punishment like that!"

Ignoring the blonde's outburst, Neo reached out her free hand and took the tiny reindeer's hoof. She tilted her head again with a small smile. "You're cute."

The three Heart Pirates exchanged confused glances at Neo's openness to a stranger.

"Thank you!" Chopper's cheeks darkened a shade. "You're really cute, too!"

"But what are you?" Neo asked.

"Oh, I'm a reindeer," Chopper said.

"A reindeer?" Neo ran her eyes over him again. "I've never seen one before. I like you."

"Ah, I like you, too!" Chopper's blush darkened.

The rest of the Straw Hats stared in confusion at their smallest crewmember.

The Heart Pirates watched the Straw Hats carefully. Penguin looked at Neo. She was still holding the reindeer's hoof and didn't seem to notice, or maybe she didn't care, that the other pirates were watching her. He looked back up to the Straw Hats when the cyborg started talking.

"Did I hear that right? Chopper accepted a compliment? Without hurling an insult back? I know I'm still fairly new to the crew, but I didn't think that was possible," Franky was saying.

"I can see how Chopper-chin likes her," Keimi said from her spot on Franky's back. "I've never seen such blue hair and eyes before."

"But who is this girl?" Usopp questioned. "How was she able to get Chopper to act like that?"

"She is rather interesting," Robin said with a small smile on her face.

"Never mind that. We have to go now," Nami said. "Chopper, let's go."

"Oh, okay." Chopper looked at his friend then back to Neo. "I have to go now."

Neo nodded. She watched him join his friends then disappeared down the hallway that led them to the door.

"Neo, are you all right?" Penguin asked softly when she stood back up.

She nodded and leaned against him. "I am but I want to see the captain. When can we go to him?"

"We're about to rejoin him." Penguin ran his hand over her back. "Just hold on a few more minutes."

Penguin's eyes shot to Rayleigh when he noticed the old man had stayed behind and was looking in their direction again. He narrowed his hidden eyebrows and frown.

Shachi and Bepo stepped in front of Neo and Penguin to guard her. They all waited to see what the old man would do next.

Rayleigh was undaunted by the warning glares the Heart Pirates gave him. He just gave them a strangely soft smile. "I apologize about before, young miss. I didn't mean to knock you out. I didn't realize that you were a…" The old man paused as if he thought better of saying what he was about to say. "I promise to be more careful if we ever meet again in a situation like this."

Neo looked over her shoulder. With Bepo and Shachi standing between her and the old man, she only caught a glimpse of him. He then disappeared without waiting for any one of them to reply. She looked up at Penguin. "Why did he apologize to me like that? I don't understand."

"I don't understand either," Penguin replied. He watched Rayleigh follow the Straw Hats to the auction house exit. "Come on. Let's go outside now. I'm sure the captain is about finished out there. We'll be heading back to the sub soon."

Neo nodded.

As they rushed down the hallways, Nami looked down at Chopper. She noticed something on his mind and asked, "What is it, Chopper?"

"I'm not really sure," Chopper replied. He glanced back over his shoulder as if he would still be able to see Neo. But the girl and her friends hadn't entered into the hallway yet. "There's something about that girl."

"What about her?" Robin asked.

"She smells like nature," Chopper replied.

"Nature?" Nami asked. She exchanged glances with Robin then looked back down the hallway. "What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know how to explain it. But her scent isn't human," Chopper explained, or tried to. "I felt like I was back on my home island. I can smell all of the snow, the trees, and the flowers. There's also a sweet smell coming from her. It was actually very nice. I hope that we get to see her again someday."

"I'm sure we will," Robin said.

"Is she a threat to us? Other than being on a rival pirate crew?" Zoro asked.

"No, I don't feel like she's an actual enemy," Chopper said. "I know that might sound weird because we're technically enemies since we're on rival pirate crews. But I can tell that she's really sweet. And I don't want to ever fight her. I'm sorry. I'm just not sure how to explain it. All I know is, she's not a danger to us." He looked up at Sanji. "We're not going to have to fight her, are we?"

"I can't say for sure," Sanji said. "Like you said, we're on rival crews. And they're probably after the One Piece as well. So it's likely that we will have to fight them at some point." Hearts popped into his eyes. "But I personally refused to fight such a cutie! I, too, hope we get to see her again!"

"Oh." Chopper dropped his eyes to the floor.

"Don't worry about it, Chopper," Robin said. "I'm sure that if we have to fight her it will be a more friendly fight than one of enemies. It's clear that she really likes you. I doubt she'll actually fight you."

"Come to think of it," Usopp said. "She did look rather skittish for being on a pirate crew. I wonder who she is."