Safety Measures
"What?! You want me to train?" Neo whined. The two captains had just gotten dressed, after she had fed their baby, when a knock came on the door. It was a shock to see her trainer standing there so early in the morning. For a moment Neo was afraid something had gone wrong since that's usually the reason a member of their crew comes to their room. She bristled at Law's chuckle and momentarily wondered if Tero spoke to him about this. "But this is supposed to be a break! And Godfather's here! I want to spend time with him!"
"Stop your whining." Tero drummed his fingers on his crossed arms. "You've rested enough from the war. You'll have enough time to spend with Red Hair. You need to practice your observation haki and summoning your crystal form while the events of the war are still fresh in your mind."
Neo sighed, her shoulders dropping low despite the fact this shouldn't have been a surprise. Tero had permission to push her in her training. And push he did. "So you want me to try and mimic my feelings."
"You got it. Red Hair can come watch as long as you don't get distracted by him. He might have some advice for you."
"Fine." Neo huffed in defeat. "But I am going to oversee the beginning of the safety measures we spoke about yesterday with Tao before I do anything else."
Tero nodded. "That's acceptable. But after that you will be training with me for the day."
Neo puffed her cheeks and watched Tero walk down the hall before closing the door and turned to Law. "You just had to make him my trainer."
Law shrugged, his hands busy changing Cora's diaper. "It had to be done. Tero's correct. No whining."
Neo growled. "You both are jerks in this situation."
Law smirked at her. "And you still love us for it."
"At the moment that is debatable," Neo grumbled as she walked over to her boys. She smoothed down a lock of Cora's hair that was sticking out.
"Besides, Red Hair will probably join you even if you don't ask." Law pulled on Cora's shorts and top before picking him up.
"You ready to meet your fans again, Cora?" Neo tickled their baby's stomach, earning a small smile from him.
"They can meet him, but they can't have him," Law said nodding at the many gifts that were laying around the room. "They're already spoiling him enough as it is."
"Yeah. Looks like the orphanages are getting more stuff from us." Neo blew at her bangs. The gifts had started arriving last night during dinner and haven't stopped. Their room currently looked like a store. "It's nice they do this, but it's so..."
"Too much?"
Neo nodded. "Babies are only small for a little while. They don't need so many clothes. Or toys." She shook the thoughts away. "So are you going to join us today?"
"I don't think so. You, Tao, and Red Hair have got the safety measures under control. I'm going to stay with Cora," Law said. "We might join you later when you are training with Tero."
"Oh, so you're going to personally make sure no one spoils Cora too much." Neo cocked an eyebrow at him.
Law smiled. "Of course not. I would never do such a thing."
Neo rolled her eyes. She hooked her arm with his and led him to the door. "Just don't go overboard and separate any elemental bodies."
"Now, would I do that?"
"Yes!" The two laughed as they made their way through the castle halls and into the dinning room where breakfast was waiting. Some of the crewmembers were already there while the rest filed in shortly after the two captains arrived.
The room filled with chatter as the pirates ate breakfast. Once they were done they scattered about the island, some eager to spar with the elementals while others preferred to find a spot to relax. Rosin was fascinate with all the crystals so Topaz took her out to practice manipulating them.
"You ready to go?" Shanks asked.
Neo nodded. She gave a kiss to Law and Cora before heading to the front doors. Stepping outside they were met by Tao and several other elementals waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. "Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, Princess," the elementals replied.
"We're ready to start," Tao said.
"Then let's get to it." Neo rubbed her hands together.
The small group flew away from Luminous. About five miles away from their home island, the group hovered in the air.
"Think this is far enough?" Neo asked.
"It should be." Shanks scanned the area. A few rock formations were the only thing, other than a few birds and sea creatures, around. "A good spot to create a new island."
"You heard the man." Tao threw out a hand. "Get to it, earth wielders!"
Some wind elementals spread the earth elementals out. Hovering near the rock formations, their green crystals appeared. The rocks quivered as they shifted and expanded and the bottom of the ocean rose up.
Neo continued to hover herself, Tao, and Shanks in the air until the island was large enough for them to stand on. As they watched and gave out instructions to the elementals, Neo worked on creating vegetation for the island and animals that would be homed here. "I hope the animals that come to live here will be happy. I hate having to uproot them from their homes."
"Don't worry about it, Princess," Tao said. "We'll make sure the animals are happy here and come to visit them often."
"Good. Thank you, Tao." Neo smiled at the man. "You've done well for our people."
"Your praise isn't necessary." Tao's gaze turned soft and guilty.
"Still feeling bad about what your father did, I see," Shanks said as he knocked his fist against Tao's head. "Well, don't. It wasn't your fault."
"I know." Tao rubbed his head. "I can't help but feel guilty when I think about it. Guess I haven't completely forgiven him for what he did."
"I'm not sure it can be done completely. That event will always be in our minds." Neo placed a hand on Tao's arm. "Don't let it eat you up. Talk to someone if you need to."
"I do. I've met someone who's become very special to me," Tao said.
"Oh, someone's got himself a girlfriend!" Shanks all but sang.
"Godfather." Neo shook her head with a sigh. Sometimes she could forget how childish the older man could be.
Tao laughed. "I don't mind."
"Tao always been a rather serious man," Shanks said. "It's a surprise he found himself a woman."
"Hey! I'm not that serious!"
"Oh?" Shanks cocked his head to the side. "So you don't mind if Benn swoops in and steals her?"
"Hey! That's not..." Tao's cheeks reddened. "I didn't mean..."
Shanks released a laugh that came from deep in his gut.
Tao growled and stalked away from him.
"Poor guy. Maybe you went a bit too far?" Neo pressed a hand to her cheek. Shanks arm appeared around her shoulder.
"He needs a good teasing once in a while. I'm glad he has someone he's gotten close to. I'm sure he's lonely since his dad is gone."
"I hope she's good for him. He deserves it."
"Maybe you should meet her."
"Maybe?" Neo contemplated on that thought for a while. Maybe it would be a good idea to meet this woman.
...
A couple hours later Law contacted Neo to remind her of her training session with Tero. 'Neo, aren't you forgetting something?'
'Like what? Oh! Training!' Neo looked at Tao. "I have to get going. Tero's waiting for me."
"Not a problem," Tao said. "We've got things handled here. You go on."
Neo nodded then looked to her godfather. "You want to come?"
"Yes." Shanks smiled. "I think I would like to see how this man trains you."
Neo picked Shanks up in her winds and flew towards Luminous.
...
"About time. I thought you were trying to skip out." Tero was standing in a clearing in the woods where they shouldn't be disturbed. He wore an annoyed expression with his arms crossed and his boot tapping the ground.
"I wasn't." Neo stretched out her body as Shanks sat down on a log. "Though I did lose track of time for a bit. There's a lot going on."
"Things are going well, I assume?"
Neo nodded.
"Then let's get to work." Tero started walking around Neo. "Let's work on your crystal form first. Think back to Wano. Think about how you were feeling in the moment."
Neo closed her eyes and drew in a slow steady breaths.
"Block out everything else. You hear and see nothing but that fight with the emperors. The fight with Big Mom when it was possible you and the captain could have died."
Neo listened to Tero's instructions. She then guided her mind back to Wano, back to the dangers they had face from the moment they set foot on the island to the final battle with the emperors. She replayed everything that happened as if she were going through the experience again. But, as she was working her way up to the fight with Big Mom, everything vanished. The creatures of Luminous flooded her senses. A bird landed on her shoulder as she opened her eyes.
"Get lost." Tero swiped his hand at the bird.
The bird chirped in anger before flying away.
"You didn't have to do that." Neo planted her hands on her hips. "It wasn't bothering me. I couldn't do it anyway."
Tero shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Nature already causes you enough trouble when trying to use your observation haki on a normal bases."
"It's possible Neo will never be able to use it on a normal bases," Shanks said. "Of the hakis that one is the hardest for elementals to use since it's hard for them to block out nature."
"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean she can't continued to try and over come that," Tero said. "Maybe she needs more incentive."
"Incentive?" Neo shifted on her feet. What was he up to?
Tero looked at Shanks. "You could use your haki on her."
"Oh?" Shanks scratched at his nose.
"The presence of an emperor's haki could help her reach her crystal form again," Tero explained. "Even if this emperor is her godfather."
Neo looked at the older man then back at Tero. She rubbed her arms as if she were cold. "I don't know."
"It's worth a shot," Shanks said, earning Neo's gaze again. "It's not like I'm going to hurt you with it. Just the feeling of it could trigger the feelings you were having then."
Neo licked her lips. They both spoke the truth, but she was still unsure about it.
"I can always stop if it gets too uncomfortable for you." Shanks gave her a comforting smile.
"Okay. I'll try." Neo closed her eyes. A second later she felt the familiar pressure of her godfather's haki pressing against her. The fight with Big Mom flashed back into her mind. The frustration and fear flooded her body. All the pain the Wano people suffered fueled her determination. She had to get control over this crystal form. While her godfather wasn't a threat to them, Blackbeard still was. And they have less information on him than they did Big Mom and Kaido.
The thought brought back their time in Dressrosa. Doflamingo was defeated, but that didn't mean others like him didn't exist. There were all kinds of threats in the world. She had to do better. She had to get stronger.
...
Neo had no idea how much time passed before she heard Tero's voice say, "Open your eyes."
Neo glanced down. Crystals had formed over her hands and half way up her forearms. She swallowed, hoping speaking didn't make the crystals vanish. "Wow. It worked. Sort of."
"It's a start. Even this much can be helpful in the future," Tero said. "If you manage to call on it at will."
Neo flexed her hands and bent her arms. The crystals remained in place. It appeared they were stabilizing though she could sense them wanting to retreat. "It might be easier to do this much first then work on getting more crystal to appear."
"Then keep practicing."
...
Neo shot herself forward towards Shanks. She swung her crystal covered fist at him. The movement cut through the man's haki, but as soon as his haki hit the uncoated parts of her body she was flung backwards. She flipped head over heels using her winds. Her chest heaved up and down as she hovered for a moment before attacking again.
Back and forth the two pirates went. Neo would attack, her crystal hands making minuscule progress against Shanks haki. But with each attack the crystal crept slowly up her skin.
The sound of snapping wood followed by a hard thump gave pause to the three pirates. They turned to the sound of Topaz's voice saying, "Are you okay?"
"Ouch." Rosin sat up rubbing her head. "Yeah, fine. Just wishing, again, that my dad's clumsily genes didn't get passed down." She noticed the other three staring at her. "Oh, hello? Did we interrupt? Hey! Your hands are crystallized!"
"Yeah." Neo looked at her hands. The crystals were almost up to her shoulders. "With Godfather's help I've managed to come this far. I think I should be able to call on it, at least this much."
"Good to hear." Topaz walked over to Neo with Rosin following.
Neo tilted her head. "Are you two still exploring the island?"
"We were," Rosin said. "Then we got hungry so we're heading back to the castle for lunch."
"Lunch?" Neo glanced up. The sun was directly overhead. "Wow. I guess it is time to eat. I wonder why Law didn't call."
"We should go ahead and head back then," Tero said.
Neo pulled them all in her winds and headed back. "So, how are you liking Luminous?"
"It's great." Rosin grinned. "I think my dad would have loved coming here."
"Your mom never brought him?" Neo asked.
Rosin shook her head. "I don't know the details, but mom is estranged from her family here. He was busy a lot of the time with his job anyway."
"What about your children?" Shanks asked. "Have they ever wanted to come here?"
"Not really. My girl has reached her teenage years this year and is all drama about how she looks and how to get the guy she likes." Rosin shook her head before continuing. "Then my boy is only eight. He's more concerned about playing than anything else."
"You're half elemental," Neo said thoughtfully. "That means your kids are one fourth elemental. Are they handling their elements okay? Is anyone giving them a hard time about it?"
"They're fine. My girl is an earth elemental while my boy is a wind elemental. They are rather popular with their friends," Rosin said. "They have had some problems with some of their peers, but I've made sure to teach them how to properly handle a bully. Things really got better when the newspapers released all the information about you."
"Well, if things take a turn for the worse, come back to Luminous," Neo said. "You'll be safe here."
"Don't worry about us." Rosin smiled.
Shanks chuckled. "Neo's a professional worrier. She'll do it no matter what you say."
Neo puffed her cheeks.
The small grouped laughed as they came upon the castle. Neo lowered them down in front of the doors. Law and Cora greeted them upon entering the building. He returned their baby to Neo's arms before they headed for the dinning hall.
"And what have you been doing all morning?" Neo asked Cora. The baby smiled and cooed at her.
"Mostly watching elementals coming and going," Law said. "We also got a nap in."
"That's such a good boy you're being for daddy," Neo said.
'Maybe mommy can be good for daddy later.' Law sent her a sexy smirk, and thought, through their bond.
Neo rolled her eyes. 'Well, maybe.'
'How about a reward for not dividing up any elementals?'
'I might be able to give you something.'
'Good.' Law slipped his hand around Neo's hip.
The crews filed into the dinning hall, most asking how Neo's training was going.
"It's good to hear you're making progress," Stake said. "You are amazing."
"Thank you," Neo said with caution in her tone.
'What's with the caution?'
'He's the one who tried to hit on me before on Godfather's ship.'
Law shot the man a sadistic stare while flashing him his tattooed fingers.
Stake shivered then looked around. "Whoa! Did it get chilling in here all of a sudden?"
The Heart pirates' chuckled, all knowing the feeling and the meaning of their captain's moves.
"That would be Trafalgar," Yasopp said around a mouthful of food. "Neo must have told him what you did."
Stake's skin paled. "Did you have to tell him about that?"
"Law and I don't keep secrets from each other." Neo placed her hand on Law's knee to calm him down.
Law took her hand and kissed it while never taking his eyes off Stake.
Stake gave a nervous chuckle before focusing on his food.
Neo smiled at Law, knowing full well he was only marking his territory. 'You didn't have to do that.'
'I know.' Law smirked.
After lunch, Neo, Law, Cora, Shanks, and Tero headed back to the training area.
"Let's put your observation haki into it now," Tero said.
"Okay." Neo nodded. With a deep inhale and exhale, she stood ready. Shanks haki pressed against her. The feelings of the war returned. She envisioned the two emperors standing before her. A minute later her haki activated. She saw Tero walking behind her, sneaking up with a stick in his hand. She pivoted to the left, avoiding the stick.
Tero grinned. "Not bad. Now keep it up."
...
Well, here's a snag for ya. I never would have guess that 'that' would happen to the Polar Tang. Now I'm not sure what to do. Is Law and crew not going to appear in the series again? Should I continue on my own and have them get another sub somehow? Or should I wait and see what happens with them?
