"If you want to come with, you'll have to wake up." Law muttered, shaking Summer's shoulder. They both lay in his bed, though he was the only one really awake. He'd realized early on that she was not, in fact, a morning person. Quite the opposite, in fact. The time of during which she was most active seemed to be the evening. Which suited Law just fine, considering what activities he one day planned for them to engage in…
With a groan, she squeezed her eyes tight, cracking them open a moment later to glare at the pirate. The violet orbs glowed brightly against the light on the ceiling. "What time is it?"
"6:34."
"Ugggggghhhh…" She groaned, stuffing her face back into the fluffy black comforter of Law's bed. He smirked. Her grumpy morning attitude was rather…adorable. Ever since she started sleeping in his room on a regular basis, he'd gotten to see this other side of her. Albeit, it was the lazy, grumbly, slightly bitchy, curse-the-entire-world side, but he found he didn't mind all that much. Shaking his head, Law pulled gently on her arm.
"Much as I would love to not have to deal with a moody woman all morning and leave you behind, this meeting is rather important and it's expected you'll be there." Much as he pulled, she wouldn't budge from her spot on the bed. Rolling his eyes, he let go and proceeded to find a shirt. Opening the top drawer of his dresser, he found a black top and threw it on over his head. He heard rustling from the bed and he turned to see Summer rubbing her eyes in exhaustion.
"Why does it have to be in the morning?" He heard her grumble. Her footsteps carried themselves into the adjoining bathroom, and the door closed. Smirk in place, the pirate slipped the rest of the shirt over his head and found pants in the bottom drawer.
"Because the whole world is out to spite you." He said, loud enough for her to hear him. She sighed loudly, the sound of clothing being taken off and put back on. His mind immediately went to an image of him taking them off for her…
"Well, the whole world can go to hell then!" She cried, shaking him from his naughty thoughts. A few moments later, the door opened. Summer stepped out, wearing her usual skinny jeans and tank top, her cargo jacket in place as always. Her bedhead had been brushed out, leaving the blonde strands straight and soft. She stretched out her arms, raising them above her head. Cracking her knuckles, she grinned.
"Let's do this."
"Please, follow me!" Belinda cried, turning and walking briskly through the crowded streets. Behind her, the original four people who'd visited before, with Summer included, jogged to catch up to her quick pace.
"So, what's this James guy like?" Summer questioned Shachi in a whisper. He leaned closer, holding a hand in front of his mouth.
"He's some rich guy who own an underground mansion or something! The place was huge!" Penguin, who walked on her other side, leaned in as well.
"I bet he squeaks when he walks." The three snickered, and Bepo turned around to look at them.
"What are you guys laughing about?" Summer gave him a mischievous smile.
"Oh, nothing, Bepo. Just thought of a joke." He nodded, satisfied with her answer. Law glanced behind him, confused what all the commotion was. Summer stuck out her tongue and he turned back around with a shake of his head.
The small woman led them this way and that, twisting through the alleyways of the town, utterly confusing the crew of where they were. The sheer amount of people, and drunk ones at that, was staggering. More than once, Summer had to sidestep some kind of brawl as two drunks got a little too heated.
"Master James will be pleased to hear that you succeeded in finding the file." Belinda smiled, pointing to the object in question. Law held it in his hands, intent not to lose it or drop it. The consequences of losing now would be rather unfortunate.
They walked another few blocks, doubling back several times and going through tight side streets, but eventually they ended up at the same door as before. Summer watched as Belinda knocked against the metal, and a second later, a pair of eyes were looking down at them. The woman gave the man a slip of paper, and he opened the door for them.
"Right this way." She called, slipping inside.
"Why can't they just stay on one damn route?" Nicki growled, eyes closed as she used her devil fruit powers. Kat stood next to her, swaying back and forth as she waited for her sister to report more information. Magnuson leaned against the wall nearby, his bunny Lepus perched on his shoulder as usual. He stared at the sisters with blank eyes.
"That tiny Belinda bitch, she can't seem to make up her mind on where she wants to go." Nicki's irritation was getting increasingly dreary, but Kat only giggled.
"Oh, well they don't want people like us following them!" Nicki sighed then, crossing her arms.
"They finally made it to the door. Took their damn time…" She muttered, and she made a switching motion with her hand. "Hmm. Alright, I got the code." She opened her eyes, pushing off the wall. The three stepped out into the busy street, following in the direction the group had gone.
"You weren't kidding…" Summer looked around in awe at the palace-like interior of James' base. She'd never seen luxury to this extent. The ceilings were so high, as if it was actually the sky. Everything was so white, which honestly started to make her feel a little queasy. The two engineers must have noticed, because they stepped closer to her on either side.
"Don't worry, Summer-chan. We're here for you." They smiled, and she felt a little bit safer.
'I know this aura.' Nemesis rose up, and for once an uneasy feeling accompanied it. Summer frowned, glancing around to see if the others felt anything strange. Maybe she'd simply been here before when she'd occupied someone else. Shrugging to herself, she let it go.
"Rather a shame that your medic had to depart, but I'm certain that his life on Ortygia will be an adventure." Belinda said, and Summer quirked an eyebrow. No one had mentioned anything about Liam in her presence. Law had explained how James was an information dealer earlier, though, and so she assumed that somehow he'd caught wind of it already. It was still rather shocking, though. And creepy.
'It's so close…' Nemesis said, and Summer shook her head. She was trying to focus on not running into anyone.
"Shall we get this over with, then?" Law suggested, and the woman nodded with a smile.
"Of course. Right this way." She continued to lead them down the long hallway, taking the first left they saw. At this point they were all lost. The mansion was just too huge.
"The sitting room is just up ahead." Belinda pointed, leading them towards a set of double doors. They approached; she gripped both handles and pulled, revealing the room beyond.
The pirates stepped inside, save for Summer, who felt a bit intimidated by the immense size of the entire residence. In front of them, a black-haired man with brilliantly blue eyes lounged gracefully on a red sofa. He held a glass of wine in his hand, a lazy grin on his face.
"Ah, Trafalgar Law, you've returned." He sipped from the glass or red wine. The Captain held up the file.
"As payment, the file you wanted." He held it out, but he noticed James' face had changed. It was blank. And staring at something behind him. He turned, frowning deeply when he saw Summer standing at the doorway with much the same blank expression.
Suddenly, her body began to shake, and she let out a loud and ragged breath.
She found herself unable to move any further into the room as soon as James' eyes had locked with hers. Her whole body felt frozen, stuck in time and space. Nothing else seemed to register, besides the man in front of her. Even the feeling of her nakama nearby didn't quite go through.
She couldn't stop the shaking of her limbs. Her entire chest felt like it was being squeezed from the inside, the air too cold, the room too large. She couldn't breathe, and she exhaled the last of the compressed air in her lungs. Feeling immensely weak from the rapidly growing pressure, she dropped to her knees on the floor. Her hands clutched the sides of her head, and she moaned in pain.
'RELEASE ME.' Nemesis demanded from inside her head, and Summer cringed. Across from her, James dropped the glass of wine on the floor, and he displayed similar symptoms. Shachi and Penguin knelt down next to her, tugging at her arms.
"Summer-chan! What's going on?" Shachi asked, and Law took his sword from Bepo.
The sound of a gun cocking stopped him in his tracks.
"Make another move and I'll happily kill you." A feminine voice said. At first, Law thought it was Belinda, but as he turned slowly, he saw her being held at gunpoint by a redheaded woman. Beside her, an identical looking woman smoking a cigarette was pointing a similar weapon towards him. A tall, expressionless man stood behind them, a small rabbit on his shoulder. Kat, who had Belinda hostage, smiled cheerily and waved.
"Hiya, Law!"
"Kat-ya?" He questioned angrily, glancing between the twins in disbelief. There was another one? Kat had survived after all? He glanced back towards Summer, who still writhed in pain on the floor. He cursed. Now of all times for an ambush?
"Put your damn weapon down." The other woman said, and he complied slowly.
''RELEASE ME.' Nemesis shouted again, and Summer cried out in agony. She knew now what was happening. The warrior deep within her was trying to tear free, pulling and tugging at Summer's soul and body with such force that she couldn't stand. But…why? What had caused this?
'Why are you doing this?' She cried internally, hoping she would explain.
'I MUST KILL HIM.' Was all she said.
A particularly sharp pull knocked the wind straight out of her, and she felt like her insides were being ripped apart. She could still feel Shachi and Penguin's hands steadying her shoulders, but whatever they were trying to say were being drowned out by Nemesis and the extreme pain.
Managing to crack open one eyelid, she saw that James appeared to be in just as much pain as her.
There was one last rip, and then…
The pain went away. She was blinded by a brilliant golden light, and was forced to close her eyes against it. Accompanying it was a very bright, pale blue light, but she couldn't see the source. Her body and mind were exhausted, and Summer quickly blacked out.
Everyone in the room was thrown back against the wall with the force of whatever was happening between Summer and James. Law's head made contact fatherly roughly, and he saw stars. Shaking it to rid of the dizzying feeling, he tried to look up and see what was happening.
His eyes widened. It was the warrior again, looking exactly the same as when he'd first seen her. Sword out in a battle stance, she faced an equally tall, blue-haired man with similar features. His eyes were the same gold as hers, and around his neck was the same lock necklace.
"I've waited over 400 years for this moment." She said, gripping her sword tightly. The man held up his hands defensively instead of reaching for his own weapon at his back.
"Nemesis, why do you attack me so? Was it not-" She didn't allow him to finish, swinging her massive sword down upon him, forcing him to shift to the side to avoid it.
"Silence! Your faults against me are unforgivable! Accept death quietly." And she prowled closer, sword ready.
Behind the dueling spirits, Shachi and Penguin tried to drag Summer over by the wall near the others. Kat and the others had fallen back into the hallway, but the fact that they were there was troubling. Law scowled, trying to figure out what to do in this extreme situation.
"We need to get rid of them." Law gestured to the hallway where they stood, and the two nodded. Bepo, who sat on Law's other side, reached for Summer's limp body.
"I'll protect her, Captain." Law nodded. There had only been three opponents at first glance, which meant Bepo wouldn't need to fight. And having Summer unguarded at a time like this was dangerous. The three pirates rose, leaving the bear and girl remaining by the wall.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
