Lovely Snow [Trafalgar Law]

[XIV] Marines

Miyuki couldn't find anyone after she finished cleaning up breakfast. The sub was like a ghost ship. It had never been this silent during the day.

Her best guess is that everyone was busy enjoying their last day on the island. Their time on this island had been quite eventful. Miyuki unconsciously moved her hand up to feel the snowflake. A light blush took over her face as she remembered Law placing it in her hair.

There was so much she wanted to say to her Captain. Miyuki wanted to let him know how much he meant to her. How things had changed. But she couldn't find the words.

Miyuki sighed, letting her hand fall away from the hair piece. If she did tell him everything, would he even feel the same? She knew that he treats her different than the rest of the crew. He's a lot softer with her. Miyuki also knew that she wasn't the only one to notice this. But everyone kept their mouths shut in fear of the captain's reaction.

Miyuki continued down the empty halls, heading towards her room. She had her head down, disappointed with the silence. Her thoughts continued to fester. She also missed the note taped to her door.

Meet me at the clothing store when you are done with clean up. We are trying on clothes, so don't bring your hoodie.
-Ikkaku

Miyuki felt relieved that Ikkaku hadn't forgotten about her. But she was slightly irritated that Ikkaku hadn't just come to the kitchen to tell Miyuki this herself. Perhaps it was because she knew Miyuki wouldn't agree to come.

Miyuki shed off her yellow hoodie and looked in the mirror. The shirt Ikkaku had picked out for her suited Miyuki really well. She looked cute. It even matched her white jeans quite well.

Miyuki glanced over at her cutlass, well both. She contemplated taking them with her. Most likely she wouldn't need them. Nothing bad had happened on this island and there didn't seem to be any marines around. Miyuki looked away, deciding to leave them in their place. She was completely unaware of the marine ship that had just docked.

As Miyuki began to wander around the town, she noticed something strange. Two men dressed in white were putting up wanted posters. Two in particular caught her eye. One was of Bellamy and the other was none other than herself.

Having a bounty wasn't new to Miyuki. She and the crew had discovered that Bellamy and Miyuki earned themselves a bounty on the last island they stopped at. All due to the bar fight from a while back.

What caught Miyuki off guard, was that there were now marines on the island. She needed to find the crew and let them know as soon as possible. The last thing they need is a full on battle. The Heart Pirates need to leave as soon as possible.

Miyuki lowered her head and raced towards the clothing store. She couldn't let those marines see her. They were sure to recognize her considering they had her bounty quite literally in their hands.

"Miyuki, there you are!" Ikkaku waved the blonde down. "I was starting to think that you weren't coming." She joked.

But Miyuki didn't smile. Instead, she grabbed Ikkaku's arm. "We need to find Captain. The marines are here."

Ikkaku smiled. Miyuki's tone had worried her for a moment. "Yuki, we are pirates. We run into marines all the time. Just because they are here doesn't mean that we need to leave."

Miyuki shook her head. "You don't understand Ikkaku. They were hanging up wanted posters and it looked like they were searching for someone. None of the crew is armed except for Captain. We aren't ready for a battle."

Ikkaku paled. She knew Miyuki was right. She had seen it for herself. Almost every single member of the crew had left the Polar Tang unarmed. There had been no threats any of the other days and the crew had relaxed. Maybe a little too much.

"Let's split up. Look for the captain and tell everyone you find on your way. Don't engage without Captain's orders." Miyuki nodded.

The two women headed in opposite directions. Miyuki was fairly sure that she knew where to find Law. She had seen a book store when they first arrived on the island. It was a safe guess that he would be there.

Miyuki darted through the crowded streets. She was thankful that it was busy. It meant she and the rest of the crew were less likely to stand out. Miyuki was the only one not dressed in the boiler suit. The rest of the crew quite literally had the Jolly Roger plastered on their chests.

"Excuse me miss. Did you drop this?" Miyuki turned at the sound of the man's voice. It was a horrible mistake.

Miyuki looked at the handkerchief in his hand and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but that's not mine." Miyuki paled when she saw the men standing in front of her. It was two marines. She desperately hoped they wouldn't recognize her. She would have had a chance too, if the other marine wasn't holding wanted posters.

"My apologies miss. Have a great day." Miyuki relaxed. She believed she had escaped the situation. In that moment, Miyuki felt insanely lucky that Law had agreed to her condition of no uniform.

"Wait a moment," the other marine held out his hand, stopping Miyuki in her tracks. "Do I know you from somewhere? You look very familiar."

Miyuki broke into a nervous sweat. "Not that I know of. But now that you mention it, you look familiar to me too." She played along in hopes of avoiding suspicion. Miyuki began to chant don't look down over and over again in her head.

"I know that I've seen you before somewhere. Do you travel around a lot? Maybe we've run into each other on another island." Miyuki wasn't sure how to respond. It felt like a trap. Sure, not everyone that travels is a pirate. But she felt like she was caught red handed.

Miyuki forced out a laugh. "I've traveled some, but never too far away from home." She motioned to the land around her.

The marine nodded, eating up her act. "That must be it." His kind smile made Miyuki feel sick to her stomach. He was a marine, her enemy. But he was so kind. It almost made Miyuki question if she could have found a family with the marines instead. Almost.

Miyuki continued walking. She had miraculously escaped. Now all she had to do was find Law. "Miss," Miyuki paused, turning to look back at the Marine. Her eyes took in the posters scattered on the ground, then narrowed in on his hand threateningly rested on his gun. "I'm going to need you to come with us. Don't make things worse."

Miyuki paled. She was caught. It almost worked. "It was just one bar fight. Please, you have to understand. They were harassing me." Miyuki pleaded. As far as she knew, these marines were unaware that she is a member of the Heart Pirates. She also knew these men had a kind heart. Maybe she could appeal to them.

The marine's eyes narrowed. "Cut the crap. It says here that you are affiliated with the Heart Pirates." All of the kindness was absent from his voice. Miyuki glanced at the other marine and found him standing with his hand on his sword.

"Don't try anything. You'll only make things worse. Come with us quietly."

From across the street, Shachi and Penguin spotted Miyuki. "Hey, isn't that Miyuki?"

Shachi nodded. "Why is she with marines?"

Penguin and Shachi exchanged glances. They both concluded that the situation didn't look good. "I'll follow them. You go find Captain."

Word Count: 1309

Published: 4/24/2024

Unedited