"Cut me! I told you to CUT ME! Slice me up. Come on! Cut me! Right here!" Charlotte drew her arm across her midsection from her left hip to the right. "You're a surgeon, it's your job to cut people up!"
The Heart Pirates stared at the huntress as if she had a screw lose. They were on their descend towards Fishman Island, and as a result of the coating job, it was the first time any of the Hearts were able to stay on deck while their submarine remained submerged in water without being thrown off and in Law and Charlotte's case without being at the mercy of the sea water.
"You already let me waste who knows how many hours of opportunity when you left me asleep." Charlotte paused. This felt familiar. "What's with you and leaving every island while I'm unconscious?"
Law tapped his finger against his bicep as he watched the huntress' crazy antics. It had started the night before when she refused to let them depart, not without first catching her a fish. "Technically, you were awake when we left." He corrected, watching her bloodshot eyes. It took them far into the night for to catch the fish. She passed out as soon as they caught one. Still clutching onto it.
"Though whether she was of sane mind at the time is highly unlikely." One of the Heart Pirates added from the sidelines. "Whether she's of sane mind at this moment is also very unlikely." Penguin added quickly and as if to prove his point, Dan reiterated "She's telling Captain to cut her in two!"
The group nodded, sounds of agreement filling the air like a chorus at the statement. That was not what they expected when the huntress finally woke up. Then again, this was the first time for many things to be seen. Never had they been able to venture so deep into the waters before. While their ship was a submarine, there was only so far they could go before the water pressure made it unsafe.
"Woah, what kind of fish do you think that is?" One of the Hearts asked, and Charlotte's attention was instantly pulled towards the sea creature they were looking at.
"That's a Viperfish!" Charlotte answered immediately, face lighting up despite the large fangs on the long fish that looked anything but friendly. "It's a fierce predator of the sea! It's rare for humans to see it!"
"You really know your fish, Charlotte." Rike said, lifting his head from the book he and a few others were hunched over. The A to Z's of All Things in the Sea and the only personalized item of Charlotte's from Sabaody Archipelago was spread open against the deck. They have been using it as a guide to identify the different types of fish they came across.
"It's not a compliment. It just means ya a fish nerd." Cole added when he noticed Charlotte's beaming face. "How are ya so energetic anyway? Ya looked like ya wanted to kill anythin' that moved just earlier." Shachi had gone into wake her earlier knowing her love for fish only to almost lose his head from the exhausted sleep deprived woman.
Charlotte pointed a gloved finger in a random direction behind her. "There. Are. Fish." She declared as if it explained everything. A school of fishes skirting around behind her pointed finger as if proving her point.
"Wow, I didn't know you like fish so much." Bepo beamed, happy to have a fish buddy. "Which one is your favourite one to eat?"
"I don't think eating them is what she likes about them." Penguin corrected before Charlotte could respond, he added, ignoring Bepo's immediate sad 'sorry', "Isn't that why you're always sitting by the portholes when we're submerged? To watch the fish." Penguin offered with an easy smile. Charlotte's face flushed red, and she pulled on her scarf to hide the blush. The color only making it much easier to notice. The others smiled at her reaction, calling her cute in their minds.
"... Not just watching. My childhood dream was to swim with the fishes in All Blue." Charlotte muttered quietly, the words leaving her mouth before she even realized it. Panicked, she avoided eye contact with the crew, waiting for them to laugh at her dream or the mystical legendary sea where all North, South, East and West seas meet.
Instead, the crew shared a glance with one another, a smile on their faces as they took in the first information about herself that Charlotte willingly shared with the crew. They looked at the obnoxiously yellow children book once more and grinned. "That's a great dream, Char—"
"There are a few problems with ya dream." Cole interrupted and the Hearts shot him a heated glare. Leave it to Cole to ruin the moment. "For starters, ya can't swim; ya ate a Devil Fruit so that'll never happen."
"T-that's why I want to meet Dr. Vegapunk!" Charlotte spluttered, not sure why she was suddenly flustered or trying to defend herself. It was just a stupid dream. One like Cole said, was not possible. "I want to get rid of this stupid curse so I—"
"Second, no one knows where All Blue is or even if it truly exists." Charlotte stiffened.
Law glanced at the frozen huntress next to him. All color drained from her face and her eyes blown wide. Law scowled, a sick feeling twisting in his gut at the expression. "Cole-ya, that's en—"
"...exists. It exists!" Charlotte shouted after finding her voice. Her hands balled together. "The sea is a vast place. No one's been through the whole thing except for maybe Roger and he has that one big treasure—One Piece. No one knows what One Piece is. Who'stosaythatitcan'tbeAllBlue?" Charlotte hollered, heaving heavily.
The corner of Cole's lips twitched into a grin. "Thirdly and lastly, ya ain't going to get closer to that dream of yours by stayin' holed up in Sabaody Archipelago. Ya wasted five years there when ya should have been travelin' through the seas to find All Blue."
Charlotte blinked, while the rest of the Hearts chuckled at the man's words. "But I can't swim, and I don't know how to drive a submarine?" Charlotte blanked, pointing at herself.
Ignoring the comment of Cole being oddly nice, Shachi threw an arm over Charlotte's shoulder, pulling her in for a side hug. He grinned and Charlotte glanced around at the rest of their happy and knowing grins. "But we do! With the Polar Tang, we can take you through all the different seas and until you find that doctor, you'll just have to make do with using the sub to swim instead. Like you've been doing so far."
Law hid a rare smile behind his hand, enjoying the look of surprise on her face. Her face a flushed red as deep as the scarf she was trying to turtle behind. The look of 'Had I been that obvious in her fish spying?' on her face.
They beamed when she didn't say a word of opposition. "So that's why you always never seem to want to leave the sub. And here I've always thought it was Captain. To think he lost to some random fish."
The rest of the pirates laughed at that while Law stiffened. His gaze turned towards the embarrassed huntress. Was she here for some fish and not for him—her hunt? Law paused. Was he getting jealous over some fish?
Penguin stalked over towards bubble floating on the middle of their dock and the cause of all the commotion. The clear bubble acting like a divider similar to what the coating job did to their sub—allowing them air while keeping the water out and from crushing them—but in the opposite way. Seawater filled the inside of the bubble with one very tired looking blue sailfish it. "What's so special about this fish? Besides that, it's fast?"
Charlotte had demanded that they capture a fast fish and stick it into one of bubbles before they were allowed to take off. It had taken half the drunken crew and most of the night to grab the one fish. He patted the side of the bubble, grinning when his eyes met with the tired fish, proud that they were able to catch one the night prior. "Is it going to be your pet?"
"Or is it for me to eat?" Bepo added, staring at the large fish with hungry eyes.
Charlotte eyed the large fish and it shuddered away from the huntress when her eyes lit up devilishly. The rest of the pirates leaned over, wondering what it was that the huntress had planned. She had been so adamant the night before about the fish and when asked she would just brush it off saying 'you'll know tomorrow.' Charlotte pressed a hand against the bubble protecting her from the energy-sapping water. "Neither, I'm going swimming!" She declared loudly and the rest of the pirates fell at the sudden declaration.
"Didn't we just go over that you can't swim?!" Someone shouted and Charlotte ignored the man's cries, turning towards the other Devil Fruit user.
"And how do you plan on swimming?" Law challenged her determined gaze with a tired stare.
Charlotte flipped out her blade with flair and brought the blunt end across her mid-section. Then she brought her blade towards the bubble, drawing a vertical line across the fish's middle. The fish jolted, darting to the other side of the bubble as fast as it could. "You're going to make me a mermaid."
Noise filled the deck again as the pirates had varying responses to Charlotte's declaration. Some were ecstatic to see the huntress as a mermaid, already picturing how a mermaid version of her would look like while others were curious on the fact that if it was even possible to Frankenstein stitch Charlotte and a fish together like that. "There's just one glaring large problem with that plan: you'll still be crushed by the water pressure this deep in still be weak to sea water." Law reminded and Charlotte only grinned wider.
She slapped her hand against the bubble and the sailfish jumped, fear in its eyes from the huntress. "I'll be in a bubble. Or at least my top half. My fish side should be fine to touch the water, right? I'll just swim around for a bit and come back. So do your thing with your ability and cut me in two." She smiled at the end despite the morbid words that Law never thought he'd hear someone say, so happily too.
"Don't order me around and no." Charlotte's smile dropped.
"Why not?! Aren't the one who always wants us in disguises? We're going to Fishman Island, we'd stand out more as humans than half fish!" She reasoned quickly while jumping before Law again and blocking his path.
"Underwater currents are unpredictable. The chances of a ship making it to Fishman Island is already low. No need to make our odds worst." Law stated and as if proving his point, three sea beast came charging at them. The angry look in their red eyes were anything but promising. "Move," Law ordered, and Charlotte stood her ground. When he tried to side-step her, she followed. Law paused, glancing up at the huntress. Her Haki should have allowed her to notice the danger. "I won't ask you again."
"And neither will I." Charlotte didn't relent, keeping up with his pace and stepping in his path wherever he went.
The sea beast slammed into the side of the submarine, causing some of them to tumble over while the rest got ready for battle. Cole aimed his gun towards the Sea Kangaroo turning back towards them only for Rike to jump on him and stop his assault. "You can't shoot, what if you burst the bubble?"
"Leave this to us!" Shachi called as he and Penguin rushed towards the edge of the deck. "North Blue's waters are tough!"
"I've reversed engineer the coating so you should be able to withstand the water pressure in these bubbles." Dan explained while suiting the two up. The two wasted no time before the two were out zipping through the water as if they were part fish. A rope tied around their waists kept them tethered to the sub.
Charlotte watched the two with fasciation and excitement. Why were they keeping their swimming skills hidden?! Charlotte stared in awe. They were as quick as fishmen. "Move!" Law commanded, breaking Charlotte's trance. Charlotte deepened her stance. Eyes revitalized with vigor. She was going to join the two if it was the last thing she does!
"We're going off course!" Bepo shouted.
Law pulling his gaze away from where Shachi and Penguin were struggling. Three Sea Beast were going to be tough for the two to handle on their own. "Charlotte-ya." He warned to huntress who had once again step in his way. He could confidently cut through the sea beast without cutting the coating bubble with his ability. But he could only avoid cutting her if he wanted to persevere the bubble; he couldn't skip both her and the bubble from his cut right now and Charlotte knew that.
She met his glare with a challenging one of her own. "Just cut me." She stood her ground, weapons at ease despite the large tentacle coming at her from behind.
"Move!" Law hollered, fingers twitching. His gaze darting between the stupidly brazen huntress and towards the attack that would easily squash her. Her eyes held steady, and Law cursed. There was no time.
"ROOM!"
He drew his blade quickly.
The tentacle plopped off and a scream erupted across the yellow submarine.
A happy one.
"YEEEEEESSSS!" Charlotte exclaimed, arms jolting into the sky as her torso separated from her lower half. The once angry glare of the Kraken behind her widened in pure shock as it stared at the space between her top and bottom half, and then fear when Charlotte's torso continued to speak. "Now, cut up the fish!" Kraken followed her outstretched arm towards the trapped sailfish. Their eyes met. Run, it warned.
"Slice it up!"
As quick as it came, the giant squid turned tail and bolted. Fear in its eyes.
Charlotte grinned wildly as she curled her tail up to meet her hands. Her fingers pinching at the tails edges before twisting over to see her fin. It flared out like a sail and her eyes beamed. It worked! She was part fish now! "Law!" She called and Law glanced up from his hunched position leaning on his blade for support. Damn woman and her speed.
"What now?" He panted, frustrated beyond compare. They managed to get the Sea Beasts to leave them alone. But not by conventional means, Charlotte's screaming half body and antics of trying to chop up the poor sailfish scared the Sea Beasts away. Charlotte somehow managed to drag the bubble around with her and still be between Law and the Sea Beast at every direction he turned. Damn her and her Haki proficiency. Law cursed. "You got what you wanted! What could you possibly need now?" He chopped up the damn fish on accident when trying to deal with the Sea Hippo from eating the sub.
"Watch my legs!" Charlotte ordered, pointing towards her lower half standing perfectly still where she had been severed in two. Penguin and Shachi standing next to it admiring the lengths as they returned back to the deck. Cole made a comment about how the huntress was mostly legs now that he looks at it. "And what are you going to do?" Law asked, returning his attention towards the huntress. He froze at how close her face was to his. The glee and happiness clear as day on her face.
"Thank you," She smiled genuinely, and Law stiffened. Before he could recollect himself, he heard the familiar pop of Charlotte slipping out of the ship's protective layer. The protective layer that the two were wearing before now coating her human half too. "Oi, don't get separated! Where's your rope?!" He ordered with a sigh, conceding to her antics. They hadn't formulated a plan yet for Charlotte's random swimming adventure. What if she drifts away? His expression deadpanned when her sail fin fanned out and Charlotte spun out and away from the submarine. Exactly!
He sighed when he realized how limp her body is. "Someone! Grab a rope and go grab our huntress back. The idiot's seasick." Her plan didn't work. The sea still cursed her.
Much to everyone's surprise, Cole was the first to act, suited up in a bubble and out of the sub's coating. "Idiot." Cole grumbled around the rope bit between his teeth as he swam over towards the slumped fake mermaid. He threaded his arm round her slim waist and pulled her close. He glanced around at the seabed around them. The water here felt warmer and it was slightly lighter than where the submarine was. He frowned, a bad feeling settling in his stomach. He wrapped the rope around his fist a few times and gave it a hard yank to inform the crew to pull them back.
Or that was the plan had it not been for a sudden current the submarine got caught it.
Cole coiling more of the rope against his arm, trying to keep up with the jerk back. He cursed, watching the bubble bend dangerously and the rope pulled tighter against his arm, jerking them around. He snapped his head back towards the weakened huntress when he felt her slip out of his loosened grip. His fingers reached out, just missing hers as she floated away. Her face twisted together in pain and fatigue, body weak, and completely at mercy from the sea water.
Shitty Hunter!
He let go of the rope, kicking away from the submarine, arm stretched out to grab Charlotte. A wave of heated bubbles erupted from one of the many strange looking hills around them and Cole's eyes widened in realization as bright and glowing red seeped through the cracks. They were surrounded by underwater volcanoes! Ones that were about to blow! Dumb Witch! How am I supposed to apologize if we're both dead? Cole cursed again and swam faster towards the huntress.
"Can I ask you a question, Charlotte?" The huntress turned back to the half drunken Clione, surprised at how literate he was. "Why do you pick on Cole so much for Haki training? ."
Charlotte quirked a brow. "You want to be included in it, Clione?" At the man's flustered response, she knew it wasn't true.
She leaned against the tree trunk and hummed. It was true. She was harsher to Cole than the rest of them. She even threw in some balloons at him offhandedly. Partially because she was stubborn and Cole was annoying as heck. But also because...
"I'll only say this once. The Albino Ape is strong. Out of any sharpshooter I known—and I've hunted a lot of them, he's one of the best ones." Charlotte remembered the shot that he made back when they infiltrated the marines base. The distance was already a great feat in itself, being able to land such a bullseye with all that wind and the time crunch—it wasn't something luck could have made for him. "Imagine just how strong he'd be if his range opened up with Haki instead of just the physical eye." The mere idea had a chill running down her back. He'd be a force to be reckoned with. "Out of anyone here, the one to best benefit from Haki mastery is the Old Fart." Which is exactly why she couldn't have him slacking off.
Cole didn't mean to eavesdrop. He stumbled across the conversation while looking for the washroom. But he had and he had to agree with Jean Bart. He really owed her an apology. "Come on!" Cole grunted, arm stretched out further to reach the long tail of her epithetic scarf. His fingers brushing against the fabric when the ground between then opened up and the volcano erupted.
"Captain! The rope! It came back empty! Neither Cole or Charlotte are here!" Rike informed immediately. His butt still against the deck where he and a few others had fallen over from trying to pull the two back as fast as they could. "They must have fallen off when we got picked up by the down current."
Law's grip against his sword tightened and a silent curse left his lips. This was why he said to stay put! "Bepo, where are we? Do you think we can manage to get back?" He shouted into the den den mushi connected to the main control room. The bear and Jean Bart already back at navigation.
"We're still caught in the current and I have no clue where it's taking us, but wherever it is, it's not Fishman Island. We're off course!" Bepo informed back, his voice panicked. Jean Bart's struggles against the current could be heard in the background. "We need to get out of this current first or we'll be in danger!"
"O-Oi, how deep is Fishman Island supposed to be?" Penguin asked, swallowing hard. He looked out to the black sea around them, the waters suddenly a pitch black. Eerie echoes and strange luminescent glow flickering off in the distance. "H-How deep did we fall?"