In Chains

Intertwining Paths

A/N: Written as a throwback to the Alabasta arc, this story has some similarities, but it's completely original. Please enjoy.

--

"He did not," Shachi muttered as he leaned against the railing of the upper deck. It was a particularly warm afternoon; hot enough that he had to trade his boiler suit for a pair of breezy slacks. His captain wouldn't mind. Law was held up in his office, busy with what Shachi could only describe as work.

He wanted nothing to do with this. Instead he'd rather sit outside and enjoy the day; no idea as to when he'd see the sky again. The Polar Tang was completely stocked and the log pose was nearly set – coordinates to the next island were being debated over at this time. All that was left to do was to wait.

In any case, Shachi was content with even a little downtime – the crew had their share of hard work since the Summit War. He only wanted a moment to breathe, though he knew the calm would not continue long. The Heart Pirates were already weeks behind the other Supernovas – excluding the on hiatus Straw Hats – who by this time were in the New World, steps closer to finding the elusive One Piece.

Trafalgar Law had his reasons for staying on the Paradise side – he claimed – but no one other than himself knew what they were. It brought alarm to some of the crew. Shachi, who had known him for quite some time, was not concerned. He understood that Law was on to something and would tell the crew once the time was right. Giving surety to the crew, Shachi hoped that some of the panic would dissipate. This still didn't bring to an end to it. For instance, a certain frizzy haired woman – the crew's only female – was running off at the mouth at this very moment, venting all her worries to luckless Shachi.

He could barely understand her, even though she was talking loud enough for him to hear. All her words sounded foreign to him; the red haired man clearly wasn't following. He had to stop her before his ears began to bleed – as if they might. Tossing up his inked arms, Shachi covered her mouth and glared at her from behind his sunglasses.

"Did you not hear me? I just said that he didn't. Why in the hell would you think our captain would go and do a thing like that?"

Her brow twitched in annoyance. For some reason his hands smelled like fish; it disgusted Ikkaku. She staggered back a step, freeing her nose from the sudden assault and tried to answer him, but once she opened her painted lips, he again interrupted her.

"And speak so that I can understand you; clearly."

"Use your ears, dunderhead. I was just about to tell you before I was rudely interrupted," Ikkaku snapped. She huffed a sigh and continued. "It makes sense doesn't it? Captain is amassing bounty posters. He asked Uri to grab him a newspaper from the last island and when he gave it back, all the posters were missing. Don't you think that's a little odd? I mean, it's not that he's bored and is looking to start a hobby in collecting."

That is odd, Shachi agreed. Even so, he couldn't assume the worst just because his captain was doing something a little out of character. Like making a deal with the Marines – as she was suggesting. For all he knew, Law was merely trying to keep track of the other Supernovas by following their bounties. This was the most logical explanation he could think of anyway.

"Remember when we left Amazon Lilly? Captain told us to follow his every order; that he'd one day steal the proper throne. We cheered for him, and I have no doubt that all of us believe he'll do it too." Shachi glanced out at the open sea, captivated by its unnatural, beckoning afterglow. It was indeed a stunning sight to look on. "He has a plan ... and hell I don't know if collecting bounty posters has anything to do with it, but he knows what he's doing."