The Sunny

Part One

"The weather is surprisingly good considering we're in the New World," Brook said as they all walked along the shore.

"Don't count on that to last. I know the sea will be rough at some point," Sanji said as he looked up at the sky.

Neo looked over her shoulder at the Straw Hats. She observed them and their conversation before turning her eyes up to the sky. 'It'll be clear for a while. We won't have much rough sailing to deal with. At least for a while anyway.'

'That's good.' Law nodded.

"Hey, are they coming with us?" Zoro then asked.

Neo looked over her shoulder again. She carefully ran her eyes over the Straw Hats as their sniper answered the swordsman's question. Usopp's voice faded from her ears as she thought about this new crew. She had only spent a little time with some of them. Some of them didn't know that she didn't like to be touched. She took a nervous step closer to Law.

Law tossed her a glance. 'Something wrong?'

'Not really. I just need a few minutes to adjust to having all the Straw Hats around at once.'

'They won't hurt you. I won't let them.'

'I know. I guess it just completely sunk in that we're going to be aboard their ship for a while. But I'll be all right. It helped that I've spend some time with a few of them inside that cave and when we went after Caesar. I don't have to adjust to them all at the same time. Plus, it helps that you're here and that Chopper is a reindeer.'

"Don't get too comfortable, pirates!" the navy yelled. "We might be letting you go for now, but once we see you again, we're going to arrest you! Every single one of you!"

"So watch your backs!"

"You pirates! You're going down!"

Neo watched with slight interest as the Straw Hat captain didn't seem bothered by their words. He just threw his hands in the air and laughed. He said, "Sure! See you later then!"

'Straw Hat's an interesting guy. I just hope I can keep myself from starting at Godfather's hat.' Neo forced herself to pull her eyes away from the hat.

'You'll be fine.' Law stopped walking, Neo stopped with him, and turned back. A smile formed on his lips.

Neo started to reach for his sleeve when Chopper suddenly called out her name. She looked to see him running up to her. He rounded her left side then jumped into her arms. He said, "Neo! The navy's going to ask Vegapunk to help cure the kids!"

"Really?" Neo blinked.

"Yeah!" Chopper nodded enthusiastically. "And we get to spend some more time together! I can show you around the Sunny! It's such an amazing ship! Franky designed and built it! You're going to love it! Come on! Let's go ahead and get onboard!"

"Okay." Neo nodded. She summoned a wind crystal and lifted herself, Law and Chopper to the deck of the Sunny.

"I think that a certain Straw Hat has a favorite Heart Pirate," Nami said with a bright grin.

"Well, I think that certain Heart Pirate has a favorite Straw Hat," Robin added. The two women smiled at each other before they all climbed upon the Sunny to set sail.

It took everything Neo had not to squeal like a giddy, little schoolgirl when they landed on the grass covered deck. She tightened her arms around Chopper and squeaked. "You have grass on your ship?!"

"Yeah." Chopper nodded. "Do you like it?"

"I love it! The only grass we have on the sub is the grass that I can grow with my crystals," Neo said. Her eyes ran over the lush green grass. "It's amazing. The cold weather has damaged the grass a little bit, but once we get into warm weather and it gets watered it should be just fine. I can take off these stupid boots now!"

"Hm?" Chopper tilted his head in curiosity. "Are you a gardener or something?"

"No. Why do you ask?" Neo wondered. She pulled her eyes off the grass and looked at Chopper.

"You just seemed to know what you're talking about," Chopper said, looking down at the grass. Both Neo and Law flinched, but the reindeer didn't notice. He looked back up at Neo with a smile. "Oh, I guess it has something to do with your devil fruit powers, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Neo drawled with a slow nod. Once again, guilt hammered her for having to lie to him. The desire to tell him the true started to grow inside of her.

'Neo, you can't tell him.'

'I know.' Neo nodded slightly.

"Look, we'll just get out of your way for now," Law then said. "I'm sure you Straw Hats have a lot to do to set sail."

Chopper nodded at him then looked back at Neo. "Once we've set sail, I'll give you two a tour of the ship."

"Okay." Neo nodded. She let Chopper jump out of her arms and he scurried off.

"That's not necessary," Law said, but the Straw Hat pirate was already gone.

"Of course it's necessary," Neo said. She linked her arm with Law's and pulled him over to a door. They leaned against the wall. She watched the Straw Hats run around, preforming their assigned tasks at getting their ship ready to set sail. "We need to know where everything is. Surely you want to know where the galley is, the bathroom, the crews' quarters in case we need them, the-"

"Okay, okay. You've made your point. Knowing the lay out of the ship will be a good thing," Law said. He crossed his arms. Letting his hat drop over his eyes, he added, "It'll be good for when we attack them in the future."

"Law!" Neo whipped her sharp eyes to him. Pushing off the wall, she planted her hands on her hips.

'Don't give me that look, little girl.' Law shot her a smirk. 'We might be in an alliance now, but that's only until we bring down Kaido. I know you've already have an attachment to the Straw Hat doctor because he's an animal, but I still don't want you to get too attached to him.'

Neo sighed. Her hands dropped from her hips and she slumped against the wall again. She leaned her head on his shoulder when he shifted closer to her.

'I'm sorry, love. I just know how you get when it comes to animals. And it's very clear that you've already bonded with the raccoon.'

'Reindeer.' Neo smirked. She sighed again. 'I'm just always going to be complicated, aren't I?'

'You're not complicated.' Law about snorted in surprise when Neo poked him in the ribs. 'What?'

'You're cute when you try to lie to me. We both know that isn't true. I am complicated. I completely freaked out when I first woke up on your ship, I tried to stab you with a scalpel, I cried constantly at everything little thing, I hung onto you like a monkey, I still freak out and cry a lot, I'm still clingy to you even thought I know we need to spend time apart, my magic has been action so weird lately, I've yelled and snapped at you for no good reason…' Neo's voice trailed off in Law's head. She thought about everything she's said and everything she was going to say. 'Geez, Law. How is it possible that you don't have a head full of gray hairs from everything I've put you through?'

'You haven't been that bad. You just feel like it because you feel guilty. And that's only because you care so much about people. You adjust a lot easier to new things and people. Look at how you are right now. Before you would be holding on to me and hiding in my shirt. But now you're openly looking around at people and studying their behaviors. You really have gotten a lot better. You hardly ever cry. You still have your moments, but…' Law paused. He carefully took her in and studied her feelings. 'Just take a good look at yourself right now. You've calm right now even though we're on a strange ship with strangers.'

'Am I really better?' Neo looked out at the Straw Hats.

'You are.' Law nodded.

Neo tilted her head as she watched the Straw Hats. She carefully studied each and every one of them while mentally going over how she knew they acted. Her eyes then landed on the dark haired woman of the crew. She hummed.

Law followed her gaze until his eyes landed on the archeologist. 'What is it, Neo?'

'I'm not really sure. There's something about that woman. I felt it back on Punk Hazard when we split up. She, somehow, put me at ease. She shouldn't have been able to do that. So why did it happen?' Neo locked her eyes onto Law. Her eyes confused and begging for an answer.

'I felt that too. It still confuses me.' Law pondered on her question for a minute before answering her. 'I don't know. It could be for any number of reasons. You have very good instincts when it comes to people. Perhaps you just knew she won't hurt you and it put you at ease. Or it could be because she's so calm herself. You do handle being around calmer people better than louder ones like Straw Hat.'

Neo hummed. She thought about Law's words while watching the new crew before her. They unfurled the sails. Franky, who was at the helm, spun the controls and the Sunny pulled away from Punk Hazard. She couldn't help, but look back at the island. A cool breeze washed over her face. The purple gas was still hovering over the landmass. She wished she could have done something to get rid of it, but knew it wasn't possible. It didn't matter now. That part of their mission was over. There was going to be no more Punk Hazard. No more children running around. No more former pirates on patrol. No more building snowmen versions of the crew. No more artificial dragons. It was just over.

Neo felt elated and sad. She pulled her eyes from the shrinking island. Looking out at the ocean, she wondered how long it would take for the navy to return the kids to their families. She wondered if they would immediately notify the parents or if they would take them to Vegapunk first. A smile tugged on her lips. It didn't matter. Either way, the kids were going home.

It wasn't much longer after that that Chopper came running back over to them. He grabbed Neo's hand, pulling her from her thoughts, and started to pull her away from the wall. He said, "Come on, Neo! I'll show you around now!"

"Okay." Neo nodded. She grabbed Law's arm and pulled him with them despite his reluctant grunt. She tapped into her authority tone and mimicked Law's captain tone. 'You're coming. Co-captain and your wife's orders.'

Law smirked at her. He couldn't help but find it cute when she imitated him and expressed her orders.

Chopper, being so excited about having Neo onboard, immediately took the Heart Pirates to the infirmary. The room smelled of antiseptics. He said, "This is the infirmary! It's where I take care of my sick patients. If there's anything you need, medically speaking, don't hesitate to ask. Although, I'm sure Law will take good care of you."

"Thanks, Chopper. You're so sweet," Neo cooed. She bent at her knees and tickled under his chin. She then looked around the room again. It held a bookshelf, a bed, and a desk with a chair. "This room really seems to suit you. It's like it was build with you in mind specifically."

"It was," Chopper replied.

"Huh?" Neo tilted her head in curiosity.

"I told you that Franky designed and built this ship," Chopper explained. "We met him back in Water 7. It's kind of a long story. I can tell you the whole story later, if you want. But when he built this ship, he asked us what we all wanted on it. And he added in just about everything we wanted."

"Wow. I didn't know ships could be built to such specific details," Neo said. 'You pretty much did that with the sub, didn't you?'

'Yes. Since I'm a doctor, I needed certain things to be added on my ship. It wasn't cheap either.'

Neo giggled at him through their bond. She turned her attention back to Chopper. "Where to next?"

"Since we're on this floor all ready, I'll continue to show you it," Chopper said as he headed for the door.

Neo instantly followed while Law lingered a bit. He glanced around the room, carefully taking the entire medical supplies in. At least I'll have access to medical supplies to back up my powers if something goes wrong with Neo. He then followed after the two. He remained quiet and obediently followed at the Straw Hat doctor showed them around. He kept his typical 'I'm not interested' scowl on his face while Neo was more open with how impressed she was with the ship.

Chopper showed them the dining hall, the kitchen, pantry, the fish tank, the location of the ladder hatch to the observation room above, then told them the women's quarters was on the opposite side of their position before taking them down to the first floor. He gave them a quick glimpse at the men's quarters, apologizing for the musty smell, before taking them to the aquarium bar. "Would you two like something to drink?"

"No," Law replied. "I don't drink much. And Neo's forbidden from ever drinking."

"Really?" Chopper looked at Neo. "You're not allowed to drink? I thought just about all pirates drank."

"Law's just being over protective again. But, yes, I'm not allowed to drink. Its kind of hard to explain clearly, but alcohol doesn't mix well with my devil fruit powers," Neo replied, once again feeling guilty for lying.

"Oh." Chopper nodded, accepting her words, which made her feel even worse. "I never knew a devil fruit could be affected by alcohol."

Neo nodded. 'Law, I hate this.'

'I know you do. And I know you trust him, but we can't just tell everyone you trust.' Law reached out and brushed his fingers over her back.

Neo nodded again. Pushing the thoughts out of her head, she asked, "So what's next?"

Chopper quickly showed them the energy room and explained how the ship ran on cola, to which both Neo and Law thought was silly. He then took them down the to Soldier Dock System where Law was impressed, but didn't express it out loud, while Neo was more confused about how everything worked yet found the smaller vessels very cute.

The three then made their way back to the deck where Momonosuke was sitting on Nami's lap, she was sitting on the swing with him. A couple Straw Hats, Robin, Brook, Usopp and Zoro, seem to be missing. Neo figured they were inside the ship somewhere, most likely change out of their winter coats since they were getting far enough away from Punk Hazard.

"Come on. I'll show you the rest of the ship," Chopper called to them as he climbed up the stairs. He showed them Nami's orange trees, Robin and Usopp's gardens then pointed up to the crow's nest.

"Wow. You Straw Hats sure have a lot on your ship," Neo said while checking out the flower garden. "These flowers are very lovely. They could use a little water and some warm sunlight though."

"Thank you, Neo," Robin said, causing Neo to jump at the unexpected arrival. The dark haired woman smiled at Neo when the younger pirate looked at her. She was now wearing dark pants and a red shirt. "We have a lot of time on the ship. So I decided to make the garden to keep myself busy. I'll be sure to water them later."

"That makes sense," Neo replied. She stood up and turned fully towards the woman. Robin, like always, was wearing a calm expression. It calmed her own skittish nerves from the unexpected arrival easily. She knitted her eyebrows and wondered why. She then looked over at Law. The man was leaning against the ship's railing, carefully observing both women.

"So what's left on the tour?" Robin then asked.

"Let's see there's the observation room, library and the bathhouse," Chopper replied.

"You have a library?" Neo asked. Excitement swelled up inside of her.

"We sure do. It might not be the biggest in the world, but we have plenty of books," Chopper replied while he led the way.

Neo gasped in excitement when she saw the books in the circled room. She broke away from Law's side and ran her eyes over the titles of the books. She squealed as she happily bounced all over the room, inspecting but not touching anything. "Books! Law they have books! And they're books I can read and actually understand! Oh!" She leaned in closer to the book that was titled 'On the Sea'. "This one looks interesting!"

"She sure is excited, isn't she?" Chopper asked. A pink blush rose on his cheeks as he watched Neo's childlike display. "She's so cute."

"She must really love reading," Robin said. The three were standing near the door of the library. They watched, as Neo continued to bounce around the room, mumbling about which books she found interesting and wanted to read if she had the time.

"She does," Law replied with a nod. "She hasn't had much to read since we've been on Punk Hazard. The books there were nothing but medical and scientific ones. She doesn't understand those types of books. She did get some shipped in but it wasn't many."

"I see," Robin said with a smile that had a hidden meaning behind it, but Law couldn't figure out what it was. She pulled her eyes away from Law and looked at Neo. "Well, you're welcome to read whatever you like while you're on our ship."

"Really?!" Neo gasped, looking up at them. She finally had a book in her hand and was flipping through its pages.

"Of course." Robin nodded.

"Thank you!" Neo closed the book and hugged it against her chest.

"But not right now," Law said. Neo pouted at him, but obediently nodded and put the book back in its spot. He then turned back to the Straw Hats. "Do you have a transponder snail we can borrow?"

"Sure," Chopper replied. He walked over to a shelf where one was sitting. He grabbed it then walked back over and handed it to Law. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Law took the transponder snail and shoved it in his pocket.

Neo thought to him. 'What's that for? What happened to the transponder snail you had before?'

'It's for when Joker finally finds Baby 5 and Buffalo. I left the one I had on the rescue raft with their heads. I want to know the second Joker arrives.'

'Right.' Neo forced the head slicing thoughts out of her mind before her stomach could churn.

Chopper called to them and the small group headed out of the library. That's when Chopper finally took them up to the bathhouse, with Robin following. He opened the door and stepped inside. He said, "And here's the bathhouse."

Neo about lost it. Her eyes grew round with stars sparkling bright at the soft yellow and brown room. The large bathtub set just below a window directly across from the door. She squealed in delight and grabbed onto Law's arm. "Law! It's a bathtub! A bathtub! They have a bathtub!"

Law sighed internally. Their shared bond making him feel her giddiness pounding strongly in his chest and head that, for a split second, he thought it was his own desire. It might as well have been since they're practically one person now. He knew what was going to happen next without thinking about it. A smile formed on his lips. At least he could turn her desired bath into something he really wanted.

"I take it you love baths too?" Chopper asked.

"And I assume it's just as much as you love books," Robin added.

"I do! I do! I love them both!" Neo nodded rapidly, not caring about her outburst. Her eyes were locked onto the massive bathtub before her like she was afraid it would disappear if she looked away. "The lab didn't have bathtubs in the rooms. So I haven't had an actual bath since we left the sub and crew."

"You poor thing," Chopper said with a little laugh. "Why don't you two take a bath then? I'm sure you all would love to clean up after your battles."

"We really don't-" Law started.

"Don't you dare say 'No', Law!" Neo whipped around to face him. She poked him in the chest. She poked him repetitively on his hard chest while speaking to him. She didn't quite yell at him, but her voice was raised a couple notches higher than she usually used. "You own me a hundred baths! And you promised I could have them whenever I wanted them! Well, I want one now! We are taking a bath! Right! Now!"

Law stared at her with a wide-eyed expression as she ranted on. Suddenly, her rant shimmer off and her eyes filled with tears. She said, "Please, Law? I'm tired and frustrated. I just want to relax for a while with you. That's not bad, is it? Can't I have that?"

"Of course you can, Neo." Law twitched. He didn't mean to give her that kind of impression. He reached out and rubbed his hand on her arm. He studied her sadness that was spinning in both their bodies. "We need to clean up anyway. I really don't want to walk around for hours with dried blood on my face. And a hot bath will do you some good. You're so wound up."

"That's not my fault!" Neo snapped. Both Chopper and Law blinked at her in confusion while Robin's expression remained neutral. Her eyes widened in shock at how snappy she was being with him. Again. "Oh, geez. I'm sorry. I really am wound up, aren't I? I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm sorry."

"Okay," Law said, extremely carefully. "You're, uh, we're taking a bath. And I'm rubbing your shoulders."

"Really?!" Her eyes sparkled up at him. Law nodded. She squealed then turned to Chopper. "Would you like to join us?"

"No, thanks. I'm sure you two could use some time alone," Chopper said as he walked over to a closet. He pulled out a couple thick, fluffy towels and two washcloths for them and sat them down on the vanity. "I'll just leave these right here."

"Thanks, Chopper," Neo said. She wrapped her arms around him and picked him up. She rubbed their cheeks together, making them both blush. "You're so cute! Thank you for showing us around."

"It's not problem at all." Chopper snuggled back against her. "You're so cute too!"

Robin crossed her left arm over her chest while placing the index finger of her right hand under her chin in thought. She tilted her head slightly and inspected Neo and Chopper. Her eyes roamed over Neo for a while before sensing that Law was looking at her. When she caught the surgeon's eyes, she smiled despite his confused glare at her.

"We won't be long," Law said. He forced his eyes off Robin and looked at Chopper and Neo, who were still hugging each other. He rubbed the back of his neck with a grumbled. "That's is…if you two will let go of each other."

"Sorry," Neo and Chopper said at the same time. She finally released the reindeer.

"And don't worry about it. Please, take your time," Robin replied before disappearing out the door with Chopper.

Law watched the two Straw Hats leave before turning his attention back to Neo. She had already stepped over to the tub and had her water crystals out. She formed water around them then stuck her finger into the water to test the temperature. He said, "Don't get the water too hot now. I don't want your skin to get all red."

"Mhmm." Neo nodded. When she got the temperature just right, she plugged the drain and filled the tub within five seconds. She then stripped of her clothes in less time than that. The first thing that came off her was boots. She chucked them across the room with an elated smile, her feet singing at being released from their confinement. She was about to jump into the steaming water when Law's hand planted on her arm and pulled her away. She whimpered. "Law! Why did you do that?!"

He smirked at her whiny nature. "I told you before that I wanted to check you out. And now is the best time to do that."

Neo looked back at the bath with another pathetic whimper before reluctantly turning back to Law. With a sigh, she said, "Fine. But shouldn't you have done this when we were in the infirmary? You could have used Chopper's supplies."

"I don't need them." Law planted his hands on her bare hips then planted a kiss on her lips before he started running his hands over her body, making her tense and shiver. He felt for anything out of place, looked over her bruises -that were fading fast due to her solar crystal- checked her throat and her eyes then ran his hands over her body again. He smirked when she let a pleasurable moan slip past her lips due to his touch. He said, "I think you're enjoying this."

"I know you planned this," she replied back. She gestured to his sword, which was leaning against the wall now, despite his eyes being locked on her exposed body. "Well, Doctor Heart Stealer, do I need an x-ray?"

"I don't think that's necessary," Law said before placing a kiss on her left shoulder, right on her scar. He planted kisses over her shoulders and neck while speaking to her. "I think you might just be tired, maybe a touch of the flu or something. Since you've done nothing but play outside in the drastic weather changes of Punk Hazard for days. Your fever's completely gone now. So I'm not too worried. But you are forbidden from using your crystals until we arrive on Dressrosa."

"Fine. But I'm using my solar crystal to heal us completely now. I will not have you setting foot on Dressrosa even slightly injured," Neo said, summoning the crystal. She hummed and tilted her head back when he started moving his lips lower down her chest. She tangled her hands into his wild mane when he latched onto her. She worked her fingers in his hair, almost working him into a trance, before reaching and fumbling for the zipper of his coat. After several seconds, and several moans of pleasure, she managed to finally find it and pull it down. She felt just as reluctant as he was when he had to release her, but it really wasn't fair that she was naked and he was still fully clothed. She unzipped the coat all the way down then pushed it off his arms. She swiped her fingers over his chest, his whole chest, then pressed her lips to his skin, grateful their heart was back where it belonged. She smiled when he shivered at her dragging her fingers down his well tone chest then abs until she got to his jeans. She unbuttoned then unzipped them. When she looked up at him, he leaned down and captured her lips in a deep kiss. Without faltering in their kiss, he managed to pull of his boots and remaining clothing items.

Neo then took his hand and led him over to the bath. They climbed in the hot water. Her eyes catching a glimpse of the transponder snail, which had fallen out of Law's coat pocket when it fell to the floor. She frowned at it and said, "I will not be happy if he shows up while we're in the bath."

"Don't worry. We have plenty of time before he finds them. Just keep your attention on me," Law said. He placed a finger on her chin and guided her eyes back to him. He kissed her then they proceeded to wash the dirty, grim and blood off each other all the while placing kisses on each other's lips and various places on each other's skin. Feeling Law getting excited, Neo straddled over his legs, both their bodies hotter than the water now. She locked their lips into another passionate kiss then started to bend her knees. Before getting very far, Law suddenly pushed her away.

She protested, "Law, why did you do that?!"

"We can't," Law said, flatly.

"Why not? We've-" Neo cut off her own voice when she realized the reason for his actions, both through their bond and her own realization. She groaned. Running her hand over her forehead, she said, "The condoms are back on Punk Hazard."

Law nodded.

"Can't we borrow one?" Neo asked with a pout. "Surely at least one of the men on this ship has some."

"Do you want to go ask them?" Law raised an eyebrow at her.

Her face flushed. "Well, do we have to use one? Couldn't we just…not use one? Just this once?"

"Absolutely not," Law said, sternly. He crossed his arms, desperate to force both his and her shared desires out of their minds and bodies. This was very difficult considering the position and place they were currently in. But he grasped onto the one thing that he knew would stop this. "I won't have you getting pregnant. It's not worth the risk."

"I know you're right," Neo said with a sigh. She moved back beside him and hugged her knees to her chest. She frowned at Law when he was relieved she covered herself up. "But still, this flat out sucks."

"Watch your language," Law warned, despite a few choice words running through his own mind over this disruption.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "You know it does. And you just thought of stronger words than I just said."

"I know." Law nodded. "But we don't have time for that anyway."

Neo laughed, her bells ringing out over the room. "Don't have time for sex? Yeah, right! With you, there's always time for it. You've guaranteed that. Besides, you usually carry around a couple in your pocket. Where did they go?"

"We used them," Law replied. A smile pulled across his face in memory of those events.

Neo blushed when he refreshed her memories of those times as well. She twisted a strain of her wet hair. Her mind going over the time Law pushed her down in the snow. It was just a couple weeks after arriving on Punk Hazard. They were out exploring the island. Neo was feeling homesick, due to several reasons, when Law suddenly grabbed her and laid her down in the snow. He pressed several kisses over her face while his hands roamed over her coat-covered body in very suggestive strokes. "Law! What are you doing?! It's far too cold out here for this."

"Don't worry, love. We won't be cold for long," Law said with a suggestive smirk as he unzipped both their coats then their jeans. Her cheeks flushed at his words as he dug into his pocket for their awaiting protection. He slipped it on then proceeded to back up his words with actions, making their bodies so hot she was surprised they didn't melt the snow around them.

Neo swallowed. Her mind refilling with ever move he performed on her during that time, every moan and groan, every yell or moan of each other's name… Her face flushed as her body grew hotter. She harrumphed at him. "You're suppose to be bringing us down from sexual desires, not building them up, Law."

"Sorry." Law leaned over and kissed her temple. "I'll make up for this later. At least, that time made up for all the missed romantic encounters back on Kouri Island."

"It sure did." Neo grinned, dreamily. Forcing the encounter out of her mind, she dragged her eyes over the bathroom for a much needed distraction from sexual relations. With each second she looked at this room, the more she loved it. An idea came to her mind. "Hey, Law? Can Cyborg Franky redesign our-"

"No," Law replied quickly. When she opened her mouth to protest, he cut her off again. "No. You love our bathroom just as it is. You're only missing it. That's why you have such a desire to have it redesigned. Now turn around here so I can rub your shoulders."

"Fine." Neo stuck her tongue out at him again, but did as he said. He worked his hands over her shoulders, working her into a completely relaxed state as her solar crystal radiated its glow over them. "Hn…your hands are so incredibly skilled. Sometimes I still can't believe you belong to me."

"Believe it, love." Comfortable silence passed through the room for a few minutes while Neo enjoyed Law's hands working over her shoulders. She felt all of her tension melting away. It caused her mind to wonder back to Punk Hard, right to the moment when Law saw her holding Lin. She nibbled on her bottom lip and blocked those thoughts from him.

Law noticed. How could he not? He asked, "Why are you blocking your thoughts from me, love?"

"No reason," she lied.

"You want to rethink that?" Law asked in a warning tone.

"Okay." She sighed and glanced back at him. "Don't get angry with me, but I was just thinking about how your heart flittered the way it did when you saw me holding Lin."

Law's mood darkened a bit.

"Law, please, I have to ask. You guard your thoughts too much on this subject. I'm just curious. And I know we agreed that not having kids was the best solution for the lives we lead. And you know I'm not going to change your mind about that. I'm not even going to try. I don't want to. I don't know much about kids after all. It scares me thinking about how much responsibility they are," Neo said.

Law took her in. Noticing, once again, at how she didn't recognize how strong her material instincts really were. But he didn't voice it. He couldn't. It was better that she remained unaware of those instincts.

"But I have to asked," Neo continued. "Please don't get angry with me. If we could, if our lives ever allowed it, and you weren't so protective, would you want to have a child? Do you want to have a child?" When Law didn't answer, she added, "That feeling came from somewhere, my love. There's nothing wrong with wanting to have a child. Right?"

Law sighed. He locked eyes with her for several seconds before opening his feelings up completely to her. He watched as her eyebrows rose on her forehead. He said, "Yes. I have thought about having a child with you. When I've seen you with those kids on Punk Hazard…I don't know. Something stirred inside of me. You just have this ability to change how I feel about anything and everything. But we can't have a child. It's far too dangerous for you to go through a pregnancy. And the kid would have a difficult life being born from pirates."

"I know, Law." Neo cupped his cheek when his eyes lowered from hers. She could also feel a darkened thought in his mind. She could feel that having a child scared him in a different way too. It was because of his parents. He didn't have them to ask advice from. "It's okay. I know how you feel. I don't have my parents either. But we do have Godfather. We have the crew. And we have everyone on Luminous. Besides, you're my baby, my child and so is the crew. You all are my babies. And you always will be. Commitment ceremony says so. And I apply that to the members who have joined after Luminous. Do you understand me?! You all are my babies!"

"Yes, ma'am." Law chuckled as she leaned back against his chest and fluttered her eyelashes, innocently and possessively, at him. He pecked her shoulder then her lips. Sliding his hands around her sides, over her flat stomach, down her hips and thighs, tantalizing slow. He felt himself growing excited again. He cursed himself for running out and leaving the condoms behind. Reluctantly, he said, "Come on. It's time we got out."

"Aw, Law," Neo protested as he exited the bath.

"No, whining, love," Law said. After wrapping a towel around his hips, he turned back around. Plucking her hand out of the water, he guided her out of the tub. He then wrapped one of the towels around her body. "I've given you thirty minutes. It would be rude of us to stay in here any longer."

"Nico Robin said for us to take our time. I should have put a set time on these baths," Neo grumbled. She summoned a couple fire crystals and wind crystals. She gave Law an innocent look when he tilted his head at her for using her crystals. Within ten seconds, they were completely dry. She banished them, including the solar crystal, and said, "What crystals?"

"Okay. I'll let that one slide. This time. But you better obey me from this point on." Law chuckled. He placed his finger under her chin, tilted her head back and pecked her nose. "I don't want to have to punish you for disobeying me. And don't worry, my love. The next bath we take together will be longer."

"Promise?" Neo turned her eyes up to him. They grew round and puppy like. He nodded. She squealed and hugged him. "Thank you, love!"

Neo adjusted her yellow tank top over her stomach. She looked down at her clothes and studied them. She was wearing black shorts that wielded their jolly roger on the left leg. It was fairly small with yellow spots decorating around the entire leg. The jolly roger was also on her shirt, but was much larger, black in color, and placed over her chest. She looked over at Law. She tilted her head and took him in. He was wearing his trademark spotted pants with a dark blue, long sleeve, feather neck shirt that housed their jolly roger on it. She knew he styled this shirt in memory of Corazon. A sigh passed over her lips when she started to miss the absent man. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. She twisted her shirttail around her finger then rubbed her hand over her stomach.

Feeling her sadness, Law took a step closer to her. He placed his hands on her hips and his lips on her forehead. He said, "I miss him too. But, remember, he's watching over you."

"Us," Neo corrected. "He's watching over us."

Law chuckled. "Yes, love. He's watching over us. Let's go now."

Neo nodded. She let him take her hand and led her out of the impressive bathhouse. She carefully inspected the ship as they made their way back to the deck where the Straw Hats and the samurai and his son were. They both paused at the top of the stairs. She ran her eyes over the Straw Hat crew and two other passengers. Straw Hat was sitting on the head figure, Franky was still at the helm with Brook standing close by, Zoro was laying on the deck, Usopp was moving a small wooden box out onto the deck, Kin'emon was sitting with his arms and legs crossed while Chopper, Sanji, Nami and Robin were standing with Momonosuke. The Straw Hats had changed out of their winter attire and seemed to be fairly relaxed. It made her a bit calmer, but she was still a bit unsure about them and this ship since they were still fairly new to her. She sensed Law calmly waiting for her to be ready to join the Straw Hat crew. She cast her eyes over them once more before feeling secure enough to join them.

When they started down the stairs, Neo broke free from Law's side and ran down the rest of the stairs. She squealed to him through their bond when her bare feet landed on the grass. 'I can feel grass again! It's still a bit wilted because of the weather on Punk Hazard, but I can fix that easily! It still feels so nice! And I can run barefooted again!'

Law chuckled, enjoying her childlike nature. 'You mean, you could fix it if you were permitted to use your crystals. And you're only barefooted until we reach Dressrosa.'

'Oh. Right.' Neo's shoulders slumped in disappointment, but only for a second. She still got to be shoe free and still got to feel grass. So she wasn't going to complain about her crystal restriction and her short time being shoeless.

"Wow! So lovely! You're that cutie I met back on Sabaody!" a high pitch voice wailed. The two Heart Pirates looked up to see a black and yellow tornado spinning over to them. When it stopped it revealed the Straw Hat cook. His face was twisted in a strange way and his eyes were heart shaped. "I saw you when we were on Punk Hazard, too! I'm sorry I didn't say hi before now! We were a little busy with running for our lives after all! And, may I say, that you look so lovely in that outfit! So much better than that long, black coat you were wearing before! It was hideous! This outfit is far much better than that coat! It's far more flattering on your lovely, curvy figure!"

Neo's body involuntarily flinched at his actions and how close he was to her. His sudden action accused fear, and cold, to grip her chest. The smoke from his cigarette was thick in the air and on his clothes. It was accompanied with a variety of spices, but she couldn't distinguish what they were. The combinations of the smells hammered her nose, making her stomach spin. She jumped back from the blonde man and tucked herself into Law's chest, barely feeling his anger towards the Straw Hat cook. She buried her face into his shirt, gripping the fabric with her fingers and trying to get her stomach to stop spinning with slow, deep breaths. She then heard the all too familiar sound of Law drawing out his sword. She didn't have to see it. She knew Law was pointing his sharp blade at the Straw Hat's throat.

"Whoa, whoa. Take it easy," Sanji said, holding up his hands in a surrendering fashion.

"Listen up, Straw Hats! You too, samurai!" Law said in a loud enough voice to gain everyone's attention. Everyone paused what they were doing and looked at him. His left arm was tight around Neo's waist, his hand holding his sheath. While his right hand was pointing his lethal blade at Sanji's vulnerable throat.

"Hey, hey! Stop that!" Nami cried. She took a step forward, but stopped when Robin held out her arm. "Robin?"

Robin smiled at the orange haired woman. She said, "Just let them be."

Nami blinked a couple times before turning back to the hostile display.

Law then said, "No one, with the exception of the raccoon, is allow to touch, flirt, or corner Neo at any point in time! While she has spent some time with some of you Straw Hats, she hasn't spent time with all of you! And she certainly hasn't been on your ship before! She needs time to adjust to this new situation! If any of you, hurt her in any kind of way or make her uncomfortable in any kind of way, I will kill you!"

"Hey! I'm a reindeer!" Chopper snapped.

"Huh? She needs time to adjust?" Zoro asked, but Law didn't reply to him. "What do you mean by that?"

Sanji blinked. He stared at Law's harsh glare before dropping his eyes down to Neo. He studied her. Remembering this was how she reacted the first time they met her back on Sabaody, he remembered how she pressed herself into that other Heart Pirate, how her body was trembling like a leave in a wind storm, how she timidly peaked out at him and when Chopper addressed her. He blinked again. He noticed this time she wasn't as scared. She wasn't completely trying to hide like the last time. And he noticed her inhuman feel.

Narrowing his eyebrow, he studied her a bit harder. What the heck? She doesn't feel human. Wait a second…I remember now. I have read newspaper reports on how she doesn't feel human. I can't believe they're actually true. So, if she's not human, then what is she? Does this mean all the assumptions on her are true? Is she really not a devil fruit user? If not, where did she get her powers?

"Sanji! You idiot!" Chopper shouted. He jumped up and whacked the cook on the head. "Don't flirt with her!" He then pulled out a syringe three times his size. "I'm going to have to sedate you now!"

"Hey! You don't have to hit me!" Sanji growled. "I forgot that she's shy! And you don't have to sedate me! Put that thing away! Where did you even get a syringe that large?!"

"Yeah! Right! You just want to flirt with her because she's so cute!" Chopper snapped thrusting the needle at the cook. "Well, you can't! So stop it!"

"Fine! I won't flirt with her!" Sanji replied dodging the sharp object. "Now put that away!"

Feeling the tension all over the ship, Neo placed her hand on Law's right wrist. She pressed down on him, lowering his hand and his sword. Softly, she said, "It…it's okay, Law. He didn't know. I'm all right. He just startled me. I forgot that he was like that. I remember him from Sabaody. He reacted like that then as well."

Law lowered his eyes down to Neo. She still had her right side pressed against him, but she was looking up at him. He carefully studied her feelings. Her initial fear had subsided. She had recovered from this a lot quicker than he thought she would. But he really wasn't surprised. She was adjusting to new things a bit faster than before. He nodded and lowered his sword down. He looked back at Sanji and said, "Just don't ever do that again. She is my wife. I don't tolerate other men flirting with her."

"Uh, right." Sanji pulled his cigarette out of his mouth. He gave them a sincere smile. "My apologies. I forgot that you two got married. Usually, I don't flirt with married women. It won't happen again. Please accept my most humble apologizes and my sincerest congratulations on your marriage."

"Huh?" Neo whispered the word so softly that neither of the men heard it. She turned her eyes to Sanji to get a better look at him. She tilted her head a bit, carefully taking the blonde haired man in. Something about him felt oddly familiar. There was a strange air around him that she's felt before, but couldn't place where she's felt it or what it was. It was something closely related to her. She then said, "It's okay. I…I mean, you didn't know. Well, not really anyway. I'm fine. You just startled me. You all just seemed so calm a second ago. I wasn't expecting such a sudden outburst of…affection. I'm not use to people, outside of our crew, being so forward like that. And, uh, thank you for congratulating us. That was nice of you."

"Neo, are you really okay? Do I need to sedate him?" Chopper asked. He jumped up and held onto her shoulder. "I can do that. I said I would."

"I'm okay, Chopper, really," Neo replied. Pulling him around to her front, she wrapped her arms around his small body and smiled. "You don't need to sedate him."

"All right then," Chopper said. He then glared at Sanji. "If he does it again, I'll sedate him then."

Sanji grumbled and frowned at his doctor, but said nothing. He couldn't blame the reindeer for acting that way. He just wished he knew why Chopper was so attached to the blue haired pirate. He pinched his cigarette while his mind wandered back to how Chopper reacted the first time they met Neo. Chopper had accepted her praises and returned them. The reindeer was usually never so open like. And the doctor certainly never accepted a compliment from anyone without hurling an insult back at them. It didn't make any sense. Why was this girl so different from everyone else?

"Oh," Brook then said. He had a cup of tea in his right hand while his left hand was behind his back. "I suppose that means I can't ask to see her panties."

"Of course not, you idiot!" Chopper, Nami and Sanji yelled as they whacked the skeleton over the head. "Do you want to die?!"

"Well, I am already dead," Brook replied.

"Just shut up!" the trio yelled.

Sanji then turned his eyes back to the two Heart Pirates. He kept his eyes on the two while the warlord sheathed his weapon then said some words to her. Neo spoke back, with a light frown, to him before Law walk off towards the railing. He continued to watch as she tucked her hands behind her back and looked around the ship while following after Law in a slow, lingering place, like she wasn't sure if she should follow Law or stay where she was. He lightly twitched when her eyes locked onto his. He didn't know how long they stared at each other, but he did notice she was staring at him like she was trying to come to a decision about something. He blinked. She had broken eye contact with him at that point.

He continued to watch Neo as she moved over the deck. He watched her natural grace, a familiar grace, as she walked over the grass. He watched as Neo turned her eyes back to him, smiled then turned her attention back to the grass under her feet before she eventually made her way over to Law. He then slipped into his observation haki, for what reason he wasn't sure. He just did it without thinking. He wasn't even sure what he was looking for. observation haki only showed a person's spirit and their planned attacks. But he still wanted to look. And he about dropped his cigarette when he saw Neo's spirit aura. What the heck?!

He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was imagining things. He blinked a few times before running his haki over the others on the ship just to be sure it was still working correctly before returning his eyes back to Neo. She was no longer looking at him so he didn't have to worry about her seeing his confusion. He examined her closely. Her spirit aura was different from everyone else's. While others had one solid color to their spirits, hers was multiple colors that kept changing. There was only one small section in her spirit that stayed the same light red color. Well, I guess that affirms that she's not human. Ever since I've gotten my haki I've never come across a human with a spirit like that. But, if she's not human, then what is she? I know she's not a threat to us. Well, no more than any other opposing pirate crew is, especially with how the way she reacts with Chopper. And she's just so innocent.

"Hm?" Chopper looked up at the cook when he noticed the intense concentrated look. "What's wrong, Sanji? You look confused about something. You're not thinking inappropriate thoughts about Neo, are you? If you are, I'm going to-"

"No, Chopper, I'm not having such thoughts about her," Sanji said, turning his back towards Neo and Law. He shoved his left hand in his pocket while taking a hold of his cigarette in-between his fingers. He took two steps away from the doctor before pausing. "Hey, Chopper?"

"Hm? What is it?" Chopper asked.

"Didn't you say, the first time we met her back on Sabaody, that she smelled like nature?" Sanji asked, without looking at him.

"Yeah. I did say that." Chopper nodded. "And she still does smell like that. She smells a bit different, however, but she still smells like nature."

"She smells different from before?" Sanji looked over his shoulder at that point. His one visible eye slightly widened at the doctor.

"Yeah. But that's because she's been living on Punk Hazard instead of on their ship. Why? Is something wrong?" Chopper asked.

"No. Nothing's wrong." Sanji turned back around. He walked away from the reindeer. Sitting down on the mast bench, he thought about Chopper's words and how Neo's spirit is so different from everyone else's. He couldn't stop his eyes from shifting back over to the blue haired pirate. Law had pulled out the transponder snail and was dialing it in. Neo watched him for a few seconds before letting her eyes wander around the deck of the Sunny until her eyes were on him. He expected her to turn away, but she didn't. Instead, she looked him in the eye and smiled.

"It's okay. You don't have to explain. You two were just following my orders."

Neo flinched when Doflamingo's voice came through the seemingly innocent transponder snail. Her body involuntarily shivered when she remembered hearing his voice for the first time back in the SAD Room. Everything Law told her about him slammed into her brain like a virus. It caused her stomach to spin rapidly. She placed her right hand on her stomach and took a slow, deep breath while clenching a hold of Law's shirttail with her left hand. She reminded herself that they weren't anywhere near this man. He couldn't hurt them. They were safe. But it did little to calm her nerves.

"Well, isn't this a big surprise," Law said. "The big boss himself."

"Is that you, Law?" Doflamingo asked. "I haven't seen you in such a long time. It's a real shame that you're not here. I really would have loved to share a drink with you since you're all grown up now." There was an intense pause before the man added, "And I would have really loved to have met your wife. Does she drink? Is she there with you? She was the last time we spoke. I'd really love to speak with her."

Law looked over his shoulder when he felt Neo's stomach churn uncontrollably. Her face was pale and she had lifted her hand from her stomach and placed it over her mouth. When they locked eyes, she shook her head at him. 'I'm sorry. I can't do this.'

She then turned and walked away.

Author's Notes: That bath scene took longer than I wanted. I was hoping to get Neo away from Law more in this chapter.

Jaena: If you mean the story, no it's not ending yet. I don't know when it'll end since I'm following along with One Piece. As long as Law is in it, this story will continue. I have more Neo/Law stories coming soon. One will be part of this story.

Inazumame1997: Hi! Glad you're still enjoying it.

Sarge1130: Thanks for pointing out my goof.

KittyCCCC: Thanks. I don't think it's strange. Neo's been such a quiet girl. It's fun getting her out of that shell.

Rodinaashraf: I love that Law and Chopper scene too. Poor Chopper.

Barnold72: Thanks. More of this story and other Neo/Law stories coming. I'm working on becoming a write, actually. I'm trying to adapt this story into completely my own.

Apple Bloom: Thanks!

Kylnee: Thanks. I don't plan for such long chapters. They just happen. ^.^' But I'm glad people are liking them. I've more Neo/Law stories coming, soon I hope.

PuddyKatz: You might be right.

Chasegirl11: She might be. If you want spoilers, I'll have to PM you them.