"Ah! Charlotte, off to see Captain again? Here, can you take this to him?" Shachi asked quickly, towards the female storming through the hallway. His happy voice a stark contrast to the growing anger radiating off the female. He grinned, waving the huntress off with another 'good luck on your hunt' when she swiped the plate of food from him without a word or break in her stampede over.
"D-did she just listen without causing trouble?" The Heart Pirates gaped, surprised at her sudden compliance. They were so used to collectively gathering to get the huntress to listen to orders, and when that failed, they relied on Law and his abilities. Which was the majority of the time.
"Perhaps she finally realized we've been using those sessions as practice to improve our abilities." Jean Bart suggested, and the others snapped their heads at him, dread coming onto their faces. But Captain told them to get stronger! How else were they supposed to improve?
"Charlotte's tunnel vision really is something else." Penguin noted with a chuckle, popping his head out of the doorway at the noise. He gave the depressive lot a confused stare before refocusing on the retreating female. Her tunnel vision was something he and Shachi recently realized. If they wanted to sneak things by her, like her taking on more jobs, it was best done when her attention was focused elsewhere. Only Charlotte had successfully managed to get Law to eat regularly at mealtimes. After that, they decided she would be the designated person to ensure he eats regularly. They wondered if she realized that she had accepted the favour and job.
"What is this?" Law questioned, never taking his eyes off what he was busy with. The question in general was directed towards a plate of food that Charlotte had so gracefully thrusted onto the table as she barged into the infirmary. Law was sure Dan was going to have to work on the metal door Charlotte slammed open. It was barely attached to the hinges anymore.
"Lunch," Charlotte stated. "Shachi gave it to me. Milos says you usually forget to eat. Eat."
"I thought we moved you off dish duties ever since we had to restock on plates after you broke everything." Law turned to the other medic in the room for confirmation and he nodded.
"If I'm not doing it, then someone else is and you're only prolonging their job." Charlotte remembered the numerous times she waited for Law to finish eating so she could finish her chores. The doctor often forgets to eat, too absorbed in whatever he was working on. "Hurry up and eat or wash it yourself." Rike jolted at the comment—no order—that Charlotte launched into the world. He glanced back at their beloved captain and tried to interject saying that they didn't mind waiting to wash Captain's plate, but Charlotte stopped him. "How spoiled can you infatuated lot be with him?" She scolded the other and turned back towards her target. "Eat before I force feed it to you. I'm not letting my target die on my watch from malnutrition!"
The two blanched at the comment, neither choosing to comment on how she's the last person to educate anyone on health.
"Did you forget I'm the Captain here?" Law responded instead and Charlotte rolled her eyes as she plotted down in the loveseat she had claimed. The chair practically molded into her shape and the strange sitting position she sat in. Law was annoyed with her at first, especially when she refused to sit in the thing properly. She had thrown her legs over one armrest and leaned against the backrest while her back was pressed against the seat and her head used the other armrest as a pillow. Charlotte claimed that it was comfier her way rather than the traditional way.
"As if I could with how often you keep saying it." When her eyes rounded back to him, they were challenging. "But even the captain should be capable of taking care of himself and cleaning one measly plate."
"I don't want to hear that from someone who can't even wash dishes." Law remarked immediately without a shred of hesitation or remorse. He hid his grin when the huntress, expectantly, exploded behind him.
"W-What did you come in here for anyway...?" Rike interjected quickly before the huntress could attack their Captain. The truth in Law's words clear on all the bandages taped around her fingers clutching the armrest to death.
At the words, Charlotte stopped. Mind rewinding back to the reason she came in here the first place, and her face soured immediately. Her eyes narrowed on the evidence that proved the whisperings about a magnifying glass that reveals everything floating around the sub as truth. "Why is that doing here?!" Charlotte demanded, pointing at the Remedial Core.
Law folded his arms together and turned towards the huntress. The Remedial Core pinched between his fingers in an almost lazy manner. "We're studying it." His voice lifted at the end along with his brow. He didn't understand what the other was getting at.
"Why?" Charlotte questioned back immediately, distracted for a moment before shaking her head and refocusing. "No, I mean, why do you have it?" She went through all the troubles of getting it so that the Zālians could get back what was stolen from them. "The Zālians will need it for the next time the island decides to it doesn't want to be hot anymore." Lyas had said the flu came annually. Plus, didn't Law make a cure for the illness? He didn't need the core then! Especially now that they have left the island.
Law grinned and Charlotte's scowled deepened. "I'm surprised that you care so much for the Zālians, especially given how they treated you." He teased, leaning forward, and closing in on the little space between them. He eyed the disappearing space between them, surprised when she didn't pull like she often did to maintain distance.
"I don't." Charlotte scoffs after a moment's hesitation. She threw her scarf over her shoulder and pulled her gaze away. "...but that doesn't mean they should die."
Law placed the core back against the table, and his gaze lifted to Rike. "For someone in your line of work, you're surprisingly easily motivated to save lives." He asked easily, turning towards the huntress just in time to catch her gaze darting towards the young pirate.
He beamed at her. "Thank you for saving us. I heard you went through a lot of trouble to get the Remedial Core for us." Rike thanked genuinely. "Though, as a doctor, I'd appreciate it if you also took more care of yourself." To think she went out into a blizzard and fought while sick.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" She mumbled quickly, hiding her reddening face behind her scarf. "I-I was just clearing my name!"
Rike smiled gingerly at that, sending her another thanks in silence. "Oh, and the seasonal flu will never trouble them again. The vaccine that Captain created was administered to everyone on the island." Rike explained. He and the others administered the shots for the whole island after they woke up.
Law grinned widened smugly at the astonished look on the huntress' face, pride filling his chest. "I thought you were supposed to be known for your brutality." Law's face dropped instantly, and Charlotte ignored it, more perplexed at the realization. This was the man who had ripped out her heart and used it as a bargaining chip to get what he wanted. This was the man who she was supposed to hunt—a mean and bad man.
He's not as bad as you think. Scary at times, but not bad. Penguin's words echoed in Charlotte's mind and before she could think more on it, Law spoke. "You learn things new every day, Hunter-ya." Law turned his attention back towards their newest toy. He paused, turning towards the huntress when she didn't move, noticing the serious look on her face. "What's wrong?"
"I don't like to be misinformed."
His lips slanted, amused. "Rumors aren't very accurate, Hunter-ya. Why don't you replace your rumors with actual information?"
Charlotte blinked. "...Are you asking me to ask you about yourself?"
His stared back at the woman, stunned for a moment. He wasn't sure exactly what he meant anymore, but he didn't think that her first conclusion would be that. Law's lips curled and he pivoted, refocusing on the new device. "As for the Remedial Core, it's quite a curious item. It displays information of any item you point it at right down to its composition in a quick and easy way to understand." Law stated, lining it up with the huntress.
Charlotte covered the lens with her glove and pushed it away, quickly before he could see or read anything. "Yes, I am well aware." She started robotically and full of disdain. She waited for her copy ability to time out before she could look at things without sensory overload and constant headaches. "It's just another Devil Fruit ability." She rubbed at the space between her eyebrows, feeling a phantom headache coming on from her last round with that ability. "What? Is there something on my face?" Charlotte asked at the sudden stares the two were giving her. She frowned and glanced at her gloved fingertips. They were clean.
"How do you know that, Charlotte-san?" Rike questioned. They have been spending the last few days trying to figure out how the core worked and all they managed so far was that it displayed information in bite size pieces.
"Because my Devil Fruit ability was triggered when I picked up the Remedial Core." Charlotte explained and when she saw the confused look on the medic's face, she turned towards her Target with a raised brow. She was surprised he hadn't disclosed her ability to the rest of the crew. Or was he still not certain about her abilities? "You figured it out, didn't you?" Charlotte stated and Law glanced over at her.
"Was I right?" He asked. Charlotte still couldn't tell if he was testing her or if he already knew.
Charlotte sighed and ran a hand through her hair. There was no point in hiding it any longer. He already knew whether she confirmed it or not. "You're the first one to have figured it out." She stated and then added, "I really shouldn't be surprised given how liberal I was with my ability around you and how smart you are."
He interjected, smugly, "Is that a compliment?"
Gosh, he's cocky. "It'll be disappointing if you hadn't by now." She said instead and his expression dropped, and Charlotte couldn't help the slight twitch of her lips at the sight. "I ate the Gisu Gisu no Mi. Like you hypothesized, it works through physical touch. In other words, as long there is skin-to-skin contact, no matter how short the touch or whether the touch was purposeful or accidental, the ability is copied. Whether I can use the ability well or not depends on if I understand how the ability works. The duration an ability remains copies varies on the ability and how consuming it is to use it." Charlotte explained as if she was ticking off a checklist. She peeked at her target, checking whether he was satisfied with the information provided or not.
"That was why you were following us on Sabaody Arhcipelago and why you always asked about other's Devil Fruit abilities." Law remembered Kid's words about how she got chatty before she made a big move and all the questions about the Bartholomew Kuma's ability.
Charlotte shot him a subtle sideway glance, more focused on the first half of his sentence. He knew she had been tracing him before she revealed himself? She wondered if he was aware of his own Kenbunshoku Haki abilities awakening.
"Is there anything you can't copy?"
Her brows knotted together, and her lips twisted. "Logia-types devil fruit users when they're in their element." She said and held out her gloved hand. "I can't copy when there's nothing physical to touch." She pushed her hand through the air to illustrate her point.
"Yet you can copy abilities from things that aren't even living." Law said and their gazes drifted towards the Remedial Core. "How an inanimate object was able to eat a devil fruit is another issue."
"Apparently," Charlotte hummed withed a nod. She wasn't aware of that until now. "Anything's possible when it comes to Dr. Vegapunk." Charlotte shrugged easily, chalking it up to the mad scientist 500 years ahead of his time.
"You seem rather invested when it comes Dr. Vegapunk." Law said, remembering the journal she had taken from his room.
Charlotte nodded honestly, "He is the one most knowledgeable about Devil Fruits." She said sincerely and she thumbed the round edge of the Remedial Core with her gloved fingers. "I'd like to meet him if possible."
"I thought you hate Devil Fruit users and Devil Fruits. Why would you want to meet someone who studies them?" Rike commented and Charlotte paused her ministrations.
"To learn how to extract a Devil Fruit ability from someone without killing them."
The two doctors turned towards the huntress. "Who do you want to extract a devil fruit ability from?"
"Myself."
"Why are ya still here? Shouldn't ya be off doin' whatever it is ya do? You got the cuffs off." Cole asked with a sneer on his face as if he was looking at some hateful stain. He lifted his gaze towards the huntress, making sure that she knew exactly what stain he was referring to.
Charlotte scoffed, brushing the look off easily. She pulled a card from his hand, face beaming when she drew a matching pair. A more than necessary smirk on her face as she dramatically tossed the pair down, platinum eyes locking with hazel. Her grin grew thin, and her face twisted together as she answered, "Ask your Captain. He has a rather bad habit of knocking me out whenever he's planning on leaving the island."
The group blinked. The statement was, surprisingly, very accurate. Charlotte was knocked out when they left Sabaody Archipelago, then drugged at Amazon Lily, and most recently passed out at Kukonda Island. Three out of three. They couldn't help but wonder if their captain was doing this intentionally.
Charlotte frowned when she picked up the card matching the one that Penguin had just stolen from her. Charlotte blinked, monetarily distracted from their card game by the three around her. "What's with all those looks?"
"N-Nothing," Shachi coughed, first to recover. He grinned when he picked up a match from Penguin's hand. Their game would soon come to an end. "And not it's not typical of Captain to drug us every time we depart. So far, it's only been you who he's done it with." Shachi added quickly, already knowing the question she was about to ask. The look on her face was more than enough of a giveaway. The huntress had the worst poker face.
Charlotte pouted and dropped her weight into her free hand. "Why me? What have I done to deserve this?" She sighed and the group blanched. What has she not done? There was no one else on the ship who so blatantly disobeyed orders, purposely cause trouble, or try to attack their Captain whenever possible.
"Would you have actually leave us and stay on that island?" Penguin interjected and Charlotte's finger twitched to a halt next to Cole's hand. The frustrated boy cursed his luck; she was just about to pick the Joker. Her finger tilted left, picking up the card left of the one she had paused at earlier. Cole shot Penguin a death glare for interrupting earlier.
Charlotte hummed. She picked up another card and threw the pair down. A single card left in her hand and Cole hissed frustrated. "Hm... no," she answered honestly, ignoring Cole's outburst along with the rest of them. Shachi paused, fingers hovering over her remaining card, distracted by her answer. He and other two pirates stared at the huntress shocked. Had they grown on her? "That place was either too hot or too cold." Charlotte added after a moment.
The next island then. They thought depressed.
"Oh, though I suppose I won't be staying on any island to come either. You're all stuck with me now." Charlotte pulled her arms to the sky, stretching and popping her back. Ignoring them completely as if she hadn't just dropped a bomb on them. The card Shachi had selected slipping from his hands. She paused at their stupor. "For a crew so obsessed with their captain, you guys forget orders quickly. Didn't my hunt tell you? I'm a member of the Heart Pirates."
At least until she gets her heart back.
Law glanced across the deck at his frozen crew and the strewn cards around them. A lone ace of Hearts sitting unpaired between two piles of pair cards. He frowned. They were a head short. "Has anyone seen the huntress?" He sighed, already knowing the answer. He lifted his hand lazily when the pirates shook their heads, after jolting out of the stupor, surprised at the huntress' sudden disappearance and Law's sudden appearance. Law wondered how long they were frozen. "Room." A blue film extended outwards, encapsulating the whole submarine.
"Woah, Captain, your Room is getting bigger each time!" Shachi commented in awe at the size.
Law smiled at the comment but didn't bother to clarify that it was a result of Charlotte constantly avoiding the boundaries of his room, forcing him to expand the size. He would never admit it when asked, but it proved to be great training.
"Shambles."
Charlotte blinked at her surroundings. Her confusion matching the quirked brow on Law's face as he stared back at her and the plastic basket she had tucked under her left arm. Some bottles, a towel, a loofah, and some folded clothes. His eyes lifted from the basket of shower items and towards the huntress' reddening face. Ah. He had caught her about to—
"Tact." Law directed the flying basket towards the ground before it could smash into his face. "You were supposed to be on deck." Law stated instead, no shred of apology in his voice.
"As I'm sure you guessed by now, I was busy." Charlotte responded back with a flip of her scarf over her shoulder. Her tone matched his uncaring one. She ignored the many hungry and flushed faces of the other male pirates wishing that their Captain had been just a tad bit slower in pulling her on deck. She guessed she should have been glad that Law shambled her when he did if he was going to.
"Going to be busy." Law corrected.
"Don't you have an island to be on?" Charlotte shot back instantly. They were headed somewhere for the last while now and the submarine had finally stopped moving.
"We do and there's also something I want you to do." Law stopped when the other raised a hand to stop him.
"And why would I do what you tell me to?" Charlotte posed the question again. What was with this guy and constantly telling me to do this and do that. Just who does he think he is?
"Because you're a part of the crew and I am the Captain." Law said naturally.
"Yes, yes." She droned, waving one hand while picking up the forgotten basket. This was a waste of time. She reached for the roll of clothes she had tucked away. "I'm going to wear the stupid uniform." She said, unfurling a boiler suit at the same time that Law spoke, "The crew listens and abides to the Captain's orders."
The two of them paused, staring at each other with equally shocked and baffled looks. The boiler suit flopped against the submarine's deck. The two of them were on completely different pages.
Charlotte was the first to recover. "Does this mean I have to call you 'Captain'?" She questioned as if she had just been told that the world was ending.