Life on Punk Hazard
Part One
Pitching Law's sleeve, Neo ran her eyes over the large pipes above them. "What exactly where they doing in this place? It's so huge. There are so many rooms too."
"Do you really want to know?" Law asked.
"No, not really," Neo said. "I'm just curious. It was probably something really bad."
"There's a chance that it was," Law said. "At least caused by Caesar. I'm not sure what all Vegapunk does. He's really secretive. Not many even know what the man looks like."
"So where are we going again?" Neo asked.
"To look around outside," Law said.
"Does that mean we get to play in the snow?" Neo smiled.
"No," Law said.
"You're so mean." Neo poked him in the ribs. "We're playing in the snow. I refuse to live on this island and not play in the snow with you."
"Well see then," Law said. "First things first."
"I know, I know," Neo said. "We learn the layout of the island and everything."
"I heard some of Caesar's men talking about dragons," Law said.
"Dragons?" Neo asked. "When?"
"When you were busy sulking over the crew during breakfast," Law said.
Neo sighed. "I'd cry if I had any tears left. I miss them so much. Do you think they're on Zou yet?"
"It's hard to tell since that place moves nonstop," Law said.
"I hope they are. And I hope they didn't run into any trouble on the way there," Neo said.
"They haven't. If they did you would have had a nightmare about it," Law said. "They're safe."
"Why couldn't we contact them with a transponder snail?" Neo whined.
"They don't reach that far," Law said.
"Then the crew should hijack the elephant and walk him this way," Neo said.
"That would defeat the purpose of having the crew go there in the first place," Law said.
"So? They don't have to stay beside the island. Just close enough that I can fly back and forth between the islands," Neo said.
"I think that would be very noticeable," Law said. "This place is big but not that big."
"I wouldn't care if they did notice," Neo said just as the large door came into view.
"Oh ho."
Neo jumped at the voice and stepped closer to Law. "I was distracted. I didn't even sense them coming."
Law glanced at her before looking back at Brownbeard and a few of his men.
"And where are you two off to this morning?" Brownbeard asked.
"Just going to look around the island," Law said.
"I see. Well, beware of the dragons," Brownbeard said. "There are few on the island. Though they were created by Vegapunk. The master keeps the small one sedated so you shouldn't have any trouble with them. The larger one on the fire side is really mean. I'd steer clear of him if I were you if you go over to that side. But you being a warlord I'm sure you won't have any problems with it."
Neo ran her eyes over the animal half of their bodies. Her mind spun with a lot of questions, to which she didn't really want to know the answer to. She forced her eyes off them when her mind started to wonder about the animal heads. They never did find out what happened to them but it was fairly obvious they were disposed of. Maybe even eaten. Her stomach turned.
"We have to get going," Law said feeling Neo's stomach getting upset because of where her mind was wandering.
"Of course." Brownbeard nodded. "Have a nice day."
Neo and Law stepped around them. Reaching the door Law warped them outside. The warmth was immediately replaced with the raging cold winds. And there on the ground was a small green dragon in a harness attached to a small sled.
"So that's what a dragon looks like?" Neo asked eyeing its rounded nose and drowsy eyes. "It looks more tame than what I pictured from my books."
"This one anyway," Law said. "Dragons can be any shape, size, and color. It's possible that Vegapunk created this one to be small and green."
Neo ran her eyes over the dragon's scales. "Do you think it's possible a dragon could have, say, yellow spots and white stripes?"
"You're being silly," Law said.
"But it could be possible, right?" Neo looked at him. "That one crazy guy was trying to change those animals fur and feathers for the Celestial Dragons."
"It might be possible," Law said. "In theory anyway. But you wouldn't want anyone to find out."
"Not if it hurts the animals." Neo looked back at the dragon. "But this thing wasn't born. It was created by Vegapunk. Do you think it was in pain when Vegapunk made it? Or maybe it didn't even notice?"
"I wouldn't know," Law said.
"I can feel the fire inside of it," Neo said. "It feels kind of odd. Do you think that's normal?"
"It might be since Vegapunk made this thing instead of it being born from parents," Law said.
"Seems really sad," Neo said. "I wonder if it knows that it's an experiment."
"Why don't you ask it?" Law asked.
"I'm afraid to," Neo said. "Besides its mind is foggy. I'm not sure it would understand me."
"Then don't worry about it." Law walked away from her.
Neo gave the dragon one last look before rushing to catch up with Law. Summoning her wind crystals she lifted them into the air. She flew them over the snowy terrain first. They scanned their eyes over the mountains and the pieces of building sticking out of the snow that was left from the explosion that happened here. It was identical to the maps they had acquired of the island. And it looked like a colorless graveyard.
"How are you feeling?" Law asked. "Are the opposing elements here bothering you?"
"Not really," Neo said. "Though the struggle is still there the island appears to be calm in its individual sections. It's hard to see that this island was anything else than what it is now. What was the point of Aokiji and Akainu fighting like they did?"
"Who knows?" Law shrugged. "It's a shame they didn't wipe each other out."
"Maybe. But then it would be possible for someone even stronger to take their places," Neo said.
"Let's go over to the fire side," Law said.
"I hope it's more interesting over there than it is here," Neo said. "I love snow but it's rather boring to look at." She flew them to the other side of the island. She looked down to the pool of seawater separating the two sides. Sharks and other sea creatures were swimming around down there. But she knew it would be too cold for her to play with them for any real amount of time. The heat intensified the closer they got to the fire. They removed their coats before reaching it when sweat trailed down their backs. The buildings on this side were easier to spot but it was just as dull as the snowy side. The red hot stones were obvious too hot to touch, even for her. "We're going to die of boredom here."
"No you won't," Law said.
"But there's nothing to do here," Neo said. "And there's no point in trying to make friends with these people."
"You'll do it anyway when you grow bored enough," Law said.
"This whole things is stupid," Neo said.
"Maybe I can get Caesar to ship in some books for you," Law said.
"That would help," Neo said. She glanced over her shoulder when she sensed movement. "Huh?"
"What is it?" Law asked.
"I think that big dragon is-" Before she could finish the large dragon swooped down on them. She shot them to their right before it could bite down on them. "That was way too close."
"See what you get for complaining?" Law smirked.
Neo stuck her tongue out at him while flying back towards the snowy side of the island. Have way across the pool of water they put their coats back on. Once close enough to the building they came out of she sat them down on the ground. As Law walked along she paused to scoop up a handful of snow and shaped it into a ball before tossing it at Law, nailing him on his shoulder.
Law turned to her and frowned.
"That's what you get for not paying attention," Neo said.
"Room. Shambles." Law spread out his Room and warped a pile of snow on her.
"Hey!" Neo popped out of the snow. "That's cheating!"
"So is hitting your target from behind." Law smirked.
"But it wouldn't have been any fun if you knew it was coming. You would have just warped it way." Neo frowned.
Law warped. Leaning in so their noses touched he said, "I know."
"Oh!" Neo puffed out her cheeks at him.
"You're cute when you pout," Law said.
"I'm always cute," Neo said. "So play with me for a while."
"Okay," Law said. "But only for a while I don't want you out here when the sun goes down. It'll get too cold."
"Then that's a perfect excuse to have you warm me up," Neo said. Bending down she scooped up some more snow, inciting a snow battle between her and Law.
…
"Aah!" Caesar screamed as he pushed his back against his chair. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration before sitting back up straight and glaring at the screen before him. He was sitting alone in the control room. And he's been in this place for over two hours just watching Neo and Law move around the facility. He's actually been watching them, mostly Neo, closely for several weeks. "I don't believe this! They've been here for over a month! And she has yet to leave his side! What's up with that?! I thought she was his wife, not his puppy! Why does she follow him around all of the time?! With how protective he is over her there's no possible way I will be able to get close enough to her with him around!"
Caesar paused in his rant when he noticed Law and Neo on the move again. His eyes widened when they paused at an intersection of halls. For a moment it look to him like they were finally split up from each other. But they didn't. They shared a few words and a sickeningly sweet kiss then headed on down one of the halls. The increasingly impatient scientist dropped his forehead on the control panel with an audible thud. Buttons clicked then shrilled sharply at being pressed at the same time before he pushed off the controls. His eyes glared sharply at the two. He carefully watched them as they headed for the front entrance.
Clearly they were heading outside to explore the island some more or do whatever it was they did when they left. He never was sure what all they did when they left the building. He's gotten some video footage from a few transponder snails of her and Law in certain places on Punk Hazard, but nothing really worth his time. A couple things he did know for sure is: One, whatever they did it often got Law's heart rate up. He really didn't want to think about that one. Two, Neo would play fight with the dragons on the island. And, three, once Neo and Law were outside, the blue haired girl would always fly them to their destinations so it made it rather difficult for Caesar to follow them without being noticed. And since he didn't really know the extent of Neo's powers yet, he really didn't feel comfortable with sending Monet to follow them.
He grumbled, "I wish those dragons would just bite her head off. At least that way I could gather up some of her blood from the ground. I've examined the videos of her fighting those things, but it hasn't done me a lick of good! I can't tell if she's really letting loose on those dragons or if she's holding back!"
Caesar rapidly scratched his head in frustration again. He kicked the control panel multiple times. "What do I have to do to get my hands on that woman?! I want to know what makes her tick! I want to know what those crystals are made of! I want to know why she has to have those crystals! I can't recall a single devil fruit user who uses conductors like that! Why does she need those crystals?! Why does she feel so inhuman?! And why can't I locate anything on her other than what's been reported in newspapers in the past couple of years?! No way she just appeared out of the blue!"
Caesar slammed his fist on a button and the video screens blinked off. He sunk down in his chair and pouted. "That woman. This is torture. It's like an annoying itch that I can't reach. I guess I'll just have to be patient for a little bit longer. There's no way she can possible follow him around for every second they're here. She is somewhat shy. Maybe she just needs time to adjust to this place. That must be it. Maybe it's not been long enough yet."
He started to calm down a bit with that little information. But the calmness didn't last long when he remembered they have been on Punk Hazard for over a month now. Caesar screamed. He tugged on his hair while kicking his feet wildly in the air. "I can't take this! How much longer does she need before she leaves that blasted warlord's side?! Don't they ever get tired of being around each other all the time?!"
…
Law shook his head and chuckled in amusement as he watched his love. He had his and Neo's coats draped over his crossed arms since it was far too hot to wear them on this burning side of the island. Neo was hovering him in the air while she did a bizarre mixture of fighting and playing with the large dragon. As he watched her, he thought back to the first time they came across the smaller version of these creatures and it's larger companion when they spent their first few weeks here. Over the weeks they spent here, Neo began to play fight with the larger dragon so she could get some exercise and some fighting experience while they explored the island. They did this about everyday to keep her from getting too bored.
Neo flew multiple times around the large dragon before landing on his nose. The dragon growled in annoyance. She giggled. The dragon flapped his right wing, rolling itself over in the air in an attempt to throw her off. But the dragon apparently didn't understand that she could fly. She just followed along with the dragon until it righted itself back up. She then ran down its back and used its tail as a diving board.
"Are you training or playing with that thing?" Law asked with another chuckle.
"Mmm," Neo hummed while flying back over to him. She pecked his lips. "Both."
"Well, if you're done playing we should head back now," Law said.
"I suppose I've annoyed this guy enough for today," Neo said just before the dragon roared and charged at them. She easily lifted both herself and Law out of the way. The dragon landed on a broke piece of rubble before glaring at her. She laughed. Her bells filled the air, confusing the dragon. The dragon then glared at her again. "I wish I knew what he was saying. But with that particular look on his face I'm probably better off not knowing. Do you think artificial dragons have cuss words in their language?"
"They very well could have," Law said as Neo flew them back towards the freezing side of the island. She flew them slowly between the elements so they could adjust to the drastic temperature change and not end up sick. Once their bodies had cooled off enough, they pulled their coats back on and she picked up their speed. "Hm?"
"Who is that, Law?" Neo asked when they both noticed a strange, small boat docked at the island.
"Looks like someone found this island," Law replied. He gripped his sword. "Well, it'll be the last thing they do if they're here to start trouble."
"Settle down, pirate boy." Neo shot Law a smirk. "Let's first see who it is. They could just be lost."
Law tilted his head at her with a skeptical look on his face. She shrugged in response and lowered them down to the island. Her eyebrows raised upon her forehead when she realized the ship belonged to a small family of three. A man, in his older thirties with black hair, looked around the island as the woman and child, both also with black hair, climbed off the boat. The child was young, around five years old, and clinging to his mother's robe. They all were wearing tribal robes so it gave Neo the impression they were probably a very long way from home.
The woman and child jumped when the two pirates landed in front of them. The little child's eyes widened in fascination at the display Neo had preformed before him. He exclaimed, "Did you see that?! They were flying! Father, I wish to fly as well! How was she able to do that?"
The man stepped between them and held out his arm in a protective manner. "Silence, child. It is not normal for humans to fly. She must be one of those devil fruit users. A real witch indeed."
Law growled and pulled out his sword. The family flinched and took a step back. The mother wrapped her arms around their child, cried, and mumbled something in a different language that sounded like a prayer. The man did his best to hold his ground as he said, "Do not attempt to fight me, stranger. I do not wish for trouble. We are seeking an island called Romps."
"This is not Romps," Law replied. He raised his sword.
'Law, you don't have to be so intimidating.' Neo smiled. 'They're frightened enough. Let me handle this. A softer touch is clearly needed this time.'
'A softer touch? He needs his head hacked off for calling you a witch.' Law frowned and glared at the stranger.
'Well, to those of other cultures people with devil fruits, or magic in my case, are often referred to as witches or other such beings, right?'
'Yes.'
'And they're obviously just lost. I can easily take care of this without anyone losing their head.'
'Fine. This one's yours.' Law sheathed his sword and rested it on his shoulder.
Neo nodded then walked forward.
"Stay back, wench!" the man warned, earning another sharp glare from Law.
"It's okay. We're not going to hurt you at all. You're just on the wrong island. I'm going to help you get away from this place. It's best if you never mention to anyone that you saw us," Neo said. She summoned her wind crystals above the small family so they couldn't see them. Carefully, she pulled the air out of their lungs until they passed out. Once they were out, she released her winds so she didn't kill them. She then gathered them all up, including Law and their small ship, and flew them back out to sea. She lowered the vessel into the water then flew the three inside of the ship so they would be protected from the elements. She laid them on the floor then noticed she had brought them into the kitchen. "Huh?"
"What is it?" Law asked when Neo walked away from him. She opened several cabinets, which were practically empty. "Are they all empty?"
"Just about. This one has a can of soup inside of it." Neo closed the cabinet door. She stood up and looked at the small family again. Her expression softened. "I wonder how long they have been out of food."
"What difference does it make? It's their problem if they set out to sea without the proper preparations," Law replied in his typical, 'I don't care. It's not our problem', manor.
"Law," Neo drawled out his name. She crossed her arms and strummed her fingers on her elbow.
"Fine. But make it quick." Law crossed his arms over his chest, angling his sword vertical to his body, while leaning against the wall.
Neo nodded with a bright smile. She summoned a hundred of her earth crystals and filled their cabinets and shelves with a large variety of fruits and vegetables. Once that task was finished, she started to head outside to get them some fish, but stopped when she recalled that some people didn't eat meat for a variety of reason, so she decided against it since she didn't want fish to die if they were going to go to waste.
"You finished?" Law asked.
"Yes, my impatient lover," Neo said as she walked over to him. He unfolded his arms just before she placed her hands on his hips. She pushed upon her toes and pecked his lips. "Thanks for waiting and letting me do this."
Law sighed then smiled. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her deeply. "It's sweet of you to care, but we can't do this ever single time."
"I know." Neo nodded. Both knew she'd do it each and every time and Law would let her with minimum complaint. "Let's go. I'm going to have some sea creatures help guide them into the right direction of the nearest island."
Once back out on the deck, Neo lifted them up into the air. She located a small pod of whales nearby. After asking them to take the ship to another island, she took herself and Law back to Punk Hazard.
…
Penguin sighed. His hand stirred the fish stew he was making but his mind was with Neo. It had been three days since their captain and sister had left the Polar Tang. And it had been a very quite and lonely three days. All of them were feeling it. The sub just wasn't the same without Neo and the captain around, especially Neo.
"Uh, Penguin," Shachi said. "I think it's done. Or are you trying to put the fish back together by constantly stirring it?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry," Penguin said barely registering the other three pirates in the room.
"They're going to be all right," Topaz said.
"I know," Penguin said. "The captain will do anything he can to keep her comfortable. I'm still worried. She's so dependent on the sub and us. You know she's cried a lot since they left."
"That's true," Shachi said. "Still, in the end this will be a good life experience for her."
"Or a very traumatic one," Penguin mumbled.
"I guess we're going to have to adjust to you being a gloomy gus until they return," Shachi said.
"Deal with it," Penguin said. "Stew's ready."
"At least I was here to remind him to add in the spices," Basil said.
"Thank you for that," Shachi said.
"Hey!" Penguin protested. "If you don't like what I make then you can just not eat!"
"You were a fine cook before Neo left!" Shachi said.
"Neo!" Penguin dropped his head on the counter, shrouded in depression.
"Way to go, Shachi," Basil said.
"I'm sorry," Shachi said. "I'm just as tense as anyone else."
"We'll be a lot better when we get to Zou," Topaz said. "Being confined in the sub is too much for you all. Your whole world has been upside down since you've been with her for so long. Just hold on a little longer."
"I hope it won't take long for us to reach Zou," Bepo said as he walked into the room.
"Do you have any idea how long it will take us to get there?" Shachi asked.
"Not a clue," Bepo said. "Zunisha is always moving."
"It's amazing that we can even find this place to begin with," Topaz said.
"It's instinctual," Bepo said. "I just know which way to go."
Penguin sighed. Pouring himself some stew he sat down at the table and played with it more than he ate it. After that he spent most of his time in the training room trying to distract himself with exercises from missing Neo so much. But it didn't really work. His mind kept going to her and how she was doing without them. The whole crew worried. Then after nine painfully slow days, Bepo announced that Zou was coming up.
The pirates rushed out onto the deck. A large fog bank was in front of them.
"How can the island be coming up if there's nothing but fog out here?" Basil asked.
"No, I can sense it," Topaz said. "The elephant's presence is so overwhelming. I can barely feel the plant and animal life on top of it."
"A fog always surrounds Zunisha," Bepo said. "Just watch. You'll see it soon."
The pirates kept their eyes locked onto the fog as they moved through it. Before long the giant mass of the elephant's leg appeared.
"That's so huge!" Shachi said gaping up at the animal before them. "How can something this huge be so hard to find?!"
"Great. How in the world are we supposed to get up there?" Tero asked running his eyes over the elephant's skin. "Climb it?"
"I never thought of that," Bepo said. "I'm sorry."
"Why didn't you mention this before?!" Shachi and Penguin demanded. "We could have thought of a way to get up there on our way here!"
"I'm sorry." Bepo hung his head.
"Looks like someone's going to have to climb up there and tell them we're here," Tero said. "Maybe they have a pulley system they use to bring up the sub. Surely others have set sail from here like Bepo did. They'd need a way down. I highly doubt they slid down the elephant's trunk."
"That won't be necessary," Topaz said.
"Why not? You do want to get up there, don't you?" Tero said.
"Yes, but there are elementals up there," Topaz said. Summoning a fire crystal she shot a fireball into the sky. "I can call them down like this."
Three more fireballs went up before a couple wind elementals flew down to them. They were two females wielding wind.
"Hello," Topaz said. "My name is Topaz. I'm in the service of her majesty Princess Neo."
"A royal has been born?" one of the elementals asked.
"Indeed." Topaz nodded before quickly explaining their situation.
"Well, welcome to Zou. My name is Amara," the long haired girl said.
"And I am Nina," Nina said. Her hair was short and spiked.
"We really need to speak with Nekomamushi," Tero said. "Could you take us to him?"
"We'll have to wait until after sunset to speak to him," Bepo said.
"Why's that?" Shachi asked.
"The two rulers of this island have been fighting for many years. Nekomamushi watches over the night while Inuarashi watches over the day," Bepo said.
"Sounds complicated," Shachi said.
"Can we just go up?" Penguin asked.
"Sure thing." Amara nodded before she and Nina summoned their wind crystals and lifted them to the top of Zunisha.
"Is that a whale shaped tree?" Archer asked looking down over the forest.
"It sure is," Nina said.
The elementals placed the sub down in the thick forest near a group of buildings on short stilts.
"This is Nekomamushi's territory," Amara said. "We have a few hours until the sun goes down. And since you're new here it's best if you stayed on the sub until you can speak to Nekomamushi."
"We can wait," Jean Bart said. "We wouldn't want to cause trouble."
"We've been waiting to get here for days. A couple more hours won't be much," Conner said.
"So what's the princess like?" Nina asked. "Is she pretty? Is she nice? What's her favorite food? Animals? Color? Does she like flowers? How can she not? We're elementals after all. We all love nature."
Amara shook her head. "Ignore her. She can be rather talkative and curious."
"It's just fine," Topaz said. "I have to inform you all of the princess anyway. It'll be best before she gets here."
"Eek! We're going to meet the princess?!" Nina squealed. "That's so amazing! I've heard so much about them! I thought I'd never get to meet one!"
"She's very…excitable," Conner said.
"She's insane," Archer said.
"Ignore her." Amara rubbed her temples. "She's always been like that. Being quiet and sitting still is practically impossible for her. The only time it really happens is when she's asleep. But she's always talking in her sleep too. So…"
As they waited for night to fall more elementals came to see who the new comers were as well as some minks. They spent the majority of the time telling them about Neo until night fell. Then Amara and Nina lead the pirates to the large cat.
"Garchu!" the minks said as the pirates passed by them.
"Garchu!" a cat mink rubbed up against Conner.
"Hey! What the heck?! Get off of me!" Conner said.
"What's with all the snuggles?" Archer asked as a goat mink nudged against him.
"It's a greeting that minks do," Bepo said.
"Garchu! You're so big!" a child doe said as she and some other kids ran circles around Jean Bart.
Jean Bart sighed but remained patient with them.
"Garchu!"
"Garchu!"
"And here we are," Amara said. She led them into the open building. Sitting there on several pillows was a large yellow cat mink smoking a pipe.
"That's him?" Shachi asked.
"That's him. Nekomamushi, we have some people here would needs to speak with you," Amara said.
"Eh?" Nekomamushi looked at Bepo before rushing forward and rubbed his cheek against the bear's. "Garchu! Bepo! You've grown so much!"
"Garchu! It's good to see you well, Nekomamushi," Bepo said. "Would it be all right if I spoke to you?"
"Of course." The giant cat sat back down on his pillows.
The pirates, mostly Bepo, once again told them what happened and why they were there.
"I see," Nekomamushi said breathing out smoke.
"So is it all right for us to stay here?" Bepo asked. "I promise we won't be any trouble."
"Of course you can stay here," Nekomamushi said. "You are a mink. This place will always be your home. And I will protect you and your crew."
"Thank you very much, Nekomamushi." Bepo bowed his head.
"Amara, will you and Nina get them settled into their new homes? And put their ship in a storage shed," Nekomamushi said.
"Of course." Amara nodded before leading the pirates back outside. The pirates gathered up some clothes before the elementals moved their sub into a shed like they were ordered to. Next they followed their new friends back to the small village. "Here we are."
The pirates looked up at the large wooden building.
"This place will have enough rooms for you," Nina said. "Feel free to use whichever ones you want to."
"Thanks," Topaz said.
"We'll get a meal prepared for you all. Come on, Nina," Amara said grabbed her friend by her ear and pulling her away.
"Wait! I have lots more questions about the princess!" Nina said.
"You can ask them later," Amara said. "They've had a long journey and need to rest."
"Neo would love this place," Penguin said looking around at the forest they were in.
"Come on." Shachi placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and steered him up the stairs then inside. The pirates spread out in the hall. Some doubled up in the rooms while others chose to get a room for themselves. "This is nice."
Penguin plopped down on his bed with a sigh. Looking around he found the room was more spacious than their room on the sub. And they didn't have bunk beds. They had their only individual beds and closets, plus a divider wall made of bamboo that could be moved around. "I guess. It's kind of like a tree house. Something else Neo would love."
"Are you going to be okay?" Shachi asked. "It's understandable that you're depressed. I'm just…"
"I'll be fine," Penguin said. "Being here instead of on the sub will help. Too much of Neo is there."
"Yeah." Shachi nodded. "The sub's just not the same without her. She brought so much life and love to the crew that was never there before."
"At least we made it here without any problems," Penguin said. "She'll love that."
"And we'll keep a close eye on the newspapers," Shachi said. "If anything really big happens with them and Punk Hazard it will be reported."
"Yeah." Penguin nodded.
"Now, cheer up!" Shachi smiled. "We have an island on the back of an elephant to explore! We can prepare a tour for Neo when she and the captain return! And you can pick her out some mink outfits!"
"Mink outfits?" Penguin asked.
"Serious?!" Shachi gasped. "You didn't notice how revealing some of the clothes the minks were wearing?! Dang! You really are depressed! All well. You'll notice soon enough. And I'm sure you'll pick out some outfit for Neo to tease the captain with."
Penguin hummed in thought. Shachi did have a point. That would distract him. "All right. Let's go back outside and see what we can do here."
"That's my boy!" Shachi slapped Penguin on the shoulder before the two headed back outside to continue meeting the minks and exploring Bepo's homeland.
…
"This is so boring," Neo whined. Slumping down on the couch she laid her head on Law's lap. "What are you reading?"
"Nothing of interest to you," Law said.
"Figures," Neo said. A few moments of silence passed between them. "I think I might go to the kitchen."
"Hm?" Law looked down at her with a cocked eyebrow. "You going to start cooking here?"
"I'm that bored," Neo said. "Besides I'm tried of the bland food."
"Well, if you really feel secure enough to go then go," Law said going back to his book. "I'll come to you if you need me."
"I know," Neo said. "I'm just not completely sure that's what I want to do. I don't feel threatened by the men here. Well, all but for Caesar and Monet. I still don't trust them. But I believe the others are truly grateful that you gave them legs, no matter how sickening is still is to think about."
Law hummed and flipped to the next page of his book.
"Fine. I'm going," Neo said. "At least for a while."
"Call if you need me," Law said.
"I will." Neo forced herself up, kissed him, grabbed her coat off the back of the couch, and headed for the door. Out in the hall she checked her pocket for the map of the building. It was still there. She had it memorized by now but wanted to keep it just in case she got lost. The halls were mostly empty but for two men in yellow gas suits heading out for their patrol. They were down another hallway so they didn't see her as she made her way through the large building. Her eyes then drifted up to the pipes running alone the ceiling. She still wasn't sure what most of them were but she knew some of them were for the heating system. After ten minutes of wandering the long hall she finally reached the mess hall. The two men, with goat legs, were already inside of the kitchen. They moved about the room, not realizing she was there. Neo stood back and watched them for a few minutes before stepping in the doorway that led to the kitchen. That's when they noticed she was there.
"Oh, good afternoon, Lady Law," one of them said. "Is there something we can do for you?"
"No," Neo said. "I was just…I was thinking about helping you two cook. I'm kind of bored."
"I see," he said. "You're welcome to help us if you want. I'm Roca."
"And I'm Kennan," the other one said. "We're really grateful to you and your husband. Feel free to do what you like."
"Great," Neo said. Instead of stepping into the kitchen she just stared at the men before her. Her mind ran over the possibilities of whether this man was a pirate or a subordinate of Vegapunk that got left behind.
"It's okay if you don't want to cook," Roca said.
"Yeah, we noticed you're rather shy," Kennan said. "Would you like to chop up some potatoes? We're making a stew for lunch."
Neo nodded. With timid steps she worked her way up to the island counter where potatoes were already washed and waiting. The two men continued their work. When they didn't come close to her she picked up the knife and started cutting through the potatoes. Once they were done she pushed them across the counter and watched the two men. She cringed when Roca put very little spices into the large pots of stew. "Um, you're going to need a lot more spices than that."
"Huh?" Roca looked at her.
Twitching, she asked, "How…how much knowledge of cooking do you two have?"
"Not much," Kennan said.
"I have a little but not much," Roca said. "Admittedly, we're not the best cooks. The men have complained about the food. We do what we can."
"Why? Do you have much knowledge on cooking?" Kennan asked.
"Well, a little bit. I am the head cook on our crew, but I'm not actually a chef. I'm really still learning. There needs to be more spices," Neo said.
"I see. Well, you're free to add what you want," Roca said waving at the pots. "You seem to know what you're talking about."
Neo shifted on her feet before heading around to the stove. Glancing over the spices she picked a few up and started shaking them into the stew while stirring it. She then stepped over to the meat and looked over it. "It should do though next time tenderize it some more."
Picking up the meat she dumped it into the pots and stirred it a bit. An hour later the meal was finally done and the men started filing into the mess hall. When Law walked in Neo walked over to him with their plates and drinks in her winds.
"You seem to be feeling better," Law said before kissing her.
"A little bit," Neo said sitting down with him. "It helped being in here. And the two guys I was around weren't so bad."
Law took a bit of the stew. "Well, you've obvious improved the state of the food."
"You always say that." Neo smiled.
"Then pay attention to the people around us," Law said.
Neo looked at the people around them.
"Something's different about this."
"It tastes a lot better."
"It does."
"There's better flavor to it. And the bread is nice and fluffy."
"You can thank Lady Law for that," Kennan said.
"She helped us with the meal," Roca said.
Neo flushed and ducked her head when everyone turned their eyes to her.
"You're a wonderful cook!"
"Yeah! Feel free to cook for us any time!"
'Why did they have to open their mouths?' Neo ripped off a piece of being and dunked it into her stew.
'You should have told them not to put you on the spot.'
'I never thought about it.'
'At least they're going back to their meal now.'
Neo sighed and sat back up. "I'll never get use to being the center of attention."
"Only with people you don't know," Law said. "You're fine with the crew."
Neo nodded. Finally finished eating she tried to help clean up the dishes but Roca and Kennan shooed her off. So she left the mess hall with her arm in Law's. "So what now?"
"We go back to the room," Law said.
"So boring," Neo said.
"I might be able to do something about that," Law said.
"Oh," Neo cooed. "Now what did you have in mind?"
"Like you don't know." Law smirked.
"And how long have you been wanting this?" Neo asked.
"Not long after you left," Law said. "It annoyed me that you were alone with two other men outside of the crew. So you're making it up to me."
"Then why didn't you call me back?" Neo asked. "And you hid it from me?"
"Because you needed to do this," Law said. "That's why I didn't call you back or let you know."
"Again I have to say you are the most patient man on the planet," Neo said.
"And now my patients is wearing thin," Law said. "I want you. Now."
Neo shivered when Law's sexual desires and arousal washed over her body. Picking them up in her winds she flew them the rest of the way to the room. Law warped them inside and simultaneously warped their clothes off. "You are impatient."
Law chuckled. Pulling her close to him, he placed his lips on her neck and sucked on her tender spot.
Neo grasped. Grasping onto his arms she flew them over to the bed. With him busy ravaging her neck she fumbled in the nightstand drawer for protection. Pulling a small packet out she tried to push Law off her. "Law…Law, you need to put the condom on."
Law licked her neck before sitting up. "You put it on."
Neo smiled. Sitting up she slid the protection over him before wrapping her arms around his neck. Kissing him she lowered back to the bed, pulling him down with her. His knee bushed her leg out of the way. She gripped the sheets with a moan upon feeling him slid inside of her slowly. "Uh, you're going to tease me. Aren't you?"
"Yes," Law said before starting on his slow strokes.
Neo gave into him. Rolling her head back she allowed him to have complete control before placing her hand on his shoulder and rolling him onto his back so she could give him the attention she knew he was craving. Now it was his turn to moan in pleasure as she worked herself over his body until they both reached their climax. They cleaned up before she laid down on his stomach. She hummed. "That was so worth it."
"Mhmm." Law raked his fingers through her air. Both falling asleep to the sound of the others breathing.
