"Well, love, how are you holdin' up? Comfortable?" Viper pulled up a chair close to the bars of Summer's cell, resting his elbows on his knees. His wicked grin, silently mocking her chained neck and limbs, disgusted her. She didn't deign to respond but he continued anyway.
"We should be arriving in another month or so, so don't you worry."
"..."
"Aww, come now, what's got your tongue? You used to talk non-stop, begging to be let go and cursing threats at anyone who walked by!" He gave a deep belly laugh, a horrid cackle that assaulted her ears in no good way. A wave of his rank breath floated through the bars and into her nose. She shied away from the smell.
"Well, all things aside…" He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, flicking it to the side. "I wanted to ask you some serious questions."
Still, she kept silent. Watching his face become a slab of stone, not a single emotion showing except perhaps a stern determination, she prepared herself for whatever it was he was to inquire.
He cleared his throat once, dragging out the uneasy silence as if trying to goad her into words. The younger Summer might have cracked, begging to know what it is he wanted with a childish whine. But she had changed. Instead, her judgemental eyes stared him down in wait. Finally, he spoke.
"I hope you haven't gotten attached to those pirates you've been sailing with a while. I'm sure your memory will remind you," He said, delicately stroking the steel bars with his fat fingers. "Of why that is an unfortunate decision."
"I'm not associated with Kid." She replied sharply, to which he smiled dangerously.
"Ah, I believe you're mistaken. I mean that rowdy bunch of men, the erm...Heart Pirates, I believe they're called."
Inwardly, she was trembling. She'd been hoping that he'd remain oblivious to her affiliation with the Pirates of Heart, but obviously he had connections everywhere. Her face was a careful mask of disinterest.
"You care for them, don't you?" He purred, licking his lips with a blatant malice. "You of all people should know that having companions is very...very...deadly." His voice descended lower and lower until the last word was nothing more than a fevered whisper.
Summer refused to meet his eyes, staring straight ahead into the darkness behind Viper. He gave another sickened laugh.
"If we didn't already have a destination in mind I would go see to them myself! If they're smart, they'll forget about you forever and move on. Personally, I'm hoping they're not." He stood to leave but she tugged at her shackles forcefully.
"Where are you taking me?" She demanded, forcing her voice to remain steady and free of any of the desperation she was feeling.
He turned an amused eye towards her.
"Home."
Kid watched as Law descended the gangway to the beach, sword resting on his shoulder. That talking polar bear followed beside him wearing that god-awful orange jumpsuit thing. Seriously, did the guy have any sense of fashion?
Behind the captain and first mate, the rest of the crew struggled to keep themselves from rushing the beach in anger, present in their bared teeth and death-grips on the metal railings. One man in particular, a blonde, looked about ready to wring his neck from where he stood.
"Eustass-ya." The Surgeon of Death called, stopping about 20 feet from where Kid and his crew stood. Absent was his trademark smirk of amusement. He looked nothing but serious, and very angry. "I believe you have something of mine."
"And what if I do?" Kid called, unperturbed by the captain's glare.
"Then I would strongly suggest returning it to me before I decide to take it from you myself." He unsheathed his nodachi, not holding it threateningly but still putting the point across.
Kid sighed, stepping forward and wincing when the movement sent a sharp pain to his arm. "We don't have her, you bastard."
His eyes narrowed, most likely suspecting a trick. Then, the calculating man swept his gaze across the damaged ship and numerous injuries that marked the crew. It only took a moment for Law to realize that something wasn't quite right.
"Explain what happened." He demanded.
"This greasy-looking old pirate guy came and ambushed our ship a week ago. Completely swept us and ruined my ship. When we woke up, he was gone and so was the girl."
Something he had said had struck a chord with the enemy captain and his eyes widened just slightly.
"Did you happen to notice their jolly roger? Did it have a coiled snake?" He asked dangerously calm. Kid scoffed at the question.
"Are you kidding? They had it tattooed all over their damn bodies. It was kinda hard to miss." He frowned in thought. "If they're friends of yours, I swear to-"
"They're far from friends." Law cut in. Sheathing his sword once more, he threw it to Bepo who caught it with ease. Kid watched the pirate rub his temple in frustration. The guy looked about ready to murder something.
"Surely you could have repaired your ship by now?" Law mentioned, catching his eye on the severely damaged ship. Kid turned as well, looking over his vessel. The sight still made him angry.
"We ran out of boards for repairs. The trees here aren't good for lumber either. Damn island…" He muttered.
The two captains were at a stand still, neither sure of what exactly to do next. Kid had no way of repairing his ship fully and Law had no idea where to start searching for his subordinate. Arms crossed, they faced each other in silence. The two crews watched in interest, wondering what their captains were thinking and what would be said.
A slightly breeze blew by, accompanied by tiny drops of water from the sea. The talking bear glanced upwards and sniffed the air.
"Captain," It said. "It'll start raining pretty soon." Law nodded in agreement, still distracted by his thoughts.
Kid decided enough was enough and broke the silence.
"I think we both know where this is going." Law glanced up at him, narrowing his eyes. "I'm not happy about it but right now it seems we both need some help."
"What exactly are you proposing?" Law asked carefully, regarding him critically. It was obvious that neither captain trusted the other, but there wasn't much to be done about that.
Kid sighed dramatically. "We gotta team up, you and me. Take my word for it, I'd rather not align myself with your creepy ass but if it gets me off this damn island then I guess I have to."
"I can't exactly trust you." The captain replied, eyeing him suspiciously. Kid rolled his eyes.
"The same to you. I mean, come on. We're goddamn pirates. Trust isn't exactly our middle name." Law thought it over a while before answering.
"We have extra boards so you can repair your ship. I can also treat your wounds, if you're prepared to sacrifice your ego enough for that." He glanced at the other Kid Pirates, taking in their injuries and already calculating what supplies he would need. "As for the terms of this alliance, we can talk about that later."
The Surgeon of Death held out his hand. "Agreed?"
Kid eyes his extended hand in thought. Did he have much of a choice? No, not really. So he shook the hand offered forcefully.
"Just a warning. If you betray me, I'll gladly kill you." Kid growled. Immediately, Law's trademark smirk made it's appearance.
"Likewise."
ns 15.158.61.6da2
