Desires of Men ~SEQUEL TO THE LIFE I LIVE~

For Your Troubles

*Two Days Later*

"We don't need Kid anymore." Law told Bepo while they were laying in their borrowed room. "I know where he's taking her-well, not where- but a general idea of where."

"So, how are we going to break off the alliance? I don't think he'll be happy with us if we tell him we're leaving." Law shook his head.

"We won't tell him." Bepo wondered to himself what his captain was thinking.

"So how will we do it?"

"We'll go back to the sub with my powers tonight. Kid will never know."

~~~

"We'll be ready, Captain." Liam said, putting the snail phone away. He turned to the rest of the crew. "Get ready to set sail. Shachi and Penguin, I need you two waiting in the engine room. Jean Bart, you're in the navigation with Blake.

"Does everybody know what you're doing?"

The men nodded.

"We've got two hours! Be prepared!"

~~~

Night had fallen over the two vessels sailing together. Bepo sniffed through the halls of Kid's ship to see if everyone had fallen asleep. A few moments later, he came back with an affirmative that the way was clear. Grabbing the chest with Summer's files, Law tiptoed down the hall as quietly as possible.

It seemed that Kid's ship had many creaky boards on the floor, and Law winced with each squeak. He would glance at Bepo who sniffed the air. Luckily, even four or five times went undetected by the crew.

They made it to the outside deck without incident. Outside, the sub was surfaced and waiting for it's two missing occupants. Parker waited on the deck.

"Room." Law whispered, forming the blue sphere around them. He was careful not to make it too big. He'd noticed before that when his room passed through someone, they felt off and noticed a change. He feared it would wake up Kid and his crew.

Once the sphere covered them and a section of the sub, Law moved his fingers and muttered 'Shambles.' A second later, Law and Bepo had been transported back onto their own vessel.

"Welcome back, Captain." Parker said, opening the door for them.

"Have Penguin-ya and Shachi-ya ready at the engines." He gave his sword to Bepo who took it without a word. He hefted the box into a better position under his arm.

"They're already there."

"Good. Bepo, I want you in navigation. Get us on the currents that get us as far away as possible."

"Yes, Captain." The bear immediately headed towards the navigation while Parker and Law headed towards the kitchen.

"Everyone's in the kitchen?" Parker nodded. "Excellent."

Upon arriving in the mess deck, everyone turned to look as Law walked in. He was greeted with cheers and questions of information. Putting the chest on the counter, he waved them all off. "First, coffee."

There were a few laughs as Casper brought out a mug of coffee for the captain, who took it greedily. He'd been craving the drink for days, living off the one mug that Kid had grounds for the first time they'd sat down and talked. The ship lurched as Bepo and Jean Bart submerged the sub and prepared to get on the currents.

"Liam-ya, report." He said between sips.

"We've been working as usual. Everyone's been training hard over the past week or so."

"What's in the box?" Someone asked. Law set down his mug.

"Information from the Marines." He walked over and laid a hand on the top. "I know you're probably curious, but since it contains personal information about Summer-ya, I don't think I should share it."

"Oh, then keep it quiet, Captain. We don't want Summer mad at us for knowing something we shouldn't." The men shied away from the box, not even wanting to be affiliated with something that might get them beat up when Summer came back. With a smirk, Law moved away from it and sat back down.

There was another bounce from the sub as the ship hit a fast current. It settled before too long.

"So, we're going to the New World, right?" Parker asked to which Law nodded.

"We've remained on the Grand Line for too long. It's time to start the second half of our journey."

"Alright! Let's do it!" A few men shouted, sending the rest into cheers. Law grinned as they suggested a party to celebrate such an accomplishment. He only hoped the enthusiasm would hold once they got to the most dangerous waters in the world.

~~~

*The Next Morning*

Kid awoke to a feeling that something was missing. As soon as his eyes opened, they narrowed once more. Something was wrong. Throwing the sheets off of himself, he quickly got dressed and threw open the door.

His first place to check was Killer's quarters. Without bothering to knock, he threw open the door. Inside, Killer was still asleep in some odd position, his face buried deep into the pillow. His blue and white helmet sat on the side table.

Going up to his first mate, he poked him hard in the arm to make sure he was still alive. Without lifting his head, Killer's muffled voice sounded tired and a little irritated.

"What do you want?"

"Something isn't right." Kid muttered. Killer shifted his position to find another comfortable spot.

"Yeah, you're invading my personal space."

Without a word, Kid left to check on the other two rooms. Heat and Wire were both still asleep. Nothing seemed out of place. Lastly, he walked by the Surgeon's room. Narrowing his eyes, he gripped the knob and pushed open the door.

There was nobody inside. On the bed lay a bottle of sake with a note. Picking it up, he read the words:

'For the limited time that you were useful, here's a drink, on me.'

Below the words was a picture of the Heart Pirates' jolly roger. Snarling in anger, he ripped up the paper and threw the pieces to the floor.

"Damn that surgeon bastard!"

~~~

Arriving in: 28 days.