~Self-Denial and Coffee~1038Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVUQ86K5Sy
1038Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xxawmGp2Q
After resting for another day, she was back on her feet. Walking was still a bit of a chore, she still had to keep her ankle wrapped, but Summer could live with her stiff movements. She walked behind the two engineers as they gave her a tour of the sub.
"This is where the crew sleeps, and over there," The one with the penguin hat said, pointing across the hall." There, is the bathrooms."
"Come one, we'll show you the kitchen." They eagerly guided her through, their attitude towards her much different from the first time they had met.
*Flashback*
"Penguin, Shachi, this is Summer-ya, our new crewmember. I want you to take her around the submarine." Law could see the fear in their eyes and began to second guess his decision. Summer looked at them in confusion.
"Uh, what's their problem?" They looked at her in complete terror, not speaking and shaking slightly. Law smirked when he realized the cause.
"It may be the fact that they were the ones who…"
"No, Captain! Don't tell her! She'll kill us!" The one wearing sunglasses pleaded, clasping his hands together. "Don't tell her we knocked her unconscious in the kitchen storage!" Penguin smacked his head with his fist.
"Idiot! Now she knows!" They looked at her, now both on their knees, begging.
"Please don't kill us!" They cried in unison. Summer could feel Law's calculating gaze studying her, but she ignored it.
She raised an eyebrow. "So that was what hit me. You guys thought I was a marine, right?" They nodded cautiously. "Well, you were only trying to protect your nakama. So no harm done. Though I will have a bit of a headache for awhile." She admitted, rubbing the back of her head.
She just about lost her balance as two bodies launched at her and two pairs of arms wrapped around her waist.
"Thank you!" They kept saying. They kept rambling on about how she was 'the most kind intruder they've ever had.' She gave a very confused look up at Law, who just stood there wearing that damned smirk of his. He walked away casually, leaving her to deal with the two emotional engineers.
*End flashback*
"This is the kitchen, and where you'll be working with Casper." They led her into the mess deck and into the kitchen behind it. It was quite large, fully equipped to serve a large crew. What's more, it was spotless. Not something she would have expected from the kitchen of a pirate crew.
"Watch yourself around Casper. The old cook is as tough as rock." Shachi whispered in her ear. Penguin leaned in on the other side as well.
"We've never seen him smile. Not even once!" She smiled a little and gently shoved them away.
"He can't be that bad, can he?" They nodded their heads.
"Wait till you meet him. Then you'll see." She gave them doubtful looks and followed when they began walking back outside.
"Well, that's just about it. It's a little confusing at first but you get used to it quickly." Penguin said. She smiled sadly.
"I don't think I'll be around long enough to know." She admitted quietly. They stopped and looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"Yeah, aren't you joining the crew?" Shachi asked. They both looked so disappointed, but Summer forced herself to feel indifferent. She found that harder to do than usual. She shook her head.
"No."
They sighed heavily, slumping over as if defeated.
"I knew it was too good to be true." Penguin commented. Shachi nodded.
"It's the curse of the Heart Pirates. No attractive woman ever stays here very long." She tried fighting back a laugh, but it accidently slipped. At the sound, they both started to sob.
"Such a beautiful laugh, too."
"We'll never hear such a sound in our lives again. We're destined to be alone, doomed to live our days as old bachelors." The two were now on the floor due to their depressed states. Summer couldn't contain herself any longer and laughed loudly at the two men's antics. She had to wipe a tear from her eye, before speaking.
"Oh, don't look so down about it." Giggles escaped her as she spoke. "You'll find someone to join your crew. There's no doubt in my mind." They looked at her sadly.
"Yeah, but can't we just have one female nakama onboard?" Shachi asked miserably. "Is that too much to ask for?"
Penguin began walking away in depression, and Shachi followed him. "Well, I hope you stay here a little longer. You are nicer than you think you are." They slipped away, leaving Summer alone in the kitchen, a smile unknowingly still on her face.
'If only you were right.'
There was nothing to do at that moment, so Summer walked to one of the tables and sat down. Leaning her hand on her hand, she gazed out of a nearby window. The ocean was a light blue, her favorite color, revealing how close to the surface they were.
'Don't get attached.'
The thought had a depressing effect on her. She had become accustomed to traveling and living alone. No one to depend on and no one depending on her. Without realizing it, she concluded that such a life wasn't much of a life at all.
'Don't get attached.'
A school of fish swam in front of the glass, dancing in strange patterns. Their shimmering bodies created a beautiful display as the sun hit their scales. Throughout their little dance, they always seemed to move in pairs or groups of three or four. If one ever was left by itself, one would branch off from the larger group and join its side.
The fish swam off quickly as a large predator fish lazily drifted by. His dull brown scales made him ugly in appearance.
'Don't get attached.'
'Yeah ok, I get it.'
'Don't get attached.'
'I know what happened last time! Stop reminding me!'
She suddenly became drowsy, lulled by the gentle rocking of the sub and the warm mess deck. The comfort felt amazing to Summer who was so used to the cold restraints of Impel Down. Her body felt at ease and relaxed for the first time in a long time.
"Small and white, clean and bright…" She unconsciously sang to herself. The song was an old festival tune, one she remembered from a memory. Resting her head on her arms, she closed her eyes and welcomed the confines of the gentle darkness.
Law double checked Luffy and Jinbe, the latter sitting wide awake on his bed, having woken up when the pirate empress boarded the submarine.
"We should be reaching Amazon Lily soon." The fishman said. Law glanced up from the charts and nodded.
"A little more than a day." He wrote down the results of several tests and replaced the clipboard on the side table.
"How did the Red Hunter get aboard this vessel?" Jinbe asked suddenly. Law debated whether to tell the man or not but decided there was no harm to it. As much as he wanted to keep Summer's presence hidden, Jinbe was against the World Government so any information would not reach their ears. The pirate captain didn't want unnecessary conflicts because of her being onboard his ship.
'It would be a shame if your crew's safety was compromised because of your curiosity, you know.' Her words echoed in his mind.
"She snuck aboard while we were at Marineford. My crew found her in the kitchen storage after we had escaped." Jinbe nodded thoughtfully.
"Her escape will make more than a few people happy, and added trouble for you." The statement was downright confusing, Law thought as he frowned deeply.
"What do you mean? Who could profit from her escape?" He crossed his arms and sat down in the stool. Now that his curiosity was piqued, he wasn't going anywhere.
"Mostly scientists. Much of her past is unknown, but I've heard a few rumors. Something about that girl intrigues the science community to the point of issuing a bounty on her head." Law raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"So her bounty wasn't for the destruction of several islands?" The fishman shook his head.
"Another government cover-up. They didn't want smaller research labs knowing about her usefulness, lest they try to use it to their advantage." Law rubbed his goatee in thought, his eyes narrowed.
"What is their interest in her?"
The fishman shrugged. "That I do not know. Sengoku was talking about it before, when I was still a Shichibukai. As soon as he realized my presence, he clammed up." He shifted on the bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. Law noticed the movement immediately.
"If you move, your wounds will reopen and you'll die. Refrain from doing so." Jinbe didn't respond.
"Having that girl with you may be more trouble than it's worth." He warned. "I would consider letting her go when we reach Amazon Lily. I'm sure they'll take her in."
Law said nothing, walking out of the infirmary without looking back.
He really needed a cup of coffee. Making his way to the kitchen, he ran into Shachi and Penguin who were severely depressed by the looks of it. He stopped them in the hall.
"What happened?" He asked calmly. They both sighed.
"Summer told us she doesn't plan on staying with us." Penguin sulked. Shachi nodded in agreement.
"We thought we could finally have a girl as a crewmember, too." He frowned at their words.
"She is a crewmember. Where is she now?" They pointed down the hall where they had come from.
"We left while she was in the kitchen." He nodded and left his two emotional engineers depressed behind him.
Upon entering the kitchen, he stopped at the sight before him. Summer lay sleeping at one of the tables. One arm cradled her head and the other dangled down the table. He smirked at how innocent and childish it made her look.
Her blonde hair framed around her face and cascaded down her back. Now that he got a good look at it, it was longer than he had previously thought. Her slow breathing was the only sound in the room.
'What secrets are you hiding?'
Breaking from his trance-like state, he moved off quietly to get his coffee, leaving the Red Hunter to her sleep.
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