*Two Days Later*
"You are fully recovered from your injuries." Law said, checking things off on the clipboard. "We'll resurface and let you return home."
"It's about bloody time." The underground agent said, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and dropping to the ground. He brushed himself off, and Law raised a brow.
"I'll notify my navigator." He reached for the personal den den mushi in his pocket and began dialing the number for the navigation bay. James was about to head out the door, but stopped. He furrowed his brow, thinking hard over something on his mind. Then, he raised a hand and turned.
"What I'm about to tell you is not a favor, but an investment." James said, an amused look in his eyes as he watched Law. The pirate in turn frowned, setting the clipboard on the table and hanging up the snail phone.
"I don't understand what you mean."
"Oh, but you will." The man said. "I know of your connections to Doflamingo, or Joker as some like to call him." Law's hands clenched, and James continued with a chuckle. "Oh, no need to get defensive. It's no secret, really."
"Get to the point." He growled.
"Fine, fine." He cleared his throat, placing his hands behind his back in a superior pose. "It is easy to understand that you may want to take revenge on the man that killed one of the only people you cared about, but take heed in what I say. Joker is planning something much bigger than he's ever attempted before."
He paused, and Law took an intimidating step forwards. "I may have been considerate up to this point-" He started to threaten, getting steadily more annoyed at the man's habit of being dramatic.
"What I'm saying is that Joker has made a deal with Kaido, supplying him with an artificial substance called SAD."
The pirate's eyes widened just slightly, glancing away to think about the information.
"SAD is a toxic substance needed in the production of artificially created zoan type devil fruits. So, in essence-"
"Kaido is creating an army of devil fruit users. And Joker is supplying him with the resources for it." Law finished, rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. How could things get this out of hand? Doflamingo's madness was mutating, becoming something that perhaps not even he could control…
"Yes." James looked a little disappointed at the interruption, but continued all the same. "Caeser Clown in the only scientists in the world with the knowledge to create SAD, meaning he is an invaluable and irreplaceable asset."
"Where is he?" Law asked.
"On Punk Hazard, I believe. It's an unmapped island in the New World, though one can still get to it by the magnetic fields on the log pose. Eternal log poses just make things so much easier." He said cryptically.
"I assume you own one?" The man nodded, fishing something out of his pocket.
"This will get you straight to Caeser Clown and the SAD factory there. Perhaps in this venture, you could exact your revenge against the man who ruined your life." He turned to walk through the infirmary doors, but Law stopped him.
"Why are you telling me this? Information doesn't come for free." He stated. James looked back with a strange gleam in his eye.
"With Joker out of the way, I'll be the main man for underground business. Like I said before, this isn't a favor. It's an investment." And with that, he walked out of the room.
Law wandered over to his desk chair and sat heavily. He balanced his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands. All this information was a lot to take in. He'd never imagined that the one thing he needed to take down the King of Dressrosa would be easily handed over to him.
He didn't trust it, but at the same time, believed it completely. James' motives made sense. Competition in the underworld was often crafty and done through the hands of another. That wasn't what bothered him. It was the suddenness and ease of it all that just didn't seem right.
But his hatred of the madman who had used him from the very beginning was beginning to cloud his judgement. Perhaps he was in over his head…
'You can finally finish what Cora-san started.' He thought, and that was what dominated his consciousness. Taking out the snail phone once again, he dialed the navigation room, forcing his voice to remain steady despite the toiling emotions he was feeling.
"Jean Bart." The ex-captain answered.
"Bring us up to the surface. I'm releasing James-ya from my care."
"Aye, Captain." He hung up and stood, wanting to move around a bit. Just to ease his troubled mind.
Summer peeled off the bandage on her shoulder and smiled. The tattoo was healing nicely. After the first day of having it, the itching and pain had reduced dramatically. It no longer hurt when she moved it around, and the black ink stood out starkly against her pale skin.
She twisted this way and that in the mirror, inspecting it from all angles. Thoroughly pleased with the results thus far, she threw away the old bandage and put on her regular tank top. The purple-haired lady had said that after three days she wouldn't need to wear the bandages anymore.
The submarine rumbled, then began to vibrate loudly, and Summer felt the distinct plunging feeling as they surfaced. She glanced up in curiosity. She hadn't heard of any plans for returning to the surface, but perhaps something had come up.
Forgetting to put on a shirt to cover up her tattoo, she crept through the door and into the halls in search of her Captain.
She found him in the mess deck, drinking from a mug of coffee. She frowned, knowing it was odd for him to be cooped up in here at such an odd hour. No one else was around, and the dinner preparations wouldn't begin for another hour or so. She approached him, watching as he directed his gaze upwards at her.
His mouth opened, but he stopped, staring at the mark that now adorned her shoulder. She smirked, sitting across from him at the table. "What do you think? I wanted it to be a surprise, so I didn't say anything straight away."
His eyes took in the familiar mark of his jolly roger, the smile that he'd promised to remember the clumsy man by for the rest of his life…And the fact that it was now forever marked on the woman he loved…today was just turning out to be a better day than he'd ever thought. He smirked, lifting a hand and brushing his finger over the ink.
"It is rather fitting for you to have my mark on you." He agreed. Her breath had quickened at his touch, but when he retracted his hand she seemed to return to a normal state.
"I've wanted to for awhile now, but with all that happened…" She left the sentence hanging with a noncommittal shrug, looking away. "I didn't feel like a true Heart Pirate, ya know? Not until now."
"You have always been one of us." He assured quietly. She smiled. Shaking her head, she looked back at him.
"Oh yeah. I was gonna ask. Why are we surfacing?" He took the last sip of his coffee, leaning back in his chair with a sigh at the question.
"James-ya's injuries have fully healed, so I let him return to the mansion. We will restock on supplies as well, and then head to the next island."
Summer nodded, thinking over everything. With a sigh, she rose from her seat and was about to leave, but then stopped and glanced over her shoulder to look at him.
"You may be a bastard," she started with a grin, "but you're a good man, Law." And with that she left him alone in the kitchen to mull over her statement.
They restocked supplies, gathering ingredients and food to fill the fridge and pantry, medical equipment and tools that Law was running low on, and everything they needed for upkeep of the sub on their journey in the New World. Law was critical about having everything they needed, especially now that danger was at every turn and every island. They would die if they weren't careful.
Summer helped Casper get the food, then store it in the room in the back. She glanced at the spot where Shachi and Penguin had found her trapped under boxes of alcohol. The spot she was fairly certain where she hit her head on in the first place. The exact barrel of apple that she had eaten from the minute she snuck inside. They'd always been there, but something seemed different now, like they held new meaning.
'So much has changed.' She thought, but before she could think for too long Casper's voice cut into her thoughts.
"You alright, lass?" With a shake of her head and a smile, she replied and returned to helping him put away everything.
Law paced his room, his mind too jumbled to even think straight, but ponder he did. Hand on his chin, he examined every angle and every possible conclusion to each and every action.
He wasn't nearly strong enough now, but that was fine. He could plan in the long-term. He could bide his time. Law was a very patient man. But if he didn't plan things in advance now, who knew when everything could fall into place?
If Joker was working with Kaido, then something was being gained from both parties. The Yonko was obviously getting the substance to create the artificial devil fruits, but what was Joker receiving in turn?
His steps carried him back and forth, then back again, never staying in one place at a time. There were so many questions he needed answering, and so many things he had to figure out. But one thing was for sure.
He couldn't drag his crew into all this. The loss of his crew's lives was the last thing he wanted to happen, regardless of the purpose, and a decade-old promise was no exception. While they could very well be useful to his plans, he just didn't want to risk the consequences.
So, he'd have to go it alone. Unless…
He stopped, pondering this new thought. "Mugiwara-ya…" He said aloud. The young pirate Captain that had been shaking the world with every move he made was still on Amazon Lily. Another year and his crew would meet up again, at least judging by the picture in the so long ago.
From what he knew of the boy, he was easily impressionable, which could work to his advantage. Place a goal in front of him and he'd go for it with everything he had. The only thing that could explain this was 'D.' The forces and influence of the secret lineage was far beyond the comprehension of some men, and it seemed to be no different in the Supernova's case.
Still, he had to wait another year before anything could be accomplished directly. This timeframe played perfectly into his training. By that time, Law was sure he'd be at the physical and mental level he'd need in order to face Corazon's killer. In a year, Law would be ready to kill Doflamingo.
With this all set in mind, he brought up one more point. What would Summer think? Who even knew if she would trust him after all this. She'd been through so much deceit and betrayal, it would be no wonder if she hated him for the rest of her life. If if were Law, he'd certainly feel inclined.
In terms of being stubborn, Summer was on par with himself. Telling them all that he was going to go alone on a mission that he couldn't guarantee he'd return from would be the hardest part, if he told them at all. Another option was to just steal away and leave a note, or none at all, and they'd be none the wiser.
He shook his head. He way be sadistic and have no mercy with his victims, but his crew were nakama. They were his nakama. Lying to them in that way would most assuredly worry them sick and probably lose more than a few people under his flag.
The signs all pointed to one thing. He'd have to tell them of his plan.
*That Evening*
It was after the dinner rush. The food had been served and eaten, the dishes cleaned. It was night, and many stars speckled the black sky. Summer stood at the ship's railing, looking over the city as the night lights sparkled. She closed her eyes, smiling as the breeze blew her hair over her shoulder. It had been warm during the day, but now as the sun was past setting the temperature dropped to a cool, crisp setting.
After they set sail, everything that had been chasing her would be in the past. It would all fade away like a healing scar. Of which she had many.
Not once in the years of running and hiding had she thought she'd ever actually succeed. The will to live had kept her going, yes, but the thought of actually killing those who wanted to see her locked away or tortured seemed like some intangible fairytale. And than Law had come along and helped her make it a reality.
Perhaps it was the luckiest thing to happen, that he showed up to that war a year ago. It was lucky that he'd been relatively intrigued in her right from the beginning, enough to keep her around awhile. All of it was lucky.
Law…his face appeared in her mind and that fuzzy feeling in her stomach began again. It had been happening quite frequently, but it felt good and she wouldn't fight it. There was nothing left to fight anymore. Nothing left to hold back.
Footsteps behind her caused Summer to swing her gaze around. Of course, the devil himself, complete with his signature smirk. He walked up beside her and leaned on the railing.
"Why is it that whenever I think of you, you somehow appear out of nowhere?" She questioned, a smile on her lips. He gave her an amused glance.
"I didn't know you thought of me so much." He teased. A blush beginning to burn her cheeks, she elbowed him in the arm. He chuckled, returning his gaze to the city, but not before glancing in approval at the mark on her shoulder once more. A silence fell over them, interrupted only by the lapping waves against the hull and the sounds of city life.
Summer glanced at the pirate out of the corner of her eye. He was frowning deeply, eyes searching for something in his mind. She admired him, taking this rare opportunity to observe him as he was: passionate. With his features schooled carefully and expertly on a daily basis, one could never quite tell what he was thinking. But, just this once, it seemed he let the mask slip enough to let her see for herself who he was underneath.
"You seem troubled." She commented after awhile, shaking him from his mind. He glanced at her. Summer expected to see that signature smirk, a witty retort to her observation, his words would make her squirm and he'd laugh. But none of this happened. Instead he quickly looked away, a faraway look replacing the thoughtful one from before.
She'd never seen him so…desperate.
"James-ya informed me of some surprising and…unfortunate news." He said cryptically. Summer frowned, turning her body slightly towards his.
"What did he say?"
It took a moment for Law to continue. His hesitation to tell her anything was just making this more curious to Summer. "Have you ever heard of a man named Doflamingo?"
Summer searched her brain, and eventually recalled a small bit of information from in her past. "He's a Shichibukai, right? One of the more powerful ones?"
"Yes." He took off his hat, running his fingers through his hair. "He's known by another name. His underworld name, Joker."
"Mhmm…" Summer nodded her head, following along. Law appreciated her lack of interrupting questions. It always annoyed him when people did that.
"A long time ago, I was a part of his crew. I was young and stupid, and saw the world through a different set of eyes, and a different perspective. I thought what I believed was right, and that I had no other choice than to become like him."
Summer watched as his gaze turned wistful. "And then something happened to make me rethink everything I thought I knew. From that moment on, I made a promise to stop the madness that resided in that man, Doflamingo, and bring an end to his reign of death and destruction."
He went silent, but Summer knew that he would be the one to speak next. He glared at the water down below, as if it were the bane of his existence. Sighing, he turned back to her.
"I've discovered a way to keep my promise. A way that will allow me to fulfill my life's purpose. But in order to do that," he paused, thinking over his words carefully, "I have to leave."
She raised her eyebrow. "Leave?" He nodded.
"Alone."
She sat in silence for a moment, taking in what he was saying. Her arms crossed themselves over the railing, and she took a deep breath. "When? And how long?"
"A year from now. And perhaps for longer than what my estimations may say. The only reason being the unpredictability of it all." He shook his head, frustrated that he couldn't accurately formulate everything right at that moment. There were too many what-ifs.
"Is it necessary?" She asked quietly.
He nodded, and she responded likewise. The thought hurt. She didn't want him to go. True, she would have a full year to have him around before he would leave, but after that…who's to say how long it would be before they saw each other again? It sounded dangerous. Who's to say he would come back at all?
But Summer understood. The blonde knew the heartache of betrayal, the burn of revenge, and the chill of misery. She'd been right, before, when her pondering of his past concluded that it had been less than happy. She could see it now, clear as day. He took great pains to hide it from the crew, every day of his life, and even from her. But now it bled through the calm exterior he showed to the world.
In that moment, she knew that she had no other choice.
"I understand." She said with a small smile. He glanced at her in slight surprise and it brought a chuckle out of her. "Did you expect me to yell and scream?"
"The thought had crossed my mind, yes." He admitted, but the distinct hint of relief in his eyes was all too obvious.
"You helped me achieve what I needed to do to be free, Law. Why wouldn't I do the same for you? I owe you my life more than anything. And for that I will help you in whatever way I can."
He nodded, accepting her words as the tension slowly left his body.
"And honestly..." She paused, looking off into the water as the urge to confess welled up. Everything was in it's place, everything was settled. Except for one thing...
He raised a brow, waiting for her to continue. Her apprehensive expression had him curious as to what was on her mind. It wasn't often that something she had to say made her pause. After taking a deep breath, she chuckled, still not meeting his eyes.
"If I'm being completely honest with myself, and you..." She stopped again, biting her lip. He was beginning to get worried. What if she wanted to leave the crew, like Liam? What if she had finally realized she wasn't happy here? Or that her heart belonged somewhere else? These doubts piled up, until she finally sighed deeply and drew him from his thoughts.
"To hell with it, I'll just say it." She muttered under her breath. Her courage returned, and she met his gaze evenly, if not still with a touch of apprehension and...fear? He frowned, confused. "I might sound a little crazy when I say this...and maybe I am...after everything that's happened it wouldn't surprise me honestly...God, why is this so difficult?"
Law shook his head, tapping her forehead with his finger to get her attention. "Summer-ya." He said simply.
She stopped her nervous rambling, swallowing thickly. Her thoughts were racing but she couldn't make any sense of it."...I...think I love you."
His eyes widened, mind trying to fully comprehend what her words meant. She...loved him? After everything she'd experienced, everything he'd put her through, willingly or not...she loved him? He could never be fully sure. His own feelings were cemented, analyzed and inspected in every light, but she would forever hold a part of herself that remained a mystery for him to solve. And he'd never known exactly what she was thinking when it came to...well, him.
"You..." He paused, speechless for once in his life. Perhaps his blank expression had given her the wrong impression, that he disapproved or felt nothing at all, because she bit her lip again and turned away quickly.
"It's alright if you don't feel that way, I just...I had to..." She sighed deeply, eyes closing out of embarrassment. "I don't even know what I was thinking...sorry."
She wasn't looking at him, which should have made it easier for him to feel less hurt about the whole thing but it hurt. No, it was exactly opposite of what she thought, and he wasn't about to let her think that. He did love her. And now her heart was breaking right in front of him, because of him, and he doubted he had the ability to say the words that would make everything alright. But there was one thing he hoped would change it all, make it right. Without really thinking, he gently turned her chin towards him. He held her watery gaze for a moment before leaning in and placing his lips on her.
He heard her gasp and stand still a moment, just long enough to make Law think that she'd pull away in anger. No, he didn't want that. Still, he persisted, willing everything he felt for her into that one kiss, to prove that he could love her the way she claimed to love him. Because even if he couldn't tell her how he felt, he could damn well show her.
She melted in his arms, and he pulled her closer as their kiss deepened. In that moment time stood still, and the chilly air no longer bothered them. He couldn't feel anything, save for her arms that slid around his neck and the feel of her body against his. He'd kissed her before but this felt different, more meaningful. Like the start of something new that he couldn't quite understand.
She whimpered softly, and he felt a tear slide down her cheek. Surprised, he pulled back slightly to see her violet eyes staring into his gray ones.
"I don't know...what to do exactly. I've...never been loved before..." She whispered, glancing away out of nervousness and shock. He smiled slightly, tilting her chin up so she'd look at him again.
"No, Summer." He shook his head, then leaned in and placed a single kiss on her lips. "You always were."
She smiled then, that genuine sign of happiness that he'd missed seeing. "Thank you." She whispered. She looked beautiful and he wished he had the courage or bravery, or whatever it was he lacked, to tell her that. She sniffed, pushing back a little as she tried wiping the tears from her eyes.
"This doesn't mean you can be all over-protective. I'm still gonna fight, and there's nothing you can do about that." She joked, trying to get her watery voice under control. He chuckled, allowing her the time to compose herself. He didn't know what to do after sappy moment like that either. They were both just new at all this.
"What makes you think I would stop you?" She laughed, taking deep breaths to calm herself.
"Nothing." Her smile returned and she went back to stand beside him at the railing, though they stood much closer than before. Something just felt...different now.
"I do want to know what happened. You know, what you were talking about earlier. I want to know your story." She said, cocking her head to the side to watch him. "I want to know everything about you."
He paused.
He knew that in every sense of the word, he trusted Summer. He trusted his blonde assistant cook with with life. But there was still that hesitation to reveal everything about him to someone. He hated feeling vulnerable, weak. Trusting others always held the chance of being stabbed in the back later. All the same...
He trusted her with his heart. And that made all the difference. Still, he felt he should warn her.
"Telling you that information may be dangerous. Once you know, there's no going back." He cautioned, looking her in the eyes to make sure she knew what she was getting herself into. She grinned a little, wiping away the last of the remains of her tears with a sniff.
"You know me. I love danger." He shook his head.
"I'm deadly serious. This is no laughing matter."
"So am I. And I'm not laughing." She gently placed her hand on his. He look down at their contact, still unfamiliar with the sensation of an innocent touch like that. "I'm not going anywhere, Law."
He sighed, but smiled bitterly nonetheless. He looked out over the choppy water and burning city lights, wondering what he'd done to deserve someone so trusting and loyal.
Law took a breath.
"It started when I was ten, in the city of Flevance…"
ns 15.158.61.55da2
