Happy Holidays everyone!

Bet you weren't expecting another update so quickly, but we are in the holidays so sending this belayed holiday gift to you all! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, just the OC(s)

Chapter 35

Charlotte slowed as she passed the mischievous duo, peaking over their shoulders to see what they were so absorbed in. Is that… Charlotte rushed across the galley, dumping her tray with a quick thanks. She grabbed the two of them by the neck, pulling them against her as she rushed back. The monitor attached to her almost fell over from the speed. "So…" She breathed, eyes twinkling devilishly over their plans. "When do we start?"

Shachi was the first to respond, a likewise grin falling on his face. This would be fun. Really fun. There were just so many more possibilities if Charlotte was to join them. "Soon. We're not done planning yet."

Charlotte's lips curled up even more. "Perfect." This was the best way to get rid of a boring day in the sub, and it was by far the most boring day she had experienced since joining. They haven't surfaced in forever, hadn't seen an island in who knows how long, hadn't met a marine warship, hadn't even seen a fish. A fish! They were in the goddamn ocean and there wasn't even a fish?! Her eyes darted back towards the elaborate string of pranks. Soon. Very soon, things will be better. "Have you decided on a target yet?"

"Well…"

So, they had. Charlotte couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Though she supposed if they had picked Cole, she wouldn't argue. The male had been acting strange around her ever since Fishman Island, like he had something to say. Like he cared. A shiver ran down her back and she shook the scary thought away. I rather much have him annoyed at me.

"We were originally planning on you." Her lips thinned. "B-But since you're helping us now. Wedon'thaveanyone!" They rushed quickly at the glare, eyes shutting tight, and hands splayed out before their faces as if it would protect them.

"Y-You can pick the target!" Penguin offered quickly, trading it with their safety.

Her smirk grew at the proposition and their stomachs dropped. They were going to regret this, weren't they? Her voice dripped with acridity as she spoke.

"The target is the lovely captain: Law."

"But—" Charlotte shoved a slender finger against his lips, shushing him with a quick wave of the digit. "You offered and I selected. If the asshole is going to keep me locked up here, then you bet my shit that I will pay him hell." Charlotte declared as if she was sealing a curse or making a blood pact. She smiled at them, the air around her lighting up as she did. "Now, I'm counting on you. Don't you dare cheap out since it's Law."

Shachi shot the other a glare as they watched the huntress leave. The portable heart monitor trailing behind her silent except for the rolling of the wheels against the metal floor. "You just had to offer her the choice of a target." He spat sordidly. The monitor yanked unceremoniously, jerking after her. Yep, she was still mad.

"How was I supposed to know it was going to be—"

"WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE?!"

"I thought we might get lucky and get Cole!"

"Are you sure this is safe?" Bepo questioned looking at the rope tied across his waist and then the fast ripples of water next to them. He wasn't so sure about fishing anymore. It sounded fun when Charlotte first mentioned it, but now he wasn't so sure. "Aren't we supposed to be using a fishing rod or something?"

"Hm?" Charlotte hummed as she secured the knots. "You're a bear though." She commented as if that was reason enough. Or so they keep telling her when she called Bepo a sheep. "Now remember, we don't have a lot of time before the sub goes under again. No pressure."

"We don't?" Bepo deflated. He was hoping they'd stay upside for a while longer. They've been on strict under-the-radar mode since Charlotte fell sick. The huntress frowned when she caught the bear staring at the ECG monitor. Extra precautions that drew far too much attention in Charlotte's mind. "Are you feeling okay?"

Charlotte's lip twitched into a plastic smile and gestured to the heartbeat on screen. Bepo stared at it and nodded. Yep, way too much information is revealed with the stupid beats. Charlotte thought with silent frustration. While she may not know what the annoying beeping meant. Everyone else seems to. "Milo's waiting on the fish." She redirected.

Bepo nodded and dived in with a happy chant for fish for dinner.

Forgive me. She thought as she watched Bepo disappear into the sea. She lied. The fish wasn't for dinner—well, she supposed they could still eat it afterwards—but it for the prank. As a result of poor distribution of work, Charlotte needed help to complete her portion seeing as how she can't go underwater. A fact that she was certain they didn't just conveniently forget. They were hoping she would give up on the plan altogether or agree to a target swap. Little did they know she could be resourceful too.

"Charlotte," At the call, the huntress returned from her little monologue of how she'll get back at the Dynamic Duo. "I don't see any fishes." That wasn't right. There should be something. They were at sea!

"What do you see?"

"There's only octopi."

Octopi? The image of slimy tentacles and messy black ink stains came into Charlotte's mind. It wasn't the exact same thing as using the stinky fish to make the germaphobe reek but inking him wouldn't be too bad either. "Grab them! They're fine too!"

"But I thought Milos wanted fish."

"It's okay we can have Takoyaki for dinner!" Charlotte persuaded and the sky around them darkened. "O-on, second thought… GET OUT OF THE WATERS!" Charlotte yanked at the rope holding Bepo to the ship with earnest. The heart monitor attached to her beeping faster. Below deck, two doctors glanced up from their work.

Charlotte grunted. Both of her boots pressed against the railing as she pulled the rope back. How far did he go? She twisted, throwing the rope over her shoulder, and crunching hard. Freaking bear needs a diet! Finally, Bepo's head broke the surface. "Hurry, onto the sub now! Bring whatever you collected with you."

"Bepo!" She hollered when the bear didn't move. Of course, he didn't. She probably wouldn't have either if she was in his position. Bepo's slightly larger than normal black eyes were glued onto the blue symbol decorating the side of the ship next to them.

Marines.

They had exposed themselves to marines.

"Freeze you filthy pirates!" Charlotte dropped the rope and a climbing Bepo plummeted into the water with a yelp. "I don't take orders." Charlotte warned. Her fingers twitched. Maybe it wasn't so bad that they encountered each other. She hadn't gotten into a proper fight in a while.

"Freeze or we'll fire."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. Didn't they ever have anything new to say? "FIRE THEN!"

"Wait, Charlotte! Captain says you aren't allowed to fight! CHARLOTTE!"

In the medical bay of the submarine, Rike went through his normal duties of refiling the cabinets of various medical supplies. He smiled as he packed an extra set of bandages and tape for a certain someone who seems to constantly be covered in some kind of cut or another. He remembered back at the start how she'd hide her injuries, refuse treatment, or take the bandages off as soon as they wrapped her. I'm not used to them. She'd commented back then. Now, she just shows up at the door covered in blood and wounds, looking bashful. What? You're going to drag me here anyway once you find out.

That's technically true. Though he hoped that she'd stop getting into trouble and showing up with wounds. As much as he doesn't mind the extra costs incurred from having to get more supplies to cover her wounds, as a doctor, he much rather his patient stayed healthy and safe.

Rike's head snapped to his left and Law looked up from the many maps laid out around them. Jean Bart and Hotate shushing at the motion and the lot watched Charlotte's heart readings grow faster. Law's chair scraped against the floor when the line went dead. "I'll go." He said, leaving the many maps and books sprawled over his desk.

"Aye Cap't." The pirates muttered quietly, and Rike pulled down the first aid kit he had just finished stocking. The one labelled 'Extras for Charlotte'.

Charlotte panted heavily, dragging a banged-up arm across her chin. The tape there sucking up the sweat quickly. The corner of her lips pulled up as she watched orange and yellow dance in the afternoon sky. Screams and panic filled the air, drowned out by sizzles and crackles. Buckets of water soar into the air, splashing against singed wood, but having little effect on quelling the problem.

The marine ship was on fire.

Another explosion went off and there went the ship's armory. Charlotte turned away from the chaos. "Let's go Bepo before anyone finds out." Charlotte said, stretching.

"Finds out about what exactly?"

Charlotte stiffened at the voice and the sound of her shoulder popping echoed inexplicably loud. Law stood at the threshold; longsword tucked underneath one elbow. Bepo immediately skidded to a stop at the sight of their unhappy captain, octopus in hand. He apologized instinctively. Meanwhile, Charlotte looked up towards her outstretched arm and then towards the fallen over heart monitor. The string connecting them lost somewhere in her battles.

Aw. Shit—"Shambles."

Wind rushed behind her, throwing purple tresses awry and Charlotte kind of wished that the misfired cannonball had hit her instead. Kind of.

"Wow. You're getting sneakier at setting up your Room. I completely missed when." Charlotte responded robotically. A comically large smile on her face as she looked far into the distance. "Hey, hey, tell me when, would you?" When did you come up? How much did you see?

Grey eyes turned stone cold.

Yep. She was going to get an earful.

"I. Did. Not. Go. Through. All. That. Trouble. Getting. Uncuffed. To be put on some kind of house arrest!" Charlotte ranted towards the other doctor in the room who only chuckled at her outburst. His hands busy hooking her up to some kind of contraption. Law forcibly threw her back into the infirmary, going off on that if she was good enough to fight a marine fleet, a little force wasn't going to kill her. "Who does he think he is anyway? Bossing everyone around like it's his business."

"He is the boss." Rike corrected and laughed at the flabbergasted look on her face. "It's part of the job description of a captain."

"It is? Maybe I should become captain then." She muttered and Rike wondered if the Hearts could survive a day with her as leader. Their future seemed bleak.

"You know he's doing this because he cares." Rike interrupted. The words came out without much thought, just an honest opinion of his on behalf of the crew. So, he didn't pay much attention to Charlotte's reaction, focusing on his task instead. "When he brought you back the other day after your fight with that cannibal, half conscious, covered in bruises, and with more muscle than skin visible on one arm, we were…" A conglomeration of emotions and he didn't know how to best describe it. "More than worried, Charlotte."

Charlotte's eyes fell towards her hands. One bandaged and one gloved. Both permanently stained in blood. The battle resurfacing awful memories and reminders that she, her muscles, in her very cells, could still perform. She felt twitchy and the very thought reminded her of how dangerous she was. How of a monster—

"Then when Cole found you, unconscious, blue, and unresponsive." Charlotte watched the way his face twisted with conflict. "You have to take better care of yourself, Charlotte. You're an important member of the Heart Pirates."

Member of the Heart Pirates… Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the kid doctor. Unsure what to say. Luckily, she didn't have to. The machine next to her beeped and Charlotte was more than happy for a shift in topic. "Can you explain to me how this measures my heartbeat when I don't have one?"

The young doctor sighed heavily. "As I said last time, while your heart may not be in your body, it still functions and behaves properly like a heart. It still pumps and delivers blood through your system. The rate of which your blood pumps is how we are getting your pulse on the monitor." Rike explained.

"Oh," Charlotte nodded, glancing at the much larger and chunkier machine. "So, it's like the other one I was using." The one that gotten crushed in the earlier scramble. Rest in peace. She frowned when she noticed this new one was not only larger, but it was also non-portable.

She glanced at the monitor. Although she had no idea what the numbers next to it meant, the beats sounded strong and steady.

Beep. Beep. Bee—Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

She's flat lining?! Rike snapped his head to the monitor, noticing the flat line before quickly glancing down towards his patient. The adrenaline rushing through him freezing instantly. "What are you doing?" While relieved, his voice carried a slight annoyance in it. Charlotte had taken off the tape connection he had painstakingly just worked on.

"Leaving. The thing can't move like the last one." Her heartbeat sounded normal, and it wasn't like she was still feeling sick or had any lingering symptoms from when she randomly fainted a week and a half ago. Law should have known that if she was able to tell that about herself. Yet, she finds herself in the infirmary again and again, as if this place was her second home. It didn't help that since the incident, Law had moved their late-night study sessions to the infirmary. She glanced at the several maps laid out on the metal table. Except Law hadn't been studying like usual.

"Yes, but we need to keep a monitor on your heart otherwise we wouldn't know when you're in a critical state."

"Critical state? I'm not weak you know." This has long since gotten old to just plain annoying.

Rike sighed, feeling the headache that usually plagued their captain incoming. They really need to drill into her even the basis of common sense when it came to health. How many times does this make? "No matter how strong you are, with your heart missing, it'll be as easy to kill you as it is to steal candy for a baby." He explained again, paraphrasing this time.

That's right. The reason she was here and the reason for all this mess was because her heart had gone missing. During their little mishap on Fishman Island, Charlotte's dislocated heart was one of the items they were unable to recover. Stolen might be a better term for it. Either way, the cause of her troubles now was around her missing and probably traded heart.

Not that they were aware of it until Charlotte fainted one random afternoon.

"And you didn't disclose this information because?" Law asked, patience audibly thinning as he waited for the bedridden Charlotte to respond. They had managed to stabilize her, and she finally woke up.

Despite her purple lips and pale skin, Charlotte was energetic. Her eyes were bright as she sipped away at some steaming hot chocolate for the first time. This drink is truly amazing! Why hadn't anyone shown me this before?She gushed enthusiastically. Noticing the steely stare, Charlotte turned away from asking Milo's about the magical drink, grumbling at the topic shift. "I didn't see why I needed to. If I had said so, would you have gone searching for it?"

"Of course!" Law pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't understand her lackadaisical attitude. This was her heart—her life on the line! Did she not know even the basics of anatomy to the point that she could die from having her heart crushed? It was pure luck that someone hadn't crushed her heart just yet by accident. "…How long have you known that your heart was missing?"

"Shortly after we left Fishman Island. Something felt odd so I went to check the chest where you normally keep it." She didn't miss the way Law's gaze changed at the tidbit of information and she promptly looked away, choosing to ignore his stare. "When it wasn't there, I assumed you had moved it. Judging from this—" she gestured to all the medical equipment surrounding her "—you don't have it."

Law scowled. "No. But someone does."

The thought that someone else was holding her heart hostage didn't sit well with the huntress then and it still didn't. All the more reason that this house arrest was more than stupid.

"Where are you going?" Law questioned as he reentered the infirmary having dealt with Shachi and Penguin. The prank was exposed after Charlotte was caught. Charlotte had lost all privileges to freely wander the submarine and the two were shafted with all the chores Charlotte had accumulated over her time aboard seeing as she won't be able to do them being grounded to the infirmary. "I thought I made it explicitly clear: you are not to leave the infirmary."

"And it's almost cute that you think after all this time I listen to orders." Charlotte replied without missing a beat. She flipped her scarf over her shoulder, wincing slightly when the action pulled on her sore side. "Now would you kindly move out of the way? I have a heart to hunt."

"Without you somewhere we can monitor, we wouldn't know if anything was to happen to you. Please, just this once, listen and leave the searching to us." Rike pleaded, grasping her hand. A twinge of guilt struck her at the expression on his face. But to ask a hunter to not hunt was like asking a shark to stop swimming.

"Charlotte." His tone alone demanded her attention. "Do you have any idea where your heart is?" The several maps laid out in some kind of system that Charlotte hadn't bothered to figure out stood behind him. Several of the islands had been crossed out. Islands that they had already checked or ones that couldn't possibly have her heart already crossed off. Since they realized Charlotte's heart had gone missing, Law changed the ship's direction to chase leads to find her heart. They've been hunting for her.

"Is there anyone else who may want to have your heart? Someone like Joval?"

Aceteon.

The name instantly dominated her mind like an infection. A shiver went through her soul and the scar on her shoulder throbbed. "No one even knows that it's possible." She shoved the idea away. There was no way—she would know if he had it.

He watched her for a moment more. Her thin body and still covered in bandages. Her supposedly good arm somehow also now wrapped in its own set of bandages. The crevasse where her heart used to be seemed so large suddenly. His eyes jerked back to her face when she moved.

"I'd almost think you care for me, Captain." Charlotte started, eyes flickering to his face. His eye bags are darker than usual. She noted mentally. "Then I remember all the restrictions you have in place. How'd you expect me to hunt while being bedridden in the medical bay of a yellow submarine thousands of meters below the sea?"

"That's the point. You're not supposed to." Her jaw dropped while Law crossed his arms. "If I let you have it your way, you'd charge in alone without telling anyone else first, wouldn't you?"

She scoffed an affirmative and Law allowed Rike to do the scolding. He'd be damned if he lets her charge into some dangers with her heart held hostage. He's already seen how reckless she could be back on Fishman Island. Her regards for her own health were minuscule at best.

"Just this once, let us handle it." Law sighed, pinching at bridge if his nose.

Charlottes brow twitched and she clenched her fist. What was she? A helpless princess? "What? Ya scared that I'll run off with my heart?" Charlotte scoffed, throwing her arms across her chest as she harrumphed to the side. Completely off.

That wasn't what I meant. Law ran a hand through his hair tiredly. He paused. "Are you saying you won't?" A smug grin spread across his face, and he crossed his arms as he leaned against the threshold. He wasn't going to correct and admit his worries to her. Plus, was she insinuating that she enjoyed his crew's presence enough that she stopped thinking of running away? His grin widened as he watched the huntress process her words and turned beet red.

"I-I didn't say that…" Charlotte muttered, pulling on her scarf to hide her face. Still yet to realize that the redness of her scarf only made the blush more noticeable.

The plan was to escape from the sadistic and manipulative bastard and his swimming metal death trap. When had that changed? When was the last time she actually tried to capture Law or her heart? Sometime in all their adventures together, she had stopped. Lost in her experiences with the crew. Her time here was never boring. Whether it be venturing to a new island or even her late nightly studies with Law, each moment filled with adventure, fun, and laughter. She stared at the lingering bandages on her skin with a frown. Compared to the lonesome world of hunting, piracy was warm.

Law watched her debate, curious himself. She warned him way back when they first cooperated to save the others from the seasonal flu that what they had was a momentary truce. Until the others were saved, she would help. Once that was over, she'd be focused on getting her heart back. Except she hadn't really tried to get her heart back and like she said, she knew where it was hidden. Why hadn't she just taken it then?

"So, will you?"

Rike turned towards his captain, confused at the question. They weren't really going to let her go that easily, not after they went through all the trouble of getting her onboard in the first place. Not after they've gotten to know each other and become friends. Right? He watched Law strolled back towards the huntress, lost in her own thoughts. Their proximity triggered her Haki, calling her attention.

Law took her chin in his fingers and lifted her face to his. He trapped her against the medical bed with his other arm. "Though, know that it won't be easy. I'm not letting you go that easily, Charlotte." He breathed against her. He'd be lying if the idea of a crew without her now bothered him.

A warm flush dusted her cheeks. This time for another reason as she met his stormy grey eyes. And for once since she met the tall doctor, did she feel like the prey between the two of them. Her lips quivered, unspoken words lost somewhere else and—

Ba-dump. Ba-da-dump.

Both doctor's eyes flickered towards the heart monitor, surprised at the suddenly quicker heartbeat but before they could read it fully, Charlotte yanked on the wire connecting it to her, forcing the machine to take a nosedive and the wire to snap.

"Charlotte!" Rike shrieked while Law watched the woman so flushed she appeared to almost be smoking.

What was that? Charlotte gasped, blood thumping loudly and faster than normal in her ears. She didn't know why—there was no ill intent, no blood lust radiating from Law when he moved in close to her. If there were she wouldn't have let him get so close. Yet why did she feel like she was about to be devoured?

It's dangerous. Far too dangerous. Charlotte refused to be reattached to the evil tool that reveals her emotions with newfound vigor.

"You know you're at a disadvantage, right?" She said, fighting off the limbs trying to secure her. They paused, confused. "I'm a hunter. Finding my heart first before you can is a given." She smirked haughtily.

Law's lips twitched. "Is that a bet?"

"Just a prophecy."

He chuckled softly. "Are you going to show me how it's done, Hunter-ya?"

"Interested in becoming a hunter, Captain Law?"

Beep. Beep.

"There! All good again. Thanks for the distraction, Capt'n." Charlotte blinked, mind slowly processing at the beeps, the new wire on her arm connecting her to the unmovable heart monitor, the heart monitor now exposing her heartbeats to the world, and finally, Rike's words and the grin on Law's face.

"Good luck hunting being grounded to the sub." He said, waving goodbye as he exited the infirmary.

Oh, it's on! Charlotte growled in promise.

Or it should have been. "It's not as bad as you think, Charlotte." Rike started towards the woman sulking in the corner of the infirmary. The corner looked so dreary and dark with how expressive her emotions were. "Think of it as well-deserved break. Rather than doing the work this time, you can take a backseat, relax and rely on us."

Rike shivered instantly, at the sharp eerie glow that greeted him from the shadows. It really was killing her to not be able to hunt. Rike chuckled nervously. She learned the hard way that the machine was much more difficult to get moving and detaching herself was not an option. Neither was destroying it. Since then, she's been sulking in the corner.

"We can't be that untrustworthy that you can't rely on us." Rike pouted after a moment, slightly offended.

"… that's not it." Charlotte muttered from the shadows and Rike wondered if he was talking to a human or a shadow or the corner.

The idea of relying on someone else—someone other than herself seemed so foreign to her. If you want to survive in this world, you can only rely on yourself and no one else. Those were the worlds her neighbour had departed with her before she killed him. It was also the policy she lived by since.

"You're not alone anymore, Charlotte." That she couldn't deny for the life in her. Her always-on Haki reminded her of that fact day in and day out. The Polar Tang was so full of the Heart's presence. "We're a team here and there's Captain too, you know"

"Leave it to us. To me. It's the Captain's responsibility to take care of his crew. That means you too, Hunter-ya."

Drawing her legs closer to her chest, Charlotte rested her cheek upon her knees, eye focused to the cold coffee mug holding the multiple maps still against the medical table. "I know." She breathes. "Our Captain is kind." More so than he'd like to admit.

Rike smiled softly at the quiet acceptance. I'm not sure if kind is the right word to use. He thought silently to himself, thinking back to the many scary stares he has on his face or the punishments he dished out.

Charlotte would disagree with Rike if he had spoken out about her word choice. There was no other word but 'kind' that could be used to describe why he would willingly welcome her— a monster into his home. And that was why it's dangerous.

Off in some desolate remote place, an exchange took place in which a particular package was passed from one hand to another. For only a brief moment, fingers plucked at the gelatinous, blue-tinted box that held something more of fantasy than realistic despite how real it looked. And that was all it took—a moment.

Platinum eyes snapped open, and a thin layer of sweat covered her skin. The only sounds filling the night infirmary air was the rapid beeping of the ECG next to her and the uneven, heavy breathes trying to calm down her body temperature.

Unfurling her bandages as quickly as possible without getting tangled, Charlotte lifted her battered hand and watched as black sludge dripped out where blood should have been.