*One Week Later*
Law pinned the woman up against the alley wall, gripping the collar of her jacket with one hand and pressing his nodachi's blade against her throat with the other. Rain drenched both of them, but it didn't seem to deter the very angry pirate in front of her. Her pathetic whimpers were masked by the pouring rain.
"Ok! Hey, put me-" She grabbed at the Captain's hand against her neck, futilely trying to loosen the hold now half chocking her.
"Answer my question if you want to live." Trafalgar Law growled lowly, increasing the pressure of his blade against her throat. The woman sucked in a breath, eyes trained on the hilt of the sword. Behind the Captain, just barely visible in the dark evening light, stood a polar bear, looking very much soaked, but still very much threatening.
"Hey, let go! Don't you know how t' treat a lady?" She jerked her feet forward, attempting to kick the pirate away, but Law was too far back for her to reach.
"You aren't very smart, are you?" The Captain cocked his head, eyes hidden under the brim of his spotted hat.
"Just because you're a Shichibukai doesn't mean I have to tell you nothin'!" The woman spit in Law's direction, and at first Law didn't immediately react. The bear behind him seemed to rear up at the offensive move, mouth open in a snarl and a low growl emitting from his throat.
"I certainly hope you understand the position you're currently in." Law said calmly. "You are a part of a very large gang of theives. And it's quite common for a group such as that to gossip about information amongst themselves.
The woman swallowed, knowing full well the pirate was correct. Every person in the group knew what the pirate was trying to figure out, but she wasn't sure where he was going with it.
"S-so what about it?" Unknowingly giving herself away. From underneath the hat, Law smirked.
"That means there are several others I can torture to obtain the information, several much weaker people who would certainly tell me what I need to know…which is unfortunate for you. It means you're expendable."
His eyes were still hidden, and the woman's frantic ones searched desperately for some sign that the Shichibukai was bluffing. It was difficult to see in the rain that continued to pound down on them. The pirate seems unaffected by the weather. Neither did the bear behind him.
The blade against her neck pressed harder, and she could feel beads of blood now rolling down her neck. Suddenly, Law looked up, revealing his narrowed and cold eyes.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now." Law ordered, a snarl fixed on his face, and the woman caved.
"I'll t-tell you what y-you need to know." Instantly, the nodachi was retracted from her throat and she let out a relieved breath. The hand on her collar also was gone, and she slid to the ground, her legs turning to jelly.
"What are you-" She couldn't finish her question, as a paw came flying at her face at high speed. She didn't register the pain, just the darkness.
"Bring her back to the ship." Law ordered, sheathing his nodachi and walking away. His black coat effectively camouflaged him in the dark hours of the night. Bepo picked up the unconscious woman and followed his captain, idly noting that the gang member smelled like an awful mix between sewage and tobacco. He wondered how Law could stand being next to her for so long.
Law waited, sitting in the chair opposite his victim, for the moment she woke up from being hit in the head. He narrowed eyes took in the worse-for-wear state of the woman's clothing, the dirt covering her face, and the very thin structure of her body. She obviously didn't eat much. Or bathe. He crinkled his nose again, catching a whiff of her scent.
She squeezed her eyes tighter at first, scrunching up her face most likely against the headache she would be sure to have. Bepo hadn't gone easy against the woman, angered by the move she'd tried back in the alleyway.
"Mmm…" She grumbled, lolling her head to the side. Law said nothing, only watched as she finally opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. The next instant, those deep brown eyes widened and she jumped in her seat. She didn't go very far, as she was strapped by hands and feet to the chair.
"First, your name." He pressed. She cocked her head to the side.
"Most of the street rats call me Kitten, since I'm so quick on my feet." She smirked back, gaining her confidence that he wouldn't do anything to her.
"Tell me what I want to know." He said coldly, cutting to the chase and demanding answers, seemingly uninterested in her name or why she was called it.
"What…was it you wanted to know?" She hesitated, thrown off by his indifferent demeanor. At the same time, she was debating how much information to give at one time.
"You were affiliated with this woman at one point, correct?" He withdrew Summer's wanted poster and held it up to face the green-haired woman. She squinted to read it before rolling her eyes.
"She was a little bitch, that one. Yeah, I remember her. Was always followin' me around."
"She was taken by a pirate, yes?"
"Yeah, some greasy ol' guy, black hair and really yellow teeth." He narrowed his eyes.
"What was his name?" He already knew the answer, but he wanted to gauge how much she actually knew. She pursed her lips in thought.
"Hmm…called himself Snake…or…Viper, I think. Yeah! Viper was it." She grinned.
"So, you interacted with him before she was taken?" He assumed, and her face fell, realizing her mistake.
"No, I uh, recognized his face from a uh, wanted poster was all." Her eyes shifted around, unused to being put on the spot.
Law smirked now, deciding to step things up a notch. Taking out Summer's dagger, he placed it on his legs. Her eyes immediately went to it. "If you continue to lie to me, Kitten-ya, I will resort to more…inhumane methods of finding out what I want to know." He licked his lips in anticipation of what he could do to her.
She swallowed, eyes never leaving the weapon. "Yeah, I talked with him once."
"And what did he have to say?"
"That he was uh, lookin' for her. Said she was some valuable medical patient. He told me if I'd bring her to him, he'd pay me enough to be rich."
"Anything else?" She narrowed her eyes, trying to think back, all the while keeping an eye on the dagger in his lap. He still hadn't moved to touch it at all.
"I think he said something…about a guy named James. Said James would make sure I was paid."
Law's eyes narrowed, remembering something from when the crew had invaded the Winslow Mansion. When he'd interrogated Kat's mother, she'd said something about a James. He was the one who'd informed her of Joker's movements in the New World. He made the connection.
"So, you handed Summer-ya over for the money?" He asked, and she immediately looked angry.
"I was supposed to get the money, but that bastard pirate old guy ripped me off! Took off before I got a chance to rob him."
"Where did her plan on taking her?" She gave him a strange look.
"Do I look like the person who knows that?" She said sarcastically.
Law was a silent a long time, his brain connecting things together that hadn't made sense before. This James person seemed to be the key to finding his missing nakama, however, and he then decided his next course of action.
"No, you don't."
Grabbing the dagger, he stuffed it back in his pocket and walked out of the room, ignoring Kitten's protests behind him.
"Hey! Get back here! What are you gonna do with me now?" She yelled, but he shut the door on her annoying screaming.
"Kat-ya's mother mentioned a James when I was questioning her." Law explained, searching the map of the New World for one island in particular. "From what I've been able to put together, he's an underworld informant, at least on the surface. Who knows who he could actually be."
"He has something to do with Summer then?" Jean Bart asked, watching his Captain. He was engrossed with the detailed waters, intent on finding what he wanted.
"Yes. When Kitten-ya mentioned Viper in our conversation, she said he brought up a man named James." Bepo scratched his head.
"Couldn't it be two different James'?" Law shook his head.
"I don't believe in coincidences." He ran his finger along the map, going from island to island. The navigation bay was dark, as it was very late at night and the sub was surfaced, but several spotlights built in above the map table illuminated the paper before him.
"So, we're going to find James and get him to tell us where Summer is?" The ex-captain questioned.
"Exactly."
"Well, do we know where he is?" Bepo leaned over the map as well. Law's finger landed on one island in particular, several island ahead of where they were. With a smirk he tapped the map on that spot.
"Caelum. We'll find him there."
ns 15.158.61.12da2
