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Well, Hakugan could admit that trying to escape the Marines by kidnapping the Heart Pirates' submarine was not the best idea he had come up with.
To his defense, he was really desperate, anyone would think it was better to be arrested than to incur the wrath of a man known to be capable of stealing body parts, Hakugan might even give them the reason if the one affected was someone else, but it didn't apply to him. He knew what awaited him if he was caught, and he would rather die.
Now, he was pinned down by a rather tall man, his mouth covered by a scarf and sharp eyes threatening to pierce his stomach with their gaze. And next in front of him, the infamous captain, a pirate known to be extremely cruel. The newspapers always had a few bad things to say about him
“Give us a name and your intentions, Mask-ya.” Said Trafalgar Law very quietly, with a few of his subordinates (a bear, a girl with curly hair wearing a rope on her arm, a man with a strange hairstyle and a man with a yellow hat), while the rest simply ignored them.
They clearly didn't even consider him a threat. That wasn't surprising, but he couldn't be sure if it was something that would benefit him or not. He wasn't sure if he could undo the grip of the man holding him and dive into the water before Trafalgar intervened. He is fast and a very good swimmer. And he really needed to get rid of that guy's grip, it was making him nervous.
On the other hand, he didn't know if he wanted to know what the Surgeon of Death would do to someone so easy to attack.
“I'm waiting, Mask-ya.”
“I need to hide from the marines. My name is Hakugan.”
One of Trafalgar's companions, laughed at that moment. “Snow goose.”
Hakugan rolled his eyes under the mask. He hated his name, perhaps the old taunts were not going to end even when an infamous crew has captured him. However, what came next puzzled him. The tall one loosened his grip a little, and everyone looked doubtfully at Trafalgar.
“Captain?” the tall one asked.
He wiped away his smile at that instant and transformed it into a very tired expression, heaved a sigh, and looked at them sideways.
“No, we're not going to recruit him.” He said as if he was explaining something basic to some particularly dumb kids, but why would they want to recruit him in the first place?
The girl didn't look very convinced though, she opened her mouth to say something, but Trafalgar was quicker. “And no, we're not going to take him to the Polar Tang.”
But even so, his captors didn't stop, one of the ones who weren't doing anything even asked “why not?” and then.... Trafalgar ended up agreeing and... they treated him very well while the girl was restraining him?
What the hell just happened?
The weird stuff didn't stop.
They had locked him up, yes, that was the normal part, he had no complaints and expected it. What wasn't right were the two guys with hats and.... animal-themed names visited him, and introduced themselves by striking ... strange ... poses.
“Why...?” Hakugan asked from behind bars, crossing his arms.
“Well, it may sound like kidnapping” Said the red-haired man, who had previously introduced himself as Shachi. “But you have to get to know your superiors when you eventually come under our command.”
Hakugan blinked under his mask, he didn't want to think about the extremely negative connotations that phrase had. As far as he knew, the Heart Pirates had a reputation for cruelty, trouble, and ghoulishness, but not for using hostages, or kidnapping, or enslaving. Maybe he misjudged them? Simply traded one monster for another?
He swallowed saliva and asked. “What do you want to do with me?”
The other of the duo, Penguin, approached and, to her relief, clarified. "Don't think anything weird, we're not going to force you to do anything. Eventually you'll want to join of your own free will.”
Hakugan tilted his head to the side and made a confused face that obviously no one could see. Of course, he wasn't going to believe those words so easily, more so with how far-fetched they were.
"You do this with all your prisoners? Why the hell would I want to join?"
Shachi and Penguin looked at each other for a while, and in the end, it was Penguin who spoke. “Look, we don't know, but we've noticed a pattern.”
“The animal names?” Hakugan asks ironically, rolling his eyes.
“No. Well, no but yes. Animal names, but specifically that live in cold environments.” Explained Shachi, completely serious for the nonsense he just said. Hakugan is really trying to remind himself that he shouldn't let his guard down, but he couldn't, it was getting harder and harder to consider them dangerous.
“And what's Trafalgar supposed to be, a shark?”
The two of them looked at each other again, this time a little longer, as if they were offended by the joke or had taken it too seriously. Actually, he didn't know which of the two options he preferred. With the changes in expression they were showing, Hakugan was beginning to believe that these two had telepathy or something.
“A spotted seal,” Shachi said.
“A snow leopard” Penguin said. Both at the same time.
"What? NO!" They said at the same time. Again.
This crew is starting to get surreal. And well, maybe it's true that they weren't planning on enslaving him.
“Anyway” He interrupted the staring contest that looked like it would eventually form. “Isn't your captain supposed to have specifically said he's not going to recruit me?”
“Right” Said a third voice that suddenly appeared in the doorway, accompanied by the blue light that was said to appear in the man's presence. Hakugan was startled, while Shachi and Penguin simply waved at him, but that respectful gesture didn't save them from the tough look he gave them. "I think I remember that I sent you two here solely to interrogate him."
“We were going to.” They excused themselves. “But since you're here, Captain, we have a very important conflict to resolve. Can we send someone else?”
He sighed. “I hope it has nothing to do with what I'm thinking” They denied very guiltily. “No need. I'll do it myself.”
“Thank you Captain!” and they disappeared. Trafalgar massaged his temple, sat down in a chair that magically appeared there and walked over to him, resting some of the weight of his arms on his sword and smiling in his direction.
“Don't be too mean to him, Captain!” They poked their heads out to break the atmosphere Trafalgar was trying to build. He gave them another hard look, but they didn't flinch either.
“By the way, captain, do you prefer leopards or seals?”
“Get out of here!”
"All right, all right, Mr. Boring, we'll figure it out ourselves" Shachi joked.
“And, Hakugan. dietary preferences or food intolerances?” Penguin asked as he pulled out a clipboard.
The aforementioned arched an eyebrow behind the mask.
“I said I'm not going to recruit him.” Grumbled the poor man.
Penguin ignored his captain and continued to wait for his response. Now Hakugan even pitied Trafalgar. If all of his crew was like that, he was quite glad he wasn't him.
“I'm a vegetarian.”
“I see. Favorite food?”
“Wheat salad.”
Shachi mumbled something about them not having wheat and that they'd send whoever to get some before they both left, closing the door. Truth be told, he was starting to like those two, too bad he can't accept the proposal to join.
“Idiots.” Trafalgar said, but did nothing to stop them.
Curious. Hakugan hadn't expected him, of all captains, to be so permissive to the foolishness of his subordinates.
Once they were definitely alone, his attitude changed completely, his resigned demeanor shifting to a haughty pose, as if he had a thousand ways to get him to talk and didn't mind having to test them all until he broke him into little pieces.... Perhaps both literally and metaphorically. He then remembered the reputation of the man, a psychopath known to be especially cruel.
Hell, maybe those two's goal was to get the Guard down, and apparently they were incredibly good at it.
“I think you have some explaining to do to me, Mask-ya. ”
Hakugan swallowed saliva and avoided meeting those golden eyes directly. He hadn't approached his personal space yet, but Trafalgar Law was known for not needing to be near you to finish you off. He brought his hands up to his face unconsciously, Trafalgar seemed the easiest man to remove his mask from and the mere thought of revealing his face made him shudder.
This whole thing started because he dropped it, and he had no desire to know the man's reaction to his skin.
" I was desperate. “ He answered truthfully. “I was being chased by a Commodore and I didn't know how to get out of his sight.”
“I didn't expect you to be a criminal” He hummed. From his tone, it didn't sound like he cared much either “So what did you do to get chased by a Commodore?”
Hakugan let out an awkward laugh, and whispered. “I don't know, exist, I guess.”
Trafalgar raised an eyebrow, Hakugan didn't add anything else, he was essentially being honest, but he wasn't going to give details, it was dangerous for himself
“What are you going to do with me?” he asked quietly, dreading the answer.
"Where were you headed with my submarine?" Hakugan raised an eyebrow at the question.
“I don't know.” He admitted.
“In that case, we'll drop you off at the next island.”
“Wh...what?”
Hakugan blinked several times. How? Where's the trap? What part of his body did he have to give up? Trafalgar found his reaction quite amusing. In any other situation, he would find that smile, in conjunction with his prominent dark circles under her eyes and piercing gaze to be the smile of a demon, but had he just told he would help him?
“Don't think too much about it, Mask-ya. A whim, because my crew likes you.”
“Why? I just tried to steal the submarine from them."
“They're ridiculous like that.” He explained simply, as if he wasn't the one who recruited them.
On second thought, and given his own experience, it's actually possible that he didn't recruit them.... Of course, that would explain why he has a polar bear, it doesn't fit him at all.
“Still, I don't trust you, Mask-ya, I don't want to see you hanging around my ship unsupervised.”
“Sounds good to me.” He shrugged
This cell was quite a bit better than a blast collar if you ask him, no complaints. It was also one of the nicest cells he'd ever been in, more spacious, with some color, and a fairly comfortable bed.
Trafalgar picked up his sword and made the chair disappear, ready to leave.
“You're not going to...?”
“You may not think so, but I understand people who don't want to show their skin.” He interrupted, not looking at him. And he walked away.
Then a short man appeared, wearing a strangely shaped hood. He guessed it was his new guard.
“Hakugan, right? I'm Clione, do you want to play chess?” He said cheerfully holding out his arms for her to see the board and pieces.... Which for some reason, was a version with animals instead of the normal pieces, the only normal piece being the king. This crew was increasingly puzzling him.
“I'll bring you dinner too.”
He placed a wheat salad on a small table for him, with several types of vegetables and no meat in sight. It seemed they took his food preferences seriously. Hakugan looked at the food for a while and then at Clione.
“Is this some kind of blackmail? I didn't join your crew?” He asked.
“No?” Clione looked at him confused. “You can eat it whenever you want, you can wait for me to leave if you want privacy.”
"You guys really went to get wheat to make a prisoner's favorite food?" And you're going to give him privacy? To him?
Clione shrugged. “It's an easy ingredient to get.”
True, but why not just give him the leftovers of whatever they had prepared and be done with it? They really didn't even have to feed him. Clione also held out a spoon and also a glass of water to go with it.
He had to admit that the food smelled really good and he was looking forward to tasting it. He couldn't remember the last time someone had cooked for him.
“This isn't going to make me join your crew.” He warned.
“Yeah, but you'll want to join for another reason.” The assurance of these guys was making Hakugan start to even doubt himself.
"You're literally holding me against my will and I tried to steal your submarine."
Clione ignored his protest and looked at him as if he was the one being unreasonable. He then moved a table closer to the bars to set up the board, he picked black, and went about arranging the pieces. Hakugan did the same with the white ones. “You know, I joined after my previous group wanted to ambush Law, and I bit his hand.”
Hakugan laughed. “And what were you planning to accomplish by just biting him?” Admittedly, Hakugan couldn't even think of a simple way to take that man down, but he wouldn't try something like just biting him.
“They made me do it. Besides, they put a layer of poison on my teeth. The boss would starve me half to death if I refused.” From the nostalgic smile on his face, it looked like Clione was talking about his pet, not a situation where he was coerced into doing something incredibly dangerous. "But he was an idiot who thought Law couldn't summon his powers if his hands were hurting."
“And what happened next?”
“He got the poison out right away, and I convulsed on the floor.” Hakugan didn't want to laugh at the image he had formed in his head, but he couldn't help it, he did.
“I'm sorry, but poisoning yourself by trying to poison someone else is too funny to me.”
“I get it” Clione laughed with him. "The next thing I remember is waking up in the Polar Tang's infirmary. Apparently, my previous group fled when they saw Law pull out the poison, and I was left there.”
“Why the hell did you join a group like that in the first place?” Hakugan asked. He didn't like the smile Clione gave him in response.
“I'll tell you when you become my nakama.”
He snorted. “You mean you'll tell me if I do.”
“No, I said it right.”
Hakugan decided not to protest, he still had a game of chess to lose because he hadn't played in years.
He woke up the next morning, quite rested and comfortable. He was surprised, it had been a long time since he had slept so well.
Wait, why does he have a blanket over it? He was pretty sure it wasn't like that the night before. And why is it softer than the one he had at his old place...?
He grimaced at the thought of his home. Well, maybe it doesn't exist anymore and he couldn't go back, there was no point in thinking about it.... at least he wasn't back to where he was before, he could still get a new one.
He sat up and became aware of the two presences in the room. They were the ones who held him and tied him up yesterday. He flinched a little at the sight of them, however, the two of them greeted him cheerfully as if nothing had happened and the tall one held out the breakfast tray, with a bowl with something that looked like soup and a cup of milk. There were also two straws.
“Sorry about the unusual breakfast” Laughed the girl. “The captain won't allow us not to watch you at lunch, and he ordered that from now on everything you consume will be liquid.”
He blinked several times, still taking in what he had just heard. Were they making extra food just so he could eat with his mask on?
“By the way, I'm Ikkaku. I was the one who tied you up, remember?” How could he forget?
“And I'm Uni.”
More sea-themed, anyone else? Maybe they'd end up mentioning the ones with normal names first.
He hoped it wasn't just the captain, though the thing about him having a normal name was pretty questionable too.
“And when you're done let's show you the Polar Tang!”
Ah, right, the submarine has an acceptable name.
“Tang is a type of surgeonfish” Uni explains. Hakugan withdraws his earlier thought.
Well, to be fair, surely there's someone else in this crew with a worse name. Come on, a submarine being named after an animal is fine, Hakugan ends up approving of the submarine's name.
....
....
Wait, this wasn't the important part of what they had said. They had almost dropped a bomb on him, and he was thinking about the submarine's name.
Maybe he'd spent too much time there to let his guard down, even though he'd only been here a day.
“And your captain agrees?” He asked. “Not that he trusts me.”
“He said not to let you run around unsupervised, but he didn't say anything about letting you run around here WITH supervision.”
Ikkaku and Uni exchanged a knowing glance. It seemed the captain had the least amount of control on this ship.
Hakugan really didn't want to go with them, the two of them had really been the only people here who had touched him and he still retained the ghost of that day etched into his skin. But, he couldn't deny an order like that, could he? Least of all such an order so... Innocent.
“Why do you have a room full of pebbles?”
“We have three” Uni corrected.
“What.” Okay, maybe the fact that they have a separate cell from the rest for “future nakama who don't know they're going to want to join” isn't so weird. The rest of their retention area is quite a bit less cozy.
“What's up with that? We keep more stuff in here.”
Sure, the pebbled room they were in was the prelude to the armory, separated by a single wall. But that's not the point.
“Why do you have a room with pebbles in the first place?”
“Pebbles are easy to come by.” Ikkaku explained, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to collect pebbles for the sake of it.
“These are the disposable pebbles, the pretty ones are in the Penguin collection.” ...That doesn't clear anything up either.
Speaking of Penguin, they ran into him and Shachi later.... Who were asking everyone what animal their captain was.
Ikkaku and Uni agreed too quickly that the seal should win because it's more adorable. Hakugan decided that those two had strange tastes if they considered that man to be anything remotely resembling adorable. Luckily, his mask hid his grimace.
"But, leopard seal exists." Ikkaku added. "I think it fits the captain quite well" Uni nodded in agreement, Shachi gave it some thought and joined them in nodding.
“No.” Denied Penguin flatly. “No way. Out of the question.”
“Why?”
“Leopard seals eat penguins.”
Shachi snorted, then grinned baring his pointy teeth. Penguin pushed him aside to wipe it off.
“Shachi and Bepo are enough, I don't need another penguin predator on command.”
“That just makes it fit more, Peng.”
Penguin nudged him again, keeping his hand on his face. "As a first mate."
"I am also a first mate."
“I deny the inclusion of another animal to the discussion.”
“Do you want us to ask Bepo for a fair first mate vote?”
Shachi and Penguin looked like they were about to have a telepathic discussion. These guys take this issue way too seriously.
He spent a few more days on the submarine, strangely feeling familiar with the rooms and corridors from all the times one of the Heart Pirates ordered him to accompany them on some activity. He also discovered some curious things about them, like how Shachi and Penguin wanted to beat up Trafalgar as a child, how Ikkaku also tried to steal the submarine, and how Uni was recruited after he wanted to attack him with several stabbing weapons in the back. He concluded that Bepo, a talking polar bear, is the most normal of the crew because at least there was no violence involved between them when they first met.
...
Later that afternoon, Bepo and the captain went to visit him, sending off the Heart Pirate who was assigned to watch him.
“We'll be arriving at Lvneel in an hour” Bepo announced.
The news was more depressing than it should be. Maybe he should at least be glad to at least see the sky on his own again, unrestrained and unbarred of any kind.
Maybe it was because he spent a large part of his life without seeing the sun, so he's used to it, but he wants to get out, and at the same time, he wants to be free.
Trafalgar interrupted his thoughts. He'd given up trying to seem intimidating to him days ago, but equally they hadn't talked as much as they had with his nakama. But all the same, he could tell he was worried. It was the same face he made when Penguin had a nasty accident in the kitchen and when they sometimes cross paths, seeming to wander aimlessly.
“Mask-ya, Lvneel has a rather prominent marine presence.” Trafalgar said. Hakugan shuddered a little at the news. “We have no problem with you staying a little longer, we would leave after finishing our own business.... What do you want to do?”
“I'd rather stay.” He said without much thought. It was without a doubt the best option.
Trafalgar breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, stay on the submarine, I have a bad feeling.”
“You can also stay indefinitely” Bepo suggested, the captain gave him a sidelong glance, much softer than the looks he was dedicating to the rest.
“I'm not going to recruit you if he don't want to, Bepo.”
“Sorry.” Said the bear, then let out a small laugh. “But he's going to want to.”
Hakugan rolled his eyes behind his mask. Why did he think this time would be different? Right, because he considered Bepo to be the most normal of the crew.
Well from now on, the captain who is also a real surgeon, carries a taller sword than him and can cut body parts without killing is the most normal.
Trafalgar took a third of the crew to Lvnell, and Hakugan stayed on the ship with Bepo and other Hearts. Right now, the bear brought him to the command cabin for the first time, and it seems that everyone has forgotten that he is not one of them and ATTEMPTED TO STEAL THE DAMN SUBMARINE, MY GOD WHY DID THEY BRING HIM TO THE COMMAND CABIN. He also discovered that the second pebble room is right in the adjacent room.
Bepo was talking to him about unimportant topics. He wanted to know more about him, but because of their refusal he started telling things about them. Apparently, he voted against the inclusion of the leopard seal because he didn't want competition for the normal leopard. He also confessed to him that he wanted the leopard to win because it looked more like the polar bears.
“Now there's a tie” He explained. "Nine votes for each, Shachi is trying to convince the captain because there's no one else left, but it doesn't look like he's going to give in."
He didn't know why, but he really felt disappointed “I was looking forward to finding out...” He whispered. Bepo heard him and smiled.
“There is another way to force the tiebreaker” He said cheerfully, Hakugan had spent enough time with them to know what he was suggesting.
“No.”
“I'm sorry.” What was he apologizing for?
The Den Den mushi Bepo had on him suddenly rang. The bear answered at once
“Bepo, we're in trouble.” Penguin's voice sounded, panting, as if he was struggling for air or running.
“What's the matter?” he asked worriedly.
“It's the dinosaur.”
"Again? Are any of us hurt?"
“Yes, two.”
“Okay.”
I didn't know what he meant by the dinosaur, but apparently it was a common enemy because Bepo started coordinating the crew present to get ready to set sail, and prepare some things. Then the bear sat down in the helmsman's seat.
“Hey, I'm sorry, but can you go back to the cell?”
It was a very puzzling order.
Well, to be fair it wasn't the first time someone had ordered him back into a cell on his own two feet, but it did feel the strangest.
“Stay close to the walls, escape may not be easy, sorry.”
Hakugan nodded and obeyed, thinking this whole crew was too trusting.
Halfway down, Trafalgar's blue light appeared, and the submarine started up instantly. Hakugan had to hold on tightly to the wall railing to keep from ending up rolling down the hallway. As the white daylight peeking through the window changed to the blue sea, the submarine spun around searchingly and Hakugan found himself with the strange thought that he could help with it. He quickly shook it out of himself, it was simply a dangerous thought.
He decided to stay where he was until the ground became stable to move forward.
On his way, he came across the third pebble room.
And it was next to the infirmary, which had the door open. He recognized the voice of the captain, and what he thought were his wounded nakama, who were having a conversation. He didn't want to pry, but the tone they were using threw him off.
"We couldn't attack them, they're doctors." The captain said, with no trace of the authoritative tone he almost always used. Instead, he seemed even... Fragile.
“I was saying those horrible things to you! Seeing you like that, it hurt, Captain.”
“It's not the first time I've been insulted.”
"But it was the first time you were affected. Who was he, did he know you?" The third voice was Ikkaku.
Trafalgar froze momentarily, hesitating whether he should speak or not. “...Yes, he was one of those doctors.”
There was another small awkward silence, where Hakugan discovered that the Polar Tang's motors did emit a small sound that he had never noticed because it easily melted into nothingness. It felt like he was hearing something he shouldn't be hearing, but what did he mean by 'those doctors'?
“What happened today, won't happen again.” Trafalgar continued. "It was my fault, I had been distracted."
“You should worry more about yourself” Ikkaku muttered.
“Says the one who received a gunshot wound to the stomach?”
“Right, you should recruit someone who can withstand bullet wounds without piercing their skin.” Suggested the other heart pirate.
“I highly doubt there's anyone like that who meets your recruiting standards. “ He joked.
"Okay, if he fits that, he can have a normal name."
“Hey, what role do you guys think the new guy will have?” Hakugan rolled his eyes again.
“He doesn't want to join” Trafalgar remembered, thank god someone remembers.
"Come on, the only people who think that are you two."
“You mean the people whose opinion matters in this case?”
“We've never been wrong” Ikkaku hummed cheerfully.
Hakugan felt he had heard enough and decided to continue on his way quietly. With an intrusive thought in his head that the captain.... wasn't that bad.
They reached another island in just two days at sea, and this time, it seemed all perfect, it had similar characteristics to the first island he settled on: large island, relatively pleasant temperatures and with the Navy headquarters in a different town. Most of the people seemed to be engaged in agriculture, and were practically self-sufficient. He just needed something new to hide his face.
“We'll be here a while longer” The captain told him as he escorted him out of the submarine, along with his crew. Oddly enough, they still seemed hopeful that he would return. “You can... say goodbye if you want in a week, and you know where we are if you need anything.”
It was a bittersweet farewell. Having left the harbor, the yellow color of the submarine that welcomed him seemed warm. Like a guarantee that whatever happened, he would be safe.
Walking away from him now was strange. But it was positive, wasn't it? He wouldn't be behind bars, he'd be eating solid food again, he wouldn't have constant surveillance, and he wouldn't be dragged from place to place. Had so many years...there, had it caused him to have a need to be locked up? But this strange longing was not present when he could finally break free. What the hell was wrong with him?
It's true that the Heart Pirates had treated him too well to be his captors, but a life of piracy was just what he didn't need: a constant persecution, unnecessary attention, a confined space where they might accidentally see his face, decide to sell him to the highest bidder and with no possible escape. That's right, they might be gentle now, but one big opportunity can change a person, and more so when their reasons for recruitment are so... superficial.
Still, he couldn't help but look back a second time.
The first day went well, he didn't know how to find a new mask or make one, but he did know an abandoned house near the forest.
But you could say he didn't even last two days there before the problems showed up.
A fucking rear admiral who turned into a dinosaur.
Great, he'd been fetched by the Marine who'd caused trouble for someone like Trafalgar, and was therefore fucking dangerous. He cursed his bad luck. If there was some sort of god or some predefined destiny, he was sure he wasn't his favorite human.
“You're the snowskin man, aren't you?”
That was a good enough sign for Hakugan to run for the harbor as fast as he could.
He gasped trying to at least get out of the city. The dinosaur man was much faster. Hakugan was literally fighting for air and his mask in this case didn't help, while he could only think that he would be fine with disappearing if that marine caught him.
He started sobbing when he heard the dinosaur's footsteps getting louder, and he was still a long way from the harbor.
“Please don't” He thought as he already felt it a few feet away from him, and then he was slammed roughly into a brick wall.
The marine slowly advanced towards him, changed to his human form but still looking like a real predator that had hunted an impressive prey. There was really no escape, so he simply let out his most primal instincts and screamed out of sheer desperation.
“I'm sorry, I really don't want this” Said the marine.
But he was going to do it anyway, those apologies were empty, after all, his occupation prioritized and demanded taking care of retrieving his master's lost toys more than anything else. And he was a very fun and hardly replaceable toy.
“Don't come closer” He begged, as his whole body tensed.
He looked every which way except in the direction of the marine. A crowd had gathered watching him, some with curiosity, some with pity, but none that he had hoped to see, none that would lift a finger to defend him.
"Sorry, boy. It's just orders.”
He couldn't help but lower his head and begin to cry. “I know.”
Then, it happened, at the best possible moment. A blue dome that had become familiar. Right now, it seemed to him the most beautiful color in the world.
A human figure appeared in front of him.
“Drake-ya.”
“Law.”
Trafalgar had his sword drawn, its blade glinting in the light and its tip pointed directly at the Marine's neck.
“You came here chasing me and my crew, leave the boy out of this, Drake-ya.”
“Orders from above.” Explained the marine. “You know what that means, Law."
“Yeah, government dog issues condemning innocent people” He scoffed.
“...Why are you doing this?” the Marine didn't even want to rebut.
“A whim” Trafalgar replied simply, shrugging his shoulders. “Right now, it's my business too.”
“I see.” The Marine sketched a small smile. “In that case, Trafalgar Law, you're under arrest.”
And a bunch more of them, of lower ranks, appeared like a stampede.
Meanwhile, Trafalgar's eyes opened wide and he put on the most sadistic smile he had ever seen, before a part of his crew also suddenly appeared on the scene. Hakugan began to feel a little dizzy.
“This is getting interesting, I'd like to see you try, Drake-ya.” Said the captain. “Bepo.”
“Aye aye, Captain!” He felt someone carefully grab him and run with him in their arms, while still Hakugan was still taking in what had just happened.
He lost consciousness halfway through the trip after seeing a pair of legs flying.
He woke up in the infirmary of the Polar Tang, gasping for breath, suddenly sitting up, and defending himself from an invisible enemy.
It took him a while to recover, and realize where he was and what had happened. He discovered that he broke a machine he was connected to because of his panic attack.
“You're awake” Said a now familiar voice. Sitting in a chair next to him, with his sword propped up next to him and on the bed.
“I'm sorry.”
“It's okay, you're not the first to break something in this infirmary and you won't be the last.” He replied. “It's not important right now, how are you feeling?”
Hakugan didn't answer immediately, instead, he brought his hands to his mask, and let out a sigh of relief as he felt it. He patted it a couple of times to make sure it's real, and that it's still... free. It is, without a doubt, the best he could hope for.
“I'm fine.” He replied, he was better than anywhere. For some reason, there was a presence in that infirmary that made him feel safer than ever.
Small tears of joy ran down his skin, until they slipped out of the mask and fell into the warm blanket on him.
“Good” The captain sketched a small smile, calm exposure reflected on his face. I couldn't remember seeing him smile before, it seemed a strange thing indeed. “Tell me, Hakugan, what do you want to do from now on?”
This is the second time he asked him this question, this time with no options, what did he really want to do?
He thought about these pirates that he had initially labeled as crazy, but he couldn't remember someone who had ever treated him like that and he didn't want to separate himself from them, but.... There was something he had to do first.
He took a deep breath, watched Trafalgar's serene and somewhat worried expression. Nodding to himself, and removed his mask, of his own choice. Law's eyes widened, expressing genuine surprise.
Although he actually had several opportunities to see his true face when he was unconscious, he never did.
He needed a moment to start speaking.
“This, the Marines and.... others, they call it 'snowskin', that's why they were chasing me."
His skin was very whitish, almost with bluish highlights. And, on his forehead, with a red halo surrounding him, was a burn with the celestial dragon hoof. Physically it didn't burn, but sometimes it simply felt like it did.
“I'm not familiar with that condition, it seems simply...”
“A case of albinism, yes. It is, it's just mixed with a case of butterfly-skin.”
From Law's nod, Hakugan had no doubt he recognized the condition by name. His surprised face was only exchanged for a face of understanding and anger.
They were both conditions with cute names, but they were the biggest nightmare of his life. Albinism not only lightened his skin and hair color, which set him apart from his parents both with dark brown and healthy skin, but made him weak in the sun.
His butterfly skin was his personal hell, simply torture, with his former owners having fun “drawing” on his face with small wounds. He hated it. That his parents had called him Snow Goose for so long had seemed simply cruelty to him, and he was still convinced that was the case.
Law had remained silent, uncomfortable. He was struggling to find something to say, but he looked pretty bad at it.
But that look of understanding and insecurity, with no trace of malice, ambition or intentions to take advantage of him, was more than enough for Hakugan.
“It's okay, you don't need to say anything, captain.”
Maybe he owed Ikkaku and Uni a mental apology, that surprised face at his words, was really adorable.
That man, that's someone he could follow.
“We already knew that” Shachi said very smugly, when Law announced that he would be joining the crew from now on.
Several nakama rolled their eyes and... did they stuff berries into a hat?
“Did you guys bet if I was going to join?”
“No, we bet WHEN you were going to join, and there have been many who thought it would be in the last few days.” Shachi stuttered.
Hakugan rolled his eyes, there were a few small chuckles and slightly less amused people complaining that he might have joined a few days later.
“Welcome to the Heart Pirates!”
They also prepared confetti. Lots of confetti
“I hope someone's going to clean that up afterwards” Law growled.
“Hey, Hakugan.”
Penguin called out to him with a smile that could be considered disturbing. “Now you can cast your vote for you-know-what.”
Law brought his hand to his face and massaged his forehead. He gave him a sidelong glance, as if curious about his answer, but didn't want to show it so openly. The rest of them did not hide their unhealthy interest, not taking their eyes off him. Actually, this attention made him a little uncomfortable.
Luckily, he had his answer thought out for a long time.
“Mmm... The captain can't swim, so he can't be a spotted seal.” He explained.
“Take that, fuck you Shachi!” shouted Penguin.
To join him, half the crew shouted a “Yes!”
The aforementioned, far from being disappointed, was quiet for a few seconds and nodded. " Actually, that's a very good point."
Several of those who had lost the vote nodded, while others still maintained that the spotted seal was the best choice.
“You're ridiculous, all of you.” Sighed the captain.
“We love you too, captain!” they shouted in unison.
Extra:
Clione went to talk to him a week later, when the operation of the Polar Tang's helm no longer held any secrets for him.
It still seemed strange to him that the captain agreed to give him the position so quickly, it seems that the story of his escape made quite an impression on him.
His nakama carried two cups of something in his hands and held one out to him.
He didn't have to ask, Clione had never given him anything he couldn't drink, so he took a sip. It was a fruit juice.
“I think I owe you a story.”
“Right, about the highly questionable group you decided to join” Hakugan replied, nodding.
Clione let out a chuckle. He sat in the passenger seat and stretched out, watching the sea through the glass with him.
“What do you know about sea angels?”
“Not much, sorry.”
Clione nodded. “They are gastropod mollusks, they live in the depths, they feed on sea butterflies, their way of feeding is.... Curious” He smiled, averting his gaze to the wall next to him. “And, they're hermaphrodites.”
That, really surprised him. Clione looked at him in that instant, he seemed somewhat.... Nervous.
Hakugan really didn't know what to say to that. He said to himself, “Just have some tact.”
“So, you're not a man?” He asked uncertainly.
Clione gave him a sad look and looked away to the wall next to him. “Yes, yes I am.”
Shit.
“Sorry.”
“Never mind,” He said, trying to relax again. “On my island, men and women had very definite roles.... My parents didn't know what to do with me, so they kicked me out of the house real fast. That group were bounty hunters protecting the community, I didn't find another place or another job I could do.”
He grimaced. That sounded like a horrible island and shitty parents. Both of their parents would get along great. How many other people would be on this crew like that?
“I hated my name for a long time” Clione continued.“ I wanted to change it since I was a kid, but it didn't make sense if everyone in that place knew you. What good was a name if no one's going to call you that?”
Clione's eyes swept around the room, fondly, then looked up at him with a smile.
“But then, they came, and my name caught their attention. They saved me. They told me they would equally accept any name I chose, even if it didn't fit their standards” He laughed. “Since then, it's strange, I was able to accept and love this name for the first time, I didn't want to change it anymore.”
Hakugan nodded. “I understand” He understood it very well actually.
He still had a lot of problems with his own name, but.... Technically it had saved him. And now, it was coming out of people's mouths with genuine affection. He still wasn't sure what changed in him, but he decided he liked it.
“Hey, Clione, you want to hear the story of how I learned to drive a submarine and stole one of the world's nobles?”
“I'd love to, Hakugan.”