"You drew her so beautifully here."

The Marine officer's eyes flashed open at the remark, betraying the fog of lethargy evident within those bright azure pools. It took him a moment to recognize his current surroundings, incongruous as they were to the dreary, clinical confines he was accustomed to in the base where he worked. Saffron beams of late afternoon sunlight eased past the overhanging boughs of the tree he sat against, casting scintillating striations against the pallor of his uniform. Before him sprawled the plains - a rippling, goldswept expanse of tallgrass which disappeared into a thin ribbon of lavender fog obscuring the base of Amenoka-ji's encompassing alps.

Straightening, he blinked once, twice, and drew in a greedy lungful of the cold mountain air. His dispersive gaze came to a rest on the familiar figure to his right - a slight young woman who lay reclined under the shade next to him, both their shoulders brushing against the aged grey trunk - and the rigidity in his posture presently dwindled. Unlike him, however, she was fully alert and engrossed in flipping through a battered leather bound sketchbook. Seeing him stir, she gave him a knowing smile and nestled closer to grant him full view of one of the pages.

The Marine stared down at the sketch. A small crease formed upon his brow as recognition immediately kindled in his electric blue eyes.

"I can see the resemblance with you," the woman mused thoughtfully, resting her chin against her knuckles. "Not so much in the eyes - I feel like it would be more obvious then. Maybe the nose or the mouth; I can't quite put a finger to it..."

He sighed. "There isn't supposed to be anything realistic about that," he muttered, pushing the notebook away.

"Isn't this how you remember her?"

"...many years ago, maybe."

The woman stared back down at the sketch, tracing a finger over the faded lines. "Well, it's a shame you never finished this one," she finally said, quieter now. "No doubt it'd look wonderful in full color."

The officer's face had grown closed off. Pointedly saying nothing, he began to pluck at the tufts of grass hemming the gnarled roots of the trunk.

Slowly, reluctantly, the young woman lowered the book back down to her lap. The expression on her face grew pensive as her attention drifted to the distant summits. The gleaming silver strands framing her face stirred against the wind's subtle caresses. When she spoke again, there was a distinct softness to her voice.

"You should know that she was never looking for perfection, Shige. She doesn't need you to be a saint, an artist, a soldier...anything, really. She's old and alone now. Maybe all she needs is...is for you to be able to depend on her again. Just a little bit."

He scoffed. "Like a child."

"There's nothing wrong with that. She's your own mother." A grimace perturbed her features. The young woman slowly lowered her head, pressing a weary hand against her temple. Her voice began to thin. "What am I even saying? I don't know why....why I bother...."

She trailed off with a humorless laugh, and for a moment, a peculiar gleam shone forth from her grey eyes. Closing them for a beat, she averted her face, drawing in a ragged breath.

The Marine remained reticent, yet he watched her closely from the corner of his eye. The asperity in his downturned expression eventually softened. Muttering something inaudible beneath his breath, he nudged her arm and pulled open the fold of his standard-issued greatcoat.

"Come here."

She looked up. Narrow shoulders sank ever so slightly in an appreciative exhale, and the young woman leaned fully into him, allowing him to draw the thick outer garment around them both. Her free hand slackened, dipping downwards to rest cradled fingers against her abdomen as she curled up next to him and rested her head against the crook of his neck. And for a fleeting moment, everything felt right. Here, the past didn't matter - hell, not even the distant future. Not a single soul existed within this unbroken mirage save for the three of them; that was what made it paradise.

If indulging moments like these could be considered selfish, she thought, then so be it.

Her eyes drifted shut again. She strained to listen to the wind whispering through the foliage. If only this spell could entrance her forever....

"Towa-san."

"Hmm?"

The familiar warmth of his hand gradually enveloped hers, the calloused pad of his thumb skating over her knuckles in soothing circles. She felt his chest expand, then gradually contract in a long, deliberate exhale.

"I'm wondering...have you thought of any names yet?" he finally asked.

Opening her eyes, the woman slowly pulled away. The worn fabric of his overcoat slipped off from one shoulder as she sat up straight. The rich, rubescent hues of the looming mountainside crept back into view, and a smile eventually claimed her features, tremulous yet hopeful. She turned back to the young man, her lips parting to form an answer -

──────────────────

"Murasaki Arisa can go to hell for all I care."

Anson looked up sharply from his newspaper. Two young men stood in front of the campus' main bulletin, cigarettes in hand as they perused the board's contents. He immediately recognized them as students of Valeris Island's Naval Academy. The attire was a dead giveaway - especially when considering he himself had once donned the same uniform as an officer-in-training. As had Ignas. As had Jasha.

Anson still remembered the day the candidacy examination results had been released for his brother's year, with their names inscribed at the top of the list. How Ignas had gone tearing down the streets of the campus with his mates, whooping and hollering like a madman for all of Valeris Island to behold. How Jasha's shoulders had visibly sagged in relief when he spotted his name in the list, a tremble evident in his voice when he'd later shaken Anson's hand and admitted, amidst surrounding roars of congratulations, how worried he'd been that he hadn't made the cut.

"Seems pretty bad, eh," the other remarked. "Has old Tensei put out a statement yet?"

"He won't. Not if the Commodore has anything to do with it. It's shameful!"

"You never know. The Investigative Service answers to Admiral Sakazuki now, remember?"

"Sakazuki won't do shit."

"Think about it, man. Sengoku was the one infamous for meddling on the Commodore's behalf. Now that he's pretty much out of the picture, Tensei's an independent party with respect to Murasaki. Something might come out of this yet."

"Sure thing," the first student retorted, shaking his head. "And we might as well hope for Portgas D. Ace to resurrect transfigured, angel wings and halo and all. This investigation was dead on arrival - that's the power of money and connections for you! And of course they do all of this knowing full well how it looks to the rest of the world. But who cares about a little bit of mud over the Academy's reputation when it means that Sengoku's precious protege can sleep soundly at night? This is the type of bullshit that makes me ashamed to even call myself a Marine."

Anson's gaze swung back down to the newspaper as the students strode past and exited the lobby. He was in a state of unusual agitation. His grip tensing over the pages, he tried his best to focus on the headline - something about wildlife preservation efforts in the West Blue - but the bold black letters suspended before his vision were quickly rendered meaningless, clashing starkly with the exchange he'd internalized.

The doors had no sooner shut behind the unknowing pair when a familiar voice interrupted his train of thought.

"I wouldn't have thought to have found you here, of all places."

Anson felt his blood run cold. Lowering the newspaper, he was greeted by Lisle Florence's tightlipped smile. Standing before him there in inauspicious civilian wear, she could very well be mistaken as a student or staff member by the unsuspecting bystander. Just another forgettable facet to the scenery. Yet to Anson, the alienness of her presence couldn't have been more jarring. Not in this situation - in any situation, in all honesty. He had never trusted her - not even when she'd first interviewed him as a witness in the days following Jasha's murder, when by all accounts he as the bereaved party should have welcomed her efforts. He couldn't help it; it was a gut feeling as familiar as it was potent. The upper echelons of the World Government's hierarchy were inundated with those of her ilk - lapdogs who were unbearably brazen in their opportunism, they may as well have sold their souls to their bureaucratic overlords. Everything was a game to them. Anything for the next promotion - that was the motto, wasn't it?

His fingers suddenly itched for a fresh cigarette. Resisting the urge to grimace, he affirmed her presence with a stiff nod.

"Inspector."

He caught a faint whiff of perfume as she passed by and took a seat across from him. The fact that she was here alone could be considered a consolation. Lisle was certainly insufferable enough on her own, but Anson wasn't sure how long he could stand it had she brought along her lackey to parrott her blather.

"Let me guess. They called you in to give a seminar?"

"Something along those lines. Who told you I was here?"

"Vice Admiral Garp. He was quite thrilled to tell me that you'd been willing to take his place."

Willing was a generous term. Both of them knew that coerced was more like it. Anson felt a headache coming on already. He seethed out a breath, a hand braced to his temple.

"We have something similar over at the campus at Marineford, you know," Lisle said, voice buoyant. She opened her purse and began rummaging through its contents. "Guest lectures by alumni, I mean. Perks of being a valedictorian, they called it, though I can't imagine anything more soul-crushing -"

"Cut the shit. What do you want."

Florence's eyes thinned somewhat, a hand mirror held suspended before her face.

"Well," she began slowly, carefully blotting beneath her eye with a wipe, "Marius and I, we figured you'd need some time to think things over... but respectfully, it's been over two weeks now. The Director is patient, but even he has started to ask some questions."

"And?"

"And...?" Lisle lowered the mirror and arched a thin brow. "Is it your turn to be coy now, Rear Admiral? Just how much longer do you need?"

Anson set his lips in a thin line.

"That depends."

"Depends on what?"

"On what further information you're willing to give me."

Lisle blinked slowly, as if not to fully comprehend his words. Anson fully lowered the newspaper and folded it and placed it to the side. He leaned in with his forearms rested on his knees.

"Those files you gave me - "

"You went through all of that already?"

"Yes. Several times over."

Lisle pursed her lips and studied him intently for a moment. Then she tilted her chin at a slight angle, the corners of her lips twitching upwards as she crossed her legs.

"I see. I'd liked to have hoped that the information was more than enough to stand on its own, but there's certainly no harm in being thorough. What is it you'd like for me to clarify?"

"The interview transcripts, for starters. I want them all unredacted."

"The interviews?" For the first time, Lisle looked genuinely taken aback. "I don't think that would be necessary. The segments we provided should be sufficient -"

"Then how would it hurt to include more information?" Anson's voice sharpened to a steel's edge. "You're going to need to be more transparent with me if you want my cooperation, Senior Inspector. And that includes giving me something a hell lot more substantial than a handful of cherry picked excerpts to use as grounds to betray my future in-laws!"

Lisle re-assumed a neutral expression in a heartbeat. She went silent for a moment, before snapping the mirror shut with a small chuckle.

"Betray. So this is still about Misato-san, isn't it?"

"Don't bring her into this. Are you getting me the transcripts or not?"

Her eyes glinted once. A cold, metallic sheen. All the while her smile remained unchanging - a leer made wolfish via the sudden vacancy held in her stare.

"Fine." The utterance was void of all emotion. Anson watched her closely as she stood and shouldered her bag. "Mind you don't take another fortnight to get back to me."

"I won't."

"Good. I'll have you know that Tensei-san has a vested interest in this case."

"Just give me time." Anson set his teeth. "I want all of this resolved more than anyone else."

Lisle thinned her lips and held her gaze, before giving her head a slight shake, as if exasperated.

"You don't understand, do you?"

"Understand what?"

"The scope of the matter. The severity of it."

Anson remained silent.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? What did you think, that the Investigative Service decided to get involved on a mere whim?" Lisle laughed. "This isn't the small-time news story you think it is, Rear Admiral. The higher-ups are already looking to get involved. They're setting things into motion even as we speak."

"Higher-ups? Are you talking about Tensei?" Anson caught sight of the university's bulletin board over Lisle's shoulder. A chill went down his spine as the conversation he'd overheard came back to him in an instant.

"...you never know. The Investigative Service answers to Admiral Sakazuki now, remember?"

"Sakazuki won't do shit."

"Think about it, man. Sengoku was the one infamous for meddling on the Commodore's behalf..."

"If only it was just Tensei-san," Lisle was saying. She rolled her eyes as if to bid good riddance to such a prospect. "Look, I've done my best covering for your indecision, but even I can only do so much before the hounds come sniffing -"

"Quit pattering around and get to the point!"

"I'm only saying that you should be careful." Lisle narrowed her eyes. "Be my guest if you want to stall! But don't go in thinking that you'll be protected by your rank for all your troubles. We both know who's holding the reins here, and it's most certainly not the Navy."

Anson fell silent again. Lisle started to turn away, then paused and slanted him a knowing look over her shoulder.

"If I were you, Anson, I'd start thinking of ways of getting into contact with the suspect before things start going out of control. Not just for you... but for your fiancée, too."

──────────────────

Negotiating had never been Arisa's strongest suit. Nor did she particularly care enough to improve in the area; her interactions with one singular Isseki Yanjirō had been enough to single handedly kill her interests in inter-clan diplomacy within a year of finishing her training. So in all respects, she should have seen this coming. Trying to reason with a pirate already wary of her intentions was a prospect formidable enough on its own. Doing so while in the midst of actively trying to avoid getting flattened by a giant serpent, though?

That was a whole other story.

Arisa climbed up to her feet, coughing amidst the smoke. The ground trembled as another round of cannons went off in the near distance. Her senses screamed as a flicker of Haki registered for the umpteenth time; muscles reacting on impulse, she dove for cover in an indiscriminate direction as a blast of venom rocketed to the spot where she'd once stood, eating away at the rocky ground with an eruption of hissing fumes. Less than a split second later a familiar veil of blue light flickered into existence, encircling the entire surrounding region in a translucent orb.

Her eyes widening in panic, Arisa scrambled back up to her feet to evade, but she was too late. A brief sensation of weightlessness captured her entirety, a cool rush of air registering as her surroundings morphed and shifted. The world sharpened back into clarity as she landed somewhat clumsily on a boulder several dozen meters away. Again.

"I won't give you another warning, Nightingale-ya," Law snapped from her right, sounding exasperated. "Stay out of my way!"

Teeth clipping together in a snarl, Arisa whirled around to face the pirate, knuckles shaking over Kagerō's hilt.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she burst out. "How many more times do I need to - ?! I just gave you the perfect opening! Again!"

If anything, that he actually had the audacity to look offended only added more fuel to the fire. Law tore his gaze away from the rampaging basilisk in favor of side-eyeing her as if she'd grown a second head.

"An opening for you to steal the kill, you mean?"

She bit back the urge to scream.

"For the last time, I'm trying to help you! Been trying to help you this entire time -"

Out of all things, she wasn't expecting that to hit a nerve, but it evidently did. Law glared at her, an eye twitching.

"I never asked for anyone's help!"

"Well you clearly need it!"

"What!?"

Gavros interrupted them at this juncture, lobbing another mouthful of poison their way. Arisa tensed, readying herself to leap away, only to stumble unceremoniously again as she blinked out and back into existence safely out of range via another Shambles.

Law scoffed, stepping up next to her from her left this time. She stared at him, a quiet sense of unease nestling at the back of her mind when she detected it once more - that minute shift in the fabric of chaotic energy thrumming around them.

"It's obvious you don't have a counter to this guy's strategy," she continued, a tinge of desperation bleeding into her voice. "He'll just wear you down at this rate - that's the only way this ends! Unless you're planning on having your subordinates act as bait!

"They aren't subordinates."

Startled by the sudden edge in his voice, Arisa squinted critically at the surgeon through the smoke.

"...well aren't you the captain?"

That was the precise moment Gavros' tail came hurtling down over their heads. Alarm overtaking whatever misgivings she harbored, Arisa blindly pitched herself sideways. Though managing to avoid the brunt of the blow, she wasn't quite fast enough to avoid getting glanced in the shoulder by one of the horned scales. A biting sliver of pain lanced over her arm and upper back like a jolt of electricity, followed by a dizzying sensation as she was sent flying back a dozen or so meters from the momentum. A gasp of pain heaved past her lips as the harsh jolt of impact sent dull shockwaves of pain through her system.

Peeling herself off the ground with a muted groan, Arisa gave her head a slight shake. The sting from the fresh laceration on her shoulder quickly subsided to a dull throb, blanketed by the sickly warm sensation of blood which now plastered the fabric of her tunic to her wound. Inwardly, she swore at her own carelessness. A blow of that caliber should have been easy to deflect with her Haki, which really spoke volumes of how far out of her element she was faring in this whole self-imposed multitasking thing.

The basilisk loomed forth from the settling smoke, its triangular head pitching back with another thunderous roar, mouth agape to discharge a fresh bombardment of venom.

There was no time to spare. Arisa leapt to her feet, Kagerō coming up as if fueled by instinct alone.

"Shiden - 'Hanamori.'"

The surrounding aura wavered as crackling wisps of Kyōki seemingly flared into existence in accompaniment with the electric purple slash which sang forth from the length of her blade. Ripples of darkly camarine hues blemished the empty space between channeler and opponent like unfurling flower petals, buoyed upwards by the cyclonic draw of the blow. A faint mist of blood erupted, only faintly visible, as the airborne slash planted itself across the diagonally along the width of the basilisk's massive scaled throat. Gavros barely flinched.

A beat passed. Arisa inwardly steeled herself, closing her eyes as the makeshift petals fluttered, whirling higher and higher...

With a gurgled hiss, Gavros let loose the anticipated jet of poison, firing directly into the drifting cloud - which promptly exploded in his face in a deafening blast of energy. The shockwaves radiated outwards from the deteriorating cyclone with enough force to drive back the gargantuan beast a dozen meters or so, knocking his head upwards and redirecting the trajectory of his poison from its intended target.

The explosion caused by 'Hanamori' was indiscriminate, its blast strong enough to knock Arisa off her perch atop the boulder she was on even against her best efforts to remain upright. Righting herself from a clumsy landing, she froze in place when her surroundings rematerialized around her in a rush of cool air, seamlessly situating her at a safe distance away from the basilisk behind another stone outcropping.

"Devil Fruit abilities?" Law asked, lowering his hand as his Room waned and flickered out of existence.

"No." She hid a grimace in response to the questioning look he slanted her way. "...it's complicated."

To her secret relief, Law didn't bother to prod any further. He peered past the corner of the boulder, keeping track of Gavros' movements as he roamed the shoreline in search of them.

"How am I supposed to trust you?" he asked suspiciously.

"What?"

"I need Gavros-ya alive. Who's to say that you won't go in for the kill like you have for all the others?"

Arisa shook her head desperately.

"If you want him alive, then we can get him alive. I don't need him dead."

Gunmetal eyes immediately riveted to meet hers.

"What's in it for you?"

Arisa hid a grimace. Here was the hard part. By this point it was safe to assume that Law and his crew were wholly ignorant of Kyōki - their knowledge of Haki, even, was likely dubious at best. Which made sense, since the papers had reported that most of the Worst Generation had only made it as far as Sabaody Archipelago in the days leading up to the Summit War. Without prior background knowledge on either, there really was no real way to break down this whole fiasco into a few digestible sentences. Not without sounding like a rambling lunatic, anyways.

Where do I even start?

Oh hey, Surgeon of Death. Nice to meet you! That's my friend Riyu over there. So I know this is probably going to sound crazy and all, but it turns out there's a way to channel and manipulate something called Kyōki, which in essence represents all the chaotic energy in this universe and acts as the life source for these super scary beings called yōkai. Bet you've never heard of those before either, right? Isn't it cool? Anyways, here's a five-hour crash course on Kyōki and how it interacts with Haki. Got that? Good?

Well, the reason I decided to jump in today is because your Kyōki signature - which is of course totally real and not at all complete and utter bollocks - is way out of wack, which means there's a very high likelihood that you're either being possessed by a predatory yōkai or you've somehow accidentally turned into a Kyōgui hybrid, which would mean Riyu and I would have to kill you. (Sorry! But no hard feelings!) We'd really appreciate it if you'd let us confirm which is the case!

Oh, and by the way. You called me 'Nightingale-ya' just a few moments ago, didn't you? Well congratulations, you've hit the nail on its head. Turns out I'm her kid. What a coincidence!

She inwardly facepalmed.

There's no way he's going to believe me...

Which left her with only one other feasible option.

"I'm... looking for information," she heard herself say haltingly.

Law narrowed his eyes skeptically.

"Information?"

"About Joker." There it was - her single shot in the dark. There was no taking it back; she could only hope that Heart Pirates were also at odds with the broker, else everything she and Riyu had been working towards could very well be for nought. "That's who you're going after ultimately, right?"

Law didn't answer right away. Taking his lack of an immediate reaction as encouragement, Arisa forged on a head as earnestly as she could.

"I'm the same way." Arisa hesitated, trying and failing to read his expression. "There's a good chance that he's gotten his hands on something that I've been looking for. And if it turns out he does, then... Then I'm going to need to go take it from him, no matter what the cost."

Law raised his hand without warning. This time, Arisa had recollected herself enough to react in time. And react she did, flitting back past the burgeoning Room's perimeter within a fraction of a second. The surgeon stared at her through the permeable blue barrier, a slight frown coming over his features.

"Get in."

Arisa took another step back, all thoughts of her previous entreaty dwarfed by alarm.

"For what?"

"Just get in." The ominous intent evident within the surgeon's aura was enough to keep her suspicions up.

Just to get my limbs amputated? No thanks.

Arisa shook her head stubbornly.

"Why should I?"

"I just saved your life."

"Nope." A nervous laugh broke past her lips. "Don't think so - I definitely could have gotten myself out of that one."

Law sighed. The Room flickered and disappeared as he lowered his hand. A beat passed.

Arisa waited.

"Room."

Just as she'd expected. Arisa darted back just out of range as the blue dome spastically zoomed back into existence, this time covering a larger area. Law's jaw visibly clenched as he glared at her with folded arms.

"We're wasting time," he ground out. "Just get in."

Arisa shook her head again. He's definitely going to chop me up into mincemeat. Or worse -

"You're right - we are wasting time."

"So get in. Room!"

She scrambled again to avoid the growing dome.

"For what?!"

Law paused deliberately.

"Consider it a trust exercise," he finally said.

A trust exercise? Arisa sweatdropped again, resisting the urge to drop all pretenses of normality and to gape at him open mouthed. What does he take this situation to be... an icebreaker session for kindergartners? Is he lucid?

"No, I don't think so - "

"-nnneeeekkiiiiiiii!!!!!"

Both surgeon and yōkai hunter spun around to face the direction of the disembodied voice which came sailing from over a pile of boulders. Less than a fraction of a second later, a small pale streak rocketed over the ledge and came skidding to a stop several meters past Arisa within range of the pirate's Room in a flurry of perturbed dust.

"A Mink?" Law muttered.

"I'm here, aneki!" Riyu pumped her fists and gave a small victorious hop, spinning midair to face her friend. "Don't worry, I'm completely fi-" she cut off short, making a face when she spotted Law standing just a few paces away. "Gah, it's the real thing! Mr. Dots!"

"Riyu...?" Arisa stared, dumbfounded, before stiffening upon realizing exactly where the Mink had landed. "Riyu - get out of there! Now!"

Law blinked once, his gaze roving between them both.

"So she's with you then." He shrugged. "That works just as well."

Arisa felt her heart drop to her stomach.

"No, wait-!"

"Mes."

Arisa's cry of alarm had barely issued past her lips when a solid cube of flesh blinked into existence atop the surgeon's waiting hand. She froze in place at the sight, momentarily rendered speechless with horror. It didn't take an idiot to deduce what had just happened

So that's what he was after...!

Looking nonplussed, Riyu turned and peered quizzically up at the throbbing cube.

"That felt weird! What's that?"

Law glanced up, briefly meeting Arisa's furious gaze, before flicking a dismissive look down at the Mink.

"Insurance," he answered deliberately. "In the form of your heart, Weasel-ya."

It nearly took all Arisa had not to bury her face into her hands, to give in to the flurry of panic which churned at the pit of her stomach. This was all on her. Riyu hadn't asked to be any part of this. In fact, hadn't the Mink been the one who'd pushed for holding off on this mission altogether?

I was such an idiot -!

Riyu blinked once and slowly trailed her gaze away from her heart. Her hands began to shake at her sides, lips wobbling with emotion, face working in horror -

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU-TEIA CALLING A WEASEL?!!"

Law's eyes visibly widened, and for a split second Arisa could have sworn to have seen a look of sheer astonishment flit over his expression. He barely transported himself out of the way as the Mink launched herself into the air and sent a Haki-coated fist plowing his way, planting a blow into a shelf of boulders strong enough to send a spiderweb of fissures over the interface.

Oh...

Arisa's lower jaw felt like it was about to go completely unhinged. Right. The perfunctory name-calling had gone completely over her head. With that factor in play, she should have been worried about Law from the start.

"Riyu!" All thoughts of self-preservation abandoned, she dove past the Room barrier to restrain the Mink, locking both arms around her companion's midsection and dragging her back, kicking and screaming. "Wait, stop, we still need to confirm that -"

"I'll have you know, you dotty tattoo-bastard...!" Riyu twisted free and lunged again, her voice swelling into a howl of indignation. Arisa gritted her teeth and scrambled to wrestle her back down to the ground. "...that there's a WORLD'S WORTH OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ERMINE AND A WEASEL!"

"Is she crazy?" Law demanded, leaping away from another boulder-splitting punch. His grip started to tense over the flesh cube in forewarning.

"No, wait! Please!" Arisa mustered out in the midst of flailing limbs. Unceremoniously shoving Riyu's head into the ground face first, she glared up at the surgeon. "I can handle this!"

"Get her under control before she forces my hand!"

"That's what I'm trying to -! Gah!" An undignified yelp escaped Arisa's lips as Riyu tried to bite the back of her hand in an attempt to squirm free. "Riyu, for the love of God, knock it off -!"

"-PTAIIIINNNNN! CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN!!!!"

Several sets of footsteps approached from the near distance. Arisa inwardly swore in annoyance, one arm already steeled over with Haki as she strained to keep Riyu on the ground. An auburn-haired man in a white jumpsuit soon materialized from the smoke. He came skidding to a stop and doubled over with his hands on his thighs, shoulders heaving as he strained to catch his breath.

"Shachi!" Law snapped. "I told all of you to stay back - it's too dangerous here!"

"I know! I'm sorry, Captain! But we have something... - something real urgent to report... Rakko said....Bepo told him... he thought he saw... the.... the -"

"SAY IT TO MY FACE, MR. DOTS, YA-TEIA BASTARD! I DARE YOU!" Riyu cut Shachi off with a hearty roar, rolling this way and that and thrashing about repeatedly in an attempt to headbutt her subduer.

"Riyu, shut up!!"

The auburn-haired man stiffened and leaped back, startled.

"SHE'S ALREADY HERE!" he shouted, pointing an accusatory finger down at the pair. "THE NIGHTINGALE IMPOSTER!"

"Yes, I've known for the past ten minutes," Law seethed. "I can take care of it!"

"IT!?" Riyu raged, struggling to free herself from Arisa's hold. "IT?! DID YOU JUST CALL ANEKI AN 'IT,' MR. DOTS?! YOU'LL REGRET THAT, YOU OCTOPUS! I'LL MAKE YOU BOTH REGRET THAT!!"

"That's enough!" Arisa hissed, swatting the Mink over the head.

"D-did she just lump us together, Captain? But I only just got here..."

"Don't pay attention to that fool!" Law rubbed his temples, voice heavy with resignation. "Go tell the others to stay back! Gavros-ya is still out on the loose; I don't want to see a single one of you near this area until I've taken his heart. Do you understand?"

"Well..." Shachi scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "...the thing is..."

He was cut off by another distant cry.

"REPORTING, CAPTAIN~!!"

Another set of footsteps - this time considerably more haphazard in rhythm than its predecessors. Two more jumpsuit-clad figures darted into the clearing - a man with an absurdly large cast encasing his foot supported by a woman with curly dark hair pinned back with a bandana.

"WE'RE HERE TO REPORT, CAPTAIN!" the man shouted, waving his arms like a maniac. "THE NIGHTINGALE LOOKALIKE WAS SPOTTED COMING THIS WAY. WE SUSPECT SHE HAS AN ACCO-..." His eyes landed on Arisa and Riyu, voice fading. "...oh."

Seeing the aghast expression on his face, Arisa almost found herself sympathizing with the Surgeon of Death.

Well. I seem to have become quite the celebrity amongst this crew.

If I hadn't gotten my hands full with Riyu, I would've waved to relieve the tension...

"All of you," Law seethed, an eye twitching, "need to stay. Back!"

"-PTAIN! CAPTAINCAPTAINCAPTAIN! CAPTAIN WAIT! URGENT NEWS! WE'RE HERE TO REPORTTTTT!"

...Oh, God. There's more?

The thought had barely occurred when another fuzzy white blur - this time substantially larger - zoomed into view at the corner of Arisa's eye. She started to turn her head to visualize this latest arrival more clearly, only to be rewarded with a sharp elbow to the ribs as Riyu's thrashing intensified.

"Bepo!" Shachi exclaimed. "You came from all the way over there?"

"Of course I did!" the polar bear piped up, sounding indignant. "How could I not have? It's important information that Captain needs to know ASAP! We were able to spot the -... Oh."

Arisa sweatdropped.

For some reason I feel bad now.

Law let out a heavy sigh.

"Yeah." Shachi let out a nervous laugh. "...looks like we were a little late."

"Is that a... Mink?"

"Hmm. Looks like it..."

"Oh."

The latter was uttered by Riyu, upon whom the polar bear's presence seemed to have the most peculiar effect. She immediately ceased her struggling and proceeded to stare blankly at her fellow tribesman as if to behold an apparition. Arisa tentatively released her grip and sat up with a pained grimace as the gash in her shoulder protested, watching on with wary eyes as the Mink hopped up to her feet and wordlessly approached the polar bear.

"Eh?"

Riyu clasped her hands and bowed respectfully.

"Garchu."

Bepo blinked once, before automatically bowing back.

"Garchu."

"Gar-" The auburn-haired man started to follow suit, before slapping himself and straightening to gape at his companion in confusion. "Wait, what the hell, Bepo? Where did you even learn that from?"

"I don't even have the slightest clue!" the bear exclaimed. He hung his head low, a melancholic cloud hovering over his bent form. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize so easily now!"

"That's right!" Riyu nodded sagely. "Don't let others dictate your feelings, Mr. Bear! We Minks should never have to apologize for our heritage! Now where was I...?"

"Hey, Weasel-ya. Look over there."

Having halfway risen to her feet, Arisa found herself nearly keeling over again in exasperation. But even if she'd had her wits about her to try to restrain Riyu again, she would have been far too late. Eyes glowing, Riyu blurred out of sight and rematerialized in front of the Surgeon of Death, one Haki-coated foot drawn back and primed for a killing blow.

"Tsukinowa -"

A ghost of a smile flickered across Law's expression.

"Shambles."

" - KICK!!!"

Riyu blinked back into existence in the air several dozen meters above their heads. Originally intended for Law, her kick was directed straight into the jaw of one gargantuan basilisk looming over them - midway in the process of lunging into their midst - with the force of a missile, seismic waves erupting from the blow in short, terse ripples. Arisa spun around in time to see Gavros' entire upper half go flailing sideways as the Mink alighted, stumbling a little as she landed.

"Woah! Nice going, Captain!" Shachi cheered.

"So that confirms it. His main weakness is Haki," Law mused aloud, another Room spiraling into existence beneath a ready hand. His grin broadened. "That makes things straightforward."

Arisa looked up sharply.

So this was all a test, she realized. Even from back when it was just the two of them. He'd wanted to test Haki-based attacks against Gavros' defense, all the while still being unable to demonstrate such ability on his own. So he'd made up for it by watching others who could - namely her and Riyu. That had to be the reason why he'd approached her after seeing her use 'Hanamori' - he'd seen that it had worked to a certain degree, and wanted to confirm that it hadn't been because of a separate Devil Fruit ability. That was why he seemed more open towards the prospect of working together afterwards.

That was why he took Riyu's heart as insurance.

And even now... he was the only one who'd noticed Gavros approaching this entire time, wasn't he? But he didn't try to warn anyone beforehand. Instead he used Riyu's aggression to gauge the opponent's vulnerabilities and put his doubts to rest for good.

Here was a man who knew how to play his cards right. Who, despite his status as a mere rookie in the world of pirates, Arisa was now absolutely certain she wouldn't want to face as an enemy.

Another blue dome spiraled into existence, expanding rapidly in route to envelope them all. Her eyes met his, reading the hidden challenge in them.

Law smiled, casually tossing the heart up into the air and catching it again in his free hand.

"How about I take you up on that offer, Nightingale-ya?"

Arisa narrowed her eyes.

"I want one more stipulation."

"Weasel-ya's heart? Fine. But first..."

The Surgeon of Death shouldered his nodachi and turned back towards the basilisk. The self-assured grin curving his lips widened ever so slightly.

"....be a good decoy for me, won't you? It'll all be over soon."

- Shiden (紫電): Purple lightning.

- Hanamori (花守): Flower g

uard.

- Tsukinowa Kick (月の輪キック): Full Moon Kick.

Fun fact - the word 'octopus' / 'tako' can be used as a derogatory term in Japanese. I've always taken it for granted so never really questioned the origin, but if you think about it, it does sound quite weird from the outside, doesn't it? It comes from the Edo period and and carries the same connotations as 'baka-yarō' (aka 'moron,' 'ya goddamn idiot,' etc.).

This chapter felt strange to write. I haven't attempted humor in a while - inspiration for that comes and goes for me, so pardon the questionable quality lol. All I can say is I tried my best to make it One Piece-ish as I could. Yeah?

I think Oda mentioned in one of the SBS's that Law's the type of guy who likes to "just go with the flow." His actions here are basically me taking that angle to the extreme lol - "Oh won't you look at that, there's the mystery head-lopping chick who's been going around sabotaging all my plans - why don't I go ahead and use her as bait, eh?"

He is as much a troll as he is an angsty boi after all >:)

We will get more exposition about Kyōki in the next chapter, so I'm also pretty excited about that.

Thanks for reading,

-shiba