The Sunny

Part Two

Neo, collapsing her hands behind her back, scanned her eyes over the Sunny and its crew as a distraction from Law's conversation with Doflamingo. The Straw Hats were scattered around the deck. Luffy and Usopp were up by the prow, which seemed to be their favor place to be, especially Luffy who was still sitting on the prow. Robin was up on the garden deck. Nami was by the helm. Brook was drinking tea and Franky was chugging down cola. Zoro was taking a nap against the mast. Sanji was just standing on the deck with his cigarette in hand, occasionally casting a glance her way. And Chopper was tending to Caesar's wounds.

Fresh anger flared up in her chest with the memories of what he did on Punk Hazard when she looked at the scientist. She had to force herself to look away before she created a thunderstorm. But she cracked a small smile when Caesar complained about the pain he was receiving as Chopper bandaged up his wounds. He whined, "Ow, ow, ow…Easy!"

"Be quiet! To be honest, I want to kick you butt for what you did!" Chopper hissed before jumping off Caesar's lap. "But I'm a doctor! So I won't! But if you even think about looking at Neo the wrong way…!" He grabbed some supplies and jumped back onto Caesar's lap. He padded the scientist on the forehead. "You'll be sorry!"

Caesar complained, "Ouch! Ow, ow, ow! Fine! I won't look at her! I won't even think about her! I want nothing to do with her! I'm finished! I give up! I don't care about her anymore!"

"Good!" Chopper hissed.

Neo smiled at how protective the reindeer was being over her. She loved it. It was sweet. But she wasn't afraid of the scientist. She knew she could handle him. She also knew that she had Law and Chopper backing her up in case she needed them. She also had the rest of the Straw Hat crew, even though she didn't know them well enough yet.

Taking two more steps, she looked around the ship's deck again. She wasn't really sure what she should do with herself at the moment. This was the first time she had been on another pirate ship. She wasn't quite sure how to act or how to interact with anyone yet. She unclasped her hands, tugged on a strand of hair and tapped her toes on the deck while considering the option of going to the library and reading despite being unsure if she was comfortable enough to do that yet. She had no idea how long Law was going to be on the transponder snail with Doflamingo. She highly considered the going to read option until her eyes wondered up with she felt Sanji's eyes on her once again. She noticed a small twitch in the man's body when she caught his eye, but he didn't look away. She tilted her head and took him in once more. She decided she needed to stay and observe this crew. She really needed to learn more about how they acted. It was important for her to learn about them since they were allies and to help her get more comfortable with them. She shifted on her feet as she ran her eyes over the crew again. Her attention was gained by Franky when he started talking to Brook.

"It's not a little lamb, Brook. It's the Mini Merry. And you're the eighth person to ask me about that. Like I told the rest, after I broke out of the cage parting ways with Luffy and the others, I looked over the island and found her not far from where we were," Franky explained. "I got out to the sea through a channel at the lab. I just sailed back to where we left the Mini Merry then sailed back to where you all were. I used the General Franky to protect me from the gas. That's when you all came outside."

"I see, I see. So our little lamb was okay. That's good," Brook said.

"So that's how they got onto the island," Neo mumbled to herself.

"It sure is," Chopper said, joining her side. "I guess I didn't explain that to you when I showed you the Soldier Dock System."

"Excuse me," Kin'emon then said. He and Momonosuke were holding teacups in their hands. Their legs were tucked up under them as they sat on the grass. "Would it be all right if we had some of your tea?"

"Of course," Brook replied. He set his cup down on the bench and picked up the teapot. The skeleton filled their cups then turned to Neo. "Would you like some tea, Mrs. Trafalgar?"

"Oh, no thank you," Neo replied. She glanced at the samurai and his son before turning her eyes back to Brook. "I'm fine. And, please, call me Neo."

"By the way, what are you two doing on our ship?" Zoro asked the samurai.

"Yeah. I haven't thought about that," Usopp said as he walked down the stairs that led up to the prow. "The others went with the navy."

"We are in the midst of an important trip. It is best that we do not get involved with the navy and waste our time. You can just drop us off on some island with a harbor," Kin'emon replied. He and Momonosuke then placed their hands on the ground and bowed. "Until then, please let us stay on board your ship."

"Why are they doing that?" Neo asked, without thinking. She flinched at her lack of knowledge and started to recoil from the group. She paused and jumped when one of them answered her.

"It's just a custom from the Land of Wano," Sanji replied. He smiled apologetically when she jumped at his unexpected reply. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. Again."

"It's okay," Neo replied. She tucked her hair behind her ear when the wind blew it in her face. The salt from the sea mixed with the smoke from the man's cigarette. It tickled her nose. She forced back a smile when she felt Law's jealousy and guard rise despite still being on the transponder snail with Doflamingo.

"Do you need anything?" Sanji asked. "Something to drink or eat?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine," Neo replied. She then noticed the tray tucked under his arm.

"Yeah! Sure! It's fine!" Luffy then announced to Kin'emon.

"Yeah!" Usopp agreed.

"You can pay us later," Nami said.

"What?! Are you going to charge us?!" Kin'emon shouted. His eyes were wide with panic.

"Huh?" Neo blinked. She looked up, innocently, at Sanji. "Are we suppose to pay you for riding on your ship?"

"Of course not. I would never allow Nami to charge such a lovely young lady for riding on our ship," Sanji said, smiling. He flinched when he felt Law's glower. He chuckled nervously. "Sorry. I wasn't trying to flirt with you. I was just giving you a complement."

"It's okay," Neo replied, shifting on her feet. A smile curled on her lips as Law shifted his focus on her even more. She didn't bother replying to him. She knew Law could feel she wasn't scared.

"Nami is just obsessed with money. She'll charge you left and right, in ridiculous amounts and for ridiculous reasons, if you're not careful," Sanji said.

"Oh." Neo nodded, filing away that piece of information for later. She looked at the orange haired woman. Tilting her head, she wondered if she was going to get charged for anything. Law was the one who typically handled their money. And she knew he wouldn't easily part with it if it was going to be spent on something ridiculous. But that didn't stop Neo from occasionally trying, just for fun. She cracked a smile when her mind drifted back when she and Penguin, in a fit of childish silliness, tried to buy a bunny eared hat for the surgeon. They had placed the hat on his head and told him how 'cute' he was. Law, on the exterior, was rather annoyed, but inside he like the silliness they displayed. Neo, of course, never told anyone of Law's hidden feelings. She never would divulge anything like that to anyone. She sighed, her homesickness returning to her. She really missed her family. At least they were close to heading back to the Polar Tang. All they had to do was survive Dressrosa.

"Hey! Nami, where are we going next?!" Luffy asked, bring Neo out of her thoughts of homesickness and survival.

"Well, let's see," Nami said, looking down at her log pose.

"The next destination is already set," Law said, making Neo's heart flutter. He was finally done with his conversation with Doflamingo and she was relieved. He walked over to Neo and shot a glare at Sanji, which made the cook scurry off faster than a hurricane.

Neo chuckled at him through their bond. Then said, "I'm supposed to be learning about the Straw Hats. I can't do that if you're going to scare them away."

"You can learn about the men from a distance," Law grumbled back at her. He then purposefully stood between her and Sanji and shot another sharp glare at the blonde man.

Sanji chuckled nervously. He rubbed the back of his head and took another step back.

Chopper climbed upon Neo's shoulder, opposite of Law. Whispering in her ear, he asked, "He can be really possessive of you, huh?"

"Yeah. But don't let that get to you. Remember he really is a big softy on the inside. He just worries about me too much at times. I'm really fine with you all," Neo whispered back. "I still need a few minutes to get use to how often your crew yells, but it's fine. Our crew can get a bit loud at times as well. I'm just more use to them since I've been with them for so long. I know how they act. You all really aren't that much different than our crew."

"That makes sense." Chopper nodded. "I'm glad you're adjusting so well then."

Law then said, "The place we're heading for is Dressrosa."

"Dressrosa?!" the Straw Hat crew shouted.

"Yeah. There's something we have to do there," Law replied.

"D-Dressrosa?!" Kin'emon suddenly stuttered and shouted.

Neo blinked. The man seemed shocked, surprised, and distraught all at the same time.

"Do you know the place?" Luffy asked. He was walking down the stairs, from the prow, to join the rest of them. He looked right at Kin'emon.

"Th-that's exactly where we…I mean, where I want to go!" Kin'emon replied. "You need to go there as well?"

"Yeah. I think so," Luffy said.

Law glanced at the Straw Hat pirate. He asked, "You have no idea what's going on, do you?"

"Nope!" Luffy smiled.

Law's jaw dropped opened. He sighed and let his hat fall over his eyes.

Neo blinked at the Straw Hat captain. She said, "Well, at least he's honest."

"He's a pain. That's what he is," Law grumbled.

Neo tilted her head, her eyes wandering to the man's straw hat. She stared for five seconds before she realized what she was doing. She quickly adverted her eyes from him. She looked up when the ocean began to stir. Whispering, she said, "Law, we're heading for a sea hill."

Law nodded.

"The current is shifting?" Nami asked when she noticed the ship moving differently than it should. She ran to the edge of the ship and looked over when they started picking up sped. "What's going on here?"

"Yeehaw!" Luffy cried. He flung himself back up to the prow of the ship when the ship's speed rose. "It's so fast! The ship is going so fast!"

"Keep an eye out for rock reefs, Franky!" Nami shouted.

"I'm on it!" Franky announced. He took a hold of the helm once more and kept his eyes on the ocean, occasionally moving the ship to the left or right.

"What's going on?!" Usopp demanded, his eyes whipping in all directions.

"It's just a sea hill side," Law replied, calmly. "You see them all the time. They're normal."

"They are not normal!" Usopp snapped.

Neo shifted uncomfortably. She stepped closer to Law. He gave her a quick look over. She smiled at him. When she released a relaxing breath, he said, "We don't have to go against the current. The middle needle on your log pose should be pointing towards Dressrosa. Don't go straight. Take detours."

"Why?" Nami asked.

"It'll work out better for us if we don't follow a straight line," Law replied.

"He's being such a know-it-all smart-" Zoro started. He cut off his own voice when Neo shot him a lightning filled glare. He blinked in confusion. She turned away too quickly before he could assess whether or not he really did see lightning in her eyes. Did I really just see lightning in her eyes? I must be seeing things. That's not possible. He frowned, taking the new female pirate in more closely. He noticed her inhuman feel. "Hey, girl, why do you feel so-"

"Come to think of it," Robin said, cutting Zoro off, "you were talking on the transponder snail a few minutes ago. Who were you talking to?"

"Doflamingo," Law replied.

Neo looked over her shoulder at the woman. Robin was standing right beside Zoro with an unreadable smile on her face. She blinked when Robin looked directly at her. She felt immediately, and completely, calm. At least she was until the Straw Hat sniper screamed.

"Doflamingo?! The warlord?!" Usopp shrieked. Getting closer to the warlord and elemental, he added, "He's suppose to be the most evil of them all!"

Neo, being distracted by Robin's odd effect on her, jumped again at the outburst. She placed a hand over her racing heart. Without thinking, she said, "You people sure scream a lot. I'd be use to you all by now if you'd stop yelling like that."

"Oh," Usopp then said. "I'm sorry, Neo. I was just shocked. That's all. Doflamingo is a dangerous man. You should know that if you two have been planning this attack for a while."

Law started to move her away from the sniper, but stop when he noticed she was fine and openly inspecting the man. He said, "The plan is already in motion."

"What plan?" Zoro asked.

"That's right! We haven't told you all about the plan! Okay, everybody! Gather around! It's time to explain the plan!" Luffy cheered. He threw his hands in the air and laughed. Obeying their captain's orders, the crew gathered together and sat down on the grassy deck.

Law, with his fingers on Neo's back, guided her over to the bench that went around the large mast. They sat down. He leaned forward and pressed his arms against his legs while Neo crossed her legs and set her right elbow on her knee while resting her chin in her hand.

Luffy then blurted out what was going on and the deal he had made with Law and Neo.

"What?! We've formed an alliance to take down one of the four emperors?!" the unsuspecting Straw Hats screamed.

"An emperor, huh? I like it," Zoro said with a huge grin.

"You shouldn't!" Usopp snapped.

"That's a super big deal," Franky said.

"Hold on a second! Everybody, just calm down. Luffy, could you explain everything more clearly to those of us who don't know about the alliance?" Usopp asked.

"Sure. We and Tra's pirate crew have formed an alliance!" Luffy said, collapsing his hand on Law's shoulder. He spoke like pirate alliances were a normal everyday occurrence. Like this whole thing was no big deal. "So let's all get along and be nice to each other."

Neo looked at Luffy's hand on Law's shoulder. She then leaned back a bit until she could see the straw hat. Fighting her instincts to look at the hat was proven to be more difficult than she thought. She figured the more she was around the teenager the less she'd want to look at the hat. Forcing her eyes away, she placed her chin back in her hand. I really need to find a distraction before I reveal my magic to them. Maybe I should go read a book until it's time to go to bed. At least that way I won't be tempted to look at Godfather's hat.

"Is anyone else opposed to this?!" Usopp asked.

"Me! I am!" Nami and Chopper announced.

Neo tilted her head a bit. Her thoughts shifted from her godfather and straw hats to this pirate crew. They're an interesting bunch. They joined a pirate crew, but don't want to be put into any danger?

"Will voting make any difference? Luffy already made the decision, didn't he?" Brook asked from his spot on the deck.

"This plan is fine by me. But I should warn you," Sanji said while leaning into towards Law and Neo. He ignored the glare Law was giving him. "Luffy's definition of an alliance is most likely different from yours. Watch out, you two."

'You're worried.' Neo thought to Law when he twitched at the blonde man's words. She smiled when his only reply was to let his hat fall over his eyes.

"I was wondering why Luffy kept going on about kidnapping. It's not his style," Sanji said while walking over to Caesar. He pointed at the scientist. "I was starting to think he wanted me to cook up this strange sheep thing. But, even for a world class chief, there's only so much I can do."

"You jerks! You're not going to get away with this! Extremely powerful people are going to hunt you down now! Idiots!" Caesar shouted. "Do you even realize how stupid you are?! You all can go to hel-"

"Shut up! Watch your mouth! There's a sweet, innocent young woman aboard this ship who doesn't need to hear your filthy language!" Sanji hissed with a kick to Caesar's face. He cast a glance over at Neo.

Neo blinked in surprise at his actions. She looked at Law when he growled. A swell of childlike affection swelled in her chest. She poked him in the ribs and giggled through their bond. 'You're so cute when you get jealous.'

Law just released a puff of air through his nose. 'And you're sure being silly all of a sudden.'

'Maybe. But I like playing with you.' Neo poked him again. She giggled when he shot her a playful glare.

"Sanji!" Chopper then snapped, gaining the Heart Pirate's attention. "I was in the middle of treating him! Wait until I'm finished to kick him!"

"Seriously?! It's fine to beat him up after your done?! That doesn't make any sense!" Sanji yelled.

"Chopper's so cute," Neo squealed while forcing back a giggle. Another swell of childlike affection for Law swirled in her chest. She couldn't stop herself from poking him in the ribs a couple more times. He turned to her that time and raised an eyebrow at the feeling and the poking. She shrugged then tucked her hands under her thighs to keep herself from doing it again, despite the strong desire to do it anyway.

"I asked you guys to kidnap Caesar at Punk Hazard while I destroyed the machine that was creating a substance called SAD," Law explained. "Here in the New World, all of the great pirates have their own territory. They lead countless numbers of people and reign like a crime syndicate. It's nothing like you've seen before. One pirate group will never be strong enough to even come close to catching a glimpse of their captains. But it's an underground community, which conducts their business secretly to avoid Naval attention. And Doflamingo is the most the most trusted and powerful man among them. His underground alias is Joker. And his most important business partner now is Kaido, the King of the Beasts. Our target."

"Wh-what?! Kaido?!" Kin'emon shrieked.

Beside the samurai, the young boy's eyes widened. Neo felt a familiar transition in the boy. She looked at him in time to see him transform into a light pink dragon. She sighed. 'I don't think I'll ever get use to how a zoan feels, but at least it doesn't bother me as much as it use to. This one feels a bit different somehow.'

Law nodded. 'It might be one of the man made devil fruits.'

Neo hummed. Her eyes remained on the young dragon.

"What's the matter?" Zoro asked, turning his attention to the disruption.

"Never mind. It's nothing. Please, do continue," Kin'emon insisted. He then looked to his right. He looked at the dragon then shrieked. "Why is there a dragon here?! Where has Momonosuke gone?!"

"Hm? That's him," Luffy replied.

"What?! This…this dragon is Momonosuke?!" Kin'emon pointed at the dragon. Momonosuke nodded. "What?! What happened to you?!"

"Kaido of the four emperors. In order to take him down, we have to minimize his forces," Law then continued. "He was buying large amounts of fruit from Joker. It's a zoan type, man made, devil fruit called SMILE."

"Man made?! If such a thing exists, the number of devil fruit eaters would be popping up all over the place!" Usopp screamed. He slammed his hammer onto his thumb.

Neo looked over at him and wondered if he was aware that he smashed his hand with his hammer. He didn't seem to notice. Or maybe he didn't care since he was so shocked. She hummed and wondered how long it was going to take her to figure out this crew.

"That's right," Law said.

"Don't say things like that so casually!" Nami snapped. Her eyes, plus Chopper's were extended. Their mouths were hanging open in disbelief of Law's words.

"But, because it's man made, there are some risks involved," Law said, ignoring the woman. "But, the fact is, Kaido has over five hundred devil fruit users in his entire crew."

"Who wants to quit right now?!" Usopp asked, bolting up from his spot on the grass. He raised his hand high. "I do! I don't want to do this!"

"I don't!" Nami and Chopper raised their hands with the sniper.

"Just shut up," Zoro said.

"But the devil fruit eaters won't multiply anymore." Law looked over at Caesar.

Neo watched as Usopp, Chopper, Sanji, and Brook walked over to the mad scientist. With a sudden surge of aggression, she was hoping Sanji would kick him again.

"Were you making a substance for the man made devil fruit?" Chopper asked, a little more excited than Neo thought he should be. Caesar blushed and grinned. "How cool! SAD!"

Law glanced at Neo when he felt her getting jealous and her anger growing. She still had her hands tucked under her thighs. A light frown was playing on her lips, but, despite being confused at her behavior, he didn't say anything to her.

"Don't praise him!" Usopp snapped.

"Is it hard to make this SAD thing?" Luffy asked.

"It's just a lineage factor put into practice. It was Vegapunk who first discovered it," Law replied.

"So Vegapunk is the smart one," Sanji said. "This guy's just a piece of sh-"

"Shut up, you morons! I'd like to see you all make it!" Caesar hissed.

"Don't ever call us 'morons'!" Sanji snapped with the kick to Caesar's head that Neo was hoping for.

When she cracked a smile, Law cocked a look at her. "You're being oddly aggressive today."

"I can't help it. He deserves it after what he did." Neo huffed. Her aggression was quickly replaced with more childlike affection towards Law. She poked him again in the ribs.

"Keep up the childish acts and I'm going to punish you." Law smirked at her.

"Maybe I want you to punish me. Or maybe I'm just bored. I think I might go read for a while. I haven't done that for a while now." Neo smiled. Her eyes drifted to Chopper at the same time his drifted to her. Both smiled. She pushed off the bench, much to Law's surprise, and ran over to Chopper at the same time the reindeer ran towards her. She held out her hands for him to jump into. She had to swallow down her own laughter when he started laughing. To distract herself, she swung him around in the air like adults usually do with kids.

Law watched her, in complete confusion, for a few seconds before pulling his eyes back to the Straw Hat crew again. He said, "Joker is finished now. We can go on to the next step. There's a factory manufacturing SMILE somewhere in Dressrosa."

"I see. So we're going to find this factory and destroy it? No problem!" Franky announced. He was reclining against the Sunny's railing with a huge grin. "One laser for me and it's gone!"

"That's the plan. Then Kaido's forces won't grow anymore," Law said. "However, he's a professional businessman. He'll retaliate."

Luffy bolted up from the bench and ran closer to the samurai. He said, "Dressrosa, huh? Isn't that where you want to go, Kin?"

"Indeed!" Kin'emon pulled out one of his swords. "They're keeping one of my comrades prisoner there!"

Neo continued swinging Chopper around when she suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were gathering. She brought him to her chest and held him like a child. "Huh?"

"What's wrong, Neo?" Chopper asked. His laughter cut off. He looked at her then looked up at the sky. "What?! Where'd that storm come from?! It wasn't there a second ago."

"It's a pop up storm," Neo said.

"The creature is correct," Kin'emon said, looking up.

Neo flinched at the samurai's words before realizing he was talking about Chopper, not her.

"What are those clouds?" Usopp asked.

"It's going to start raining," Robin said. She and Sanji were looking up at the sky. Sanji had the tray he had been carrying around in his hand with Robin's empty teacup on it.

'If only. It's a hailstorm. And it's going to be a big one. Large hailstones are forming.' Neo thought to Law while gnawed on her bottom lip at the dark haired woman's words.

'Don't say anything, Neo.'

'I know. It's hard not to warn them.' Neo looked down at the reindeer in her arms. Chopper had his eyes still locked on the dark clouds.

'I know it is. And I'm sorry. But I'm sure they can handle this.'

Just then two small pieces of hail pinged onto Sanji's tray. The two Straw Hat pirates looked down at it. Robin said, "It's hail."

"This is," Nami started. She took on a look of determination then quickly bolted from where she stood. She started to climb up to the crow's nest.

"Nami! What's wrong? Is there something wrong with those clouds?" Luffy asked.

"Franky, prepare for a Coup de Burst!" Nami shouted.

"Okay! I'm on it!" Franky replied. He stood up. He then ran over to a hidden door in the deck that Chopper told her about before. He opened it. Before leaping into the hole, he said, "Someone, take the helm!"

"I got it!" Usopp shouted as he bolted for the stairs that lead up to the helm.

"Sorry, Neo," Chopper said, jumping from her arms. He expanded to his Heavy Point form. "I've got to furl the sails!"

"Okay," Neo said, a bit pouty. Her shoulders drooped, but she let him go without complaint.

"Neo, come," Law said. "Stay out of their way."

Neo nodded while walking back over to Law. She reclaimed her spot beside him and waited for things to settle back down. Her eyes drifted over to the skeleton of the Straw Hat crew. He was sitting on the grass. His right arm was wrapped around his bent up legs while his left hand was palm up -if he had a palm-, causing a piece of hail to bounce off of it. He asked, "I wonder what's up with these clouds."

'Things are going to get wild in a few seconds. There's a large piece of hail about to drop down on the ship.' Neo turned her eyes up to the dark clouds.

"Hard aport! Coup De Burst towards nine o'clock!" Nami's voice rang out from their speaker system. "Aim for an area with no clouds!"

The ship then spun in the correct direction just before a large shadow fell over them. More hail fell from the dark clouds. Neo mumbled, "There it is. Are you sure I can't…"

"Absolutely not," Law warned. "The Straw Hats can handle this. You keep resting."

"Fine. But I'm backing them up if they need it." Neo stuck her tongue out at Law. He chuckled at her.

"Ah! No, don't! No, no, don't!" Caesar shrieked. He looked up at the giant ice ball coming at them then over to Neo. "Hey! Neo! Do something about this! You can control nature!"

Neo tossed her head to the side with a defiant huff.

"Don't tell her what to do!" Law snapped, his eyes glinting with a sharp slit of light. No other words were shared as the ship suddenly took off with a startling jolt, just barely missing getting smashed by the large hail ball falling from the dark clouds. Neo grabbed onto Law's arm with a startled gasp. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I know Chopper told us about that, but I didn't think it would be so startling. I am a bit disappointed that that large hail didn't land on Caesar's head."

Law snickered as Caesar shot her an annoyed glare. They remained silent as the ship glided through the air. It didn't take too long for them to clear the storm and land safely back in the water. The ship rocked before settling back down.

"Oh, that was fun!" Luffy exclaimed. He dropped down from above then put his hands behind his head while Usopp, Chopper, Nami, and Sanji chattered on about their narrow escape. He walked over to Momonosuke and Kin'emon. "Momo, did you like it?! Don't you think the ship is the coolest ever?!"

Momonosuke released a puff of smoke. When it cleared he was back in his human form. With pink cheeks, he said, "I-It is cool!"

The grass hatched opened and Franky popped his head out. "Nothing is impossible for the Thousand Sunny that I built! It's super, isn't it?!"

Franky leaped out of the hole and stuck the same pose he did back on Punk Hazard. Momonosuke and Kin'emon then struck the same pose. And said the exact same thing. "It is cool!"

"Neo!" Chopper cried out. Neo looked at him just in time to catch him as he jumped back into her arms. "What do you think?! Isn't the Sunny just the coolest?!"

"It is pretty cool," Neo agreed. "But I'm use to the Polar Tang."

"Of course you are," Chopper said with a nod. "And, I know you miss it since it's your home, but I want you to feel comfortable here. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be happy to get it for you."

"Thanks, Chopper," Neo said. She caught a glimpse of Nami leading Momonosuke away from the group. She assumed the boy was getting a tour of the ship now. Her eyes then drifted over to Usopp. He was sitting back down on the deck, once again hammering away with whatever contraption he was before. A surge of curiosity pushed her to her feet. She felt Law's confusion when she walked away from him, but she didn't speak to him. With Chopper still in her arms, she walked over to the sniper and sat down on her legs.

"Hm? What's up, Neo? I can call you Neo, right?" Usopp asked.

"Yes, you can." Neo nodded.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Usopp asked.

"Well, I was just curious about something," Neo replied. Her eyes dropped down to the bag the sniper had around his shoulders. She assumed his slingshot was inside of it.

"What is it?" Usopp wondered while Chopper looked up at Neo from her lap.

"That slingshot you were using back on Punk Hazard," Neo said. "Where did you get it?"

"Oh, that? I got it when I was training on Boin Archipelago," Usopp replied as he continued tinkering with his toys. "It's actually a redesign of my original Kabuto slingshot. That one was green and a lot smaller."

"Boin Archipelago?" Neo questioned. "I think I've heard Bepo talking about that place before."

"The Boin Archipelago is a series of flower shaped islands in the Grand Line. There are various gigantic bugs and vicious man eating plants. I was sent there after our battle with Bartholomew Kuma two years ago on Sabaody," Usopp replied.

"That's where you all were?" Neo asked. "When you all went missing for two years?"

"That's where I was," Usopp said. "The others got sent to other places."

"I got sent to Birdie Kingdom," Chopper said. Neo looked down at him, her eyes widened with curiosity. "Would you like to hear about our adventures?"

"Yes!" Neo nodded, enthusiastically. "Please! Tell me! I want to know all about these places!"

Usopp laughed. "Well, aren't you just the curious one?"

"I love nature! I want to learn all I can about different types of animals and plants!" Neo said. She shifted her position so just her feet were tucked up under her legs and Chopper still on her lap.

"All right, all right," Usopp said with another laugh. "Let's see...Where should we start?"

Neo settled into listening to their stories. While they decided on where they would actually start, and who would go first, she looked over at Law. She smiled at him then turned her attention back to Usopp and Chopper.

Law had smiled back at her. He knew that she only looked at him out of habit. She was so use to always looking at him to make sure he was still with her, even though she could easily sense where he was with their bond. He figured that was something else with her that would never change. His smile halfway faded away. But some things were changing. Just a short while ago, Neo never would have voluntarily gone off on her own with strangers like she did on Punk Hazard and she never would have gone up to strangers and openly asked questions like she was doing now. Still, he let her do as she pleased despite his worry about her getting overly attached to the animal in her arms. He figured it was far too late with that. She was already unbreakably attached to Chopper. He let his eyes drift to Luffy when the young captain ran over to join Neo and the others in sharing their stories on what they had been doing for the past two years.

Neo was a tiny bit jumpy at the arrival of Straw Hat. She glanced at him, careful not to look at the straw hat. His eyes were round and very child like. His smile was bright and friendly. When he caught her gaze, she couldn't help but smile. He smiled back and inched a little closer to her. She tensed up but it quickly faded when she caught a glimpse of her godfather's hat. A light breeze teased her hair. The familiar scent of her godfather, booze, and his hat settled in her senses. She knew it was just her mind playing with her. This young pirate has had the hat for far too long for it to smell like her godfather anymore. But still, the idea was nice. She felt like her godfather was near her. Her smile grew wider. She glanced around at the remaining Straw Hats. Franky and Brook had joined their group while the others remained where they were. Zoro was now lying down on the deck fast asleep. Sanji was walking up the stairs. Neo assumed he was heading for the kitchen. Robin currently standing around as Kin'emon sat cross-legged on the deck. Nami and Momonosuke weren't anywhere to be seen, as they were inside the ship somewhere.

Neo turned her attention back to the Straw Hats that were gathered near her. Chopper and Usopp were going on about how they were almost eating. Chopper by the humans he met and Usopp by the plants. Franky told her about almost freezing then about his different personalities changes he went through after being fixed, totally confusing the old man and boy who had found him in the snow. Brook told her about being worshiped, became a star, and played a song on his violin for her. Luffy chattered on about how big and strong the animals were on the island he trained on.

The majority of the time Neo was using all of her strength to not laugh. The Straw Hats' stories were so funny. And with the faces they made, to illustrate their stories, almost did her in. There were several times she thought she was going to have to walk away from them. Somehow, she managed to hold in her bell filled laughter. And no one seemed to notice. Well, almost no one. Law was, like always, keeping a close eye on her, but eventually let himself nod off into a nap. But it was Robin that was the one really keeping an eye on her.

Several times Neo would look up because she felt like she was being watched. And each time she notice Robin looking at her, just watching her with peaked curiosity and her typical unreadable smile. Neo hummed to herself. This is odd. Normally I would feel alarmed if someone kept looking at me like that. But I still feel completely at ease with Robin doing it. I wonder if Law is correct. I wonder if I'm just calm with her because she's so calm. I think it's safe to say, she notices I'm not human, but I don't think she would care. In fact, I don't think any of the Straw Hats would care.

Neo turned her attention back to the group. Usopp was speaking with very animated moves. It was like he was acting everything out for her. She watched and listened with peaked interest as the Straw Hats continued to tell her of their training. Usopp even explained how Nami's weather staff worked when she asked about it. "Wow. That's all so amazing. I can't believe you all went through stuff like that. I'd really love to go see those islands someday. And I never knew it was possible for someone could control the weather like that. No wonder you all are so strong."

"Hey, you're clearly pretty strong yourself," Usopp said.

"How did you come to have your devil fruit powers?" Brook asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh, um…" Neo twitched. She mentally smacked herself. That was one background story that she and Law never worked out. There didn't seem to be any point to having one of those since she never was around anyone, besides the crew, for an extended period of time. She forced herself not to look over at Law. She didn't want to give anything away.

'Just tell them you ate the fruit one day as a child and didn't know what it was.' Law told her.

"I just happen to find a devil fruit one day. I didn't know what it was. I ate it despite how bad it tasted," Neo replied. Despite feeling bad about lying, she continued on with her tale. "I suppose I should have listened to my older sister when she told me not to eat it."

"You have a sister?" Chopper asked. He looked up at her from her lap.

"Yeah." Neo nodded, unable to look at him. "Her name is Topaz. She's on our crew too. Our parents died when we were very young, so we've been on our own since."

"So what made you decide to become a pirate?" Franky asked.

"Well, it really wasn't our choice. It just kind of happened," Neo said, hoping they wouldn't press her for details. She twisted a strand of her hair around her finger and waited. When they didn't say anything, she added, "But it's fine. A lot of good has come from being with the Heart Pirates."

Neo couldn't stop herself from looking over at Law. She smiled at him. Her heart pounded with affection for him and the crew and for everything the have done for her. After he smiled back, she turned her eyes back to the Straw Hats.

"There must be a lot of good since you two married," Usopp said. He kicked his feet out in front of him and leaned back on his hands. "You seem really happy together."

Neo nodded. "We are."

"So when are you two going to have a little pirate of your own?" Franky asked.

"We're not. Considering we're both pirates, we thought it best that we didn't bring a child into this world since…" Neo clamped her hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened with panic as she remembered what happened to Fire Fist Ace. "I'm sorry, Straw Hat! I didn't mean to…I wasn't trying to…I wasn't going…"

"Hey, hey!" Luffy said, cheerfully. Without thinking, he clamped his hand on Neo's shoulder. She flinched but didn't pull away. "Don't worry about it. Ace loved his life as a pirate. And he died with a smile. He wouldn't want me to be sad that he's gone."

"You…you're really okay?" Neo asked, lowering her hand down from her mouth.

"Yeah. That was two years ago anyway," Luffy said. He retracted his hand from her shoulder. "And it's Luffy."

"I think it makes sense that you two are choosing not to have a child," Brook said. "It's a very mature decision. It would be hard on them, after all. But you would make such a wonderful mother, if you don't mine me saying so."

Neo felt her cheeks grow warm as a round of agreements passed through the Straw Hats. She stuttered, "O-oh n-no! No, no, no! I wouldn't! I'm not really good with kids! I haven't been around them that much! And I'm not…I wouldn't be able to handle it!"

"Nonsense," Usopp said. "We saw how easily you handled the kids back on Punk Hazard. It was clear that you loved them. And they loved you."

"It's true." Chopper nodded. "The way Lin defended you, the way the kids spoke of you…you would make a great mother."

"That's, uh, nice of you all to say, but I really wouldn't," Neo said. She shifted uncomfortably as some of the Straw Hats continued to push the idea.

"Of course you would," Usopp insisted. He opened his mouth to continue but stopped when Robin broke in.

"All right that's enough, you all," Robin said, walking over to them. "You've pestered Neo enough about a decision she and Trafalgar have already made."

"She's right," Franky said. He got up from his spot on the deck and wondered off.

Once it was clear that the issue wasn't going to be pushed, Robin said, "Neo, I was getting ready to head for the library to read for a while. Would you like to join me?"

"Uh, sure," Neo said with a quick, unnecessary thought on the offer. She stood up, with Chopper in her arms. "I'd love too. You coming, Chopper?"

"Yeah!" Chopper nodded.

"Let's be off then," Robin said. With a smile, she led the way towards the library.

Neo followed after her. She only stopped for a moment to snatch Law's hat and peck his cheek. She said, "Don't wander off on me now, pirate boy."

Law chuckled. He let his eyes linger on her form until she was out of his sight.

"So what were you doing during these past two years?" Neo asked. She adjusted Law's hat on her head before returning her hand to Chopper's body. "That is, if you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind at all," Robin replied with a smile. "I was actually a temporary slave at Tequila Wolf."

"Huh?!" Neo whipped her eyes to the tall, black haired woman beside her. Her arms tightened on Chopper's small body. "You were a slave?!"

"It's all right, Neo," Robin said, calmly. They paused walking. "Myself and the other slaves were freed by the Revolutionary Army. After that I spent my time with them before reuniting with my crew."

"I'm so glad you're fine," Neo said, her body relaxing. Chopper looked up at her but didn't say anything. "The Revolutionary Army? I think I've heard of them."

"The Revolutionary Army is a powerful military organization led by a man named Dragon in Baltigo. He's also Luffy's father," Robin explained.

"Oh," Neo drawled.

"They are fighting against the world government. Most of the army's efforts are focused on liberating individual islands from local governments that are under the world government," Robin continued.

"So, we're not under any kind of threat from them?" Neo asked.

"Not at all. You don't have to worry about the Revolutionary Army coming after you and your crew. They won't ever do that," Robin said. She paused and took on a thoughtful look.

"Really? Why?" Neo asked when Robin paused. It looked to her that the woman wanted to say more, but stopped herself from doing so.

"It's nothing for you to worry about." Robin smiled. She opened the door to the library, to which Neo didn't even noticed they had arrived at. Holding up her hand, in a gesture that reminded Neo of how the maids acted towards her back on Luminous, she said, "Shall we?"

"Yes. Thank you." Neo nodded. She forced the older woman's hand gesture out of her mind as she stepped into the room. Just relax. It's impossible for her to know I'm a princess. I'm sure this is a common gesture among humans. The crew's done it to me before…of course they know the truth, but that's beside the point. She doesn't know. It's not possible. She relaxed when the smell of the books hit her nose. "A welcome distraction."

"Indeed," Robin said. She walked into the room. Grabbing a book, she sat down on the bench. "Please, feel free to read whatever you wish."

"Thank you," Neo said while Chopper freed himself from her arms. He grabbed a book and jumped up onto the padded bench. She watched him before wandering over to the books. Not remembering what all they had, she looked at them all before picking one. She settled for a book about sky islands. With the book in her hand, she walked over and sat down beside Chopper. The two shared a smile before settling into their reading.

A little over two hours later, Neo felt oddly tired. She flipped to the next page. She covered a yawn before trying to focus on the book in her hands. But she couldn't focus on them when they blurred in her vision. Eventually, her tiredness won her over. She lowered the book to her lap, laid her head on the back of the bench and closed her eyes.

"Hm?" Chopper looked up when he sensed Neo's body posture changed. He closed and sat his book down then got up on his hooves. He placed a hoof on her shoulder and called to her. He said, "Neo? Did you just fall asleep? Neo?"

"It's all right, Chopper. Let's just let her sleep," Robin said. She had sat her own book down and walked over to them. She took the book from Neo's hands, tucking it under her arm, and said, "Why don't you go get a blanket for her?"

"Sure thing." Chopper nodded before bolting for the door.

Robin waited for the reindeer to be out of sight before turning back to the sleeping young woman. Tilting her head, she studied Neo's sleeping form for a few minutes before gently laying her down on the bench. She returned to studying the blue haired woman until Chopper returned. He said, "I got a blanket."

"Thank you, Chopper," Robin said.

Chopper unfolded the blanket and laid it over Neo. They both were smoothing out the fabric and tucking their guest in when someone cleared their throat from the door. They turned around to find Law frowning and confused. The reindeer jumped, startled at the warlord's presence. He said, "Sh-she fell asleep."

"I noticed," Law replied. With his sword resting on his shoulder and his left hand in his pocket, he walked over to the small group. He looked down at Neo, confusion spreading across his face.

"She must be tired from all the fighting on Punk Hazard. She's so cute," Chopper said with a smile. He looked at Law and noticed the man's confusion. "Is something wrong?"

Law thought for a moment then shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. She usually only takes naps when she's been through some intense emotional stress. With everything that happened back on Punk Hazard, I guess it just finally caught up with her."

"We could move her into our room," Robin offered.

Law squatted down. He tucked the already snug blanket even tighter around her shoulders before adjusting his hat lower over her eyes, knowing it would help her stay calm if she woke up and he was too busy to come to her. "No, this is fine. She'll be okay here as long as no one wakes her up or startles her. Let her sleep for now. I'll come back later and check on her."

"I'll inform the rest of the crew that she's in here," Chopper said, heading back towards the door. "That way they'll know and they won't be so loud if they come in here or pass by."

Law nodded, but didn't look at the two Straw Hats as they made their way out of the library. He stayed a few more minutes just watching her sleep. When he was finally ready to leave her, he brushed the back of his fingers over her cheek, earning a smile from her. He smiled as she snuggled into the blanket then stood up and left the room.

Author's Notes: Does this chapter seem choppy? It does to me.

Inazumame1997: And here ya go.

PuddyKatz: I was wondering if anyone would notice that. :3

SilverHerron: Ya think? But I see what ya mean. I'll try pulling back and only use it when necessary. :3 Thanks for pointing that out.

KittyCCCC: Yeah. Too bad he didn't get sedated. She's going to get more crazy. :3 I can't wait for Dressrosa too.

Rodinaashraf: Chopper is like a bodyguard. More Sunny next chapter, but also should be the start of the Breed Arc.