The need to keep her mouth closed made Naoe shift her gaze in another direction. She had no right to direct words against Law, even if his interest in past matters was a thorn in her side. She could have told him differently that it was none of his business, but something inside her was heading for defence.
What was she so afraid of?
None of what he knew, none of what he might come to know, would pose any danger. Instead, it would strengthen the alliance. Trafalgar would realise that there were things that could no longer be used to hurt her – even better – he would understand that there was nothing that mattered to her anymore. Not because she had chosen it to be so. She simply no longer remembered what had once been precious.
Slowly, Naoe turned her eyes back in Law's direction and eyed him for a moment. He had done so too, had tried to appraise her. But his attention had by now moved away from her, wandering through one of the shop windows, looking for a clue if the coast was clear.
Inwardly, the revolutionary sighed as she hung her head. As an alliance, she was everything but a help. The fight against Smoker had been a disaster. She would have supported Law's trust if she hadn't had to take cover from this woman's gaze. She could have proved something to him. Instead, she had deprived him of any reason to turn his back on her once more. The opportunity had slipped through her fingers.
Unnoticed, she chewed on her lower lip and shortly afterwards tasted the metallic taste of blood on her tongue. Still, she couldn't stop pulling at the skin and further tearing open the superficial injury. Heat seethed somewhere inside her. Her hands clenched into fists. She had been useless. There was no reason to kill soldiers if you weren't up to the demands behind it. Yet she couldn't find the right words. Her existence, her journey, was too confusing for that. Too messed up.
Born of naivety that she should never have acted on.
She was aware the alliance was all that kept her alive on the seas. It gave her security and allies. To maintain that condition, she had to nurture the bond. She had to give what she could. And that also meant that she could only repay this mistake she had made with her Devil Fruit. Whatever he might want from her, she would swallow the bitter pill if he demanded it. Only to prove to him she was on his side – that the alliance had a purpose.
Briefly, she took a breath and tried to calm the trembling of her shoulders. Panic had dug its hideously quivering claws deep into her flesh. The task at hand was to stand up straight, see the error of her ways, and find the best way out of the problem. But the tightness of her chest and the tremor under her skin were eating away at her nerves – because she knew better. The insecurity, the desire to run away, neither of these came from a one-time mistake within an alliance. Instead, they clung to the encounter with the familiar unknown Koala always sent in a different direction.
For the sake of circumstance.
For a single glance between them would kill them both.
Clasping her hands together, Naoe tried to brush the thought off. It was probably a one-time thing that had come about through a simple miscalculation. Nothing she should think about for too long. So she cleared her throat, released her lip and waited for Law to turn his attention back to her.
"I'm sorry. I'm just ... exhausted. This may not justify my behaviour, but I don't intend for anything like today to happen again. My sudden escape was an act I couldn't avoid."
Law's lids lowered a little, making his gaze more forceful than before. But instead of saying anything, he nodded, barely perceptible, and turned away. He turned his back on her and headed for the exit, leaving her with more uncertainty than she had felt before. From his shallow gesture, he accepted her apology. And yet, it also conveyed she wouldn't get as much trust as she had before. The bit that remained was what they had to build this alliance on. With luck, it would form a solid foundation, even if it seemed more fragile than everything else around them in those seconds.
Following the captain, Naoe left the place. Her attention wandered over the passers-by, over the shops and stalls, which had already recovered from the minor collision of two parties. Everything took its usual course.
Law took the lead. His legs brought them back to the battlefield to resume their course from there. Naoe, meanwhile, spared herself conversation and eyed the goods on offer at tempting prices. She didn't notice how her companion in front stopped abruptly. She bumped into him roughly and staggered back a few steps, keeping a reproachful expression from her face. Law, however, ignored her and merely nodded towards a shop with weapons flashing through the windows. Swords, bows, daggers, everything a fighter's heart could desire.
Anything that didn't interest her in the slightest.
"What about it?" Without further ado, Naoe raised a brow.
"You should put on something to defend yourself."
"Should I?"
"Do you have any skills that would protect you from a surprise attack?"
"I have my windows?!"
"You'll be dead before you even think of opening one of them." The disinterest in his voice was driving her crazy. He sounded as if he wasn't even interested in his own suggestion.
"I'll be dead before I even think about having a gun, too. Brilliantly thought out. My talent for combat is limited to what you've seen. Windows, anywhere, within four kilometres if necessary."
His gaze wandered over his shoulder, scrutinising her before he started moving again. He was incomprehensible. His actions made no sense in her eyes. Surely, if she died sooner than planned, she would throw a wrench in his plans. He was just trying to be careful.
"Hey, Trafalgar! I threw a sword like a spear. Does that sound anything like someone you'd hand a weapon to?"
Her words received no response, so she threw her hands up in the air and rolled her eyes. "I'm buying!"
His steps slowed until he finally stopped and turned to her. He adjusted the sword on his shoulder with a curt movement. It appeared he was going to wait.
"Idiot." With a snort, she complied with her self-imposed task. Dragging her feet, she headed for the shop and pushed the door inwards so a bell revealed her entry. A quick look around gave her an overview of the goods that were available.
And lurking among them was a middle-aged woman who smiled at her. "Good afternoon. May I help you?"
"I need a weapon."
"What would you like?"
Briefly, Naoe pursed her mouth, trying to make a simple decision. Nothing appealed to her. Weapons were simply not in her domain. She took what she could get at the moment and got rid of it as quickly as situations allowed. That was her way of fighting, and it had got her far enough.
"I'll take a sword ... or a spear. Anything handy that's suitable for beginners." Shrugging, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and watched as the saleswoman looked at some examples.
"What kind of sword would you like? Do you prefer long or short swords? Would you like a wide blade or do you like a narrow design better? A two-handed sword, or rather not? There are definitely examples in this field that are suitable for beginners."
Following what was said, Naoe lost her train of thought somewhere between the lines. Her position was awkward, and she owed it all to Law. Therefore, she indecisively put on a smile. "Preferably one that cuts."
Puzzled, her counterpart paused and blinked a few times before laughing.
"In that case, I would offer you this one." She took one blade from its place and passed it to Naoe. The latter accepted the metal, checked the handle and swung it around a little. It wasn't too heavy, felt comfortable in her hand, and looked like it would last more than one fight.
"Is there a sheath for this?"
"Certainly!" The statement was followed by a sword sheath made of sturdy black leather. Plain and just right for a mission. Not extravagant and nothing she needed to cherish. Consequently, she nodded, accepted the offer, and watched as the merchant disappeared behind the sales counter. She looked something up, grabbed a leather belt and announced the price Naoe paid, whimpering.
Her means of defence found a place at her hip, where it left an unfamiliar feeling. Heaviness that didn't belong to her and yet was now to become a part of her. So she accepted her fate and left the weapon shop to go back to Law.
"Your will is done."
"That was your choice." Without further ado, he finally continued on his way and Naoe had no choice but to walk obediently beside him.
"You realise that you almost passive-aggressively forced me to do this?"
Again, he ignored her. This time, however, the corners of his mouth lifted, barely visible, before he pulled the same emotionless expression again. "We're going back to the ship."
"Weren't you going to do the shopping?"
"The crew should be ready by now. They know we have to be ready for anything. The sooner we have everything, the safer we'll be."
"So we're leaving on the spot? What about the Straw Hats?"
"They'll follow when they're ready."
Naoe avoided exchanging a single word with Law the rest of the way. No matter what she addressed, it seemed wrong. Where her attempt at conversation had worked so well before, it failed miserably after the fight with Smoker. Not because she was out of topics. Rather, it was because she didn't know which one was suitable for a conversation with him.
Sighing, she put her hands in front of her eyes and bent her head on the wooden board in front of her. After they had come back to the Polar Tang, she had gone to the room where she and Ikkaku would sleep. There she now sat at the desk, hanging her head and trying to block out the penetrating gaze of her roommate. As it seemed, she had as little to do as Naoe.
"Why so tense?" Finally, the pirate broke the silence and leaned back on the bed.
Naoe, meanwhile, lifted her head from the desk top and rested it on the back of her neck. "Law hates me."
"Already?"
"Was fast, I know."
"I don't think he hates you." Putting a finger to her chin thoughtfully, Ikkaku revealed her thoughts. "I mean ... our captain doesn't loathe anyone that quickly. He formed an alliance with Luffy, after all, and the two of them seem to get along despite everything."
"If he doesn't hate me, then what?"
"He doesn't care about you. Probably."
"I'm his alliance. His ally!"
"A good ally?"
With a pitiful groan, Naoe leaned forward again. "This alliance is a disaster."
"Oh, this is just the beginning. Such things get better with time. Not every alliance gets off to a good start. If I'm honest, I think you're quite a help with the captain's plans. You'll get along."
"You think so?"
"I'm sure." Contrary to Naoe, Ikakku had hopes for the agreement they were trying to build. And in the end, nothing stood in the way of improvement.
As the pirate had said, not all alliances started with a laugh. Thinking back, Naoe recalled how the group had formed between Eustass Kid, Basil Hawkins and Scratchmen Apoo. All three captains had been out to jump at each other's throats in the first few seconds, solely because none could stand the other. In addition, Apoo had blown up the shelter immediately after entering it.
The disaster had formed an alliance that knew how to mess with everything and everyone. Probably there were three other crews who wanted to fulfil their death wish with Kaido.
All these little actions, however, conveyed the same thing to her: if she attached herself to the alliance, the whole thing would somehow take shape. Even if the foundation wasn't the sturdiest, she would build on it and protect it with everything she had.