Evil Files & Baby Talks

Chopper wiped the back of his arm over his forehead then looked around at the minks. A huge wave of relief passed through him upon seeing their recovery was coming along nicely. Caesar's antidote for the gas that had poison the minks was working just fine. Sure it took several threats to get the mad scientist to do the job, but it all worked out in the end. Now everyone was relaxing comfortably as the smell of blood and lingering gas particles faded away on the wind while Brook played them all a relaxing song and Sanji worked on a hot meal for them all.

The little reindeer looked around the group surrounding them once more. That's when his eyes landed on the mink polar bear and his two companions that belonged to the Heart Pirates, Neo's family. He then remembered the conversation he had with Law about telling Penguin how Neo was fine. His eyes flittered to one of the man's hat that held the word Penguin on it. Surely he was the one that Law was talking about before. So he walked over to the small group of three. He said to Bepo," How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine now. Thanks to you and your crew," Bepo said, pushing himself up off the ground and into a sitting position.

"How are your other wounds?" Chopper asked examine the bandages around their heads and taped to the exposed skin of their arms and faces. "Are there any infections?"

"We're fine," the one with sunglasses said. "The fight was hard, but no one got any life threatening injuries. I'm Shachi by the way. That's Bepo and Penguin." He pointed to his two friends as he named them off.

"I'm Chopper," Chopper said, his eyes going right to Penguin. "Penguin?"

"Yes?" Penguin asked, looking down at the Straw Hat. "What is it?"

"Law asked me to talk to your entire crew, but mostly you," Chopper said.

"What?!" the three Heart Pirates shrieked. "He asked you to talk to us?!"

"About what?! Neo?! Is she all right?! Is she hurt?!" Penguin asked in a panic. He dropped to his knees in front of the reindeer. With his hands on the ground, he pleaded for the information the Straw Hat pirate had for them. "Please, tell me! Is Neo all right?!"

"What about Neo?!" Topaz asked as she and several others of the Heart Pirates came running over to them.

"The Straw Hats have a message from the captain and Neo!" Shachi said.

"What?!" the Heart Pirates started talking all at once.

"Are they all right?!"

"Did something happen to them?!"

"Is she hurt?!"

"How were they when you left there?!"

"Wait! Wait!" Chopper said, waving his hooves. "Slow down! I'll tell you!"

"Hey! Guys, hurry up! We got word from the captain and Neo!" a Heart Pirate called out to the rest of their crew.

Chopper exhaled as he waited for the rest of the Heart Pirates to gather around. It was best to have them all here and say this only once. Once they were all gathered around, waiting anxiously for the report, Chopper said, "She's fine. When we left Dressrosa Neo was with Luffy."

"Neo wasn't with the captain?" Bepo asked. "That's not like her at all."

"Yeah, well things didn't go exactly as plan and we all got split up at certain points," Chopper said. "But you don't have to worry. We all made sure that Neo was always with one of our top fighters when she wasn't with Law." He paused when everyone started mumbling their relief that their favorite girl was never alone. He then looked at Penguin who still held a worried expression on his face. "He wanted me to tell you directly that Neo was fine. You don't have to worry about her or go to them."

"I'm glad," Penguin said. "I've been really worried about her."

"I know," Chopper said with a nod. "Law told me that you have a special relationship with her. You two are like really close brother and sister."

"They sure are," Shachi said. He planted his hand on Penguin's hat and ruffled it up. "He and Topaz have been the most worried of all of us. At one point Penguin even tried to go to Neo and the captain."

"I can understand your concern about her," Chopper said with a smile. "She's a very charming girl. We all come to care about her a lot in such a short amount of time."

"I take it that means you know everything about her?" Tero asked.

"We do," Chopper replied. "We had an unexpected fight along the way with a guy named Breed. Through his devil fruit he was able to control a couple of us. Luckily Law figured out how it worked and was able to free us. Neo was worried about being taken control of by Doflamingo's strings when we arrived in Dressrosa. So she told us everything. Some of my crew was able to, more or less, figure it out ahead of time, but we weren't sure of anything until she told us. But Robin did meet one of Neo's people before."

"She did?" Shachi asked. "How is that possible?"

"Apparently an elemental works for the Revolutionary Army," Chopper said.

"Wow," Shachi gasped. "That's a shock. But I guess it shouldn't be since there's one in the navy. I wonder how he's doing."

"I wonder how they are now," Jean Bart said. "So much could have happened since you all left Dressrosa."

"The only way that could be answered is with a newspaper," Sanji said walking over to them. He wore a secretive smile on his lips and a newspaper tucked under his arm.

"What's up, Sanji?" Chopper asked.

"I thought you all wouldn't have seen today's paper with everything that's happened here," Sanji said. He pulled the paper out and tossed it right at Penguin. "There's an article in there I think you all will like to see."

"An article?" Penguin asked as he quickly unfolded the newspaper. Everyone gathered around him and glanced at the article that Sanji was talking about. "Doflamingo has been defeated?!"

"That's right," Sanji said with a bright smile.

"That means Neo and the captain will be arriving here soon!" Shachi said.

"Yeah!" Topaz nodded.

"I can't believe it," Penguin said. He clenched the newspaper in his hands. Tears leaked over his eyelids as his hands shook. His body slumped forward again, causing his tears to drip onto the newspaper. "I can't believe it. After all this time... they're coming home... Neo and the captain are coming home."

"It'll probably still be a few days before they get here," Sanji said. He took his cigarette out of his mouth and looked up at the sky. "If I know Luffy, he really went all out on Doflamingo and will sleep for several hours to several days."

"Plus they'll need to find a ship," Nami said as she walked over to the group. "I'm sure they can easily steal one, but it might be a bit difficult with the navy admiral there. And I'm sure that more navy officers and ships are on their way to Dressrosa, especially after the announcement of Doflamingo's defeat. He is a warlord after all."

"They'll escape just fine," Penguin said. He brushed his tears away and forced himself back to his feet with a smile. "Neo will easily be able to get them out of there. All they have to do is steal a ship and she can use her wind and water crystals to push them along at a faster speed than the navy ships or even maroon the ships so the navy can't follow them."

"That's the spirit!" Sanji cheered.

"Was there any other news you wanted to give us from the captain and Neo?" Shachi then asked.

"Uh." Chopper flinched. He still wanted to tell them about the baby, but he said he wouldn't. So he didn't. "Not really. That was the most important thing that Law wanted you all to know."

"Of course it was," Shachi said putting his arm around Penguin's shoulders. "We wouldn't want our lovable moron here to go rogue."

"Hey!" Penguin protested. "I haven't been that bad!"

"Yes! You! Have!" the entire Heart Pirate crew shouted then shared a long over due laugh and cheers on how their sister and captain were finally coming home.

"They really do love her and their captain," Sanji said as he and his own two crewmembers walked away from the celebrating pirates.

"They do," Chopper said with a nod but wore a frown on his lips.

"What's wrong, Chopper?" Nami asked. "You don't look very happy that the fight is over."

"I am glad that it's over. And since there was no mention of any deaths, that means all of our friends are all right," Chopper said.

"Then what's the problem?" Sanji asked.

"I'm still worried about Neo," Chopper said. "Law still has to tell her that she's pregnant. I'm worried that it's going to shock her too much."

"I can understand that," Nami said. "But she'll be fine. Tra clearly knows how to handle her. He's been doing it for over two years now."

"Yeah, I know," Chopper said as he lifted his eyes to the sky.

"Let's get something to eat," Sanji said. "It's been a long day for all of us. Neo and the others will be here before you know it."

"Yeah." Chopper nodded. A small smile returned to his face at the thought of reuniting with her and the rest of their friends.

...

The next day in Dressrosa brought more rest for the pirates. They stayed inside of Kyros' little house while only he, the two samurai, and the Tontattas came and went. Mostly, of the Tontattas, it was Wicka that came to the house. And she came to spend more time with Neo while they had the chance. She also brought news of what the navy was doing since she was on the recon team. Today she brought them the same news she did yesterday, the navy was still anchored off the shores of Dressrosa with no intention of moving in on the pirates.

At the moment she was sitting on Neo's knee while Neo cuddled up against Law's left side with his arm protectively around her waist and his right hand rubbed soothingly over her legs and feet despite her protests for him to rest his recovering arm. He was going to make good on his word of pampering her for putting up with all of this. He still couldn't do much for her until his body was completely healed, but thanks to Neo's solar crystal they all were on the fast road to recovery. The smell of lunch was fading from the room as Luffy continued to finish up what was left of their meal while he still slept. They all were currently listening to Neo while she told them what happened to her after Fujitora took her away from the coliseum. She just continued to smile as they stared at her in disbelief.

"You can't be serious," Zoro said.

"That's just stupid," Luffy said through a mouthful of food and his snoring. He reached out and grabbed another piece of meat off the table, taking another bite of it despite still having food in his mouth. "There's no way Neo would leave her crew."

"Did he really ask that?" Franky asked.

"He did." Neo nodded. "I couldn't believe it either. But he really did want me to join the navy. He apparently thought that my skills and personality would have been better suited for the navy than for pirates."

"Well, if you don't mind me saying, I do have to agree with him a little bit," Usopp said.

"What do you mean?" Neo asked, turning her eyes to the Straw Hat sniper.

"I'm just speaking honestly," Usopp said, carefully taking a glance at Law and shifting uncomfortably on the bed in fear he might say something wrong and get sliced up like Bartolomeo did yesterday.

Law gave Usopp a light frown but was still curious as to what the sniper was going to say. So he waited patiently for the man to continue as he tightened his arm around Neo's waist, pulling her even closer to him than she already was. The two Heart Pirates were cuddled up near the wall they had moved their makeshift bed to yesterday. The rest of the group was scattered around the house. Luffy, Robin, and Zoro were sitting in the chairs at the table while the rest were occupying random spots on the floor.

"I just mean that Neo is a very gentle soul. She never wants to hurt anyone unless that person hurts someone she cares about first," Usopp said. "I think just about everyone has that impression of her from how she acts. And you have to admit that there aren't a lot of soft spoken, don't want to fight unless I have to, pirates in this world. She's a rare breed that's for sure."

"She sure is," Robin said with a smile at the blue haired pirate.

Neo smiled. Her cheeks flushed as she snuggled closer into Law's side. "But I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying with Law. Forever."

"Yes, you are," Law mumbled to her so only she could hear him.

"So what are your plans now?" Wicka then asked. "Are you leaving yet?"

"Not just yet," Zoro said. He leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. "We don't have a ship. We need to find one before we can even think about leaving."

"I'm sure you can find one easily," Wicka said. "There are still a lot of pirates remaining in Dressrosa. Perhaps they could give you a right to your next destination?"

"That's a possibility," Franky said.

"We're going to have to go get more food," Kanjuro said. He stood up from his spot on the floor and walked closer to the table. He eyed the food that was quickly disappearing down Luffy's throat. "Amazing that he's eating so much while still being asleep."

"We might as well go get some more," Kin'emon said as he stood up. "We can take another look around the town and also look for possible ships to use for our journey."

"That's a good idea," Robin said.

"And we should head on over to the palace," Law said.

"The palace?" Neo asked, tightening her hold on his knee.

"We need to go through Cethin's lab and see if there's any research notes that will be useful to us," Law said, giving Neo's thigh a gentle squeeze. "I had Kyros call over to the palace this morning when you were still asleep and informed the king that we would be dropping by later this afternoon sometime after lunch. Besides, I know you still want to see your friend before we leave."

"Rebecca?" Neo asked.

Law nodded. "This might be the only chance you have to see her again."

"Oh," Neo said. "Okay. I still do want to see her. I still owe her for paying for Luffy's lunches at the coliseum."

"Would it be all right if I joined you?" Robin asked. "If there is a lot of papers to go through you could use the extra help to get it all done."

"That would be fine," Law said.

"I'd like to come as well," Wicka said, looking up at Neo and Law.

"Sure," Neo said with a smile. She waited until Wicka moved from her knee to her shoulder before she stood up with Law. Keeping her hand in Law's, the small group headed for the door.

"Have fun!" Luffy said before his words were replaced with heavy snoring.

"He really needs to make up his mind if he wants to eat or sleep," Usopp said with an annoyed huff.

"I want more meat!" Luffy mumbled.

"We should be off as well," Kin'emon said. Kanjuro nodded and the two samurai followed after the pirates and Tontatta that was leaving their current dwellings.

"Would you like me to fly you down to the town?" Neo asked once they all were outside.

"No, thank you, Lady Neo," Kin'emon said with a wave of his hand. "We'll just use my Springing Sparrow."

"All right then," Neo said. "Be careful. While you two didn't do much in taking down Doflamingo, you are still considered allied to us because of your own role in all of this."

"Yes, Lady Neo," Kin'emon said with a smile. "We will be careful. See you later tonight."

"Bye." Neo waved to the two before summoning her wind crystals. Wrapping the wind around her own group, she lifted them up into the air and flew them towards the palace. Happiness and a sweet rush of freedom washed over her, mostly her feet. She loved that she had been shoe free since coming to Kyros' house yesterday. And since they had no serious possibilities of a new fight approaching, she happily left her shoes behind. But while they flew, she couldn't help but look down over the damage that the fights and Birdcage had done to the country. Tears gathered in her eyes upon seeing all the destruction and how so many people were now homeless. "So many lived were destroyed from his selfishness."

"Don't cry, Lady Neo," Wicka said. She placed her small hand on Neo's cheek. "This country is strong. The people here will be able to easily rebuild. King Riku has plenty of allies in other countries that have already offered to help rebuild the country. And we Tontattas are going to help as well. We'll get Dressrosa back on her feet in no time at all. See? People are already fixing up the buildings."

"Yeah." Neo nodded as she glanced over all the people hammering, painting, and moving damaged pieces of buildings around. She tightened her hold on Law's hand and looked at him. "I just wish we could help. I could easily help rebuild with my crystals."

"But you know you can't," Law said, brushing his thumb over her skin. "We're still pirates and wanted. We're already taking a big chance by going to palace like this. I know you feel a bit responsible for the damage done here, but it was all Doflamingo's doing. You weren't in control. You do understand that, right?"

"I do," Neo said, her emotions turning on a dime. "And, unfortunately, speaking of that demon spawn..."

Law cocked a smile at her for her words but also because it was a pregnancy mood swing.

She cleared her throat and continued. "The navy does have him properly secured, don't they?"

"They do," Wicka said. "They have multiple sea prism stone chains on him and have multiple soldiers guarding him. There's no way he can escape. Plus, there are more navy soldiers on their way here that are going to escort him and his crew to Impel Down."

"That's good to hear," Neo said, her hand tightening even more in Law's. "But I'm still nervous about him still being around."

"It won't be long before we're far away from him," Law said despite thinking how it wasn't going to be soon enough. From the corner of his eye, he looked down at Neo's stomach. He still didn't want her or their child anywhere near Doflamingo despite the man being locked up. He didn't even want them living on the same planet. But getting them miles to days away from each other would settle his nerves. Luckily, he's been able to keep them in check with Neo so close.

"Neo!" Rebecca's voice then drifted up to them all.

They all looked down to see her and Viola standing out near the pool. Rebecca was waving up to them with a big grin on her face. Neo returned the smile and waved back. "Rebecca!"

"It's good to see you all doing so well," Viola said when they landed.

"It's good to see you too," Robin said.

"Neo!" Rebecca's said again as she rushed up to the blue haired pirate. Without thinking, she threw her arms around Neo's shoulders. "I've been thinking about you a lot! I was so worried I wouldn't get to see you before you left!"

Neo tensed up at the young woman's arms around her. But having met her before she knew Rebecca wasn't a threat. Plus, it helped having Law right beside her and still holding her hand. So she put her free hand on Rebecca's back, returning the hug. "It's good to see you, too. I'm glad you didn't get injured during the fight."

"Thanks to you and Lucy," Rebecca said finally pulling away from her. "Grandfather told me that you were going to come to the palace today."

"Have you been waiting for us all day long?" Neo asked, tilting her head.

"Pretty much," Viola answered. "Rebecca even insisted on eating lunch out here so she wouldn't miss your arrival."

"I haven't been waiting that long," Rebecca protested, crossing her arms over the chest of her light orange colored dress. "I'm just excited I get to see Neo."

Neo giggled, releasing her bells for everyone to hear.

"Oh, my! So beautiful!" Rebecca exclaimed.

Neo felt her cheeks flush. She tapped her shoeless toes on the ground, still not use to getting praise from people.

"She's correct," Viola said with a smile. "Your laughter is very beautiful. I never would have guessed someone literally had bells in their laugh."

"Yeah, well," Neo said. "It's just part of my royal heritage."

"Royal? You're a princess?" Rebecca asked with wide eyes.

"Really?" Wicka asked.

"Yeah." Neo nodded shyly.

"You're so shy," Rebecca noted. "I guess that's why you didn't tell me about this earlier?"

"It was partly because of that, but also because it takes me a while to get use to new people," Neo said as she started to relax a bit around the two Dressrosa princesses. "But with everything that's happened here we're fairly sure that the navy is going to release the information they have about me for the public. So you'll know either way."

"You two can talk about it while we go through Cethin's files. We need to proceed with that as soon as we can," Law then said, earning a nod from the two girls.

"Do you know where in the palace he was staying?" Robin asked.

"I do," Viola said. She waved her hand towards the palace. "Come. There are still some of the other pirates and coliseum fighters here, but I can guide you around them so you aren't bombarded with questions."

"Thank you," Neo said. The small group then followed the older woman up the few stairs of the porch and into the palace. Neo carefully observed her surroundings while Rebecca and Wicka talked to each other on how they both met her. She found, despite the harsh nature of Doflamingo, that the palace has a very nice setting. Golden trimmed rectangular shaped tables with colorful vases decorated the halls along with varieties of paintings along the walls. All in all, she never would have guessed such harsh pirates lived here. She wondered if these were decorations when the Riku family lived here or if Doflamingo in fact placed them here, but she didn't ask since it didn't really matter. She was brought out of her thoughts when they started to descend down stone stairs. She started to look around again but all the walls were bare except for small lights hanging on the walls to light their path. An uncomfortable thickness had settled into the air the farther they descended down the stairs. It made her tremble and tighten her hold on Law. Her eyes locked down the semi dark hallway and right onto the door where she somehow knew Cethin had occupied.

They all had sensed her discomfort and stopped walking to give her a moment to calm down.

Law turned his eyes to her, carefully examining her. He wondered if this was a good idea after all. He knew they needed to check this place out, but perhaps he should have came here while she was sleeping, if he could have managed to pry her hold off of him. He was positive that Cethin did experiments on elementals here. And he knew that Neo could always sense when an elemental was around. Despite the elementals being long dead and removed from this place, he figured she still would have been able to sense that they were here through their elemental connection. "Neo, you know you don't have to do this."

"I'm not leaving you," she said, her voice low and raspy.

Law nodded. He knew she would say that. She had been clinging to him since the fight ended after all. "All right. But if you really get uncomfortable from doing this I'm ordering you out of the room. You've been under far too much stress as it is."

"I'm not leaving without you," Neo said stubbornly.

Law chuckled. He knew that was true, but he would still order her out of the room whether he went with her or not.

"Are you ready then?" Viola asked carefully. "We're almost there."

"Neo?" Law asked, making circles over her hand with his thumb.

Robin reached over and placed her fingers on Neo's back, giving her friend more comfort.

"You don't have to be scared," Rebecca said. "We're right here with you."

"That's right," Wicka said.

"I'm fine," Neo said. She then nodded at Viola. "Please, continue."

Viola nodded slowly. She took a few more seconds to examine Neo's face before turning and continuing on down the hall. Then they were standing right in front of the door that separated them from their destination. She turned and gave the pirates one last look before pushing the door open. The air was even thicker inside of this room than out in the hall. All of them could feel the damage that had been done here. It was especially easy for Law to sense all the deaths that had taken place in this room. Robin and Viola also sensed it but not to the degree that Law did.

Neo balked at the entrance as the other women stepped inside. She could feel the presence of at least twenty elementals that had been brought into this place. It made her sick and her body went cold. She felt like they were crying out to her. It also brought back the painful memories of her past and how people hated her because she was different. Her knees buckled.

"Neo," Law said. He released her hand and wrapped his arms around her waist, easing her down to her floor.

"Lady Neo?" Wicka asked when Neo started wheezing.

"Neo!" Rebecca ran back to her friend. She knelt down and inspected Neo's pale face.

"Okay, just relax," Law said. He cupped her cheek and brought her eyes to him. "Look at me. He's not here. He's dead. All the things you're feeling here is just an illusion. It's not real. It's just in your head. He can't hurt anyone anymore."

"Not real. Not real," Neo repeated. She drew in a breath and slowly released it. "I'm okay. It just... brought back a lot of memories."

Law nodded.

"Memories?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah," Neo said. "It's part of what we're going to talk about."

"Are you well enough to continue?" Viola asked.

"Yes." Neo nodded before standing up. Feeling Law's concerned eyes on her, she turned to him and smile. "Really, Law. I'm fine. It was just a bit of a shock, that's all. I'm feeling better now. My memories are under control and so am I. Let's just start looking."

"All right," Law said reluctantly. He gave her one more concerned look before stepping into the room with her.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Viola asked. She walked over to a filing cabinet and opened it.

"Basically, just notes on his experiments," Law said. "Things like how elementals reacted to the pollution stone, the types of experiments he did, things he had the elementals do, stuff like that. If you think it's important then toss it into a pile. I'll go through it later and decide what all I want to take with me and what can be left behind."

Everyone nodded at that point then fanned out to start going through the mess that was inside of this room. Neo remained holding onto Law's arm for a few minutes longer before deciding she was comfortable enough to wander around the room on her own. As she walked over to a filing cabinet, Wicka jumped off her shoulder and started rummaging through some papers that were piled on Cethin's desk. She then reached out and pulled open a drawer. Instantly her body weakened from the murky green glow that appeared as soon as she opened the drawer. Her knees buckled under her, causing her to crash to the floor.

Everyone looked at then hurried over to her when they heard her crashing to the floor. "Neo!"

Law's own body weakened at the same time Neo's did. But his fear of her being harmed pushed him passed the weakness and over to her. His eyes caught a glimpse of the glowing rock inside of a jar in the draw she had opened. Slamming it shut, he knelt down and pulled her into his arms. His heart slammed against his chest. "Neo, I'm so sorry. I should have know he would have had some more of those abominations in here. I should have looked for them before allowing you to look through things."

"I'm... I'm fine, Law," Neo panted. "It just... drained my energy."

"Geez, those things can be a real pain," Wicka said from the floor beside Neo.

"Yeah." Neo nodded with a light smile.

"We should move Neo out of the room while we look for more and get rid of all they have here," Robin suggested. "Tra, would you take Neo out into the hall?"

Law nodded. Without allowing her the chance to stand up, he laid his sword down on the floor and picked her up. He carried her out into the hall while the women looked through the room for any more unwanted surprises.

Neo frowned, which Law ignored. Once out in the hall, she said, "Law... your arm is still healing. You shouldn't be carrying me."

"My arm is just fine," Law said. "Besides you're more important than my arm."

"Your arm is my arm," Neo countered. "Your body is my body. Get it? I am you and you are me."

"Okay, okay," Law said while he placed her feet back down on the floor. "There. Happy?"

"No," Neo said. "You shouldn't have picked me up in the first place."

"I know," Law said. He took her cheeks in his hands then planted kisses over her face as he worked his way down to the soft skin of her neck. His breath tickling her skin as he spoke, he caused her to release a soft moan and arch into him. "Forgive me."

"No," she said playfully.

Law growled against her skin before sucking hard on her soft spot. "I said, forgive me."

"Fine. You're forgiven," Neo said, running her hands over his toned, yet bandaged, chest and abs. She tilted her head back as he kissed over her throat to the other side. "We really need to find a private place some time soon. I really, really want you right now."

"I know," Law mumbled against her skin. "I want you right now too."

"Then let's go," Neo said, running her hands lower down his body until she brushed against him, causing his breath to hitch in his lungs. She bit her bottom lip when his hands went under her shirt and started kneading her soft mounds. "Let's go. We can surely find a condom in all this mess."

Both were on the verge of running off to find a place where they could be alone, but before that could happen, Robin's voice said, "Oops. I think we're interrupting a tender moment."

Rebecca and Viola giggled beside the Straw Hat archaeologist.

Neo's face flushed at their unexpected arrival. She hid herself in Law's chest, while Law easily kept his cool like he always did. Stroking her hair tenderly, he said, "Well?"

"We only found that one jar of pollution stones," Viola said. "Wicka has already taken them away from here. She's going to move them to a particular hiding room at the back of the chapel. Not many people know about that room. So they'll be safe there. Perhaps there's a way to destroy them."

"If there is, maybe Cethin wrote it down in his research notes," Law said. Feeling Neo coming down from her embarrassment, he stopped stroking her hair then took her hand and led her back into the room. He grabbed a box of files off a shelf and sat them down on the floor beside his sword. "I want you to sit down here and go through these files."

"Uh, okay," Neo said, slightly confused at the order. But she obeyed nonetheless and sat down. It wasn't long after that when Wicka returned. The little Tontatta and Rebecca joined Neo on the floor while the older trio wandered about the room going through file after file.

"I can't believe what all he has done to the elementals," Viola said a few minutes later. Her eyes were widened with terror at the file she was looking at. "Even with kids. He pushed them far passed what they should have done. This file is just filled with experiments on making kids run around obstacle courses with countless amounts of drugs in their systems."

"It is highly disturbing," Robin said flipping to the next page of her own files. "This section is all about getting female elementals pregnant. Mostly it's about his wife, but there are a few others that he tried to impregnate himself as well as other men he asked to… well, I suppose I don't need to finish that."

"So what were you going to talk to me about?" Rebecca asked about ten minutes later.

"Oh, that," Neo said laying another useless file aside. "It's about my past. I know it's going to come out in the newspapers sooner or later, but I'd like for you all to hear it from me." She then told them everything about her past.

"Oh my gosh!" Rebecca gasped. She covered her mouth with her hand, tears dripping down her cheeks. "That's so terrible."

"It's so sad!" Wicka cried. Her own tears were flowing down her cheeks like little rivers. "Why would someone do that to you?! You're so sweet!"

"I can't believe you were treated like that!" Rebecca said. "You're just so nice!"

"Thank you," Neo said.

"I knew you were different when I first saw, you but I never would have guess that you..." Rebecca's voice trailed off. She glanced down at the floor before looking back up at Neo. "That reminds me. I had a question about your spirit."

"My spirit?" Neo asked.

"Yes." Rebecca nodded then pointed at Neo's stomach. "When I look at you with my observation haki, I can see your spirit changing except this one particular spot on your stomach."

Everyone, but Neo, flinched at the young girl's words. Despite most of them knowing about Rebecca's observation haki they weren't really expecting her to ask Neo about the red spirit spot.

"It doesn't change?" Neo asked curiously. "I didn't know there was such a spot. No one has ever mentioned it before."

Law turned toward the girls. Before he could do or say anything, Robin said, "Rebecca, would you come help me with these files? There's a bit more here that I expected."

"Sure thing, Robin," Rebecca said, standing up.

While Rebecca was distracted looking through the files, Robin shot a glance over at Law that said she was going to tell Rebecca about Neo's pregnancy. Once she got the nod from Law, she said, "Rebecca?"

"Yes?" She looked up at Robin.

"There is a reason for that unchanging red spot on Neo's stomach," Robin said, her voice low. "And there's also a reason no one has mentioned it to her yet."

"What is it?" Rebecca asked. "Why haven't they?"

"The spot is actually her and Tra's baby," Robin said. When the younger girl opened her mouth to say something, she grew an arm on her shoulder and clamped her mouth shut. "Don't say anything about it. Neo doesn't know."

"But why?" Rebecca asked after Robin removed her hand. She kept her voice low when she spoke so Neo couldn't hear her. "I don't understand. She should know about this, shouldn't she?"

"She should," Robin said with a nod. "But Tra hasn't told her yet because she neophobic. He's not quite sure how she's going to react when he tells her about it. So he's been waiting to tell her in a more favorable setting."

"Wait... does this mean she was fighting... oh my gosh!" Rebecca covered her mouth with both hands. "She was fighting Doflamingo and Trebol and Diamante while pregnant!"

"You don't have to worry about that. An elemental's crystals form a shield around their baby when they fight," Robin said, calming the girl's nerves. "It's not an all powerful method since damage can still be done if she gets hit hard enough. But their baby was protected by her crystals and by Tra and Luffy."

"That is such a relief," Rebecca said with a sigh. "I was scared there for a moment. But it's also kind of exciting. I think she'll make a wonderful mother." She looked over at Neo with a smile.

"I think so too," Robin said. "But it's going to take her a while to get use to the idea."

"Will she be all right? I noticed the scars on her arms when she mentioned then," Rebecca said bring her worried eyes back to Robin.

"I believe she will be fine in time," Robin said. "And she is long passed hurting herself. You can go back to her now. Just don't mention anything about the baby."

"I'm kind of sad now. I'm just learning all of this about her," Rebecca said. "We're becoming closer friends. And you all are going to be leaving soon."

"I know. But you can keep up with our adventures by keeping an eye on the newspapers," Robin said. "And if we're ever near Dressrosa again, we'll come by and see you."

"That would be great," Rebecca said with a smile. She then waved at Robin and headed back over to Neo. As she sat down, another question popped into her mind. "Oh, yeah, there's something else I've been meaning to ask you about."

"What is it?" Neo asked.

"It's about when we were fighting against Diamante," Rebecca said. "Specifically when you were using your wind crystals to shield me. How exactly where you able to keep me protected and fight at the same time? I could have moved and you wouldn't have known it."

"Actually, I would have known if you moved or not," Neo said. She ran her eyes over the file she had before putting it down to look at her friend. "I am able to feel where you are through the wind I was manipulating and creating. I'm connected to nature. So I can use that and my crystals to search out where people are."

"You can do that?" Rebecca asked. Her eyes wide in amazement at what all Neo could do.

"You are really amazing, Neo!" Wicka cheered, tossing the papers she was holding into the air.

"I'm not that special," Neo said, her cheeks turning pink.

"Yes, you are," Rebecca insisted. "You're a princess with some very powerful crystals, you've endured so much pain and suffering, just to come all this way and fight our battle for us."

"Law's the special one," Neo said. She turned her eyes to him. He was still looking down at the file he was holding but she could tell he was listening to their conversation. "He took me in when no one else would. He saw that I wasn't the monster people made me believe I was. He and the crew helped me. They gave me a life and so much love. I own them everything."

"That's just so sweet," Rebecca said.

"So sweet," Wicka echoed.

"I am so happy that you have been able to find happiness with your crew," Rebecca said. She brushed her tears away with the back of her arm before taking Neo's hands in her. "And I want you to know that you'll always be my friend. If you ever need anything, you can always come here and I will help you. You have a home here if you need it."

"That's very sweet of you, Rebecca," Neo said with a smile. She closed her hands around her friend's. "I know we haven't known each other for very long, and we're leaving soon, but I'm very glad I got to meet you."

"So tell me about your crew," Rebecca said as they released each others hands and dove back into searching the files.

"They're crazy," Neo said with a small laugh. "They're not as bad as Luffy is, but they have their moments. Like this one time Penguin and I was in the galley making some cakes and cookies for the crew. Bepo, who's a polar bear mink, was sleeping out on the deck when he suddenly came into the galley. He was sleepwalking. Well, sleep fighting actually. He was attacking someone in his dream and ended up knocking my flour bowl into the air. It landed on his head, covering his already white fur with the flour. It took hours to get the flour completely brushed out of his fur."

The room filled with laughter at the mental image Neo's story provided. Even Law cracked a grin upon remembering how Bepo looked and how confused he was when he woke up and found himself in the galley covered with flour instead of out on the deck.

"And then this one time when we stopped at a snow island, some of the crew wandered off to find some lady companionship. Well, a little while later while some of us were playing in the snow, one of our crewmates came running through the snow half naked. Apparently the woman he was planning on sleeping with lied to him about being married. And her husband walked in on them," Neo said, proving more stories to pass the time as they searched the files.

"Scandalous!" Rebecca said as her cheeks flushed pink.

"I say it served him right," Wicka said. "He should have been more careful about such adventures."

"He's more careful now about who he sleeps with," Neo said. "I think a shotgun pointed at some very important body parts can cure anyone's recklessness."

"Your crewmembers sound very colorful," Rebecca said.

"They are," Neo said with a fond smile in memory of them. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out Penguin's ribbon.

"That's a pretty ribbon," Wicka said.

"Penguin gave it to me," Neo said, tears swelled in her eyes. She brushed her thumb over the fabric just as a heavy weight of homesickness gathered in her chest. "I miss them so much."

"Please don't cry," Wicka said. She moved closer to Neo and placed her hands on her thigh.

"Yeah." Rebecca nodded, placing her hand on Neo's knee. "You'll see them soon."

"I'm sorry," Neo said. She wiped away her tears and drew in a ragged breath. "I just feel so emotional right now." Just then her stomach released a loud rumble. A chuckled passed over her lips. "And hungry apparently."

"I'm not surprised," Voila said, closing the file she was looking at. "We've been at this for over four hours. It's getting about time for supper."

"That's right. I almost forgot. I wanted to make up for you buying Luffy's lunches at the coliseum," Neo said.

"You don't have to do that," Rebecca said. "I was more than happy to buy them for him."

"I still want to pay you back. I can cook for you," Neo said.

"You cook?" Viola asked.

"Yes. I'm actually the head cook of the Heart Pirates," Neo said.

"Wow. Princess, cook, sniper," Viola said, impressed. "You can do just about everything."

"I wouldn't say that. I just really love to cook," Neo said. "And I haven't done that since we arrived here in Dressrosa. I would really love it if you all would let me cook for you."

"I don't mine if it's want you really want," Viola said.

"It is." Neo nodded.

"Well, all right then," Rebecca said. "You look like you really want to do it."

"I do," Neo said. She then looked at Law.

"Don't worry," Law said. "We've gone through the majority of the files here. We can take the rest up to the kitchen so we won't be separated."

"Good," Neo said feeling relieved they weren't going to have to separate from each other. For the next few minutes, the group gathered up the files they were still going to go through before heading out of the room. Summoning her wind crystals, Neo carried all of the boxes and Law's sword so she could hold onto his hand. They then followed Viola back out into the hall and back up to the main part of the palace.

"Hello, everyone," King Riku said upon greeting them in the hallway. "Are you finished already?"

"No, Father," Viola said. "We still have some files we need to go through, but we all were getting hungry."

"Of course. It is getting late after all," King Riku said. "I'll inform the-"

"There's no need for that, Father. Neo has offered to cook for us," Viola said.

"Oh?" King Riku turned his eyes to the blue hair woman.

"If you don't mind me using your kitchen, that is," Neo said slightly timidly. "This is your home after all."

"Of course you can use it," he said with a smile. "I don't mind at all. You're more than welcome to use whatever you need. The kitchen is full of food. So help yourself."

"Thank you very much." Neo smiled.

"Are you sure you want to cook? There are a lot of people staying here at the moment," King Riku said. "Let the staff help you."

"No," Neo said, with a shake of her head. "I really want to do this myself. And I don't mind cooking for the fighters and others who are still here."

"Really? That's a lot of food we're talking about," King Riku said.

"She's use to cooking for a crew of over twenty people," Law then said. "She uses her crystals to aid her in cooking a lot. So it never takes as long for her to cook something as it would for anyone else."

"I see. Well, if you really want to do it, then I won't stop you," King Riku said before walking off.

"Let's proceed then," Viola said. She then led them into the large dinning hall then into the kitchen at the back of the room.

"Wow!" Neo exclaimed upon seeing the large kitchen. It has several counters lined up against the walls, two stoves, several cabinets and spice drawers, and a very large refrigerator and freezer. She sat the boxes down, putting the sword up against the wall, while clapping her hands together before making herself right at home and filtering through what they had available. "All right, now what sounds good to eat?"

"She seems to have made herself right at home," Viola said as she and everyone else watched Neo moving around the kitchen.

"In new places she's most comfortable in the kitchen and the library if one's available," Law said. He grabbed a box off the floor before pulling a stool over to one of the counters so he could get back to work.

"I can see that," Wicka said from Rebecca's shoulder.

The women then settle back into helping Law, since Neo refused to let them help her. Rebecca moved closer to Neo so they could continue talking with each other, exchanging stories of their pasts while they worked. Soon the kitchen was filled with delicious aromas of grilled fish, onigiri, vegetable soup, sugar cookies, sea pig meat, and a variety of other smells from what Neo had cooked for them.

"Elemental crystals, not just for fighting but also for cooking," Rebecca said.

"That was fast," Viola said as Neo used her wind crystals to place all the food she made on the long, rectangular table in the dining room just as everyone else started filing into the room, lured by the yummy smells.

"It's smells so good in here," a woman said.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," her child said.

"Please, everyone enjoy a good meal," King Riku said. He started to tell them that Neo was the one who cooked it, but thought better of it and kept silent.

"My crystals do come in handy for cooking," Neo said with a shrug after listening to a few compliments the people was giving the food.

"It smells so wonderful," Robin said, eyeing the spread before them. "I think Sanji would approve."

"Sanji," Neo said. "I hope they're okay."

"I'm sure they are," Robin said before she stepped over to the table to sit down.

Neo started to follow her, but stopped upon realizing that Law wasn't beside her. Her heart skipped a beat as she whirled around and ran back into the kitchen where she sensed him. And just like she thought, he was still sitting at the counter, his eyes locked in an angry glare at the files before him. She rushed over to him. Pushing the file that was in his hands down to the counter before sitting on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tucked her face into him before saying, "Law, you're suppose to stay with me."

"I'm sorry, love," Law said. He wrapped his arms around her trembling body and kissed her hair. "I didn't mean you leave you like that."

"You're so angry," Neo noted.

"Only because of what Cethin has done to your people," Law said, rubbing her back to calm her back down. "I'm not going to let you go through anymore files. It would be far too much for you to know what all he did."

"Is it really that bad?" Neo asked.

"It is," Law said with a sigh. "He tainted a lot of drugs to test their effects on elementals. And the results were very horrific. Some went on suffering for days, weeks, before death finally took them."

"Please stop," Neo whispered. "I don't want to hear anymore."

"I know," Law said. "I shouldn't have said that in the first place, but I wanted you to know I'm serious about keeping you away from these files."

"I understand," Neo said. She lifted up from him and pressed her lips to his. "Just don't leave me like that again. You know I'm still trying to come down from everything that's happened."

"I won't. I promise," Law mumbled against her lips. He then continued to kiss her until her cravings for several foods passed between them. "Come. Let's get you something to eat now."

"All right," Neo said. She slipped off his lap, took his hand, and allowed him to lead her into the dinning hall. When they had arrived most of the people had already gotten their food and left for other rooms to eat in since the dinning room couldn't hold all of them. But Bartolomeo and Cavendish were sitting at the table with their other friends. Bartolomeo was, for some reason, carefully watching them with a look on his face that she couldn't describe.

Neither one of them cared about the extra company as Law sat down in an empty chair near Rebecca and Wicka, who was sitting on the table with her own plate of food, and pulled Neo onto his lap. He opened a private conversation with her when she looked at him funny. 'What? You wanted to be close to me.'

'I know. I just didn't think you would have me in your lap with all these fighters around.' Neo looked at Law then glanced at the others.

'Since when have others kept me from doing what I wanted, especially when it concerns you?'

'Okay. They never have.' Neo smiled.

'Good. Now let's eat.' Law then started filling the plate they were going to share. They settled in eating their food contently as others chattered on about whatever they felt like talking about.

"Wow! This is so good!" Rebecca said after taking a bite of the vegetable soup. "I never would have guessed that you would be this good, Neo!"

"You certainly are a first rate cook," Viola said.

"I must agree with that," King Riku said, lifting his glass up to Neo in a silent toast.

"You cooked this, Neo?" Cavendish asked.

"Yeah," Neo said with a light nod.

"It's incredibly good. In all honesty, with how Trafalgar clearly pampers you, I never thought you would do much of anything on his ship," Cavendish said. "Where did you learn how to cook?"

"Well, Penguin started out teaching me the basics," Neo said. "I picked up a few tips here and there from the cookbooks I bought. But then Sanji has shown me a few tricks while we've been together."

"It sounds like you're just a naturally gifted at cooking," King Riku said, bringing Neo and Law's eyes to him. "I'm impressed."

"Naturally gifted? I never really thought about it before," Neo said. "All I know is I love to cook, especially for my crew and husband." She smiled at Law. "Got to keep my babies happy and healthy."

Suddenly, Law's Room spread out over the entire dinning room. A cry was heard and one hand holding a little green bottle in it flew into the air. Law said, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Huh?" Neo turned her eyes to the hand floating in the air before looking over to her right. Bartolomeo was under the table. The hand belonged to him. "What happened?"

"Apparently, someone's trying to poison me," Law said, pulling the small vile from Bartolomeo's hand.

"What?" Neo asked flatly. She summoned her crystals and pointed them right at Bartolomeo.

"Wait!" Bartolomeo shrieked. He jumped up, waving his hand and other arm frantically. "I wasn't trying to poison him! It's just a sedative!"

"And you think that's okay?" Neo asked, engulfing her crystals in their elements. Thunder cracked outside as lightning flashed through the windows.

"Well, I'm only trying to get you back into Mr. Luffy's arms," Bartolomeo said.

"Not this again," Law grumbled. "How many times is it going to take to get it through your thick skull? Neo is my lover not Straw Hat's."

"You're not good for her!" Bartolomeo shot back.

"I guess severing your body before wasn't enough," Law growled, his eyes and chest burning with rage. But before he could inflict an indescribable amount of pain on him, Neo had the green haired pirate wrapped up in vines and hanging out a window. The distant cries of Bartolomeo went unanswered as everyone turned back to their meal. Law ran his hand over Neo's thigh, a silent way of telling her he was proud of her for doing that as her storm faded away.

"He should have known," Cavendish mumbled around the food in his mouth. "It's obvious how much Trafalgar cares about Neo."

It wasn't long after that everyone finished up their meal. The group that was together before went back to going through the rest of the files. Well, Law, Robin, and Viola went through the files, which they had moved into the dinning room. Rebecca and Wicka spent their time talking and playing with Neo. The younger three were in the middle of a game of Dots when Law tapped a file on the table, and then said, "Well, that's it. We've gone through all of the files."

"Did we find anything of use?" Viola asked.

"A little bit," Law said. "I was correct before on dealing with the pollution stone having to basically see an elemental before it works on them. And when Neo opened that drawer, it proved it anyway. I'm going to keep some of these files, but the rest need to be burned."

"You're taking some files? What for?" Neo asked.

"If we can, we need to compile them and get them to the elementals back on Luminous," Law said. "Even though Luminous is hard to fine, it's still possible for humans to get there. And if another scientist gets his hands on some elementals and pollution stones the healers need to know of some of the effects that goes on during experiments."

"That makes sense," Viola said.

"What do you mean?" Rebecca asked.

"He's just trying to prepare Neo's people for possible future attacks," Viola said.

"I see." Rebecca nodded.

"We should be heading back soon," Robin then said. "The others are going to start wondering where we are if we stay here much longer."

"Just give me a second," Viola said as she headed for the door. "I'll get you a bag so you can easily carry those files in."

"Thank you, Viola," Neo said just before the woman disappeared out the door. A few minutes later, Viola came back with a backpack for them to use.

"Here you go." Viola handed Law the bag.

"Thanks," Law said while he shoved the files inside of it. He then slung the bag over his left shoulder and looked at Neo. "It's time for us to go."

Neo nodded, sadly, slowly. She turned to her two friends, who was just as sad as she was. "I'm sorry."

"There's no need for you to apologize," Rebecca said with a forced smile. "I'm sure this isn't the last time we'll see each other. And I promise that I will keep up with your adventures by watching the newspapers."

"And so will I!" Wicka added before leaping up to Neo.

Neo caught the little blue haired Tontatta and hugged her. She wrapped an arm around Rebecca when her other friend stepped forward. The three hugged, and cried, for a good two minutes before finally releasing each other. Wiping her tears away, Neo slid her hand back into Law's then left with him and Robin. Once outside, Neo summoned her wind crystals and pulled their small group into the air. The trip back to Kyros' house was a silent one. The moon was bright, hanging lazily in the sky, lighting their path for them.

"Are you all right?" Law asked when they landed in front of the small house.

"Yeah. I'm glad I got to see her again, but I'm also sad. And I'm extremely full. I shouldn't have ate so much," Neo said. Lifting her hand, she placed it on her stomach, unaware of Law flinching and Robin's curious look. Her eyebrows kneaded upon feeling her extended stomach. She lifted her shirt and inspected herself. "That's odd. I've never put on weight before, I mean not since you nursed me back to health. I guess I have been eating a lot more here recently. That must be why..."

Law instantly felt Neo's mind starting to turn as her voice trailed off. He could feel her slowly piecing together the things that people have said to her, how she's been acting, how much she's been eating, and how everyone's been acting around her. He took a slow deep breath, forcing himself to relax. Part of him really didn't want to tell her about this until after they were out of Dressrosa, preferable when they were back with the crew. But he knew now that she had touched her stomach it was time to just tell her. He slid the backpack off his shoulder and held it out to Robin. "Nico, will you take this inside? I need to talk with Neo in private for a moment."

"Of course," Robin said. She took the pack from him. Tossing one last look at Neo's confused expression, she dismissed herself and entered into the house.

Law turned his attention back to Neo. His chest tightened when he saw her still staring at her stomach in confusion. He forced himself to walk over to her. Taking her hand in his, he forced her to release her shirt. "Neo, love, we need to talk about what Doflamingo said during our fight."

"About what?" Neo asked, even though she already knew what.

"You know what," Law said softly.

"But I'm not," Neo said, shaking her head. "I'm not. I can't be. You were preventing it."

"I was trying to prevent it," Law said. "But I made a mistake back on Punk Hazard."

"No," Neo said. The tears gathering in her eyes glittered in the moonlight. "No, you didn't. I'm not."

"Neo," Law said, tightening his hold on her hand when she tried to pull away from him.

"Don't," Neo said.

"Neo, listen to me," Law said a bit more firmly.

"No, Law," Neo said, jerking her hand from his. She took a step back, trying to force the piling evidence against herself out of her head. "I'm not. I can't be. You were preventing it."

Law dropped his sword, letting it fall to the ground with a dull thump before he stepped closer to her. Taking her face in his hands, he said, "Neo…"

"Please… don't," Neo whispered, her misty eyes pleading with him to not confirm was she was still trying desperately to push out of her mind.

"…you are pregnant."

Tears dripped down her cheeks. Her mind went blank as her breathing came in short, raspy gaps. Her knees buckled. The world around her faded from her vision.

"Neo, breath," Law ordered, but his voice was growing farther and farther away from her. "Neo! I order you to breath!"

Neo's body automatically took in a deep breath before going back to short, raspy gasps between her words. Her mind whirled around, making her lightheaded. "I… fought… Diamante… Doflamingo…Vergo…I… I didn't… I can't…"

"Neo, listen to me," Law said, pushing the lightheadedness away from him. He placed his hand over her mouth and pressed his thumb to close one of her nostrils. "You're hyperventilating. Just breath. It's going to be okay. You didn't do anything wrong. Remember you're not human. Your crystals protected our baby during your fights."

Through Law's treatment on her, her breathing slowly came back to normal. He pressed his lips to her temple as he felt her slipping into unconsciousness from the shock. His arms tightened around her, holding her close to his chest as her mind slipped away from him and her eyes closed. Pressing his forehead to her temple, he whispered, "It's going to be okay, love. I promise. It's going to be okay."

...

Author's Notes: Don't feel like I got Neo bonding with Wicka and Rebecca like I wanted. But it's done. And Neo now knows she's pregnant. I like to never got that in this chapter. Also, sorry for not replying to comments last time. I was using my tablet since my computer was in the shop and the site or my tablet started having saving issues.

Inazumame1997: No worries. Just comment when you can or feel like it.

Starrat: And more to come.

Apple Bloom: Twins, huh? That would really shock Neo and Law.

Gabbychery8927: Thanks. Glad you like it so much. More Neo/Law moments coming.