Katrina silently followed after Penguin as he effortlessly took turn after turn, leading the way back to the deck above. How he didn't need a map was beyond Katrina, but guessed it'd be easier for someone who was part of the crew. She remembered it had taken her a while to get the layout of the Raging Phoenix when she'd joined Loki's crew.
Shaking such unpleasant memories from her mind, Katrina sped up to catch back up to Penguin who hadn't noticed she'd started to lag behind. She followed him to what looked like a metal bulkhead door and Katrina watched as Penguin spun it with ease and swung it open before turning back to look at her over his shoulder.
"This way leads to the first level of the sub and out onto the upper deck."
Penguin explained, sounding very much like he was giving her a tour instead of simply showing her the way out. She realized just now how little she'd paid attention the first time she'd been led through. Stepping out after Penguin, Katrina blinked against the change in lighting from artificial to natural. Holding a hand up against it as her eyes adjusted, Katrina glanced around the deck and was surprised to see they'd come out facing the bow of the ship. For some reason she'd thought they'd come out on the side. Glancing back over her shoulder, Katrina saw there was at least another floor above the door they'd just come out.
"Hey Penguin, how many levels are there to this submarine?"
She asked as she walked around the deck a bit to get a better look around. Along the side of the airtight room on deck were small, circular windows that continued further back. As she walked by them, she saw the deck she was on was a large rectangle and that there was a lower deck to the sub towards the tail. It looked like Law's ship had not one, but two masts. That being said, she couldn't see any sign of the sails and wondered if they were stored away or not in use.
"There are actually four different levels to the Polar Tang."
Penguin answered and as Katrina turned towards the Heart Pirate's voice she saw him coming to join her towards the back of the top deck.
"And the design choice?"
Katrina asked as she walked towards the steel railing that seemed to go all the way around the deck.
'Not a bad preventative measure I suppose.'
She thought to herself as she braced her hands against the railings.
"That was actually our mentor, Wolf."
Penguin said and Katrina glanced back towards him when she noticed the slight pain in Penguin's voice when he'd answered.
"Been that long since you guys saw one another?"
She asked, turning to lean back against the railing. She'd have tried sitting on it, but didn't trust herself not to fall overboard. It'd been a minute since she'd been aboard a ship for extended periods of time, even if it was anchored.
"At least since we were children."
He responded and Katrina allowed the silence to settle around them. Hearing something thunk against the ship and feeling the slight jostling of the sub on the surface, Katrina turned to her left to see Penguin had continued in his job of setting up the gangplank so they could go ashore.
"Well, that's that I suppose."
Penguin said as he dusted his hands off on the front of his boiler suit.
"What do you mean 'that's that'?"
Katrina asked as she stepped over the railing with ease and started to head inland, making sure to be cautious of the edges of the wooden planks connecting her to dry land. She stopped and waited for Penguin to come with her. Sure, no one knew about the deal made between her and Law but that didn't mean she couldn't try to get along with the people she'd be traveling with for the next couple weeks at least. She wasn't sure when Law and his crew landed on the Archipelago, but if what Law had told her was the truth about it still going to take a few days for his ship to get coated, then she guessed they had about three or four days before the Heart Pirates were due to set sail.
"Huh?"
Penguin asked confused and she could see it on his face, it made a small amused smile appear on hers.
"Law mentioned he'd sent Bepo and someone else to get some supplies and told me to meet up with them. I bet they could use the extra hands to help carry the supplies. So why not tag along with me?"
She asked and didn't miss the look of utter disbelief on his face.
"H-Huh!? Captain asked you to? Does th-that mean you're joining the crew!?"
Penguin asked and now it was Katrina's turn to be surprised, though in hindsight she really shouldn't have been. Reaching up to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, Katrina offered him an uncertain smile.
"It's honestly still undecided, so there's no reason to make a big deal out of it or anythin'."
She told him, her smile turning sheepish as she finished explaining. It's not like Law told them to keep their deal a secret, so it shouldn't be a problem to tell the crew right? He did say to try to meet the people onboard.
"That's fair, but how do you suppose we find them? We don't even know which Groves they went to for the supplies."
Penguin asked and Katrina could hear his footsteps behind her on the gangplank as they made their way onto the island and found herself feeling relieved he agreed to come with her. It had been a while since she'd been around people she didn't hate to associate with. The women at the brothel made it crystal clear they didn't want her there, and of course it only got worse after Jericho's advances started. Thinking about that vile man made cold shivers run down her spine, but wrapping her arms around herself helped stop them. She wasn't scared of Jericho, she never had been, but not being able to kill him for the hellish bullshit he put her through for the last two years had nearly driven her insane. If it wasn't for fear of the Warlord he worked for Katrina would have killed him the second Jericho had been stupid enough to lay his filthy hands on her.
"Oh don't worry about that, just wait here for a moment."
She told Penguin over her shoulder as they made it back onto the Archipelago, offering him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
Turning to face back towards the island, Katrina made her way to the large pillar of a mangrove tree that made up the ground they'd walked onto. The white numbers on the birch-colored striped bark stood out, marking it as Grove 25. Some Groves had buildings, others had none. This one had a small group of buildings to the left of the mangrove tree and in the distance Katrina could clearly see the ferris wheel from the amusement park. It was a rather spectacular park, but Katrina chose to turn her focus back to the task at hand. She'd had plenty of time to go during her time on the Archipelago. Kicking off from the ground, Katrina waited until she felt the effects of gravity start to take effect before shifting her body so she could stick the landing she wanted. She landed with a soft, almost silent thump on one of the lower formed branches of the massive mangrove. Using the new point of view to her advantage, Katrina looked around at the Grove she and Penguin were on, as well as the two neighboring Groves. It was on the bridge connecting their Grove to Grove 24 that Katrina spotted a familiar bright orange jumpsuit wearing polar bear. She didn't recognize who was walking next to him, but given how they each seemed to be carrying something and Law mentioned he'd sent two people for supplies, she figured it had to be another member of the crew.
Slipping off the tree root that had been her perch, Katrina rejoined Penguin on the ground with a soft thump. She didn't miss the yelp of surprise that came from the hatted pirate beside her and couldn't help but laugh slightly. It hadn't been her intent to surprise him.
"M-Must you do that!?"
Penguin demanded and Katrina would have gotten upset but she could see the hints of redness on his face before he turned away from her. She was getting the feeling he wasn't exactly comfortable around women.
"I'm sorry Penguin, I'll be more considerate goin' forth."
She offered as an apology and though the man appeared to grumpily cross his arms over his chest, she could tell he didn't seem as bothered as before.
"Did you spot them?"
He asked, returning them to their task of finding and meeting up with the others. Katrina nodded before taking the lead.
"Yeah, they were this way. Comin' back across the bridge."
She explained and didn't need to turn back to check if Penguin was following her. She could hear his steps fall just out of sync with her own. The occasional resin bubble would form, rise into the air, then pop as it left the special atmosphere of the Archipelago. As they passed by the buildings on the mini-island Katrina noted how they were all empty, run down or boarded up. Given they were in the lawless district she didn't find it all that strange, but it was a little sad to think of the abandoned buildings and what their purposes might have been in the past. Before the people who had lived or worked in them moved on.
"Soooooo, what's the best place to eat around here?"
Penguin asked after a while and Katrina leveled him with a look that silently said 'are you for real?' before shrugging it off and answering. The silence was a little stifling.
"There's the Sabaody Park, it has a variety of treats. Though if you're lookin' for somethin' special there's the restaurants in the Tourist District."
She responded and saw Penguin looking at her in rapt interest and she guessed he was hungry.
"How long have you lived here?"
He asked after a few moments and Katrina smiled slightly at how hard he was trying to keep the silence from returning and settling among them again.
"Two years."
Was the short reply he received. It wasn't that Katrina was trying to be curt, but there wasn't a lot of reason to clarify further.
"What about you? How long have you been a part of the crew?"
"It's been about eleven years for me."
Penguin answered and Katrina had to admit she was surprised at the answer. Sure she didn't know him, but she wouldn't have expected that long of service given how young he looked. He couldn't be any older than twenty-six, Katrina noted that made him four years older than her.
"Were you born here in the Grand Line or one of the Four Blues?"
He asked and Katrina wondered if he had thought of these questions beforehand or if he was just prattling them off the top of his head.
"I was born in the East Blue."
She tells him and didn't miss the way he whipped his head around to look her way, a look of complete shock on his face. It was the first time she'd seen his eyes and she was surprised to see they were a deep red. Like rust mixed with blood.
"What!? I'd have thought you were a Grand Line native with how you handled all those Marines before."
Katrina chose to remain silent and offered him a smile in response, not entirely sure how else to respond. She didn't feel like saying 'thank you' was appropriate, but she didn't want to fully ignore him either.
"Where did you learn to fight?"
Penguin asked and Katrina's smile turned into a frown as she recalled her time spent being taught by Sinth while sailing with the Swift Pirates. She'd thought she had made a genuine connection with the crew during her time on board, but with how easily they were able to just cast her aside she guessed she was the only one who cared for them.
Thankfully Katrina didn't have to answer Penguin's last question as Bepo and a blonde haired woman wearing a suit similar to Penguin's came within shouting distance. She saw them carrying dark wooden crates of what looked to be various supplies. The crate the woman had appeared to be overflowing with fruits, vegetables, breads, potatoes, and grains. Bepo's crate had glass beakers, cloth, gauze, and bottles with labels that Katrina was too far away to read. As they got closer, Katrina took in the woman's appearance a little more. Her blonde hair had a rosy, strawberry hue to it when the light hit it right and there was a dark red hair clip tucking her bangs to the right side of her oil smudged forehead. As a matter of fact, there was barely anything to her that wasn't stained or smudged somewhere. The beige boiler suit most of the Heart Pirates seemed to don as a type of uniform was unzipped and left hanging down from the waist and seemed to tap against the back of her calves as she walked. The gray or perhaps once white tank top was form fitting and showed the woman wasn't shy to put in work past whatever machinery maintenance seemed to be her job. Her arms were toned and they too were smeared with oil. The light blue gloves on her hands were the only thing that seemed out of place with her ensemble, though Katrina supposed she wasn't the greatest of people to judge when it came to fashion.
"Nikki! Bepo!"
Penguin called out to the others, Katrina couldn't deny the warmth she could clearly hear in his voice as he called to his comrades. She thought she'd known what that was like at one time. It was nice to hear it from a genuine source, even if not directed towards her. Katrina allowed some distance to form between her and Penguin as the Heart Pirate moved to close the gap between him and the other two. The four started chatting among themselves and Katrina stopped short of them by just a few feet, a part of them and yet apart. Between the surprisingly reassuring knowledge of knowing where she was going to sleep tonight and knowing she would never again have to worry about Jericho Katrina felt herself begin to relax for the first time in two years.
"Don't move Blue-Eyed Kat! We have you surrounded!"
Katrina whipped around at the sound of an unknown voice shouting the title on her wanted poster. Her blue-green eyes narrowed in anger.
"My eyes are not blue dammit!"
She snapped back and internally groaned when she realized a squadron of about six Marines had been dispatched and managed to surround her and the Heart Pirates. Without their notice, the Marines had encircled and closed in on them on all sides. Two were on the bridge Bepo and Nikki had just traveled across. There was one on either side, then two had snuck up behind her and Penguin while she'd been focused on the three pirates.
"You are charged with the murder of Seaman Recruit Lothar!"
Katrina sighed and rolled her eyes as she assessed the situation.
"He attacked my friend first."
She retorted, though chose to leave out her friend was a wanted criminal and the Marine she'd killed was in fact simply doing his job. Glancing back towards Penguin and the others, Katrina locked eyes with Bepo. The best thing to do would be to split up. Her and Bepo could stay and buy Penguin and Nikki the time to make it back to the submarine with the supplies. Katrina moved slowly towards Bepo until she felt she was close enough for Bepo to hear what she was about to say.
"I can take three if you can handle the remainin' three?"
Katrina asked as she stealthily slipped her daggers from their sheaths and turned her gaze back to the marines. From her peripheral Katrina saw Bepo nod his agreement to her plan and heard him tell Nikki and Penguin to take the crates of supplies. Katrina waited, listening as Nikki started to complain about leaving Bepo behind with a stranger, eyes trained on the armed Marines still holding their positions. It seemed they were only after her, so if they handled things quickly then Bepo, Penguin and Nikki wouldn't have to get dragged into this or potentially get bounties of their own.
"-besides I'm your superior now go!"
The sound of Bepo using a stern voice for once had Katrina turn back to see Nikki seemed to be visibly upset about leaving Bepo behind with her, but she turned to leave with Penguin regardless. As Penguin moved to fully turn after taking the crate of medical supplies and other items from Bepo, the Marine standing to the left charged to take advantage of the created blindspot.
"Penguin! Watch out!"
Nikki shouted as she saw the Marine charging towards Penguin. Said man's eyes widened and his brain panicked as he prepared to move to dodge any oncoming attack without dropping the supplies. Before the Marine got any closer Katrina rushed forward and met his long sword with one of her daggers, stopping it from making contact with Penguin's side. Using the Marine's moment of surprise, Katrina spun on her heel to then step to the side, allowing her blade to slide along the length of the Marine's own. Once free of the resistance Katrina swung with her heel aimed for the unsuspecting Marine's temple. He'd hardly registered that she was no longer defending against him and had changed positions when Katrina's heel connected, knocking him to the ground. A silence settled over the mix-matched group gathered at one end of the Groves.
"Touch any of them, and you die."
Was the simple warning Katrina offered the remaining five conscious Marines. Her eyes trained on the one closest to Nikki and Penguin as they hurriedly ran through the opening the rogue brunette had created. The Marine Katrina had her gaze trained on apparently didn't think much of her warning as he leveled his gun to his shoulder and he prepared to take aim. Another, this one with a sword, came to provide back up to the gunner and Katrina sighed for the second time before turning to see Bepo looked panicked upon realizing he wouldn't get to Penguin and Nikki in time. Katrina lifted her left arm, drew it back-dagger in hand-before flicking it forward in one fluid motion. The dagger sailed through the air, cutting the distance between Katrina and the aiming Marine in the blink of an eye, before embedding itself into the side of their head. Before there was time for them to process what happened, Katrina started charging towards the Marine who'd drawn their sword with her remaining dagger poised for the kill.
Bepo and Nikkicha had been sent off by Law to resupply for the Infirmary, Kitchen, and Laundry. He was grateful Nikki had decided to come with him, she had managed to haggle the prices of all their items to almost half. Bepo didn't have much charisma and honestly didn't care much for that part of himself. They had been crossing the bridge connecting the Groves when he'd seen Penguin and Katrina approaching. The furry first mate was confused by the brunette's appearance until Penguin started to explain how Law had ordered for her to meet who she'd be sailing with since she would be accompanying them to the next island. Bepo noticed Katrina had stopped a bit of a distance away from him, Nikki, and Penguin and wondered if she'd done so intentionally when he noticed additional scents in the air. Before he could warn the others they found themselves surrounded.
"Don't move Blue-Eyed Kat! We have you surrounded!"
A Marine shouted and Bepo's eyes widened as he realized six in total had managed to surround them. He hadn't missed the way they'd only shouted for Katrina's capture, but knew they wouldn't slip away just because he had a low bounty and the other two hadn't managed to get one yet.
Suddenly feeling Katrina almost bump into his side, Bepo glanced down surprised he'd not noticed when she'd gotten closer. It didn't look as if the Marines had noticed either.
"I can take three if you can handle the remainin' three?"
Katrina said in an almost too quiet to hear whisper, though it sounded more like she was asking if he could handle it. Bepo took a moment to take in the situation before nodding.
"Penguin, Nikki. Take the supplies and head towards the ship, Kat and I will buy you some time."
Bepo told the other two Heart Pirates and didn't miss the frown that immediately appeared on Nikkicha's face.
"What!? No, I'm not leaving you with some stranger while surrounded by a bunch of Marines."
Nikkicha said defiantly and Bepo internally groaned at the mechanic's stubborn side.
"Kat isn't a stranger, besides I'm your superior now go!"
Bepo ordered sternly and saw the blonde's resolve waver before she begrudgingly gave in. Penguin took the crate from Bepo and was turning to join Nikki when a Marine from the right side of the circle broke away from the others. He'd drawn his sword and was charging towards Penguin on the backside.
"Penguin! Watch out!"
Nikki yelled in warning, making Penguin turn to see the approaching threat. Bepo saw the muscles in Penguin's body move as he prepared to attempt to dodge the charging Marine when suddenly Katrina appeared from nowhere and met the man's blade with her own. Bepo watched as she spun and shifted her weight so the Marine's own had him slide off the blade of her dagger and in the man's brief moment of recovery, Katrina delivered a kick to the side of the Marine's head sending him to the ground where he stayed. Bepo blinked once. . . twice. . . three times before his brain processed what he witnessed and noticed a silence had settled over them and the assembled Marines.
"Touch any of them, and you die."
Bepo heard Katrina warn in a tone he hadn't heard before. He knew it wasn't directed at him or any of the other Heart Pirates, yet still a chill ran down the Mink's spine at the thinly veiled promise of pain to any foolish enough not to heed her warning.
Penguin and Nikkicha managed to make it through the opening Katrina had made, but the other Marine that had been blocking the side Penguin and Katrina had come from leveled his gun to take aim at the retreating figures of the two Heart Pirates. Another with a sword ran up to prove assistance to their comrade and Bepo began to panic as he wondered how he was going to handle the situation. He was too far from Penguin and Nikkicha to be able to intervene and with the supplies neither would be able to respond in time. From his peripherals, Bepo saw Katrina lift her arm before flicking it forward. He followed as something flew from her hand, through the air, then his black eyes widened as he realized one of Katrina's daggers was sticking out of the side of the Marine about to fire at Penguin's head. He blinked in surprise a few times, then realized Katrina was already on the move again. Bepo was beginning to wonder if she'd even stopped to breathe before going on the attack again. He could see Katrina wielding her remaining dagger in her right hand, blade held parallel to her forearm. As the brunette charged towards the sword-wielding Marine Bepo watched her drop into a crouch to avoid the sweeping blade. She appeared to spring forward, dagger poised, and Katrina drove it blade first into the abdomen of the Marine. The force ever so slightly lifted him off the ground and Bepo watched as Katrina stepped back, allowing the man to slip off her blade and fall forward, blood started pooling out from beneath him and soaking into the ground. Bepo turned to see if the remaining three Marines had chosen to join the fray only to stare in disbelief to find they had turned tail and ran away. Turning back to look at Katrina, Bepo wasn't entirely certain what to make of what he'd just seen.
"What? I told them no touchy."
Katrina said sullenly as she bent to retrieve her dagger from her felled enemy. Bepo watched silently as Katrina used the dead man's clothes to clean the blade of her dagger before she stood and resheathed both. It was only then that Bepo realized Katrina had scars on more of her body than just what he'd seen so far. He'd somehow missed the scars on her left calf and as she was standing with her back facing him, he could see several scars peeking out from under the hem of the yellow tank top she wore. As he looked her over fully, Bepo couldn't help but wonder what kind of past Katrina had lived until now.
"Come on, let's join the others back at the sub."
Bepo said, hoping the change in subject would help improve Katrina's mood. She seemed a little down now that things had calmed down and he wasn't too sure what to do. Before he was able to think much past returning to the sub, an ear-splitting scream pierced the quiet ambiance of the island and when he glanced back towards Katrina he saw she had taken off in the direction the scream had come from. It wasn't until he was trailing after her that Bepo wondered why Katrina seemed to be going so far for people she owned nothing to. He was reminded of when she'd offered to help him during their first meeting and was beginning to think it was simply who she was.
He watched as Katrina ran towards the direction they'd heard the scream come from, checking each alley between abandoned buildings as they went.
"Slow down Kat!"
Bepo called after her as he struggled to keep up and sighed in relief when he saw Katrina had finally stopped at the mouth of an alley. That relief was short lived however, when he saw Katrina disappear down the alley all of a sudden. He was about to call after her again when he reached the mouth of the alley himself and stopped at what he saw. About four or five feet down the alley between two of the abandoned buildings was a shadowed figure holding a struggling figure down on the ground. There was a crate turned onto its side, its contents spilling onto the ground. It wasn't until Bepo saw what the contents were that he recognized the spilled fruits and grains. When he realized who one of the figures was Bepo was once again floored at what he was seeing. Katrina had rushed forward and tackled the one on top of Nikkicha, it was at this point Bepo realized it was a Marine.
"You sick son of a fuck!"
Hearing Katrina shout from the further end of the alley pulled Bepo from his stupor and he walked into the shadows to try to get a better look. As he got closer, he saw the Marine Katrina had tackled had gotten back to his feet and was attempting to defend himself against a barrage of attacks Katrina was assaulting him with. He'd seen Katrina take her opponents down before, but he'd never seen her like this. She was purposefully attacking specific areas like the inner bend of the elbow, the side of the neck by the collar bone, the side near the ribs, and the wrists holding his sword before jumping back out of the Marine's range. She was toying with him, he realized. Bepo took up a position to be sure to block the scene from any potential passersby or additional threats. Just as Bepo wondered how long Katrina would toy with the Marine she'd cornered at the end of the alley he saw her stab one of her daggers into the man's groin before using the other to decapitate him in one fluid motion. Bepo watched as the man's body fell after his head and then noticed how Katrina immediately ran back his way. It was when she stopped to crouch next to the figure on the ground that Bepo remembered Nikkicha had also been in the alley with them. Recovering from his shock Bepo's eyes widened when he saw the state of their mechanic. Her boiler suit's zipper was busted, her tank top stretched beyond use and was no longer properly covering her upper body. The light pink fabric of the blonde's bra was bare just like the skin exposed by her torn lower portion of her boiler suit. She already wore the top half off, but the bottom half of her suit had been torn so it sagged around the mechanic's hips. The light pink fabric that had been pulled to the side in an attempt to yank it off her matched the fabric covering her breasts and it was then that Bepo realized he needed to turn around for Nikkicha's sake. As realization of the situation dawned on him, Bepo felt an almost overwhelming urge to apologize though he wasn't sure to whom. So instead he simply maintained his post at the mouth of the alley and allowed Katrina to handle things.
Katrina sighed in relief when she saw the Marine she'd killed hadn't managed to succeed in his attempt in taking Nikkicha. She offered the blonde her hand and noticed while her hand was shaky, she didn't hesitate to take the offered aid.
"Thanks."
An almost inaudible whisper came from Nikkicha and Katrina simply offered her silent reassurances by squeezing her hand tightly for a moment to hopefully let her know she wasn't alone and that it was okay. She released the blonde's hand to allow her the freedom to attempt to righten her clothes. Katrina noticed she slipped her arms through the upper sleeves of her suit and zipped it closed as much as it would go before snagging where the zipper teeth had been broken. It closed about midway at the blonde's hip, a little low to be appropriate given Nikkicha didn't seem to be wearing any pants but it was better than nothing. Glancing towards the end of the alley after remembering she hadn't been out on her own, Katrina was surprised to see Bepo standing at the mouth of the alley facing away from them. It wasn't until she saw the faint blush to the white fur on his face that she realized he was giving them privacy.
"Bepo, let's head back."
She said and he silently agreed with a nod before stepping out from the alley. Katrina noticed how he stepped forward a few paces before turning back to check on them.
"I've got her Bepo, I promise."
Katrina said reassuringly and saw Bepo stare at her for a few moments as if weighing her words before silently nodding again. He led the way towards the sub, Katrina followed after with Nikkicha occasionally leaning on her. Apparently when the Marine had jumped her he'd stomped on her ankle in an attempt to prevent her from running away. From the way she was walking on it Katrina guessed it was sprained at the very least.
"We'll get back to the sub and get you patched up okay?"
Katrina said to Nikki as an attempt to distract her mentally from what just happened. She didn't know the girl, but no one deserved to go through something like that.
"Nikki!"
They hadn't gone far from the alley when they ran into Penguin. Katrina was surprised to see him but guessed he'd heard Nikki's scream as well and had doubled back. Once he saw the state Nikki was in Penguin rushed forward and started to take one of her arms to drape around his neck. Katrina was going to stop him, not too sure if male interaction would be a good thing right now, but the look in his eyes when they briefly met hers told her he wasn't going anywhere without the blonde.
"She was ambushed by a Marine. I'll leave it up to her if she tells you anythin' else."
Katrina offered as a short explanation to how they wound up as they did. Penguin hummed in response before turning his attention back to Nikki.
They had made it almost halfway back when Katrina noticed Bepo stopped along the way, but before she had to wonder why she realized he was stopping to pick up the other crate of supplies that Penguin had run off with earlier. Apparently when Nikkicha had screamed, he'd heard it. Katrina guessed he'd chosen to momentarily abandon the items to check on his crewmate. She watched as Bepo easily hefted the first crate onto one shoulder and held it steady with a paw before doing the same to the other one. He then paused to make sure he didn't get too far ahead of her and Penguin, seeing as they were going at Nikki's pace. Once they'd made it back aboard the Polar Tang, Katrina saw Bepo bow to the three of them slightly so as not to spill the contents of the crates balanced on his shoulders before excusing himself. She wondered where he was running off to, but supposed she had other things to worry about at the moment. First things first, they needed to get Nikkicha to the infirmary. Only one problem, Katrina had no clue how to get there.
"Hey Nikkicha, you're goin' to have to tell me how to get to the infirmary alright?"
Katrina asked the injured blonde and had no doubt she probably just wanted to lay down and rest at this point.
"I can show you how to get there."
Penguin offered and Katrina smiled wearily at him.
"That's sweet Penguin, but given what happened I think it'd be best if just us girls were there."
She told him softly and saw his face scrunch up in confusion before it seemed to click.
"O-Oh, right. I'll go report to Captain then."
He said, his face flushing and Katrina took the weight Penguin had been helping to support. Once he had disappeared down the hall, Katrina turned her attention back to Nikkicha and the task of helping her to the infirmary.
"You got me on directions right?"
Katrina asked as the girls started their trek further inside.
"We're on the first floor, we need to head down this hall to the elevator and take it to the second floor."
Nikki told her and Katrina did as she'd said, silence again settling between them. Katrina noticed there were interior lights that lit the way at regular intervals along the hallway.
"Why did you do it?"
Nikki asked and Katrina turned from the dimly lit path to the blonde.
"I'm sorry?"
Katrina asked confused before waiting for Nikki to elaborate.
"Why did you help me?"
Nikki asked and Katrina's eyes widened slightly when she realized now what Nikki meant.
"Honestly I'd have done the same thin' for anyone. No one deserves to go through that."
Katrina answered honestly, her mind thinking back to her own recently gained trauma.
"I know you don't know me, nor I you really, but I couldn't just ignore somethin' like that. Could you?"
Katrina asked after her comment and didn't miss the few moments of silence that ticked by before Nikkicha spoke up again.
"I'm not sure I'd have been of any help, but I'd have tried."
The blonde pirate answered tiredly and Katrina tried taking more of the woman's weight off her ankle as they continued on. It was a relief the woman's ankle wasn't broken, but the longer it was before she got off it and allowed it to start to heal the longer it was going to take for her to get back on her feet. Thankfully Katrina could see the gleam of a silver door that almost seemed to blend into the surrounding walls even with the periodic lights illuminating the way. As they got closer however, Katrina realized the low lighting inside the sub was affecting her ability to make out her surroundings. The silver door she'd thought was set along the metal walls of the room up ahead was actually settled in the center of the room. As the space opened up, Katrina realized the shape of the room was basically a circle and the silver door she'd seen belonged to the elevator Nikkicha had mentioned. Windows along the outer wall of the space allowed natural light in and Katrina could see that the elevator sat in the center of the room and looked to be quite large. She couldn't seem to tell how far back the walls went once in front of the doors to the lift. Uncertain how to open the door as she didn't see a handle or button anywhere, Katrina turned towards Nikkicha to see the blonde already reaching forward. Katrina watched as Nikkicha lifted what seemed to be a small section of the wall by the door to the elevator, but she realized it was a protective cover to a bright red button that was exposed once Nikkicha lifted the cover out of the way.
"No accidental calls of the elevator that way."
Katrina commented impressed, watching as the cover fell back into place fully hiding the call button to the elevator from sight.
"Not that I'm not grateful you're helping me, but why are you here?"
Nikkicha's sudden question caught Katrina off guard as she was helping the blonde inside the elevator once the door had opened.
"Honestly I don't really know myself."
Katrina answered truthfully as she blinked a few times to allow her eyes to adjust to the brighter lights inside the elevator. She'd been right in thinking it was big, in fact it was huge. It looked like it could easily fit fifteen to twenty people and still have breathing room.
"Law helped me out of a sticky situation and is even lettin' me tag along til the next island, but aside from that…..I don't really know."
Katrina explained further and didn't miss the frown on Nikkicha's face at the way she'd addressed Law. She shrugged it off, he wasn't her captain so she wasn't about to call him so. Besides, somehow she didn't see them warming up to the idea of her calling Law 'Mister' or 'Sir'.
"You mean when Captain killed that brothel owner?"
Nikkicha asked and Katrina nodded as she readjusted the blonde's arm slung over her shoulder to a more comfortable position. While standing, waiting for the elevator to reach the next floor, Katrina took most of their combined weights so Nikkicha wouldn't have to put weight on her ankle.
"It wasn't just him killin' Jericho. Law killed him before he could do to me what that Marine was attemptin' to do to you. Only difference really, he'd managed to get my clothes fully out of his way."
Katrina explained and noticed the silence that followed carried a heavy weight with it. She was silently grateful the elevator made a quiet ding before the door opened to reveal the next floor. Katrina could feel Nikkicha's eyes on her face as she started helping the blonde out of the elevator. She chose to ignore her as she helped her towards the room Katrina was almost certain was the infirmary. As her eyes adjusted from the brighter lights of the elevator to the dimmer lights in the hall, Katrina was able to make out a sign above the door they were heading towards.
'Infirmary.'
Katrina felt a small sense of accomplishment in having her first guess of where to go once on this floor be the right choice. She hadn't missed how quiet Nikkicha had fallen after her most recent revelation and chose to leave it be.
They hadn't made it but maybe a foot or two inside the infirmary before a familiar figure walked out from the private exam room. The brown haired woman stared at the two women in surprise, her brown eyes full of questions.
"She was surprised by a Marine who attempted to help himself to her while he was at it."
Katrina told the other woman as a way of explanation. She didn't miss the way Ikkaku made it a priority to look over Nikkicha. From what she could see the blonde now resting on one of the two available beds in the infirmary had a decent amount of bruises. Her connection with the ground had caused some abrasions and as Ikkaku worked to get the blonde's boiler suit off Katrina saw a few patches of skin rubbed raw from where her clothes had been pulled by the assaulting Marine.
"Alright Nikki, you think you can get out of your suit for me?"
Ikkaku asked as she momentarily stepped away to the desk tucked away to one side of the room. Katrina watched as she opened one of the cabinets and pulled a black medical gown out before bringing it back over and offering it to Nikkicha. It was at this point Katrina thought it'd be best if she showed herself out.
As she was slipping out of the infirmary Katrina collided with something solid and felt gravity start to take over. Katrina tried to recover her balance when she felt something wrap around her waist and keep her from fully falling on her rear. Surprised blue-green eyes looked up to meet a set of amused grey and Katrina felt her face flush when she realized not only had Law kept her from falling but he was what she'd collided with in the first place.
"Hello there Miss Katrina."
Came the tanned pirate captain's greeting and Katrina noticed how he'd kept his arm around her waist even after she'd regained her balance. She hadn't realized she'd steadied herself with her hands on his chest until she dropped her eyes from his and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from making a sound as she quickly stepped out of his hold. She tried not focusing on how quickly she didn't like the lack of his warmth next to her. His chest had been rather firm and while she hadn't meant to, she couldn't deny how defined it had felt beneath her palms as she'd pushed herself away.
"Hey there hun, Ikkaku is lookin' after Nikkicha if you're wonderin'."
Katrina offered hoping to both change the direction her mind had chosen to go and the man's focus on anything but her.
"I sent you to get to know my crew, Miss Katrina."
Law said and the hair on the back of Katrina's neck stood on end. Her eyes flashed back up to his and saw a dark look had entered their grey depths that she wasn't so sure wasn't directed at her.
"I know how this looks-"
Katrina started, hands going between them in a futile attempt to defuse the situation she now found herself in.
"You know how it looks do you? Then surely you'd understand why I'd like some answers. So if you'd be so kind, Miss Katrina."
Law said, interrupting her before she could explain. His voice was harsh and while the rim of his spotted hat shadowed his eyes from this angle Katrina didn't have to see them to know he was upset.
"That depends! Are you actually goin' to let me speak or are you goin' to interrupt me again?"
She snapped despite knowing it would do nothing to soothe the man's anger. It wasn't her fault Nikkicha got hurt. If anything she was the reason she didn't get hurt more. There was a tense moment of silence between them before Katrina felt something slip around her wrist. Looking down Katrina had just enough time to make out tanned, tattooed fingers wrapped around her wrist before she felt herself being tugged forward.
"Hey!"
Katrina called after Law, but her voice seemed to fall on deaf ears as he simply continued down the hall and stopped only once they'd reached the elevator. Even then, she noticed he didn't release her.
"I know you weren't there so you don't know what happened yet, but I'm not your enemy and I'd appreciate it if you stopped treatin' me like I was!"
She snapped, starting to lose her patience with the man when she suddenly found herself shoved inside the elevator as the door dinged open. Before she had time to register anything else, Katrina found herself pinned against the inside wall of the elevator and the only sound was that of the doors as they closed behind them.
"Listen here. I agreed to you traveling with us, but that doesn't mean I trust you. One of my men got hurt and you were involved. Until I hear all the details, you are my enemy."
Law said and Katrina felt herself freeze in her attempts of fighting against Law's hold after hearing that. It wasn't that she thought he would consider her his friend or anything, but to suddenly be reminded that they were in fact strangers and to know he suspected her of being why one of his crew was injured made her chest ache. She didn't want to do this anymore.
"Fine."
Katrina responded in a whispered, monotone as she turned away from Law and allowed herself to go slack in his hold. Until he released her there was nothing she could do anyways.
Law was going over maps of the New World and known maps of Fishman Island when he heard frantic knocking at his office door. Calling for whoever it was to come in, he sat straight in his chair instead of how he'd been reclined and set the maps on his desk just as Penguin came running into the room.
"Captain! Nikki! Nikki's been hurt!"
Penguin blurted out in a panic and Law looked at his friend as he reached up and pulled his hat from his head and started wringing it in his hands. It wasn't often the other pirate's light blue hair made its appearance, but when Penguin was really worried he would often fiddle with his hat in an attempt to calm his nerves.
"Calm down and tell me what happened, Penguin. I thought you and Katrina went together, where is she?"
Law asked and noticed his questions seemed to have distracted his friend enough that he was no longer attempting to wring non-existent water from his hat.
"We met up with Bepo and Nikki no problem thanks to Katrina, but then Marines suddenly showed up and Bepo told us to split up. Then I heard Nikki scream and next thing I know I find Katrina helping a wounded Nikki walk. She said she'd been attacked by a Marine."
Penguin explained and the more he heard the more Law felt a rock settling in the pit of his stomach. Had he unknowingly exposed his crew to more of a threat than he realized? He hadn't had a chance to get that report from when he'd had Penguin tail her. Was Nikkicha hurt because he hadn't bothered to take the proper precautions with Katrina?
"Where are they now?"
Law asked, choosing to get answers from the source instead of speculating on his own based on second-hand accounts.
"Katrina was taking Nikki to the infirmary. She said given what happened it might be best if it was just the women."
Penguin said and Law didn't miss the uncomfortable look on his face as he talked about it. Was Nikkicha's attack so severe?
"Stay here Penguin. I'll want to hear more once I return."
Law ordered before making his way out of his office and towards the infirmary. He knew Ikkaku was stationed in the infirmary for the rest of the week, so he knew Nikkicha would be fine. The person he wanted to answer his questions was the same person who'd been on his mind the last three days.
As he approached the infirmary Law stopped upon seeing Katrina stepping out, back towards him, of her own accord.
'Good, I won't have to go in after you.'
He thought to himself as he walked up to her and prepared to make his presence known when he felt her suddenly collide with him and saw her start to fall. He hadn't thought her to be clumsy.
"Hello Miss Katrina."
Law greeted as he helped steady her back on her feet and couldn't help notice how close doing so had brought them to one another. Her hands were pressed against his chest and he hadn't realized how toned her waist was until his arm was around it. He smelled fruit of some kind and was still trying to figure out which one when Katrina stepped away from him. He heard her tell him Ikkaku was tending to Nikkicha, but said nothing in her defense or to explain anything and Law felt his temper flare at her nonchalance.
"I sent you to get to know my crew, Miss Katrina."
He said sternly and could tell by her change in demeanor that Katrina had picked up on his displeasure.
"I know how this looks-"
She started, bringing her hands up between them as if they'd do anything to keep him from getting to her if that was his desire.
"You know how it looks do you? Then surely you'd understand why I'd like some answers. So if you'd be so kind, Miss Katrina."
Law said tightly, interrupting her before she could continue with her excuses. His voice was harsh and he kept his eyes trained on hers.
"That depends! Are you actually goin' to let me speak or are you goin' to interrupt me again?"
She snapped and Law was taken aback for a moment before regaining his composure. Narrowing his eyes at her, not a fan of her attitude, Law reached out and encircled one of her wrists with a hand. He turned and started to head back to the elevator, they'd solve all this back at his office. He'd have them all tell them what happened and with them all being in the same room at once there was no way Katrina would be able to lie about what happened once she was out of Penguin's sight. He also had some questions for his first mate, he knew splitting up was a last resort option to prevent things like this from happening.
"Hey!"
Katrina called after Law, but he ignored her as he continued to make his way down the small hall from the infirmary to the elevator. It wasn't until they'd reached the lift that Law finally stopped to hit the hidden call button.
"I know you weren't there so you don't know what happened yet, but I'm not your enemy and I'd appreciate it if you stopped treatin' me like I was!"
Katrina snapped, trying to wrench her wrist free but Law wouldn't relent. When the door opened, Law stepped inside and pinned Katrina against the inner wall of the elevator. His spare hand was wrapped threateningly around her throat holding her in place against the wall as he all but sneered at her, his patience growing thin.
"Listen here. I agreed to you traveling with us, but that doesn't mean I trust you. One of my men got hurt and you were involved. Until I hear all the details, you are my enemy."
Law said coldly and he noticed how Katrina's body seemed to go still as the words sank in.
"Fine."
Came a whispered, unemotional response that made a cold feeling stir in Law's chest for a moment before it disappeared. He ignored both the feeling and Katrina's response as he led the way out of the elevator once it reached the third floor. His office was nearest the elevator with the crew's quarters down a hall to the left hand side.
Once back inside his office, Law finally released Katrina and walked past Bepo and Penguin to take up a position leaning against the front of his desk. Facing the trio standing in front of him, Law crossed his arms and looked expectantly towards Bepo for an explanation.
"Nikki and I were making our way back after getting the supplies when we ran into Kat and Penguin."
Bepo started to explain and Law closed his eyes as he continued to listen to his first mate.
"They'd just joined us when a squadron of Marines suddenly surrounded us!"
"Any reason you couldn't fight them off Bepo?"
Law asked and didn't miss the extra few seconds of silence before his subordinate answered.
"With the supplies, the two of us were unable to fight. I thought it'd be best to split up and get the supplies back to the sub. So Kat and I stayed behind to buy Penguin and Nikki time to get away."
Bepo explained and Law opened his eyes to look at Bepo in barely veiled surprise. That was when Penguin chimed in.
"Yea! Kat even downed a Marine so the path was clear. She sounded so cool when she told them not to touch us. What'd she say again Bepo?"
Penguin asked the white-furred navigator.
"Touch any of them and you die."
Bepo quoted and Law felt as if the floor was going to give out from beneath him.
"Then what happened to Nikki?"
Law asked and found himself unable to keep from glancing towards Katrina who had remained silent. Her eyes were staring down at the ground and her bangs fell to shadow part of her face. She simply stood there, hand wrapped around her wrist where Law had dragged her earlier.
"I'm not really sure, Captain. I heard her scream and by the time I caught up to them Kat was helping her to walk and Bepo had the supplies."
Penguin answered and Law turned to look at his first mate.
"Once Kat took care of half the Marines, the other three ran off. That was around the time we heard a scream. We didn't even know who or what it was, but Kat took off towards it in a matter of seconds."
Bepo explained and Law was beginning to realize he'd made a mistake in assuming Katrina had had anything to do with Nikkicha getting hurt.
"I could hardly keep up and when I did catch back up I found them in an alley. Kat suddenly tackled the Marine off Nikki and had taken care of it all before I realized what was going on. At that point all I could do was carry the supplies so they didn't have to. We met up with Penguin shortly after and then made it back to the ship."
Silence followed Bepo's explanation and Law suddenly found his office rather stifling.
"I see. Penguin, Bepo, I want full reports made up about this by the end of the night. Leave no details out."
He said and saw Penguin nod before turning his attention to the still silent brunette in his office.
"You two may go, I need to speak with Miss Katrina."
He informed the other two Heart Pirates and waited until he'd heard the door click shut after them before turning back to see Katrina hadn't moved from her spot by the back of the couch set in the center of the room. After he'd had his fill of the settled silence between them, Law attempted to be the bigger person.
"Miss Katrina, it would appear I didn't have all the facts before. I apologize."
Law offered sincerely and thought for a moment she hadn't heard him from her lack of response, but then heard what sounded like a snort of derision coming from her direction.
"Oh, so now you want to listen to someone tryin' to explain themselves?"
Came the cold, level response and again an uncomfortable feeling started to curl in Law's stomach.
"Miss Katrina, I realize I was out of line before."
He tried again only for his next words to get stuck in his throat when their eyes finally met. The light in her blue-green eyes that had first caught his attention and he had enjoyed watching dance was gone and her eyes were now cold and hollow.
"What does it matter to me? It's not like you trusted me or anythin' right?"
She asked, the briefest of broken smiles appearing on her face before she turned to head out the door after Penguin and Bepo.
"Wait, please!"
Law surprised himself with how strongly he found he didn't want to let Katrina leave at that moment. He couldn't explain it, but something was practically screaming at him not to let her walk through that door.
"Give me one good reason why I should."
Was the listless response, but still Katrina stopped with her hand on the doorknob.
"It's no excuse, but I thought my carelessness had led to one of my men being injured and wrongly took it out on you when you weren't even the one who hurt her. On top of that, you not only helped Penguin and Bepo, but you saved Nikki from what sounds like a horrible experience that you yourself just recently had to deal with. Instead of blaming you, I should have been thanking you."
Law said as he made his way across the room towards her. He stopped a few feet shy of where she was by the door and cleared his throat to hopefully gain her attention.
"I truly am sorry Miss Katrina."
He offered softly and waited for her response. After a few moments of silence Katrina finally glanced back at him over her shoulder, though he noticed her eyes were narrowed suspiciously.
"You know, if you don't trust me you could always try gettin' to know me."
She said and Law blinked in surprise then saw Katrina turn to face him, arms crossed disapprovingly and a frown on her face. It was such a switch from how she'd been just seconds before that Law couldn't help the laughter that burst from him. He wasn't even sure what he'd found amusing about the situation, but amused he was none-the-less.
"You may have a point, Miss Katrina. So why not go ahead and tell me something about yourself?"
He asked as he regained his composure and took up a spot on the couch sitting in the center of the room. When he saw Katrina silently inquire what he was doing with a raised eyebrow he motioned for her to sit on the adjacent couch. He sometimes needed to get out from behind his desk so he'd had two couches brought into his office. It came in handy for those nights he couldn't be bothered to go back to his quarters.
"Wouldn't it be easier if you told me what you wanted to know?"
Katrina asked and Law found himself smiling slightly. He supposed she was right.
"In that case Miss Katrina…."