FicWad

"Man, this sucks." Shachi whispered to Penguin, casually glancing around for any guards. Fortunately, only citizens seemed to be around them, going about their business and pretending as if the pirates didn't even exist. It was strange, intentionally and casually being ignored as they were. It wasn't the sort of treatment they were used to.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But at least we got the supplies quickly." They glanced at the bag of provisions and medical supplies they managed to find, checking to make sure they hadn't dropped anything.

"What the hell kinda place is this, anyway?" They walked towards the submarine, swatting at flies that pestered them. His friend shook his head, unsure of how to answer.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling trouble's gonna find us if we don't leave soon." Shachi said, adjusting his hat over his head as the heat persisted.

Liam wandered the market, taking in the town's culture with an critical eye.

"They certainly leave nothing to waste…" He muttered, noticing how plain and bare the market actually was.

The tents and stall set up around the street used up as little space and resources as possible. The only sides of the tents that had a flap was the one facing the sun, used solely for the purpose of protection from the heat and intense light. Stalls were bare wood without any fancy carvings or designs. They were naturally small, leaving the vendors to utilize as much space as possible in the little they occupied.

It then struck Liam how very drab it all was. There were no colors. The buildings being made up of the lighter wood just added to the already washed-out landscape and colorless streets. Liam found himself constantly squinting as he surveyed around him in distaste.

He continued to search the tents, somehow ending up in front of a jewelry merchant's stall. He wasn't even really sure how. An older woman who seemed aged beyond her years gave him a toothy smile, gesturing to the small trinkets in front of her.

Not wanting to be rude, he courteously looked over the various bracelets and necklaces laid before him. They ranged in style, from seashell to shiny stone, small gems to polished pearls. For a market in a town so...sparse, they did have a rather large selection.

One in particular caught his eye in the far left corner of the wood counter. A necklace made of polished black stone. It was carved in the shape of a bird, its wings outstretched as if in flight. The edges were lined in silver and it hung on a silver chain. It was quite beautiful.

He suddenly had the urge to buy it and his eyes widened in shock. Without really thinking, he pointed at the necklace and the vendor wrote on a piece of paper how much it cost. Only 600 beli for a piece that detailed, it was quite a bargain.

His body seemed to move on its own as he pulled out the money from his pocket. The older woman bowed in thanks and handed over the necklace. Walking off, he looked at it more closely.

He hadn't noticed before, but the bird had two tiny, dark purple gems set where the eyes were supposed to be. He looked at it in confusion. What had urged him to buy it in the first place?

'Summer...'

He shook his head to try to dispel his thoughts, denying that he had even thought about it in the first place. Why did he even think of her, anyway? He had only met her a few weeks ago. Besides, why would she go for a guy like him? There were much better looking guys on the sub, and maybe she wasn't even interested in…

He angrily slapped his cheek with a growl, forcing his mind back to reality. "Stop thinking about her." He muttered to himself. Taking the list of supplies he was i charge of, he set off looking for merchants.

Trying to convince himself he just didn't want to waste money, he slipped the necklace gently into his pocket.

Summer leaned against the bookstore shelf, raising her eyebrows at the title of the trashy romance novel in her hands.

'A Sultry Season of Sergio? Really? Who comes up with these things?' Tossing it back onto the shelf, she lazily picked up another one next to it.

"I thought I said to help look for /medical /books, Miss Summer?" Law's irritated voice floated to her from the shelf over. Standing on her tiptoes to see over the top of the shelf, she flashed Law an equally irritated expression.

"You know I don't know a damn thing about medicine or fixing people. How the hell am I supposed to help you find a book on it?" He sighed heavily but said nothing, so she returned to browsing through the romance books.

Glancing around, she noticed Bepo staring blankly out the window. She wandered over to him and tried to find what he was looking at.

"What's the matter, Bepo?" She asked after not finding anything. He glanced at her before continuing his search. His face was pretty serious, causing her to start to worry just a little. Bepo wasn't serious unless something was wrong.

"This town doesn't feel right. None of the citizens show interest in us but I feel like we're being watched." She furrowed her eyebrows. Now that he mentioned it, she recalled this weird feeling at the back of her neck as they had walked down the street. Heading back to Law, she noticed he was sitting on the ground intently studying the page of a book.

"Bepo says someone's watching us." He didn't look up from the page.

"I know." She gave him a shocked expression.

"Well, aren't we gonna do something?"

"No." He turned to the next page. She put her hands on her hips.

"And why the hell not? What if they mean us harm?" He finally looked up from the book and gave her a cold look.

"With this town as strange and uptight as it is, I don't want to cause much of a commotion. Looking for the stalker would only raise our chances of causing trouble. Besides," He said, returning to the book in his hands. "The log pose sets in less than two hours. Once we submerge, there's nothing they could do." His answer was met with a sigh.

"I guess…" She nodded hesitantly. A thought struck her then. "What if it's Viper?" She almost whispered. He glanced up at her.

"Do you have reason to believe he knows we are here?"

"No, but-"

"Do you doubt my crew's ability to fight that much?" Her eyes widened.

"No! That's not what I meant."

"Then quit worrying." Sighing, she walked away again.

Summer decided to wander the shelves a bit longer, sending cautious glances out the window every so often, just in case. She had lost interest in the romance section long ago and now scanned the mystery shelves for anything interesting. After finding nothing there either, she once again returned to the romance section out of pure boredom.

'No...' Law thought as he shut another medical book. Grabbing one close by, he flipped the pages open and scanned the content.

'No...' Not finding what he was looking for, he shut the book and set it aside as well. Running his hand through his hair, he glanced at the large pile of books he had already eliminated as purchases.

"None of these are what I need." Bepo had wandered over by him and sat down at some point, deciding to stay by his captain rather than worry about the stalker they now had. He wasn't sure where Summer had gone. Probably looking through the cheesy romances she seemed to secretly enjoy.

He sighed, resigning himself to the fact that the town's only bookstore didn't have the material he wanted. Standing up, he stretched out his muscles that now ached from sitting for too long. Looking around, he spotted Summer by the romance section. Gesturing for Bepo to follow, he went towards her.

"Hey, Law?" He raised an eyebrow at her question. He watched as her face scrunched up in confusion and concentration at whatever she was reading. "What does cardiovascular mean?"

"It means having to do with the respiratory system, like breathing. Why?" She glanced up before showing him the book in her hands.

"Well, I read it in this book." Taking it, Law saw it was a medical book focusing on the aspects of the heart. "I found it in the romance section earlier. It must have been put there by mistake."

He glanced through the pages briefly, smirking in approval after scanning a few. This was exactly what he was looking for.

"I'm pleasantly surprised, Miss Summer." He said as he made his way towards the door. Bepo and a very confused Summer followed him.

"Surprised at what?"

"Your usefulness." He wasn't looking, but he could feel her scowl behind him.

"Hey, aren't you going to pay for that?" She asked. His grin widened. She rolled her eyes but didn't stop him.

"Oh, I see. Trafalgar Law is too much of a "badass" to pay for a measly book. I get it. Whatever, do what you want." Her sarcastic attitude reminded him so much of his own twisted personality. He also didn't miss the fact that she had secretly taken one of those romance novels off the shelf before and now held it down by her thigh as they walked out.

'You certainly provide great entertainment, Miss Summer...'