In Chains

Mapped Emotions

Anxious barely described how she felt at the moment, waiting in the galley for word from Law. Samira wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there, but her thoughts were eating her alive. She was certain Law was going to demand that she leave his company once he heard what Arsenio had to say about her. The fact he brought the portly man aboard his sub was another reason she was sweating bullets; he was unpredictable and violent. Law was insane.

Samira buried her face into her quaking arms and took a breath. The tension was already extreme; her own was not needed. Law mentioned that her power roused emotions in a person that were often hectic. If what he said was accurate, then her power spreading at this time was not ideal.

She honestly wanted to cry, but to save herself the embarrassment, she focused on her breathing until the door opened. Samira brought up her head and forced a smile. It was Bepo and not Law who had entered.

He was taken back, but approached her regardless.

"How is Shachi? And you; and Penguin. I never wanted to––

Bepo lifted his paw to stop her. "Don't worry about us. We know too well the risks."

He watched her smile fade. It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear – Bepo knew – but Law had instructed him to keep the condition of the party a secret. Samira was a guest, and once Law spoke to her; she may not be a guest for long.

Incidentally, Law also instructed him to bring Samira to him. Bepo mentioned this to her and saw her eyes widen in fear. He felt sorry for her, but orders were orders.

Samira hesitantly stood and followed Bepo through the galley and down a level to the crew bunks. No one was around, but she wondered if the sub was at rest on the water; her breath was steady and as she waited in the galley, she heard no sound otherwise suggesting that the Polar Tang had submerged. It felt like a bad omen to her; an end to beautiful days.

At the hatch door near the end of the hall Bepo left her. Samira watched his large figure as it departed up the stairs and sighed in despair. She assumed that she'd better knock. Doing so gently Law allowed her in seconds later.

He was turned – back towards her – searching through a thick tome from his bookstand. Samira took a reluctant seat in the open chair in front of his desk and sat quietly as he flipped through the pages in a rush. She occupied this brief moment of peace by searching his workspace; it was cluttered with interesting things.

She grew suspicious over the amass of bounty posters scattered around, but decided to ignore them. A pocket-sized chest of coins interested her more. And they were all unalike; shapes and colors that Samira had never seen before.

"You have an amazing collection of coins, Mester (mister) Trafalgar. How long have you been amassing them?"

Law hummed and turned to face her. "Since I became a captain. It's an unnecessary interest I've yet to kick."

"Why stop? It seems exciting to me."

He snorted; she was easy to rouse. Law brought the tome over to the desk and laid it open. His money chest and the posters he relocated to make room – much to her disappointment.

"The Isle of Red Sands; it's where you escaped from according to Frog-ya."

Samira frowned. She hoped that he wouldn't learn much from Arsenio, but whatever Law did to him apparently was enough to scare him into telling him the truth.

"That's right," she confirmed.

Law turned the book towards her. She recognized it as a map; a small and dated map of the Grand Line. The section she could see had a series of misshaped lumps that reminded her of islands; each one eventually connected to an island right before the Red Line.