Other Magic

With her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth, Neo pushed her paintbrush along the page she was currently decorating. With a pause she looked at it. Her lines were still a bit sloppy but the yellow doodle was finally shaping into a little duckling. She huffed. "This is so hard."

"It is," Kailen said leaning over to take a peak at her work. "But you're doing fine."

"Thanks for helping me do this," Neo said.

"Anything to keep you happy," Kailen said. "I'm glad that I can do something to help around here. Even though it is small."

"Don't be silly," Neo said. "You're helping a lot more than you think. I never would have come to accept my pregnancy if it wasn't for you."

Kailen smiled. He parted his lips to say something but was cut off by a sudden jerk of the sub.

Neo's body flung backwards against her chair. The impact tipped the legs over. She gasped. Her wind crystals appeared wrapping a gust around her at the same time Kailen threaded out vines and Robin formed multiple hands to keep her from hitting the floor. "Nice catch, guys. You're really fast."

They sat her back up. The sub rocked again.

Neo used her winds to lift them into the air. "What in the world is going on?"

"Everyone, hold on," Jean Bart said over the voice pipe. "We're having a little engine trouble."

Neo flew over to the voice pipe in the room. "How bad is it?"
"There's smoke down in the engine room," Jean Bart said.

"Can you make it to an island? Some are close by," Neo said.

"Probably not," Archer said. "Some of the crew is in the engine room right now. It's possible a fire is down there."

"I don't sense one yet," Neo said. "I'm going to fly us to the island. Just make sure the engines don't catch on fire."

"You got it," Archer said.

Neo flew herself and her friends out of the rec. room and up the stairs. Reaching the deck she increased her gust and lifted the sub into the air. The engines died.

"You going to be able to handle this?" Kailen asked.

"Yes," Neo said. "The island's not far off."

"I'm still going to help you." Kailen used his crystals and summoned up some seaweed to catch the sub if Neo's magic fail or she became too tired. "I won't let them sink."

Neo nodded.

"I can see an island," Robin said a few minutes later.

Neo headed for it. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she placed them in the shallows of the island. She brushed her arm over her forehead, swiping away the sweat. "At least my magic didn't give out on me."

"You should be over that stage," Kailen said.

"Still you should be careful," Healer Zinnia said stepping out onto the deck. "It's never dull around you pirates, is it?"
"Not really." Neo smiled. "Even if you do get bored something will happen soon enough."

"So where are we?" Robin asked while scanning her eyes over the island.

Neo turned her attention to the island as well. She sensed all kinds of animals running and flying over the island, but didn't know if people lived there. All they could see was trees and some small mountains in the distance. "I'm not sure. Maybe Bepo knows?"

"Are we safe now?" Usopp stuck his head out of the door.

"Yes, we are," Neo said.

"Good." Usopp stepped outside. "I was worried. I thought we were going to die."

"Is there a time when you don't think you're going to die?" Neo smiled.

"Of course there is!" Usopp snapped.

"You're so weird." Neo headed back inside. "I'm going to go see if Bepo knows where we are."

Flying down the stairs she went right to the engine room to see how things were there. Smoke was clouding up the lower halls so she used her winds to guide it through the sub and outside the front door. She poked her head into the room. Jean Bart, Conner, Franky, and Law were all inside. "Do we know what happened yet?"
"No," Law said.

"We're still looking," Conner said while fiddling with parts of the engine. "Whatever happened seems to have affected the auxiliary too."

"And that means?" Neo asked.

"We're basically dead in the water at this point," Conner said.

Neo pressed her temple against Law's shoulder. "At least we're all safe now. I'm not sensing any kind of fire inside here."

"That's good," Law said. "Where did we land?"

"I'm not sure," Neo said. "If there's anyone living on this island they're on another side of it. There's plenty of wildlife though. So we'll be fine if we have to stay here for a while. I was heading over to Bepo's navigation room to see if he might know anything about this island."

Law nodded.

Neo left the room. Stepping into Bepo's navigation room down the hall she found him going through some maps. "Hey, Bepo."

"I'm already searching for this island," Bepo said. "All I can tell so far is we're no where near Wano."

"I see," Neo said. "Do you at least know if we're inside of Kaido's territory?"
"I don't believe so," Bepo said. "What's the island like?"

"Like any other," Neo said. "Plenty of animals, forest, and mountains. We're not sure about people yet. They might be on the other side of the island."

Bepo laid out some maps on the table. "Let's see. We should be about here." He pointed to a cluster of islands. "My guess would be on the bigger one since you sense a lot of animals."

"I guess the only thing we can do is explore and see if anyone lives here," Neo said.

"Might be best to just stick near the sub," Bepo said. "Conner could have the problem fixed in a short period of time."

"You have a point," Neo said. "Inform the crew to stick around the sub for now. They can wander around after we know how long repairs are going to take."

"Aye," Bepo said.

Neo left the room while Bepo headed for the voice pipe to relay her orders. She met Law in the hall as the message was given out. "How's it going?"
"They still haven't found anything wrong," Law said. "Robo is going to help Conner and Jean Bart look for the problem."

"Robo? Oh, you mean Franky. So it might be a while before we can get moving again," Neo said.

"Probably." Law nodded. "You going to rethink your order?"

"Not right now," Neo said. "I don't want the crew wandering off. Bepo says we're not in Kaido's territory but his ships could still pass by."

"You're becoming a very confident captain," Law said.

"I learned from the best." Neo pressed against him, careful to not hurt their baby.

"Yes. You did." Law leaned down and kissed her. "I'm going to hang around here for a little while longer. What are you going to do?"

"Not sure," Neo said.

"Hey, there you are," Penguin said.

"What's up?" Neo asked.

"Some of the crew are going to try out these new waver boards Franky built for us," Penguin said.

"Waver boards?" Neo blinked.

"You forgot already?" Penguin placed his hands on his hips. "You asked him to make something in the shape of turtles."

"Oh, that," Neo said. "When did he even manage to do it? And how?"
"He did them last night," Penguin said. "And he got some spare parts from Conner."

"I see," Neo said. "Well, I guess I'm going to go with Penguin for a while."

"Be careful if you ride one of those things," Law said.

"Don't worry, my love." Neo pecked his lips. "I will."

"Let's go," Penguin said.

Neo wrapped her arms around his and they headed back upstairs. By the time they got back out to the deck some of the crew had already climbed down to the island and a few were on the four turtle shaped wavers. "Wow. He actually did it. But how are they being pushed along?"
"With jet dials," Usopp said.

"Jet dials?" Penguin asked.

"I think I remember you all showing me them when Law and I were on your ship after Punk Hazard," Neo said.

"We sure did." Usopp pull a few out of his bag. "I got these when we were in Skypiea. Franky asked for some to fulfill your request."

"I'm sorry," Neo said. "I didn't mean for him to do that."

"It's fine." Usopp smiled. "I got plenty. We don't really use them anymore anyway. Feel free to keep them."

"Well, thank you," Neo said.

"So how's the sub's engine?" Healer Zinnia asked.

"We don't know anything yet," Neo said. "Was there something you would like to do?"

"I'm thinking I might join Robin down there and enjoy the sun for a while," Healer Zinnia said. "It's been a long time since I've had a real break."

"Then enjoy yourself," Neo said. "If you need anything don't hesitate to ask."

The healer nodded before climbing down the ladder.

"Let's go." Neo wrapped her winds around Penguin and herself. Lowering them to the island, she sat them at the edge of the ground. Sitting down she slipped her feet into the cool water. "Feels so good."

"Feeling a bit tired and sore?" Penguin sat down beside her.

"A little bit," Neo said placing her hand on her stomach. "But it's going to be worth it."

"It sure is." Penguin looked at her protruding stomach. "Still say it's a boy?"

"Of course Cora's a boy," Neo said. "I'm positive."

"Has the captain come around on that yet?" Penguin asked.

"I think he's a bit skeptical still," Neo said. "I can understand that. But that'll go away when he sees Cora on the next ultrasound. And, you know, if anything happens to me and Law I hope you all will take very good care of Cora."

"Of course we will." Penguin pulled her to his side. "We'll make sure he's taken care of and is educated just like we did with you."

"I love you." Neo hugged him. "You're the best."

"And I love you." Penguin kissed her hair before turning his attention back to the wavers. They watched their crew take turns on the new toys. Some managed to stay on well enough while others were having trouble keeping their footing. Even the samurai and ninja they were currently traveling with gave the wavers a try. They ended up in the water multiple times.

"So when are you going to give them a try, Penguin?" Neo asked after her recent laughing fit subsided.

"Maybe some other time," Penguin said. "I'm having too much fun watching them."

"What about you, Kailen?" Neo asked when her brother walked over.

"I think I agree with Penguin." Kailen sat down beside her. "It's funny watching them fall off."

"They'll get the hang of it soon," Neo said a few seconds before Shachi fell off the waver. "Well, maybe."

The hours past. Penguin and Kailen decided to take turns on the wavers after all. They kept their balance, but keep the waver going slow until they were comfortable with it. They had finally gotten them up to full speed when Law walked over to them. Neo glanced up at him. "What's up?"
"Conner still doesn't know what's wrong with the sub. The engines aren't responding at all," Law said. "So it looks like we're stuck here for the night."

Neo hummed. There was never a problem with the sub that Conner couldn't find and fix. The maintenance of the sub was always a high priority to him. "I wonder what happened to it."

"Who knows?" Law shrugged. "Since it's nice out here I assume you want to camp outside?"

"Might as well," Neo said. "There shouldn't be any storms coming tonight."

"I'll pass the order along then," Law said.

"What are we going to do if the sub can't be fixed?" Neo asked.

"I'm not sure." Law sighed. "I suppose we'll have to make a ship to leave this island on. You can't carry us all the way to Wano."

"Well, at least we have Conner and Franky here," Neo said. "They'll be able to built us a ship in no time. So don't worry about it."

Law didn't respond. His mind was distance.

"What is it, Law? You're distant from me," Neo said.

"I didn't want to worry you or jump to conclusions, but the thought of sabotage ran through my mine," Law said.

"Sabotage?" Neo knitted her eyebrows. A cold shiver ran up her spine. "But why? And who would do that?"

"I don't know. Nico did see that thing swimming around the sub," Law said.

Neo shivered again. She had forgotten about that. "Are we safe here?"

"As safe as we possibly can be," Law said. "I'll have some of the crew keeping watch tonight."

Neo nodded. Another forty-five minutes past before she stood up. "Well, I guess we better get dinner started."

Law walked her back to the camp where a fire was already going. Basil had the food out and was waiting for her. Neo went over to him while Law sat down near a log. The fire crackled. Basil placed the large pot over the flame and they started on their meal.

Neo stirred the pot of stew. Her mind swirled around the possibility of someone having actually sabotage their sub. But who was it? And why? Was it someone from Doflamingo's crew? Or maybe from Kaido's crew? But if it was them how did they manage to find them all the way out here? Were they being followed? She connected to the sea, searching out for any ships that might be in the area. There was nothing there. Her mind then went back to the thing Robin saw under the sea. If someone sabotaged the sub then it had to be whoever that was. Her vision blurred. Her legs wobbled as the world around her started to spin. She fell.

"Neo!" Basil called.

Neo felt his hands grabbed her shoulders and low her to the ground.

"Captain!" Basil said.

Law, dealing with Neo's blurry vision, pushed himself to his feet and rushed over to her. Several others rushed over to her as well.

"What happened to her?" Bepo asked.

"I don't know." Law checked her pulse. It was normal. He then cupped her face. "Neo?"

"Feel… so drained," Neo said.

"What's wrong with her, Captain?" Penguin asked.

Law gritted his teeth.

"Whatever's happening to her is happening to Kailen and Zinnia too," Usopp said.

The crew looked over to the other elementals. Healer Zinnia was slumped in her chair. Kailen was kneeling on the ground, both being checked on by the crew and Straw Hats.

"Wait! Is this that pollution stone you told us about?" Archer asked.

"No." Neo shook her head. "It feels different."

"What do you mean?" Archer asked.

"The pollution stone suppresses my magic," Neo said. "This felt like someone was taking my magic away from me."

"Someone was taking your magic?" Archer glanced around. "Is that even possible?"

"Well, they did warn us on Luminous that other magical creatures existed in the world," Conner said. "This might be one of them."

"Spread out!" Law ordered. "If someone is here then find them!"

"Aye, Captain!" The crew headed for the forest.

"Might as well help them," Franky said.

"Yeah." Usopp nodded as he, Franky, and Zoro headed towards the woods.

"Are you three feeling better now?" Robin asked.

"A little bit," Healer Zinnia said. Adjusting her glasses she sat up straighter in her chair. "That was so odd."

"I'm feeling better too," Kailen said. "Neo?"

Neo placed her hand on her stomach. "We're okay."

"So much for us being alone on the island tonight," Penguin said, his eyes scanning the area closely.

"I'll handle the rest of the food preparation from here," Basil said. "No arguing."

"Okay, okay," Neo said.

Law picked her up and moved her over to the log he was leaning against.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Usopp asked.

"For anything that might look like someone has been here," Shachi said.

"I can smell something," Bepo said sniffing the air. "Someone was here. About five of them I think."

"Five people," Shachi said.

"Whoever they are they seem to be long gone," Zoro said.

"Let's hope so," Franky said. "Neo has a hard enough time while being pregnant. She doesn't need the added stress of having her magic drained."

"Think whoever this was has a camp or village near by?" Usopp asked.

"That could be possible," Shachi said. "We should explore a little farther."

"Look! Over here!" Kin'emon shouted. "We found footprints of some sort!"

The pirates ran over to their allies. They looked down at the ground. Five sets of three toes footprints were in the dirt.

"What the heck?!" Usopp screamed. "What kind of human has three toes?!"

"I'm not sure a human made these tracks," Shachi said. "Look at the toes. They're all the same size."

"Hey, he's right," Franky said.

"So some kind of animal?" Zoro asked.

"It's hard to tell," Shachi said. He pointed at a crewmate. "Go back to camp and tell the captain about this. And tell him we're going to search a bit more before returning."

The crewmate nodded and ran off.

"Come on," Shachi said leading them farther into the forest.

Neo plucked at the grass near her legs. Ever since the group went into the forest she had been wondering how much longer they were going to be gone. They had been gone for almost two hours before they finally entered back into camp. That's when she allowed herself to completely relax. "About time." She counted them. "They're okay."

"Think you can eat now?"

Neo looked up to find Basil standing there with a bowl of steaming stew in his hand. "I think so."

Basil handed her the bowl and walked off.

Neo stirred her stew. Her eyes drifted up to the group returning to the camp.

"Well? Did you find anything?" Penguin asked.

"Just some footprints and broken flora," Shachi said. "There were at least five of them. Bepo smelled them too. Other than that we found nothing."

"Whoever they are they're long gone," Usopp said.

"Or they could have just been hiding," Zoro said.

"He's right," Franky added. "Just because we didn't see them doesn't mean they didn't see us. They moved pretty quickly. And if they live here then they'll know the terrain better than us. It's possible they leapt into the trees."

"You mean they could be watching us right this second?" Usopp looked around.

"It's possible." Zoro sat down.

"Well, nothing can be done about it now," Basil said. "So come get yourselves something to eat. You're probably hungry by now."

"Great!" Usopp rushed over to the fire. "I'm starving!"

The day quickly turned into night. Conner had come out to eat and inform them that he still hadn't found what was wrong with the sub before heading back inside to tinker with it more.

A cool breeze blew off the sea. Neo shivered. Pulling her blanket tighter around her shoulders, she snuggled more into Law's warmth with a yawn.

"You should sleep if you're that tired," Law said.

"I'm fine," Neo said despite her drooping eyelids. "I can stay up longer."

"No, you can't," Law said. "Now lay down and sleep."

"Okay." Neo pecked his lips before lying down. Resting her head on his lap she fell asleep in seconds.

"She so cute when she's stubborn," Penguin said.

"Sound we get her another blanket?" Robin said. "It's rather chilling out tonight."

"I don't think so. Just add some more wood to the fire," Law said. "She'll be fine."

Usopp grabbed a couple logs and placed them on top of the fire. The flames grew bright when the new logs caught fire. He sat back, leaning against his hands. "Luffy's going to be bummed he missed this."

"I'm sure he's having fun on his own," Zoro said. "Probably driving the others crazy like always. I'm more concerned about the kitchen than anything or anyone else."

"Huh? Why?" Kailen asked.

"Because of Luffy," Zoro said. "The guy doesn't know how to cook. Knowing him he'll probably still try and cook. The kitchen's probably a mess right now. The cook's not going to be happy about that." He smirked. "On second thought, I hope Luffy does cook. Let that stupid cook freak out from all the damage."

"You're so cruel," Usopp said. He pulled his blanket over his shoulders and laid down. "Whatever. I'm going to sleep now."

One by one the group started to fall asleep for the night. Only a few remained awake to keep an eye out for whoever was watching them. After a few hours they woke others up so they could get some sleep. It went on like that all night. Neo was the only one who remained asleep for the whole night and long after everyone else got up. The smell of fresh rolls was what woke her up the next morning. "Something smells so good."

"I was starting to wonder if you were going to wake up," Basil said.

"Sorry. Do you need help?" Neo sat up and looked around. The crew was spread out over the island, a few were still around the fire, and some were obviously inside the sub.

"No worries. Kailen helped," Basil said.

"I got bored." Kailen shrugged.

"Have there been any developments with whoever was watching us last night?" Neo asked.

"No," Law said. "Whoever they were haven't come back. Or if they have they've been staying very well hidden. The crew's not dropping their guard just yet."

Neo nodded. Before long breakfast was ready and the crew had gathered. They sat around, eating and talking, before splitting up again. Neo stayed close to the fire for the entire day. The only times she left was when she needed to use the bathroom or wanted something particular to eat from the galley. Returning from her fifth trip inside, she sat back down and started tenderly rubbing her stomach. "I think Cora's gotten even bigger since yesterday."

"He has," Healer Zinnia said.

"Elementals really do grow fast," Basil said.

"We do." Healer Zinnia nodded. "It shouldn't be much longer before the princess feels the baby move."

"And that'll be like a bubble at first," Neo said.

"Correct," Healer Zinnia said. "For the first few times anyway. Then you'll start feeling him kick."

"I still find it a bit hard to believe you can tell you're having a boy," Basil said.

"Really?" Neo hummed. "It feels natural to me. I'm glad we're having a boy. I've been around boys more than girls. It makes me feel like I know what I'm getting into."

Basil chuckled. "Maybe a little bit. But considering this is the son of the infamous Trafalgar Law, the Surgeon of Death, I think you're going to be in for one wild ride."

Law smirked, devilish mischief shimmered in his eyes.

"I think we're in trouble," Healer Zinnia said.

"You better not be planning on teaching our son bad habits," Neo said.

"Never crossed my mind," Law said. His smirk never left his face.

"Liar," Neo said.

"What about the element?" Basil asked. "What do you think he'll have? And do you two have a preference?"

"I never thought about it," Neo said. "It doesn't matter to me."

"I don't think it matters either," Law said. "All the elements are powerful in their own right. But it would be fun if our kid had the ability over fire."

Basil shivered when a familiar sadistic gleam appeared in Law's eyes. "Sorry I asked."

"Law," Neo said in a warning tone. "Don't you dare do anything like that to our son. He might be born to pirate parents but that doesn't give him the right to abuse his crystals."

"Don't worry, love." Law kissed her temple. "Nothing bad is going to happen."

Neo huffed. She knew better than that. While Law never used her for such mischief didn't mean he wouldn't do it with their son. She was going to have to keep a very close eye on them both.

"I don't think she quite believes you, Captain," Basil said.

Law kept smiling.

Neo rolled her eyes at her husband. The day past on. Eventually the women split up from the guys and went for a swim before lying out in the sun to tan while they had such nice weather. "This is great."

"It sure is," Healer Zinnia said. "I need to do this more often."

"You do work really hard back on Luminous," Neo said. "They probably miss you a lot."

"I don't know about a lot," Healer Zinnia said. "I'm sure they miss you more than they do me."

"Do you miss your home island?" Ikkaku asked.

"A little bit," Healer Zinnia said. "This is after all the first time I have left home. But I am enjoying my self. So I welcome the change. Plus, I'm hoping to run into some elementals that have had kids with a human. I'd like to get some notes on them before heading back to Luminous."

"We'll probably seem some soon," Topaz said. "We've come across them before. They didn't have kids though."

"I too would like to know how being half human and half elemental effects a person," Robin said.

"You have a fascination with that?" Ikkaku asked.

"I do." Robin nodded. "It's possible that their history intertwines with our own."

"What do you mean?" Ikkaku lowered her sunglasses and looked at the Straw Hat pirate.

"It's just a theory that I've been thinking about lately," Robin said. "And it has to do with the poneglyphs."

"The poneglyphs?" Topaz asked.

"The stones are very heavy and large," Robin said. "And they have been scattered all over the world. Something that large could be very difficult for humans to move on their own. So I was thinking that maybe the elementals have something to do with that."

"I had that exact same thought back on Zou," Neo said. "Do you think it's also possible they have something to do with the blank century?"

"It's possible," Robin said.

"Then it's possible some elementals know what happened then," Neo said. "Jory was in the navy after all. There could have been other elementals who joined at some point. Or have even had dealings with the world government. Heck, they could probably have been in the world government."

"If that's a possibility then some could have also been part of the Celestial Dragons," Topaz said.

"The Celestial Dragons," Neo mumbled. Her mind shot back to Sabaody and the human action house. "They could be just as mean."

"It's possible," Topaz said. "But it's also possible that they were nice. We'll never know for sure so don't worry about it."

Neo tried not to. But now that the door had been open the topic wasn't going to go away very easily. Leaning back in her chair, she stared up at the sky, going through the possibilities of elementals being connected to the Celestial Dragons and how they would act with that kind of power if they had it. She wondered if they would be like Ren, an elemental who wanted power and did bad things, or if they'd be like Jory and help people in need. Knowing how the Celestial Dragons are the latter seemed impossible.

A cool breeze blowing off the sea prompted Neo to get up and move back over to the fire. There Law had a pair of warm pants and his hoodie waiting for her. She pulled them on and sat down with him. Only when it was time to cook dinner did she part from him. But after that she went back to him, ate, and then fell asleep. The night was filled with crickets singing until a loud bang woke them up.

"What was that?!" Usopp shouted. A strong wind picked up around them. "Neo! Did you lose control of your magic again?!"

"No!" Neo called over the howling wind. "It's not me! I'm not doing this!"

"Some else is manipulating the wind!" Kailen said.

"Then do something and stop it!" Usopp begged.

"Right!" Neo summoned her wind crystals. Just as she was about to use them her body grew tired and weak. Her knees buckled.

"Neo!" Law grabbed her and lowered her to the ground.

"What's happening?!" Zoro asked when the other elementals crashed to the ground.

"Law… it's happening again," Neo said. "Our magic is... draining."

"Everyone! Get ready to fight!" Law said.

"Aye!" the Heart Pirates said.

Black blurs charged in and bounced around in the campsite. The pirates sliced, kicked, and punched, but none of them were able to land a single punch.

"Dang it!" Tero said swinging at a blur. "They're way too fast!"

"I can't even get a hit on them!" Zoro said.

Robin crossed her arms over her chest. Arms sprouted out of the ground in an attempt to stop their attackers. She was unsuccessful. "It's not good. They're too fast for me to grab."

"What is it?!" Usopp fired several shots, missing every time. "Who is it?! Who's attacking us?!"

"It's the people from before!" Bepo said. A blur past him. He winced when his arm and sleeve split open.

"We're not going to be able to keep this up for much longer!" Shachi said before seven punches landed on him.

"Shachi!" Penguin rushed to his friend. His boot caught on something and fell to the ground.

Suddenly the wind stopped. The pirates picked their selves up and found they were surrounded by fifteen strange creatures. All of them were four foot tall with stringy black hair. Their ears were long and pointed while their noses ranged from the sizes of a big potato to a small strawberry. They only had three fingers with long claws on them.

"What are those things?" Kin'emon asked.

"They are like no creature I have been before," Kanjuro said.

"Indeed," Raizo said. "They move like ninja but they clearly are not human."

"I've never seen anything like them either," Franky said.

"I wonder if they're cannibals," Robin said. "Those claws are clearly for ripping things apart."

"Will you please stop with that kind of talking?!" Usopp shouted, tears pouring down his frightened expression.

One of the creatures snapped their fingers. Several others went on the move again. When they reappeared they had three of the four elementals with them.

"No!" Neo shouted. "Give them back!"

The creatures turned to her. Their yellow and black slit eyes ran over her body. They licked their lips.

"Did they just lick their lips?!" Usopp shrieked.

"Maybe Robin is right," Bepo said.

"Shut up!" Usopp snapped.

"I'm sorry." Bepo ducked his head.

Neo shivered and pressed into Law.

Law grabbed his sword, easily unsheathing it one handed before pointing the blade at their new enemy. "It would be wise for you to not attack her and give those other three back. Room."

The creatures looked around the blue sphere they were now in. Uncertainty crossed their faces before they backed up from the pirates. The one who snapped its fingers grumbled something to the others. They picked up the three elementals and ran off.

"Hey! Come back here!" Shachi screamed as he, Penguin, and several others raced after them.

"No!" Neo tried to get up. But was unable to do to being drained.

"Neo, stay still," Law said.

"I can't! They took…" She sniffled, tears poured down her cheeks. "They took them!"

"I know," Law said. "But you're in no condition to go after them."

Neo gritted her teeth. Her heart ached with the thought of losing her siblings and the healer.

The pirates raced into the forest. Like the last time the creatures disappeared.

"This is just great," Shachi said. "We lost them again."

"This is crazy!" Usopp pointed his weapon all over the place. "Why did I run in here?!"

"They have to be long gone by now," Zoro said.

"Most likely." Tero glanced up at the trees. "With those elementals with them I highly doubt they went into the trees."

"We're not going to find anything while it's dark," Jean Bart said. "Let's head back for now. If we're lucky we'll be able to pick up their trail in the morning."

Neo stayed put in Law's arms as her strength and magic came back to her. Her stomach spun with worry and threatened to give up everything she had eaten. "Where are they?"

"It's dark, Neo," Law said. "They're probably having trouble navigating the forest."

"We should have went with them," Neo said.

Law sighed. There was no point in arguing with her right now. All they could really do is wait for the others to come back. And in a few more minutes they did.

"They're gone again," Shachi said.

"I wonder why they took them," Penguin said. "And how they were able to drain the elementals."

"We have to get back in there and find them" Neo sat up and swayed.

"You're not going anywhere," Law said pulling her back to him. "You need to recover. And I need to check on our baby. This could have hurt him."

Neo flinched, her hand resting on her stomach.

Law instantly warped them into the exam room. With practiced moves he got the machine going and placed the wand on Neo's stomach. "Everything looks fine. His heart beat is a little low but that could be because of the drain."

"I'm glad." Neo sighed.

"Are you calming down now?" Law asked despite feeling she wasn't really.

"No," Neo said. "They took my family. And I want them back."

"We will get them back," Law said. "But for now it's too dangerous to go look for them. We're not familiar with this island like they are."

Doused in helplessness all Neo could do was nod.

Law warped them back outside and right into the middle of a conversation.

"What are the chances this wasn't just a coincident?" Robin asked.

"What do you mean?" Usopp looked at her.

"That creature we saw near the bottom of the sub," Robin said.

"Are you saying those creatures tampered with the sub?" Neo asked.

"It's possible," Robin said. "Your mechanic hasn't been able to figure out why it broke down in the first place."

"That's true," Conner said. "I can't find anything wrong. And everything's where it should be."

"But why would they do that?" Neo asked.

"Perhaps to take your magic," Law said. Everyone looked at him. "Remember we were warned back on Luminous that other magical creatures exist. And some might have the ability to break our bond. So if that's possible then it's equally possible for someone to take magic away from someone."

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

"I am." Law looked at the sniper. "Whatever those creatures did only affected the elementals. The only ones here that have magic. And they used wind to throw us off."

"Maybe." Usopp crossed his arms.

"Then there was someone living on this island," Franky said. "But not people or minks."

"So what do you think those creatures are?" Archer asked.

"We'll fine out when we capture them," Penguin said.

"I already did," Zoro said. Everyone turned their eyes to find the swordsman holding a creature by its neck.

"What?! Why didn't you say something then?!" Usopp asked.

"I just did," Zoro said.

"Speak up sooner!" Usopp said.

Neo growled. Anger burning in her chest like an inferno, she pushed herself to her feet and stomped over to the creature. Snapping it away from Zoro, she brought it up to her face. Dark thunderclouds rolled in, blocking out the moonlight, and casting a dark shadow over the island. If it weren't for the glow of their fire it would have been pitch black. "Why did you take them?! Where did you take them?! Answer me!"

The creature smirked. "I don't have to."

"Ah! It can talk!" Usopp ran around in a panic.

"I am not an it," the creature hissed. "You pathetic human. I am Leeth. I am male."

"I'm not human. And if you don't answer me right now." Neo summoned all of her crystals. "I'm going to kill you."

Leeth looked at her eyes then smiled. "No. You will not. I can see into your soul. You will never kill. You're too afraid."

"You're wrong," Neo said. "I will to protect my family."

Leech's certainty faded a bit before coming back at full force. "Perhaps. But now you will not do that. I am the only way for you to find your friends. And I have no intentions of doing so."

Neo's hands trembled around the creature's skin. Part of her really wanted to unleash on this thing. But her past wouldn't let her. So she decided to let someone who was good at torturing to handle it. She tossed the creature over to Law. "Law!"

Law reached out and grabbed the creature by the neck before slamming him down onto the ground. He then took his sword and dug the tip into Leeth's shoulder. "You will tell us everything."

Leeth gritted his teeth in pain but refused to give.

"Suit yourself," Law said getting a familiar sadistic look in his eyes. "You've signed your death warrant. No one makes my love cry and gets away with it."

"Do your worst," Leeth said. "I shall not break."

"Well, we'll see about that," Law said before shoving his sword farther into Leeth's shoulder. When that didn't lead to anything, he pulled the sword back and moved to Leeth's fingers. One by one he sliced into Leeth's skin and all the way down to the bone. Starting from the left side he worked his way all the way to the right before going back again until all sides of Leeth's fingers were cut to the bone.

Leeth wriggled on the ground. It was clear he was in pain but he still refused to talk.

"Shachi, Penguin," Law said. "Hold him up."

"Aye, Captain." The two pirates picked the creature up by his arms.

Law jammed his sword into the ground before tossing a punch onto Leeth's face.

Leeth's head snapped backwards, blood shot out of his nose.

Law punched him in the gut, breaking bones and causing more blood to be lost.

Neo placed her hand over her mouth and gagged at the sound of the breaking bones.

"Let's move you away from here." Robin placed her hands on Neo's shoulders and guided her away from the immediate area. Several of the pirates followed to protect Neo should the rest of Leeth's friends come back. Knowing it was what their captain would want the Straw Hats followed and readied themselves for another battle if it came to that.

"Thanks, Robin," Neo said. Keeping her eyes out at the water she took in a few more deep breaths until her stomach had settled down. Once calm her brain started analyzing the situation they were in. And there was only one conclusion she came to since these creatures could drain her magic.

"Hey!" Shachi called out thirty minutes later. "You can come back now! He told us where they are and everything!"

The pirates walked back over to Law. Leeth had countless amount of cuts on him. His left eye was swollen shut. Though with his dark skin it was impossible to see the bruise that was there. His missing fingernails were lying discarded on the ground with a couple of sharp teeth coated in blood.

Neo forced herself to look away before she could gag.

"So where are they?" Usopp asked. "And who are they?"

"Their home is deep within the forest," Penguin said. "And they're creatures that steal magic from other magical creatures. They call themselves leaches. Outside of stealing magic their only real ability is looking into people eyes and reading what they're like. He did that to Neo when she had a hold of him."

"They steal magic?" Usopp looked at the creature. "But why would anyone want to do that?"
"For power," Leeth said. "We can obtain many types of magic."

"So that wind you people were using before came from Neo," Robin said.

"She is rather tasty," Leeth said.

"Tasty?" Usopp asked. "What in the world does that mean?"
"We absorb magic through our mouths," Leech said. "The stronger the magic to tastier it is. And since she is with child it makes her even more tas-"

Neo wrapped her arms around herself and trembled.

Law planted his boot on Leech's face, cutting Leeth off. "That's enough of that." He pulled his sword out from the ground and put it back in its sheath. "And he's going to lead us to them because of the dense forest."

Neo glanced up at him. He had already cleaned up from the blood she knew he got on him from torturing Leech. Plans were already swirling inside of Law's mind. And one part of the plan involved her staying with the sub. When he finally turned to her, she said, "I'm staying here."

Everyone stared at her, some shocked at her words.

"Oh, don't give me that look," Neo said. "We all know I won't be any help with this. These leaches will only drain my magic if I go with you. I'll be a liability. Believe me. I want to go, but I know it's not the smart or right thing to do. So I will be staying here. Besides, I trust you all. You'll get them back without me."

"You really have grown up," Law said.

"Maybe." Neo shrugged. "I still don't like this though."

"Some of us should stay behind in case they come back and try to take Neo again," Penguin said.

Law nodded. He had already been thinking about that. Now it was only a matter of deciding who should stay and who should go.