To the Center

Law tapped his fingers on his thigh to the sound of crickets. His mind spun over and over on the fighters they had currently with them. He really had no idea who should go and who should stay and protect Neo. While they needed their strongest fighters to go after the leeches, they also needed their strongest fighters to protect Neo and their child from getting drained. With how the leeches, mostly Leeth, were drooling over Neo's magic it was a safe bet to assume some of them might come back to try and get her again. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let them get hurt again. They got lucky nothing bad happened to their child. Next time they might not be so lucky.

One person he knew for sure was staying with Neo was Penguin. He knew the man would have the best chance at keeping Neo calm if she got upset at any point. Law's eyes turned to her. Neo was unable to stand still. She was desperately trying to keep her panic and fears in check for herself and their baby by picking at her fingernails, her shirttail, scanning her eyes over the moonlit island, over the sea, and shifting back and forth on her feet. Then she completely started to pick at her shirttail with one hand while caressing her baby bump with the other and taking slow breaths. It was beyond obvious she was extremely worried about her family. It was possible if kept long enough in the clutches of the leeches, the elementals would die due to the depletion of their magic. They had to act quickly.

"Captain?" Bepo said.

Law forced his eyes off Neo and looked at his navigator.

"Have you decided yet who's going and who's staying?" Bepo's fur was almost glowing in the moonlight.

"I think so," Law said. "We're going to have to deal with the majority of the leeches. So I'm thinking that you, Shachi, Zoro, Clione, Uni, Tero, Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Raizo should come with us."

"You wish for us to go with you?" Kin'emon looked at his friends then back to Law. "Are you sure?"

"I am." Law nodded. "The only thing we know for sure is we're going to have to deal with creatures who steal magic from others. Leeth told us they currently have the elementals abilities, which was obvious. That means we're up against all the forces of nature, but not to the extent of the elementals using them. But that doesn't make them any less dangerous or destructive. I figured the best way we have at getting the elementals back with as little harm as possible is to sneak upon them and take them out one by one." He looked at Raizo. "Your particular skills will be very useful here."

"I shall do what I can to bring Lady Neo's family back home safely." Raizo nodded.

"Clione and Uni are the two top stealthiest we have on our crew, excluding Neo," Law said. "I figure it might be best to split up once we get there and take them out as quickly as we possible can."

"I hate to say this but it's too bad we don't have a pollution stone," Usopp said.

"What do you mean?" Neo asked.

"Just a theory, but since they stolen your magic it's possible that the pollution stone would work on them too," Usopp said.

"I suppose it would be worth a shot if we had any. But Law doesn't want that stuff on the sub," Neo said. "He doesn't want me to accidentally get exposed to it or someone else steal it and cause another repeat on Dressrosa." She shivered at the memory and a cold chill. Wrapping her arms around herself she leaned her body into Law's warmth.

Law instantly wrapped his arms around her to warm her up and protect her from the memory and the cool night air. "The rest of you are to set up guard on Neo. Don't let her out of your sight. And, Neo…" He looked down at her. His heart fluttered when his eyes locked onto hers. Tears were glistening in her eyes. He sighed and stroked her hair. She was being so strong. "You stay inside of the sub until this is over. I don't want those creatures anywhere near you."

"Okay." Neo nodded.

"If you have to use your crystals to take the sub under the water and away from this place," Law said. His arms tightened around her when she flinched. She wanted to argue. But she wouldn't. He could tell she knew he was right about this. If the crew got knocked out or trapped completely there would be no saving anyone. But if she got away she could come back with more elementals or her godfather.

"I understand," Neo whispered.

The pirates sat back down around the fire and waited for the sun to rise. Basil placed more logs onto the fire. They snapped, the fire brightened. Some went back to sleep so they could be ready for their tasks ahead while others were unable to sleep.

Neo curled up against Law's side, her eyes running over everyone.

"You need to sleep," Law said.

"I can't," Neo said, snuggling more into his chest. "I'm too worried about them. And why didn't I have a nightmare about this? Why didn't I know something was going to happen to them?"

"Probably because they're not in immediate danger," Law said rubbing her back. "The leeches are going to suck their magic out of them for as long as they can. Most likely their being forced to sleep since they all but passed out when their magic was first taken. They shouldn't be in pain. And I'm going to get them back before you can have a nightmare about it. I'm sure you're going to have plenty of nightmares about Straw Hat and the others."

Neo nodded. "I know you will get them back. And you're right about the others."

"Sleep now," Law said.

Neo yawned to the rhythm of his rubs. Her eyelid grew heavy. She fought it for a few more minutes before allowing sleep to take her over.

Law closed his eyes when her body relaxed against his. But he didn't sleep. He was more concerned about making sure Neo got as much rest as she could before he had to leave.

With in a few measly hours the sun rose above the horizon. The crickets' songs were replaced with chirping birds. For a second he had wanted to put her in their bed but refused to break his promise of always being there when she woke up. "Neo, time to get up."

Neo shifted against him before opening her eyes. She looked up at him with a sigh. "I know. You're leaving now."

"Hopefully it won't be for long," Law said.

Neo nodded. The two got up. Fresh eggs, gravy, and biscuits mixed in the air with the smoke. Basil was standing at the fire, handing out the breakfast he had already prepared for them. She frowned a bit. "I hope you slept some."

"I got a little rest." Basil handed Neo and Law their food. "Don't worry. Just eat and relax."

"Thanks." Neo took the plate then sat back down with Law. The pepper and salt from the gravy danced over her tongue making her hum in delight. "So good."

Law smiled and turned to his own breakfast.

The group ate in silence. A few pirates finished before everyone else and went through some stretches for the up coming fight. Once done with their meal, Law slipped his hand into hers and led her over to the sub. He turned to her. Leaning down he gave her a caressing kiss before pressing his forehead against hers. "I promise I'll be back as soon as possible."

"I know," Neo said. "Still… be careful out there."

"We will." One more kiss and Law walked away from her, his heart clenched.

"Don't worry, Captain," Penguin said. "We'll keep a close eye on her."

Law nodded then joined his group. With Leeth tied up in chains, which was held by Shachi, the group headed towards the forest.

Neo sighed as Law and the others disappeared into the woods. Her mind not only locked onto Law but also the forest. She searched for obstacles they might need to be warned about. But she found none. There were no hidden holes, no giant predators, though she thought some plants and trees were out of place and larger than they should have been. The leeches must have used their stolen magic last night when she was asleep. She shifted her focus to the creatures, but couldn't find them close by at all. They must have been farther into the forest where she couldn't reach them. Her arms wrapped around her body, protecting both herself and their baby.

"Let's get you inside," Robin said placing her hand on Neo's shoulder. "It's not safe out here for you."

"Yeah." Neo nodded.

"We're going to take turns keeping watch," Ikkaku said. "We've decided to have a defense on the island, on the deck, and inside of the sub. We'll rotate after a few hours so everyone can rest and eat."

"I think I'll make sandwiches for lunch," Basil said. "It'll be easier for the crew to eat that than a sit down meal."

"Good plan." Ikkaku nodded. "Any other orders you'd like to give us, Neo?"

"I don't think so. You all seem to have things under control. Just be careful and keep a close eye on the forest and sea," Neo said. "The leeches could come from both."

The crew nodded then divided into three groups. The first group stayed on the island while Neo lifted the rest to the deck. She took one more look at the forest, checked on Law's location, and then entered into the sub. The door was left open for quick news delivery if it was needed. But a few members of the crew stood close by in case the door needed to be shut.

Neo led her own party down the stairs.

"So what do you want to do now?" Usopp asked.

"I don't know," Neo said, her arms still wrapped around herself. "Nothing. I guess. I'm going to get one of Law's hoodies. I'm feeling a bit vulnerable right now."

"How about I make some red raspberry tea for us?" Penguin asked.

"Sounds good." Neo waved to her brother. Reaching the first floor she headed down the hall with Robin following her. Entering into their room she grabbed a hoodie and put it on while heading back out to the hall where Robin was waiting for her. They headed down one level. Stepping into the galley they were greeted by the warm smell of raspberry tea. She sat down with Robin and Usopp at the table. The sniper had his slingshot out and lying on the table, ready for battle, though his hands were holding a steaming mug of tea.

"This tea is amazing," Usopp said.

"Thanks. It's made with very fresh ingredients. Here you go." Penguin placed a mug down in front of Neo and Robin then sat down himself. He lifted his mug into the air. "Drink in good health."

"Thanks." Neo pulled the cup to her face. Heat wafted over her skin. She blew on the tea before taking a small sip. "So how long do you think they'll be gone?"
"It's hard to say for sure," Penguin said.

"Considering the leeches have the magic of elementals you know they're going to use them to slow down the others," Robin said.

"Have you noticed any changes in nature?" Usopp asked.

"I haven't really been looking since we came inside," Neo said. "I've been too worried. But I did notice some of the plant life feels different from yesterday. It's possible they did it when we were sleeping. That would be the only time they could have done it without me noticing. It's possible they used earth magic to change things around in hopes they can delay the other's arrival."

"That would be the best solution for them," Robin said. "Surely they know we have interrogated Leeth."

Neo sighed and propped her chin in her palm. "I feel so useless right now."

"There's no need for that. We all have our moments when we can't help," Penguin said.

"You're doing well in keeping calm," Robin said. "That's the best thing you can do right now."

"Thanks. I'm trying." Neo cupped her baby bump. "I think it's mostly because of our baby. I know I need to be as calm as I can be for him."

"You're doing fine," Penguin said. Reaching across the table he placed his hand on her wrist. "I only hope the captain keeps his head calm and clear, too."

"You know he will," Neo said. "He's always been better at that than I am. Now if I was captured things would be different."

Penguin chuckled, pulling his hand back. "So true. He would have sliced up this entire island just to get you back."

"Yeah." Neo smiled. "He's so cute when he worries about me. I wonder what Godfather would do if he was here."

"That's easy." Basil walked into the room. "He's used his haki to knock out all of the leeches. There's no way they'd have escaped from us last night if he were here."

"I wonder what he's doing right now," Neo said.

"You getting a bad feeling about him?" Penguin asked.

"No. It's not a bad feeling. It's more like a feeling of him being up to something he probably shouldn't be," Neo said. "Maybe I should go see him."

"You know you can," Penguin said.

Neo hummed. "I might. For now I think I'll leave him alone. He might be busy. Plus I'd rather wait until we get the others back. He won't be happy they have been taken."

"You have a point," Basil said. "He'd probably come and help. Surely elementals are traveling with him right now considering the super novas are after the emperors."

"I wonder what happened to those other ones," Neo said. "You know, the ones that was in the newspapers with our own alliance? Do you think they have tried to take out an emperor yet?"

"If they had we would have heard about it by now," Robin said.

Neo yawned.

"Tired?" Penguin asked.

"A little bit," Neo said, rubbing her eye. "I didn't get much sleep last night. Baby's a bit tired, too. I think he senses that something is wrong."

"I won't doubt it," Basil said. "Considering who his parents are he's going to be a smart kid."

"I don't see how you all can keep so calm about all this," Usopp said.

"What do you mean?" Neo looked at the sniper.

"Well, you know what Tra is like," Usopp said. "Can you imagine what he's going to teach your child to do with and without his crystals?"
"Oh, that. We've talked about it," Neo said. "He won't do much." She paused in thought. "Well, never mind. I'm sure he'll teach our son to be as mischievous as possible no matter how many times we discuss the matter."

"And the power over an element is only going to make that worse," Usopp said with a shiver. "Can you imagine what he could do with them?" He slammed his hands down on the table, rattling the mugs. "Please! Whatever you do, do not have a child with the power over fire!"

"Why?" Neo blinked.

"Because fire is the most deathly element in the world!" Usopp said.

"All the elements are deadly. You can drown in water. Fall into the earth with earthquakes or have a tree or large rock fall on you. Be blown away by the wind. Get poisoned by deadly plants," Robin said. "And-"

"Robin! Don't say things like that!" Usopp turned blue. "They might be dangerous but fire is the most feared element in the world!" He turned back to Neo. "I beg you! Do not have a fire baby!"

"Uh, I'm sorry. But I don't have control over what element our baby has," Neo said.

"Is there anyway you can tell what it's going to be before he's born?" Usopp said. "I'd like to prepare."

"No. I'm afraid not," Neo said. "An elemental baby's crystal isn't revealed until some time after it's born. The time varies from baby to baby."

"Just great. Wait a second," Usopp said. "Didn't Sanji say he could see the baby's spirit with his observation haki?"
"I believe so." Neo nodded.

"What color was it?" Usopp asked.

"I'm not sure I remember," Neo said before taking a drink of her tea. "And I don't really care what element our baby has."

Robin smiled, taking a drink of her own tea.

"Why would it even matter?" Basil asked.

"Because," Usopp said, "maybe he can tell what element the baby is having. He said before Neo's spirit were the colors of the elements. That has to apply to all elementals."

"I don't think it matters," Penguin said.

"It doesn't," Neo said. "We'll love him no matter what element he controls."

"Just as long as you control him," Usopp said. "That's all I'm worried about."

"Honestly, I figured you'd be more worried about your captain," Basil said.

"Huh? Why?" Usopp looked at the cook.

"Because of the way he acts," Basil said. "He's already really fond of Neo. Surely he's going to be as protective over the baby as he is her. They are connected to Shanks after all."

Usopp's mouth fell open. The color drained from his face. He grabbed his head and screamed. "No! How could I have not thought about that before?! Luffy is going to be worse that Tra when it comes to the baby!"

Neo watched the sniper freak out before laughing. "You're so funny!"

"Now's not the time to laugh! Now is the time to panic!" Usopp said.

Neo laughed harder.

"This is not a good time to have a playful mood swing!" Usopp said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "We need a plan in place to stop those two!"

"I think it's a great time for a playful mood swing," Penguin said. "It'll help her relax."

"You're all insane!" Usopp slumped onto the table. Tears continued streaming down his face and over the table. "We're going to die!"

"Is he always this dramatic?" Basil asked.

Robin nodded.

"I think we should play!" Neo clapped her hands together.

"What do you want to play?" Penguin asked.

Neo hummed. "I don't know. Maybe we can just hit the beach ball around for a while? Maybe we can play that beach ball basketball game we played before?"

"Beach ball basketball?" Usopp asked pulling himself up off the table. "What's that?"
"Basically what it sounds like. You hit a beach ball around and try to get it into a basketball hoop," Penguin said.

"Wouldn't the ball be too big for a basketball hoop?" Usopp asked.

"That's why we made one big enough for the beach ball to fit," Penguin said.

"I see," Usopp said.

"Finish your tea, Neo," Penguin said. "We'll play after that."

"Yeah!" Neo nodded, turning her attention back to her tea. The liquid had cooled off enough she could drink it fast, but not gulp it down. Done drinking she placed the mug down. "Finished! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"

"Okay, okay," Penguin said. "We're not done with our tea yet."

Neo rocked back and forth in her chair. Placing her hands under her thighs she waited for the rest of the pirates to finish drinking their tea. When they were done she wrapped her winds around them and pulled them out the door.

"Hey! I need to wash those dishes!" Basil said.

"Wash later! Play now!" Her bells bounced off the walls of the quiet sub.

"She's impossible when she gets like this, isn't she?" Usopp asked.

"She's cute," Robin said.

"Of course you'd think that," Usopp said. "So would Luffy, Chopper, and Sanji."

Neo paused and lowered them to the floor. Tears swelled up in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Usopp asked.

"Sanji." Neo dropped to the floor and curled into herself.

Penguin and Basil glared and growled at Usopp. "Idiot."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to upset her," Usopp said.

"Don't worry about him, Neo." Robin knelt down beside her friend. "He'll be fine. He's tough."

"I know." Neo looked at her. "But isn't the Germa family tough, too? I don't really know much about them."

"They're a kingdom of science," Robin said. "They have enhanced their fighting abilities through scientific means."

"Oh." Neo's shoulders slumped.

"Don't worry about it. Sanji's also strong. He'll be fine. Plus, remember Luffy is on his way over there," Usopp said. "Let's go play now."

"Yeah!" Neo smiled. Picking them back up in her winds, she flew them down to the training room.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to keep up with these mood swings of hers," Usopp said.

"Then don't cause them!" Penguin and Basil shouted.

"I said I was sorry!" Usopp said.

Neo pulled them into the training room. She landed and threw out her hands. "We're here!"

"Yeah. We noticed," Usopp said.

"You don't have to be mean." Neo pouted.

"Forgive me." Usopp bowed his head to her.

"You're such a good boy." Neo patted him on the head.

"So where's the ball?" Usopp asked looking around the room. His eyes landed on a large hoop hanging on the wall at the far end of the room. "Wow. You weren't kidding. But, um, why do you have something like that in the first place?"
"We used it to help Neo become more confident in herself," Penguin said. "We played a lot of games with her before she and the captain headed off for Punk Hazard."

Neo waved her hand. Her wind slipped over to a crate and pulled the beach ball out of it. She took it in her hands when it got close enough. "They sure taught me a lot. Now enough talking about the past. Let's play!"

"How are we going to divide up into teams?" Usopp said. "We have an uneven number here."

"Boys verses girls!" Neo sang.

"That'll make it three against two," Usopp said. "Not really fair."

"True. But she never said devil fruits and magic were out." Penguin smiled.

"That's not fair!" Usopp said.

"Aw, come on, Usopp." Neo dropped the ball and wrapped her arms around his neck. Fluttering her eyelashes she said, "It'll be fun. Besides just because we can use our gifts doesn't mean we'll win."

"Will you stop looking at me like that?!" Usopp said.

"Give in, Usopp," Penguin said. "You're not going to get out of this."

Usopp sighed. "Fine. Let's just play."

"Yeah!" Neo leaped into the air, suspending herself there with her wind.

"So how does this go?" Usopp asked.

"You just hit the ball around to your team and get it into the hoop," Basil said. "First team to twenty points wins."

"Let's go!" Neo picked the ball up then bumped it to Robin.

Robin bumped the ball through the air.

Neo summoned her wings. She flew forward, bumping the ball again. It flew towards the hoop.

Basil rushed forward, spiking it away from the hoop before it could go in. "Sorry, Princess. You're not going to score that easily."

"Oh!" Neo puffed out her cheeks. The game proceeded. After five minutes of hitting the ball around, with hands attached to the body and just about everywhere else, the girl team finally scored their first point. It took ten more minutes for the guys to score a point. Gradually the points climbed. Scoring their fifteenth point, Neo sat down on the ground with a huff then a yawn. "Sorry, guys. I think I'm done for now. I'm getting too tired."

"That's fine," Penguin said. "We can finish the game later."

"Good." Neo nodded.

"You should go rest," Robin said.

"Preferably in your bed," Usopp added. "Surely it won't be comfortable for you to sleep on the floor in here."

"Okay." Neo yawned again. "But I want to sleep in the rec. room. I don't want to be alone in our room until Law comes back."

"I'll escort you there." Penguin offered his hand.

"Thanks, Pen." Neo took his hand and helped her stand. She followed him out of the room then up the stairs. Reaching the rec. room she curled up on the couch, falling asleep instantly.

Penguin pulled the cover off the back of the couch and laid it over her, tucking it in so she would be warm. Stepping over to the bookshelf he pulled a book off then pull a chair close to the couch to sit on. Robin walked in at that point. He looked at her. "Need something?"
"I think I'd like to read for a while," Robin said.

"I see. Where did the other's go?" Penguin asked.

"Basil went to the kitchen to do the dishes. And Usopp went outside to check on the others." Robin grabbed her a book and sat down at the table. She opened her book.

Penguin turned his eyes back to his own book.

Law sighed with relief when he felt Neo fall asleep. For a while he was concerned that she would force herself to stay awake until he came back. He was glad to feel she wasn't going to fight it. She was thinking of their baby. "Good girl."

"Something wrong, Captain?" Shachi asked.

"No," Law said. "Neo just fell asleep."

"That's good to hear," Shachi said. "Time will pass faster for her."

Zoro looked around the forest. "Does this place look different to anyone else?"

"Now that you mention it," Shachi said looking around. The leaves flowed in the wind. Flowers were peppered all over the forest floor and looked a little bigger than they should have. The group stopped walking. "Things do look a little different."

"Perhaps Neo did this when we weren't looking?" Tero said.

"No," Law said. "I would know if it was her. Remember these leeches have her magic."

"So the leeches are probably trying to throw us off guard," Uni said. "For all we know we could be walking in circles."

"Not likely," Tero said. "We haven't made any turns. Besides we have a guide."

"A guide that could lead us the wrong way. Are you sure this is the right way?" Clione asked.

"They have changed the island in an attempt to keep you from finding our home," Leeth said, his eyes gleaming. "I cannot be sure."

"You better figure it out then." Law glanced back over his shoulder with a glare. "Unless you want to go through another torture session."

Leeth grimaced. "We are going the right way. Our home is located directly in the center of the island."

"So as long as we keep going straight we'll get there," Bepo said sniffing the air. "I can smell some of them. They're probably going to attack us soon."

"Then we shall keep on our toes," Kin'emon said.

"Perhaps I should take a higher route," Raizo said.

"Do it." Law nodded. "Clione and Uni go with him and keep out of sight. When we get closer we're going to be relying on you three to take as many of them out as you can."

"Aye, Captain." Clione and Uni nodded before leaping into the trees with the ninja.

The rest of the group continued walking through the forest.

"Perhaps it might be a good idea to attack from above," Kin'emon said. "Those creatures had wind sorcery yet they did not take to the air."

"It could be possible they didn't even know to," Bepo said.

"Bepo has a point." Law looked at Leeth. "They didn't seem to have been use to the elementals magic. It's possible they never came across them before."

"You are good," Leeth said. "This is the first time we have tastes such delicious magic." He licked his lips. "I wish to taste it again. I do hope you will be defeated soon. Then I will go back and reclaim that woman with the powerful magic."

"That won't happen." Law gripped his sword. "I will kill you before you get the chance."

"Keep moving." Shachi jerked the chain.

Leeth stumbled forward.

They all started walking again. A few minutes went by before Law stepped closer to the two samurai and Tero with a plan for them. He said, "When we get closer I want you three to take to the air. We're going to take them by as much surprise as possible."

"You thinking they're going to have an ambush set up for us?" Tero asked.

"You know that's always a possibility," Law said.

"Then we shall take to the air," Kin'emon said. "Kanjuro can assist us."

Kanjuro nodded. "I shall serve you to the best of my abilities."

"Great," Tero said.

"His drawing abilities are horrible," Law said. "But it'll get you three into the air."

"Fine," Tero said. "Still I prefer to fly with someone I trust."

Law turned his eyes to his left at the sound of rustling leaves. His body tensed. Despite knowing she was safer back at the sub part of him still wished Neo were with him. She would be able to tell if someone was sneaking around in the woods.

"Captain," Bepo whispered. "Something's coming."

Law pulled out his sword seconds before vines snapped out at them. "Room!" He sliced up multiple vines. "Scatter!"

The group leaped from the attacks.

Law swiped his sword through the air. Vines fell to the ground. He looked around. His crewmembers were doing well in surviving against them as they leaped to avoid the attack, letting the vines hit trees instead, and running along them in multiple directions so they ended up tying the vines like shoe laces. Training them with Neo was one of the best decisions he had ever made.

Shachi was forcing Leeth to run along with him. Law pulled his eyes from them when the familiar sound of a rumble caught his attention. Four leeches were gathered together. Then hands were turned, palm down, to the ground. A large rock poked up from the ground. They lifted it up and shot it at Shachi and Leeth. "Room! Shambles!"

The rock vanished. It thumped onto the ground upon reappearing a few yards away. Another rock flew through the air. Law was unable to move fast enough. The rock smashed into Shachi. The chain fell from his hand as the rock pushed his body to the ground. "Shambles!"

Shachi disappeared and reappeared next to Law, saved from becoming a pancake. "Ouch."

"You okay?" Law asked.

"I'll live," Shachi said rubbing his head. "Sorry. I dropped the chain."

"Don't worry about that." Law watched as a couple leeches freed Leeth from his chains. He held up his hand to warp the creature back to him. The wind picked up. Leaves scattered around, blocking their view. He blocked his face with his arm to keep the leaves from slicing his skin up. It didn't take long for the wind to die down. The leeches were gone. "Just great."

"What now?" Shachi picked himself up off the ground. "He's going to tell them of our plans."

"We'll just have to change them," Law said.

"Into what?" Bepo asked as they all gathered around.

"A few minutes ago I told Tero and the two samurai to take to the air. They'll be good in an aerial attack. I still think the ninja, Clione, and Uni will be good in sneak attacks. That leaves the rest of us. We'll be going in after the stealth team and attack as hard as we can. Then the aerial team will dive in and hit as hard as they can. I'm sure we all know that Leeth will tell the others what he knows about us. But our stealth team will still use their abilities to their advantage." He looked at the stealth team. "Stay back for a few minutes then attack when you can. Try to stay out of sight, but if you get spotted and the leeches are alerted don't hesitate to take a direct approach."

The groups nodded in understanding.

"Then let's move on." Law took the lead. "They'll probably set traps up for us along the way so be prepared for them."

Keeping his eyes peeled, Law scanned the area for any signs of movement. The men behind him were doing the same thing. Only they were a bit on the skittish side. When a bird would fly off from a limb they'd jump and raise their fists or weapons to attack. He couldn't blame them. They had no idea where the next attack would come from. And animals could attack them as well. Though the leeches showed no signs of actually being able to speak to animals he still needed to watch out for that little ability.

The minutes and island ticked by the farther they moved inland. No attack came.

"This so weird," Bepo said. "I figured they would have attacked us by now."

"It's possible they are waiting in their village, or whatever, to do that," Shachi said.

"It's also possible they're heading back to the sub," Zoro said.

"Should we turn around?" Shachi asked.

"No," Law said. "There's no way they'd carry the elementals back to the sub like that. They'd leave them somewhere they think would be protected."

"Whoa!" Shachi gasped as they stepped around a tree.

Law paused. His eyes lift to the line of giant cedar trees that appeared in front of them.

"Looks like the leeches have been busy," Zoro said.

"We're apparently close," Tero said. "We've been walking for over two hours now."

"Then let's get into positions," Law said.

Kanjuro pulled out his giant paintbrush. Stepping to a clearing he drew two birds, like the one he did in Dressrosa, their proportions uneven.

"Not again," Zoro said.

Law agreed silently. But at least he wasn't the one that had to ride this drawing. He turned his eyes to Tero. The man was scowling at the odd bird as it peeled itself off the forest floor.

"You have got to be kidding," Tero said. "That thing looks like a small breeze could blow it away. And we're up against creatures using the wind."

"Maybe they won't notice you all high up?" Bepo said.

Tero growled at him.

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

"Let's just go." Tero climbed upon the bird. The aerial team took to the air, disappearing out of sight the higher they went above the canopy.

Law walked forward. Entering into the trees the smells of cedar flooded his nose. He pushed the smaller branches aside and ducked under or climbing over the bigger ones. His body tensed. With the smell of the cedar and the thickness of the trees it would be impossible for them to see, or Bepo to smell, an attack coming. Maybe that was the leeches' plan. Those creatures knew this island better than they did. They had the upper hand on him and his crew. Drawing in a deep breath, he exhaled it. His mind was running off into places he didn't want to go. He needed to remain relaxed. If he were tense there would be no way he could react quick enough to avoid an attack. He continued on, leading the groups through the trees. Finally, after several minutes of intense walking, he broke through the band of trees. His eyes widened. They had reached the middle of the island. Only instead of finding any sort of town or village they were only greeted by a pavilion with large columns holding up the three dome roofs.

"What in the world?" Shachi asked.

"What is this place?" Zoro added.

They moved closer to the pavilion. Law placed his hand on the smooth off-white pillar. "Looks like it's ivory."

"Are you saying they killed a bunch of elephants to make this place?" Clione asked.

"No," Law said. "If there were any elephants on this island then Neo would have told us about them. She wouldn't have passed up an opportunity to go play with them."

"Maybe there are some sort of ivory mines around here." Uni looked around.

"Hey." Tero moved closer to them from above. "It looks like there's a staircase in the middle of the pavilion."

Law walked up the three steps, his boots clicking on the ivory floor. A square opening was carved out on the floor under the middle dome.

"You can't be serious," Zoro said. "We have to go underground? I thought they were located in the center of the island."

"Well, apparently it had a different meaning than we thought it did," Shachi said.

"Clearly. But why couldn't he have told us he mean that literally?" Zoro grumbled.

"Apparently, he's stronger towards torture than I thought," Law said. "But this changes nothing. We proceed with the best of our abilities. First we need to gather information on what's inside. The stealth team is to go in first. We'll follow after you at three minute intervals. Once you locate their homes come back and tell us the layout. We'll continue on from there until we find where the elementals are. If we're lucky they'll be easy to locate."

"Well, we might as well get to it," Uni said.

Clione nodded. He looked to Raizo. With a nod from the ninja the three headed down the stairs first.

Law watched the three disappear down into the darkness. He hope there was some kind of light the farther they went down. They were going to be in some serious trouble if there wasn't. Three minutes came and gone. He led his group down the stairs. Carefully, they stepped down the stairs. Then a yellow glow from an unseen source floated over the area, giving them enough light to see the stairs and the illustrations on the wall.

"Well, that's handy," Shachi said. "Automatic light source."

"What do you think these illustrations mean?" Bepo asked, his eyes locked on the wall as they descended.

"They could be recordings of history or just art," Law said. "Never mind them. We're not here for that."

"Aye," Bepo said.

Twenty minutes went by before they came to the end of the staircase. A short tunnel greeted them. A brighter light shone from it. Without knowing where it led or where the stealth team was, they waited. Minutes later they were joined by the aerial teams. Then fifteen minutes later the stealth team came back. Law turned to them. "Well?"
"It looks to be like any other village," Clione said.

"With the exception of all their lights are coming from an unseen source," Uni said.

"Sorcery without a doubt," Raizo said.

"Or some form of crystals like Neo's," Law said.

"Anyway, their buildings are all in a circle basically. They surround a larger tower that's connected to the floor and the ceiling of the cavern," Clione said. "They also have plenty of flowers and bushes but no trees. And there's a small stream running through the middle of the place."

"There are also guards posted around the tower," Uni said. "We assume that could be the place where they're holding the elementals. That or it's a trick."

"All right. We'll focus our attack there," Law said. "You three continue sneaking around. Take out as many leeches as you can while continuing to search for the elementals in case the tower isn't where they are." He turned to the aerial team. "You keep to the original plan I have for you. I'll take my group into the tower and free the elementals if they're there."

After a nod the groups split up again. The stealth team went in first and disappeared. The aerial team went in next, going up as high as they could. They were followed by Law's team. Lifting their weapons, Law and his group didn't hesitate to make their presence known. They charged right into the village, slicing and maiming leeches as they went. Some of the leeches ran away from the fight. Mothers rushed their children away from the fight and into their homes. Other leeches ran towards the pirates, using their elements to attack.

The pirates dug their heels into the ground when the wind picked up.

"Hey, they're not as strong as before," Bepo said.

"They must be running out of magic," Shachi said. "If we're lucky they won't drain anymore magic from the elementals before we find them."

Law glanced around. Something wasn't sitting right with him. There should have been more here to attack them. So where were they? His heart hammered. Bepo had smelled some of these creatures when they were still out in the woods. Yet they were never attacked and they never saw them. He cursed.

"What's wrong, Captain?" Shachi kicked a leech away from him before sidestepping a small barrage of stones.

"The leeches have gone after Neo!" Law said.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro slashed down several leeches.

"Look at the number of houses here! Then look at the number of leeches attacking us!" Law said.

"Oh crap!" Shachi said. The houses outnumbered the leeches.

"What do we do?!" Bepo cried.

"We keep moving forward!" Law lifted two leeches with his powers and slammed them together. "Neo knows what to do if they are attacked!"

"You should still warn her!" Zoro said slicing vines and giant flowers as they attacked.

Law gritted his teeth. He sliced limbs off some leeches and tossed them aside. The air around him heated up. He warped himself and his group out of the way of a blast of fire. 'Neo!'

'What is it, Law?'

'Some leeches are coming your way! Probably a lot! There's not many attacking us here!'

'Right. Don't worry about us. We'll be ready for them.'

Law exhaled. Putting his trust into Neo, he refocused back on his own battle.

AmbertheCat: Hope you're feeling better now.

Noble Pirate: Yeah, it has been a while. I want to do more chapters until Wano comes out. We'll have to see what happens. They're saying we're going to enter into Wano with the next chapter of One Piece. But who knows for sure? We'll just have to wait and see if it happens.

FanficReader1212: I'm trying to. I got this idea then hit a wall. It's taken so long to get this chapter written.