Multiple OCs, set some time after Dressrosa, no spoilers for my other story will be in here. Probably an AU story.

Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance

Constructive Criticism is welcome.

Power Released

The pristine blue of the seemingly endless sky was misguiding.

But nothing, not even the world's strongest telescope could capture a glimpse of the darkness that manage to somehow conceal itself against the blue sky.

If clouds could gather up the hostile intent that was flying through the air and release it like rainwater, the planet would have been flooded with hostilities within minutes.

But it wasn't possible.

The blue sky continued to stretch on, the stratocumulus clouds suspended lazily, both completely unaware of the darkness that soared through it, completely unaware of the dangers that were lurking right out in the bright sunlight on this warm day.

Typically, one would think that such darkness and malicious intent couldn't be hidden, but it was. It blended into its surrounding, no matter what those surroundings were. Hidden in plain sight from all prying eyes that dared to glance upwards.

It wanted to be spotted. It wanted to attack. It wanted to hurt. It wanted to kill.

But it couldn't.

It had a mission. It was looking for someone. For eight long years, it had been looking for this person.

And, finally, it found them. It thought it did. This one was different from the others. This one was stronger than the others. This one already commanded Death.

This one had to be the one it was looking for.

Tilting its eyes downward, it scanned the islands that blurred beneath it as it flew passed them. It flexed its long, spindly fingers out before tightening them into a fist. The person that it was seeking was tantalizingly close. So close that it could taste the person's power.

It could feel the person's power radiating from miles away, days away. The power was so strong, so invigorating. It had to be the one it was looking for. None of the others had a presence that was this strong. This one had promise.

The creature picked up its speed, blurring the world around it, eager to finally reach its destination.

But still, while flying towards its target, it reminded itself that it needed to be careful. A power this strong surely wasn't one to be taken lightly. Even if this person wasn't aware of the power that they held within them, they were still a threat until the ceremony could be completed.

…

One Hour Before Contact

…

Law sighed. His eyes roamed over the books that were scattered out before him on his desk. Turning from the books, he scribbled some notes down in his notebook then returned his eyes back to the books to read more of its content. He sighed again. He just couldn't concentrate. And this was the perfect chance for him to get some studying done on some new medical procedures that had recently been released. Both his crew and the Straw Hat crew were scattered about the island they were currently docked at.

After three days straight of Luffy complaining about being sick of sailing for two weeks without stopping, Law finally gave into the younger captain's demands of stopping at an island for a few days. The Straw Hat captain was elated. And, despite his own crew not showing any outward signs of it, he knew that they were also just as excited.

The sub was completely silent. He was completely alone. This should have been the perfect time for him to study. But his mind refused to concentrate on the books in front of him. His mind kept getting distracted by the thoughts of his lover, his wife, who was currently being escorted around the island by Penguin, Ikkaku, Topaz, and some of the Straw Hats. He wasn't sure which of the Straw Hats were with her. He assumed, without a doubt, that the Straw Hat doctor was with her and the two women. The Straw Hat women wanted to take Neo shopping for maturity clothes. He thought the money spent on them was going to be a waste. He knew that Neo would wear his clothes the majority of the time during her pregnancy. She would need the extra comfort. And wearing his clothes always gave her the extra comfort she needed when she needed it. Despite that, she was only three months along and most likely won't get very big because she herself was on the petite side of things.

He rubbed his neck. Leaning back over his desk, he tried once more to get himself to focus on his studying before all of the noise from the two crews decided to come back. And once again, he just couldn't do it. He wondered if maybe it was too quiet. After all, he has been sailing as a pirate captain for years. He grew accustom to having quite a bit of noise around while he was studying.

He shook his head. He knew that wasn't correct. He could study no matter how loud or quiet his own crew was. He just couldn't study around the loud, obnoxious Straw Hat captain because Luffy would get right up in his face or hover over his shoulder while asking annoying questions. Something else, in this moment, was causing him to not be able to study.

Perhaps it was because Neo wasn't near him. Maybe he was just a bit concerned about her. Or maybe it was because she was out shopping for things dealing with her pregnancy and he wasn't with her. Did other men go shopping with their pregnant wife at all? He wasn't sure. He could imagine some men going out shopping for some stuff, like the crib, but what about other stuff? What about for the maternity clothes that Neo was forced to go shopping for right now? That was more for her instead of the baby. So he didn't feel like he really had to be there. But should he have been anyway? Was that what was bothering him?

Law placed his hands behind his head. Leaning back in his chair, he stared up at the ceiling of their room. He wondered what their life was going to be like when their baby was finally here. He might not have had experience with babies since he's been sailing the seas for so long, but he did know enough from reading books and from making educated guesses. Things were going to be very hectic in the beginning. But they would be fine. Everything would be just fine.

Law focused his thoughts. He searched out for Neo and checked on how she was doing. She was still in the same exact location she had been for the past fifteen minutes. And her emotions were under control and calm. He chuckled when her craving for pizza passed to him. She's been having that craving a lot. He had half of a mind of going to her and eating some pizza with her, but didn't. He knew when she got her pizza their shared cravings would stop.

With a soft sigh, he forced himself to go back to studying. He hovered over his books and read a page, just one page before Neo's anxiety and fear hammered into him. Growling at whoever had scared her, he grabbed his hat and his sword before holding up his hand. He was going to kill whoever caused her to feel this way. He formed his Room and disappeared from the sub. "Room. Shambles."

…

As it continued to fly over the unsuspecting lands below it, it started to think about its target more. Its target was human. Humans were often frail, fragile creatures. But it knew that not all of them were. Some humans had gifts. Some humans had what was called Devil Fruit powers.

It had never confronted a Devil Fruit user directly, but it has seen some in action during its search. And they were strong. It was unsure if its own powers would be enough to handle such a powerful person. Just one person, it assumed it could.

But humans usually had friends. And those friends could also wield these Devil Fruits. Sometimes, they had lots of friends. If those friends also had these Devil Fruit powers, then obtaining its target would require a lot more power. It might even be impossible to obtain its target. It carefully thought about how it could go about getting close to this person and succeeding in its mission.

…

Forty Five Minutes Before Contact

…

"I'm not so sure about this," Neo said. She stared at a white and yellow flower pattern maternity shirt that decorated a pregnant mannequin before her. She pulled her electric blue eyes from the shirt and looked at the group she was with. She took all of them in, Penguin, Chopper, Robin, Nami, Ikkaku, and Topaz. They all were staring at the shirt in consideration of how she would look in it.

"What do you mean?" Nami asked. She pointed at the flower pattern shirt. "You'll look so cute in this one. And it will go great with your hair."

Neo put her right hand behind her back and tugged at her hair. Her sky blue, slightly waving hair that had grown down to her hips while she and Law were away at Punk Hazard. Yellow and white were two colors that did go well with her hair and her sun kissed colored skin.

"Oh yeah, because that's what's important in shopping for clothes you're only going to wear for a short period of time," Ikkaku said. She picked up a dark blue shirt before dropping it back on the shelf with mild disgust.

"Well, you don't have to be such a downer," Nami quipped. "We're trying to make Neo feel better."

"I'm not being a downer. I'm being realistic," Ikkaku replied. She planted her hands on her hips and frowned at the Straw Hat navigator. "You don't know Neo as well as our crew does. She's going to spend the majority of the time wearing the captain's shirts and hoodies. This is just a waste of time and money."

"What's that suppose to mean?!" Nami demanded. She put her hands on her hips, matching Ikkaku's stance. "You might have known her longer than we have, but we're still her friends."

Ikkaku scoffed. "Friends or not, you're only with our crew for a short while. And it's only because of the alliance our captain put us in. Which I still think is a bad idea."

"Are you still going on about how you think our crew is worthless?!" Nami about screamed.

"Well, you're captain is a world class idiot!" Ikkaku snapped.

Neo sighed. She turned her eyes from the two women once again arguing over whether or not their alliance was worth it. She blocked out their voices while tilting her head and examined the pregnant mannequin. If it were human, the mannequin would have been in the final month of its pregnancy.

She was only three months along.

Nowhere near looking as big at this mannequin did. Her tiny baby bump, her stomach would probably not get anywhere near as rounded as the mannequin's. She wasn't sure how big her wanted or expected her belly to get. It was kind of scary. It was scary. It was absolutely terrifying. She had a tiny person growing inside of her.

Her anxiety rose. The world around her faded.

"Take a breath, Neo," Penguin's voice said, his warm familiar hand finding its way to her shoulder. "We don't want the captain thinking someone's hurting you."

Upon hearing the man's words, Neo's lungs drew in a breath, then second one, and then a third one before she could focus again. Looking around, she noticed the concern looks of her friends, but for Nami and Ikkaku since they were still arguing. The most concerned was Chopper. He was staring up at her with such worry in his eyes. She bent down and picked him up. Hugging him to her chest, she said, "I'm sorry, Chopper, everyone. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm all right."

"How dare you say that about my captain!" Nami snapped.

"I'm only speaking the truth!" Ikkaku hissed. "He is an idiot!"

"But you have no right to call him that!" Nami growled.

"All right, you two," Topaz then said, placing her hands on each of their shoulders and pushed them apart. She stepped in-between the two women before things could get out of hand. People were already starting to stare at them, mostly because they were pirates, but she still didn't want to cause a problem and get kicked out of here. "That's enough. Remember, we're here for Neo. Not to get into a fight over our difference in taste and spending money. You're upsetting her."

The two women turned their eyes from the orange haired woman to Neo. Their shoulders drooping when they saw that they were indeed upsetting their friend. Neo was holding Chopper to her chest with sad, puppy eyes pleading with them to stop.

"Right. I'm sorry," Nami said.

"Yeah. Me too," Ikkaku added. She jerked her thumb towards the door. "You know, I think I'm just going to go catch up with some of the others."

"You don't have to leave," Neo said.

"This really isn't my thing," Ikkaku replied, heading for the front of the store. "I need a drink anyway. I'm sure at least some of the boys are at the local tavern. I'll catch up to you later."

"All right," Neo said. "Remember, we're building a fire later on the beach."

"Don't worry. I'll be sure that we're all there on time," Ikkaku said with a wave before disappearing out the door.

"Would you prefer do go else where?" Robin then asked. "We don't have to shop for these types of clothing. You're not very far along as it is."

"It's fine. Some of these clothes are pretty cute," Neo said. She scanned her eyes over the store. Despite it not being a very big store, there were still a lot of clothing items in here. And there were a lot of shoppers as well. Thinking back to the docks, that area of the island was very busy as well. So busy they weren't able to dock their ships there. They had to dock south of the docks at a beach. No one really minded having to do that. They were still in walking distance of the town and it gave them quite a bit of privacy to relax. "And I can still wear them after our baby comes. Topaz can easily alter them for me."

"Indeed I can. And I'll be happy to do that for you," Topaz said with a smile and a wink.

"Then shall we continue?" Penguin asked.

Neo nodded.

"I'm a bit surprised that you're here," Nami said to the man as the small group moved away from that particular section. "I didn't think any of you Heart Pirates would want to go shopping with a bunch of women and a reindeer."

"I don't mind. I like spending as much time with my little sister as I possible can," Penguin replied. He put his arm around Neo's shoulders. "Besides, with Neo being pregnant, he wants at least two of our crew with her at all times when she's off the sub."

Nami groaned. "That man. He's way to worried and over protective about her. I'm surprised he's let her off the sub without him by her side. And I'm surprised that he hasn't already came here out of worry."

Neo swallowed back a bell filled chuckle and scratched her cheek.

"What is it, Neo?" Chopper asked, looking up from her hold.

"I think he might," Neo answered. She put her arm back around Chopper. "He's not really focusing right now. He keeps checking to see where I am and how my emotions are."

"He's so worried about you. It's cute," Chopper said with a giggle. He then gasped at his own words. "But don't tell him I said that. I don't want my body to end up severed into multiple pieces."

"Don't worry, Chopper. You can say whatever you want to about him." Neo hugged him. "I won't let him cut you into pieces. You're too cute."

The rest of the group laughed. They knew, without a doubt, that Neo would indeed prevent Law from chopping up the reindeer. She could easily calm his rage with just a simple touch or look.

"Sometimes I think that man is far too hopelessly in love," Nami said, causing another around of laughter and a nod of agreement from Neo.

"Do you see anything that you would like to get?" Robin asked a minute later.

"Well, these two are really cute," Neo replied. She pointed to the two shirts she was talking about. One was black with stars on the front of it. The stars clustered around the stomach area and went up to the left shoulder. The stars on the stomach were larger than grew smaller as they went up to the shoulder. The other shirt was a faded blue with a cartoon polar bear cradling a baby polar bear. She had to bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. Polar bears were a common theme in her clothes. She just couldn't help but get them when she found a shirt with a polar bear on it. They always reminded her of Bepo.

"Those are cute," Nami said, her eyes scanning over the shirts.

"Let me carry them for you," Chopper said. He jumped from Neo's arms, plucked the two shirts off the shelf, and tucked them under his arm.

"Well, aren't you just the little gentleman?" Penguin chuckled.

"Hey! Don't make fun of me!" Chopper screamed. He leaped into the air and flailed his arms and legs. "I love Neo! I want to help her!"

"Okay, okay!" Penguin held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean anything by that!"

"Are you finished shopping now?" Robin asked.

"Yeah. I'm hungry. Can we go get something to eat?" Neo asked. She then tapped her chin in thought. "Pizza sounds really good right now. With lots and lots of cheese and green peppers and pepperoni."

"I get the feeling you're going to have that craving a lot during your pregnancy," Nami said. "That's the seventh time you've had it in the past four days."

"Hm." Neo pressed her finger to her lips. "I suppose so. Can we go get some now? There should be a restaurant around here that sells pizza. Or we could go back to the sub. I could whip it up a lot sooner than anyone else can by using my crystals. Sanji already had made up some pizza dough for me."

"He did?" Penguin asked. "When?"

"Two days ago," Neo replied. "You and Bepo were down in the training room while I was in the galley with him."

"What?!" Penguin shrieked. "You were in the galley with that pervert?!"

"Yeah." Neo nodded.

"You still can't get use to him being in the galley with Neo, can you?" Nami asked, but Penguin didn't hear her.

"What?! How could the captain let that pervert get so close to you?!" Penguin ranted. "I should have known! I'll kick his-"

"Penguin, it's fine," Neo said, biting back her desire to laugh at her ranting brother.

"You know, for someone who isn't blood related to you, he sure is protective of you," Nami stated. "Sometimes I think he's even more protect over you than Tra is."

"The crew has said that exact same thing," Neo said thoughtfully. She snapped her fingers. "Calm down, Pen. I'm hungry. Lets pay for these shirts and get some pizza."

"Yes, ma'am," Penguin said, immediately forgetting his rage at his sister's command.

"Looks like Tra's not the only one who's whooped by Neo," Nami whispered to Robin.

"Indeed," Robin replied.

"The whole crew is like that with her," Topaz said. The women shared a smile before following after the others.

Once at the check out counter, Chopper put the shirts up on the counter top then stepped back for Neo to pay for them. The woman behind the counter, smile as she rang up the purchase. She was in her thirties, with short dark brown hair and eyes wearing a light yellow shirt and jeans. She smiled and asked, "So who's the lucky mother to be?"

"That would be her," Penguin said, nodding his head to Neo.

"You?!" the woman gasped. "But you're just a child!"

"I'm twenty two." Neo blinked.

"Oh, well, uh, congratulations then. Sorry I miss judged your age," the woman said. "Is this your first?"

"It's fine. I get that a lot. Thank you. And yes, ma'am," Neo replied, shyly tucking her hair behind her ear before collapsing her hands in front of her. She nervously fiddled with Law's ring that graced her finger, her thumb brushing over the heart design that matched his tattoos.

"I should have known. I'd know that petrified look anywhere since I work in this place," the woman said. "All first time mothers have it. But, trust me, once you hold that sweet babe in your arms, all the pain of childbirth will be worth it."

"Uh." Neo blinked. A feeling of dread started to settle over her.

"Oh, let me tell you," the woman continued. "I thought I was going to die before my first child was born. I seriously thought that someone was stabbing a double bladed sword inside of me when the labor pains started."

"I can sympathize with that," another woman said.

Neo jumped. When did that woman get here?

"I felt like my entire body was going to burst into flames!" the second woman said.

A third one chimed in. She said, "I felt like my hips were going to pop out of place."

Neo looked around. Several women had wondered up and were talking about the pains of their labors. She gulped. She didn't want to hear any of this. Looking around again, she tried to locate her friends, but the women had pushed in and separated them. Chopper was the only one close to her. And he was pressed up against her leg because of the crowd of women pushing him. She barely registered he was there as an icy grip of fear gripped her chest.

"No! Get away from her!" Penguin's far off voice shouted.

"Move it!" Nami's just as distance voice added.

But it was too late. Neo was boxed in. She grabbed her head. Her knees buckling under her, she screamed, "Get away from me! Law!"

"Mil Fleur! Gigantesco Mano!" Robin called out. She sprouted up two large hands around Neo, forcing the women to back up. Some women gasped at the large hands while other screamed and ran away in fear.

"Neo!" Chopper cried out. He placed his hooves on her arm and spoke calmly to her. "It's all right, Neo. They're not going to hurt you. You're safe. Just breath. Law will be here any second now."

"Ch-Chopper," Neo's voice cracked as she spoke. She peaked through her watery eyelids at the animal beside her and drew in a breath. "I'm s-sorry."

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to apologize. We're the ones who should do that," Chopper said. "We should have noticed all those women were starting to gather around you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Neo whispered. She took a couple slow, deep breaths. After her sixth breath, she felt Law's presence near and Robin's large hands vanished from around them. She looked up just as Law knelt down and scoped her up into his arms. She clung tightly to him, burying her face in his neck. She could feel his anger towards every single one who cornered her. She could feel his harsh glare passing between each and every female near them that wasn't on theirs or the Straw Hat's crew. "Law, I want to go home."

Law nodded. Without a word, he formed his Room and vanished from the building.

"Wh-what was that about?" The woman behind the counter asked. "We were just talking and she completely freaked out."

"She can't handle being cornered by people she doesn't know," Penguin replied. He wore a deep frown on his lips and a harsh glare in his eyes that was concealed by his hat. He took a deep breath of his own and released it. He reminded himself that these women didn't know Neo. They didn't know about her past and that they shouldn't have cornered her like they did. He was angry with them, but also at himself for letting so many strangers get so close to her. He snatched the bag that held Neo's purchases in it and headed for the door without another word.

Robin, Nami, Topaz, and Chopper followed after the man without saying anything to anyone. They too felt terrible for letting a bunch of strangers corner Neo.

…

Law warped himself and Neo all the way back to the sub. Once they popped into their room, he tossed his sword onto the foot of the bed before sitting down on the edge of it. He pushed off his shoes then repositioned himself into a more comfortable position to hold her, removing her shoes before wrapping his arms around her. "It's all right, love. We're home now. You're safe."

"I'm sorry," Neo mumbled into his neck. "I didn't mean to freak out."

"No, love. It's their fault. They shouldn't have cornered you like that," Law hissed. He rubbed his hand in soothing strokes over her back.

"They didn't know. I think they were just excited to share their labor stories when they found out that I was pregnant for the first time," Neo said.

"What did they say?" Law asked.

"I don't really remember." Neo turned her face away from his neck. "They were talking about how much it hurt. I don't think I want to remember what they said."

"It's probably for the best," Law said. He loosened his hold on her. His hand slid from her back to her stomach, to her baby bump. A smile pulled across his lips just before she placed her hand over his. He locked eyes with her when she lifted up from him. He could feel her stabilizing, but he still asked her how she felt. "Are you stable now?"

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I didn't hurt our baby by getting upset like that, did I?"

"No," Law said. He focused their bond on her pulse. It was coming back down to normal so he didn't feel the need to preform an actual check up on her nor order her some bed rest. "Just take it easy for the rest of the day. And I'd prefer it if you remained near the sub."

"All right." Neo nodded. She rested her head back on his shoulder. "Weren't you supposed to be studying?"

Law chuckled. "I was. But I had to come rescue you."

"Liar." Neo giggled. Her bells filling the other wise silent room. She smiled when she felt Law's heart flutter at the sound of her chiming bells. "You were focused on me not on studying."

"And that was the right move," Law defended.

"It always is," Neo said. She lifted up from him again and placed a light feathery kiss to his lips.

He smiled and returned the exact same kiss to her before sucking her bottom lip in-between his. He then slipped his tongue into her dark cavern and tasted ever since inch of her while letting his hands roam up and down her sides. He glided his hands back down her sides, slipping them underneath her shirt, he pull it off of her. He chucked the item across the room before wrapping one arm back around her. He then rolled her over onto her back, his hand easily undoing the clasp to her bra before also chucking it across the room. He trailed kisses across her lips, her jaw, her neck, pausing to suck on her soft spot before making his way farther down her skin until he reached her right breast.

He kissed all over it, around it, underneath it before finally taking her into his mouth. He sucked softly. His lips smirking when he received a pleasurable moan from her own beautiful lips and she arched her back, pressing herself closer to him.

"Law," Neo beckoned, running her fingers through his hair before tugging on a strand. "Kiss me."

Obediently, he lifted up from her chest and pressed his lips to hers. He released a moan of his own when her hands found their way under his shirt then started working on undoing his jeans. He sat up. Pulling off his shirt, he tossed it to the floor right next to Neo's before leaning back into a kiss.

Neo summoned her earth crystals. She wrapped a vine around Law's arm and pulled him off of her and onto his back. Before he could say anything, she straddled over his hips with a smirk. She said, "I'm taking control this time. And you are going to be a good boy and listen to me."

"And if I choose not to be a good boy?" Law asked before bucking his hips into her.

Neo growled. She created more vines and wrapped them around his still free limbs. She held him tightly enough to the bed that he wouldn't be able to buck like that again. She leaned over him. Her long hair cascaded around her shoulders and brushed against Law's skin. Raking her fingers through her hair, she pulled it back over her shoulders and said, "You will behave. If you don't, then I will punish you."

"I'd like to see that," Law replied with a smirk.

"Maybe you will," Neo said. She kissed his lips before placing teasing kisses across his well-toned chest. She smiled when he shivered at her breath tickling his skin. She proceeded placing teasing kisses across him. With each kiss, the lower she got.

"Neo," Law said in a slightly warning tone.

Neo smirked up at him. She could feel him getting excited. She could feel him wanting to take her right now. But she wasn't going to give into him easily this time. She wasn't going to let him have it this easily. She was going to make him squirm. She was going to make him beg. And she was going to enjoy this.

"Neo," Law said in a more deep warning tone. He could feel her devious side taking over. An Elemental pregnancy symptom that he was divided on how he felt about.

She just continued to smirk at him before lowering a kiss just above the undone button of his jeans. She smirked again when she felt his skin twitch against her lips. She hooked her thumbs into his jeans. She started to tug them down, getting excited at the excitement she created in Law's eyes when…

Knock! Knock!

"Hey, Neo! We came to see if you're all right!" Nami's voice called from the other side of the door.

"I told you to leave them alone!" Penguin's voice hissed next.

"Why? What's the big deal?" Nami's muffled voice asked.

"I think they want to be alone," Robin's voice then said.

"So we shouldn't have come to check on her?" Chopper asked.

"I told you that a hundred times while we were walking here!" Penguin growled. "We should have stayed outside like Topaz did! Do you have any idea what the captain is going to do to us?!"

Law grumbled under his breath, his mind going over thousands of ways to make them pay for this interruption.

"I'm fine," Neo called to them. "I'll come outside in a little while."

"Oh? All right then! We'll go ahead and get started on the pizzas," Nami said. "Just come out when you're ready."

Law groaned in frustration when he saw Neo's eyes light up and her pizza cravings returned to them again. "Neo. Don't."

"I'm sorry, Law. But I really, really, really want that pizza," Neo said. As if to back her up, her stomach rumbled with hunger. "I forgot that I was craving that because of what happened back in the shop."

"Well, I really, really, really want you," Law protested.

"We can do that," Neo said, but released her vines and her crystals faded. She blinked innocently at him with no actual intention on continuing.

Law felt his sexual desires crumbling around him. He knew she wanted pizza more than sex right now. Plus it was three to one, Neo, her stomach, and their child against him. He sighed. "Go."

"But, Law…"

"It's fine." Law sat up with a sigh then pecked her lips. "We both know this wouldn't have gone anywhere anyway once your cravings came back."

"I'm sorry." Neo batted her eyelashes at him.

"It's all right, love. I'm not upset with you," Law replied. He pecked her lips again and fed her his feelings to prove his point. "See?"

"You are the best, Law!" Neo squealed. She kissed him again before jumping off him and the bed.

"Yeah, yeah," Law grumbled as he watched Neo snatch her clothes up off the floor and put them on.

"Hey," Neo said. She walked back over to him as he swung his legs over and at on the edge of the bed. She sat down, facing him. Her knees bent up under her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I promise I'll make up for this later."

"You don't have to," Law said. He dropped his eyes to her stomach and placed his hand over her baby bump. "If you're hungry, then you need to eat. Just don't eat too much pizza. I don't want you getting sick. And make sure thoroughly cook the pizza. And eat it hot."

"Yes, Doctor Husband of Mine," Neo said with a giggle. "I remember. And I will make up for this later."

"Not with the Straw Hats sailing with us," Law grumbled. He then shot her a playful glare. "Especially when you keep letting that raccoon sleep in our bed."

"Reindeer, Law," Neo stressed. She narrowed her eyebrows and pecked his nose. She repetitively pecked his lips while speaking to him. "And, don't worry, we'll have plenty of time together. You'll see. Here's a preview of what I have planned."

Neo delved her tongue into his mouth. She slowly stroked every corner of his dark cavern in the slow, tantalizing way that he liked, while trailing the fingers of her right hand up to his hair. She tangled her fingers into his wild mane, working him into a trance while passing every single sexual idea she wanted to preform on him later. She smiled into their kiss when he moaned in anticipation against her and for her. She broke the kiss then nuzzled his nose. "You're such a good boy."

Law growled again. "Putting me in a trance is cheating."

"Says the one who constantly warps me out of my clothes," Neo replied. "Which I know you'll do later when we pick this up again. Now, you get back to studying or we don't be having any fun later."

Law chuckled as she pulled herself away from him. She flashed him a smile before finally disappeared out their door. He knew she was right and wrong. Her threat was an empty one. And he would warp her out of her clothes later. But still, he pushed off their bed. Grabbing his shirt off the floor, he pulled it back on before sitting back down at his desk.

…

The creature smiled. After carefully considering its situation, it decided it would be best to directly attack this one. If it tried to observe its target, there was a high chance that the target, or a friend of the target, would sense that it was there. If it directly attacked, it could catch them off guard and have a higher chance of releasing the target's power.

It grinned. Running its tongue over its sharp fangs, it could already taste the death and destruction that was to come to this world. And it couldn't wait. It didn't have much longer to wait. It was coming so close to its target.

…

Fifteen Minutes Until Contact

…

Law sighed as he stretched out his legs. He rested his chin in the palm of his hand while rest his elbow on his desk. He listened to some of the muffled cries of Luffy. He wondered how it was possible for the Straw Hat captain's voice to penetrate the thick walls of his sub. But there it was. Forcing its way through to his ears. And judging from how excited the younger captain was talking and the angry shouts from others, he assumed Luffy had pulled whoever else was out there into doing something they didn't want to do. He figured it was the rest of the Straw Hats that were outside instead of his own crew. He assumed the majority of his crew was still in the town at the local tavern.

And here he was. Inside, still trying to study, but failing miserably.

He slammed his book closed. Grabbing his hat and his sword, he headed for the door. There was no point in trying to study when his heart just wasn't in it. He wanted to be with Neo. And that's what he was going to do. He made his way through his currently empty sub and wondered out onto the deck. Just as he heard, the Straw Hats, plus a couple of his own crew who had returned, were starting up a game of beach volleyball. Half of the net remained laying on the sand while the other half was being pulled into place by Franky. Turning his eyes away from them, he held out his hand and warped himself off the deck of his sub. "Room. Shambles."

With his sword free hand in his pocket and his sword resting on his right shoulder like always, Law trudged over to the only ones clearly not joining in the volleyball game, Neo, Robin, Nami, Chopper, and Bepo. The two Straw Hat women were sprawled out on beach towels in their bikinis and sunglasses while Neo was propped up against Bepo. Both the Heart Pirates were snoozing peacefully in the warm sunlight. Standing over them was Chopper, Penguin, and Shachi, all three decked out in beach attire. He glanced back over at those preparing for the volleyball game. His subordinates over there were also dressed in beach attire. He wondered when they had entered the sub to change for a second before turning his eyes back to the group in front of him.

Penguin and Shachi were working a beach umbrella into the ground and angled it to block out the sun off their favorite blue haired girl while Chopper was giving them directions of where to angle it. He said, "A little more to the left. We want to keep as much sun off of her as we can."

"Yes, Doctor Chopper," Shachi said with a snicker. He adjusted the umbrella a little more to the left. "I don't know who checks on and worries about her condition more, you or the captain."

"I'm a doctor. It's in my blood," Chopper said, proudly. He planted his hooves on his hips and smiled.

Penguin chuckled at the reindeer then smiled at Law when he noticed the captain walking over to them. He said, "Hey, Captain."

Law nodded in response while his eyes remained on Neo.

Chopper then said, "She feel asleep a few minutes ago after finishing her pizza. We thought it would be best to put up the umbrella in case she sleeps for a while. Don't want her to get burned."

Law nodded again. He continued to watch Neo sleep while the three pirates got the umbrella in a suitable position. When it was stable and in place, the two men wondered away from their captain, to join the volleyball game, while Chopper plopped down by Neo's left side, quickly falling asleep himself. The captain couldn't help but frown at the reindeer. He wanted her all to himself, but knew it wasn't possible right now, especially with the rest of the Straw Hats nearby. So he accepted the animal's presence and moved to Neo's right side. Placing his sword on the ground beside him, he propped up on his elbow and rested his head in his palm while he watched her sleep.

He brushed the back of his fingers over her arm tenderly while he watched her until they, seemingly on their own power, wondered to the hem of her white tank top. He pushed her shirt up then let his fingers glided over her stomach. Her use to be flat stomach, that held their three months conceived child. The child they weren't planning on having, the child that was conceived unintentionally after an incident on Punk Hazard caused them to get so rough with each other that their protection broke.

Anger burbled up in Law chest at the thoughts of that man trying to take advantage of his love despite having killed him for the attempt. He quickly banished his hostilities when Neo felt his anger and shifted in discomfort and started to brush his thumb over her stomach in soothing strokes. He relaxed when she released a content sigh in her sleep and her expression became light again.

He continued with the soothing strokes over her skin before an over whelming swell of affection for her and their child caused him to lean down to her. Uncaring of the giggles from the two Straw Hat women, he brushed his lips over her stomach, over the stomach caressing and nourishing their unborn child. When he lifted up from her, he noticed she had woken up. She was smiling sleepily at him. His eyebrows rose on his forehead at being caught. He smiled when she greeted him with a sleepy, "Hey."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Adjusting her shirt back over her stomach, he laid back down beside her.

"You should be studying," Neo said.

"I was. I just thought I could use a break," Law replied. His lips twitched into a smirk when she lifted a skeptical eyebrow at him. He wondered why they even bothered to try and hide things from the other. It was next to impossible. Their bond didn't allow for much secrecy despite having the ability to block their thoughts and feelings from each other. They still knew each other far too well. So he conceded to her. He rested his hand gently on her stomach. "All right. I just wanted to be with you…both of you."

Neo's eyes lit up at his words. Her heart raced rapidly in her chest as her smile grew larger. She placed her hand over his, which was still caressing her stomach. Softly, she whispered, "Kiss me."

Leaning over, he placed his lips to hers and kissed her with slow, tender kisses. A minute later, he broke the kiss. Both panting softly as he pressed their foreheads together, pushing his hat higher on his head. He brushed his nose against hers. "You should sleep now. You're still tired."

"You'll stay with me?" Neo asked, her eyelids falling closed.

"Of course I will. Now sleep," Law ordered softly. He watched her nod in agreement before drifting off to sleep faster than he knew she really wanted to.

…

It smiled.

Looking down at the island below it. It had finally arrived. It finally found the one it was after. And the one it was after didn't have too many others surrounding him. There were two groups of people on the beach. One group was closer to the water while the other group looked to be engaging in some form of recreation that humans often took part in. It ran its eyes over the beach again until it found the one it was seeking was inside one of the ships.

Soon it would know for sure if this one were the right one.

It angled its body down towards the island, but paused. A strange foreboding feeling washed over its body. It ran its eyes over the people again. Something felt different about two of the people below it. Two felt like nature. One felt like she was the embodiment of fire itself. While the other one, was far more powerful than the fire wielder. This one had all of nature bending to her will. And something else. There was something else pulsing inside of this particular one, but it couldn't figure out what it was.

It reconsidered its plans of attack when the one it was looking for walked into its view. The one it was after walked away from the yellow ship that was anchored at the island and over to the smaller group of people on the beach. It grinned before running its pointed tongue over its sharp fangs. Rubbing its hands together like it was trying to get warm.

The creature placed its arms beside its body and shot down towards the island.

…

Zero Minutes Before Contact

…

After a couple minutes of watching her, Law's own eyelids started to close to the soft sounds of her breathing. His eyes weren't even closed for a second before he snapped them back open due to an alarming presence both he and Neo felt.

Neo opened her eyes at the same time that Law did. She summoned her wind crystals, wrapped her winds around everyone that was near her, including Law's sword, and propelled them away from their current location seconds before something landed with an earth shaking crash right where they were laying.

"What's going on?!" Nami shrieked when their current sunbathing location was disrupted with a cloud of sand.

Robin crossed her arms over her chest in preparation for attacking if it was needed.

"What was that?!" Chopper asked, dangling from Neo's arms as they all stared at the spot they were once resting on.

"Huh?" Bepo woke up. He stared in confusion at the entire inverted world that was now before him. "What's going on? Why is the entire world suddenly upside down?"

Law glanced at Neo, eying her for any possible damage she might have taken despite feeling she was in no pain. When her eyes met his, he nodded. She nodded back in understanding then guided her winds to blow away the still circling sand.

Everyone gasped at the strange creature when Neo's winds revealed it.

It was surrounded in dark purple flames, but they could still see its skin was completely black. It had long limbs, boney elbows and knees, spindly fingers, pointed ears, no clothes, no definable features to suggest if it was male or female, and no hair on its body. Squatting down like a frog in the crater it created on its impact, it lifted its head up, revealing its yellow eyes with a vertical black slit in the center, to the gawking pirates before it.

A soft hiss extended from its lips.

"What…what is that thing?!" Bepo shrieked, flailing wildly in his upside down position.

…

"All right!" Sanji cried while spinning the volleyball on the end of his index finger. He looked over the two crews about ready to face off against each other in a, hopefully friendly, game of beach volleyball. "Let's get ready to play! Everyone ready?!"

"I'm ready!" Shachi shouted.

"Same here!" Penguin added.

"Ready as I can possibly be," Tero said. He crossed his arms over his chest and wondered once again how he managed to get pulled into this ridiculous game.

"You need to learn how to chill and have fun," Topaz said. She pulled her orange hair back into a braid and tied it off with her hair brat.

"Only when you Elementals learn how to stop being such a pain," Tero grumbled.

"Don't listen to him, Topaz! You Elementals are the sweetest creatures ever to walk the face of the planet!" Sanji cooed happily while he spun around in a heart filled tornado. His eyes ran over the curves of Topaz's black bikini clad body.

Topaz laughed. "You're so sweet, Sanji."

Tero scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Quit being a jerk, you jerk!" Sanji snapped at the Heart Pirate.

Basil, the second cook of the Heart Pirates, laughed and said, "Don't let Tero's attitude bother you too much, Sanji. He really does care about Neo and Topaz. He just doesn't want to admit it."

"Yeah. Right," Tero grumbled, wondering again how he got pulled into this ridiculous game. "This whole thing is stupid. We don't even have the correct number of players for this game."

"But everyone else is in town. And the girls don't want to play," Luffy said. He looked over to where the girls were lounging out in the sun with the two animal pirates. "And Tra is being boring and hiding out in his ship."

"The captain has a lot of work to do," Shachi said. "Being the surgeon he is, he's always busy studying up on new surgical tech-"

"Boring!" Luffy cut the Heart Pirate off. "Let's play!"

Shachi sweat dropped at the short attention span of the Straw Hat captain.

"It doesn't matter," Usopp said from his referee stand. "This is just a friendly game anyway. Now, let's get this game going."

"Um, excuse me," Brook said. "I really don't want to pla-"

"Come on, Brook!" Luffy grabbed the skeleton. He ran into position and dropped Brook, face first, into the sand. "Let's play!"

Brook pushed up on his hands, sand pouring out of his open mouth, and hallow eyes.

"No cheating now, stupid cook," Zoro taunted as he walked to the opposite side of the net. He decided he'd switch teams with Topaz just for the chance to beat Sanji at this game.

"Same to you, moss head!" Sanji snapped back.

Usopp blew his whistle, simultaneously ending the fight and starting the game.

"Let's go!" Luffy cried. He tossed the ball up into the air and smacked it over the net. The game had officially started.

A short three minutes later, Usopp sighed as he watched the game before him. Well, game wasn't the right word for this anymore. Battle or war was more fitting. He should have known this how this would end up. Games always ended up more like a war zone when Sanji and Zoro were together, or even on separate teams. Their suppose to be friendly game quickly escalated into a battle with each pirate using their full strength to try and score a point. He watched as the ball bounced back and forth between the two teams just as fast as insults were hurled.

Brook screamed when the ball flew towards him. "No! I don't wanna play this game anymore!"

Luffy laughed when the skeleton dove to the ground in an attempt to escape the ball that was hurling towards him. He jumped in and bumped the ball up into the air. "Get it, Sanji!"

"I'm on it!" Sanji shouted. He leaped up into the air and slammed the ball down to the ground.

"Get it!" Shachi cried when the ball hurled towards them.

"I got it!" Penguin replied. He dove for the ball, but it slipped passed him when he and the others sensed a dark, unwanted presence hurling towards the beach. Just as the ball hit the ground, the ground shook violently. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked over towards the ocean. "What the heck? Neo!"

"What is that thing?!" Tero asked as his, and everyone else's eyes landed on the strange creature that now was on the beach. Without another word, the two crews ran over to the creature. Zoro plucking his swords from the sand as they went.

…

Law ignored his subordinate's question, but not because he didn't actually know the answer. With hot anger seething through his chest at this creature for almost landing on his love and child, he snatched his sword out of the air and unsheathed it with a violent jerk. He pointed the glinting blade at the creature and hiss, "Who are you?!"

The creature didn't answer.

"Perhaps it doesn't speak," Robin offered.

…

The flames around the creature flared up before gathering in front of it. It felt extremely elated. Finally. The time was here. Locking its yellow eyes onto its target, the creature shot out a piece of its flames toward its target.

…

Neo narrowed her eyebrows at the strange flames around the creature before them. She had no idea what the creature itself was, but she was more confused at the flames that surrounded it. They snapped and cracked like real fire, but there was no heat coming from it. There was no actual fire inside of the flame. Still, she sensed something, some kind of magic or power inside of the creature and its flames. 'Law, be careful. I don't know what this creature is, but those aren't flames it's controlling.'

'What?! Those aren't flames?'

'Right. There's no fire at all. There's something there, but I don't have a clue what it is.'

Her eyes widened and she gasped when the creature shot out its attack at Law. It moved far too fast for her. She tried to pull its flame into her fire crystals, but it didn't work since it wasn't actual fire. She tried pushing the attack away with her winds, but the flame shot straight through the winds. She tried to block it with vines, rocks, and logs, but the attack dodged passed them all as if the attack itself was alive and able to make decisions on its own.

…

Law's eyes widened a mere second after the attack was launched. He shifted his blade to block the strange attack that shot towards him while he watched Neo's attempts at trying to block it. Despite seeing Neo's defenses prove to be useless, he was still surprised that the attack squiggled passed his own blocking attempt. He cursed under his breath just before the flame slammed into his chest.

A grunt passed over his lips. It sent him flying backwards several yards. He heard Neo scream at the pain he shared with her and saw her drop to the ground, clenching her chest. But he couldn't stop himself. The attack was too fast and too strong. He had no idea how long he flew, but suddenly he stopped with his breath expelling from his lungs once his back collided with the ground.

…

Neo gasped and clenched her chest. She dropped to her knees, gasping desperately for air while preparing for Law to collide with the ground. The seconds seemed to pass on agonizingly slow before she felt the pain from Law's back colliding with the hard beach. She slumped forward, expecting to hit the ground, but landing in someone's arms instead.

"Neo?" a worried and panicked voice asked. "Neo!"

"I-I'm fine," Neo gasped. Pulling air back into her lungs, she looked up to see it was Robin who had rescued her. "Thanks, Robin."

Robin smiled.

"Neo!" several voices shouted.

Neo glanced to see those who were playing beach volleyball were now running over to her. All of the pirates were furious, but Luffy, without a doubt, held the most fury. She watched as he ran right towards the creature and attempted a punch at it. She heard a round of surprised gasps when the creature faded away before Luffy's punch could even come close to hitting it. She watched as the Straw Hats followed after the creature when it reappeared a few feet away, trying to hit it with very thing they had.

"How is it possible that thing is faster than all of our crew?!" Nami gasped. Her eyes were locked on her crew and their attempted attacks.

"Take that thing out, Luffy!" Chopper screamed. "Destroy that thing, Sanji! Kill it, Zoro!"

Bepo blinked at the rage that was coming from the small animal at his feet. He looked over at the creature. He wanted to help the Straw Hats, but knew he should stay near Neo. He glanced down the beach, hoping his captain would be fine. Since Neo was still alive and breathing, it was only a matter of time before his captain would join the Straw Hats and murder the creature for attacking.

"Neo! Are you all right?!" Penguin asked as he and the rest of their crew gathered around her. He knelt down on her left side and placed his hand on her shoulder while the rest of their crewmates stood behind them, one eye on Neo the other on the creature the Straw Hat men were fighting.

"I'm fine. We need to-Ah!" Neo started to say as Robin helped her stand up. Her voice was cut off when a sharp pain stabbed through her entire body. Her knees buckled underneath her and she collapsed back to the ground.

"Neo?!" the pirates screamed.

"Neo! What's happening?!" Chopper asked. He planted his hooves on Neo's knees and looked up at her, worried.

"Neo, talk to us!" Topaz said. "What's happening?"

"I-I don't know. S-something's happening t-to Law," she replied, struggling to look up. When she did, she wished she kept her eyes down. Law was engulfed in a similar flame as the creature only his flames were a soft blue. And his eyes. His eyes were no longer the steel color she had come to love so much. They were dark, black with a vertical slit of dark blue in the center. But what scared her the most was the malicious intent behind his eyes, the intent to kill.

…

Law growled once his body finally rolled to a stop. He gripped his sword so tight that the hilt started to cut into his skin. He forced himself to stop. He already caused Neo enough pain. He wasn't going to cause her anymore. But he was going to cause that creature a ton of pain. He was going to torture that creature until it was begging for mercy, until it was on the verge of death. Then he was going to heal the creature and torture it all over again. He was going to repeat this process until his bloodthirsty revenge was satisfied. Then he was going to kill the creature in the most horrific way he could possibly think of.

He pushed himself up off the ground. He got to his feet, took one step and lurched to a stop when a strange heaviness suddenly weighted him down. A strong pulse followed by a wave of heat that rivaled volcanic lava, flowed through his veins. His sword-wielding arm trembled. His fingers loosened on the tilt and his sword slipped from his grip, landing on the sand with a thump.

He stumbled forward.

His vision darkened as thoughts of death and destruction paraded through his brain one right after another until that was all that consumed his mind.

He wanted to kill. He wanted to destroy. He leaned down and picked up his sword.

He looked up. His lips curling into a murderous grin when his now black eyes landed on the pirates occupying the beach in front of him.

He wanted to kill them.

…

"How dare you attack Neo and Tra?! You're going to pay for that!" Luffy shrieked while leaping up into the air. Eyes filled with rage, he pulled back his fists and fired his punches at the creature below him. "Gum Gum Gatling!"

The creature dodged. Slipping with ease through the onslaught of fists. It turned when it sensed another attack coming from behind it. It leaped into the air a half of a second before Zoro could slice his blades through its body.

"Joue Shoot!"

"Strong Right!"

The creature dodged the attack with ease then dropped back down to the beach. It looked up when it heard a terrified shriek.

"Ah!" Brook screamed when the creature looked at him. He held his sword in his hand, but clearly didn't want to go on the attack. "Please don't kill me! I don't want to die! Although…I am already dead."

The creature smiled. It was clear that some of these humans were strong, very strong, but some of them were also weak. Still, it knew it had to be careful. While it clearly had the upper hand, it didn't know what all these humans were capable of. Its eyes wondered over at one of the humans that weren't fighting.

"Eek!" Usopp squeaked when the creature looked at him. He held his Black Kabuto in his hands, ready to strike, but not wanting too. "S-stay back! I've got you in my sights! I'm the great and powerful Usopp! Might warrior of the sea!"

The creature's smile grew. It was clear this human was lying. His legs were trembling underneath him. It took a step towards the liar, but paused when the ones who had attacked it surrounded it. Its smile faded for a second before pulling back across its dark lips.

"What's with the smile?" Sanji asked. "We've got you completely surrounded."

"And we haven't even started fighting yet," Zoro said, pointing one of his blades at the creature. "Once we do, you're dead."

The creature's smile just grew more.

"I don't think it cares," Brook said.

"You get the feeling it knows something that we don't?" Franky asked.

"Indeed," an unfamiliar, scratchy voice said.

"Huh? Who said that?" Luffy asked. He whipped his eyes around, but couldn't locate who was talking.

"It was I, you fool," the voice said.

The pirates' eyes dropped to the creature before them.

"Did you just…" Brook started.

"I did," the creature answered.

"Ah! It spoke!" Luffy, Brook, Usopp, and Franky shouted.

"Who cares if it can speak? It attacked our friends," Zoro said, tightening his hold on his swords. "It's dead."

"You think so?" the creature asked. It took a step back.

"You are. You have no idea who you just attacked," Zoro said.

"Perhaps," the creature said, taking another step back. "I do not know who you all are. And, quite frankly, I don't care. There is only one I care about here. And I have done what I came to do."

"You're not going anywhere," Sanji said, catching the creature's intent on escaping.

"You think so?" the creature asked again. "I think you all have a more…pressing matter to deal with."

"And what would that be?" Franky asked just before a strong gust of wind blew over the island followed by a strong desire to kill.

The Straw Hats turned towards the direction the intent to kill was coming from. Their eyes widened in shock as their jaws dropped open.

"Wh-what's happening to Tra?" Luffy managed to ask.

No one answered. No one had an answer. All they could do was stare at the strange blue flames engulfing the Heart Pirate captain and the strong desire to kill in his now darkened eyes as he stalked down the beach towards their friends.

…

The creature smiled. It had succeeded in its mission.

This human was the correct one. This human was the one it was looking for.

This human was the Death Summoner.