Missing Piece

Chapter 9

Charlotte's brows furrowed together. Something wasn't right. They were being followed. At first, she had thought it was another attack, then maybe a creature of the sea. There were so many around them that it was hard to tell them apart. But when the thing-whatever it was-stayed with them long after the marine's attack had fallen off and with the rest of the marines stuck ashore by Aokiji's own Iced Age, she knew it wasn't just a coincidence anymore. She opened her eyes and stared at the spot where the fast-moving thing was slithering side to side. The bothersome thing was what it was bringing with it. "We're surfacing." Charlotte told.

"Huh? Why would ya wanna do that now?!" Cole cried incredulously, point a finger at the female dramatically.

His cry gone ignore by both the huntress and the new helmsman. Jean Bart eyed the female before him, silently. She helped them out on her own accord and because of it, they managed to get away with as little damage to the ship as possible. He didn't expect that from someone targeting their captain. But it was because of that fact that she was targeting their Captain that made the ex-captain hesitant.

"What are you even staring at, woman? There's nothing there!" Cole shouted and Jean Bart noticed the tension in her muscles. He could see why the doctor was interested in her. The past him as a Captain would be too. Her battle senses were too sharp to pass up.

"We're surfacing." Jean Bart informed and now it was his turn to get Cole's indignant 'huh?!'. "Prepare for combat." He added and Cole straightened immediately while the huntress headed towards the door. "And give the woman something to defend herself with."

"What?!" Cole stopped, leaning back into the room. "Are you insane? Captain's never going to allow for that." They still didn't know if she was trustworthy! He sighed at Jean Bart's hardened stare. Yeah, yeah, I know. Cole thought with a lazy wave. He pulled out one of her curved knives from here he had stored it. "I'm not the one taking responsibility if Captain finds out!"

"Don't worry, I'll take responsibility." Jean Bart called back. They couldn't leave a crewmember defenseless like that.

"New guy's showing off hard." He heard Cole muttered without any real malice in his voice. "Ah, Shachi, Penguin, Bepo! We're gonna to get some fresh air, wanna come?"

The four of them had arrived at the front door where Charlotte was waiting by. Charlotte's attention focused outside, waiting for the sea water level to drop lower before opening the door. "What's this?" She questioned at her familiar blade. She quirked a brow at the many faces staring up at her from a few steps further down. When had so many of them gathered?

"You think we're going to let you go out there defenseless, then you're just plain dumb." Cole grumbled, refusing eye contact. His free hand working on fixing the red headband pushing his white hair up. His choice weapons, two guns, rested against his shoulders, the barrels pointing backwards towards the rest of the crew.

A dual wielder? Charlotte thought slightly impressed. It was rare to see someone operate multiple weapons at once. She recognized one of the guns as a revolver. The other she wasn't sure. It resembled that of a rifle but the length and size too small to be one yet too long to be a pistol. Maybe he modified it to be one handed. Rifles, given their length, was often operated with both hands.

"And the rest of you?" Charlotte turned back, noticing the lack of weapons readied in their arms. She knew the bear was a marital artist given what he demonstrated back at Sabaody Archipelago, but she hadn't quite paid attention to the rest of them. They simply grinned back at her.

She grabbed the tiny blade, holding it in one hand. A frown pulled at her lips as the limited motion she had from her bounded arms. It didn't help that she now had a better sense of just how many bodies were on the ship following that serpent that was following them. "Don't expect me to say any thanks." She said, ignoring the annoyed look on Cole's face. Turning to the rest of the pirates, she unlocked the metal door with only one warning: "It's a ship of marines."

"Ya could have specified 'petrified' marines." Cole muttered after a moment. They had all jumped out ready to battle off the larger ship, but no attack came. Cole snuck aboard their ship only to find several marine statues. Frozen solid. He walked back towards the edge of the marine ship, eyeing the strange stone-frozen hearts leaping from their chests. Cupping a hand over his mouth, he yelled, "Hey! They're all-" His eyes widened at the tall shadow behind them. "Look out!" He fired a round at the shadow and the bullet shot to the side easily with a kick. The smoke disappearing with the kick. "What is a Shichibukai doing out here?!"

"You there!" The Shichibukai hollered, arm extended and pointed towards Charlotte who looked more than perplexed at her presence. "Who are you and what is your place on this ship?" She demanded.

It took Charlotte a moment to realize that the tall woman before her wasn't headless, but in fact looking down on her so much that she was actually looking up from bending backwards. "It's only polite to say your own name first when you ask someone's name." Charlotte said, awkwardly crossing her arms across her chest. Or trying to. She had forgotten about the handcuffs!

Her words seem to snap the woman back into an upright position. She placed a hand on her large bosom and with great emphasis, she introduced herself. "I am Boa Hancock... and I am beautiful!" The woman's introduction was much cheered on by the other males aboard, minus Bepo who seemed just as confused about the situation as she was.

Boa took another step forward, and another until she was right before Charlotte, looking down at the woman still. "Who are you and what are your plans with my future husband, Luffy?" Boa held her ground, her mind racing back towards the words that Luffy had to him before about the plentiful women he had on his ship. Her rivals in love: Nami and Robin!

Charlotte glanced up at the taller woman and once again finding herself disliking the fact that everyone recently seemed taller than she was. "My name is Charlotte." Charlotte answered. Her eyes locked with the cold ones of the Shichibukai before her. Neither of them refusing to step down from their spots. "... and I have no intentions with regards to the Straw Hat Captain." The sparks that had started between the two of them crackled a few more times before finally fading away.

"You, Beast!" Boa called, snapping her long arm out towards the side, now pointing at the bear. Her blue eyes remained focused on Charlotte's platinum ones though. "Do you have a den den mushi?"

"Ah! Yes, we do... sorry..." Bepo responded animatedly at first. His voice dropped with each pause.

Charlotte watched the interaction with slight confusion, walking away from the empress who no longer seem bent on destroying her for some reasons she didn't understand. Something to do with the Straw Hat Captain was all she figured.

"It must be nice being like the empress' slave." Penguin muttered from beside the large bear, while his buddy nodded in agreement.

Charlotte's lips pulled down at the words, gaze dropping towards the seastone cuff in her hands. As if! She thought, bitterly.

"If we call the Kuja Pirate ship, we can pull this submarine across the Calm Belt." Boa continued, ignoring Penguins incessant muttering. "If the government learns that Luffy is alive, they'll definitely come after him. We'll hide him on the Isle of Women and if I'm still one of the Shichibukai, he can safely recover there."

Charlotte left the bridge, descending back into the sub as the rest of the pirates made the preparations to follow the Kuja woman. She eyed the karambit that Cole had returned to her for protection and tucking it away silently. Giving your opponent a weapon... aren't you dumb? She scolded; platinum eyes flashed with resolve. She made a sharp turn away from the infirmary where she knew the doctor would be busy with surgery.

The hole in her chest felt too breezy.