Kiteria: I know it's been a while since I updated. A LOT has been going on in my life. Breakups, losing my apartment, moving, losing a friend, moving again. The fact I've managed to work on anything is a miracle, or just shows how much I dislike the real world. Hope ya'll enjoy regardless, leave me a review and let me know what you think of the rewrite.

Making their way through Grove 5, the group of Heart Pirates tried looking for any clues of their missing captain while also keeping an eye out for marines. The last thing they needed was to run into them again.

"Nikkiiiii!"

Nikkicha pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to ignore the whining coming from behind her from her crewmates. They'd finally managed to make it back to the Groves closest to where they'd last seen their captain, but if her crewmates didn't shut up and stop irritating her she was going to kill them and tell their captain it was an accident.

"Nikkiiiii!"

Shachi and Penguin called again and the blonde mechanic sighed in annoyance.

"What?!"

She snapped as they crossed the bridge connecting Groves 5 and 4 together. Thankfully it seemed this far into the lawless district the presence of marines wasn't something they had to worry about. At least that meant they didn't have to keep looking over their shoulders every three seconds.

"Can we rest for a bit, please?"

Penguin asked and the blonde sighed again before looking at her crewmates to see how tired they looked. Shachi was leaning heavily on Penguin, almost as if he couldn't support his own weight and would fall where he stood if he tried.

"Fine, but only for a couple of minutes."

She said and blinked in shock then they both collapsed to the ground with relieved sighs.

"God you two are out of shape."

She complained as she sat down on the edge of the bridge to rest for a bit. The wind of the early morning felt nice against her skin, but she still couldn't help but worry about her captain. He was more than capable of handling himself, but he'd never been gone this long before. To make matters worse, Bepo was missing too. She didn't want to think what would happen if they found Law and he asked about the polar bear's whereabouts.

"No we're not, you're just a slavedriver!"

Shachi shouted at her and she glared at the brunette haired male before sighing for what had to be the umpteenth time that day. She was too tired to deal with him right now. She just wanted to find the rest of her crew and get back to the sub.

Bepo sighed as he walked around Grove 5. He would have already been back on Grove 1, but he kept getting distracted by all the things he saw on the archipelago as he walked around. Like now for instance, he was watching as some people performed using some of the Archipelago's soap bubbles. It was when everyone was clapping and the wind picked up that Bepo picked up on the familiar scent of lemons and oranges with a hint of engine grease. He knew that scent; it belonged to Nikkicha.

The furry member of the Heart Pirates made his way towards the scent, stopping every now and again to sniff the air to make sure he was heading the right way. When he saw the bridge between the Grove he was on and the next he smiled when he saw three familiar figures on the other side.

"Nikkicha! Penguin! Shachi!"

He called out as he got closer and all three people turned at the sound of their names only to blink in surprise when they saw Bepo. The polar bear was rather pleased at having been able to surprise his crewmates.

"Bepo!"

Penguin and Shachi called together as they got to their feet and Nikkicha smiled at him.

"You got lost again didn't you Bepo?"

The blonde mechanic asked and Bepo's pride in having found his crew dropped as he apologized, looking down at his feet.

"Don't apologize!"

All three of them yelled in unison, making Bepo apologize again before lifting his head and looking around. A frown appeared on the fluffy subordinate's face at noticing the lack of their captain and Katrina.

"You haven't found captain yet?"

He asked and when they all shook their heads he sighed. Just where did their captain get to? Bepo tried not to beat himself up about not going with Law when things went down, but he knew he would need his nodachi and gave it to Katrina. She seemed like the most likely to be able to get it to Law out of all of them.

"Think you can find them with that nose of yours?"

Nikkicha asked and Bepo nodded as he took a few moments to sniff at the air. Walking a few steps this way, then that way to attempt to determine which would be the best direction to go. He blinked in surprise and stopped walking when he smelled the sudden scent of cherry blossoms. It hadn't been Katrina's scent that made him pause, no, it had been the scent of blood mixed in with her scent. His captain's blood.

Law stood up, lips pulled into a tight line as pain shot through his stomach at the action and pulled on his hoodie.

"Here."

The Heart Pirate captain looked up at the sound of Katrina's voice to see her holding out his nodachi. Taking it with a silent nod, Law lead the way out of the building they'd been laying low in and was pleased to note Katrina followed silently behind him. He had explained how he knew about her old crew and she had told him that she wanted to eventually find her old crew and captain in order to confront them about what they did to her. To be honest, Law wasn't too keen on the idea, but so long as she didn't plan on going back to her old crew he was at least willing to think about it.

"Do you think Bepo and the others are okay?"

Katrina's question earned a confused look from the pirate captain. He hadn't expected the question and he was curious as to what lead her to wonder that.

"They were right behind me in comin' to find you after Nikkicha told us of the ambush the marines had planned for you."

She explained and Law remained silent as they walked back towards the bridge that lead to the other Groves, and ultimately back to the Grove the sub was docked at. He knew his crew and had no doubt in his mind that they could handle themselves against a few low level marines. If anything, they were probably searching for him even as they speak.

"They know how to find me."

He said dismissively as they continued walking around the Grove they were on. Law didn't remember much after having passed the first bridge connecting the first two Groves in his attempt to lose the marines that had been chasing him guiding him towards the lower numbered Groves. Taking the time to look up at the massive mangrove trees he saw the number '3' on the ones they were currently walking past. That meant they still had another four Groves to go before they were back on the one the sub was docked at.

"What do you mean they know how to-"

Katrina started to ask, but was cut off by a chorus of voices all yelling one word.

"Captain!"

Both Law and Katrina turned to see Nikkicha, Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo running towards them. They all stopped in front of the duo and Bepo's nose twitched as he sniffed at his captain to make sure he was okay. Law could tell Bepo was concerned and quietly reassured his first mate that he was fine.

"Oh my Gods that's so cute!"

Katrina shouted, causing all of the Heart Pirates, captain included, to look at her confused until she suddenly glomped Bepo which scared the poor polar bear. Law had to take a moment to make sure what he was seeing was actually what he thought it was. The brunette had indeed just thrown herself at Bepo and clung to him with an almost child-like shine to her eyes.

"Uhh...Miss Katrina, I think you're scaring my first mate."

Law said and Katrina turned to look at him with a frown, but still let go of Bepo and stepped back with a mumbled apology. She was being oddly submissive and Law wondered if she was playing at something or if the events of the last two days had simply worn her out. Judging by the dark circles steadily growing around her eyes Law went with the latter.

"Captain, what do you want us to do now?"

Penguin asked and Law turned to look at the rest of his crew as he let his sword rest against his shoulder. He didn't miss the concerned looks his crew tried hiding from him at the look of his blood-covered hoodie. He knew that Katrina's appearance probably did nothing to reassure them either.

"We'll head back to the sub for now, but we have somewhere to be tomorrow."

He said as he started walking and leading the way back to the sub. The rest of the Heart Pirates fell in behind Law and the dark doctor noticed Bepo had moved to walk beside him and could tell something was on his friend's mind.

"Yes Bepo?"

He asked softly and resisted the urge to smile as he watched Bepo check to see if anyone else was listening to them before speaking.

"Katrina is coming with us?"

He asked and this time Law let the smile spread across his face as he slid his free hand into the pocket of his pants.

"Yes, Miss Katrina shall be joining us from now on."

Law answered and ignored the surprised shouts from his eavesdropping crew who all then turned towards said brunette as if to make sure Law was telling the truth. Chuckling quietly to himself at seeing the blush cross Katrina's face at the sudden attention, Law continued walking. His bed was calling his name, but first, a shower and proper tending to his wounds was needed.

Katrina followed Law and the crew back to where they had docked the sub and blinked in surprise when she finally got a good look at it. Sure she'd been inside the ship, but she didn't see it on her way in and didn't really pay attention when she'd finally gotten the freedom to leave. From this distance, she could see the submarine was actually two stories high above the water. Black sails sporting a red version of Law's Jolly Roger were pulled up and tied to the two masts on deck. She could see the Heart Pirate's Jolly Roger painted on the side as well as the word 'DEATH' spelled out along the side. Several portholes were spaced about the side, lights hanging in between them that she guessed were useful when underneath the waves. The only thing she couldn't get past was the color.

"Who paints a submarine used by wanted pirates canary yellow?"

She asked in disbelief. It was Penguin who heard her question and laughed as he slung an arm around her shoulders and fell instep beside her.

"Captain chose the color."

He said, pointing to their captain as he walked aboard the vessel they were talking about. Katrina face-palmed and sighed quietly to herself.

"Why does that not surprise me?"

She asked as she let Penguin guide her onto the sub and down below deck, ignoring his laughter at her question. She hadn't really expected an answer to her question so when she got none she only shook her head. Just what did she get herself into?

Katrina looked around the galley and saw her new crew had assembled around the table and by the looks of things, Shachi and Nikkicha were arguing about something. Katrina simply took the empty seat beside Bepo, missing the look her new captain was giving her because she'd sat between them.

"We never got the chance to get something to eat!"

Shachi shouted as he stood up and banged his hands on the tabletop.

"I can easily whip something up!"

Nikkicha shouted back.

"And kill us all? No thank you! I'd rather drink the toilet water after Penguin's used it than eat something you make!"

Shachi said, ignoring Penguin's shout of protest at being pulled into this and ducking to avoid the cast-iron skillet that had been thrown his way.

"Come again?"

Nikkicha asked as she advanced towards one of the two navigators on board.

"You heard me."

Shachi said, not realizing the danger he was in until it was too late. Katrina and the rest of the Heart Pirates could only watch as Nikkicha launched herself across the table and started choking Shachi.

"Umm, is this normal?"

Katrina asked no one in particular as she watched Shachi pull Nikkicha's hair, earning a cry of pain from the blonde mechanic before she pulled out a wrench and started hitting him with it.

"Actually, yes."

Bepo said, answering her question and Katrina blinked in surprise as she saw two of her new crewmates roll around on the ground, beating the crap out of each other and throwing insults back and forth. She was going to ask if they should do something to stop them when a loud grumble sounded through the room making everyone freeze. It sounded again and they all looked in the direction it came from to see Law sitting at the end of the table, his hat pulled down to shadow his eyes.

"What? I'm hungry."

He said simply and no one said anything in response or even moved, until his stomach growled again and Katrina started giggling.

Law glanced over at the newest member of his crew when she started laughing and narrowed his eyes just slightly. He would admit though, the sound of her laughter was rather pleasing to his ears. He was used to women laughing like mindless whores or nervously begging for their lives. He'd heard joyful laughter before, from his crew. He knew happiness and what it sounded like, but still, Katrina's laughter left him with a feeling in his chest he couldn't quite pin down.

"Something amusing Miss Katrina?"

He asked and Katrina looked over at him with a smile as she tried to stifle her laughter.

"Not really."

She said, it would have been convincing had she not started laughing again. Penguin and the others were waiting to see what their captain would do.

"Just for that Miss Katrina, I've decided to make you the crew's new cook."

Law said and smiled at the look of surprise on Katrina's face after he'd said it.

"M-Me?"

She asked and Law ignored the cheers from the rest of his crew and leaned across the table until his face was only a few inches from hers.

"Yes, you."

He said before pulling away and leaning back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head.

"So if you wouldn't mind."

He said and watched in amusement as Katrina got to her feet and walked into the kitchen and started cooking. His smile widened when he saw the pink tint to her cheeks.

Interesting.

He thought to himself as he turned his attention to the rest of his crew while waiting for their food.

Katrina could feel her face burning and cursed her new captain for being the cause of it. How was she supposed to know he was suddenly going to make her the crew's cook and get that close to her face.

"What are you making Katrina?"

A voice asked and Katrina looked up from the vegetables she was chopping to see Bepo standing on the other side of the counter.

"Well, considerin you guys don't have much."

She said and didn't miss the depressed look on her furry companion's face at her words.

"I thought I'd make oven-roasted vegetables and salad."

Katrina said as she put the pan of vegetables in the oven and set the timer.

"We tried to restock, but we only managed to get so much."

Bepo said as Katrina started shredding lettuce for salads.

"I know hun, and it's fine. I'll do some shoppin tomorrow unless Law says no."

She said and glanced over towards said person to see him simply shrug his shoulders which she took to be his approval.

"Would you care if I came along Katrina?"

Bepo asked as she finished with the lettuce and started moving the bowls over to the others.

"Bepo, what did I say about callin me my name?"

She asked as she set down Penguin, Shachi, and Nikkicha's salads and turned to get the rest only to have Bepo hand them to her.

"Huh?"

He asked confused and Katrina smiled at him as she turned and walked back into the kitchen to pull out the vegetables and cut the timer off.

"I told you, call me Kat."

She said with a smile as she brought the pan over to the table and set it down in the middle. She would have loved to have made some kind of chicken or soup to go with the salad, but she was working with an all but bare kitchen.

"Dig in."

She said and the others wasted no time in doing just that. Katrina felt someone glaring at her and turned her attention to her captain to see a dark look on his face which made her sigh before rolling her eyes at him. He really was so childish sometimes.

"Please."

She added as an afternote and shook her head when Law finally started eating. She couldn't understand his problem with being given orders, but she guessed she'd just have to ask one of the others and see if they knew. Was it simply him being the Captain meant he didn't like anyone else getting a big head? Or was there more to it?

After everyone had eaten and Shachi was volunteered to do dishes, Katrina finally realized something that hadn't exactly crossed her mind yet.

"Where am I going to sleep?"

She asked as she saw Nikkicha and Penguin walk off. One going to the engine room, the other to his room.

"Come on."

Law said as he got to his feet and started walking down the hall. Katrina got up and ran to catch up to him. She didn't want to risk getting lost in the submarine that had become her new home. She would explore when she had the luxury to do so and hopefully learn her way around without having to trail after someone else.

They walked in silence and Katrina wondered where Law was leading her when he suddenly stopped outside a room.

"Law?"

She asked confused until he opened the door and motioned for her to walk inside. She did as he said and walked inside the room only to stop once there.

Shelves of books lined the wall, a bed under a porthole window, a desk with a lamp and other things pushed against the far wall and a rug on the floor.

"I had Bepo clear out the boxes and move them to the storage room downstairs."

Law said, snapping Katrina out of her state of shock. She turned to look at her captain to see him smiling at her.

"My room is right across the hall, my office is beside my room, and the infirmary is down the hall back towards the galley. If you need anything, you can usually find me in those three places."

He said before turning and walking out the door.

"Get some sleep Kat, we have someplace important to be in the morning."

He said before walking out and closing the door after him.