DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE

"Captain!" Bepo called out through the intercom system to the captain's personal room. "We are approaching the next island. It looks like there's people standing guard on the dock. What should we do? I'm sorry."

Trafalgar Law, captain of the Heart pirates, weighed out his options. Villagers blocking off the port meant that they were on the hostile side of welcoming guests. Or at least wanting to give them an extreme reaction. Right now his only concern with this island is a quick restock so he didn't want to raise any unnecessary conflict. "Prepare to dive. We'll go around the island and dock away from the citizens."

"Aye aye!" Seconds after hanging up on the direct line, Bepo's voice rang out through the sub warning of diving.

The Polar Tang was a representation of Law's character. It was unique and paired well with his tactical side. Being able to fully submerge away from the people on the surface made it harder for people to track them. In cases like this island he was given more time to scan the area to determine whether it's right to express caution here. With their profession that was going to be the life or death of them.

Law closed his book, heading over to the main navigation room where his navigator and helmsman were. Bepo and Jean Bart briefly glanced back at him as they continued their work. Looking through the periscope he spotted the villagers on guard. They didn't look too bad. Some were armed but nothing that his crew wouldn't be able to handle from the looks of it.

After their run in with the Marines on Durking island a month ago they were forced to get only a quarter of needed supplies. According to his navigation team, past this island it would be a long trip until the next one. They wouldn't last with what they had on hand right now. Villagers or not they would be forced to dock anyways. Pillage what they wanted if needed.

The island was pretty plain. Majority of it was covered in forest that would give them plenty of cover. On the surface there wasn't a lot to note. "Do you two have any information about this place?"

"There's not a lot in books. I think there's nothing special about it that no one bothered to list it down."

"I see."

"I'm sorry." The polar bear hung his head after not properly answering his captain's question. The two in the room were already so used to his apologetic ways that they didn't bother to tell him that he shouldn't be so weak.

"How long until we dock?"

Bepo forgot all about his concern to answer the next question. "The forest will give us cover. As long as the villagers aren't surrounding the whole place we can probably dock as soon as 20 to 30 minutes."

"Good." He pushed the button to make an announcement to the sub. "We'll be docking soon. I want to explore the island first. Everyone is to stay on the sub until I make it back. You may surface but no leaving the tang. Felix-ya come to the surface area once docking."

Law left his navigation crew to their work as he made his way to the opening exit. One of his mechanics, Felix, had joined him soon enough. "How can I help, captain? I take it that I'm exploring the island with you?"

"Yeah. There were guards on stand so we should see why before anyone else goes." He nodded. Since he wanted to survey the island first he decided to go with one of his calmer crew mates. Felix could be equally as rowdy as his fellow mates but he was often called a gentleman for how calm he was on a regular basis.

In accordance with what Bepo said they were able to resurface within the 30 minutes. A few other crewmates had gathered near the top so that they would get the fresh air in. All while still listening to their captain's orders to stay on board. After making sure that everything was going to run smoothly in their absence, Law and Felix set off.

The walk through the forest was uneventful. No hunters around, regular bugs buzzing, one would think that the villagers would roam the forest to make sure no one sneaked onto the island. Surprisingly for an island that seemed on guard, there was a significant lack of them.

They paused when they saw the village coming into view. They wanted to see how the citizens were acting but no one came by. No matter how close they got, they didn't hear nor see a single soul.

Walking out of the forest they found the entire place to be a ghost's town. But it didn't make any sense since Law saw that people were guarding the place. Unless they saw the Heart pirates coming, there shouldn't be a reason why they were all hiding away in their homes. Something about the whole place made Law's hairs stand on end. Felix could feel it too.

"Excuse me! What are you doing out of your homes?" A woman's voice yelled out making them both jump.

The two pirates turned around to see a woman in her early twenties, wearing a lab coat call them out. She had her long pink with a yellow tint coloured hair in one braid that swayed behind her as she rushed towards them. They couldn't see the rest of her face with the surgical mask covering from nose to chin. She had a rectangular satchel on her hip as she carried a clipboard in hand.

Once she got close to them they saw her dark brown eyes widen slightly. Following her gaze, they saw her looking at the jolly rogers on their clothes. She took a step back to both act surprised and to control herself.

Before wanted posters started popping up she always wondered how the little emo kid would look as an adult. Now he dressed in spotted clothing, height at nearly 2 meters with tanned skin covered in tribal art tattoos. No longer was he the little white sickly brat. Right here, right now was the man she's been preparing for years to meet again.

'He's here. He's really here!' Aurelia almost couldn't control her hand reaching to grab her trident. One good stab to the heart was all it took against the skinny pirate. But if she made any mistake here then all her years of work would have been nothing. For now, her main objective was to gain his interest.

"Who are you and how did you get onto this island? The villagers should have been guarding the dock."

"We went around." She sighed, shaking her head.

"Look, we don't mean any trouble. We just want to restock and we'll be on our way." Felix reasoned nicely.

"I understand but there's a reason why we kept people on the dock. This island is under complete quarantine." This made Law interested.

"What happened?"

"There's a strange illness going around that's making everyone weak and hallucinate. We don't know the cause so we wanted to keep visitors away in case it's contagious. It would have been easier if you pirates weren't so keen on breaking rules." That would explain why the men didn't see any other person in the village.

"I guess you're the doctor here. Any fatalities?" She paused in her answer.

"A few. But that was only due to the hallucinations and their exhaustion making them do crazy things! I've been performing a few tests to find the cure but so far it has been non-fruitful. Nor have I found the cause to reduce the infected count. That's why you all need to stay away. I'm already swamped with patients. I don't need to be adding your crew to the list."

"How long has it been present?" He kept asking questions to see if anything in his medical knowledge would point to an answer. As he continued asking she internally laughed at how easy he was.

"I've only been on this island for a month. It was already well spread by the time I got here. Villagers say nearly a year. Hard to tell when the infected people are all too tired or crazy talking to answer properly half the time." All lies she prepared well in advance. Rehearsing these lies for a month while telling all these so called villagers what the plan was.

"You're a travelling doctor that's been here for a month? How is it that you didn't get infected?"

"Never said I haven't. However, until this island is cured I don't plan on leaving. On the contrary it was probably due to my experience that I'm inclined to figure this out. Just remembering it is making me tired."

"That sounds rough. If it's such an unknown illness, then why are you helping? Isn't it risky to throw your life on the line for this random island? What if it's deadly?" Law didn't comment on his crew member's words. It wasn't like he said it out of hate. He never opened up about that part of his life to anyone. It was natural for people to be afraid for their lives.

"How rude. We won't know that until we actually find and examine the cause. If it is as bad as it can get, then it just makes me want to work faster. If it isn't then there's a chance that I can save these lives. That must be a hard concept for a pirate but I'm a doctor. I won't leave someone that needs my help. Deadly disease or not." That final line struck a chord within Law; bringing back some memories he'd rather not think about.

"Listen pirates. The log pose sets in 3 weeks. I can ask someone to deliver you supplies at a safe distance so you can stay out of the village. A lot of the items we have here are from the island so they won't mind giving some to you. Provided that you pay for it. Throughout the 3 weeks I can try to stop by to ensure that your crew is healthy. If not, they are welcomed to quarantined in one of the houses until we figure something out. But given how busy I am, I can't promise that. I hope that you have a doctor on board. You should consult with them when you get back."

"Actually..." Felix trailed off as he looked to his captain.

"I'm the ship's doctor." She scanned him up and down. Law didn't exactly have the most doctor-like appearance to him. Having nearly his entire body covered in tattoos and carrying his nodachi and all. The permanent dead look in his eyes was not helping tie it together.

"Well then I advise you to keep your crewmates away from this village. I live in the house right on the edge of the forest if you need anything but I really must go now." Aurelia turned away from them with a sense of urgency.

"Hold on one second." Law stopped her. "We didn't get your name."

"Frost Aurelia. Most people just say Lia for short. And you gentlemen?"

"Trafalgar Law."

"Felix." She knew that. She knew every Heart pirate. The claw marks over his right eye made the mechanic one of the easier ones to remember. Along with other names that had been a part of his crew since the beginning, she learned everything she could about them.

"It was nice to meet you, Mister Trafalgar, Mister Felix. Now I must attend to my next patient. Hopefully I don't need to quarantine you both in the near future." She bowed to them before leaving.

Running over to the nearby house she could feel their eyes on her. Inside she watched them walk away while talking. She could tell that her target was deep in thought. Her trap had been set.

"Woah it's really him. He's just as intimidating as they say." Her fake patient said from behind her. She closed the window's curtain. Though they were her father's workers she never told them the truth on why she was doing all of this. All they knew was that this was a part of a plan to catch the big bad pirate.

"He's a dangerous fellow. I would stay away from him and the rest of his crew. I'll handle the rest. You are already making a big sacrifice by being here and I thank you for that." They nodded, weakly going back over to their bed. It was so easy to please these people in the name of helping others.

"No no, I signed up for this. This poison takes a toll but it's good for training. Plus, the pay is really good. You've been taking the best care of us. You're a great doctor." She slightly closed her eyes to appear as if she was smiling. Perks of wearing a face mask. She took out a small vial and needle from her satchel.

"Thank you for understanding. Let's get started for today." While administering the drug she wondered how long it would take for Law to start expressing his interest in this island's predicament.

The two pirates didn't stick around after Aurelia left. They didn't know the cause of the illness so it was best that they stayed away. At least she said that they would be able to get their supplies which is what Law wanted in the first place. There was just another issue that he didn't expect.

"She was nice. Wanting to help these strangers at her own expense and all. She didn't even mind that we snuck onto the island." When his captain didn't respond he looked over to him. Sometimes when Law got extremely wrapped up in things it would take a while to get a response. It was clear to the mechanic that the female doctor had caught his captain's attention.

During his travels there were, unfortunately, only a handful of doctors that acted as selflessly as Aurelia. Even Law at times would do the same. Common flus were left to local doctors. More extreme cases of keeping someone alive was more work and painful than having him help them. His main concern will always prioritize his crew and their safety. He left those places without helping and with many second thoughts. Here, Aurelia did what he always wanted to do. Save people who have no one else to help despite all the risks.

"Hey captain?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think is wrong with these people?" He had to think about it.

"Hard to say. Hallucinations sound like psychedelic drugs with an after effect of exhaustion. It doesn't explain why it's been occurring for nearly a year. If Aurelia-ya is a good doctor she would have thought of that first. It's impossible for me to tell without checking up on then personally."

"Are you gonna check on them?"

"They have a village doctor. A very determined one at that. That's a good sign for her skill." Felix was surprised when he heard that. He knew that Law was proud of his medical expertise. To compliment this stranger was a great honour.

In their short walk they arrived back at the Polar Tang. "Captain and Felix are back!"

Majority of his crew were eager to hear if they could go exploring themselves. Law had to break the news that with the unknown illness he wanted to limit the possible spread to everyone. But with that it brought more questions. Would his crew be safe just from keeping the distance? Were him and Felix already in danger? What exactly was the cause and how could it be fixed?

The more his members asked, the more he found himself thinking about Aurelia. She was the one most knowledgeable about the whole illness. She even said that she experienced the sickness herself. If she's been studying it for a month there must be something that she's missing. Law wanted to see what that was.

Aurelia stretched her arms as she walked up to her temporary home. She was going to head in when she felt a presence inside. She held back her grin, having a good idea of who it was. Adjusting her face mask, she went inside. 'Fucking brute going into a lady's house by yourself without permission.'

She rubbed her eyes as she switched on the lights. "Nice workshop you got here."

She let out a yelp, jumping at the deep voice in her house. She held her chest taking deep breaths. Law, nonchalantly, stood up from her desk.

"I don't know how pirates work but never do that again, Mister Trafalgar! If this is about your supplies, then please wait until morning." She saw in his eyes that he was here for more than supplies.

"Let me examine the villagers." He paid little attention to him causing her a jump scare.

"Huh? Why?" 'You are so easy to predict.'

"Because I'm concerned for my crew's health. And to admit, I am curious in what is the exact cause if it's been causing you so much trouble. It may do me good to learn about it."

"You'll be leaving in 3 weeks anyways. I don't find any use in you trying to rush this process. What good would that do?"

"Are you against it?" She hated that he didn't answer her questions properly. Add his 'I'm better than you' attitude onto the list of things she hated about him.

"Hmm. I still don't feel comfortable letting you see my patients as an experiment. But quite frankly I need all the help I can get." Aurelia moved over to her desk, grabbing a few vials filled with either white or purple liquids. "Blood and urine samples of a few of them. Already you can tell they're not normal. Maybe you have some more fancy equipment to examine them."

She handed over the vials to him. The first thing he did was hold them up to the light. He's never seen any human body produce these colours. There were many things in this world that would change people's waste. This was beyond the usual colour scheme of either. Now on this tiny island was this extreme case where both blood and urine was completely unrecognizable.

Looking around the room there wasn't a lot of equipment that she had. Given that she was a 'travelling doctor' it made sense why she only had tiny things that she could carry around. Despite that, Law could see all the research she was putting in to find the exact root of all of this.

"Did you discover anything through these?"

"I found that their symptoms relieved and fluid colour returned back to normal through consuming fishes' blood after some time. You can imagine that isn't the most reliable method. Fishes don't really give off a lot of blood nor can I go injecting that into people's bloodstream."

"Fishes' blood? Any other animal blood help?" "Small village so no other animals besides bugs. Human blood didn't do anything either. Unless you got a live animal on your ship, there's no way to tell." He thought about the idea of getting Bepo's blood. As a mink he was technically not fully an animal but he was a possible option to study. "Do you actually have a pet or something on board?"

"Or something. Here's what I'll do. I'll try to analyze this back on my ship and let you know if it produces any results."

"I'll appreciate that."

"Aurelia-ya I-"

"Please just call me Lia. It's easier." She bit the inside of her cheek. She hated the sound of him saying her name. He raised an eyebrow at how strangely she reacted to him.

"Lia-ya. I have a question for you before I leave today."

"Go ahead?"

"Have you heard of the country of Flevance?" 'Poor baby boy misses his home. Should have died with the rest of them then.'

"The white city? I heard about it a few times in school as a cautionary tale. They always told us that the place was an example of what happens when greed gets to you. That sacrifices must be made for the rest of humanity to survive."

"What are your thoughts about it?" This was seen as a test of character. Taking a few steps away, she looked over to her desk sprawling with papers.

"I find that it's a shame that the whole place fell in one day. In such a cruel way too. No one, not even the world government, has the right to throw away lives so easily. But at the same time, I don't think any survivors would have lived this long with their life expectancy. Records said that the Amber Lead disease was painful that I don't think many wanted to continue regardless. If any survivors are still alive I would love to meet them. They would be someone amazing to beat the odds put on them. They are also an example that there is hope for what people believed to be a lost cause."

She didn't look at him while speaking in case he could tell that she was lying. All Law saw was Aurelia's smaller frame shrinking as she went on. Her soft voice as if giving condolences for those that passed. 'Maybe I'm laying on the goody two shoes doctor act too heavy. I should back off a little. He won't offer me a position on his crew if he thinks I'm sort of saint.'

She shook her head. "Don't listen to me. Those are solely my thoughts. Not like there were any survivors. Last I remember there wasn't a cure so they must have all died by now even if they managed to escape the city."

Aurelia couldn't read what Law's expression meant. He was always stoic that she would need more time to pick his little facial movements. She assumed that she didn't mess anything up since she wasn't being cut up. If she had to guess he was both nostalgic and understanding of what she said.

"Did you know someone from the white city Mister Trafalgar?" One final nail to show that she was an innocent person.

He tried his best to show that he wasn't thrown off by her question. "A few."

"Then I'm sorry for your loss." She made a bold move to hold his hands with the vials. "Hopefully then with your help we will prevent something like that from happening again."

It's been a long time since Law had been touched by a woman in such an intimate way. Over time he had grown numb to the numerous women that threw themselves at him. He knew that his main goal in life didn't require a significant other next to him that he didn't dare try. A few one night stands but nothing more.

When Aurelia touched him, he almost pulled away. But her rough, warm hands were mainly on the vials than on him. So he allowed it as a friendly gesture. Between doctors.

She was the first one to pull back. "I've kept you long enough. You should get back before your crew thinks something's wrong. Not safe for a lanky fellow like you to be alone at night."

He chuckled. "I'm a pirate."

"And I'm fully capable of killing you." She accidentally said it so confidently that she was worried that it tipped him off. Instead he seemed amused at the idea of the doctor killing him. Little did he know.

"I very much doubt that. But I'll let you think what you want since I got my questions answered. Goodnight Lia-ya."

"Goodnight Mister Trafalgar." He waved once backwards with the hand without the vials. It didn't work exactly to her ideas but all was going well. Once he gets back to his submarine she could already picture him studying the vials. She gave him max a week until he returns.

Aurelia almost felt scared at how smooth this was going. Quickly sanitizing her hands, she fell back onto her comfy bed. 'When I become a Heart pirate I hope the bed in the submarine is soft. All his crew are currently men so I better get my own room. Trafalgar probably will have a room to himself. Imagine I push him out of that.' She giggled at the thought.

"Oh I should tell Father about today. He'll be overjoyed that my plan is starting." She reached into her bag for her den-den mushi. It may be late but she knew that he would be awake doing a bunch of work.

"What is it, Aurelia? Did you mess up already?" She felt slightly offended at him assuming that.

"As a matter of fact, I did not. Trafalgar doesn't suspect a thing. Now he is assisting in finding the cure to this 'mysterious illness'. I wanted to thank you for lending me your workers and clearing out this island so quickly. Your workers have been very cooperative in receiving their poison. I have to admit though, having to inject them so many times can be annoying."

"You can't complain. The venom is only temporary. You should have expected that maintaining it to be like a disease was going to be a lot." She peeked into her satchel to see all the vials of venom that she needed for 3 weeks and a bit more. She made sure to keep it on her person in case he got any funny ideas to raid her home. He already intruded once that she'll have to check if he did anything later.

"Compared to the work I put in for tracking this fucker? This is nothing. You understand that, don't you? There's a reason why you supported me all these years."

"I know exactly how much pain he's dealt to you. It's only right you return it. But Law has the Ope-Ope no mi. He's going to easily find what's wrong with my men. I'm only providing advice." He warned her. Her father was a strange man. He didn't compliment her often but he was one to raised her with brute words.

It was because of him that she became the trained assassin that she was. Both of those words came from him. He trained her and gave her all the jobs she needed to use her skills. It was all because of her father that she was person she was today. That she was still alive. When no one else was with her, she knew that she could rely on her father to tell her what was right.

"I'm counting on him to find the cure. If Trafalgar is that good of a doctor he'll figure out how to cure the illness within the 3 weeks that he's here. That'll set off the next domino. All in the end would result in me joining the Heart pirates. Then when he least expects it, I'll strike. The last person you expect to betray you is your own crew member. Besides I set up a fake cause already so that he'll never suspect me. It'll be fun sneaking around Mr. Smarty pants' cautious ways."

"Are you sure about this? The brat is more cunning than you think." She rolled her eyes at him. Not that the other could see it.

"Please Father, I've trained practically my whole life for this. His past, present, crew, powers, all of it is embedded in my mind for years now. I've even picked up a medical license to make sure there was no way he could get the best of me. There's no one that knows that boy and what he's capable of better than me." She heard a gruff chuckle come from the other end.

"You've come this far. Might as well finish it off cleanly."

"Trust me. It'll be anything but clean. I'm going to make him drown in his own blood just like his precious Rosinante." Aurelia has spent years researching all that she could about him. It made her giddy with the image of him dying. After all these years, things were finally rippling back in his direction.