The Battle is Over
"All right," Leo then said. He walked over to Law's right arm and looked at the remaining coat sleeve. He ran his hand over the fabric in thought. "If you're ready, we can start. I need to remove the rest of your sleeve thought."
"Here. I have his arm," Cub said, moving Law's severed arm closer to the pirate's body. "I've also inspected the wound for dirt. It's as clean as it can be."
"That's fine," Law said tiredly. He closed his eyes and relaxed. Despite how worn out he was, he still flinched at the pain that was caused from the little Tontatta ripping off his sleeve.
"Law," Neo whispered. She too flinched at the pain in her arm. She then slipped her hand into Law's, lacing her finger through his. Tears glistened in her eyes when he looked at her and curled his fingers around her hand.
"It's all right," Law said while he brushed his thumb over her skin. "Use your solar crystal and it won't hurt so much. Just think of it as me getting another tattoo."
"I'm trying. But I don't see how threading a needle through your arm is the same as a tattoo." Neo nodded. She summoned her solar crystal and washed it over their bodies. She forced herself to not watch Leo as he started working his needle and thread through Law's arm.
"Solar crystal?" Mansherry then asked, her eyes drifted to the solar crystal hovering near Neo and Law. She then looked up at Neo with at least a dozen questions in her eyes.
"I'm… an elemental," Neo explained, grateful for the distraction from the operation on Law's arm. "I'm not human at all nor a devil fruit user. I have these crystals because of my magic. And I can also heal people with my solar crystal because I'm a royal."
"You're a princess like me?" Mansherry asked. "But why are you with a pirate then instead of with your people in your kingdom?"
"Yeah, I'm a princess," Neo said with a nod. She then proceeded to give them a condensed version of her past, including her connection to Shanks, while Law tensely watched over her.
"Oh, my goodness," Mansherry said. She pressed her hands to her mouth with a gasp. "You've suffered so much."
"You're the goddaughter of Red Hair Shanks?!" Cavendish gasped. His jaw fell open as his eyes bugged out of his head while cold sweat ran down his face. "You've got to be kidding!"
"It's no joke," Law said, enjoying the panicked expression on the blonde man's face.
"Shanks really is my godfather," Neo said. "Luffy mentioned that to Doflamingo too. So I'm sure he'll pass the information along to the navy as well. He does like to hurt people."
"That is a possibility. Though I never would have guess something like that had happened to you and that you're the emperor's goddaughter. That's going to take everyone by surprise," Cavendish said. His eyes wandered down to the medallion around her neck. "No wonder you act the way you do. A past like that would mentally damage anyone. So what's necklace for? You haven't mentioned that. And you weren't wearing it earlier either."
"This is my birth medallion," Neo said. She looked down at the medallion, pulled her hand from Law's, and grasped onto it. Happy tears gathered in her eyes from having it back again. "It was taken away from me when I was just a kid. Somehow Doflamingo managed to come across it one day and kept it because it intrigued him. Then, when he found out about Cethin…"
"Cethin?" Cavendish asked.
"Cethin was a man, a scientist, who also discovered the elementals when he met one. He's preformed several experiments on elementals," Law said. "He also found a stone, a pollution stone, that weakens elementals when they're close to it. However, it has another form. And in this form it can attach to an elemental's body or their crystals and cause them to be controlled by the one who activated this form. He worked for Doflamingo until I killed him for hurting Neo earlier."
"How can a stone have another form? How is the form activated? And what exactly do you mean?" Cavendish asked.
Law sighed. Despite how they were all fighting on the same side, they were still rivals once this was all over. He really didn't want to tell them anything. But with the navy already knowing about Neo, and how Cethin sent them a letter and some pollution stones, he assumed that information was going to be made public knowledge as well. "Cethin said that all he did was rub the stone and it turned into a tube like thing. And that's when the stone connected to Neo's medallion. Her medallion holds some of her magic so they're connected. He was able to control her and her crystals."
"So that's why nature went completely wild when we were fighting earlier," Cavendish said, eyeing the medallion distrustfully.
"You don't have to worry," Neo said when she caught the man's worried look. She winced at some pain she felt in her arm when Leo slide his needle into Law's flesh. She released her medallion and placed her hand back into Law's. "I'm in control again. Law and Luffy removed the stone from my medallion and got rid of it. While I am still tired and low on magic, the pollution is completely out of my system. I won't lose control again."
"That's good to hear. But I'm assuming there are more of those pollution stones in the world," Cavendish said. "Do you think they're like other stones? There's probably millions or more out there. And probably on every single island."
"Don't you dare even think about using one on her," Law hissed with a sharp glare at the blonde man. "If you do, you'll end up in pieces like Cethin did."
"Of course I'm not going to use them on her," Cavendish said with a nervous smile. "I was just asking. I have no intention of ever using something that would cause such a pretty young woman to lose control like that. I just want to be aware of them if I ever did come across one."
Law's glare darkened upon hearing Cavendish call his love and wife pretty. "Don't you dare start flirting with her again!"
"What?! I'm not flirting with her! I'm giving her a complement!" Cavendish snapped. "What's wrong with you?! You are insanely over protective and jealous! It really is uncalled for!"
"She's mine! Got that?!" Law demanded, tightening his hold on Neo's hand.
"Of course she is! I never said she wasn't!" Cavendish said.
"It's okay, Law. There's no reason for him to not know what it looks like. There's a good chance he'll one day find one and an elemental will be near by. The stone looks green, kind of a murky green. If it didn't have an effect on me we probably wouldn't notice it at all. It still looks like an everyday stone. So you most likely won't even notice it unless there's an elemental around having a reaction to it," Neo said despite knowing it wouldn't do anyone any good. Law just doesn't like anyone, outside of the crew and reluctantly the Straw Hats, giving her compliments. She then summoned three water crystals. Gathering cool, fresh water around them, she offered drinks to her new friends and Law. "Here. I'm sure you all are thirsty after all the fighting you've done."
"Thank you," Cavendish said carefully before leaning forward to the water crystal in front of him.
"Law, drink some water," Neo ordered. "I know you're thirsty."
Law slowly pulled his eyes off of Cavendish and fulfilled her order. It felt good having her cool water rush pass over his lips and mouth before running down his parched throat. He sighed, satisfied, and laid back on the ground. He stared up at the sky, the closing Birdcage for a few seconds before turning his eyes to her stomach. Carefully, he linked to her mind and body to check her vitals out the best he could with their bond. He was relieved that her blood pressure was back down to normal now that they were away from the fighting. But he was still worried about what all this stress was doing to her and their baby. He turned his eyes back to the top of the palace. In the distance he could hear the sounds of the battle going on up there. He really hoped that Luffy would end this soon.
"Thank you for the drink," Cavendish said, wiping his chin off with the back of his sleeve. "Your crystals really do come in handy."
"Yes. Thank you, Princess Neo," Mansherry said after pulling back from the water crystal. "That was very tasty."
"Thank you, Princess Neo." Cub then stepped forward and got himself a drink before stepping back.
"You're all welcome. I can grow some fruits and vegetables if you all are hungry. But, please, don't call me princess," Neo said with a half smile. "I really don't like it since I wasn't raised as a princess. Just call me Neo."
"Very well then," Mansherry said. She gave Neo a sweet, understanding smile. "You may call me by my name, Mansherry, too."
"And I'm Cub," Cub said. "We haven't been introduced yet."
"Thank you," Neo said, eyeing the Tontatta princess and the beetle like one before her on the ground. "And it's nice to meet more of Wicka's friends."
"You met Wicka?" Mansherry asked.
"Yeah." Neo nodded. "Earlier today. She's really nice. I really hope to see her again before we leave Dressrosa."
"Well, I'll be sure to inform her that you wish to see her," Mansherry said. "I'm sure she would like to see you again as well."
"There!" Leo announced after putting in the last stitch in Law's arm. "I'm finished!"
"Then allow me to assist him in healing," Mansherry said. She turned her eyes back up to Neo and added, "If that's all right with you. I know you said that you can heal with your solar crystal, but you look very tired still."
"I am," Neo said. She wiggled her right fingers, noticing her arm was feeling a bit odd. She hoped it was just feeling coming back to Law's arm, but wasn't sure if it was or not. She then stopped spreading the healing glow over their bodies so Mansherry could use her own gifts on Law. "If you say it will help him, then go again. I don't mind."
"It will. I promise it will," Mansherry said. She then walked over to Law's arm and held her hands over the wound while they started glowing. While she healed his arm, Leo turned to the water crystal that Neo moved closer to him.
"Thank you, Lady Neo," Leo said. He took a nice long drink of the water. "That was great. Lawland's arm should be just fine as long as the blood gets flowing again."
"That's great news," Cavendish said. He glanced over at Neo and smiled.
"Yeah," Neo said with a nod and a smile of her own.
"We should get going," Cub then said.
"Going?" Neo asked.
"We can still help the people of Dressrosa," Cub replied.
"Yes," Mansherry said.
"Will you three be all right here?" Leo said. He looked to each of the three big people they were with while Mansherry climbed on Cub's back.
"Yes," Law said. "We'll be fine."
"Very well then," Leo said before jumping upon Cub's back.
"We'll see you later then," Mansherry said just before Cub flew them off the plateau.
"I hope they'll be okay," Neo said, watching as their new three little friends disappear into the distance.
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Law said.
Neo turned her eyes back to Law and reactivated her solar crystal to flow over them and Cavendish. Tears filled her eyes once more. Without warning or any kind of signal, she leaned over and captured his lips in a heated kiss. Slipping her tongue passed his lips, she tasted him like it was the last time she was ever going to kiss him. She didn't even mind the blood that still lingered in his mouth and his lips. She just wanted to kiss him forever. And he would have let her. Law didn't even bother trying to fight for dominance over this kiss. He just let her have it completely. He just obediently followed the movements of her tongue as she glided it over his own and tangled them together.
…
Cavendish felt his cheeks heat up on seeing their deep kiss. Feeling extremely out of place and very much the third wheel, he turned his eyes away from them to give them privacy. Occasionally, he glanced back over at them every few seconds to see if they were done. They weren't.
…
Finally, after several seconds of devouring Law's mouth, Neo pulled away from him. Two tears dripped from her eyelids to his cheeks as she locked eyes with him. She brushed her nose against his and said, "You stupid idiot. Don't you ever, ever do something like this again. Do you understand me? Never again."
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, my love," Law whispered softly to her. While she finally had let some of her pinned up emotions out, he knew this wasn't the dam that needed to break. He knew she was still holding back until everything was done and over with. Only then would she really let everything sink in, realize it was truly over, and release it. But he was satisfied that she had released some of her frustration.
Cavendish then cleared his throat to remind them that he was still there. When they looked at him, he said, "Well, uh, what a surprise. I didn't know there were dwarves living here in Dressrosa. On top of that, their princess even has the power to heal people. I really hope that your arm gets reconnected properly. They said that if the blood flows it will be fine."
"Yeah, I know. I'm a doctor," Law said.
"You know, when I saw the underground trade port, I understood what was really going on. After this battle… even if we can take down Doflamingo, it won't be over at all. It will cause tremendous ripples across the entire world. And you guys will be known as the eye of the storm," Cavendish said.
"Yeah, that's the plan," Law said.
Suddenly, a loud crack pulled their attention away from their conversation. They looked up just as pieces of the palace crumbled under the weight of something and that something went flying towards the town below them. With no time to ask what happened, they all looked up to see Luffy flying across the air.
"Is that Luffy?" Neo asked, her eyes locked onto her friend as he passed over them. Her heart skipped a few beats at the sight of her changed friend before settling into a racing pace as her anxiety rose. His once thin body was now large and rounded and covered with black and red marks. "What… what happened to him? He looks different."
"R-Relax, love," Law said as he rolled over onto his right side. Neo moved closer to him, allowing him to lend against her knees as they watched Luffy. "It just looks like he's transformed some how."
"Transformed?" Neo asked.
"Just like he does with his other transformations," Law said. "Remember he's made of rubber."
"Oh, right," Neo said. Her anxiety slowly faded away while her heart rate dropped back down to normal.
The three pirates watched in shock and awe as Luffy exchanged a heavy barraged of punches and other attacks with Doflamingo while in midair. They all gasped when Luffy's punch suddenly shot out and started moving like a snake with independent moves.
"Did you see that?!" Cavendish asked. He pivoted his body so he was now sitting on his knees and facing towards the town instead of the plateau.
"Yeah," Law said.
"That's incredible," Neo said.
"I can't believe how much he's changed! Is that really Straw Hat?!" Cavendish said. "He's overpowering the formidable Doflamingo! He's amazingly strong now!"
"But he's using far too much haki," Law said.
"Using too much haki?" Cavendish asked.
"Will he be okay by doing that?" Neo asked, unable to take her eyes off her rubber friend. Without noticing, she reached back and pulled his hat on top of her head. She then bit her lip in anticipation.
"It depends on whether or not he defeats Doflamingo before he runs out of haki," Law replied. "By using this much of his haki, he'll lose a lot of his energy and will need time to regain it."
"Come on, Luffy," Neo whispered. She continued to watch the fight, nervously fiddling with her fingers as she did. Doflamingo's strings were no longer coming from him. They were now somehow coming from the buildings around them. The strings struck out at Luffy, trying to hit him or trap him in any kind of way that they could. "Take him out before that happens. You have to win this. You just have to. Everyone's lives are counting on you."
"Everyone, listen," a voice then boomed over the entire county.
"Who's that?" Neo asked.
"I am the former king of Dressrosa, Riku Doldo III," the king said.
"It sounds like the former king is going to make some sort of an announcement," Cavendish said.
"This country is now, by the game that the current king Doflamingo started, in a giant Birdcage with no visible escape. On top of that, that vicious Birdcage keeps shrinking, slicing up the country. You all fell onto this horrible reality far too suddenly. I'm sure that your emotions and thoughts can't even catch up to all of this and you're just trying to save your own, or someone else's, life right now. But this is not a dream, nor a tragedy that has begun on this today. For an entire decade, we have always lived in the Birdcage called Dressrosa under the reign of the Don Quixote pirates. For an entire decade, we have always been the puppets that live under their manipulation. That is the reality of the situation. But that will end very soon. The hands of the tough warriors who only happened to be here in this country have almost wiped out the Don Quixote family that we thought nobody could touch," King Riku said.
"What's he doing?" Neo asked.
"Sounds like he's trying to give his people some courage to continue surviving until Straw Hat can bring Doflamingo and the Birdcage down," Law said.
"All of the family's executives have already been taken down. The only enemy there is left to beat is the current king of Dressrosa, Doflamingo. And the one who is fighting him is the pirate, Straw Hat Luffy. I believe he is the man who will be able to destroy the Birdcage for us. I feel very impotent because although I am the former king of this country, all I can do is to stake our country's fate on a stranger that happens to also be a pirate. However, I can't help crying out like this to you all. Whether Straw Hat Luffy wins or loses, it'll only take a few dozen minutes. Until then, I want you all to try and survive this, no matter what it takes. I don't want any one of you to get crushed by the constriction of the country. Just keep running. Even if you run completely out of breath. Or even if you break your leg. Just for a few dozen minutes more, try to survive this. There is hope. Please don't give up just yet," King Riku said.
Neo's heart skipped another beat as she simultaneously watched Luffy's battle with Doflamingo and listened to the former king inspire the people despite not being their ruler anymore. She watched as buildings continued turning into strings and close in tightly around Luffy, taking him from her view. She gripped her hand into a tight fist. She wanted to help Luffy fight.
Law sensed her intentions. Shifting back to his back, he watched her and felt out through her feeling to see what she was going to do. "Neo?"
"It's fine. I'm not going to do anything stupid. You don't have to worry," Neo said. She knew she was no longer in a position to do anything. Even with her solar crystal healing them, it would be hours, maybe days, before she could enter into another fight and be successful in it. Plus there was also Law to take in consideration. He couldn't fight anymore either. And she didn't want to do anything that would bring Doflamingo's attention back to them while Law was like this. She knew the older man still held a deep grudge and hatred against Law and wouldn't hesitate to attack them if she did try and make a move on him. She relented and forced herself to let it go. She had done everything she could to help Luffy already. And Luffy really did want her to stay where it was safe now. Releasing an slow exhale, she forced the thoughts of helping Luffy out of her mind completely and put her trust fully in him.
Then, right before her eyes, Luffy broke free of Doflamingo's strings. She watched as the rubber man flew closer to Doflamingo and, using a move she hasn't seen before, her friend was able to send Doflamingo flying. The warlord flew several yards away from the fight and slammed into the plateau wall. When his body hit it sent a wave of cracks through the air as the wall crumbled from the sudden impact.
"Amazing! That was incredibly destructive! There's no possible way he's still alive!" Cavendish said.
Law stared up at the sky. As much as he wished it were truly over, it wasn't. Calling to Cavendish, he said, "Hey, look up to the sky."
"Huh?" Cavendish looked up. Upon seeing what Law was talking about, he gasped. "No!"
"The Birdcage isn't gone yet," Law said.
Neo turned her eyes to the Birdcage. She closed her eyes and drew in a breath. It wasn't over yet. But it would be. It had to be. Luffy could do this. He could and would defeat Doflamingo.
"That mean's Doflamingo is…" Cavendish said.
"Not dead yet," Law said, his eyes still locked onto the Birdcage about them. "Straw Hat."
"It'll be fine. Luffy will win," Neo said. She continued to watch as Luffy's large body suddenly lost its bulk and he reverted back to his normal body. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. "He has to win. He just has t-" Her voice was cut off and she jumped when a large piece of a stone spike broke suddenly landed about fifty yards from their location. Then they all saw a large, grey haired man falling from the plateau. "Who was that?"
"Jesus Burgess! Why was he here at the palace?!" Cavendish said.
"That was the guy from the coliseum that Luffy spoke to," Neo said.
"The coliseum?" Law asked.
"Yeah. They had a brief, but intense conversation," Neo said. "He must be going after Luffy for some reason. What do we do, Law? Should I try and help Luffy? I might be able to summon enough magic to fly after him."
Law about panicked when Neo summoned her wind crystals. He didn't want her to fight right now or any time soon. "No!"
Neo gave him a curiously look when he practically shouted at her. "What's wrong?"
"Sorry. I didn't mean to yell like that. It's just..." Law's eyes drifted to her stomach before he locked eyes with her. "I don't want you to fight anymore. You've done enough."
"But Luffy's-" Neo started.
"No, Neo," Law said, cutting her off. "You're not going to fight anymore in your condition."
"Condition?" Neo blinked. She tilted her head and looked at Law. Her curiosity increased. "What condition?"
…
"Hm?" Cavendish, holding his own curious look, couldn't help but notice Law's eyes dropping to Neo's stomach as the surgeon laid there on the ground. His own eyes then bounced back and forth between Law and Neo a few times before his brain put all the pieces together. "You have got to be kidding! Don't tell me she's pre-"
Law shot Cavendish a harsh glare, instantly shutting the blonde man up.
While the two men were exchanging glances, Neo's eyes drifted back to Luffy. She watched as some man wearing a gladiator outfit picked Luffy up and put him on his back. Squinting, she took a closer look and thought the guy looked familiar but couldn't recall where she had seen him before. Her heart then skipped a beat when she saw that Burgess was about to attack Luffy. She opened her mouth to shout out to her friend, but stopped when another familiar looking guy suddenly appeared and kicked Burgess way from Luffy. This guy she could easily remember since she could sense the fire inside of him. It was the blonde man who had eaten the flame flame fruit. The same one she yelled at earlier after yelling at Fujitora. Despite not knowing exactly who this man was, she was relieved that it was obvious he was a friend to Luffy. "Luffy... looks like you're safe. I'm so glad."
…
With Neo distracted by what was going on below, Cavendish leaned down towards Law and whispered, "Are you saying she's pregnant or not pregnant?"
Law glanced over at Neo before whispering back to the man. "She is. She just doesn't know yet."
"She doesn't know? How is that possible?" Cavendish asked, sneaking another look at Neo.
"It's kind of hard to explain. She knows she is, but she just not aware of it yet," Law said. "And for obvious reasons, I haven't brought her attention to it yet. She's not going to be very happy about it because she's neophobic."
"I think I understand," Cavendish said. He glanced fully over at Neo, carefully taking her in and her behavior towards strangers when she first meets them. "I guess that explains some of her behavior. I should have known from the start."
"Yeah, it does," Law said.
"But how can she be fighting like that? She shouldn't be anywhere near fights," Cavendish said.
"An elemental's crystals protect the baby with a shield so they can fight some in battles as long as they don't get hit too hard or too many times. But, after this is over, I'm going to limit her fighting to very little or none at all until our child is born," Law said.
"That's good to hear," Cavendish said.
The two men then went quiet from that point on. While Law continued to stare up at the Birdcage, Cavendish turned his attention back down to the town. Law let his mind go over everything that was happening. Luffy, their only hope of finishing this fight was temporarily out of the fight. He couldn't fight and certainly couldn't let Neo fight, obviously, but they still needed to do something to help Luffy out here and keep him away from Doflamingo until his haki returned. "Hey, Neo?"
"Huh?" Neo looked at Law just before his Room spread over them and he warped them off the plateau. Suddenly, and before she could summon her crystals, the two Heart pirates landed on the hard ground of the town. She gritted her teeth at the pain from the fall and to keep herself from cursing.
"What's going on now?!" a man's voice said.
Neo didn't hear him. She was too worried and upset with Law's lack of giving her a warning about warping. She shifted her solar crystal so it would be directly beside his now bleeding again injury. "Law! Give me a warning next time! You landed on your injured arm! What's wrong with you?! You're bleeding again!"
"I'm sorry," Law said as he sat up. Iron filled the air from the blood that was now dripping down his arm. "I was in a hurry."
"T…T-T-Trafalgar Law and Neo!" a voice screamed.
Neo forgot her angry upon hearing the voice. She turned to look at the one who screamed finally noticing it was the announcer man from the coliseum. Her eyes then when to his back where Luffy was currently sleeping. "Uh! Luffy!"
"He's all right, Trafalgar Neo," Gyats said looking over his shoulder. "He's just sleeping."
"Don't you all think you're running a little bit too far?" Law asked.
"Oh, that's because… uh…" Gyats said.
"When will he regain his haki?" Law asked.
"Oh, the thing is he told me that he needs ten minutes to regain his haki. Right now we've got three minutes and twenty seconds to go," Gyats said.
"There's no time to lose then. We'll take him under our care from here," Law said.
"Oh, okay then," Gyats said. He walked closer to the two pirates then laid Luffy down on the ground beside them. With a nod to Law, he stepped back and watched as the pirate warped their small group of three away.
Neo looked around when they reappeared on top of a nearby roof. The building had been damaged from the battles that have been going on but it hadn't been sliced up by the Birdcage yet. A twinge of worry passed through her when she realized they were still very close to Doflamingo. "Are we going to be all right here? We're not that far away from Doflamingo."
"It should do fine enough," Law said. He rested his sword on his left shoulder as he leaned tiredly against the wall behind him. "Straw Hat's got less than three minutes before he recovers. The others can hold Doflamingo off for that long. Besides, if you remember your training, people never look up for an enemy. As long as Doflamingo doesn't take to the air, we'll be fine."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Neo said. Her eyes then landed on Law's bloody arm. She got up and moved to his right side. She knelt down, summoned a water, and started cleaning off his arm the best she could while she extended her healing glow over Luffy's unconscious body.
Law quietly watched her work. His eyes wandered over her face before dropping down to her stomach. He didn't know how long he had been staring at her, but her fussing with the bandage on his arm, caused him to look back up. He could tell she was worried about something. He took her hand in his to stop her. "Love, it's fine. You don't have to keep fussing over the bandage."
"Sorry. I was just making sure it wasn't too tight or too loose. I'm just worried. You're still not out of the woods yet," Neo said. Her eyes lingered on his wounded arm. "You could still lose that arm. I'm just trying to-"
"Shh." Still holding her hand, he reached over and pressed his finger to her lips. "You know my arm is just fine. If you'd stop worrying so much, you should find that your arm is feeling better as well. Why don't you take off those vines and see for yourself?"
Neo lifted her eyes to Law. With obvious uncertainty, she looked down, summoned an earth crystal, and unwrapped her arm from the vines. Slowly, she moved her arm around, testing for pain. She didn't find any. She did find that she could feel her arm and Law's again. She looked back up to his eyes and smiled. Tears gathering in her eyes, she said, "Your arm's going to be just fine."
"Thanks to you," Law said. "Your solar crystal helped a lot."
"I'm glad," Neo said, rubbing her tears away before going back to fiddling with Law's bandages.
Law chuckled at her obsessing over him. He just let her. There was nothing he could say to her right now that would stop her from doing this. Eventually, his eyes wandered up to the straw hat that was resting on her head. His lips pulled down into a frown. He didn't like seeing another man's hat on his love's head. Reaching up, he flipped it backwards off her head.
"Hey," Neo protested when the hat fell off her head and against her back. She narrowed her eyebrows at Law. "What was that for?"
"You're forbidden from wearing another man's clothes. And that includes hats," Law said. He tapped her nose with his finger before taking her chin and pulling her into a deep kiss. "Remember you are mine in every way possible."
Neo hummed when he broke the kiss. "I really love your jealous side. But you know you don't have anything to worry about. Besides, technically, this is Godfather's hat. Luffy's just borrowing it for a while."
"Godfather or not, it's still another man's hat. And you are forbidden to put it back on your head," Law said with another peck to her lips.
"And if I disobey you, my possessive lover?" Neo mumbled against his lips.
Law chuckled. His warm breath washed over her face before he said, "Then I will punish you."
"Good." She slid her hand around Law's neck to lean in for another kiss. Just before their lips could connect a sudden gasp escaped her and she pull back from him.
"What's wrong, Neo?" Law asked.
"Something's happening to Rebecca," Neo said.
"Who?" Law asked.
"I think I told you about her before. But Rebecca is the granddaughter of the former king. Luffy and I met her in the coliseum," Neo said. She pulled away from Law. Keeping low to the ground, she moved over to the side of the building and scanned her eyes over the area below them. Another gasp left her lips upon the sight she saw. Rebecca, with a sword, and the dark haired dancer she saw when she was still with Sanji and Zoro had their hands over their heads. The dancer had her back towards Doflamingo while Rebecca was moving towards her like she was going to kill the older woman. Both of the women were now Doflamingo's puppets.
"What is it?" Law asked.
"Doflamingo is controlling Rebecca and another woman!" Neo said. "Rebecca's holding a sword! I think he's going to force her to kill that other woman!" She summoned her wind crystals and lifted herself off the ground.
"Neo, I order you to stay put!" Law said before Neo could take off.
Neo's body flinched. She dropped back down to her knees. "But, Law..."
"I know you want to help your friend, but you can't," Law said. "You're still not back to a hundred percent. And I don't want you fighting while you're preg-"
Neo looked over at him when he didn't continue. She noticed he had quickly dropped his eyes to his lap and blocked part of his thoughts from her. "Law? Why did you just block your thoughts from me?"
"Sorry. I'm just tired," Law said. He rubbed his hand over his face to emphasize his point.
"All right," Neo said. "Well, what were you about to say?"
"It's nothing," Law said.
"Law," Neo said flatly with a frown. "You know you can't lie to me. You were going to say something. What was it?"
Law gritted his teeth. He wanted to tell her, but Doflamingo was still a threat. Still, he couldn't just brush this off completely. So he brought his eyes up to hers. He said, "Neo, there is something very important that we need to talk about."
"Okay. What is it?" Neo asked, turning her body more towards him.
"I can't talk to you about it right now," Law said.
"Law," Neo said. Her voice turned into worry when it was extremely clear that he really was hiding something from her. "What's going on? You've never hid anything from me before. At least, not for very long. I can tell there's something on your mind. Just tell me what it is."
"Neo," Law said, forcing himself to look at her. "It's about what Doflamingo said before... about you being pregnant."
"Oh, that? It's fine, Law," Neo said with a smile. "I know he was just saying that to throw us off. It's okay. I didn't believe him at all. I know you're doing everything to prevent me from getting pregnant."
"I know I have been. But you know I've also told you that it can still happen," Law said carefully.
"Yeah, I know," Neo said. Her smiled faded and her eyebrows kneaded together in confusion at why he was bring this up now. "But it's not. We're not having a kid. So why are you bring this up? You know Doflamingo was lying."
Law forced his body not to react to her words. He felt extremely stupid in the way he has handled this entire thing that he could barely look her in the eyes. He let his grey orbs drop to the ground. His mind went over the type of reaction she was going to have to this revelation. He knew she was going to be scared, but what was she going to do? Would she pass out on him? Would she be coherent enough to escape this country and the navy when the time came if he told her now? He knew her reaction to this was going to be fairly bad. This new thing wasn't something that was going to happen around her, it was going to happen to her. He wasn't going to be able to remove her from it like he has in the past. "We'll talk about it later."
"Why talk about a lie?" Neo asked.
"It's hard to explain. Just trust me. Okay?" Law said. "We'll talk later."
"All right. We'll talk about this later if that's what you really want. You know I trust you," Neo said. Her eyes still revealing to him that she was confused about why he brought this lie up.
Law could feel her confusion. But he could also feel something else from her. He could feel in the back of her mind that she was denying the fact she was pregnant. Her conscious mind was trying to over take her subconscious and bring the truth into reality. And she was fighting against the truth.
"All right, everyone!" a voice then said over a transponder snail system.
Neo and Law broke eye contact for a moment. She recognized the voice belonged to the announcer from the coliseum. She looked around for the man and eventually found him and two others on a ledge sticking out from the plateau wall. While they listened to the man speak, Neo's eyes wandered back down to the battle on the ground.
"It won't be much longer! Our star will return! Everyone, do you remember?! Yes, I know you remember! About that funny and bold star who burst onto the scene in the tournament at the Corrida Coliseum today! I remember! He tamed the killer bull that everybody feared and mowed down the towering giant! He even knocked down the living legend, Don Chin Jao! He's the little gladiator who made the Coliseum… I mean, the entire country of Dressrosa bubble over with excitement! I've never before seen anyone fight so freely and make a competition as thrilling as he did! And that gladiator's name is Lucy! Yes, Lucy! But that was just his temporary alias! His real name is… the pirate, Straw Hat Luffy!"
Neo felt some relief when Doflamingo stopped manipulating the two women and looked up at the announcer.
"Since we've been fooled by and been under the control of a pirate, maybe it's hard for us to trust another pirate! But he's different from the Don Quixote family who appeared in disguise as heroes on that night a decade ago! Straw Hat Luffy is someone that the real king, King Riku, called our hope! He fought Doflamingo earlier to within an inch of defeat! Lucy will save our country! He's now knocked out after getting hurt in the battle but it's not over yet! Dance with joy, Dressrosa! Lucy promised me! He promised that he'll knock out Doflamingo with a single blow! Are you listening, Doflamingo?! You puppeteered our king, deceived the world, and stayed here in Dressrosa as a false king! This is the place where you'll receive your punishment! With all your efforts, we successfully delayed the constriction of the Birdcage! It won't be long before Lucy, the star who was born in the Coliseum, comes back! Hold on until that moment! Finally! Lucy will come back in ten seconds! He should be listening somewhere! Call out the name of the star! Three seconds to go! Two!"
"Doflamingo! You stupid jerk! They're no threat to you!" Neo gasped when Doflamingo shot his strings towards the coliseum announcer, silencing his voice, then went back to manipulating Rebecca and the dancer woman. She whipped her eyes back to Luffy when she felt her friend moving again. Getting up from her spot on the roof, she ran over to him.
"Don't stop! Keep calling out!" Gyats said, his voice strained from being stabbed with Doflamingo's strings.
"Luffy!" Neo said, helping him get to his feet.
"I'm... I'm all right," Luffy said. He leaned tiredly against Neo.
"Luffy, you have to hurry! Doflamingo is manipulating Rebecca! She's holding a sword and is about to attack another woman he's controlling too!" Neo said. "Please! Help them!"
"Right! Tra!" Luffy said. He finally stood up on his own. He looked over at Law while summoning his armament haki to his forehead. "Warp me down there and bring the other two up here!"
"Right!" Law held out his hand. "Room! Shambles!"
Luffy's body quickly disappeared and was replaced by the dark haired dancer that was being held by Doflamingo's strings.
"Go!" Law said.
"It's you," the dancer woman said when she pushed up on her hands and looked at Neo.
Neo swallowed and moved closer to Law. She knelt back down and carefully inspected the new person with them.
"There he is!" Gyats said. "Lucy's appeared!"
"It's all right, Neo," the woman said. "I won't hurt you. I never was really part of Doflamingo's forces."
"She's right," Law said. "She helped free me from the sea prism stones earlier."
"She did?" Neo asked. She pulled her eyes off the woman and looked at Law. After he nodded, she turned her eyes back to the woman. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," she said. "And my name is Viola. I'm Rebecca's aunt."
"You're Rebecca's aunt?" Neo asked.
"That's right." Viola nodded. "I know you two have become friends. And I know this because of my devil fruit powers. I can see everything that happens in this country. I saw you two together in the coliseum."
"I see," Neo said.
"So how is Straw Hat?" Viola said. "I assume he finally regained his haki."
"He did," Law said.
"Finally! Finally! Lucy has come back! Now, please, Lucy! Knock him out with a single blow!" Gyats said.
"Wait! Rebecca is still down there!" Neo said with panic in her voice. "She can still be used by Doflamingo! If that happens, Luffy won't fight her! It'll be like it was with me!"
"Right! Shambles!" Law said before warping the other young woman up to the roof with them.
"Rebecca!" Viola said when her niece landed on the ground.
"What happened?" Rebecca asked. She looked around until her eyes landed on Neo. "Neo?"
"I'm glad you're all right," Neo said. "I was worried about you. What were you thinking going up against Doflamingo like that? You could have gotten hurt."
Law couldn't help but notice the mother like tone Neo was taking with her friend. He wasn't surprised. She often spoke like that with the crew. She was just a natural mother. He hoped that would help her over come her fears of actually becoming a mother.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you," Rebecca said. She stood up and walked over to the edge of the roof so she could watch Luffy fighting with Doflamingo. She gasped and shouted out when the warlord's strings slammed Luffy into the plateau wall and then pushed him farther into it. "Lucy!"
Neo jumped to her feet. Inching closer to the edge until she could see below to the ground. She gritted her teeth when Luffy crawled out of the hole his body made and was manipulated by Doflamingo's strings. "Come on, Luffy. Don't let him control you. You can win this."
The two young women watched tensely as Doflamingo inched Luffy closer to him. With each step their rubber friend took, it seemed like their hopes for him winning this battle was walking away from them. Then, after exchanging some words with Doflamingo, Luffy activated his Fourth Gear. The power up let him escape. He then launched himself into the sky. Everyone's eyes followed his movements. The battle was coming to an end. Luffy expanded his fist extremely huge just before Doflamingo spread out his string web again.
Law stood up. With his eyes locked onto Luffy and Doflamingo, he walked over to Neo. Standing beside her, he slipped his right hand into hers. Their fingers closed around each other. They watched as the two airborne pirates' final attacks collided, creating a rush of wind. Neo stepped closer to Law. Summoning her wind crystals, she redirected the wind away from them.
"Straw Hat!" Viola said.
"Lucy!" Rebecca said.
"Come on, Luffy," Neo said.
And then it happened. Luffy's punch broke through Doflamingo's strings and slammed into the warlord's body.
Law flipped his sword up and placed it on his left shoulder. Past words from Corazon filled his head and passed to Neo's. "There are some places in the world that call the Family of D the sworn enemy of the gods."
Law breaths became pants again. He couldn't believe it was really over. Doflamingo had finally been defeated. His revenge had been completed. The strings of the Birdcage were finally disappearing. They were once again free.
"It's over. It's really over. Law, we can finally go home," Neo said, tears flowing down her cheeks. She then gasped when Luffy's body deflated back to its original state and he started to fall. "Law!"
"Room! Shambles!" Law pulled his hand out of Neo's. Holding it up, he warped the rubber man to the rooftop.
"Lucy!" Rebecca said as she ran over to Luffy. She lifted his head up and placed him on her lap.
Neo scanned her eyes over him. She didn't see any wounds that were life threatening.
"Is he okay?" Viola asked.
"Uh huh, uh huh." Rebecca nodded. Her own eyes were overflowing with tears as she watched Luffy sleep.
Law sighed upon hearing the news from the pink haired girl. His knees then gave out on him. He sunk back to the ground with Neo following his movements. He put his arm around her when she leaned into him. They all then just sat there, letting it all sink in while the announcer from the coliseum made the finally announcement that revealed the winner to the entire country.
"Look at the sky of Dressrosa! What's fading?! The Birdcage or Doflamingo's domination?! I-is the scenery that was outside of the cage a town that's been slices up?! Or a free land where no one will manipulate us anymore?! The Dressrosa Defensive War! Two thousand members of the Don Quixote family, the pirate group versus the fateful warriors of happened to arrive! The duel between there leaders, The warlord Don Quixote Doflamingo versus the gladiator, Lucy! Dah vinner… dah vinner… da vinner… dah vinner is… dah vinner… dah vinner is… dah...dah…dah… the winner is… the winner is… Lucy!"
...
Author's Notes: Next chapter will be delayed for at least a week. I had to take my computer in to get somethings fixed and won't get it back for 4-5 days, probably sometime next week. I'm typing on my IPad right now, but I'm slower on it than my computer. Plus, I'm going out of town this weekend. I'll see if I can get one of my other stories updated in the gap. And sorry if I miss a lot of mistakes. I'm trying to get this posted before the storm breaks my internet connection.
sarge1130: Yeah, Neo's very loyal to her love ones, especially Law.
Silver Pride: It has drug on a lot hasn't it? I'm ready to move on and we finally are. I need a break from writing battle scenes. It's still going to be a few chapter before Law finally tells her, but we are close. As for the Rev. Army, I'm not sure if there's more than that one Elemental there. Since we don't get much on them, I haven't put much thought into it either. We'll just have to wait and see what happens with the manga.
Apple Bloom: Love their loyalty and devotion. Another tear scene might find its way in.
