~Night Mission~1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3KXvfUEmq
1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgkpNXRSL7
The full moon loomed high above the little yellow submarine as they cruised silently to the shore. Most of the crew stood waiting in the mess deck for their captain to give the word. Most conversed in whispers, conscious not to awake the sleeping redhead a few doors down.
Summer sat with the rest of them, idly stroking the blade of her daggers as they waited. She noticed movement in front of her and looked up to see Reid and Liam. They too had their weapons at the ready, in case anything went wrong that night.
"Hey, we haven't had the chance to talk in awhile." Reid said lowly, grinning easily. She smiled up at the two of them, but noticed Liam only looked half as easy going as she had last seen him. Summer frowned, concerned.
"Liam, you ok?" He scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Y-yeah, just anxious to get this over with." He kept glancing around the room, but she couldn't figure out what he was looking for.
"Yeah, I think we all want a certain someone off this sub, huh?" Both men nodded, lightening the somewhat awkward tension between them. Shachi and Penguin came over as well, and Summer was glad that she could finally talk to her nakama in peace.
"You've been kinda hard to find since Kat came aboard." Penguin remarked, to which Summer bowed her head. It was true, she hadn't been in any mood since the redhead's arrival to make time for her crewmates. Looking back, she really had been neglecting them.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I was all out of sorts, I guess." Shachi brushed it off with a hand.
"Don't worry about it. Let's just get this whole thing behind us and then you can treat us to some sake later!" Summer smiled, along with everyone else, before Law came into the room. Bepo was behind him carrying his sword. The room immediately quieted down as they waited for their captain to speak.
"The purpose of this mission is to gather information. Report any wealthy homes and mansions, and keep an eye out for any civilians that resemble Kat." The crew nodded their understanding, but Law continued. "You'll go in teams of two. Each team will be assigned a section of the city. Gather what you can and be back before 4 am."
Men started pairing off, getting instructions from the captain and exiting the room, but Summer wasn't sure what to do. Shachi and Penguin were going as a group while Liam and Reid quickly partnered up. As much as she loved everyone in the crew, she was hoping to catch up with one of her closer nakama. A large body approached from her left and she glanced up in surprise at Jean Bart.
His stoic expression hadn't changed, but the emotionless eyes that she usually saw were softer. Knowing that he wasn't one to usually initiate conversation, she took it upon herself to start. "Care if I accompany you?" He simply nodded, and she smiled pleasantly back.
They went towards the door, passing Law who observed everyone's movement. Summer caught his eye and she gave a little salute as they brushed past. He raised a brow but didn't respond.
Despite being almost midnight, the air was pleasantly warm thanks to the spring climate of the island. A light breeze made her hair flutter softly in the wind. They had docked on the north side, farther away from the city so they weren't detected. Already, she could see several teams running towards the town. Looking to Jean Bart, they gave each other a nod before jogging off in their designated section of the city.
For being as large as he was, the ex-captain was expert at moving silently. The two made minimal noise as they ran along the beach, and then the short grass as the terrain changed the closer they got to the city. Neither spoke as they ran, content to keep to themselves for now.
Once at the edge of the city, they dashed into a darkened alley before a salesman could spot them. Catching their breath, Summer took the opportunity to observe around them.
The streets were lit up far past what they really needed to be. They were brighter than any lamp post Summer had ever seen. By contrast, the alleyways were dark and menacing. Along the streets, tall golden trees decorated the walkways.
The architecture was nothing like she had ever seen; most buildings were built of darker, metal materials. Taller buildings had neon signs stretching the height of them, sporting fancy sayings like 'Flamingo Pub' and 'The Seamaiden: Ladies Club and Bar,' though from the propaganda outside Summer doubted any of the women they were advertising were still maidens.
The people looked just as strange. The men sported vests and suits, topped with black hats and black shoes. Many carried a cane. But what struck Summer the most was the women. Their outfits couldn't be described any way other than flashy. Most dresses were bright, sparkly colors layered with long silky threads. On their heads, feathers or jewels lined their shiny hair. Laughing girls, whistling men, leering drunks, smoke-filled air, the busy streets...it was all very overwhelming.
Jean Bart had joined her and was now surveying the city as well. "Doesn't Elysium mean paradise?" Summer questioned, more to herself than anyone. "This doesn't seem like a paradise.
"A sinner's paradise, maybe." Jean Bart replied. She nodded in agreement before gesturing that they head farther down the street.
"These alleyways should let us get around without being seen." They hurried farther down the back of the buildings, cautiously skirting around couples making out. Not that Summer worried; most of them were too preoccupied to notice someone creeping through the dark.
Once she thought they had gone far enough, she waved the navigator forward towards the opening to a street again.
"What the hell?" She muttered. This section of the city was much different than before. They were clearly on the edge of the main street, and just to the left they could see large mills and fields of cotton. The farmland sat right on the edge of the raging streets.
"Bepo mentioned their economy was profiting from the textiles industry." Jean Bart commented quietly. It was much too late in the evening for people to be working the fields, but Summer looked nonetheless. She shook her head, turning back to their objective.
"How are we supposed to find Kat's family's mansion when everything looks like it's worth about a million beli?" Jean Bart pointed to something in the city. Turning to look, Summer saw a large billboard with a scantily dressed woman. She was lounging on a silken couch, draped in the finest of cloth. The woman's red hair contrasted with the dark purple of the background. Underneath her picture were the words 'WINSLOW SILKS: THE FINEST CLOTH OF THE GRANDLINE.'
"Look familiar?" He asked. She peered closer and noticed that the woman's face looked strikingly similar to that of the annoying redhead that currently resided with them. It was then that she noticed several other posters similar to that one scattered about the street. This Winslow woman was the icon of wealth, it seemed.
"Could be a coincidence." Summer said, not wanting to jump to conclusions. Suddenly, something on a nearby wall caught her eye. It was a missing person's poster.
"Stay here." She told him before he could object, casually walking out of the alleyway and onto the street.
She felt sorely out of place on the busy street, weaving past drunken men with girls on each arm. Approaching the wall littered with old posters, she took a closer look at the poster. Kat's picture blazed the top of the paper.
'MISSING: KATRINA WINSLOW.
LAST SEEN ON 02/6/13 IN THE EASTERN PORT MARKET.
2,000,000 BELI REWARD FOR SAFE RETURN. IF SPOTTED, CONTACT MARINES.'
Snatching the picture from the wall, she jogged back over to the alley where Jean Bart sat waiting.
"Don't run off by yourself. There are many marines here." He lectured when she was safely back in the darkness. Shrugging, she handed him the paper.
"I'd bet anything that the woman on the billboard is Kat's mother. I don't think many other people could afford a 2 million beli reward for their daughter."
The ex-captain glanced over the paper, reading each detail for information.
"Is there an address?" Shaking his head, he stuffed the paper into his jacket pocket to show to the captain later.
"So, now what?" She asked, leaning against the wall.
"Let's keep moving. Maybe something will come up."
"We are not lost!" Reid shouted, walking by Liam down the main street. Liam looked at the map the tourist guy had given them. Turning it every which way trying to figure out where they were, he turned to his friend.
"Yeah? Then where are we?" He shoved the map in his hands.
"Easy! We're…" He looked over the map in confusion. He scratched his head, an uncertain expression crossing his face. "Ok...yeah, we're lost."
Sighing heavily Liam took back the map. Rolling it up, he stuffed it back in his pocket. "Let's go ask someone."
"Wait! The captain didn't want us to be spotted!" Liam hit his friend over the head with his fist.
"Baka! Then why are we in the middle of the street?" Frowning, Reid stuck out a finger.
"Because you said we would blend in with the crowd!"
"I did?"
"Yes!" Reid shook his head in wonder. How could he forget something he said five minutes ago?
"Ah...yeah, I did didn't I?" It was Liam's turn to scratch his head in embarrassment. Reid sighed, slumping over.
"What would Captain think about this?" He moaned, shuffling off further into the crowd.
"What about that one?" Shachi asked, pointed off into the distance where a tall building could be seen. Penguin pulled out their binoculars and aimed it at the structure. It was a darker grey, almost black building. He shook his head.
"Nah, not fancy enough." Sighing, the two went back to searching.
"You know, it was a good idea to get on the rooftops to look for the mansion!" Penguin added positively.
"Yeah, I just hope we find it soon. My thighs are killing me from the climb up here!" Shachi complained, thinking about the many flights of stairs they had to climb to get to the roof.
"Well, it'll be easier on the way down. Oi, what about that one?"
The building in questions was a looming building, made of the finest of metals on the very southern point of town. Shaking his head, Shachi put down the binoculars.
"Nah, that's not it."
"How can you tell?" Penguin asked.
"Rich people like to build with white marble and stuff like that. You know, to make them look...godlier or something." His friend gave a nod before going to scan the city again.
Several minutes past but no luck came with finding the building. Penguin started getting bored, and his gaze slowly fell to the street below them. The people were pretty small at this height, and he looked through his binoculars to get a better look.
"Man, now that I look at it, there's a ton of marines around here. They're everywhere!" Shachi noted, slowly moving his binoculars across the people down below, joining in on the boredom that Penguin was experiencing. It was true, marine uniforms could be spotted all over the street below them. The bright blue and white stood plainly out against the vibrant darker colors of the citizens' attire.
"Shachi! Look at that lady with the black dress and red hair. Does she look rich or what?"
"Yeah, dude. Wait, red hair? Maybe that's a family member of Kat?" They looked closer, focusing on the woman carrying lots of shopping bags on her arms. Behind her, four men carried the rest of her purchases, each toting more bags than they could really comfortably hold.
"Get a description just in case." They wrote down what she looked like on a piece of paper and what direction she was going.
"Wait! I see an engine parts shop down there!" Shachi exclaimed, examining a storefront closely. "They have turbine parts for only 699 beli!"
"No way, let me see!"
Law sat down at one of the tables of the mess deck, nursing a mug of coffee in one hand and a textbook in the other. He would much prefer to read in his own quarters, but he needed to be present when the search parties returned. He glanced at the clock on the wall. 2:58 pm.
He didn't expect the crew back until at least another half hour, but he wanted to be sure. If there was any trouble he would get a call. And he would be prepared for it.
A light pattern of footsteps echoed down the hall and he narrowed his eyes. He was hoping this wouldn't happen, but he had accounted for it in his plans.
"Law?" Kat asked sleepily as she meandered into the mess deck. She was dressed in a simple green long sleeved shirt and pants. Her hair was slightly mussed from tossing about in bed, and her hands rubbed at her tired eyes. "Is something wrong?"
Taking another sip from his cup, he flipped another page in the book before answering.
"Everything's fine, now go back to sleep." Instead, she continued towards the table and sat across from him. He resisted the urge to sigh.
"But I can't sleep!" She whined, resting her head on her arms. "Why are you still up anyway?" He gestured to the book and she smiled. "What's it about?"
"The Cause and Treatment of Leprosy." He stated in a monotone, mostly hoping the gruesomeness of the textbook would scare her away. She 'oohed' in apparent fascination even though he was 100% sure she didn't know what it even meant.
"You're so smart!" She smiled, and he frowned in response.
"Kat-ya, you should really go to sleep." Her face sported a pout and she crossed her arms.
"Not until you sleep too. Reading late at night is bad for you!" Sighing, he shook his head at her narrow-minded answer.
"The book isn't the only reason I'm not sleeping." She leaned closer, peering into his face annoyingly.
"Then, what's wrong?" Deciding that telling her a little bit of the truth might sate her curiosity, he leaned back a little ways to distance themselves.
"I've always had trouble sleeping. Reading helps me relax." She held her head with both hands and grinned.
"Oh, I see. So you just can't relax? Is that it?"
"I suppose…"
"Let me help you then!"
Before he could ask what she meant by that, she had leaned forward and placed her lips on his. It happened so fast he couldn't react. His eyes widened in surprise, but before he could push her away, she broke it off and smiled widely at him.
"Did that help?" She asked. His eyes narrowed. He'd had enough with playing nice to her.
'Idiot girl...'
Standing and leaning across the small table, he gripped both of her shoulders and pushed her into the back of the chair roughly, not caring that his hold on her was tight enough to bruise. She gave a gasp and he leaned closer, an obvious scowl on his face.
"I don't recommend doing that again. Unless you want me to kill you." He growled, pressing her harder into the hard chair. Her eyes widened with fear, and Law fed upon the fear he could place there. She pushed his hands away and ran towards her room without another word. He relaxed again once the door shut loudly, and his mood was instantly better.
Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was now 3:24 am.
'The crew should be back soon.'
As if on cue, Jean Bart and Summer walked through the mess deck door.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
