Settling In
While Archer guided the sub up to the surface Neo, Law, Kailen, Penguin, and Bepo headed for the deck. The sub rose above the surface with its usual grace. Gears groaned and clanked with the opening of the door.
"Sounds like the door could use some oil." Penguin eyed the door, as it swung open.
"Let Conner know about it." Neo looked at Penguin. "It'll need it before the sub just sits in the cave for who knows how long."
Penguin nodded. "I'll let him know soon."
Neo turned back to the door and they stepped out onto the deck. The ocean was slightly calmer the closer they got to the island. But she still had to have her water crystals out. The fierceness of the whirlpool made her uneasy.
Kailen eyed the wall of rock and dirt in front of them. His earth crystals appeared around him. He shifted them closer to the island. "Well, here we go."
Neo looked up. The cliff narrowed above her. It was so high it looked to be touching the clouds above them. Her fingers rubbed over her tight chest. A light suffocating feeling started settling into her core. Animal voices, even plant voices, screamed inside of her head, begging for food, clean water, or the mercy of death.
"Neo?" Law asked.
"I'm fine." Neo forced her eyes off the island and looked at him. "It hurts. The animals here and the island are suffering so much. It's really confusing as to how anything is surviving here."
Law nodded. He slipped his fingers through hers bringing comfort to her like always.
"So how long is this going to take?" Penguin asked.
"Well." Kailen eyed the dirt he was moving away. "Probably twenty minutes or so to carve out a space big enough for the sub to fit through. The ground here appears to be very stable. There are some rather large rocks in the dirt thought. I need to be careful not to move things too quickly. A lot of the rocks are stabilizing this side of the island."
"Take your time, Kailen." Neo looked at her brother. "We're not in a big hurry to get there. How are you feeling?"
Kailen nodded. "I'm all right. I feel what you do. We'll just have to see what happens to our bodies as the time passes."
"Let me know if anything hurts," Neo said. "I'll use my solar crystal on you."
Kailen nodded again. "Will do."
"I'll tell the crew to chill out for a while." Penguin headed back into the sub.
Neo's eyes remained on Kailen before sounds from the door drew her attention. Conner was there. Grease floated on the air as he was working on the door. A minute later the Straw Hats wandered out onto the deck.
"So this is it." Usopp looked up at the island. "I'm so not ready for this. Do you think Kaido is up there right now?" He looked at Neo. "Can you tell? Kaido is said to be a beast."
"I remember rumors about how Kaido can turn himself into a dragon. Never knew if they were true or not." Neo closed her eyes. Hundreds of pained voices plagued her ears. She weeded through them, trying to find a large dragon like presence on the island. "There's so many different animals up there from man made devil fruits. But none of them are overshadowing another. I could be wrong but I don't believe that Kaido is here right now. Assuming the rumors are true I'd think he would stand out above the others."
"That's good to know." Usopp sighed. His shoulders slumped with relief.
"We can't relax," Zoro said. "We're still in Kaido's territory. You know he has numerous amounts of subordinates up there."
"We're going to have to be on our toes," Robin said. "If we get caught he might cut them off before killing us. Or maybe break them one by one."
"Do you have to be so morbid?" Usopp glared.
"This is an solitary island." Franky looked around. "How many of them do you think know what we look like?"
"Do you think they'll all know what we look like?" Bepo looked to Law. "Kaido surely spread out our bounty posters."
"Not likely." Law brushed his thumb over Neo's hand. "Kaido wants to keep this country isolated from what's going on in the world. Yes, they're will be a few who know us from seen our bounty posters while sailing the seas, but it's highly unlikely that he spread them out among the people who live here."
"We'll have to blend in with the country." Neo tapped her free hand on her thigh. Her eyes drifted to Law. She wondered what he would look like in a kimono like Kin'emon wore. Her eyes wandered up to his hair. "Well, you and the crew should fit in find. You all have dark hair colors. How many here do you think have blue hair?"
"Don't worry about it." Law looked at her. "You're not going to wander around much anyway."
"Oh?" Neo lifted an eyebrow.
Law smirked. "You know you won't. Besides we need to be careful who sees you. The fighters in this country are going to be strong. They'll be able to sense you're an elemental. We don't want them running back to Kaido and telling him we're here."
Neo wrinkled her nose. "I forgot about that. I hope I don't have to hide the whole time. I'll get too bored."
"Don't worry about it." Law squeezed her hand. "We'll find safe places for you to visit."
Neo nodded. Though she knew she most likely wouldn't wander off very far. Law knew her too well. Her hand lifted to her stomach. There was also their baby to think about. With each passing day she was getting closer and closer to her due date. The thought was still a mix of excitement and fear.
Twenty minutes passed. Archer moved the sub into the cave Kailen created.
Fire washed over them when Topaz walked out onto the deck. "So we've finally got into the island." She gathered her crystals into a group to give them more light near the cave walls.
"Well, that parts done." Kailen sealed up the opening, casting more darkness around them.
"How are you feeling?" Neo asked.
"I feel a little bit drained." Kailen sat down on the deck. "I guess the pollution here is going to drain our magic and energy quicker. Despite it only being twenty minutes I feel like I've used my magic for two days straight. We're going to have to be careful how much we use them."
Neo nodded. She summoned her solar crystal and washed its healing glow over him.
"Still we've got a lot of work ahead of us." Healer Zinnia stepped out of the sub. She knelt down to Kailen and examined him. "We should get to work if we want to get to the top of the island before the sun sets. I suggest we alternate the work. You rest for now."
Kailen nodded.
Turning to the wall in front of them the healer started working the dirt and rocks into stairs.
Neo shifted from foot to foot. Her eyes remained on her brother and his tiredness but her mind was on their mission. As soon as they reached the top their mission would officially start. Well technically she knew it already had, but this part would start. They were starting a new life on a new island. It was just like Punk Hazard, only worse in so many ways.
The minutes ticked by. The dirt started taking shape.
A yawn escaped Neo. The worrying and the waiting, and the pollution, was starting to get to her. She leaned against Law's arm with a sigh. Her solar crystal faded.
Without a word Law slipped his arm around her waist and guided her inside of the sub.
Neo didn't need any prompting when they got to their room. She instantly climbed onto their bed. When Law laid down beside her, she curled against his side and fell asleep instantly.
Her dream started off pleasant.
Neo walked barefooted through a field of yellow flowers that were in the shape of the sun. The air was warm. The sky cloudless. It was paradise.
Then, suddenly, the peace was broken. Several gunshots rang out in the air. Hot lead over took the pleasant smell of the flowers.
Shadowed figures appeared and ran past her.
Neo watched them, wondering who they were and where they were going. She was tempted to follow them when Sanji materialized from nowhere and walked towards her. She stepped towards him. "Sanji! I'm so relieved! I've been very worried about you!"
Sanji didn't reply. His expression was stern.
"Sanji?" Neo blinked.
Sanji still didn't reply to her. He only continued walking towards her.
Neo couldn't hear his words when he spoke. More gunshots fired. Sanji tilted his head to his left then to his right with each gunshot. Her heart pounded. Was someone shooting at him? He disappeared. "Sanji!"
Neo gasped. Her eyes flew open. "Sanji!"
"Neo?"
Neo looked at Law. Her heart raced but started to slow down. "I'm okay. It wasn't a nightmare. Not really. Just a bad dream. I think Sanji was being shot at. But with his observation haki he was able to avoid it."
"That's good." Law stroked her hair.
Neo sighed then noticed a book was propped against his leg. "How long have I been asleep?"
"About two hours," Law said. "The healer woman and Kailen have made a lot of progress on the stairs. Another couple of hours and we'll reach the top."
"Oh. I guess they're doing okay in rotating."
Law nodded. "They are."
Neo snuggled closer to Law, gripping his shirt. "I'm not ready to leave home yet."
"We don't have to sleep on the island," Law said. "We can always come back to the sub."
"I know. It's just the idea." Neo closed her eyes. She continued to lean against him, her hand loosening. She didn't even look up when he moved to reclaim his book.
Their comfort time was disrupted by a knock at the door.
"Come in," Law said.
The door opened and Topaz stepped inside. "We're about to break through the top. I was thinking as soon as we get up there I should head into town with a few others and buy clothing that would suit our lives here. I know Kin'emon's devil fruit allows him to create things but it would be better if we didn't have to worry about them disappearing on us."
"Very well." Law lowered his book. "Be sure to change into normal day clothing or have Kin'emon give you a disguise. While most of the people here won't know our Jolly Roger Kaido's pirates will."
"Understood." Topaz nodded.
"Be careful, Topaz." Neo looked at her. "People will sense our difference."
"I understand. I was also going to use this trip into town to see how many people actually notice me," Topaz said. "I'll report back as soon as possible."
"All right." Neo nodded.
Topaz nodded back then left the room.
"So this is it." Neo rubbed her hand on Law's chest.
"So it is." Law placed his book on the nightstand. "Might as well go check on the progress."
Neo nodded before climbing off the bed. She used the bathroom before heading back to the deck with him. There they found Topaz had lit some roots they found on fire. Shadows danced over the tunnel Kailen and Healer Zinnia were still working on from the flickering flames.
Another hour passed before Basil brought out some snacks and sandwiches for those who were outside of the sub.
…
"They've broken through," Neo said when she felt them breaking through the top.
"Let's go then," Law said before ordering the majority of the crew to stay behind while they checked things out.
Neo reluctantly stood up with him. She wrapped her winds around the Wano residences, the Straw Hats, Kailen, Penguin and herself and Law before flying them to the stairs. Despite the fires leading them up the stairs there was a coolness surrounding them. Or maybe it was just her pregnancy. No one else appeared to be cold.
They reached the top of the stairs. Neo lit up a few more fire crystals. The light revealed to them a damaged room. Broken and burnt wood beams and other unidentifiable objects was scattered around the room. The room appeared to be a storage room but she couldn't be positive. It wasn't big enough to be a bedroom or a living room. If it weren't for the obvious destruction of the place she would have assumed they entered into someone's home. "What is this place?"
"This is Oden Castle," Kin'emon said. "Or it use to be. This is what's left now."
Neo focused on the damaged castle since it was mostly made of wood and stones. The foundation felt strong, but she wasn't sure if they were safe in here. This place could collapse at any moment. "Is it safe for us to be in here? It doesn't feel like it'll fall down but still…"
"It shall be fine," Kin'emon said. "In fact this will be the perfect place for us to reside while we wait for the rival of Sir Luffy. No one comes here."
"We're going to have to clean this place up a bit then. I don't want anyone to get poked with a rusted nail or something." Neo continued to look around. Her eyes landed on a nail lying in the floor just waiting for someone to step on it with a bare foot. "And I want this place reinforced. Kailen, are you feeling okay to do that?"
"I'm still a bit tired." Kailen nodded. "But I'll get to it as soon as possible."
Neo summoned her solar crystal again for him.
"So what now?" Zoro asked.
"We speak about our plans here." Kin'emon sat down. The rest followed him. "I welcome you to our country. Now listen, my friends. The Shogun's name is Kurozumi Orochi. His officials and underlings stink of Kaido. Every last one. That is why they're being allowed to run amok here. If we were to lay a hand on them, Kaido would know of it fast. Until our comrades arrive, and we've made the necessary preparations for our fight, we cannot allow ourselves to be found out. First, we will need to become citizens of this country. Quietly and calmly."
"Do you have ideas for us to do that?" Neo asked.
"Indeed I do." Kin'emon nodded. "Those of you who will be out in the public more shall need to adopt names that fit this place." He looked to the Straw Hats. "Your skills as a shipwright will come in handy here. You shall be a carpenter named Franosuke. We need you to obtain blueprints of Kaido's residents. You shall be Usohachi and work as a toad oil salesman. Your task shall be to help find and gather our allies. You shall also assist in gather allies as a ronin of the country, Zorojuro."
"Toad oil salesman and gathering allies?" Usopp rubbed his chin. "I can handle that."
"Ronin? I like it." Zoro smiled.
"I'll do a super job at being a carpenter!" Franky said. "Count on me!"
"And you shall be a geisha named O-Robi." Kin'emon look to Robin.
"A geisha?" Neo frowned. Possessiveness of Robin washed over her. She wrapped her arms around Robin's. "I don't want a bunch of men looking at my Robin."
Robin smiled.
"It must be," Kin'emon said. "O-Robi will have the best chance of getting information if she is to dance for Orochi's men. This way she can gather intel on the shogun."
Neo huffed. "I still don't like it. What if they try and hurt her? Or worse?"
"I'll be fine, Neo." Robin patted her hand.
Still not satisfied, Neo kept her hold on Robin.
"The men must wear a topknot in their hair if they do not wear a hat," Kin'emon. "And you must acquire kimonos to wear while running about the country."
"It's already handled," Law said. "Topaz will take a few of our crew into town to acquire kimonos for us."
Kin'emon nodded. "I shall assist them with my sorcery. That way they will blend into the country better. We will also be making copies of our clan's symbol for you to pass out to our allies." He looked to Law. "Sir Law, if you would, your skills as a doctor would come in handy here as well. If you were to set up a clinic then you could also search for our comrades."
"I'll consider it," Law said.
Kin'emon stood up. "And there is one more thing we must discuss before we separate. Come with me."
"Can't you just talk to us here about it?" Penguin asked.
"Yeah," Usopp added. "Why do we have to leave?"
"It is something you must see for yourselves. Otherwise you will not believe." Kin'emon paused for a moment, his face contorted in pain and regret, before disappearing out the door with his friends who held the same pain and regret in their eyes.
Sharing confused looks the pirates then stood and followed the three Wano warriors outside.
Neo glanced over the land. Musky clouds of pollution pour out of smokestacks. The clouds hovered over the island as if there was an invisible barrier keeping it in place. The pollution gathered in her chest, making her cough. Summoning a wind crystal she blew a clear breeze around them. Forcing her eyes off the damage she noticed Kin'emon had led them to a graveyard. Upon seeing the names on the grave markers they all gasped.
"What?!" Usopp shrieked. "You're all dead?! But how?! We see you standing right here! Are you ghosts?!"
"No." Neo's eyes landed on Momonosuke's name. Her hands trembled. Her heart seized up. "Momo… it's not possible. Momo's alive. We were with him for days."
"What is the meaning of this?" Law asked.
"In a way you can say that we are indeed dead," Kin'emon said.
With another scream Usopp jumped behind Zoro. "S-stay away from me! I don't want anything to do with you ghosts!"
"That doesn't make any sense," Zoro said. "Just tell us what's going on."
"Let's go back inside now. It's not safe for us to be out here like this." Kin'emon led them back into the castle to the room they were in. They all sat back down and waited for him to tell them what was going on. Raizo and Kanjuro sat behind him. With a nod Kin'emon started talking again. "The three of us here, before you, as well as Momonosuke and a female friend of ours named Kiku… altogether the five of us… we hail from the past. The truth is, we were sent here through time, from the Wano Country of twenty years ago."
The pirates gasped.
"The past? It's not possible," Neo said.
"It is," Kin'emon said. "And it happened thanks to Lord Momonosuke's mother."
"His mother?" Neo asked.
"Let me start at the beginning," Kin'emon said. "And that begins with Lord Momonosuke's father."
Neo bit her bottom lip. She linked her arms with Law and Robin, waiting for the samurai to continue.
"Our Lord, Oden, was truly a one of a kind man. Though he was the son of the then shogun of Wano, Kozuki Sukiyaki, he was a very wild man that would often cause violent trouble wherever he went. Eventually, he was driven out of the flower capital. At that time, there was a part of Wano that was nearly without law and order. Criminals and ronin that were driven out of every village in Wano formed factions and stole from and killed each other. The streets ran red with blood daily. The shogun's family had long since thrown in the towel because of such lawlessness of that area. That area today is known as Kuri. The young Lord Oden somehow found his way to Kuri, and picked a fight with the most dangerous man of all the villains that frequented that land: Boy Ashura. Our Lord Oden defeated him and eventually brought together all the good for nothings under himself. Lord Oden taught them to work, and built a town and raised a castle, this castle. For his townspeople, he cultivated the paradise plantations. He built a free, laughter-filled village here, and was even granted the title of Daimyo of Kuri by Shogun Sukiyaki. Such were the feats our Lord Oden accomplished, all before he reached twenty years of age. He cut rivers into the land, and he built wharves to line them. He would often utter the following catchphrase: That's too tight!
"He was an amazing man and well loved. So much so this castle, which was named Kuri Castle, was nicknamed Oden Castle. He even fascinated Whitebeard. Charmed Roger. He was a samurai of Wano! But all those good time were soon to come to an end. Orochi and Kaido had joined forced to destroy the Kozuki family. Seemingly in a second everything was set ablaze including this castle. Inside of the castle Lord Momonosuke and his sister, Lady Hiyori, remained. As did their mother, Lady Kozuki Toki. It was quite hard for us to believe them, but there were rumors that Lady Toki was in fact born long ago in the ancient past. She chose to stay in the past with Lord Oden. She had sent us into the future in hopes that we could fulfill Lord Oden's dream. Lord Oden wished for use to end Orochi and Kaido control over this county and open Wano's borders.
"Then it happened. We were sent into the future by Lady Toki. It was unbelievable what we saw when we arrived here. Factories crowding the land. Countless smokestacks polluting the skies. Undrinkable water. The food supply tightly controlled. Village and Daimyo destroyed. The name Kozuki named despised. It was nothing like the Wano we once knew. We thought we wouldn't even have anyone that would fight beside us, but in that we were wrong. We were soon met by allies that informed us of Lady Toki's last words. They wore carved signs of the moon into their ankles to prove their loyalty to the Kozuki family. They also informed us that our beloved Lord Oden died just like that, as a criminal. The great Lord Oden's death was more than twenty years ago. But to us it has only been a few months. The last moments of the gallant warrior we knew as Kozuki Oden… yet burn fresh in our eyes. Since then we entrusted to Kiku the task of investigating the enemy. Us four, as you know, left to gather comrades. Unfortunately, the shadow of our ship was seen leaving the country. And since traveling is a crime here we were chased. And though we aimed to travel to Zou, because we have no navigation skills, we were soon shipwrecked, and separated from Raizo. After that we washed upon Dressrosa and was separated from Kanjuro and Momonosuke boarded the wrong ship. And after that I followed the ship and ended up on Dressrosa where I was met by you two pirates. Now that I think about it, danger after danger befell us, but we were blessed in the friends we made. And even though Orochi's forces still curse us, in name, we are saved by the fact that they know nothing about what actually happened to us. We are truly believed to have become ghosts."
"That's terrible." Neo brushed away her tears that had gathered during his story. "You guys have been through so much. Poor Momo. He lost his family."
Law squeezed her hand.
"It is true, Lady Neo." Kin'emon nodded. "But all is not lost yet. We are still alive and we will take this country back. Onigashima is the island where Kaido lives. It's not far from this place. I wish to gather enough forces, about five thousand men, and attack on the night of the fire festival," Kin'emon said.
"Fire festival?" Usopp asked.
"It is in appearance a time when Orochi's men praise Kaido," Kin'emon said. "But in fact they are holding a banquet."
"I see." Zoro smiled. "You plan on attacking them when everyone's drunk."
Kin'emon nodded.
"There's so much to do." Neo rubbed her temple. "Will we be able to pull it off?"
"I believe we shall," Kin'emon said.
"So that's it then, is it?" Zoro said.
"Yes." Kin'emon nodded. "We should get settled into our positions now."
"What will you all be doing?" Usopp asked.
"The people of this country know us too well," Kin'emon said. "We must stay hidden here at Oden Castle. If you need us you know where to find us."
"I'd like it if you all would take transponder snails with you but that might put you all in danger." Neo looked to Law. "So I'd like to set times when we'll come check on you all. Would that be fine?"
"I don't see why not," Law said. "Though we'll have to move under the cover of night in doing so."
Neo nodded. "Fine. Let's get this started then."
Law stood up with her. They flew the rest of the crew to their new temporary home. Kin'emon used his devil fruit powers to give himself and the others, who were heading into town, disguises. Once they were set they headed out of the castle. The remaining ones worked their way around the castle to make sure it was sturdy enough for them to live in.
"With how much this place has been burned I'm surprised it's still standing," Neo said while moving some stones up against a cracked pillar. She looked around the room. It appeared to be a bedroom. Her mind cleaned away all the burnt wood. She imagined it was a nice room with a large canopy bed in the corner across from the fireplace. "Do you think this was Momo's room?"
"It's possible." Law kicked a stone. "Or this could have been no one's room. Castles often have a lot of unused rooms in them."
Neo nodded. She knew that well from reading her books and from her own castle. "This one is very different from my own castle. We should stay in here."
"Probably a good idea." Law looked around. "This room should give us enough privacy."
Neo shifted her crystals to the corner and created them a bed to sleep. Done with that they left the room and wandered down the hall. Coming upon a door they peaked in to find Kailen using his own crystals to form beds. Her favorite trio was also in the room. "How's it going?"
"Good." Kailen glanced at her. "I've already created other beds for the crew."
"Don't wear yourself out." Neo frowned. "You've worked a lot today."
"I'm doing fine," Kailen said.
"I still don't want to working your crystals anymore today." Neo narrowed her eyebrows at him. "I know this pollution is wearing you down as well. I can feel it."
"All right. This will be my last use of my crystals today," Kailen said.
"So how is the pollution effecting you?" Penguin asked.
"Are you feeling okay?" Bepo leaned closer to Neo, his eyes dropping to her stomach.
"We're fine." Neo rubbed Bepo's arm. "Mostly it feels like there's a cloud in my chest. Using my solar crystal helps. I think we'll be fine once we're more use to it."
Bepo nodded.
"So what should we do now?" Shachi asked. "Should we go into the town?"
"Not until Topaz and the others get back," Law said. "You all can go into town and check things out but go in small groups. And give us detailed reports of what you see."
"Right." Penguin nodded. "We'll look for places for Neo to go, too." He chuckled. "Or should I say O-Neo."
"O-Neo." Neo tasted her Wano name on her tongue. She didn't care much for it. "I hope I can remember that when I introduce myself to people."
"Captain!" Archer poked his head into the room. "Topaz and the others are back."
They left the room. Gathering back in the storage room Topaz started showing the kimonos they had gotten. "These should fit well enough."
"Can we sew our Jolly Roger into these?" Neo glanced through the kimonos.
"Captain?" Topaz looked up at Law. "No one noticed them while we were in town. I made sure to have one showing to check."
"I don't see why not then." Law nodded.
"I'll get to that right now." Topaz pulled out a light blue kimono with flowers looking like they were falling down to the bottom of it. "I thought this one would suit you well, Neo."
"It's very pretty." Neo ran her fingers over the obi. It was almost as smooth as her dresses from Luminous and just as white.
"I got these for you all." Topaz passed out the kimonos to the Straw Hats. "They should do well enough until you all get settled into your positions. I went with the colors you all are wearing. I hope that's okay."
"It's great." Usopp took his, as did his crew. "We appreciate it."
The Straw Hats left the room to dress.
Neo sighed, realizing they were about to split up. Again. "I hope they get enough food. With how bad things are around here…"
"They will be fine, Lady Neo," Kin'emon said.
"I'm sure Franky, Usopp, and Robin will be fine," Shachi said. "But Zoro? He'll probably get lost on his first day."
"Great. Make me worry more." Neo frowned.
"Sorry." Shachi chuckled, ducking his head.
"Do not fret, Lady Neo," Kin'emon said. "As I have said we have allies in this country still. They will watch out for our friends."
Neo nodded. It made her feel a little better but the worry remained.
"So what did the town looked like?" Law asked.
"I'd like to say like any other but there's so many people who are…" Topaz paused. "I'm not really sure how to describe it. At lot are seriously under weight and under nourished. Many are also sick, from what I don't know. Not sure I want to know. I also hear some over talking about how a friend of theirs ate fish from the river and got diarrhea."
Neo wrinkled her nose. She could have done without that information.
"The houses and buildings are fine for the most part," Topaz said. "Though some looked to have been destroyed. Not sure why. Could have been done as an example of some sort. And there were a lot of people looking for help in their businesses."
"Sounds like we'll have plenty to do here after all," Penguin said.
Neo scrunched her lips to the side. She didn't care for her crew taking off like that but they did need to do something. Sitting around here would drive them all nuts.
"Also some people did give me strange looks. Though I'm not sure if it was because of my nature or my hair color since they didn't speak to me," Topaz said. "We'll have to still watch that when going into town."
A few minutes later the Straw Hats returned. She lifted her eyes to them. Topaz had done a great job in getting colors that suited them. Her sister was so good with clothes. Her bottom lip trembled. It was time for the Straw Hats to leave.
Robin walked over to Neo and wrapped her in a hug. "Don't cry, Neo. We're still together. And we will reunite while we are here. Take care of yourself and your baby."
Neo wrapped her arms around Robin and nodded. "I… I will." Pulling back she wiped her tears away. "Be safe you all."
"We'll be super safe!" Franky cheered.
"Now I need you all to promise me you will not cause any trouble while we're here," Kin'emon said. "It's is very important that we remain unnoticed by Kaido and his men until we attack them."
"Yeah, yeah. We promise," Zoro said. "Let's just get going."
"Fine. Time to go," Kin'emon announced.
The Straw Hats gathered with him and left the room.
Neo watched them go. Tears prickled the back of her eyes but she refused to let them fall. "Okay. So back to cleaning."
"You should rest," Law said. "You've been working hard."
Neo shook her head. "I need the distraction."
"Neo." Law crossed his arms.
"Just another hour," Neo pleaded. She pressed against him. "We still need to get the kitchen clean."
Law sighed. "Fine. Then that's it. After that's done you're resting."
Neo nodded. "Deal." She slipped her arms around him and pulled him out of the room. "You're such a good boy."
Law grumbled, "I'm a sap. That's what I am."
Neo giggled. Her eyes wandered around the halls as they walked through the building. The dirt and dust had been removed. Spiders had been tossed outside, or swatted by an unsuspecting crewmate who hated them. A few animals still occupied the ruins but mostly because they wanted to be near Neo and the other elementals. They scurried around the halls, sniffing the scents of the pirates with curious yet cautious expressions. A squirrel scampered over to them. It ran up Neo's body and perched on her shoulder. She scratched it underneath her chin before stepping into the kitchen.
Archer pulled open the door to the stove. A cloud of dust and old creosote wafted over him. Waving his hand, he coughed and backed away from it. "Nice."
"Did it get in your eyes?" Neo blew the muck away from him.
"No." Archer brushed off his face. "Though some did get in my mouth. Not a nice taste."
Neo summoned a water crystal for him.
"Thanks." Archer rinsed out his mouth.
Neo stepped over to the sink. Running her fingers over it she noticed there were no places for a faucet.
"It had a hand pump," Law said.
"Huh?" Neo looked to her right. There was a hole there. "Is that what that is?"
"Yes." Law nodded.
"Do you think we can get the pump working again?" Neo closed one eye and looked into the hole.
"We could try. But it's not necessary since you have your crystals. Besides the water is polluted here," Law said.
Rolling her head back, Neo groaned. "I can't believe I forgot that. Forget what I said. My sweet babies are forbidden to eat or drink any of the water or creatures coming from the water." She turned to Archer. "Go spread that immediately! Do you hear me, Archer?! Not a single one of you is to touch the water and food here! Come to me if you want water or food! And if anyone disobeys my orders they will be grounded to the sub until we leave Wano!"
"Yes, ma'am." Archer, eyes wide, rushed from the room as did the squirrel.
"I think you scared him." Law watched his subordinate go.
"He needs to be scared." Neo crossed her arms, eyebrows knitted. "They all do. I won't permit them from being stupid and getting sick."
"Calm down, love." Law rubbed her back. "They know better than to do that."
"They had better." Pulling away from him Neo began to clean the kitchen. Knowing she was radiating with frustration and anger she knew Law would give her space. And she wanted it. Forty five minutes of scrubbing dirt and dust from the kitchen brought her temper down to normal. Her arms throbbed from working as the rest of her body sagged from the loss of energy.
"Feeling better?" Law asked.
"A little bit." Neo wiped sweat from her forehead. "Though now I'm tired."
"It's getting dark now. Would you like to go to bed?"
"No." Neo shook her head. "I'm not ready for that yet. Can we just go outside and sit for a while?"
Law nodded. Taking her hand he led her outside. Sitting down they leaned back against the castle wall.
Neo glanced up at the sky. Her lips curled down into a frown. A sickening gray fog clouded the sky. "We can't even look at the stars. How can anyone live like this?"
"Some just don't care," Law said. "They only want to do as they please."
"I hope we can free the people here from Kaido and what's his name's control," Neo said. "I don't want anyone living in this mess." She cupped her stomach. "Babies shouldn't be subjected to this. It's scary to think our baby will be born here." Her body jolted. She looked to Law. He too was jolted from her words. "What the heck? Where did that come from?"
"Well, it is possible that our baby will be born here," Law said.
The heat left Neo's body. She swallowed hard.
"Don't worry about it." Law pulled her to his side. "We'll keep him safe. You have your crystals to give him fresh air to breath. And he won't be eating any solid foods for a really long time. So we have no worry about him eating something he shouldn't."
Neo trembled. "Law… I don't want to be here."
"Shh." Law rubbed her back. "I promise nothing is going to happen to you or our baby. Don't think about it. You're safe. And you're tired."
Neo yawned.
"You should sleep now."
Neo nodded. Her eyelids fluttered closed. In seconds her body went limp against his.
Law sighed. He knew this was going to be hard for her. If only they didn't have to be here while she was pregnant. If only they could have been somewhere else. Somewhere where she would feel safe and secure. His own hands started trembling as fears of their child being born here flowed through his mind. The healer woman said she was expecting Neo to give birth early. Despite being new to elemental pregnancies he knew she was right. Neo was going to give birth while they were in Wano. If only he knew when. Then maybe he could prepare himself better for it.
Neo whimpered and shifted against him.
Law drew in a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, his hands stopped shaking. Neo settled back down. He looked to the sky. "God, let our baby and my love be safe during this hard time." With a sigh he pulled Neo into his arms and took her into the castle. He met Kailen in the hall. Noticing his brother in law's concerned expression he answered before anything could be asked. "She's fine. She wore herself out while cleaning this place."
Kailen nodded.
"I'm going to take her back to the sub," Law said. "I think it'll be better for her to spend the first night here in the sub rather than in a strange place. Let the crew know where we are."
"Sure thing." Kailen nodded. "Jean Bart brought a transponder snail up with him. He figured you two might sleep in the sub tonight. So if you need anything just call."
"Thanks." Law passed him. Reaching the stairs he formed his Room and warped them down to the sub.
The sub was unnaturally quiet with everyone on the island. It wasn't often they had the sub to themselves. Neo would find it annoying if she were awake. And giving her current state he didn't doubt she would demand the crew to return to the sub.
Law placed Neo in their bed, leaving her clothes on so not to disturb her slumber. Ridding himself of his sword, hat, and shoes he laid down beside her. Instantly she shifted closer to him, curling up against his warmth. He smiled. Not feeling tired yet, despite what he was feeling from Neo, he stayed up and watched her sleep while debating his position here on the island.
Kin'emon's suggestion of him being a doctor here would give him and Neo something to do. While Neo wasn't a doctor or a nurse she still helped him while taking care of the crew's injuries. She wouldn't be able to use her solar crystal on anyone but it would help time pass. And it would help keep her distracted from the dangers they would be in if they were discovered. He hoped no one would find it odd that a doctor would suddenly decide to move to this area of the island. They would have to come up with a good cover story for the move.
Law closed his eyes. With an exhale he pushed his thoughts away and allowed himself to fall asleep.
…
Neo yawned and stretched out her body before she opened her eyes. At the same time she sensed Law not there she sensed him in the galley. "Law?"
'Be right there, love. Just relax.'
With a hum Neo got up and used the bathroom. Returning to the bed she wondered what Law was up to. A minute later she felt him coming back to their room. The door opened. Law walked in with a tray and breakfast. "Law?"
"I figured you could use breakfast in bed." Law placed the tray over her lap then sat down.
"You're so sweet," Neo squealed. "And you brought me home to sleep."
"Of course I did."
Neo cupped his cheek and guided him into a kiss. "You're the best, my love." She picked up her fork and speared her scrambled eggs.
"There's something I'd like to discuss with you," Law said.
"Oh?"
"It's about Kin'emon's suggestion."
"About being a doctor in Kuri. You're going to do it?"
"I am." Law nodded. "And I'd like you to be my nurse."
"Lucky me." Neo smiled. "Are you going to let Healer Zinnia be a doctor, too?"
Law's lips turned into a small frown.
"Law." Neo tilted her head.
"It's has nothing to do with our relationship," Law said. "We're still new to this country. Women might not be allowed to be in such positions. We'll have to wait and see before making that choice. Either way she can still help. You know she wants someone with you at all times, especially when you get closer to delivering our baby."
"Right. I forgot that women are sometimes treated differently from men." Neo took a bite of her toast. It was still warm from being made. She exhaled. "So are we going to look for a place to set up our business?"
"You want to go into town?" Law's eyebrows rose.
Neo chewed thoughtfully on her eggs. Was she ready to come face to face with Wano's residences?
