Missing Piece

Chapter 32

"Why did Charlotte have to be the one to do the job?" Cole turned towards the squid fishman, frowning when the other's grin split in two. "Who is Joval and why does Charlotte have such a hatred for slave trading?" Despite the target being Kline, it was the other name that had Charlotte responding in a way that he had never seen before. He shivered at the force that flooded out of her from the name alone. He was certain that that wasn't just accidental.

"That's quite a lot of questions." Baako hummed and Cole wondered for a moment if the other was going to answer him at all. "How about this? I'll answer only one of your topics: Reason for Charlotte's response or the reason why Charlotte's targeting your Captain."

Baako's grin twisted further when hazel eyes widened. "It's no surprise, but I'm the one who gave her the job request." Hook, line, and sinker.

They found her first or maybe she found them. Either way, they had met up. Not that they had time to dwell on the whys. Or that is at least what Law told himself when Charlotte refused to provide any details besides that she had 'coincidentally stumbled' upon them.

"Kline is a Devil Fruit user who can create voodoo doll replica of anyone he's touched. He can control the dolls he creates at will. Whatever he makes the doll do, happens to the original body he copied." Charlotte explained quickly, sparing a glance over her shoulder to the motley crew behind her. "Don't let him make a doll of—" Her eyes landed on the stack of dolls nested in Bepo's arms. One for each member of the crew.

"We are well aware."

Charlotte didn't know whether to be astounded, disappointed or to laugh.

"Thanks for worrying about us though!" Charlotte head snapped to stare at the Heart Pirates as if they were aliens. "You opened the gates holding us too, didn't you?" Another nodded, jumping eagerly with an arm raised to contribute. "She even went looking for us and 'coincidentally stumbled' upon us." He winked at her. "Come on, admit it already, you came here to save us, didn't you?"

"No! I'm here for a job!" Charlotte spluttered quickly. Her face felt hot.

Bepo nodded next to them sternly. They were ignoring his earlier words again. Shachi slapped the bear on the back, grinning up at the bear before deciding to join in on the fun. "That's just what she's saying, but this little tsundere probably actually only took the job as an excuse to save us. Am I right, Charlotte?"

Charlotte snapped her head from pirate to pirate. The sound of her heart thumped extra loud in her ears, like it malfunctioned somehow. Just like every other function in her body. Charlotte gawked at the others, her face exploding through shades of red at an alarm rate. How did they know?

Their faces spit into wide grins as they watched the embarrassed huntress, expression honest to a fault. Thank you for coming to get us!

Charlotte was brought back to the trouble at hand when Kline stepped forward, looking like he would explode at any moment. The doll copy that Charlotte had created nullified and reduced from existence when she dropped it. An error on her part from when she got tackled into a metal wall of a shipping container. She should have known better. It was only time until she ran into the other. She just hadn't expected to find him with the Hearts. She really hoped they hadn't met.

Platinum eyes landed on the large, round-bellied man, with a pair of long human legs hanging off his neck. She frowned. The numbing discomfort of limbs bending the wrong way for too long pricked at Charlotte enough for her to know exactly whose legs she was staring at. "You had one job." She clicked her tongue and the others flinched at her tone. "How did my legs end up with that pervert?"

"Why the hell did you slam into me too?!" Kline hissed, stomping towards his partner. "Though I guess, I shouldn't be complaining. Because of you, I finally got free." He patted himself off and brought his hands up, thin transparent threads that only became visible when it caught the light extended from his fingertips.