Telling the Straw Hats
"We did it! We did it!" Luffy and the dugong cheered. Releasing the dugong's flippers, he spun around and ran over to Neo and Chopper. Neo tensed when it looked like he was about to grab onto them both, but he stopped short. "We did it! We won!"
"Yeah!" Chopper nodded. Tears streamed down his face. "It's over!"
Neo nodded. She was smiling until she felt Law's mood turn sour. Her smile faded. He was upset with her.
"Let's go," Law said, frowning. Hat falling over his eyes, he turned around and headed back in the direction that he and Luffy had come from when they reentered into this particular room.
"This is so ridiculous. Being led around like a dog. I'm not a pet. I'm a great scientist. I deserve respect," Caesar grumbled as Law led him out of the room by the leash that was still around his neck.
"Is Law all right?" Chopper asked. "He seemed like he was upset."
"Naw! He's just relieved the fight is over," Luffy said with a huge grin. He then looked at Neo. "He was really worried about you when Breed took over your powers. I was a bit concerned myself."
"Yeah. We should go," Neo said. She turned and headed after Law. Her eyes were locked onto Law, but she turned from him when Luffy appeared beside her. His hands were behind his head, his smile still presence on his face.
When she looked at him, he gave her a toothy grin then said, "Oh! You look kind of tired. Let me carry Chopper for you."
"I'm not-" Neo started.
"He's right, Neo," Chopper said, cutting her off. "Let Luffy carrying me. You do look tired. Besides, I'm sure you want to get out of that maid outfit."
Neo looked at Chopper then at Luffy. She was going to argue with them, but the looks they were giving her told her that she would lose if she tried. She nodded. "All right."
Luffy nodded.
Neo handed Chopper over to him then started taking off the maid outfit. She was glad to have left her clothes on underneath it. Once free of the dress she tossed it aside and continued walking. She flinched when his hand slipped into hers. She glanced at him but didn't pull away. Tugging her forward, he said, "Come on! I bet the others are worried about you."
"Uh." Neo blinked. Her eyes dropped down to their connected hands. His hand wasn't as large as Law's but it was still a bit bigger than hers. His hand was also a bit rough with small callouses. Comforting warmth came from his skin. His skin, she thought, would feel like rubber. But it didn't really. It still felt like skin. She then looked up at Luffy's profile. Her eyes lifted up to this hat. Before she could start glowing, she glanced back at the animals following them. They all were a lot happier now that they were freed from Breed's control. All of their sadness and depression was completely gone. She no longer was weight down by their feelings. She was only weight down by her own and Law's. She pulled her eyes from the creatures, took another glance at her and Luffy's connected hands, and then looked up at Law. He was walking several feet in front of them with a shadow hanging over him. She sighed. This fight with Breed might have been over, but theirs had yet to begin.
They arrived at the shark submersible and all froze. Chopper hummed, "What do we do? This thing was designed to hold only three people. We are way over that limit with everyone here."
The dugong squawked at him.
"Hm?" Luffy asked. "What's he saying?"
"He saying that we'll be fine," Chopper said. "They carry us back to the Sunny so the number of people won't matter."
"Neo," Law said. "Get into the sub. Now."
"Right," Neo said in a low voice. She started to summon her wind crystals but stopped. Instead, she climbed up like a regular person would do and slid inside.
"Is something wrong?" Chopper asked. He and Luffy blinked at the same time.
Law didn't answer them. He just shoved Caesar forward and said, "Inside."
"Hey, hey! Don't push me!" Caesar snapped. "I get it! I have no choice! It's either get in there or stay here! I'm certainly not staying here by myself!"
"Then get in," Law said with another shove on Caesar.
"Oh, you are so going to pay for this, Law!" Caesar grumbled as he climbed up the small sub.
"And don't corner Neo," Law ordered.
"Yeah, yeah! I won't hurt your precious, delicate, little flower," Caesar muttered.
Once Caesar was inside, Law followed after him. The sea creatures then dove into the water before Luffy climbed in with Chopper. Inside, Neo was sitting where Luffy was on their way here and Law was beside her. Caesar was sitting in the third seat, looking really annoyed. Luffy dropped down onto the floor with Chopper in his hold. Just then the shark submersible sunk into the water.
The sea Lapins grabbed onto the little sub and guided it back out into the open ocean. Once they were clear of the massive ship, they lifted the sub up to the surface where they created another rabbit wave. The sub settled onto the wave and headed back for the Sunny.
"Cool!" Luffy exclaimed. He bolted for the hatch of the sub. Opening it, he and Chopper climbed upon the roof. The dugong joined them and happily enjoyed the ride back to the Sunny.
Inside the shark submergible, things were gloomy as the pirates sat in silence. Neo had her hands resting in her lap. Her eyes remained on her lap as well. She dared a look at Law. He was sitting, silent as ever. His hat lower over his eyes and his arms and legs were crossed.
Behind them Caesar was evaluating the scene and coldness between the two for a few minutes before realizing what was going on. He chuckled. "Are you two seriously having a fight? I thought the only thing you two knew how to do with each other was suck the other's face."
"Shut up, Caesar," Law hissed through gritted teeth.
"I'm just surprised. It seems you two did nothing but get along back on Punk Hazard," Caesar said with another chuckle. "I never would have guessed with how close you two obviously are that you are still a normal human, well sort of human, couple."
Law lifted his hand. His Room circled underneath his palm.
"All right, all right. Take it easy," Caesar said. "I mean no harm. I should have known better than to assume you two didn't fight. It's obvious that you two do have a lot to fight about. And I'm sure it has a lot to do with how Neo doesn't feel human."
"Room."
"Sorry, sorry," Caesar said. He held up his hands in surrender but was wearing a grin on his face. Joker is really going to love getting his hands on you two. Be prepared, Law.
…
Franky scanned his binoculars over the ocean. When he saw a giant wave coming towards them, he said, "Hey! There's something coming this way!"
"What's that?" Usopp asked, noticing the same wave.
"What's wrong?" Sanji asked, walking up beside the sniper.
"There's giant wave coming towards us," Usopp replied. He pointed out to the wave and looked at the cook. "It kind of looks like the wave that bounced us to this place."
"Not exactly the same," Sanji said. "Look who's on top of the wave."
"Huh?" Usopp turned his eyes back to the wave. "What?!"
"It looks like they're all right after all," Robin said with a smile.
Sure enough, Luffy, Chopper, and the dugong waved at them from the top of the shark submerge. They all called out, "Hey!"
"It's Luffy, Chopper, and…a dugong and…giant rabbits?" Usopp said. He watched as the shark submersible pulled into the soldier dock system, almost falling off the ship in the process. He spun his arms wildly, trying to catch his balance. When he was back on the deck, he turned and waited for their friends, and Caesar, to climb back up onto the deck.
…
Neo sighed to herself when they pulled back into the Sunny. She didn't move until Law got up and walked passed her. She heard Caesar shuffling from getting up from his own seat. With a click and a clunk, the hatch of the little sub was open. She stood up herself then. Once Caesar and Law were up the small ladder, she climbed up it herself. She climbed down the side of the shark submersible. Her foot slipped and she fell backwards with a startled gasp. Before she could summon her crystals, she landed in Law's arms. She mumbled, "Thanks."
Law nodded and sat her back on her feet.
"I'm glad we're finally back," Chopper said. He was now back on his hooves looking around the soldier dock system.
"Yeah!" Luffy nodded. He ran for the ladder that took them up to the deck. He started climbing it. "Let's go! We have a lot to tell the others!"
Chopper nodded and followed after his captain. The rest soon followed. They heard Luffy say, "Hey! You all aren't going to believe what happened to us!"
"Yeah! And you're not going to believe who we met!" Chopper added.
Once on the deck, Law guided Caesar over to a spot on the grass and forced him to sit down while Luffy and Chopper chatted with their crew about what happened with Breed. Neo reached the top of the ladder. She looked up when she saw a hand extended to her. She blinked at it and glanced up to find it was Sanji. He was smiling at her with Robin standing beside him. She hesitated, but placed her hand in his. His hand was warm in hers and, much to her surprise, a lot smoother than she would have guest considering he washed dishes all the time. She wondered what kind of lotion he used.
She was expecting him to just be a lever for her to climb out, but he easily lifted her up out of the hole and sat her down on her feet. She said, "Thank you."
"It was my pleasure. Are you all right? You didn't get hurt, did you?" Sanji asked, his eyes roaming over her body for injuries. He ran them once over her body without haki then ran them over her body again with haki. He relaxed when he saw everything was still fine.
"We were so worried about you," Robin said. She too ran her eyes over Neo's body, looking for injuries just like Sanji was. But she only did it once then let her eyes rest on Neo's eyes. She smiled.
"I'm fine," Neo replied. "I'm sorry I worried you. I didn't mean to."
Law walked over at that point. With his hat still hanging over his eyes and his sword resting on his shoulder, he grabbed Neo's wrist. Without looking at anyone, he said, "Excuse us. We have to talk."
"Sure thing," Robin said. "Feel free to use whatever room you need. We don't disturb you."
Law nodded his thanks then proceeded to tug Neo with him as he headed up the stairs.
Sanji watched them go. He puffed on his cigarette. "I hope he's not too harsh on her."
"I doubt he will be," Robin replied. She crossed her arms and watched Neo and Law disappeared. "He's obviously deeply in love with her. He just worries about her. And, considering everything, he has a right to be."
"Considering everything," Sanji repeated. He glanced at the dark haired woman beside him. "What, exactly, is everything? I'm getting the feeling that we should compare notes on everything."
"Perhaps we should," Robin said. "But, for now, let's wait and see what all they decide to reveal to us."
"Reveal?" Sanji chuckled. "You clearly know everything already."
"Perhaps." Robin's smile grew as she looked at the cook.
…
Law pulled Neo into the library. He released her wrist and turned to her. He said, "What the heck were you thinking?!" She opened her mouth to reply, but he didn't give her a chance. He continued, "No! Don't answer that! You clearly weren't thinking at all! I can't believe you jumped into the water like that!"
"Nothing happen," Neo said, her voice low. She wrapped her arms around herself and turned her eyes away from him. "Besides, my magic is fine. I'm sorry I disobeyed your orders, but I couldn't just let those animals go through that knowing that they were so upset."
"Nothing happened?" Law asked, slightly in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"
"What?" Neo brought her eyes back to him. "What do you mean? What are you talking about? I disobeyed you. Isn't that what this fight is over?"
"Disobey? Never mind that. Neo, do you even realize what you did?" Law asked. His eyes were confused as they searched hers.
Neo narrowed her eyebrows and frowned. "Of course I do. I disobeyed your orders. I used my crystals when I wasn't suppose to."
Law sighed and pitched the bridge of his nose. "Neo, you just revealed the truth about yourself to the Straw Hats."
"I didn't…" Neo's voice trailed off. She thought about his words for several seconds before it dawned on her that she did reveal the truth, even if the Straw Hats didn't know the whole truth. Her arms fell to her sides. She opened her mouth then closed it. A moment later she finally spoke. She said, "It doesn't matter."
"It doesn't matter?! Of course it matters!" Law said. He paused when he noticed a certain look in her eyes. "No! No, Neo! You can't tell them!"
"I…we have too, Law," Neo said.
"No, we don't!" Law said through clenched teeth. "We are not telling them anything."
"Why not? It's clear that they, at least some of them, already know I'm not human." Neo crossed her arms again and glared at him. "And with what happened back on Punk Hazard, it is clear they know that we are connected to the point of feeling each other's pain. They pretty much already know about our bond."
"They are only making guesses," Law pointed out. "They don't know everything. And they're not going to know everything."
Neo lowered her eyes. Mumbling, she said, "I'm telling them."
"What?" Law asked, flatly.
Neo gritted her teeth. She took a deep breath. With a louder voice, she repeated, "I'm telling them."
"You can't be serious," Law said. He looked at her. His eyes filled with disbelief. "Please, tell me you're really not going to tell them. They're the enemy, Neo."
"Enemy?" Neo gave Law a pointed look. "They are not the enemy, Law. We're in an alliance. I might not be as smart as you and I know I'm still lacking in knowledge and how to deal with people, but I do know that we are in an alliance. And I know what an alliance means. Right now, we're not enemies with the Straw Hats."
"Fine," Law conceded. "We're not technically enemies right now. But that doesn't mean we go and tell them everything about us. And we're not telling them anything."
"Law, they practically know everything already!" Neo snapped. "And I am telling them the whole truth!"
"Neo," Law warned. His eyebrows narrowed. "You're not telling them. Don't make me order you to be quiet."
Neo gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Tears stung her eyes. "We have too, Law."
"No. We. Don't," Law said, pointedly.
"Law." Neo hung her head. Her bangs fell over her eyes. "I could have killed everyone today, including us."
Law flinched.
"When Breed took control of me…" Neo started trembling. "I was so scared, Law. I thought that I was going to…"
Law's anger released. He stepped forward to pull her into his arms, but she held up her hands to his chest and stepped backwards. Shaking her head, she said, "I'm sorry, Law. But I can't do this. I can't set foot in Dressrosa knowing that there are people in this world that can control me. I can't do it. What if Breed did have an interest in me? What if Breed noticed I wasn't human? What if Breed noticed I have a connection with animals? What if Breed ordered me to flat out kill you and Straw Hat? What if Breed didn't give you the option to stop me? What if you didn't have the disoriented powder? What if you didn't figure out how his powers worked?"
"Neo…" Law started to reach for her, but stopped. He let his hand lower back to his side. His chest clenched tight at the sight of her tears rolling out of her still slightly gray eyes.
"I'm sorry, Law. I can't keep this a secret from them anymore," Neo said. She wrapped her arms around herself. "It's obvious this secret is getting harder and harder to keep."
"Is this because of Tony?" Law asked.
"Because of them all. Probably, mostly because of Chopper, but it's more than that. I…" She bit her bottom lip as she thought about her next words. "I trust them, Law."
Law's eyes widened slightly. He clenched his sword and tried to deny it. But he couldn't. It was obvious that Neo did trust the Straw Hats. Of course, it was mostly because of Chopper. Animals always put her at ease, but it was also something more. And he figured a lot of that something more had to do with Luffy. Neo's godfather knew and trusted the Straw Hat captain. And if Red Hair Shanks trusted someone, it was obvious that Neo would trust them too at some point. She had also connected with a couple others of the Straw Hats, Robin and Sanji. Robin was just so calm and relaxing. And Sanji…Well, he wasn't sure why she would be comfortable around him, but she was, even after he startled her with his excitable flirting bit. Before she never would have stayed alone in a room with a strange man like she did with Sanji.
"Law, I'm scared!" Neo then said, pulling his attention back to her. She started pacing around the small room, her voice growing louder with each sentence she spoke as she brushed the powder off her face. "We're getting ready to go into Doflamingo's territory! His home! I know what that man has done to you! I know what he does to you! You always get so angry when you're just thinking about him! I don't like it! Don't you understand that?! I hate what he does to you! And it scares me that we're waltzing right up to him like this! And I'm just feeling so vulnerable right now!"
Law lifted an eyebrow when she said she was feeling vulnerable. He hasn't felt that from her at all. And she's never told him before. He felt a bit guilty. Maybe he just over looked it. Maybe he was just too focused on taking down Doflamingo that he didn't noticed how she was really feeling.
With a stomp of her foot, which didn't have her desired effect considering she was barefooted, she stopped her pacing. Placing her hands on her hips, she continued, "And I'm just…I'm just…Ah! I don't know! But I do know that I can't set foot on Dressrosa knowing I can lose control, either on my own or by the hands of someone else! This isn't just my secret to tell, Law! It's ours! When we bonded, when we got married, we became one person! Your secrets are my secrets! And my secrets are your secrets! But I can't and won't walk into Dressrosa knowing that someone can use me to kill us and everyone else on the planet! I can't do it, Law! I really, really need you beside me right now! But, if you really can't stand beside me with this decision, then I'll just…I'll just have to do it by myself! Either way, they will know before we set foot on Dressrosa!"
Before Law could reply, Neo spun on her heels and left the room. He wanted to immediately follow after her, but he didn't.
"Captain, you're coddling her." Law flinched when Penguin's words, for whatever reason, popped into his mind. He ran his hand over his face, realizing he, while he wasn't actually coddling her, he was being overprotective of her. Again. Rubbing his neck, he chuckled. "That child. I'm still not use to her being her own person and making her own decisions. Sometimes I think I raised her far too well."
He sighed. He looked up at the ceiling and thought about everything that happened since Breed attacked the ship. Sighing again, he said, "I guess we both made mistakes today."
He lowered his eyes to the exit. But she's right. I have no right to keep her from revealing this secret if she really feels like she needs to. And I do believe in the Straw Hats. Once they know the entire truth, I'm sure they won't do anything to hurt her.
Law then located Neo's position. She wasn't rushing back to the Straw Hats. He knew she was taking her time, considering their fight, how she was going to tell them and wondering if he would have her back on this. He was about to follow after her, but held his ground when he felt her pause. He waited about a minute before following after her.
…
Neo wasn't stomping across the Sunny, despite wanting to. She was just walking in an aggravated huff. She felt like her emotions were really mixed up right now. She felt guilty for yelling at Law, then she didn't feel guilty about it. She felt she was right in her decision to tell the Straw Hats, then she felt like she was wrong in her decision to tell the Straw Hats. The only thing she knew for sure was that she hated fighting with Law. She knew it was just a natural part of being in a relationship. But, for some reason and some how, it also felt unnatural to fight with him. Especially when their fights got so heated like this one just did.
She paused when she heard Chopper's voice. He said, "He said if we keep going straight, we'll get to Dressrosa in no time."
Neo peaked over the railing and looked to the deck. Chopper was draped over the railing, dressed in clean cloths and obviously feeling better. She tucked back around the corner. She wasn't ready to face them just yet. Instead, she pressed her back against the Sunny's wall and searched for Law. She always knew he would follow her. But this time, there was a little doubt lingering inside of her. Law was oh so protective of her. And now was no different. But he had raised her to make her own decisions. And that's what she had done. She felt right about it. She felt guilty about it.
She wished Penguin were here. She really could use her old brother's advice on this. He was always her support when she had a fight with Law or couldn't talk to Law about something just yet. Now, she felt like she was all on her own. She also felt a twinge of homesickness. She wanted to be back in the Polar Tang, back with her family, her books…their bed, their room, their usual routine. Tears ran down her cheeks and she brushed them away. She took a deep breath and released it. Now wasn't the time for crying. She pushed off the wall when she felt Law finally leaving the library. She walked down to the deck and stood away from the Straw Hats. She didn't even notice when Robin stepped beside her. She looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you all right?" Robin asked.
Neo was planning on saying 'Yes' but found her voice saying, "No. Law and I…we had a fight."
"I see," Robin replied with a friendly smile. "Would you like to talk about it?"
"I don't know." Neo dropped her eyes from Robin when she sensed Law. She turned her eyes to him. He walked down the stairs and stopped. Even though his eyes were covered with his hat, she could tell he was looking at her. She looked away and wondered what she should do. They could probably use a little time apart right now. She turned her eyes to Luffy. He and Chopper were saying goodbye to their friends.
"Thank you for carrying the Sunny!" Luffy said.
"Thank you!" Chopper waved to the smiling sea lapins floating in the water below them.
Neo turned her eyes back to Robin. She said, "Maybe we could talk a little bit. I'm confused about something and I can't talk to Law about it."
"All right then." Robin waved her hand to the opposite side of the deck. Once to on other side, Robin pressed her back to the railing while Neo crossed her arms over it and stared down at the water. "What's on your mind?"
Neo didn't answer right away. She continued to stare down at the water for a moment before exhaling. She then said, "I'm not really sure how to say this, but I'm keeping a secret from you all that I really want to tell you."
"And Tra doesn't want you to share this secret?" Robin asked.
"Yes." Neo nodded. "Technically, it's our secret. So telling you all about it without him standing with me…it makes me feel like I'm making the wrong decision while, at the same time, I still feel like I'm making the right decision. But I feel like I'm in the wrong if I don't tell you all. And if I don't tell you…it could end up really hurting you all. I'm just so confused."
"I see," Robin said. "That is a tough decision."
"So what would you do? What would you do if you were in my position?" Neo asked in a hushed tone. "You probably can't answer that without knowing what our secret is, huh?"
"Actually, I've been in a similar situation," Robin said. Neo lifted her confused eyes to her. "See, I possess knowledge on how to make a weapon that could really devastate the world if it was built. And because of this knowledge, the navy has chased me for many years. When I joined the Straw Hats, I really had no intentions of staying with them forever. But I did. I found that I had made friends with them and came to really care about them. Then, one day, my past caught up with me. CP9 had found me when we docked at Water 7 for ship repairs and to find a shipwright. I left the Straw Hat crew in exchange for their safety. My plan was just to walk away and severe all ties with them, but it didn't happen. They were determined to keep me as their friend and their crewmate."
"So what happened?" Neo asked.
"They followed me to Enies Lobby. They took on the entire navy there and rescued me despite me saying several time that I didn't want them to save me," Robin said. "I just wanted to die."
"You wanted to die?" Neo asked. She stood up straight and turned to the woman.
"I did." Robin nodded. "I thought I was better off dead. I didn't believe I had the right to live. But they showed me that I did. They showed me I had the right to live. And that they would always be there for me."
Neo gritted her teeth. Her bangs fell over her eyes as tears trickled down her cheeks. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "Law…and the crew…they did that for me. I wanted to die before I met them. Everyone hated me because I was different."
"It seems like we have a lot in common then. People hated me because I was different," Robin said. She placed a hand on Neo's shoulder, smiling sympathetically when the younger woman twitched at her touch. "Neo, I can't make this decision for you. But if you really feel like you need to tell them your secret then you've already made the decision and it's the right one. But it's your decision. And, if Law really loves you like I believe he does, he'll back you up despite it feeling like he won't right now."
"Law did raise me to make my own decisions," Neo said.
"Then there's no way he can actually be upset with you for wanting to tell them. I bet he's just worried about you and is being overprotective," Robin said. She started to walk away. "You have my support."
"Thanks, Robin. I…" Neo paused. Narrowing her eyebrows, she said, "Wait a second. You said 'if you really feel like you need to tell them your secret', don't you mean, 'if you really feel like you need to tell us your secret'?"
"Did I?" Robin smiled back at her from over her shoulder. "My mistake."
"Uh." Neo tilted her head as she watched Robin walk back over to the group. Her feet automatically followed after her, still confused about the woman's words. When she joined the others, she stood beside Robin then looked over at Law. He was still standing at the bottom of the stairs. This time, he wasn't looking at her. Sighing, and still confused, she turned her attention to the dugong and Luffy.
The dugong had his flipper held out to the Straw Hat captain. Luffy smiled and tapped his fist against his friend's. They shared a grin before Luffy said, "Take care, Seal!"
"All right, everybody, time to go," Chopper said, translating again. The dugong paused and looked back at Neo. "Take care of yourself. I hope we get to meet again someday. You're a very interesting girl."
"Uh, thanks," Neo said. "You take care too."
The dugong smiled and waved at her before jumped into the ocean. She heard the dugong's squawk once more before he and his friends set off for their own journeys.
"See you later!" Luffy called with a wave.
Neo swallowed. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. This was it. It was time for her to tell the Straw Hats everything. Her stomach spun. She was somewhat glad that she threw up earlier. If she didn't, she surely would have now. She didn't like having to address the Straw Hats like this. The only time she's ever addressed a crowd, outside of her crew, was back on Luminous. And during that time, she was scared and hysterical. She actually screamed out at the elementals. But she was able to do it. She was able to tell them how she really felt. Of course, she had Law standing right beside her during that time. He had given her the strength to stand up to them. Tears gathered in her eyes. Now, she felt so cold. She felt so alone. She felt…abandon.
Her heart sped up even more when the Straw Hats started to walk off. She felt herself deciding against tell them just as her voice called out, "Wait!"
"Hm?" Luffy, with his hands behind his head, turned back to her. They all turned back to her. "What is it, Neo?"
"There's, uh, something…" Neo choked out through her dry throat. Her hands trembled at her sides. "I-I w-wanted to, um…"
"If you have something to say, then just say it," Zoro said.
"Don't be a jerk!" Sanji snapped. "Can't you see she's nervous?!"
"What's up, Neo?" Nami asked. "Is there a problem?"
"No, there's no problem." Neo brushed her hand on her left arm. Her body temperature dropped. She shivered and rubbed her hand harder on her arm. She looked over at Law. He still hadn't moved from his spot at the bottom of the stairs. His hat was still over his eyes and his head was now hanging. His thoughts were blocked from her so she had no idea what he was thinking. She sighed and addressed the Straw Hats again. "There's just something that I need to tell you all. I'm not-"
"Wait!" Law suddenly said. They all looked at him. He walked towards Neo.
"Law, please, I don't want to-" Neo was silenced when Law placed his finger over her lips. She gave him a confused look before he retracted his hand.
"Just hold on for a second," Law said. Hat still over his eyes, he turned in Caesar's direction.
Neo's eyebrows lifted. She almost spilled their secret in front of Caesar. Law still had her back.
When the scientist noticed Law looking at him, he said, "What are you looking at me for? I'm still here. Still-"
Law held up his hand. "Room."
Caesar's eyes widened when he realized what Law was going to do. He waved his hands. "Hey! Wait a second! What the heck do you thin-"
"Shambles."
…
"-k you're doing?!" Caesar finished. He looked around. He was now down in the farthest reaches of the Sunny. He was in the anchor room. "What the heck was that for?! Law! You are so going to pay for this!"
…
"Huh? What'd you do that for?" Luffy asked, his arms hanging loose by his sides. His crew was just as confused. They all turned to him at the same time. "What's up?"
"He was in the way," Law replied. He turned to Neo and took her hand in his. He pressed his forehead to hers, pushing his hat up on his head. 'I'm so sorry, my love. I didn't mean to make you feel like I abandon you. You know that I will never do that. I'm just worried about you. I guess I'm still looking at you like that scared little girl you use to be. I'm sorry. But you're right. We need to tell the Straw Hats.'
Warmth spread through her body when Law took her hand and said those words to her. It made her feel a whole lot better. 'Law…I'm sorry we fought. I'm sorry I dove in the water without thinking. I'm sorry I disobeyed you. I'm just so sorry. It's just that, despite not wanting to tell everyone our secret, I know it's not possible to keep it hidden forever. This whole thing on Punk Hazard and with Breed proves that we're not going to be able to keep this hidden. We, mostly me, need to be prepared for it. Because we have no clue what's going to happen when we get to Dressrosa. You already guided the navy to Green Bit. If something happens…'
'I know. I should be preparing you in case the world comes to know about you instead of trying to hide you from it. It seems like we both were wrong and right today.'
'What do you mean?' Neo gave him a quizzical look. 'How could we both be right and wrong?'
…
"Uh, what exactly are they doing?" Usopp asked. He pointed at Neo and Law. "Why are they just standing there staring at each other with their foreheads pressed together?"
"I dunno," Nami said. She tilted her head. "It kind of looks like their having a private conversation, without words."
"Maybe they are?" Chopper stated and asked at the same time.
"Uh? That's not possible," Luffy said. He crossed his arms with a skeptical look on his face.
"Well, they say that when two people known each other for so long that it becomes possible for them to have silent conversations like that," Franky said. He scratched his head in a manor that suggested he wasn't buying his own explanation.
"If you're not sure then don't suggest anything!" Usopp shouted at the cyborg.
"Who cares what they're doing?" Zoro said with a frown. "Neo said she had something she want to tell us. This is just rude."
"Shut up!" Sanji snapped. He whacked Zoro over the head. "Just give them a minute! They obviously need it!"
"Don't hit me, you stupid cook!" Zoro growled.
"Will you two just relax for a moment?" Brook said. He brought his teacup up to his mouth. "It's not like we have anything better to do."
"Fine," Zoro and Sanji grumbled. They turned from each other and huffed.
…
'You were wrong for jumping into the water without thinking. But you were right about following those animals. I was wrong for trying to keep you from telling the Straw Hats about our secret. But I was right on the fact that you acted without thinking.'
'Today's just been really messed up, huh?'
'It has.' Law nodded. He rubbed circles over her hand with his thumb. 'Are you ready to tell them now?'
'Yes.' Neo nodded. 'As long as you are with me.'
'I am. Always.' Law lifted his forehead from Neo's. They turned back to the Straw Hats and twitched. Most of the Straw Hats were staring with confused looks while others were wearing more patient, but curious, expressions. Heat rose upon the lovers' cheeks.
"What were you two just doing?" Usopp asked. He lifted an eyebrow at them.
Neo shifted nervously. "I'm sorry."
"We really need to work on not using our bond for casual talks,"Law grumbled, adjusting his hat back down.
"I suppose you are correct." Neo nodded.
"Bond? Casual talks?" Usopp asked. "What are you talking about? You wanna clue us in on what's happening here?"
'We can just use it for more personal conversations like this…' Law shared with her a very suggestive sexual thought, making her face flush even more.
"Oh my gosh!" Chopper gasped. He leaped up into Neo's arms, which she automatically held out for him. "Neo! Are you all right?! You just got really, really red all of a sudden! Are you sick?! Do you need to lay down?!"
"I'm fine," Neo squeaked. She cleared her throat. Speaking normally, she said, "No, I'm not sick. I don't need to lie down. But there is something we have to talk to you all about."
"You've already said that," Brook said.
"What is it, Neo?" Chopper asked.
Neo swallowed and looked down at the reindeer. She looked at Law. With an encouraging nod from him, she turned back to the Straw Hat crew. She said, "Well, I'm not really sure where to start. I guess I could just start with the obvious. Or what should be obvious."
"What's going on?" Zoro asked.
"I'm sure some of you by now have noticed that I feel different and I'm not a devil fruit user," Neo said. Most of them nodded. "Well, that's because I'm not…human."
The Straw Hats just stared at her. Suddenly, Usopp busted up laughing. He leaned over and lapped his knee. "Ha ha! That's a good one! You almost had us there for a second! Not human!"
"Usopp's right. That is a good one." Nami sighed. She placed her hands on her hips and smiled. Her smile faded when she noticed Neo and Law weren't laughing. "You…you can't be serious."
"We are serious," Law said. "Neo's not human."
"But how?" Luffy stepped closer to Neo and inspected her. Bending down with his fingers cupping his chin, he carefully drug his eyes over Neo's body, much to Law's annoyance. "You look like everyone else. You have legs, skin, knees, thighs, hips, stomach, boob-"
Law whacked Luffy over the head with his sheathed sword. The young captain rolled backwards several times. When he stopped, he had a large, red bump on his forehead. He rubbed it and whined. "Ouch! What the heck was that for?!"
"I don't feel anything different from you," Usopp said, carefully taking Neo in.
"I don't either," Nami said.
"I do not sense anything different from the woman, either," Momonosuke said.
Neo held out her arm over Law's chest when he tried to step forward. She said, "I just look human. But I'm really an elemental."
"An elemental?" Brook asked. "What's that, if I may inquire? For the record, I do not notice anything different from you either."
"It's fine. I'm sure you all will notice it sooner or later. An elemental is a creature that can control the elements through these crystals," Neo said. She summoned her crystals. "We can also talk to animals."
"You can't be serious," Zoro said, a look of disbelief on his face.
"Don't call her a liar, you idiot!" Sanji shouted. He whacked Zoro over the head.
"Don't hit me, you stupid cook!" Zoro growled. He pulled out his swords. "Do you want me to slice you?! I didn't call her a liar! I just don't believe her story!"
"It's not a story!" Sanji snapped. "She's not lying!"
"And how do you know this?" Franky asked.
"Because I can see that her spirit is different from humans with my haki," Sanji replied. He shoved one hand in his pocket while pulling his cigarette out of his mouth. "I wasn't sure what it was at first, but her not being human would explain it. Besides, like she already said, some of us can tell that she's different. She has no reason to lie to us about it. I, for one, believe her."
"Thank you, Sanji," Neo said. "But I can understand everyone's disbelief in this. There is another way of showing you that I'm not human."
"And what's that?" Chopper asked.
"These," Neo replied. She sat Chopper down on the deck before turning around and summoned her wings. She flinched when she heard the Straw Hats gasp.
"That's not possible!" Zoro said.
"That's insane!" Usopp shrieked. "She has…you have wings! How is that possible?!"
"So cool!" Luffy and Chopper exclaimed. They moved forward, Chopper on Luffy's shoulder, and inspected her blue ombre wings.
When Luffy pinched her wing, she flinched but didn't pull away from him. She sent Law a small smile when he growl. "It's okay, Law. I'm fine."
"How is it possible that these wings are coming out from your clothes? And why do they just disappear before reaching your back?" Luffy asked. He gave her wing a tug, causing her to twitch.
"Careful, Luffy!" Chopper snapped. He slapped Luffy on the cheek. "You're going to hurt her!"
"Sorry," Luffy whined, still tugging on her wing.
"It's okay, Chopper. It doesn't hurt. My wings are like hair," Neo explained. "They can be damaged, but can grow back. And they're magic so they can go through my clothes like that. I'm not really sure why they fade away. It's just the style, I guess."
"Can you really fly with them?" Nami asked, inching closer for a better look with Momonosuke right beside her.
Neo flittered her wings. She lifted herself off the deck of the Sunny. Turning to face them, she pulled her knees up to her chest to show that she was completely off the floor.
"That's so cool! She's actually flying!" Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy said with stars in their eyes.
"I knew something was wrong with the wenc-" Kin'emon started, but paused when Law glared at him. "I mean, I knew something was wrong with the lady when I first saw her. But never would I have guess such a thing was possible."
"So all of your people have these crystals and can control the elements?" Franky asked.
"Sort of." Neo swallowed. "The truth is elementals typically only control one of the elements through their crystals. A few rare occasions some elementals have two element crystals and even more rare, some can have three element crystals."
"But you have all four elements," Brook said.
Neo nodded. "There's only one elemental, at a time, that has all four of the element crystals and the solar crystal."
"Solar crystal?" Chopper tilted his head. "You have another crystal?"
Neo nodded again. She summoned her solar crystal and spread it's glow over everyone on the deck. Their eyes widened when all their tiredness and injuries from Punk Hazard healed. When they all looked at her, she took in a deep breath then exhaled. She then told them everything about her past, except for Shanks being her godfather, while she summoned her earth crystals. Law, understanding her intentions, sat down on the deck. He laid his sword down as she threaded out the ingredients for him to make the disoriented powder.
"What?! You're a princess?!" Chopper gasped.
"What?!" Luffy screamed. "You know Shanks?!"
"Out of everything she said that's what surprises you the most?!" Usopp, Nami, and Zoro shouted.
"That's…" Sanji said. His eyes were widened with disbelief while examining her faded scars on her arms and legs. "That's insane. It was obvious that you were scared of people, but…I never would have guessed you went through something like that. So that's why you said that the Heart Pirates raised you. It all makes sense now."
"Yeah." Neo nodded. She looked down at Law. Both smiled when they made eye contact. He noticed her eyes were back to their electric blue. "I know it might sound weird, but they did raise me. I didn't know anything before I came to live with them. They taught me everything I know."
"Now that I think of it," Chopper said. "You didn't really know what hallucinating was when we were dealing with the kids back on Punk Hazard. And you were able to speak to me somehow when Vergo had you all captured."
"My education is still lacking a bit. I often forget things or words I don't use very much," Neo confirmed. "But I'm still learning. And, yes, since you're an animal I can talk to you like I did."
"So what are you doing?" Chopper then asked Law.
"I'm making a disorienting powder for all of us," Law replied, grinding up the ingredients with the rocks Neo provided for him. "It's to stop Neo if she loses control."
"Stop her?" Chopper blinked. His face contorted with worry. "We're going to have to hurt her?"
"No, Chopper." Neo bend down and wrapped her arms around her knees. "It won't hurt me. It'll just disconnect me from my crystals if I start to lose control of them. I want you all to carry a couple pouches with you just in case."
"You know, it's not very smart of you to reveal your weakness to us," Zoro said. Neo looked at him. "We could use it against you in the future."
"You stupid jerk! How dare you even think about such a thing?!" Sanji roared.
"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Neo said. She stood back up and looked directly at the swordsman. She tilted her head and smiled at him. "Beside, I believe that you all will keep our secrets."
Zoro scoffed and tossed his head to the side. "Whatever."
"Of course we will, Neo," Sanji said with a smile. He then glared at Zoro. "This guy is just an uncouth jerk. Don't listen to him at all."
"He does bring up a good point," Franky pointed out. "After this alliance is over, we'll go back to being rival pirates."
"I know. But there is something else that will most likely prevent you all from attacking us, or at least me…" Neo chewed on her lip in thought while threading a small vine through the powder pouches. Then, with her vines, she held out the patches to the Straw Hats, samurai, and the boy.
"And what's that?" Nami asked, taking the four pouches and sticking them in her pockets. Everyone else took them and stuffed them in their pockets or kimono.
"It actually concerns you most of all, Straw Hat." Neo looked at Luffy. She held out the pouches to him, but he didn't take them.
"Hm? How so?" Luffy tilted his head.
"It's about Red Hair Shanks. He's more than just a friend to my people," Neo said. She then paused. "The truth is…Shanks is my godfather."
"What?!" the Straw Hats shrieked. "Shanks is your godfather?!"
Neo nodded.
"That's insane!" Nami said. "Does that mean that you are under the protection of an emperor?!"
"I am." Neo nodded. "Technically, our entire crew is. Godfather has told his entire crew about my people and me."
"We don't need their protection," Law grumbled.
"So that explains why you were expressing concern about Shanks when Luffy mentioned taking down all four emperors," Nami said and Neo nodded.
"Is that also why you were glowing inside of the ruins?" Robin asked.
"Yeah. While being bonded with Law, I'm also bonded with my godfather. When I stared at his hat for too long I started to glow. I'm hope that will stop now that you all know the truth," Neo replied. Her voice trailed off as she stared at the black haired woman. Slowly, all of the pieces connected in her mind when she noticed Robin didn't seem all that surprised about any of this. Her eyebrows rose on her forehead. "You knew, didn't you?"
Everyone turned their eyes to Robin. The woman crossed her arms and smiled. "I did."
"What?!" the Straw Hats shrieked. "You knew?!"
"I didn't know everything. I didn't know about the bonding process or about how much abuse you had suffered. But everything else I pretty much knew," Robin admitted.
"And I knew you knew," Neo mumbled, rubbing her fingers on her forehead.
"How could you have known that?" Brook asked.
"I'm not sure. I just knew." Neo shook her head. "Or I suspected it."
"I'm not surprised you suspected Nico knew the truth. You've always had really good instincts," Law said. He pushed on his sword and stood up. "It's just the majority of the time your neophobia just over rides them."
"Neophobia?" Luffy asked. "What the heck is that?"
"It means she's afraid of new things. While growing up, Neo faced a lot of discrimination," Chopper explained. "Every where she went she was met with more hatred and fear because she was different. That causes her to have automatic reactions of fear when meeting new people and places."
"Oh." Luffy nodded. "Right."
"But how did you know about me?" Neo asked Robin.
"Because I've met one of your people before," Robin replied. "I met her when I spent these past two years with the Revolutionary Army. She works for them."
"There's an elemental working for the Revolutionary Army?!" Law's eyebrow twitched.
"I take it you didn't know," Robin said.
"No. Since I didn't grow up around the elementals, I don't know everything about them," Neo said. "We do know that some of them occasionally travel with my godfather. So what happened between you two? How did you come to know what she was?"
"When I first met her, I noticed something was different about her, but I wasn't sure what it was. During the first year, I also noticed that she would stare at newspapers a lot. I thought she just like keeping up with what was going on in the world, but then I noticed it was only certain articles she was paying attention to. And those articles were about you all," Robin explained. She looked at Neo and Law. "She only followed and kept close attention to the newspapers when your crew was mentioned. It wasn't until the beginning of my second year with them that there was a little accident. She ended up revealing her crystals to me. After that she came clean and told me who she really was and who you really were. She also told me she has a wind elemental friend who travels with Red Hair occasionally. The only thing she didn't tell me was the location of Luminous."
"Yeah," Neo drawled. Her head was spinning with this new information. "Elementals are really protective of Luminous. I'm not really sure I want to reveal the location either, at least not right now."
"This is insane. You mean one of these elementals are working for Luffy's dad?" Nami asked. "How long have your people lived among humans?"
"I'm not sure," Neo replied. "For years some elementals have left Luminous to live among humans. So there's no way of telling how many left Luminous and how many have had kids by now."
"Does that mean elementals can have kids with humans?" Brook asked. "I know you said before that you two decided not to have kids, but with this new information of you being an elemental…"
"That's kind of a personal question," Nami said with a glare.
"It's all right. I understand that you all are going to be curious," Neo replied. "While there are some difference between elementals and humans there are also some similarities. Humans and elementals can have kids together."
"So you two are going to have a baby?" Luffy asked.
"She already answered that question, Luffy!" Chopper, Usopp, and Nami screamed while whacking their captain over the head. "They're not having kids!"
"Will you people stop hitting me?!" Luffy growled. "I just asked a simple question!"
Neo laughed. She couldn't stop it.
"So cute!" Chopper squealed with blushing cheeks at her bells.
"Wow! Your laughter is so beautiful! You were already beautiful before, but now you're just extremely beautiful!" Sanji said while spinning like a tornado.
"You have bells in your laughter?" Brook asked. "It's very pretty."
"Thank you. It's also a part of my royal heritage," Neo replied while Law crossed his arms in an annoyed huff. She elbowed him. "We don't mind a question like that. Like I said before, we're not going to have kids, Straw Hat."
Sanji twitched, his eyes dropping down to her stomach. "You're really not planning on having kids?"
"No. Law doesn't want me to go through the pains of childbirth and the complications that can come with being pregnant," Neo replied. She lifted an eyebrow at Sanji. "Why? Is there something wrong with that?"
"No," Sanji drawled. He pinched his cigarette between his fingers. His eyes roamed over to Robin, who was also glancing at Neo's stomach. "There's nothing wrong with that decision."
"You've gone through so much pain. No wonder Mr. Tra is so protective of you," Brook said. He took Neo's hand in his. "I guess that means I can never ask to see your panties."
"Of course not, you idiot!" Nami, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper whacked the skeleton over the head.
"Don't you dare even think about asking Neo that perverted question!" Sanji added.
"Says the one who flirts with everything in a skirt," Zoro said.
"What did you say?!" Sanji demanded.
"Anyway," Neo said, regaining their attention. She was still holding out the pouches to Luffy, who was still refusing to take them. "It's really important that you all carry around these pouches."
"No," Luffy said. "And I'm Luffy."
"Straw Hat, it's important," Neo insisted. "You saw how Breed easily controlled us. If that happens in Dressrosa, this powder is the only way you all will be able to stop me."
"No!" Luffy said stubbornly. He crossed his arms. "I said my name is Luffy! And I'm not using something against you that can put you in a weakened state!"
"But…Straw Hat, it-"
"No!" Luffy cut Neo off. He stepped forward. Standing toe to toe with her, he stared into her eyes, determined and formidable.
Neo flinched and swallowed at his closeness, but didn't pull away. She felt Law tense up and grab the hilt of his sword. 'Easy, Law.' Her eyes widened when Luffy took off his straw hat and placed it on her head.
"You're my friend now," Luffy said. He took her hands in his and smiled. "I'm not going to use that powder on you. It isn't necessary. We don't need it."
"But, Stra-" She flinched when Luffy glared at her. "Luffy…I don't want to hurt you all. That's why I'm telling you all of this and giving you these pouches."
Luffy smiled again. "I don't need it. I know you're not going to hurt me. It's okay if the others want to carry them around, but I refuse. I refuse to use something that will weaken Shanks' goddaughter. I won't do it."
"But I…" Neo lowered her eyes.
"Don't bother trying to fight him, Neo," Sanji said. "Once he's made up his mind, there's no changing it. Our little stint on Punk Hazard should have shown you that already."
"I suppose so," Neo conceded. "All right, St-Luffy. If you really don't want to carry them…"
"It'll be fine. You'll see. Shanks loves you. You both are my friends. And I always protect my friends." Luffy placed his hand on the hat and pushed it down over her eyes. When he lifted his hand off her head, she was able to look at him again. He had his hand held out to her. "Trust me."
Neo blinked a couple times at his extended hand. She then looked over at the other Straw Hats. They all were smiling. A confirming smile that they agreed with their captain's declaration. She then turned her eyes to Law. He nodded at her. She nodded back at him then turned to Luffy. She took his hand in hers.
…
Author's Notes: I don't think I ever had Nami, Usopp, Brook and Momo notice she wasn't human. If I did, I'll fix it when I find it or someone mentions it. I didn't want them all to see/feel her inhuman nature at the same time.
Inazumamae1997: Thanks.
Kitteninthemoonlight: Wow! That's a lot of reading. Those are interesting story ideas you have there.
Apple Bloom: More coming
Rodinaashraf: I probably did rush it. It was going to be three chapters, but it didn't feel necessary to have this part three chapters. Here's the next one. Hope it was all right.
Loveanimation4life: I PMed you. Did it work for you now?
KittyCCCC: They now know.
Miss-sakurako: Glad you like it.
