In Chains

Flutter

For some reason when she came to Samira was at ease. Her body felt relaxed as she lay beneath the shade of a beige pyramid tent with the warmth of the sun nipping at her skin.

How strange.

When did she go to bed? Or lie down for that matter? Samira swore that she was reliving the horror of her exile. The voices seemed so real; screaming her name in hate. She shivered in fear. Perhaps the arid ecosystem of the Mirrored Expanse was triggering her. The Isle was mostly shaded due to its location, but during the summer the heat wafting in from holes in the Red Line was smothering; much like the desert. Samira sat up with a grunt and sat her hand over her heart. It was––

Peering down at her chest, she noticed a deep square-shaped hole had been carved out of her body.

Samira let out a shriek of fear. What happened to her? And why was there a hole in her chest? It didn't hurt, but it wasn't natural.

A minute later the flap of the tent came open and Ikkaku peeked in with a curious look on her face.

"Are you OK?" She asked.

Samira shook her head.

"There is a hole in my chest."

Ikkaku snorted and pulled back her cloak revealing a similar hole in her chest.

"Mine too. Captain took our hearts out last night."

He did what? Goosebumps littered Samira's skin. Was this the same technique that Law used on Arsenio back in the Crocus Sea? She didn't understand why he used it on her and the crew.

"I am so confused," Samira admitted.

"Then you should go talk to our captain," Ikkaku said with a sincere smile.

The said woman understood how Samira felt. She too woke up in fright, but since she was a Heart Pirate she knew immediately what had happened.

"The entire crew is on a probation period anyway," Ikkaku mentioned.

Samira raised a brow in question. What did she mean?

Motioning for her to follow, Samira put on her cloak and joined Ikkaku outside the tent. The heat felt much worse than the previous day. Samira groaned and walked with the brunette to the unlit fire pit where the crew was seated. Like her, each of them was missing their hearts.

"It's about time you woke up," Bepo stated.

Samira grinned.

"With a fright no less."

She averted her eyes to Law as she sat down. He looked exhausted. Did he not sleep last night?

"We need to talk about this," Samira brought up, pointing to the hole in her chest.

Law shook his head.

"You consumed the cacti we gathered last night, am I to assume that's right?" He asked.

Samira shook her head.

"Each of you underwent a hallucination seemingly caused by an unknown protein in the cacti. Most of you acted out harmlessly, but at least four of you were a danger to the crew or yourselves, so I removed your hearts," Law explained.

Samira widened her eyes. Did she hurt anyone? She recalled her power spiking during her hallucination, but no one looked worse for wear. Shachi and Penguin had bruised faces, but nothing more.

"Once I am sure each of you is not still a danger to one another, I will give you back your hearts," Law mentioned.

Standing, Law picked up his sword.