Chapter Three: Fateful Encounter: Zoro's Wife and Law's Mistress
As the days turned into months on Punk Hazard, Aiya and Law found themselves navigating through the treacherous landscape with suspicious ease. The Surgeon of Death searched relentlessly for information about the Joker's Smile fruits, uncovering crucial details that painted a clearer picture of his vast underground network. The Intel Broker, begrudgingly disguised as Law's simple-minded paramour, was able to learn the horrifying but not unexpected side effects the gigantification experiments were causing the children.
However, what took her completely by surprise was her seething Captain delivering the unsettling news that half of the Straw Hat crew had downed Vegapunk's dragon, while the remaining members had been confined in the lab's basic prison cells.
Law's anxiety simmered just below the surface as his hand rested on the hilt of his Nodachi. A motion, Aiya had come to realize, meant that he was feeling extra crabby. Undeterred, she met his hostility head-on, her gaze forcefully disinterested as she turned in her chair to face him directly.
"Did you tip them off? Do they know we're here?" His accusation pierced the air, sharp and cutting, confirming her suspicions about his mood.
The female assassin's response was swift, laced with a touch of genuine incredulity. "Based on their reputation, I doubt they even know where here is. Why would it have anything to do with us?"
"To get the upper hand on a rival Pirate Captain while I'm without my crew," his grip on his Nodachi tightening.
A flicker of annoyance crossed Aiya's face as she retorted, "Oh no! My map of the new world with a random circle drawn in the ocean that says, "Meet Trafalgar Law here" is missing! I must have left it when I was explaining our plan to the guy who carries a sword in his mouth! Is that what you want me to say? You're just being paranoid, Captain Tra-gedy."
His gaze hardened, out right anger bubbling to the surface. "You're being awfully flippant over what could easily kill our entire plan. What, exactly, is the nature of your relationship with Straw Hat's first mate?"
The suddenness of the question caught Aiya off guard and her words tumbled out too fast. "We're just connected!"
The room fell into an uneasy silence as the weight of their exchange hung heavily in the air. Suspicion and tension intertwined, forcing them to confront the uncertainties that lingered between them. "Calm down. No one knows that the Silk Bridge of the Underworld has any interest in one baby warlord, or a god forsaken poisonous island at the beginning of the New World. There would be no motive."
"But does he know you as the Silk Bridge of the Underworld or as Aiya? Has he seen your real face?"
The room went quiet once more. She wanted to reply that he'd seen more than that but chose self-preservation instead. "What even is my real face these days, anyway?" With the fate of their mission at stake, they had to ride a delicate balance. His shoulders struggled to lower to their usual height. She supposed he was trying to look casual, to make her believe he'd figured her out, but the tightness in his muscles betrayed his true feelings.
She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy as she witnessed the hidden turmoil that he struggled to conceal from the outside world. Deep down, she understood the pain he carried within, even as he attempted to push forward with an air of disinterest. After this observation, she chose to evade the question completely.
"Law, you pulled the damn Monkey kid out of a war and saved his life. None of them would take that lightly," she emphasized. Law straightened himself, readjusting the hilt of his Nodachi against his back one last time. "Being excessively loyal is kind of his thing. Aside from the hat, of course."
He looked like he might fight her for the answers he wanted, but then seemed to resign himself. "Regardless, we'll need to make adjustments," Law declared, his tone resolute. "Locate them."
"Locate them?"
Her sudden panic was met with curious agitation. "If they're going to destroy this place anyway, we can at least point them in the right direction." He explained his strategy, envisioning a way to leverage the Straw Hats' assistance to escape the island with their research, destroy the smile factory and rescue the children all at once. The weight of his proposal hung heavily in the air. "It seems their arrival can be useful."
Aiya fought with conflicting emotions, her mind racing to assess the risks and potential rewards of such a course of action. With a mixture of trepidation and a sense of dread, she contemplated the uncertain path that lay ahead. "You want me to locate them, but they have more reason to trust you after your assistance at Marineford."
"You were on the front lines."
"But they don't know that, and Nico Robin is well versed in the underworld. She'll peg me as a threat in an instant, and I don't think she'll fall for my usual bag of tricks," The broker expressed her lengthening concern.
"You feed vital information to the revolutionaries on a regular basis. If she's that smart, she'll figure out who you are. Try again." Law challenged with waning patience.
"I have a very particular set of skills-"
"So, branch out. The first mate is your connection, after all. You can use that to help set the foundation for an alliance," Law threw her words back at her, his tone steady and determined. "You convince high-ranking men you're about to kill that you're absolutely harmless, for a living. You can handle an idiot rookie pirate."
"You want to form an actual functioning alliance? With Monkey D. Luffy? Straw Hat Luffy. The guy who has never followed a plan in his entire life. Big yellow hat, red ribbon around it?" Her skepticism apparent.
"Don't act stupid. He could be a formidable ally," Law answered with a completely straight face.
This poor fool, she thought, glumly. He truly doesn't know what he's dealing with. A fierce internal battle consumed her. Time was running out, and the inevitable truth loomed over her like a dark cloud. Doflamingo would find out they'd been on Punk Hazard when the lab was destroyed, and he would know the Straw Hats helped them. Their only chance of survival at that point would be to go after him before he could hunt them down. Luffy would never turn down a good fight and she doubted, if they found out about the children, that any of the crew would rest until they were safe.
Zoro is gonna be so pissed. She sighed and Law used his last stitch of patience to knit his eyebrows almost completely together.
In the end, this mental struggle was pointless. Only the Captain held the power to decide whether or not to involve the other crew and if teaming up meant getting the kids home before the experiments caused irreparable harm, she shouldn't hesitate. The opportunity to save innocent lives had to outweigh any doubts or fears every time. The stakes were high, but it was a chance they couldn't afford to pass up.
It was decided then.
Aiya smiled mischievously, her mask coming into full affect to hide the roiling in her stomach. "Don't get me wrong, if there's one man in the universe I would want on my side, other than you, of course, it's the man who led the largest impel down break out in history and made it out alive," in one last ditch effort to spare them, "Too bad there's absolutely no way you'll be able to tolerate his presence. We won't even escape the island, let alone make it to Dressrosa before you toss him into the ocean and his crew throws you in after him."
Law audibly scoffed at her remark, "I've faced far worse challenges. Handling one moron won't be a problem," he confidently asserted.
One more moment of silence filled the room before the woman, no longer Aiya but as the Silk Bridge, stood up from her chair. "Mon Capitaine. Vous avez raison," You're right. His eyes narrowed suspiciously at her sudden change in demeanor.
"The children are my top priority, and an alliance will get them out of danger. It's just a bonus to get to see your face once you've realized what you've signed up for." She smiled.
She watched as rolled his eyes, but a wicked grin curved his lips, a mixture of amusement and gravity in his gaze. "You're such an insolent brat." He mused.
Trafalgar D. Water Law had undergone a metamorphosis since his disruptive presence entered her life as a young boy. His violent outbursts turned to controlled resolve, his ear-ringing exclamations molded into cunning wit. Still, she'd seen for herself that his core essence was unchanged. In spite of their diverging paths, they still shared a perception of the world's inherent darkness and unpredictability. Their history had forged a bond that had miraculously withstood the years they spent apart.
With that thought, Aiya rose to her feet, "Find the Straw Hats and form an alliance. Any suggestions?"
The ways in which Aiya had transformed from Ruby didn't escape his notice. Aside from the obvious ones; the tall, curved shape and distinctly wild red hair. The once timid and frightened girl had grown into an intimidating lioness, radiating strength and resilience.
Ruby was a doll, always waiting for her master's order. She never strayed from that bastard's side. A vacant but reverent expression etched upon her painted face. The perfectly sculpted hair on top of her delicate form adorned with a plumage of pristine white feathers, created a striking contrast that emphasized her ethereal and toy-like presence.
She'd spent a small amount of time on the Polar Tang in the months before Punk Hazard, but he hadn't been able to pick the real her apart from the mask.
He hadn't realized that the flirtatious comments and seductive touches were an act of survival. At least not until she had threatened to rip his heart out over a sexual advance. The more he actually thought about the time the audacious woman had spent around his crew, he realized she hadn't taken a single man to her bed. Not when they'd port and none of his crew who spent almost every waking hour trying to catch her affection.
Law worried she'd heard the audible click in his mind when the pieces finally aligned.
"G5 is closing in, and I told Caesar I'd take care of them." He looked her over one last time before taking a life-threatening risk, "…and Ms. Silk Bridge, next time you fuck the swordsman, don't leave your map behind."
And like that, he was gone in a flash of blue light. Her surprise wiped her mind, and it took a solid few seconds to regain her senses.
Asshole.
~ One Piece! ~
"What the hell."
Her eyes shut involuntarily before reopening to an impending herd of children led by a large furry ball with a face. An orange haired woman inappropriately dressed for the winter side of the island followed close behind him as they ran.
"Mere Aiya! We're getting rescued! Come with us!"
"Yes! We found your husband, Mr. Prince!"
"He has swirly eyebrows!"
"He has a racoon dog!"
"I'm not a racoon dog, I'm a reindeer! Wait!" Chopper slid to a full stop at the woman with wide eyes.
"Mere? That means mom, right?" Her eyes were round as she watched the gears turn in the fluffy talking reindeer's head. "Are you involved with the care of these children?!"
"There's no time to stop, Chopper! The door is ahead! We have to go!" The woman yelled loudly at the stumbling Reindeer, completely oblivious to the dumbfounded woman.
Chopper yelled an affirmative and continued to run after the large group. Maybe it was too many moving parts, too many loud voices or maybe just the shock of seeing her that kept them from noticing exactly what they were running into.
A crowd of exuberant children and pirates burst passed Trafalgar Law and his stomach dropped at the same time an audible groan escaped his lips, damn Straw Hats.
As the crazed cluster ran loudly by her again, she watched as large pink hearts erupted from their chests and the word, "Shambles," echoed down the metal corridor.
"Aiya, make an alliance with the pirate crew you've avoided like the plague for 3 years and OH YEAH. Just smooth over the fact that I HAVE SWITCHED THEIR BODIES. So much for making a good first impression." Her deep and lazy Law impersonation ended in a sigh as she debated her next steps.
Is it too early to be seen helping the children escape? She couldn't interfere now with the risk they may still be recaptured. At least she had confidence in the crew members' ability to protect the children and she knew the Navy wouldn't hurt them.
Unfortunately for her, they wouldn't spare her the same courtesy and as it stood, Law had scrambled the only assistance they may have had in escape.
Asshole.
~One Piece!~
Zoro was pissed. He had been sweating his ass off less than an hour ago, shot at, thrown into an arctic ocean-lake and almost got eaten by sharks. His bullshit level was reaching critical capacity and he wanted nothing more than to cut something with his blade. They closed in quickly on the building that supposedly trapped his crew-mates on the back of a very peculiar pirate boss.
In the deafening rush of their travel, he meditated and tried to regain his focus.
"You remember the Battle of Marineford, right?" Aiya didn't lift her head from the bare shoulder that cradled her as she tried to ignore the foreboding feeling in her gut.
Their time together was coming to an end. Over the course of his two-year sabbatical, they'd managed to spend almost an entire month of stolen moments. She'd never been happier to know that dramatic bird than the day she finally found Zoro.
Aside from a small deal to keep their secrecy, he'd allowed her to come and go as she could.
Once he would rejoin his crew, it'd be almost impossible to get him alone for more than a few hours.
She fought to focus on her fingers as they memorized the still new ridges of taught muscle that continued to rise and fall with his shallow breaths.
A strong arm tightened around her in response, and she committed the sensation to memory. "Do you think I'm brain dead?" His words came out in a lazy rasp.
"Should I answer that?"
"Just get to the point, woman."
"Mmmm, so commanding." She purred and followed her descending finger as she continued, "There's this island; One of the first in the New World. You can't find it with a log-pose because it's been forbidden by the world government. No one is allowed there."
"And what does that have to do with marineford?" Zoro hadn't bothered to open his eyes after she'd rudely disturbed his nap. He did, however, revel in the feeling of her hard nipples brushing against his side as she spoke. The swordsman adjusted his position when her fingers brushed lowly on his hip, causing a heat to form in his core.
"And I'm trying to tell you where I'm going." The naked woman intended to sound annoyed but fell short when she was unceremoniously flipped and pulled roughly against her partner. The glistening skin of her back clung to his chest in a delectable show of friction.
"Calm down, I'm listening." He finally settled when he'd fit her against him perfectly. After making sure she wouldn't move, he snaked an arm around to capture her breast.
He had gotten used to seeing her every other week or two, looked forward to their late-night trysts after he'd spent the day training.
"Oh-Okay," She felt the burning in her cheeks as she fought with herself to regain control. Aiya took a calming breath and rolled her hips backwards to grind against him. A growl escaped his lips when he tried to deepen their connection, only to have her pull from him.
She quickly twisted so that she could meet his lazy stare with a fiery smirk of her own. Her hips rolled firmly against him again, his quickly hardening cock slipping into the heavenly opening between her thighs and right under her heat. The moan that escaped him was sinful.
He'd never considered the idea that taking the same woman would make sex more satisfying. His life before had been a string of practical one-night stands and he'd been content. Now, he could imagine how disappointing it would be to go back to the impersonal experience. He let his hand venture slowly down her stomach, stopping to trace the prominent scar he'd never actually asked about.
"It's on fire and frozen at the same time!"
"Huh?"
Aiya pulled away with an agitated huff and Zoro yielded as she pushed him onto his back. "The island? The dangerous and forbidden place I'm going. I'd expect my husband to care a little for my whereabouts."
She threw her leg over his waist and straddled him, trapping him between her core and his own heat. He took in the glorious feeling before taking a bruising grip of her ass and pulling her harshly against him. Her arms were knocked out from beneath her, which trapped her against his chest, her face disappearing into the delicate crook of his neck.
Since their first words to each other, they played a very serious game of cat and mouse. In their conversations, their actions and, of course, in bed.
"Bullshit."
His hands took their time exploring her body. Spending extra attention on the little spots he knew to drive her crazy.
The swordsman also took the moment to study the roadmap of little white lines that glistened over her body, but only where her clothes would cover. There were a few that were darker than the others; a perfect circle surrounded by a star shape of red, angry skin toward her left shoulder blade and a thin, precise X on the soft of her lower belly. He pondered on their origin, but he knew she wouldn't tell him.
The red headed woman noticed the slackening of his grip when he was lost to his thoughts and took the opportunity to lick at the tender place where the rippling of shoulder met throat before taking a mouthful of salty flesh and biting down.
To his credit, the delicious man below her only squeezed her tighter, his growing heat digging painfully into her smooth mound. Her words came out breathier than she'd have liked when she questioned him.
"You have a rubber man, a talking reindeer, an actual cyborg and a living skeleton on your crew, but a temperamental island is unbelievable?" His sudden stillness made her chuckle lightly against him, only for the sound to spring him into action.
In a movement Aiya could barely register, she had been lifted and thrown onto her back once again. Calloused hands ran down the underside of her leg before gripping under her knee and pulling it up harshly to her chin.
A surprised gasp escaped her throat only to be swallowed when his lips sealed onto her own. His tongue took advantage of her open mouth to assert his claim.
The moss-haired man used his other arm to trap her treacherous fingers over her head. The usually level headed assassin lost herself in the sensation of submission as his face moved mere inches away from her own. She strained against his hold to bring her lips to his. Her tongue ran gently against his bottom lip to request entry and she relaxed against his tight hold on her body while he held stiff and didn't reciprocate her kiss.
"Finish your story." He left no room for question, yet it didn't stop her from trying.
"Wh-why-Hiii should I?" Her voice caught when his fingers captured her hardened nipple, pinching before she even finished her question.
He let her go completely and pulled away. Her body still stretched in an unnatural position that gave him a clear view of her heaving chest and slowly awaking bud. The whimper that left her at his evacuation was humiliating. "You were saying?"
She huffed and sat up in front him as she sat back on his knees. "After Shanks ended the war, they had to replace Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Akainu and Aiokiji waged this ten-day battle on an island that used to house Dr. Vegapunk's laboratory."
"Am I supposed to remember all this?"
"Oh, my poor, beautiful, simple-minded man," His fingers pinched the inside of her thigh lightly in retaliation, pinning her helplessly against the bed again. "Ouch!" Her glare held passion and fire, but no malice.
"Anyway, after the fight ends, Kuzan loses. He retires from the military and the island is still trapped in an eternal war with itself to this day."
"Yeah. Bullshit." He didn't waste time allowing her to complain before he was once again pressed against her, determined to make the most of their last afternoon.
"Zoro? You there, buddy?"
"What."
"Are you alright? Why are you staring daggers into the snow?" Usopp really wanted to die. He was sure of it. Why else would he antagonize him? As they rounded a corner, he focused with growing difficulty on his meditation once more.
Robin, who had silently taken in the landscape as they navigated the ice side of the island, was the first to break his concentration completely. "What is that?"
The crew's marksman who had wormed his way onto the top of Brownbeard's shoulder felt his heart sink into his empty, shivering stomach, "Isn't that…Isn't that a warship?"
His Captain looked over at him with a little more interest than before, "The navy's here?"
"What? I didn't see anything around here a little while ago." Brook spoke up from the tail.
"Hey! Somebody is there!"
It was then that Zoro and Luffy realized just who was standing in the middle of the snowy field. "Oh! It's… HEY! HEEEEEY! Whatcha doing here? You remember me, don't you? Thank you for helping me that one time!"
Zoro felt the confusion douse his agitation, "He's here? That's the guy we met at the human shop in Sabaody."
He stopped when he felt the nudge of something familiar at the edge of his awareness. He stretched passed the harsh and powerful energy the Shichibukai and Naval Captain exuded to probe at a muted but unmistakable haki signature.
"Trafalgar Law? But why is he here." Robin locked eyes onto the swordsman as his own eye twitched in the direction the rubber man screamed in.
"Right, Traffy! He helped me out! You guys know, back at the Battle of Marineford. He got me off the field and treated my wounds." The Rubber man was a lot of things; Fiercely loyal, incredibly strong and a fantastic Nakama. He, however, was not observant or emotionally intelligent. The fog of apprehension that clouded the other crewmates evaded him completely.
Robin continued, curious about the rapidly growing irritation that emanated from the green haired man across the tail from her, "He did?" Her voice betrayed her incredulity.
"Yeah! He saved my life like Jinbe! Okay, I'm gonna go talk to him right now."
Nope. Not his day at all.
~One Piece! ~
If the pain currently ravaging her stomach had started before Law's insane stunt, she couldn't remember, but as she walked her insides lurched. It had been a long time since she'd been genuinely anxious over something other than imminent death and it was a debilitating, helpless feeling.
She'd rather have the death.
Smoker and Law clashed like Titans but remained on equal footing. The Shichibukai was holding back. Pieces of G5 soldiers floated around the field. Aiya watched in amusement as the jumbled pieces of the marine unit retrieved the pieces of their vice-captain.
Law finally dealt his finishing blow.
"Oh it's… HEY! HEEEEEY! It's you, do you remember me? Thank you for helping me that one time!"
Oh shit.
"Miss Takahashi," She looked up as the heart of Captain Smoker appeared in her hand. "Wrap this in your silk. A healthy squeeze wouldn't hurt. Me, anyway."
After a brief nod and a roll to her eyes, the woman set to work. She willed the iron in her blood to migrate into the palm of her hand in the form of super-strong silk. The color was a deep blood red, signifying its strength and befitting to its task.
When she was done, the heart was wrapped in three layers of deep red silk, the equivalent of a sheet of steal. Aiya placed the heart back in his grasp before he placed it within an inside pocket of his coat.
"Hey! I didn't expect to see you here! Thank you very much for helping me! Oh? Where are your buddies?"
Aiya's heart struggled between sporadic racing and skipping beats. This was the first time she'd seen the boy after she'd left Amazon Lily with MiHawk. The painful mental image of a charred and broken man mixed with the energy that wafted from his every pore and left her feeling desperate for fresh air. In contrast to Law's reserved personality, Luffy radiated the same level of madness as the biscuit room full of restless children.
"You made it, Straw Hat. I'm glad my treatment took but don't thank me for it. I just did it on a whim, you and I are not buddies." The Heart captain's steely exterior didn't do a single thing to deter the joy shining from the red and white striped captain.
Aiya let her attention stray to the galloping sound behind them. Only the Straw Hats could make an entrance riding on the back of a hostage Manigator like it was their regular form of transportation. Not to mention the fact that they had successfully navigated to and entered an untraceable, forbidden Island that was literally on fire and frozen at the same time on accident.
Reluctantly, she let her eyes fall onto the incredibly perturbed man on the edge of her observational haki. Aiya was startled by the intensity of his glare but quickly realized he wasn't looking at her but staring daggers at the set of Captains beside her.
With her attention turned back toward them, she noticed the clenched and shaking jaw Law attempted to hide behind a mask of neutrality. Surely, he was joking about the alliance thing. There's no way this would work before he killed the irritating boy himself.
"I need to get this heart to Ceasar." His voice was hard. "Straw Hat. My crewmate will see you to your crew." He stood close beside her and looked down his nose at the rubber man. "Seeing as she and your first mate are already…" He shot her a look, before returning his eyes to the rival captain, "Connected. I'm sure that nothing untoward will happen while she is in your care."
"Hey, what exactly are you implying?" Zoro had closed the distance between them during their conversation.
Law's eyebrow jumped. His expression was loaded with accusation and judgement thrown at the woman in front of him.
"There's nothing implied about it. I don't trust you and I won't hesitate to end your lives for hers." He gave a devilish smirk down to the woman before him. "Unless there's a good reason I shouldn't worry."
"Oh, fuck off, Dr. Evil. "
"Avoue qu'il est ton amant." Admit he's your lover.
"Très bien." Fine. "Je me suis étouffé avec la bite sur la moitié des îles de Grand Line. Es-tu content maintenant? I've choked on this man's cock on half the islands in the grand line. Are you happy now?
"Not as happy as the two of you." He disappeared with a smug grin and a flash of blue light.
"Asshole!" Her voice hit the empty spot where he once stood. With a defeated sigh, she turned to meet the faces of a somewhat shocked and terrified looking group of pirates, all semi-hidden behind a laughing captain whose mouth was so wide she thought he might be at risk of swallowing his own chin.
All except for the swordsman, who glared intensely at the recently vacated space beside her before moving to lock his eyes to her own.
"What the hell did you two just say? Why is that creepy-ass death doctor here anyway!? Is he 'family'?" Zoro huffed.
"Do not tell him I said that."
"She informed him, in so many words, that the two of you are very well acquainted." A mature voice announced while holding back a laugh. Zoro took a suspicious look at Robin before returning his heated glare to the cause of his current annoyance.
His wife stood in front of him with the stupidest look he'd ever seen plastered across her face. A red hue brushing along her cheek bones. It took him so off guard he wasn't sure if the dumbass expression was endearing or made him even angrier.
"I didn't know Robin was here."
"HAHA! You guys are funny! Way better than the talking bear!" Luffy unceremoniously announced, effectively breaking through the thick tension with a 10,000-watt smile and a malfunctioning brain.
Usopp, deciding the woman wasn't nearly as scary since her spooky captain left, moved a tiny step forward. Upon further inspection, he found her outfit wholly inappropriate for the winter side of the island.
"HOW ARE YOU NOT FREEZING?! You're practically NAKED!" Usopp yelled before quickly closing his hands over his mouth and cowering behind Robin.
Aiya was pulled from her stupor long enough to look over at the nobly kneed teen. Then, at exact that moment, everyone's attention was glued to her body. Even her own.
She realized that without knowing her devil fruit, the outfit did look a little ridiculous.
It looked like a pink shirt with a dainty satiny appearance and a red skirt that could be considered a scandalous length for any weather.
The truth was that her silk blended into her skin and covered her from head to toe and was incredibly insulating while still remaining breathable.
Aiya was also wearing a coat, but the red puffy piece hung unzipped, leaving her body pretty much still exposed to the frigid environment.
Usopp thought that if Sanji had been there, he would've had a field day, but after risking a peak at a still seething Zoro he thought it probably better he was absent.
Before she could explain, heavy footsteps approached, and a deep but frantic voice cut her off. "Mistress! Please get away while you still can! I am sorry I am unable to assist in your escape." The giant man's head started to shake in horror, sweat flying from his brow. "I would never forgive myself if I were unable to prevent our savior's beautiful woman from being defiled by filthy rookie pirates!" Brownbeard finally finished.
"WHOSE WOMAN?!" The usually level headed swordsman snapped at the Man..Gator..Saur. The rage inside him growing to self-sustaining levels.
"Our wonderful and merciful Savior! Trafalgar Law! Mistress is his innocent courtesan, and I will protect her honor with my life!"
"Protect her honor?" Zoro snorted derisively.
"Hey, don't be mean! I was practically untouched before I met you and you defiled me like the filthy pirate you are." She'd managed to get out before squeaking her mouth shut as Zoro reeled around to face her.
"What does he mean by innocent court-ta-whatever!"
"I can't reveal my hand in the first round, mon amour."
He closed the distance before she'd finished her words, flexed shoulders looming over her. No more non-sense, no more room for evasion, "Answer me. Are you fucking that Trafal-guy or not?"
She knew the reasonable response would be anger, and angry she would be, but the command re-ignited a familiar fire in her core and served to dissipate any lingering trepidation.
He watched as a deep, lurid color returned to her eyes before they hooded just a bit.
Fuck.
It was too late by the time he'd realized his mistake.
Aiya curated her next words with care and marinated them with all the pent-up desire of a woman trapped on an isolated island with no privacy. She felt her frustration rising and allowed it to the fire inside her.
"Now you're just being cruel, ma petite pomme verte. To think me capable of breaking our sacred vow after we worked so hard and so long consummating it." Her manicured finger pressed to his chest and trailed down his torso, the motion awakening him as she continued to travel dangerously low, "And after I told Law you have a massive— "
He caught her wrist and pulled it forward, causing her to fall in closer. He fought the dull ache in his core, physically restraining himself from bringing the delicate skin the short distance to his lips.
"Damnit. I believe you, okay?! Sorry I said anything." The peak of his red cheeks before he hid his face to the side brought a comforting weight to slow her fluttering heart.
The archaeologist felt her eyebrows hit her forehead at the bizarre and painfully intimate show that unfolded before her.
She had witnessed the surprisingly animated floundering of their first mate before returning her perceptive gaze to the woman who had flipped from cornered mouse to predatory cat. After describing her sex life in vulgar detail to a man known as the Surgeon of Death. Though she supposed she shouldn't expect anything less from an underworld intel broker who managed to catch and hold the painfully stoic swordsman's affections.
Luffy was the first to find his voice in the crowd of stupefied onlookers. "Zoro why are you acting so weird? Get away from Traffy's court of sand! He helped me and it's just rude!"
Aiya's head dropped before she lifted it with an unnerving grin. She let herself revel in a mischievous little thought about corruption and an innocent rubbery mind before another tug at her wrist grabbed her attention.
"Whatever you're thinking about right now, forget it." He practically growled in her ear before stepping back and leaving her feeling a bit cold.
A shiver, completely unrelated to the weather, shook down her spine.
Aiya watched as Luffy's words filtered through her husband's mind. First causing him to retreat further and then seeing the rest hit him with a violent rage.
"WHAT. NO. SHE'S NOT THAT WEIRDOS ANYTHING. SHE'S MY CORP TARZAN. Cord-a-plan… She's just fucking mine, damnit." The annoyance and frustration that had been slowly filling him all day finally boiled over and the mixed group stared in silence at the truly unpredictable turn of events.
"How romantic, love."
"D-D-Does that-t-t mean this is your w-wi-wife? AND she's on the crew of that creepy guy who cuts people up?!" Usopp stuttered from behind Luffy.
"I haven't actually agreed to that last one."
"You guys know each other!? HOW COOL! We should form a super-secret pirate alliance!"
All of the sudden, Aiya felt a bit winded. Well, that was easy. She adopted a smile and turned to the remainder of the crew with a settling breath.
"My creepy, organ-harvesting Captain has requested that I escort you to your crew. We have a bit of an operation going here so would it be possible for you to make this look like a kidnapping?"
Zoro wasted no time grabbing the woman and throwing her over his shoulder.
"Operation?" Robin twerked an eyebrow at the woman as she feigned a struggle against the swordsman's iron hold.
"I'll never tell you scoundrels anything! Especially not after you've kidnapped me and taken me to the collapsed lab on the other side of the laboratory!" She stopped fighting and looked toward the archaeologist. "Mlle O'hara, je ferai tout mon possible pour assurer l'extraction en toute sécurité de votre équipage et des enfants."
Zoro didn't know a lot of what that witch woman was talking about when she started speaking in tongues, but he caught one thing.
"Infants?"