Hey All,

Sorry for the slight delay in this chapter! Hopefully this one doesn't feel too short . If you haven't already and you're curious as to Charlotte's appearance in this arc. There's a sketch on my IG page. Link on my profile. As always, Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoy and don't forget to R&R!

A slight trigger warning for the content below: indirectly implied sexual abuse.


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


Chapter 31

Charlotte followed Kline in silence. Her muscles relaxed and limbs moved freely with no sign of coercion or force of any kind. Platinum eyes darted left and right, taking in her surroundings with the utmost care and precision one could.

They were in a trading warehouse or at least the front of one. Open boxes with cages bars revealing exactly what—or more specifically, who—the containers were holding. More than enough evidence of what actually business went down here.

"As I'm sure you probably figured from now. This isn't just your average shipping inspection site." Kline said, throwing his arm around Charlotte's shoulders and grinning widely. "As you can see here—ah, wait, you can't. Let me help you with that." He pushed the head of the little doll version of Charlotte around and Charlotte's head followed suit. "As you can see…" he continued, "we also ship goods around here. Both non-animate and animate goods. Honestly, anything really that we find of interest from any ships coming into Fishman Island. Though of course, the government and royal family have no clue on this! So, don't you go blabbing your mouth off now. Not that you can, can you? My ability seals away not only your movements but also your voice. Free will is nothing but a lie under my prowess!"

Charlotte eyed the plushie replica of her. The small plush doll's mouth sealed behind a thin line of stitches. Thin, almost invisible, strings from his fingertips attached to each of the doll's limbs. They weren't there originally when he made the doll, only when he started trying to animate it did the strings attach themselves and she found her movements sealed. Her body obediently following whatever the doll does.

"Oh, I love that look in your eyes! I'm always curious as to what look I'll get. Will it be fear? Sadness? Anger? It's always so interesting and so much more intense when they can't talk." He flushed, and reached over towards her still face, fingers hovering dangerously close to her eyes. "You don't often see eyes of this shade. Mermaids also sell for a lot as is, but I wonder how much more I can get for eyes like that." He put the doll in a sitting position, leaving Charlotte on a crate while he worked on finding a cell for her.

He's so open. Charlotte cursed silently, eyeing the open back exposed to her as he worked on pulling a shipping crate over. Charlotte's eyes widened as her new defined cell finally pulled up and the gate opened to reveal a white, fluffy bear lying in fetal position, arms shoved between legs. "BEPO!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Charlotte-chan?" Bepo questioned, lifting his head up to get a better angle. He beamed, "You're okay!"

Ah. The two of them blanched a second later as realization of different proportions hit them. For Bepo, it was the fact that she's not actually okay if she was here under Kline's influence. Whereas Charlotte swallowed thickly as she eyed her target and his bewildered expression—she had blown her cover.

It's too late now! Charlotte threw wind to her plan. Quickly clocking the Devil Fruit user before he could recompose himself. "Where are the others?" She asked as she freed the bear from the container. She had suspected their capture when Madam Shyarly had said there was only one gate. There was no way they were going to clear it with Law's experiments calling a bloody murder crime scene. Plus, Bepo was a Mink and Law a Devil Fruit user. They're commodities that sell for high prices. No slave trader worth their dirt would let that pass. "Why are you just lying there?" She stared at the bear still curled into a ball.

Bepo looked at Charlotte with tears in his beady eyes. "They took away my clothes! I'm so embarrassed. Everything's exposed."

Charlotte stared at the bear a second more. "Bepo, you have fur."

"Oh, that's right!" He laughed nervously, standing up properly and exiting the crate with ease. "I forgot."

You forgot? Charlotte blanched mentally. "If you're here, is the rest of the crew nearby?" Charlotte asked as the two exited cautiously. While they weren't at immediate risk, Kline wasn't the only one working here. There was also Joval. He's the one that Charlotte was worried about. She really hoped they hadn't met.

"Yep, they're here. But we've been separated." Bepo nodded, "How did you know we were here? Is it because you're a hunter?" To say he wasn't curious about Charlotte's previous profession was a lie. It has helped many when they needed to find something. "Where's Cole? Is he getting the others?"

"Actually," Charlotte started, "Albino Ape's not here." Bepo missed a stepped, exclaiming loudly and Charlotte pulled Bepo into a small alleyway, hands slapping over his mouth as a pair of patrollers strolled by. Shh! She motioned with urgency and the bear nodded quickly in understanding.

"Grandpa is alright. He's eating ice cream at a cafe." She explained quickly, eyes focused on their surroundings and missing the disappointment on the bear's face. "Plus, I'm here. We don't need the Old Fart."

"Where are the others?" Charlotte peeked over the edge. Seems like there were more people involved in this smuggling ring than she originally expected. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. More people meant more people to avoid, but it also meant a lower chance of them having met Joval. "Can you trace them with your nose?"

Bepo stared at the back of Charlotte's head. "Are you not coming with?" He questioned, a sinking feeling stirring in his gut.

"…not unless I need to." Charlotte corrected after a moment. Then added, "I'm here on a job."

"A job that isn't hunting Captain?" Bepo cocked his head, confused. "Does that mean you're not hunting Captain anymore?" He beamed, happily. Maybe they can finally start getting along versus all the contests, fights, and punishments.

She shot him a look as if he was crazy. "What? No. Never. I've only paused that hunt." "So, you're not here for us…?" He deflated at that. So much for Law's confidence that she'll come find them.

Charlotte twitched, unsure how to tell him that part of the reason she took the job was because she knew that they were here without sounding like she actually cares for them. She eyed the many trapped merchandise. Plus, there was more to it than just that. "It's not like Law would listen to what I want either." She muttered somewhat sourly. she still remembered what Cole had accidentally spilled. They were leaving at first chance, which meant no time to explore and have fun swimming with the fishes.

"He would." Charlotte turned back at the steady promise in Bepo's voice. "If it's really that important to you, Captain will." Beady, black eyes held Charlotte's widening one steadily and the huntress swallowed thickly, unable to find anything to rebut with. "What's the job?" He grinned.

Charlotte blinked. "Aren't you going to go to Law?"

Bepo shot her another grin. "Captain will understand." Captain wasn't in any immediate danger and even if he was, he was more than capable of taking care of himself.

"Ah! Also, how were able to move freely? That user had a doll of you?" That was exactly how they got all captured. They had separated from the sub on pretense standard search, but somewhere along the line a doll made of each of them, and they walked themselves into captivity.

"Oh, that! I'm immune to his ability." Charlotte beamed, explaining absolutely nothing. "I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect it's because his doll isn't a full copy of me. I'm not actually a mermaid or have a fish tail and so the mermaid doll he made has no control over me." Charlotte clarified after an awkward silence between them. "I read about his ability in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia so I knew how it worked and pretended to follow his movements." She complained about how hard it was to follow along though as they continued on.

There was no doubt in any of their minds that Charlotte was a hard worker. She takes her jobs very seriously, whether it be the chores that Law dished out as punishments or her hunts. No matter how much was piled up she'll finish them on time. They figured the same occurs for her hunt given her reputation in the field. Though, now that Bepo is watching Charlotte work firsthand, he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Cole was right. They placed her and her ability up on a pedestal.

"C-Charlotte-chan, w-won't they find us if we're being so loud?" Bepo questioned nervously. A loud crash caused the bear to flinch, head darting left and right, while Charlotte broke the metal wall enclosing another box of poor passersby caught at the wrong place, wrong time.

She ripped the metal bars open to free another group next. The air around her twisted almost in a frenzy as she single-mindedly freed slave after slave. Bepo ears twitched, the faint sound of footsteps reaching his animalistic senses, "Charlotte, the guards are on their way..."

"Let them." His fur pricked at the ominous tone. "Let them try to round up those escaped and calm this anger and chaos bubbling within all those wrong here." Her lips slanted into a sinister grin and when she finally turned to face him, her platinum eyes burned brightly with the promise of a revolution.

Bepo swallowed thickly. They had an inkling of Charlotte's dislike for slavery from what she said in the past. They just didn't know to what extent it reached. They never asked what spurred Charlotte's dislike for slavery. They had assumed she was disgusted by the idea like most others. But now he was sure there was more to it. He could tell by the smell—it smelled personal.

Charlotte used her karambit to immobilize and redirect a trader trying to recapture his goods. She hooked her knife against the other's neck and with a quick slap and jerk, she rolled his head hard and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. The curve of her blade picking up the dingy helmet on its way out. The body dropping next to her.

"D-did you kill him?" Charlotte turned towards the scared and trembling mermaid and then the limp body on the ground to her. Not a single drop of blood was anywhere to be seen.

She shook her head no. "I don't kill." She answered with a smile while plopping the helm on the scared mermaid's head after deeming that it'll do. The helmet far too big for her small face. "Wear it and the rest of his clothes. Try to hide your tail. Blend in." She cut the clothes off the unconscious male and toss her the articles. When she was standing up again, her voice was booming. "The way out is down this hall. Past the first two lefts. take the third and go up. There's a gate there. Bepo will take you there! The door is heavy, but you should be able to push it open if you work together."

Bepo snapped his head up at the mention of him, a 'huh' escaping him. Weren't they going together? She gave him a thumbs up.

Good. Charlotte thought as she watched Bepo and the others leave. As much as she appreciated the help, the job was Joval and he was someone who she was better off meeting alone than with others.

Charlotte stared at the unconscious guard from before. I don't kill. She repeated the phrase, hoping that she could keep it honest. Charlotte turned to face the new round of guards that arrived. faced the guards surrounding her. The crackle of electricity from their long taser guns was the only indication of danger—a promise that any attempt to escape the quickly tightening circle would be filled with excruciating pain. Platinum eyes darted towards the several guards counting each one of them slowly and matching it to the pairs of footsteps she heard earlier. Their focus zeroed in specifically on her and her alone.

She grinned. Perfect. No one was going after Bepo leading the rest of the escapees.

"Bepo?!" The bear skid to a stop to his way back to the huntress. His face lighting up at his friend. The usual bear hug ended short after hearing Hotate's debrief. The two parted ways quickly after. Bepo to find their missing crew members and Hotate to re-acquire their stolen goods. Most things were accounted for, with the most pressing item missing being Charlotte's legs.

"Captain!" Bepo greeted excitedly before the smoke from the exploding wall could reside. He could recognize Law's scent anywhere. He wasn't expecting Law to be crashing through a wall towards him though.

"B-Bepo?" Law coughed through the smoke. He was shocked to see the bear escaped on his own. The patrolling guards joked about a naked polar bear. He figured it to be Bepo, but maybe not. Bepo looked fine and fully clothed.

"Captain!" Bepo cheered happily again, arms raised and legs already carrying him towards his favourite Captain for his signature big bear hugs. His beady black eyes narrowed and bear pivoted, blocking the attack that came for his beloved Captain's head instead. "Who are you?" Bepo growled. He smelled blood from the attack. Familiar blood. "What did you do to my friends…?" Bepo blinked. The orientation of the place suddenly different.

"BEPO! You made it out!" Said bear jumped at the voice and quickly apologized to Shachi who he kicked into the wall. "Penguin's here too!" He hugged them tightly in hello. It wasn't until the two wheezed that Bepo let them go. Captain shambled me! He realized while looking at the two beaming up at him.

"Clione's alright. Rikers already treating him. Captain's drawing the attacker away." They explained and the bear nodded. That makes sense, but why was Captain the one playing bait?

"Because it's easier with my ability to get back here." Law answered casually as he teleported into the room, hand in pockets and breathing even as if he wasn't just fighting a battle. "Take a look around you, Bepo. We're exactly where we need to be and exactly the place we don't want a fight to take place in: The Dollhouse."

Plushies and dolls of all kinds lined every inch of the room. The somewhat eerier and slightly creepy design oddly familiar to the polar bear. His eyes widened when he saw a small furry spotted hat sitting on one of the doll's faces. "This one look just like Captain!" Bepo shouted, scooping up the plushie quickly.

Law's legs flew out from under him, and the others urned towards their Captain, confused. "Why are you on the floor?"

"Oh, and this one looks like Shachi and Penguin! Oh, and this one looks like Hotate!" A few other screams, falls, and tumbling later, the three pirates finally managed to stop Bepo from gathering up and randomly moving their dolls that 'looks like' them.

"It's a Devil Fruit ability! Those dolls are 'us', whatever happens to them, happens to us! Don't you remember?!"

"Sorry…" Bepo responded dejectedly as he remembered. Then he blinked and grinned darkly "So, you're saying whatever I do to these plushies happen to you?" He repeated, evilly and the two swallowed, suddenly wishing they hadn't pulled a prank on Bepo the other day.

"H-how did you manage to get out?!" Penguin quickly pivoted and Shachi gave the other a thumbs up, approving of Plan Distraction .

"Ah, yes!" Bepo exclaimed suddenly. "Captain! Charlotte's here too!"

The group smiled, smugly proud. She did find them! She came back for them!

A crash fell not too far away, followed by a faraway echoing scream of 'DEATHBRINGEEEEEERRR!'

They swallowed. That also meant she is in the same vicinity as that psychopath looking for her.

"And she has a doll just like this too!"

Eh? She wasn't here to help them, but rather she was captured too?!

"Where's Charlotte-ya?" Law asked, He didn't like where this was going.

"I'm not sure. I lost her." Bepo said easily. His beaming look contrasted greatly against the other three male's dumbfounded ones. He blinked, realizing the implications of his words just now.

Charlotte sat pretty on a chair near some control system. The doll version of herself in the same position on a counter not too far away. Her target was a few steps away from, his back—stupidly—facing away from Charlotte once again. You think he'd learn. Charlotte deadpanned. She was more focused on the giant red button under the big, bold, black 'DO NOT PRESS' label next to the doll. Maybe this wasn't so bad.

"You're awake!" Kline all but growled. A bandage over his now broken nose. He grabbed the mermaid doll off the counter, squeezing it tight in his hands as he stomped over. "Oh, the things I would do to you if you weren't goddamn merchandise." He spat, anger fueling him.

Charlotte stared back at him, unintimidated, uninterested, and bored. It did wonders in adding oil to the angry fire in his eyes.

"Don't get cocky with me just because you managed to escape once. Trust me, it won't happen again. I made sure of it." He grinned, shoving the little plushie in Charlotte's face. He raised his left hand and hair-thin strings stretched from his fingertips towards the doll. "I have you now. You will do whatever I say, whatever I wish."

Charlotte eye's flashed at the command. The desire to disobey growing.

A look that had Kline flushing in excitement. He loved being in control. He wrinkled his nose and flinched. The pain a constant reminder of his earlier blunder like a stain on a perfectly white shirt. Something he couldn't have and something he needed to correct. She needed to be punished still.

Charlotte's eyes darted to the side when his hand pressed against her cheek. She chewed at the inside of her cheek to avoid reacting when the heat seared across her skin. Her ability automatically copying his.

He heard platinum eyes were rare and precious. They sell for a lot on the black market. But he wasn't sure if she'll sell eyeless. Hair, perhaps? Woman were keen on that, weren't they? The idea was thrown out the window when he scanned Charlotte's face for any indications. There was nothing but confusion as he lifted her hair. He eyed the low-cut of her tiny top covering only her chest. He could play with her. That'll definitely be humiliating and a punishment. But it would be too easy with his ability. Plus, he did that anyway with the really pretty ones, so it wouldn't be anything new. There must be something greater to compensate for the chaos that she stirred.

His eyes piqued at the long sailfin on her back that followed alone the spine on her back. He ran back to her front and then around to the side of her, eyeing her silhouette. It could work. It could work! She looks perfectly fine with and without it!

A chill ran down her back at the barely contained look on Kline's face as he circled Charlotte. One hand pressed against her backside and the other picked up her sailfin and spreading it out wide. He whistled at the full length of it. "Sails like this are a distinctive trait of sailfish. One that they hold with the utmost pride. But the strange thing about you is that you don't exactly scream that you're a sailfish mermaid." He started, and Charlotte's eyes widened in realization of what he was planning to do.

Charlotte cursed. Her muscles still numb from the earlier electrical shocks. She couldn't move yet!

"No one will ever know." Kline promised as if it made it okay. His grip tightened against the long spine. "Only you, but you can't do anything to stop me!" He laughed, crazily. His words nothing but a haunting reminder to the huntress of her decision and her job. Kline's hand pressed harder against Charlotte's back. Charlotte inhaled deeply and pursed her lips tight together. Fingers curling into fist and her karambit dug into the flesh on her forearms.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiippppppp

Hotate jumped at the sudden flailing of the severed sailfish Charlotte had kidnapped and Law and unwillingly bisected. That scared me… Hotate breathed a sigh of relief as the fish finally settled down. He placed the goods he had collected down, and peeked at the now-still fish, curious. Brown eyes widened and confusion twisted on his face. What the hell? The fish lay on its side, unconscious and frothing at the mouth.