Leaving Punk Hazard
"Come on! Everyone, hurry up and get on the cart!" Law shouted out over the crumbling building. He was currently standing on the cart looking down at everyone on the floor.
The kids screamed and ran towards the carts. The navy soldiers and, formerly Caesar's, men helped the kids climb up the ladders, hurrying them along. "Hurry, kids! Let's go!"
"Up the ladder!"
"I can't climb!"
"Come on, you can do it!"
"Where does this passage lead to?" Nami asked as she watched Zoro set Brownbeard down in the cart.
"It leads to a harbor where a tanker is currently docked," Law replied.
"That deadly gas is covering the entire island. Will we be okay by going this route?" Nami asked.
"Yes, we have to risk exposure to the air outside in order to get to the tanker but isn't it better than being buried alive under some wreckage?" Law questioned.
"But the children…" Nami started.
"We'll be fine, sister," a girl said. "We want to get out of here."
"She's right! We can make it if we hold our breath!" a boy added.
"We want to see our mothers and fathers!" another boy said. "Please take us with you!"
"Please!" the children begged.
Lin then walked forward. She looked up at Nami and said, "Neo will protect us. Remember she has control over the wind. She has flown us around before. I told you that when we were outside."
"You're right." Nami smiled at Lin. "She does have control over the wind. She's your friend, right?"
"She is." Lin nodded.
"Then we'll just have to leave it all up to fate," Nami declared. She planted her hands on her hips. "Kids! We'll make it through this at any cost! You have to survive this and go home! Your parents, your families are waiting for you!"
"Yeah!" the kids cheered.
Lin smiled and nodded in agreement. She looked around and noticed that Neo wasn't anywhere to be seen. She then walked over to Law. She glanced up at him, lightly flinching when he returned her gaze. "Where's Neo? She's not here. Do you know where she is? You're her husband, right? I've seen you with her before."
Law stared at the child. This blonde haired, pigtailed child was the one who Neo seemed to have bonded with the most. He sighed. "She's coming. She had to go help a friend of hers. She'll be here soon."
"So she's okay?" Lin asked.
"She's fine." Law nodded despite still being concerned over her magic loss.
"I'm glad." Lin smiled at him. "I'm sure you're glad too. She really loves you."
Law nodded again, somehow surprised at the girl's words. He had to force his heart rate to slow down when his brain automatically thought back to how Neo was with this child. Back to when she first comforted Lin, told them an altered version of how they met and then tucked the kids into bed. "Yeah. I'm glad."
More rumbling forced them to pull their attention away from each other. Someone asked, "The door's starting to close! Who did that?!"
"Hey! What's that?!" a blonde haired boy asked. He pointed towards the closing door and the dark hallway.
Soldiers screamed and gasped when the purple gas rolled towards the door. "Ah! It's the poison gas!"
"Hurry up! Get on now!"
Law concentrated on Neo's position. She was so close to him now, but he could feel her magic draining fast from her. 'Neo, hurry up! The door's closing!'
…
'I know, Law. The Straw Hats' sniper said he was going to close it. We're close enough. We're going to be fine.' Neo thought to him despite her pants, her faltering crystals and her strong desire to just curl up on the floor and sleep. 'Just make sure everyone is on the cart by the time we get there. We can leave immediately.'
…
'Right. I'm trying, but the Straw Hats are being stupidly stubborn.' Law looked down at the pirate crew standing on the ground. They all had their eyes locked onto the closing door. He shouted, "Hey, what are you all doing, Straw Hats?! All of you get on the cart now! If we let Caesar gets away, our plan will be ruined!"
"So what?! Not all of my crew is here yet!" Luffy protested. "I'm not leaving without them!"
"Mocha's not here, either!" the giant blonde boy said.
"Some of our soldiers aren't here yet, either," Tashigi added.
Law growled. He clenched his teeth and fists, wishing he had Neo's magic so he could force the Straw Hat crew into the cart with her winds. This was ridiculous and dangerously stupid to wait.
…
"Come on, Neo!" Usopp cheered from the control room. "You can do it! You can out fly the gas! You're strong! Hurry up! Just fifty meters to go! The gate is already closing, but you can slide in easily! The building's collapsing! I'm heading to the R Building now!" He jumped off the platform he was standing on. Once landed, he realized something and smacked himself. "Oh shoot! I forgot all about the sea prism stone shackles I was suppose to be getting! Hey guys, do you all know where I can get some sea prism stone cuffs or shackles? I really need them."
"Sure. We've got some right here," one of the men said, holding up some shackles. Others held up shackles too.
"Whoa! I don't need that many!" Usopp said. He took one of them. "But thanks a lot. This really helps me out."
"Hey, you're going downstairs, right?" a man asked.
"It's too mortifying to die here because of that traitor!" a man said. "We'd like to come with you!"
"Of course you can come," Usopp said with a confused blink. "Didn't you hear what Neo said before? She wants me to bring you all along. She's your friend, isn't she?"
The men exchanged guilty looks. One of them said, "She was, but we turned on her when we thought she and Law betrayed the Ma-betrayed Caesar. We're sorry we acted so harshly against her. She didn't betray us at all. She was always so nice to us. She helped the cooks here get better at cooking. She made us snacks. She's just so nice and sweet. We want to apologize to her."
"Then come on," Usopp said. He jerked his thumb to the door. "She'll be glad to see you all again. You can tell her how sorry you are for turning on her."
…
Neo's control over her winds faltered again. The group dipped down with a startled cry before she was able to regain control and lifted them back up. A soldier asked, "Are you sure you're okay? That's the sixth time that's happened."
"What's wrong with you?!" Chopper snapped at the soldier. "Are you accusing her of doing that on purpose?!"
"No, I was just asking if she was all right," the soldier replied.
"Well, then be more careful with your words! You sound like you're accusing her of something that's not her fault!" Chopper growled.
"It's okay, Chopper," Neo replied. She looked at the reindeer then looked at the soldier. "I'm sorry. I'm just a bit tired from my battle with Vergo. My m-powers and strength hasn't had much time to regenerate."
"I suppose you are correct. Vergo always was a tough opponent. And if you really fought him as hard as you say then I'm not surprised you're so weak at the moment," the soldier said. "I'm actually quite a bit surprised that you've been able to carry us this far. I'm grateful for your help."
"Yeah!" the rest of the soldiers agreed.
"Uh." Neo blinked at them, a bit shocked at getting thanked from navy soldiers. "You're welcome. I mean, I know we're technically enemies, but I still don't want you all to get hurt here. This is all Caesar's fault. You didn't ask for any of it."
"Ah, you're so nice," a soldier said with a smile. He then banished his smiled and somewhat growled at her. "But don't think that this makes us friends! Once this is over we're still hunting you and the rest of you pirates down!"
"Of course," Neo said with a light smile. "I wouldn't expect anything else."
"But I'm still not sure we're going to make it!" another soldier said. "No offense, Neo."
"It's only over when you decide to give up!" Brook said.
"But the deadly gas is right behind us!" a soldier cried. "And Neo only has enough strength now to fly us! She's can't push it back anymore!"
Neo sighed. The man was right. It was taking too much out of her to try and push the gas back and try to fly them forward. She had to release her crystals that were on the gas and focus completely on flying them. She narrowed her eyes. The doors ahead of them were almost closed. Almost. She wasn't going to lose anyone of them. Not when being this close to escaping from this horrible place. She wasn't going to lose. She wasn't going to let them die. Not here. Not now. Tapping into her remaining strength, she pushed them forward to the doors, through the doors. She heard someone call out Luffy's name, but wasn't sure who said it. All she could focus on was how she just skimmed them all passed the closing doors.
The kids screamed and cheered Neo and Mocha's names. "They made it! Neo! Mocha! Neo! Mocha!"
"We made it!" Chopper cried out. He raised his hooves into the air in victory. "We made it! You did it Neo!"
"Yeah." Neo nodded. Her pants were so heavy only that one word was all she could manage. Keeping her hold on her wind crystals, she continued to fly them towards the carts.
"All right! We're all here now!" Luffy cheered. "Way to go, Neo! You saved them!"
"You had us rather worried!" Nami added.
"I'm glad you all made it!" Usopp said. He and the men from the control room were standing on the stairs as Neo flew passed them.
"I'm glad you're safe too, Usopp. You've been a lot of help," Chopper said as Neo flew them over to the carts.
"That's enough! We have to get going now!" Law called out again. His eyes rose to Neo as she passed over him. Their eyes locked on to each other. 'Did you really have to scare me like that? I was worried.'
'Sorry. But you would have done the exact same as me if you were in my position.' Neo smiled at him. He smiled back with a light shake of his head.
"Yeah! Time to go, everyone! This place is coming down!" Luffy then shouted out with more happy enthusiasm than Neo thought was appropriate for a situation like this.
Neo lowered her passengers to the floor of the cart. She about fell backwards when Lin rammed into her. She placed her left hand on the floor to keep herself from falling while her right arm wrapped automatically around Lin's smaller frame. "Uh, Lin?"
"N-Neo, I was…so worried about you," Lin cried. She tightened her arms around Neo's neck. "I'm so glad…you're okay."
"I'm glad you're okay as well." Neo, stabilized, put her left arm around Lin's body. She looked around at the rest of the children. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she mentally counted the kids like she always did after her crew had been in battle. She relaxed with sigh when they all were accounted for and relatively safe. "I'm glad you all are safe."
"Neo! You did it!" Chopper shouted. He joined Lin in hugging the blue haired woman. "I'm so glad we made it!"
"Me too, Chopper," Neo replied. She focused on Law then. He was carefully monitoring her with a thick worry clouding his chest. 'All right, my love. I'll relax now and I won't use my magic unless it's life or death, despite us still being in a life and death situation.'
'We'll be fine.'
"Wait! What should we do?! What should we do about Kin'emon?!" Brook shrieked.
Neo looked up when the skeleton shouted out. She couldn't seem him anymore since he had moved to the front cart. She heard someone else shouting, but wasn't sure who it was as she didn't recognize their voice. She had decided to stay with Lin and kids, mostly because Lin was still holding on to her, but also because some other kids had a hold of her coat. She really wanted to go be with Law, but knew the kids needed her at the moment. They were still scared and confused about all of this. She felt Law wanted to be with her too, but he needed to remain in the front to help take care of any obstacle that might present itself while they rolled down the hallway. She looked down and stroked Lin's hair before lifting her eyes back towards the direction Law was in when she felt his frustration. 'Law?'
'How far away is Caesar? I don't see any light yet. The exit must be farther away than I thought.'
'You're right. We're getting closer but we're still a fair distance from the exit. Would you like me to speed us up a bit? I can give us a boost.'
After a pause Law replied to her. 'No. Save your magic for now. We'll get there soon. This wouldn't have happened if Straw Hat wasn't being so stupid.'
'Easy, Law. He doesn't think like you do. It'll be fine. Caesar's not moving. If he wanted to escape, he wouldn't be able to do it without someone's help.' Suddenly a loud boom vibrated the entire unstable building. 'Law! That was an explosion!'
…
"Was that an explosion?" Nami asked at the same time Neo contacted Law.
"I think it came from the D Building," Law replied to both of the women. "From the SAD manufacturing room where we were fighting Vergo."
'Vergo.' Neo narrowed her eyebrows. 'Do you think he…?'
'Probably.' Law looked back towards the direction of the exit.
"Hey, Law," Smoker said. "If we get out of here, it's obvious we'll go our separate ways. But, before that, there is something I want to ask you."
Law dipped his head, hiding his mouth below his collar. He felt Neo tensing up at the vice admiral being so close to him. He narrowed his eyebrows and asked, "What?"
"Why did Caesar think that he had my heart? I thought you had it since you took it from me," Smoker said.
"I never said that was your heart. He made that assumption on his own," Law replied once he felt Neo relax. He then went ahead and explained to the vice admiral about the deal he made with the scientist. "To earn Caesar's trust I let him keep my heart and took his secretary Monet's heart in return. And then I cut your heart out when you arrived at on the island, as you know. So I had two hearts in my possession instead of just the one. I just gave his secretary Monet's heart back to him out of kindness. Just like they say. If you are kind to people, that good karma will come back around."
Smoker scoffed. "I can't believe that woman of yours allowed you to do such a stupid thing."
Law just smirked behind his collar and thought about how he earned himself a hundred required baths with her. He sighed. Despite preferring showers, he knew he was going to like taking these baths with her. They were going to be a lot more fun for him. And he was going to make her pay for forcing this onto him despite willing agreeing to do this in the first place. He felt Neo growling at him for thoughts of turning that against her with sexual ambitions. 'Don't give me that attitude, little girl. You should have seen my intentions coming long before now.'
Neo sighed. 'Yeah, I know. But it's fine. I still get my hundred promised baths with you.'
'Yes, my love, you'll still get them.'
"It's no good! That explosion is causing everything to collapse faster!" Usopp shouted out.
…
Neo gasped when she felt a piece of rumble falling towards them. She looked up, readying herself to do something about it, but stopped when Luffy appeared in her view and kicked the debris away from everyone. "Straw Hat."
"N-Neo, I'm scared," Lin whimpered.
"It'll be okay. You're going to be fine. We're going to get out of here and you'll get to see your parents very soon," Neo replied. She looked back down at the girl in her arms. She stroked her blonde hair. She then looked back towards Law's direction. 'Law?'
…
"I know. We're in a tunnel that passes through a mountain. If it collapses, we'll be buried alive," Law said while looking up at the cracking ceiling.
…
'I might not have enough magic to dig us out. I'm going to give us a boost. I have enough magic to do that still.' When Law nodded back to her, Neo summoned ten wind crystals behind the carts. She gave them a push with a strong gush of wind then let her crystals vanish with a tired sigh.
…
"This is no time for idle narration!" Usopp shouted.
"I wasn't talking to you," Law replied.
"Huh?" Usopp blinked.
A loud thump disrupted any more conversation between the two. A navy soldier cried out, "Oh no! A piece of the ceiling had fell onto the track! We're going to hit it and crash! Someone hit the brakes!"
"Just keep going," Zoro said. He was standing on the edge of the cart.
"What?!" a soldier gasped. They watched as Zoro pulled out his sword and easily sliced up the obstacle with one slice of his blade.
"So cool!" a child cried happily.
"He did it! I can't believe it! He saved us!" a soldier cheered.
"Wow! For an enemy, he's really someone you don't want for an enemy!" another soldier said.
…
'Law! The gas is coming closer! We're almost outside, but there's a lot of gas at the exit! I can't push it all away!'
'I'll handle it.' Law placed his hand on the cart and asked, "Can anyone here generate wind?"
"Why are you asking that when you're married to a woman who can do just that?" one of Caesar's former men asked. "Have her do it."
"She's too drained right now," Law replied. He then glared at them. "So leave her alone."
"Yes, sir!" they shrieked.
"Well, it's not going to be so easy to find another person with that skill," a man said.
"I can do that," Nami then said.
"Seriously?!" the men shouted.
"I can see the exit!" Usopp announced.
"All right! We're almost there!" Luffy said tossing his fist into the air. "Go faster!"
The soldiers screamed again and covered several of the kids' heads, protecting them from the crumbling building. "Don't collapse just yet! We're almost there!"
"Even if we can get out of here in time, there's still the gas to deal with outside!"
One asked, "Hey! Can you really create wind, pirate?!"
"Are we going to be okay?"
"Hey, hey!" Sanji shrieked while burning with fire. "Those of you who don't trust my beloved Nami can jump off right now! No, I'll kick you off for your doubt!"
"You're scaring us!" a soldier whined.
"We're counting on you, Nami!" Luffy said after punching a rock.
"We trust you!" Usopp added. "Now get us out of here!"
"Trust me! I've got this under control," Nami declared. She pulled out her baton and twirled it. Pointing the end at the exit, she said, "Sorcery Climate Baton! Gust Sword!"
A swirl of wind shot out of the baton.
Law twitched in remembrance of when Neo had first felt this orange haired woman create wind. He focused his attention back on her.
…
Neo tightened her arms around Lin's trembling body. Her mind was split in three different directions, the gas in front of them, and the gas behind them and how she couldn't do much to help. Still, she summoned a couple wind crystals and pushed the cart. Sweat beaded on her forehead as her body began to feel heavy again from a small fever. She flinched when a distantly familiar feeling washed over her.
"Neo, are you all right?" Lin asked. "You don't look so good. Are you sick?"
"I might be," Neo replied. She smiled when Lin gave her a worried look. She stroked the child's cheek then pulled her back to her chest. That wind wasn't created from nature. I guess Law asked the Straw Hat navigator to create some wind to blow away the gas at the exit. We're so close to it now. At least she can create wind. And I'm adjusting to the way it feels since I've already felt it before and have gotten stronger.
'Neo? Did that bother you too much?'
'No. It still feels a bit weird, but I'm adjusted to it.'
'That's good. Looks like we're out now.' Law thought her to as everyone around them cheered as the gas vanished from the exit and they were suddenly outside. The sun beaming down on them, the cool air rushing over their faces. It felt good.
"Neo! We did it! We're out!" Chopper screamed. Neo looked up at him. He had once again climbed up on Mocha's body.
"Yes. We've escaped." Neo nodded with a smile. Soon the carts had coasted to a stop. Those who were hunkered down peaked up and noticed they had stopped and were safe. They all cheered again.
"Huh?" Neo blinked when Chopper disappeared from her sight. She heard him, Luffy and Usopp shouting about something cool. She stood up with Lin still in her arms. The little girl wrapped her legs around her and continued to hold tight. She peaked through the bodies of everyone to see what all the excitement was about.
"What?!"
"It's a robot!"
"The ultimate one!"
"Wow! So cool!"
"Now that's more like it! That's what we guys love!"
"Uh." Neo blinked again when she could finally see what all the guys were shouting about. She tilted her head in wonder at the robot before her eyes. 'That thing is kinda cool looking. Is it really a robot? Why are the guys so excited?'
'Guys just do that sometimes. You've seen the crew get that way.'
'I guess so. But they don't even seem to get this excited. Or I don't think they do. They might and I just don't remember.' Neo sighed. A wave of homesickness washed over her. 'I miss them, Law. I want to go home.'
'We will, love. We're done with this step now. Just be patient a little bit longer.' Law relaxed a bit when he felt Neo sigh in acceptance to his words. He then looked over the land in front of him and narrowed his eyes. "Buffalo! And, is that, Baby 5?"
He felt Neo's heart skipped a beat at his words. 'Buffalo and Baby 5?! What are they doing here?!'
'Joker must have sent them to try and save Caesar.'
Neo summoned a wind crystal. She lifted herself and Lin upon the side of the cart. Her heart skipped another beat when she saw a woman with black hair dressed in a maid outfit and a large man wearing an orange coat. She recognized them from the pictures Law showed her of them.
"Law! Are you seriously going to stand against Joker?!" Baby 5 demanded.
"You traitor! Don't you know that Joker is still holding the heart seat open for ya?!" Buffalo said.
"Huh?! It's her!" Baby 5 shouted as she pointed at Neo.
Neo gulped and took a step back, wishing she had just stayed down. She didn't have enough magic or energy to fight anyone right now, even if she got angry.
'Relax, Neo. They won't attempt a fight here. They're far too many of us for them to try. They're not that stupid.' Law's words calmed her down, but she still kept her guard up.
"Who are they? Are they friends of yours?" Luffy asked Law.
"No! They're enemies!" Law replied. He growled when the two grabbed Caesar and took off.
"Hey! They're running! All right! I got this one!" Usopp announced. "It's my job as the sniper to take down a flying enemy!"
"They can't get away! Got to stop them!" Law hissed. He held out his hand and started to form his Room.
"Hey! Whoa, whoa! Take it easy!" Luffy said. He grabbed Law's shoulder. "Usopp said he would handle this."
"Don't think just because our sniper has a long nose he can't do his job," Zoro said.
"Did you really have to say that about my nose?! It has nothing to do with my sniper skills!" Usopp snapped.
"That does matter! If we let them get away, our plan is…" Law started. He calmed down a bit when he sensed Neo coming towards him. She landed beside him, but he didn't look at her.
"Are we an alliance or not?" Nami asked as she walked by them. "We'd appreciate a little trust."
"Alliance? What are you talking about?" Zoro asked.
'Law, let them handle this.' Neo placing one hand on his arm, calming him down completely, while using her other to keep Lin stable in her hold.
'Fine.' Law sighed, aggravated.
"I've had enough running around. I want in on the offensive," Nami said. She licked her lips. "I'm not afraid of enemies who runs off like that and have no will to fight!"
"On top of that, they're wounded and have their backs towards us!" Usopp added.
"Just get on with it, already," Zoro huffed.
"Okay, now for your watering," Usopp said.
"Huh?" Neo cranked her neck when she felt the sniper's slingshot suddenly coming to life. Her eyes widened slightly as she felt the plant grow.
'What is it, Neo?' Law turned his eyes to Neo. His heart skipped a beat then pounded rapidly in his chest when his eyes landed on her. He wasn't expecting to see her holding a child, but there she was. Her arms cradling the little blonde haired girl while her eyes sparked with interest on what the Straw Hat sniper was using as a weapon.
'His weapon is some kind of carnivorous plant. I wonder where he got it. It's incredible.' Neo watched, almost in a trance, as the sniper told it to eat up and it actually obeyed him. She blinked rapidly as it munched up rocks and other debris it could reach. 'I didn't know plants could each such things.'
"Go! Weather Egg!" Nami shouted. She swung her baton towards Buffalo and Baby 5. "Now, hatch! Thunder Egg!"
Neo's eyes widened even more when she noticed the giant egg flying through the air. Upon Nami's command it broke open and released a black cloud. The cloud rumbled with thunder as yellow lightning danced within it. She bit her lip to fight back a giggle of anticipation.
'This isn't bothering you?' Law wondered as he broke into Neo giddiness.
'Not really. It still feels a bit weird like the first time she manipulated nature, but not as bad.'
"Nope! You're not getting away from us!" Nami said with determination. She twirled her baton, a strike of lightning followed its movements. "The science of weather. Thunder Breed Tempo!"
"Such control!" Neo gasped when lightning bolt struck Baby 5.
"Good isn't she?" Luffy asked with a laugh. Neo nodded.
'You are far too impressed.' Law thought to her. He raised an eyebrow. 'It's not like you to be so open like that.'
'Well, I'm still a bit nervous about them. But I'm with you and we're in the open. I'll be nervous later when we have more one on one time with them. Besides, with how odd I've been acting, this should be a surprise.' Neo didn't look at him when Law turned his full attention to her despite feeling his confusion about her odd behavior. She gnawed on her bottom lip while keeping her eyes on the Straw Hats. Nami stepped back and Usopp stepped forward. She shifted on her feet, wondering what the sniper was going to do with the strange plant slingshot of his. Her eyebrows rose when she sensed a small amount of the sea inside the plant. Hm…so that's what's going on. He's got sea prism stone in that thing.
"Okay! Here's the final blow! Go, Chomping Grass!" Usopp said, sitting down on the long handle of his slingshot. "Special Attack! Charging Shooting Star! Go!"
The sniper released his attack. The plant shot out, shooting out everything it had gobbled up. The debris easily pelted Buffalo's body, but easily passed through Caesar's Logia body. Usopp grinned. "That won't work. That last shot was sea prism stone shackles."
Everyone cheered when the shackles wrapped around Caesar's neck and he went falling out of the sky just like Buffalo and Baby 5. "That serves you right, Caesar!"
"Count on me when the enemy has their back turned," Usopp said, pushing up his goggles.
"We get it!" everyone snapped.
"All right. This stage of the plan is completely," Law said.
"See? I told you we were good," Luffy said with a huge, goofy grin.
"So, how are we going to get them out of the ocean?" a navy soldier asked when the three unconscious bodies fell into the freezing water. "It's far too cold for us to swim."
"I got it," Neo said. She smiled when Law frowned at her. 'I'm just pulling them out. I can handle that.'
Law nodded. She summoned a water crystal and easily lifted them out of the cold water. She laid them out on the ground just as people started to disembark from the carts. Someone said, "Come on. Let's get the kids inside the tanker. It's far too cold out here for them to be without coats. Maybe we can find something for them to wear."
"Oh, right the kids," Neo mumbled. She looked down at the girl in her arms. Lin was dozing off in her warm embrace. Summoning a two fire crystals, she hovered them near the girl to help keep her warm. She then glanced up at Law. A smile tugged on her lips. 'Do you want to talk about why your heart skittered when you saw me holding Lin?'
Law turned his head away from her slightly. He felt his cheeks grow warm. He let his hat fall over his eyes and tucked his mouth behind his collar. His reply was flat and disconnected. 'No.'
'Fine. We have more important things to worry about anyway.' Neo summoned a couple wind crystals. She wrapped them around herself, Law, Lin, Chopper and the rest of the children. Lifting them into the air, she flew them over to the tanker.
'Neo…' Law, cheeks back to normal, looked at her.
'What?' Neo stuck her tongue out at him. 'You said you'd help. And it's quicker to fly them. I have to fly Mocha anyway.'
Law sighed in defeat. He remained quiet until Neo had landed them on the tanker's deck. He addressed the Straw Hat doctor while Neo ushered the kids inside and carefully flew Mocha through the doors. He said, "Stay out here. And, whatever you do, do not look inside."
"Huh?! What do you mean?!" Chopper demanded, but Law was already inside the room with the kids. He about followed, but Neo had appeared. She smiled and waved at him before closing the door. He sighed. "I guess it'll be okay. Neo's with the kids after all. She'll make sure he doesn't hurt them. But still…what is he going to do to them?"
Chopper remained on the deck for a while. He tapped his hoof on the floor before walking over to the door. Grasping onto the door, he peered inside. Mumbling to himself, he said, "Law told me not to look inside. And I know Neo is in there with him, but I wonder if they are really okay. What's he doing to them? He doesn't have any equipment with him."
"Ah!" the kids suddenly screamed. Chopper gasped and rushed towards the room.
…
Law walked into the room just as Neo walked over to the door. He looked around the room. Mocha was laying on the floor, on a tarp Neo had found. The rest of the kids were standing, or kneeling, around the unconscious girl. Ten fire crystals were hovering in the air near the kids, keeping them warm and warming the room. He didn't move until Neo had walked back over to him, after closing the door, and stood beside him. She said, "I hope this is okay. I don't think they'd have a bed big enough for her on this tanker."
"It'll do," Law replied. "After I remove the poison, she should regain consciousness soon enough."
"I hope so," Neo said with a low sigh.
"So, what's going to happen to us?" Lin asked. The little girl walked over to Neo and grabbed onto her coat.
"You're going to get better," Neo said. She bent over and placed her hand on the girl's head. "Law's going to take away the poison."
"Will it hurt?" Lin asked, fear gathered in her eyes.
"No, it won't," Neo said. She then looked at Law, unsure if it would or wouldn't hurt them.
"No, it won't hurt them at all," Law replied. He looked at the girl. "Go join the other so we can get this over with."
"Uh." Lin whimpered and held onto Neo tighter.
"It's okay, Lin. I'm not going anywhere," Neo said soothingly. She hugged the girl. "Go ahead and join the others. This won't take very long at all."
"O-okay." Lin nodded. She then released Neo and rejoined the others.
Law held out his hand. He formed his Room then pulled out his sword. The kids screamed when he sliced at them.
"Huh?" Neo looked over her shoulder when she felt Chopper getting closer to the room. Suddenly the door busted opened.
"What?!" Chopper gasped. His arms flailed wildly, his eyes turned into spirals.
"Chopper, wait!" Neo cried out to. But she wasn't fast enough. The little reindeer shot off like a bullet and left the room. "Oh no."
"Just let him go," Law said as he finished up with the kids. Neo sighed, but nodded. There was nothing she could say to Chopper at the moment. Even from inside the tanker, she could hear Chopper screaming for Luffy and something about murder.
"You know, you could have just let him come in here with us," Neo said as she watched Law drain the poison from the kids' bodies. She sent relaxing, encouraging smiled to each and every one of the kids. They relaxed and smiled back at her. She was glad they weren't very afraid of their treatment.
Law just smirked, put up his sword and put the kids' bodies back in order. He then turned and headed for the open door. Neo turned to follow, but stopped to address the kids. She said, "Just stay in here okay? The navy's suppose to be finding you some coats or something to wear. When you have them, you can come outside."
"Yes, Neo!" the kids said, obediently.
Neo smiled at them then skipped towards Law until she was once again by his side.
"Law! Show yourself, Law!" Chopper's voice then demanded. "What did you do to the children?!"
"Chopper, they're fine," Neo said when the little reindeer stomped up to them.
"How can you say that?! I saw them! I heard them screaming!" Chopper snapped at Neo. "You're supposed to care about the kids, Neo! How could you let him hurt them?!"
Neo sighed. She knew he was upset and didn't understand what Law had actually did in that room, so she didn't hold his snappy tone against him.
Chopper's eyes then glared at Law. "If you hurt them in any way, I'll-"
"Well, I told you not to look inside, didn't I?" Law glared down at the Straw Hat doctor for yelling at his love. He calmed down when Neo place her hand on his arm. He then tilted his head slightly and took on an all too familiar sadistic tone. "I was just inside slicing up their bodies."
Neo pinched his arm, despite him not feeling it due to the thickness of his coat. She hissed, "Law!"
"What?!" Chopper shrieked. He ran passed the two Heart Pirates without another glance at them.
"Long term, painful rehabilitation is unavoidable," Law said as the reindeer rushed by them. He then started walking forward with Neo still trying to pinch his arm. His lips twitched into a smile.
"You jerk," Neo snapped, though it wasn't heated. "Did you really have to freak him out like that?"
"Well, I wasn't going to until he snapped at you," Law replied, casually.
Neo rolled her eyes. She knew better than that. He loved messing with people, especially when he could exercise his sadistic nature. Sighing, she decided it was best to just let it go. There was nothing she could do with him now about this. So, instead, she summoned two wind crystals when they walked out onto the deck. Wrapping the wind around them, she lifted them into the air.
"What are you doing?" Law asked as he looked down at the ground. They were far enough away that everyone just looked like small, black dots.
"Just this," Neo said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She smashed her lips onto his. Forcing her tongue passed his lips, she gave him the better kiss she had promised him before. She ran her tongue around his dark cavern for several seconds. She then felt him trying to take control of the kiss when he started moving his tongue against hers. But she wasn't having any of that. Using her winds, she pushed him into a laying position and hovered over him. He smiled into their kiss and conceded to her control by relaxing his tongue and wrapping his arms around her waist. A minute later, Neo had to pull away. She panted as he kissed over her cool skin and down to her neck.
"Hm." Law hummed against her neck and at the awkward angle he was in because of the thick collar of the coat she was wearing. "You're right. These collars are a pain."
"Told you so," Neo through with a giggle.
Law's heart skittered inside his chest at her bells. He lifted from her neck and placed his forehead against hers. "I love your bells."
Neo smiled, her eyes twinkled with sparkles as she stared at him lovingly. She fiddled with his goatee, her eyes catching his ring on her finger. She said, "Thank you, my love. Thank you for helping the kids. I know you really didn't want to do it."
"It's fine. And it made you happy," Law said, tightening his hold on her. "I'm sorry I got angry with you before for wanting to help them."
"You don't have to apologize again." Neo shook her head. "I did push you a bit harder than I should have. I know we weren't here to help complete and total strangers."
"But you were right. It was the right thing to do," Law said, looking a bit guilty.
"You have nothing to feel guilty about. You're still use to always being in control and giving orders. Besides, I have already forgiven you," Neo said. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked his lips. "You've done well."
He claimed her lips and pulled her into another heated kiss. When she smiled, he mumbled against her lips, "What?"
"Nothing. Chopper has just settled down now," Neo mumbled back. "I guess he finally realized the kids are just fine."
"That's good. Now stop talking," Law ordered. He gave her no more room for talk as he placed his hand on her head and pulled her even closer to him. After a few more minutes of intense kissing, he pulled away from her, earning a whine of protest from her. He brushed his nose against hers. "All right, that's enough of that. We have to get back to the others and get out of here. Joker, without a doubt, is on his way here. I don't want you in another fight today."
"Okay," Neo relented. She lowered them back to the ground. Once their feet were back on the snow, she placed her hand in the crook of his arm and followed him over to the Straw Hat captain. She ran her eyes over the kids who were now outside. Someone had found them blankets to wear around their bodies. She smiled at how much happier they looked now. She noted Sanji was constructing some sort of fire pit out of stones.
"Hey, Straw Hat," Law said. "We need to get out of here. We don't have much time to eat. Someone's coming after us."
"Oh, really?" Luffy asked.
"Tell your crew," Law said.
"All right then." Luffy turned away from the couple. He planted his foot onto a crate. "Hey, everyone! Someone's coming after us! So we've got to hurry up! It's a banquet! Let's party!"
"Yeah!" the group cheered.
Law's mouth fell open. Neo bit back a giggle at his expression. He said, "Are they insane?! Don't they realize the danger we're still in?!"
"It's fine. Isn't it, Law?" Neo asked. She slid her hand into his, instantly feeling his anger subsiding at her touch. His hat fell over his eyes as he curled his fingers over her skin. She stepped closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder while placing a hand on her stomach, rubbing it lightly. "We have a little time before anyone shows up. We can afford to relax for a moment and have something to eat."
"Law?" The two looked up when Chopper's voice rang out. Neo let her hand drop from her stomach as they turned their eyes to Chopper and Mocha. The black haired girl was holding Chopper in her hands while he held two bowls of soup in his hooves.
"Mocha! You're awake!" Neo exclaimed happily.
Mocha smiled and nodded. "I am."
"I'm sorry that I got upset earlier and called you a murder," Chopper said. He held out the bowls to the two Heart Pirates. "And I'm sorry for snapping at you, Neo. I was wrong."
"He told me what you did for us," Mocha then said. "I got better because you treated me. Thank you."
"Thank you," Neo said. She took one of the bowls from Chopper. When Law did nothing but stare, she elbowed him in the arm. "Law, don't be rude. Take the bowl of soup from the nice reindeer."
"Fine." Law took the bowl and closed his eyes. "Don't thank me. I didn't really do much. It was Neo who wanted to save you."
Neo bit back her giggle. Law was never going to change when it came to accepting someone's gratitude. She never ever seen him actually accept it from anyone, except for her, and she knew it would always be like that. She then said, "You two should go eat something as well. And, Mocha, if you start feeling bad, please be sure to tell us. And relax for now. Get near the fire over there and keep warm."
"I will." Mocha nodded before heading off with Chopper. "See you later."
"Okay." Neo waved to them while they walked off. She watched them until they were back over with the group before following after Law. She remained quiet even when he led her over to a crate near the vice admiral. He sat down. She followed him. Sitting behind him, she leaned tiredly against his back. She didn't even flinch when she felt the vice admiral's eyes taking them in. She raised her soup to her lips, paused just before the bowl could touch her skin, and then lowered the bowl to her lap.
'Neo, eat.'
'I'm not hungry.'
'Neo, you haven't had anything for hours. You've just gone through a tough battle. You need take care yourself. Maybe that's why your magic has been messed up. I still need to examine you. But that'll have to wait for now. Perhaps we can do that when we're on the Straw Hats ship. I'm sure they have a room we could use.'
'But I don't feel like eating.' Neo's lips formed into a pout. The type of pout she always used to get what she wanted when he was being difficult.
'That's not going to work this time. You need to eat. At least eat half of it. I'll settle for that.' Law thought to her, shaking her pout out of his mind.
'All right, half it is.' Neo raised the bowl to her lips and took a drink of the hot soup. The steam washed over her cheeks. Her eyebrows lifted up on her forehead at the spices that danced over her tongue. This was far better than any soup she ever made.
'Good girl.'
"Law. Don't expect me to keep my promise to a pirate like you. If you really wanted me to keep quiet, then you've had plenty of opportunities to silence me," Smoker said. He took a slurp of his soup. "What are you up to? What are you using Straw Hat for?"
"Using Straw Hat? Maybe he's using us." Law smiled. He brought his bowl of soup to his lips and smiled. His mind filled with their plans of taking down Kaido and how Luffy wants to take down all four of the emperors. He guzzled down his soup before speaking again. "There's no particular reason that I didn't kill you, White Chase. Despite that, we're planning on heading to Green Bit after this. I guess we'll see if the Straw Hats are compliant enough to play along with my plan. Neo, come."
Neo quickly finished off half of her soup then stood up. She placed the bowl down on the crate, while Law tossed his on the ground, and then followed after him. She only went about five steps before stopped. She turned around and walked back over to the vice admiral. It took her a few seconds before she could look at the man in the eyes. When she did, she strongly held his gaze and pushed down what little fear remained in her when it came to eye contact with strangers. She felt Law. He had stopped walking, but didn't turn around to face them. He was monitoring her carefully.
"What do you want?" Smoker asked.
"I know," Neo said, "it won't mean much considering I'm a pirate and you're a marine, but…I really am grateful that you got our, uh, Law's heart back. And I understand that you're going to have to report everything that happened here back to your superiors. Still, thank you very much for your help."
Smoker stared at the woman. His mind going over her words and what he had learned about her while on Punk Hazard. He scoffed and tossed his head to the side. "Whatever. It's not like I had much of a choice in helping you pirates."
"I suppose so." Neo nodded. She then turned and rejoined Law's side. The two pirates walked away from the marine. "Do you think he'll tell?"
"I don't know," Law replied softly. He tossed a sideways glance at her. "Are you okay with him pretty much knowing everything?"
Neo looked down at the ground, the snow crunched under their boots. Her mind spun over Law's words and how the vice admiral, Vergo and Doflamingo pretty much knew everything about her now. Sure, nothing was actually confirmed, but it was clear that their secrets were on the verge of being busted wide open. "It's not like I can hide it forever."
"I know. I just want you to be prepared for anything that might happen," Law said. They paused and turned towards each other.
Neo tilted her head and took him in. "Law, we both know that it's impossible for us to prepare for the future when we have no clue what's going to happen. And you know new things scare me. I'm going to be scared a lot in the future, but that's nothing new, right? Besides, I still have you beside me. You are my bonded. With you, and the crew, I know I can handle anything that the future might throw at us. It might take me a while to get use to whatever happens, but I know I'll be fine. You showed me that when you took me in. I love you so much."
"And I love you just as much, if not more," Law said with a chuckle. Neo rolled her eyes before he pecked her lips. "You should spend some time with the kids."
"Hm?" Neo raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"
"In a way." Law looked over at Doflamingo's three subordinates before dropping his eyes back down to her. He passed his thoughts over to her. He smirked a bit when her eyebrows shot up and her face tinted green. "I thought you might not want to witness what I'm about to. Besides, I know you'll want to spend a little more time with the kids before we have to separate from them."
"Fine. I'll somewhat willingly separate from you for now," Neo said with a stiff nod as she tried to erase Law's thoughts from her mind. She still wasn't use to certain ways Law used his powers. It was bad enough envisioning peoples heads getting hacked off. She really didn't want to witness it. She took a few steps away from him. "Don't take too long though."
"I won't." Law smiled. He watched her walk off for a moment before turning to face his three targets. Buffalo and Baby 5 looked at him. He narrowed his eyebrows and grabbed his sword.
…
Neo walked towards the kids. She stopped when some of Caesar's former men appeared in the corner of her eyes. She turned to them. Their eyes were down cast. Some were fiddling with their hands or protective suits while a few cast quick glances at her then quickly looked away. She shifted on her feet, feeling Law's guard rising up on her, and sent him her own feelings on how she was okay and could handle this situation on her own. She said, "Uh, hi. Did you all need something?"
"Yes," one said. "No."
"Well, sorta," a second one said.
"We just…" a third one started. He paused before continuing. "We just wanted to come apologize. We're sorry we turned on you like we did when Caesar told us you betrayed him. We were wrong."
"I see," Neo said, considering their words. They continued to keep their eyes low, but she could easily see they were truly sorry. She smiled. "It's okay. Caesar lied to a lot of people. I probably would have reacted the same way you all did if I was in your position. Don't worry about it."
"A-are you sure?" a man asked.
"I'm positive. Please, don't worry about it anymore. It wasn't your fault," Neo said.
"Thank you, Lady Law!" they cried, tears running down their cheeks. "You're so kind! We're sorry we doubted you! I won't happen again!"
"That's nice of you all. But I really doubt we'll see each other again," Neo said with her eyes turned up in an 'I'm sorry' fashion.
"You're probably right." the men agreed since the navy was taking them into custody. The group waved and parted from Neo. She waved back then proceeded over to the kids. The party was still going strong. The kids were playing with each other and some of the navy soldiers, some kids pulling on Luffy's rubber skin. People were getting seconds on the delicious meal that the Straw Hat cook had made. Quite a few adults were gulping back drinks while others just drank water.
Neo ran her eyes over the large crowd until her eyes landing on who she was looking for, Lin. The little blonde haired girl was sitting on a crate by herself and looking really down.
"Hey, Lin," Neo said as she sat down beside the child. Lin was holding her empty bowl in her lap and tears were gathered at the corner of her eyes. "You okay? Do you need anything else? Are you feeling sick?"
Lin shook her head. "I'm fine. It's just…"
"Tell me," Neo coaxed even though she knew why Lin was upset.
"We're leaving soon. I'm happy to be going back to my mom and dad, but I'm also sad for leaving you," Lin replied. She sat her bowl down and hugged her knees. "I'll miss you."
Neo's heart sank. She put her arm around the girl's shoulder and pulled her to her side. She pressed her lips to Lin's hair. "I know, Lin. I'll miss you all as well. But there is one way you can keep your eyes on me."
"How?" Lin sniffled. She looked up at Neo.
"By watching the newspapers," Neo replied. She brushed Lin's bangs from her forehead before they stubbornly fell back into place. "We're pirates. Reporters will be reporting on us from time to time."
"I'll be able to see how you're doing," Lin said. She lifted up from Neo's side with a small smile. The smile quickly faded. "But it won't be the same."
"I know it won't. But, maybe, someday I can come see you," Neo said.
"Would you?!" Lin asked, hopeful. "I live on Wisteria! Remember that! Wisteria!"
"I'll remember. And I promise that, if we're ever near your home, I'll come see you," Neo said. She placed her hand on Lin's head and stroked her hair. Tears filled Lin's eyes seconds before she lunged forward and hugged the pirate. Neo wrapped her arms around her smaller body.
"I love you, Neo," Lin mumbled into Neo's hold.
Neo's heart skipped a beat then fluttered. No one, outside of Law and the crew, has ever said that to her. It warmed her chest and her cheeks. Tears pressed to the back of her eyes. She closed her eyelids to keep them from falling. A huge wave of guilt slammed into her chest. She wanted to tell Lin the truth. She searched out Law's feelings. When he didn't protest, or even felt surprised at this, she whispered, "I love you too, Lin. And there's something I want you to know…"
Lin's eyes widened. She pulled back from Neo and blinked rapidly.
"Think you can keep my secret?" Neo asked.
Lin nodded rapidly. "I will! I promise I will!"
"Come on, kids! It's time to get on board the tanker!" a soldier called out. "We're going to take you all home now!"
"Yeah!" the kids cheered, most of them, and charged towards the tanker. At the same time, they all stopped and turned back to Neo.
Neo looked up at them when she felt their eyes on her.
"Um, would it be possible for you to fly us?" a boy asked.
"Yeah! We'd like to fly one more time with you!" a girl said. The rest of the kids started cheering.
"Yeah! Fly with us, Neo!"
"Please?!"
"This might be the last time we see you!"
"Would you do it, Neo?" Lin asked. "Just one more time?"
Neo smiled, her tears glistening in her eyes. She nodded. Summoning her wind crystals, she wrapped her winds around herself and the kids then lifted them up into the air. She flew them around for a good, but short, five minutes before placing them all on the deck of the tanker. She hugged and kissed each of the children, holding on the tightest to Lin, before forcing herself to fly away from them. Her heart tightened, her cheeks became warm from her tears as she landed back on the island. She leaned into Law's awaiting chest. She curled her fingers into his coat. 'Law, how is it possible? How is it possible that I'm happy and sad at the same time?'
'Because you care about the kids. You're happy that they are going home to their families, but you're sad because you formed friendships with them. It's always sad when you leave someone you care about. You'll feel better in a little while.' Law rubbed his hand on her back. He slid his hand down to her hip when he felt her relax. 'Like you told Lin, we'll go see her if we get the chance.'
'Really?' Neo pulled back from his chest. When he nodded, she smiled. 'Thanks, Law. You're the best.'
The two turned their attention the Straw Hat pirates and the navy started making a ruckus. The navy was holding up some kind of banner with the navy symbol on it. Neo asked, "What are they doing?"
Law studied the scene before him. He replied, "Looks like the navy is just trying to flex their muscles."
"Hm? Flex their muscles?" Neo blinked at Law before returning her eyes to the navy. She tilted her head and watched them. The kids were gathered at the side of the tanker, trying to look at the Straw Hats.
"Hey! We want to see them!"
"Where's the orange lady?!"
"I want to see the robot!"
"Chopper!"
"Don't look, kids! Just looking at pirates damages your eyes!" a navy soldier said.
"Ya know, you G-5 aren't that different from us," Franky pointed out.
"But they got on board safely. That's what matters," Nami said.
The soldiers continued on shouting about how great the navy was and how bad pirates were.
Neo sighed. She slipped her arms around Law's waist and rested her head on his chest. "They're being annoying. It was pirates who saved these kids, not the navy."
Law nodded. "That's the navy for you. Always twisting the truth around so they look better. But one day everyone will see that they do that. Then the navy won't have a leg to stand on."
"I suppose you're correct," Neo replied. She settled down into watching the navy as they continued to cheer and chant about how great the navy was and how bad pirates were. She let it roll off of her shoulders. At least they weren't calling her a freak and a monster. That she couldn't handle. She sighed again when Law tightened his hold on her, a reminder that he was there and no one was going to treat her bad ever again.
"Don't make eye contact with those trashy pirates! It'll ruin your eyes!"
"We the navy won't let that happen! We are men of justice!" the navy shouted.
"Get out of our way!" the kids yelled. "We want to see the pirates!"
A navy soldier lifted his gun and fired it into the air. The kids shrunk down, tears gathered in their eyes as well as confusion. "Only bad children would want to say goodbye to pirates! If you speak one word to them, we'll leave you behind!"
"Listen! Pirates are bad and the navy is good!"
"Pirates have been causing so much trouble in the world! They're no good! You should know that even if you're just children!"
"We'll never forgive pirates! Because we should not!"
Anger flared up in Neo's chest. More shouts came from the navy, but she didn't hear them. All she could hear was Mocha's tear-filled cries. "But we asked them to help us. They didn't even know what was going on with us but they took us with them anyway. They didn't even care about the size of our big bodies."
Neo's anger pounded in her ears. She started to pull away from Law, summoning her crystals and yelling, "Stop it! Leave the kids alone!"
"Hold on, Neo." Law anchored his hand on her arm, stopping her from attacking.
"Law! Let go of me!" Neo demanded. Tears pinched her eyes and clouded her vision. She tugged her arm away from him. "I will not tolerate them yelling at those children!"
"Just wait." Law hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her back to him. He kept his hold on her strong as she continued to try and escape, but it did no use. His hold was too strong and she was too unfocused to get away. "Just hold on a second."
Neo growled, but stopped struggling. Her crystals faded when the only navy female shouted out.
"Stop that this instant!" Tashigi screamed. "It's shameful!"
Neo blinked in confusion when the soldiers stopped shouting. Shadows fell over the soldiers' eyes and their shoulders sagged.
"But, Captain Tashigi," a scruffy looking soldier sniffled. "If we don't keep talking mess about them we can't help but admit that we…we love these lawless vagabonds! E-even though they're pirates!"
"Huh?!" Neo gasped and blinked in disbelief at the display of the navy soldiers. "They're insane. Are they for real?"
Law just smirked.
"Neo!" Lin shouted out. "Don't forget your promise! Remember! Wisteria!"
"I won't forget!" Neo called with a wave of her own. "All of you, behave yourselves now! Eat your veggies so you can grow up strong!"
"We will!" the kids replied. "And when we grow up, we will become pirates just like you all!"
"Don't you dare!" the navy soldier screamed as their eyes bugged out of their heads.
'You going to be okay?' Law thought to her as the Straw Hats said their goodbyes to the kids.
'Yeah.' Neo nodded.
"All right, everybody! Time for us to set sail!" Luffy announced. "We're leaving Punk Hazard!"
"We're leaving Punk Hazard," Neo repeated. She looked back towards the lab. Everything that happened here on this island rolled through her mind. She curled her fingers against Law's when he slid his hand into hers. "We're one step closer to going home."
…
Author's Notes: Sorry. I didn't intend for this chapter to be 'so long'. This is the first time I've inserted an OC directly into an existing storyline. Hope I'm doing okay. I keep second-guessing everything. ^.^'
Rondinaashraf: I know it's so weird seeing Neo like that. She's always so calm and timid. As for her magic, yes, it will for a while longer. It'll be explained eventually, but not until they get back on the sub. If you want spoilers for that, I can PM you the full reason for it faltering. Chopper and Neo really love each other don't they? Insane cuteness with them is coming soon.
KittyCCCC: So out of character for her to be snappy like that, isn't it? I'm going to try to keep her more open, but also still have her unsure about new people, especially if they are more forward like Sanji. :3 It's been driving me crazy that I haven't been able to do anything with them two yet. But, ooooh, it's coming next chapter! :D
Apple Bloom: Thanks! More coming!
PuddyKatz: I know, right? Poor Law.
