Rose POV
The sea was tossing and writhing wildly, throwing the little boat around like it was a toy. The wood was soaking from the sea spray, and sea water was sloshing around the benches within. The grey clouds made the sea appear ominously black.
Rose gripped the steering yard, trying to keep the boat from spinning uncontrollably. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins, her breath loud in her ears as she steered her tiny boat towards the only island in sight. That was her only hope of survival right now. Ever since she had left the peaceful sea surrounding her home island, Agea, she had been fighting to stop her boat from succumbing to the deathly cold clutches of the ocean. That was two days ago. For two days and two nights, with barely any sleep and any food, she had been pouring every ounce of her energy into keeping herself and her boat safe.
The boom swung around violently, and Rose ducked quickly with a laboured gasp. The mast creaked with the weight of it, yet Rose couldn't let go of the yard without letting the boat turn off course.
"Come on..." she panted, squinting through her wet eyelashes at the island. It was small, she could see from this distance, and Rose was much closer than she'd expected, but the sea was roaring furiously – she wasn't sure she could even make it.
You'd never survive.
The words of her father echoed in her head. Rose paused, remembering that time, a few days ago.
"I'm sorry, I can't stay here anymore." Rose said in a low voice, hanging her head low. Her parents were sitting down at the wooden table, watching her with concerned expressions.
"What are you talking about, sweetheart?" Her mother asked incredulously. "You know nobody ever leaves this island. You've heard it from the Marine envoys themselves - it's not safe to leave! Dangerous seas, not to mention horrible pirates!"
Rose nodded. "I know…" She'd heard it all before.
"What a ludicrous idea!" Her father scoffed, standing up from the table and walking over to Rose. "Exploring! Dear me, Rose, I thought we'd raised you better than that."
"What's wrong with wanting to find out more about the world?" She asked in dismay. She knew her family wouldn't have been happy about her suggestion, but surely they understood why she felt the way she did.
For nearly 20 years she'd been on this small island, and whilst it was beautiful, she'd always yearned to learn what the rest of the world was like. Sure, everyone painted an ugly picture of what lay out there, but surely it couldn't all be terrible. They knew she wasn't excited by what her future could hold on the island - running her father's pharmacy, or starting her own venture, or starting a family. They were the ones who told her that ever since she was young, she had always asked 'What is past the sea?'
"Why do you want to explore?" Her father asked. "We don't need to know what is out there. Nobody in Agea has left the island for decades, and we have always been okay. Why change that?"
"But why wouldn't you want to know!?" She exclaimed indignantly. "All we know is what the Marines tell us - I want to see the world for myself. I'm sure there are so many beautiful places out there."
"No," her mother said sternly. "Rose, the world is dangerous."
Her father nodded. "You'd never survive."
Even now, when she was gripping onto the side of the boat for dear life, Rose remembered the anger the words of her parents stirred up inside of her.
"I don't care," Rose said angrily. "I could be the first one from Agea to go see what is out there!"
"No, Rose!" Her father said loudly, staring her down. "Don't be ridiculous." Rose huffed.
"This is what I want to do, this is what my soul is calling for me to do – discover, adventure. Can't you understand that...?"
"There is a place for everyone in this world," her mother said, walking to stand by her father. United against her, she saw. Feeling her stomach churn with bitter disappointment, Rose looked down at the floor.
"You can't stop me."
The boat rocked suddenly, and Rose was thrown to the side with a yelp. Groaning in pain, she pulled herself to her knees, blinking over the rim of the boat.
Her heart nearly stopped at what she saw next.
Huge, looming rocks were mere meters from the front of the boat. She had reached the island much quicker than she had been expecting, and now she was in real danger of wrecking onto the sharp rocks surrounding it.
"No no no no no!" She yelled, throwing herself at the steering yard and heaving it to the right with all her might, trying to avert the boat from the rocks. "Come on, please!"
At first, Rose thought she'd managed it. But fortune was not on her side. A huge swell of a wave took hold of a boat. Everything seemed to slow down then. Heart thumping, Rose looked to her right. The cliff side of the island was approaching her. The only thing Rose registered was how jagged the rock face was.
That was when the boat hit it. The wood cracked. Rose was flung into the cliff, the wave smashing her body up against it. Screaming as the stones cut through her flesh, the ice cold water pierced right down to her bones. She lost her breath at the freezing temperature, and she flailed in the water.
Miraculously, her hand found a small ledge peeking out from the rock face. Gripping onto it for life, scrabbling her shoes against the rocks, she managed to pull herself out from the swirling waves. Panting and gasping in pain, Rose looked around desperately for more possible foot and hand holds in the rock face.
Another wave smashed into her legs, loosening her grip. Nearly sobbing in fear, Rose reached up the cliff, praying. Her heart leapt when her bleeding fingers found the ledge. Trembling with weakness, she pushed with her legs with all her might, cutting her knees in the process, yet she gained enough momentum to fling an arm over onto the flat surface of the island.
With another tremendous heave, Rose pulled herself over the ledge, gasping for breath. Her body was shaking uncontrollably from the cold, the freezing wind biting her soaking skin. Pushing her dripping hair out of her face, she got to her feet.
"Oh, God..." Her teeth chattered, and she looked down at her body. She saw the extent of the cuts in her skin, yet she was too numb from the cold and the adrenaline coursing through her to feel the full extent of the stinging.
Counting herself lucky it was daytime, she looked around, and then laid her eyes upon a large dome-shaped building. Rose nearly fell to her knees in relief - she recognised the blue arches of the Marine logo emblazoned on the structure. Marines! She thought in relief. I'm safe - surely they can help me! Stumbling forward on unsteady legs, she trudged her way towards the base. It didn't look too far... yet Rose was already weak from the lack of food and from the cold.
She was nearly at the large gates when her foot hit something soft lying on the ground. Pausing and turning around, Rose looked down. A small white lump peeked out from under the rocks, and she had nearly tripped over it. Bending down curiously, Rose picked it up. It was soft and fluffy under her fingers. It was circular in shape with a small rim. But what confused Rose the most was its spotted pattern. Then she realised what it was. A hat...?
She heard something shift behind her. She turned around.
Then yelled in shock.
A man was standing a few feet in front of her, his dark eyes glaring intensely at her. Thick dark hair ruffled in the wind, and a tanned complexion stood out against the gold glint of his earrings. He wore a large black trench coat, but Rose could still see the thinness of his fame. But what caught her attention was his piercingly grey eyes – which were glaring at her, glinting dangerously.
A thin sword was pointed a few inches from her throat. She stared at him, heart pounding, ready to flee.
"Who are you?" He asked quietly, but the menace laced into the words chilled Rose more than the freezing wind. She stared at him, her heart racing in fear.
"H-help me..." She stammered, trembling. "I don't want any trouble, I-I just need some help…" The man's eyes trailed down her body, then returned to her face.
"I said," he growled, stepping closer, "who are you?" Rose stumbled back in fear, eyeing his sword.
"W-wait!" She said, holding her shaking hands out. "Please… My ship got wrecked, and I have no idea where I am-"
"Are you a Marine spy?" He interrupted, a tattooed hand lifting the sword closer. Rose flinched, heart thumping.
"What? N-no-"
"Don't lie," he spat, grey eyes narrowing. "Only Marines know about this island. You couldn't have ended up here by accident." Rose froze, too shocked and intimidated to respond. He stepped closer again. "I'll ask one more time - who are you?"
As he stepped closer, she realised how tall he was – she barely reached his shoulders.
"My name is Rose!" She said quickly, backing up again. "I'm from the island Agea! I swear, my ship got wrecked by the strong currents. I don't want to harm you or steal anything, I just n-need help."
The stranger was eyeing her closely. He observed her sea-soaked frame, the cuts on her knees. After a second, he lowered the sword, but he didn't look any less suspicious.
"Do you know who I am?" He asked. Rose shook her head frantically.
"No!" She said hurriedly, trembling. "Please, I d-don't know what's going on, I just need to get safe and back home..." She blinked up at him, feeling her heart race.
Her pleading seemed to get through to him then. His aggressive tenseness faded somewhat, yet his eyes were still staring her down calculatingly.
Then, out of nowhere, he reached out and snatched the hat from her.
"H-hey!" Rose exclaimed despite herself. The stranger scowled at her, placing the hat on his own head, pulling it down low over his eyes. Then he stepped back, lifting his sword again, and Rose flinched back, raising her hands in defence.
"Move." He jerked his head in the direction of the base. Rose stumbled forward, fearful of what he would do if she didn't obey. She heard him follow close behind. They approached the gates, which were wide open. Once they turned the corner, Rose blinked in surprise. A long tunnel entrance stood in front of the dome-shaped building. She was about to take a step when she heard the man behind her speak. "Stop, and don't turn around."
Rose froze in the spot, still trembling. "Where are you taking me?" She asked apprehensively, heart hammering. She needed to get into the warmth, and she stared ahead at the dim entranceway. But just then, she felt a hand grip her shirt. Before she had time to react, her top was pulled sharply and she heard a ripping sound. The man had torn a strip of her top off.
"W-what-!" She gasped, ready to turn before the bite of the sword pressed against her shoulder.
"I said, don't turn around." His voice was low but still threatening.
Rose felt herself swallow her next protest. What is he doing? Then, her eyes were covered by the strip of her clothing. She tensed up in surprise. He's blindfolding me with my own clothes!?
"What are you doing?" She stammered in a high-pitched voice. Her thoughts were interrupted when a large hand gripped her shoulder.
"Taking precautions." He replied vaguely. "Now start walking." He commanded, pushing her forwards. Rose stepped hesitantly forward, extending her other hand in front of her nervously. He was guiding her forward, but his strides were larger than hers, so she stumbled a few times. His hand was warm against her freezing skin. Even though she could tell they were now inside as there was no cold wind, her muscles were trembling with apprehension. Where is he taking me!?
The path he took her down was winding, down a flight of stairs – they must have been far underneath the ground. Rose's heart was pounding, and her stomach was flipping in fear. She was dreading what was going to happen next - she could only hope he wasn't pushing her into danger. But she knew that this place was the only chance she had of surviving – her boat was no doubt in pieces and she had no way of returning to Agea right now. She needed the shelter this place provided. But this didn't make her any less afraid.
Suddenly, the stairs stopped, the air became chill, almost damp. She was pushed a few more feet before he let go of her. Rose froze, unsure what to do next.
"Don't move." She felt his breath on the back of her neck, and her heart skipped a beat. Then her blindfold was tugged, and her vision was restored. Eyes darting around instantly, she looked ahead, and her stomach dropped.
She stood at the threshold of a dark, dirty room. Dim lanterns flickered in the corners, and a musky smell hit her nose. In truth, the sight filled her with shock. It was a cell.
"No..." She whispered, spinning to face the man. "No, please, don't lock me in there!" She stared up into his grey eyes, begging desperately. Her terror was obviously showing. But to her despair, his face was moulded into a cold mask.
"Get in." He pressed the hilt of his sword into her chest, poking her backwards. It was not overly forceful, but enough to cause her to fall backwards with a gasp. The impact jolted her weary body, and she yelped in pain. Then, the room got darker. He had shut the door, cutting off all the bright light of the hallway except for a small barred square near the top of the door. Blood pumping, she scrambled to her feet and launched herself at the door. But she was too late. The click of the lock echoed through the room.
"No...!" She breathed in anguish, rattling the door handle. But it was hopeless. Shaking, she raised herself on her toes to stare desperately out the hole, gripping onto the bars. The man stood there, looking back at her. She shook her head, feeling tears of fear threaten. "Please..." She choked, trembling. Please don't leave me in here!
"Trust me," he said quietly, turning to leave. "I'm doing this for your own good." Rose froze, staring after him as he walked away. But before she could call out to him again, he had disappeared up the steps. She remained at the window for a few moments longer, gazing at the stairs ahead as a tear trickled down her face. No... Her shoulders shook as she took a shaky breath. It was all she could do not to sob completely. Turning around, she sunk to the ground, her back against the door, staring around the room. It was eerily large, and the corners were pitch black.
This isn't happening. This had to be a nightmare.
Then she heard movement echo from the other side of the cell. Her head snapping to the side, she froze in fear.
"Look what we have here." A deep grunt echoed from the darkness. "A new cell mate."
"Who's there?" Rose whispered in a trembling voice, eyes darting around the room.
"Who do you think?" She heard a chuckle from the opposite side of the voice she had heard. Breathing erratically, she turned to that voice. "We're prisoners. Those pirate bastards upstairs put us down here."
Pirates? Rose felt her heart skip a beat. So that man had been a pirate? That explained why he'd locked her down here - he couldn't be trusted. And he'd also locked up some Marine employees in here too.
Eyes adjusting to the dark, she saw that there were five men chained up against the walls.
"What happened?" Rose stammered. "Why is he here? What happened to this Marine base?"
"No idea why he's here, but his crew stormed the base. Slaughtered a bunch of us."
"Oh my god." Rose gasped. "Are you the only survivors?"
"Yeah. That's pirate scum for ya."
Rose's heart dropped to her stomach. So she was in real danger then. Shakily, she got to her feet to approach one of the Marines. A huge man loomed from the dimness. His face was barely lit by one the dim lanterns. Big watery eyes peaked out from a long face.
"I'm so sorry that happened to you." Rose whispered sympathetically. In her experience, Marines had always been honourable and upstanding. The ones that regularly visited her island were professional and helpful. These men didn't deserve what had happened.
A gruff agreement came from one of the other men. "What about you? How did you end up here?"
Rose briefly explained how she'd come to be on the island. When she mentioned Agea, the men perked up.
"Did you say you're from Agea?"
"Yeah!" Rose said quickly. "You know it?"
"Familiar with the name, yeah. We sometimes go there for resources."
Resources? Rose paused. That's why the Marines visited Agea? She was never told this. But that wasn't important right now. She shook her head, banishing the thought away.
"So you know how to get there from here?" She asked hopefully.
"Maybe if we found a map - must be one around here somewhere." Rose let out a relieved breath. Thank god. There was hope after all that she could get back to Agea, back to safety. She could pretend this never happened.
"But we can't be much help from these chains." Another one of the men with a deep, rumbling voice said from the other corner. "Say, girl, he didn't chain you up."
Rose paused, realising that she was the only one who wasn't chained. Why hadn't the pirate bothered doing that? That was strange. "Y-yeah, I guess you're right."
"Could you help us? There should be a key hidden somewhere in these cells."
Rose's heard jerked up. "A key? In here?"
"Yeah, for the chains. It was protocol in case something like this ever happened. I could kiss the guy responsible for that idea."
"Wow, o-okay," she spun around quickly, looking around the dark cell. "I'll see if I can find it!"
"I don't know where it would be. But if you unlock us, we'll see what we can do to get out of here."
Rose nodded, immediately hurrying to the walls to investigate if she could find any cracks or crevices where a key might be held.
"Hurry, that bastard might be back any minute." Eventually, after a while of frustrated of searching, she found a small sheath in the wall of the doorframe. The key was small, but she let out a high pitched laugh of relief when she found it.
"I found it!" She breathed in disbelief. "You were right!"
She immediately set about unlocking the Marines from their chains. The five of them were all big and hulking. Once freed, they all attempted to break down the entrance door to the cell towards the flight of stairs. Straining and grunting, they kicked, shoulder-barged and slammed the door repeatedly.
But soon, it was clear that they weren't getting out. The heavy steel door was well re-enforced. Frustrated and panting, the men cursed angrily. Rose watched from the corner of the room, feeling dread settle in the pit of her stomach, the brief flicker of hope extinguished.
"Fucking pirates!" The largest man yelled, pacing the room.
After a while, the panting in the dark room calmed down. Rose sat on the damp, cold floor, watching the men as they settled back down on the floor. The energy in the room was tense.
Rose caught one of the men staring at her, and a chill went down her spine. After a moment, he looked away. But then he spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Strange that he didn't chain you up too. Maybe he plans to come back for you." Rose blinked at him. There was something in the tone of his voice that she didn't like. But surely, as Marines, they didn't mean any harm?
"What do you mean?" She asked uncertainly, pulling her knees closer to her chest.
She was met with low, unsettling chuckles from the men. The sound set her on edge. A chilling grin was on the same man's face. Then he moved closer.
"Now that I'm getting a better look at you...I don't blame him." He rasped, approaching her slowly. Rose could have sworn her heart stopped beating at his words. She suddenly understood what he was insinuating, and she felt sick.
"Stay away!" She said tensely, drawing into herself tighter. "Don't think about coming closer!" To her horror, she heard chuckling echo from around the dungeon. One of the other men began to approach her too.
"You hear that?" The other said. "She's trying to appear feisty." Rose's heart was loud in her ears as she stared at the two men who were now leering over her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other three men watching closely.
Rose backed up on the floor, trying to create some distance. She didn't want to believe what was happening. "What are you doing?" She whispered in panic. "I-I just helped you!"
Suddenly, one of them launched out of the dim light. Rose didn't have time to react before she felt strong hand enclose around her throat. Gasping in fear, she clawed at the hands that gripped her painfully. But then, more hands grabbed at her arms and legs, forcing them down onto the ground.
Adrenaline pumping, she struggled and kicked out desperately, and to her relief her foot made contact with a stomach. With a pained shout, her throat was released. Rose gasped in the air, panting as she glared at the man she had kicked.
"Don't touch me!" She panted. The man, who was smaller than the other one, yet just as terrifying, snarled.
"You little..." All of a sudden, she felt her left ankle get grabbed in a painful grip. Then it was twisted. Rose cried as her ankle was bent violently to the side. It felt like her muscles were tearing.
"Ahhhhh!" She cried, struggling. Then a large hand clamped over her mouth.
"Scream again," the man to her right murmured, his rancid breath in her face, "and you'll lose an eye." Rose struggled desperately against the hands that pinned her down, petrified. "Understand?"
"Do anything to alert the pirates upstairs, and an eye won't be all you'll lose." Her mouth was released, and she drew in sobbing breaths.
"P-please don't..." she begged. How could they be doing this to her, after she'd helped them? Weren't Marines supposed to be honourable and protect the public? Yet just by looking in their eyes, she could tell that there was no empathy for her at all in these men.
All of a sudden, she was swung violently to the side, her back hitting the floor. Her head made a connection with the cold floor, and she groaned out. Yet now she wasn't being pinned down. Blinking the tears out of her eyes, she began to sit up. But then her assaulters shoved her down again.
"Now now," a voice whispered in her ear, a hand running up her thigh. His breath stank. "Don't make this harder for yourself, and it will all be over soon...or not. Who knows what that sicko upstairs will end up doing to us?"
"Yeah," the other raspy voice echoed. "We'd better make the most of this whilst we can. Then the pirate can have his turn." Rose struggled violently then. Her ankle throbbed, and her throat was pulsing unpleasantly. A sudden surge of anger took hold of her. I'm not a toy.
"I said, don't touch me!" She growled, and as a last ditch attempt, she kneed one of the men as hard as she could. A satisfying yell echoed through the room, yet Rose knew that was the only advantage she would be granted.
"Shut up." Something hot was thrust against her arm, and Rose cried out in pain as her skin was scorched. One of the lanterns had been snatched from the wall and was being pressed against her. Vision blurring from the pain, she flung her elbow out and she managed to knock it away from her skin, yet the burn still felt blistering.
"That's it." A man growled, and she felt cold steel slash her hip, cutting deep. Rose couldn't help it this time. The pain shook her entire body.
"Stop!" Rose screamed at the top of her lungs.
That was all she got to call before a large fist struck the side of her head with incredible force, and her senses left her.
~ x ~
Law POV
"Whoever she is, we can't just blindly trust her."
The crew was gathered in the hallway of the second, listening to Law's tale with shocked expressions. He had told them of the girl he had encountered on the island.
"How the hell did she survive the currents?" Ikkaku mused incredulously. "Something seems fishy."
"I thought so too." Law agreed. "I don't believe she's with the Marines, but her ending up on this island seems like more than a coincidence to me."
"So you locked her up?" Bepo asked. "Surely if she is as you described, she can't be dangerous!"
"We can't know that for sure, Bepo-ya." Law said sternly. "I'm taking the necessary precautions to make sure we can get out of here."
The crew went silent then. Law looked at each of them, trying to discern their thoughts. It was clear that some of them thought he was being overly paranoid.
Sighing with exhaustion, Law pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd barely had a chance to rest since arriving on the island - the added stress of getting the ship fixed before more Marines arrived meant they'd been out at dawn to get started on repairs. He was just heading back to the base alone to see if he could find out more information from the documents he'd found when he'd encountered the mystery girl.
It was honestly the last thing he needed. Another thing to worry about, to plan around.
"Do you really believe she is a threat?" Jean Bart voiced, watching his captain closely. Law paused before he turned to look at his newest crew member.
"No." He admitted. It was true. She had seemed fairly innocent, and so scared. He had been shocked to find her like that, shivering and bleeding, clutching his hat, hazel eyes blown wide with terror. "But I did what I thought was best. If she finds out who I am, she could alert the Marines, and we'd be in serious trouble."
Any risk to his plan - become a Shichibukai; get to Punk Hazard; destroy the SMILE factory; capture Caesar; set Kaido on Doflamingo, or kill him if needed - could not be tolerated. He had to think of Corazon.
"That's true." Clione said in his rough voice of his. "Better to be safe than sorry."
"So what are we going to do with her?" Penguin asked. "I mean, if she isn't a threat to us, what next?" Law scratched his chin.
"I'm not sure," he said. "She said she doesn't know who I am. If that's true, we can leave her here for the Marines to find when they come. Then she's their problem."
"...and if she is?" Law turned to Shachi, who was looking at the ground.
"You know the answer to that." He said quietly. Silence once again descended upon the group.
Despite his reputation, Law was against senseless killing if it could be avoided. He tried not to slip back into the mindset he'd had before his acquisition of Shichibukai status. The numerous advantages it gave him weren't always enough to erase the memories of what he'd done to obtain it. Law remembered how how apathetic he'd become in order to fulfil the delivery of 100 hearts to the Marines - even for him, that had been a heavy task. It had only been the constant efforts of his loyal crew that had brought him back.
Shaking himself out of his reverie, Law spoke again. "For now, we need to focus on repairing the ship. We can't be distracted by anything else."
"Speaking of that," Uni said, turning to Law. "I forgot to tell you Captain – the ship is now free of sea water. We can start repairing it now." Law nodded, thankful for the good news.
"Good," he said. "That took quicker than I thought. How fucked is it?"
Uni clicked his tongue with a shake of his head. "Very. Some of the electronics are fried. Obviously the pressure control has been ruined by the breach too, so it's an extensive fix."
"Right. Get started on that." He said. "Bepo-ya and I still have some things to look at in the control room though." Uni nodded, turning to leave. The rest followed, Clione and Jean Bart talking about the various pieces of equipment they would need for the job. Rubbing his eyes, Law clicked his neck before turning to Bepo.
"You okay?" His bear companion asked. Law nodded, lip curling softly at Bepo's concern.
"Fine, thanks." He mumbled. "I don't want any more surprises though."
Bepo smiled toothily at him. He seemed in better spirits now. "Shall we get started then, Captain." Law nodded.
They were about to move when suddenly Bepo's ears pricked up. He stiffened, alert. Law froze, watching his navigator closely.
"What is it?" He whispered urgently, gripping Kikoku reflexively.
"It sounded like…a scream." He replied, still listening intently, fluffy ears scanning around. Law held his breath, listening too.
After a few tense moments of silent, Law heard it. It was quiet and muffled, but it was obvious what it was. The sound was chilling, it set all the hairs on Law's body on end. Turning sharply to his navigator, he blinked in shock.
"Was...that from the dungeon!?" He asked, feeling his heart race. Bepo stared back with wide eyes. Then he turned towards the stairs.
"Yes it was!" He called in panic. Law immediately spun on his heels, making a run towards the stairwell.
"Damn it!" He spat. They ran darted round the corner, running down the stairs. It wasn't hard to imagine why the girl might be screaming like that - he immediately knew what those bastards were doing. Still, Law was surprised as they'd been chained up.
It seemed to take forever for them to reach the staircase down to the dungeons. Law leapt down them, Bepo at his heel. He heard another muffled sound of fear echo up the stairs. There wasn't any time to waste with keys and locks. "Bepo, kick down the door!"
Bepo dashed forward and struck the thick door with terrifying strength. It bust the screws and reinforcements, and the door clanged to the floor.
Law darted into the dark room. He couldn't see too clearly, but he didn't need to. By the dim lantern light in the corner of the room, he saw the shadows of the five men as they turned around. Stepping closer, Law saw a small, trembling figure underneath one of the men, long blonde hair tangled and sticky with blood - he didn't need to come closer to hear pained whimpers emitting from her.
The sight filled Law with a rage he couldn't explain. He didn't know if he had arrived in time to prevent her being violated, but at that point, he didn't care. Lunging forwards, Law grabbed the man on top of her by the collar and threw him against the wall.
"Get off her!" He spat in disgust as the other men hurriedly backed away. One of them extended a long silver knife, pointing it at Law with a slightly trembling hand. It filled him with cold satisfaction to see that they were too scared to speak. Bepo stood fiercely next to Law, preparing to fight too.
"What next, Captain?" Even the timid Bepo sounded furious.
"Get her out of here." Law spoke in a low voice, deathly threatening. His original plan of questioning the men for information was shot to hell in an impulsive instant. He drew Kikoku, a metallic ring echoing off the walls of the room. Then a chilling smile spread across his face. It was one of pure anger. "This won't take long."
~ x ~ x ~ x ~
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