Sometimes she couldn't help but think about if… things were different. If she hadn't listened to Trafalgar's tinny voice on the transponder snail. If she hadn't turned and ran. If she had actually gone to him and talked to him and…
What then?
Would she have still gone to Marineford? Or would he have convinced her otherwise?
Would she still be sailing with Law? Or would their deal be null and void by this point?
Would Ace have actually survived that time? Or would he still be buried six feet under a white tombstone?
Would Sanji…
She knew what she was thinking was foolish. There was no point in dwelling on 'maybe's and 'what could have been's, she knew that. But her mind just couldn't help but wonder. What if…
When she had first left the Baratie, she hadn't been quite sure of what she was thinking. It had been a… a… a haze so to speak. Her head had been zipping from emotion to emotion without giving her time to rest and all she'd know was that she had to go. And when the stupor had ended and she'd actually been asked about what she wanted she was just left… empty. Void of a purpose.
Now though, things were clearer.
This was not the East Blue anymore. She couldn't just sit on her haunches and wait and wait for one single person in this vast ocean who might not even show up where she was. She was done waiting. She was done chasing on after him, done being constantly one step behind. She was done.
It was time she tread her own path.
She had a goal… of sorts. It was not exactly a noble one, nor was it particularly grand, but it was there. A goal. Something to aim for.
Get stronger. Get tougher. So wherever he was, no matter the ocean or island, he wouldn't worry about her. He would know she was safe.
Not the most concrete of things… but she hadn't wanted to make it permanent either. That was merely a placeholder for now until… until… Until she finally managed to figure things out some day. If and when that ever happened. And that would have to be enough for now.
It wasn't as if she was giving up. Oh no, she hadn't travelled as far as she had just to throw all her hard work away. She would see Sanji again some day. She just knew it, deep down inside of her.
They would meet again. And then, when they actually had time to catch up,
They would finally have the space to sort things out between them.
.
It was cold. Far colder than Zhelesk ever got. Not even the thermal lined clothes she was wearing was enough to stop her skin twitching. Strauss resisted the urge to slap the blood back into her face. She knew from experience that would only make it worse in the long run.
"I can handle this myself you know."
"Don't be stupid." She muttered lowly, her breath forming a light cloud in front of her. So much for being inside. "What sort subordinate would I be if I left my captain to do all the dirty work?"
"A smart one," Law barely missed a beat even as he thunked his nodachi lightly against her head, "and one who'd live a good while longer than most."
She rolled her eyes. "Please. We both know that you appreciate having a competent person to boss around. Why else would you ask me to stay here?"
"Hmph."
The metal corridor seemed to echo louder and louder with every step. So empty. And desolate. But simultaneously far too clean to be abandoned. To those who never believed silence could be deafening, a few scant seconds would be enough to change their mind.
God she hated this place.
"So you know this Marine, hm?"
"Sure do. I owe him a favour actually."
"Excellent. I really wanted a member of my crew to be indebted to the Marines. Just what I always wanted."
"Well I wouldn't have made it onto the Grand Line otherwise, let alone all the way to Sabaody. So sorry, but I definitely owe him one."
"Strange. Why would a Marine go out of his way to help a simple civilian with a great request like that?"
"Don't ask me. He was the one who offered. But either way, I wouldn't be here without him."
"Oh great, now I'm indebted to a Marine. This day just gets better and better..."
"Why?"
"Because thanks to him I managed to obtain a crew member with an actual grasp on common sense."
By this point the large steel door was looming at the end of the corridor before them. Tall, imposing, and without a crack of light to so much as hint at the outside world. Just as Vegapunk had designed it, so many years ago.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!
Strauss raised an eyebrow. "Are they seriously ringing the doorbell? Of a place that's supposed to be deserted?"
"Well," Law began, "I believe inste-"
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt! BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ-
"I believe instead…" He growled out through gritted teeth. "They are testing whether the place has power. But no matter what they're doing they only needed to press that button once!"
-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ-
Groaning, she nodded her agreement. Her ears felt like they were being massaged by a chainsaw. "They'd better get the door soon."
-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ-
"Agreed. Preferably before we all go deaf."
-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!
For a few spare moments they continued on, relishing in (and adjusting to) the lack of buzzing ringing through the air. Despite being right next to a door large enough for a small naval ship to pass through, no sound could be heard from the outside world. The layers upon layers of ice and steel made that much impossible even for the most paranoid ears.
After all, it would be pretty disastrous if any gas could pass through.
Clunk!
The top bolt abruptly unhinged.
Clunk!
Then the next.
Clunk!
And the next.
Strauss and Law kept on walking, watching each and every single bolt and dial and cog whir themselves into action. Turning and hissing and wheezing as an external force willed themselves to move. To open.
A stream of freezingly high pressured air barreled into them as the seal released, sending a blinding sliver of light streaming into the dingy passageway behind them. But neither of them were at all phased. They just kept moving on, as the biting wind gradually slowed down to a whistle and their bodies got accustomed to the lower temperatures.
And as the crack in the doorway got wider and wider.
"Now you're giving up?" A hazy voice yelled from outside, barely audible over the constantly raging snowstorm this half of the island was used to. "We're the Marines y'know! So you'd better come on out with your hands up!"
"Tch." Law's lip twitched. "How rude."
"Oh please, it's G-5. They're meant to be rude."
"True, but it doesn't mean I appreciate it."
The crack was wide enough to walk through now. Wide enough to see through, although the glare was still immense. Something about the contrast between pure white and dingy corridor felt almost poetic. Although that could just be the cold getting to her.
"How should we deal with them then?"
"Without violence, if that's even possible. Just play along with whatever I say."
"Roger."
She could see now, her eyes having taken their time to adjust themselves to the outside enough to see the rows upon rows of dumbfounded faces curiously gaping in. Although…
They stepped fully out into the open, Strauss following a few paces behind Law as the light began properly illuminating their features. His tattoos. Her hair. His nodachi. The crest splayed proudly on both their coats.
...It wasn't exactly a mystery why.
"It… it can't be!"
"You know what he did right!?"
"He is… and she is…"
"N-NO WAAY!"
"They're creeps!"
"Let's go back…"
It wasn't every day they encountered a Warlord of the Seas. Especially not one as recent or as notorious as Trafalgar.
"So-" Law cocked his head, leaning his side against the semi ajar door with a broad smirk on his lips- "What brought you here to my private vacation home, White Chase-ya?"
Vice Admiral 'White Chase' Smoker grimaced, an impressive feat given the two cigars clenched between his teeth, and flicked his eyes back and forth between the two individuals before him. Barely able to say a word… or struggling to string them together.
It felt strange. Seeing him again after all this time. Strauss couldn't help but snort at the irony. She had met the man to enter Paradise and now he was here to welcome her into the New World. Well, not that she hadn't been here for some time already. But never beyond this first island.
Perhaps this was a sign.
"What… are you doing here?" Smoker's brow furrowed deep enough to distort his face. "No one, not even pirates or Government allies, are allowed to be here on this island; Law, Strauss."
He still remembered her name? Strauss felt her lips curl. How surprisingly sentimental of him. She hadn't realised she'd made that much of an impact on the guy. Although perhaps he had just got the name from her most recent bounty poster. The crews of Warlords were placed under significant monitoring after all.
"That just means you people are not allowed either." Law snapped cheerfully back without an ounce of hesitation.
"Trafalgar..." A woman who she could only assume to be Tashigi (although she had definitely changed somewhat over the years) took a tentative step forwards. "I know you're a Warlord, but we must ask you to step aside! Move out of the way! We know someone else is here on the island!"
"Well of course there is." Strauss cocked her head, moving to stand directly behind Law. "You can see I'm right here."
Tashigi's cheeks flushed. "Tha… That's not what I meant and you know it!"
"The rest of the crew isn't here if that's what you're asking."
"Sh-SHUT UP!"
"Tashigi!"
Her back abruptly straightened.
Smoker's grimace became even more pronounced. "Really, you should know better than to fall for a pirate's goading. Although…" Narrowed eyes swept over the figure in the back. "I really did not expect this of you. Miss Strauss…"
The smirk came practically unbidden. Law's cockiness was rubbing off on her it seemed. "Then you obviously don't know me that well."
For a snort while Smoker didn't say a word. There were emotions raging deep inside of him- confusion, rage, and disappointment to name a few- but Strauss found she neither knew nor cared. Why should she?
All she had done was obey his parting words from over two years ago. There was no need for this level of shock.
"Tashigi." He eventually grunted, raising a hand to run down his face. "Just… play the recording already."
"O-Oh! Yes! Right!"
Flicking his head back to his subordinate while the Marines rummaged around for… whatever it was they were looking for, Law arched a particularly amused brow.
Strauss rolled her eyes.
The brow arched higher.
She snorted.
His smirk widened.
Typical.
"H-Here!" A black mini transponder snail got hastily shoved in their faces. "A listen of this and you'll have to let us in!"
Well that was to be decided but… Strauss exchanged a wary look with Law. It would be useful to know what material the Marines had on them. At least before it went subsequently 'missing'.
Besides, it couldn't be that ba-
"Hello! My name is Monkey D. Luffy and I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"
"H-Hey you picked up too fast and said too much…"
…
Strauss could feel the blood drain from her face.
What the…
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"
"Oi what happened?"
"I… It's cold… Is th-th-this the Boss?!"
"Nope! I'm not your Boss! What's up?"
"M-m-my colleagues are getting cut d… uh… cut down one after another! THE SAMURAI IS GONNA KILL US!"
"Where are you?!"
"S...Someone… p-please help me… I'm on… Punk HazAAAAAAAAAAARGH-" The snail coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the line went dead.
Just like that speaker was.
It took all of Strauss's emotional strength to keep a level face. She knew she should be worried about being found out, it was the most disastrous thing that could happen after all, but her mind was just… whirling.
That was… Were those the Straw Hats?! It was somewhat hard to tell thanks to the heavy layer of static and the every changing pitch that was associated with the Marine's monitoring snails. But if that really was Luffy… then that would mean…
"So." Tashigi's face hardened. "Put together the name of the island and the fact he said 'It's cold'... There is almost no doubt that this man sent the signal from this island."
"You both know Straw Hat Luffy, don't you?" Smoker's eyes flicked to Strauss. "You first travelled to the Grand Line to rendez-vous with one of their crew members. The cook, if I remember correctly."
Her hands clenched into fists.
Now to Law. "And when the incident involving that damn Celestial family happened two years ago- you, Kid, and Straw Hat all fought together."
Law's jaw tensed near imperceptibly.
"Not to mention the War of the Best… you were both there for that one. When Akainu was after Straw Hat…" The freezingly cold air somehow dropped several more degrees- "you two helped him get away."
Damn and he had to mention that… When she had gone there to do so much more and failed. She'd failed in the most miserable way possible...
"What do you want?"
She knew that tone. For most listeners it sounded irritated, or perhaps a little amused, but after being by Trafalgar Law's side for two years Strauss knew he was anything but. The man hid his emotions well, far better than she ever could, so for something like this to sneak into his voice…
"I know you Marine people are good at forging so called 'emergency signals' after all."
He was gearing himself up for a fight. No question about it.
Smoker, however, heard none of it. "I'm afraid it isn't a trap that we set. It's genuine."
"Oh yeah?" The nodachi bumped twice against her shoulder, paused, then tapped twice more. "But we don't know anything so there's nothing more to talk about."
Fight or Flight.
"Cut the crap!" Smoker's body grew paler and more hazy, and not in a natural way. "Let us see inside the lab already!"
"In case you have forgotten-" Strauss moved to place herself in between the two parties- "This is my Captain's vacation home. Which he chose because it was abandoned. You have no right to trespass here."
"Indeed." She could hear the smirk in his voice. Possibly because she called him 'Captain'... despite the many times she insisted not to. "We are the only ones here. If Straw Hat comes, I'll gladly chop his still screaming head off and send it to you. So if that is all you have to say..." Now the irritation was clear in his voice. "Go. Home."
The wind howled, low and savage, whirling stray flakes of snow this way and that like vicious cherry blossom. The majority of G-5 huddled together a little further back, snuggling against each other for warmth… yet four people stood tall. Even despite the cold. Their eyes were locked, unyielding, in a silent battle of nerve and endurance that no amount of snow or ice could ever hope to beat.
But that was when she heard it.
Echoey distant yells… and the patter of many feet.
Strauss turned, only to see Law behind her glare over his shoulder back towards the lab. The noise was growing louder, bouncing off the various cylinders and strangely shaped containers until it practically filled the room with various sounds of…
"Those frozen people are so scary!"
"I've had it with this place! I wanna leave!"
"Yeah me too me too!
"Just keep going! There's a door up ahead! We can get out!"
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!"
"There is somebody else in there…" One of the G-5 idiots grunted.
Her nose wrinkled.
Fight it was then.
"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYA!"
Out of nowhere, absolutely nowhere, Strauss felt something rush straight past her and collide with the opposite door with a clack… knocking it straight off its hinges in a single blow. The creature paused on the other side, only to reveal a strangely rectangular amalgamation of fur, antlers, and (weirdly enough) a cheery blue cap.
"What in the…"
"Oh yeah!" The strange creature beamed toothily. "I made it out!"
A woman with long ginger hair shot past after… it. "Outside?! YEEEEAAAAGH!" Her arms hastily moved to cover her scantily clad body. "It's freeezing!"
Hang on… Ginger hair? Didn't Strauss… recognise that from somewhere?
"Hey hey hey hey… Franky~! Get outta the way kiddos! Hey hey hey hey… Tank~!"
What now? Seriously? What now!?
"Clear the way, clear the way, SUPER the way~! I'll run you over if you stand in my way~! But I avoid running over flowers~! I'm kinda sweet- THE FRANKY TAAAAAAAAAAANK! All right! Here we go, everybody! On three: one, two, three…"
"SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPEEEEEEER!"
…
…
...
Had she… inhaled some of Caesar's chemicals by any chance? Since there was no way any of this could be real. No way. No way in the slightest. She was watching an array of variously sized children, a woman wearing a bikini in the middle of winter, a strange humanoid creature-thing, and an obnoxiously coloured human tank person thrust their forearms into the air RIGHT NEXT TO HER!
And…
Was that… On the robot man's other side...
…
Strauss blinked. And… blinked. And blinked again.
…
Okay she'd definitely inhaled something funky. Since there was no way that… that it could possibly be…
"NAMI-SAAAAAAAN! I'M GLAD YOU'RE OKAY!"
No. It couldn't.
"Really, Strauss-ya?" A voice muttered in her ear. "You sailed to the Grand Line for that one?"
To be honest she was seriously debating that herself.
But it was hard to kid herself otherwise. She could recognise that blond head of hair a mile off, let alone those distinctly coiled eyebrows. It appeared that he'd managed to grow that beard he always wanted in the two years (although at this point it was nearing on three) that they'd been apart. It looked pretty good on him too… attractive eve…
NO!
Hold it right there! That was her emotions thinking! Of course everything about him would appeal to her, she hadn't seen the guy for years! She was seeing things. Just seeing was just her brain's way of telling her that she really really missed him. Yup. Just her brain.
Although…
"I LIKE THE WAY YOU SHIVER IN THE COLD BUT I DON'T WANT MY BELOVED NAMI-SWAN TO GET SICK SO TAKE MY JACKET!"
…
…
Strauss pinched the bridge of her nose.
No. No that couldn't be him. There was no possible way. She… She wasn't...
"Oh, thank you. A-AAH!" Nami's screech practically blew her ears out as she finally, finally, realised who she was standing next to. "You… you two look familiar!"
"Yeah!" The strange hybrid reindeer monster… thing… (Hang on was he supposed to be that pet from the bounty posters?!) gaped. "He was there at Sabaody! And that girl, uh… I think I remember seeing her somewhere-"
"Strauss?"
Every fiber of her being just… froze. Just from the sound of that familiar voice saying her name.
Just her name, and her heart was already in her throat.
"Strauss is that… is that really you?"
She thought she had prepared herself for this. She thought she was ready to see him again, after that disastrous meeting in Sabaody. But this… the real deal was just…
He took a tentative step forwards. Then another. And another. "S-Strauss? I… It's so good to see you I… I can't believe it's really… you."
Sanji.
Her dear, dear Sanji.
It was actually him… He was right there, standing in front of her. Almost as if he'd never left. A blond fringe he once pinned on top of his head… Those strange asymmetrical eyebrows he used to groom in their mirror. And that smell, oh so faint in the harsh chill…
Of tobacco and musk.
If… Her hand shakily stretched out towards him. If she could just… just for a moment… if she could touch him… To check this wasn't a strange dream… To actually hold him agai-
A firm grip clapped down on her shoulder.
"I would appreciate it if you don't attempt to manipulate my crew members, Black Leg-ya."
Law… Strauss glanced back over her shoulder towards the impassively irritated face. Why… Why was he stopping her? Plea…
The door camera twinkled menacingly against the crisp white snow.
Oh...
Right.
The arm fell limp once again by her side.
She had a job to do. Didn't she. She couldn't… do anything. Not yet. She should've known that. She should've known. How… humiliating. To let her emotions get the better of her like… this. God she felt so…
Pathetic.
"Wait… crew member?! Y-you seriously can't mean…" Not those eyes. Please not those eyes. "Strauss you… you're not on his crew… are you? Are you?"
She couldn't reply. Not without her voice cracking or something else betraying her innermost emotions. But he could see her thermal jacket. He could see the emblem, emblazed proudly on her right side. She didn't need to reply.
"Why are you getting so upset." Law's hand tightened on her shoulder. "You're talking as if you own her, Black Leg-ya. Strauss-ya is only human, you can't stop her from choosing her own path."
He was right. Like he always was. She needed to take a step back and cool her head. Then, and only then, could she properly assess the situation. Just take a few deep breaths… get everything in order…
"You… You bastard!" Out of nowhere a furious hand reached out to yank at Law's fuzzy collar. "What did you say to her huh?! What sorta shit did you blackmail her with?! Huh!? Out with it! Since there's no way, no way in the slightest that she would ever-"
WHAM!
Everyone fell silent. Unmoving even. As Black Leg Sanji's face paled and he crumpled over Strauss's arm from where it had slammed into his stomach.
He hadn't been defending himself. Possibly because he hadn't expected an attack from that direction. So it was unsurprising enough to see his body remain limp. Unsurprising… if not guilt inducing.
I'm sorry.
Keeping a level face she watched the limp body topple to the ground, only to be scooped immediately up by that strange reindeer creature. She didn't want to touch his… his body… for longer than she had to.
"What the…" Nami's face stiffened. "I thought he was your friend! How… How could you do that to him?!"
"Quite easily." She was surprising herself now. That or she was better at burying her guilt than she thought. "You are trespassers, and he was threatening my Captain. It's only natural to neutralise the threat, no?"
"Why you…!"
"N-Nami!" The reindeer grimaced tightly. "We'll probably need to find another exit…"
Her jaw tensed as she finally registered the collection of incredulous Marines spread out before them. "Yeah you're probably right… But mark my words!" She shot a glare in Law and Strauss's direction. "You guys haven't heard the last of us! ALRIGHT KIDS! FOLLOW ME!"
"O-Okay!"
Law's hand remained on Strauss's shoulder as the horde disappeared back inside the laboratory, almost as if he was afraid she was going to change her mind and bolt.
A stupid worry.
Hesitantly, her own hand reached up to dislodge him. She may have wavered for a moment there, a moment she would be certain not to forget, but she had made up her mind now.
She wasn't going to go anywhere. Not until their deal had been completed.
"You lied!" Smoker yelled once the children were out of earshot. "You aren't the only ones here!"
"Believe me, we are as surprised as you are…" Law muttered tersely.
"Everyone!" Tashigi's hand shot down to her katana. "After me! Let's catch the Straw Hats!"
"Sure thing Miss Captain!"
"Let's go!"
"We're right behind you!"
"Yeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"
"Are you up for some spring cleaning, Strauss-ya?"
Her hands snapped together, cracking each and every knuckle in anticipation. "More than ever."
Anything to get rid of these wretched pent up feelings!
His lips curled up just a fraction. "Good."
"N-No!" Vice Admiral Smoker whipped around to his troops. "Wait!"
But it was too late. Far too late to cease what was about to happen as Law removed his gloves and flicked a single, deliberate finger towards the sky.
"ROOM!"
A/N
Hellooooo people! How are you doing? Oh me? I'm tired, thank you for asking. It's pretty much a constant state of mind at this point thanks to going back to uni. Also that's just my mood tbh.
So Season 2 is here, and... uh... here you go? Here's a whole bunch of something for you all to consume... I like it, but who knows how well it'll go over. Just gonna post it and be done with it all. Hope it's alright! Definitely not as emotionally straining as the previous chapter, but impactful in a different way I think. At least I hope. Yeah what do I know really!
Quick update on my previously posted A/N about Kabul: thank you for sending well wishes me and my family's way. It meant a lot, really. A lot a lot. Thankfully, things have sorted themselves out and my half brother is back safe and sound in the UK. We're all really relieved, but I know there are still folks out there. If any of you have relations to people in Afghanistan... stay strong. We're here for you if you need us. We may only exist as a few words on a device screen, but our hearts reach out to you all the same.
Stay safe and happy. Good luck out there.