Cursed

"Umm, captain? Are you asleep?"

Murmuring, Trafalgar Law opened an eye. They had been at the Human Auction for the better part of the hour and he was bored out of his mind. He was tired of listening to the host drone on and on before settling on a price. He watched the poor, now sold, slave being led backstage until the end of the auction when the payment would be exchanged. He was just about to close his eyes again when the host announced with enthusiasm.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen! At the age of 16! The female human~ Mariko~!"

Law looked up in time to see a slim girl led onto the stage. Law stared. Unlike the other slaves, who normally looked at the audience in terror, the girl wore a calm almost spaced out expression.

The girl had long black hair in a single braid with pale skin. She wore a hoodie, long pants, gloves and boots. (All which were a solid black) But what really caught his attention were her large dark purple eyes.

'We'll start the bidding at a mere 480,000 Beri!' screamed the host. 'And we have 480,000! Do we have anything higher?!'

'Umm excuse me? Can I ask you something?'

Startled, the host looked over at the girl. 'Are you speaking to me?!'

'Well…yeah…Could you tell me what's going on?' she asked, looking less dazed then she had been a moment ago. The crowd was silent.

'Oh, well uh… You really don't know what's going on? Do you?' the bewildered host asked. Mariko shook her head. 'Well you see, you're about to be sold as a slave, I suppose.'

Mariko nodded, 'I see. So that's what's happening here… How unfortunate,' she said quietly. 'Unfortunate?' the host repeated. Mariko smirked. 'Yes, unfortunate. You see, I have no intention of becoming a slave, but it's not like I can just let you all live. You see, if any of you were to tell the marines I was here well~ my life would become, err, complicated.'

Law couldn't believe what he was hearing, the girl was practically asking for death. A slow smile spread over his face, things were about to get interesting.

-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-

Mariko sighed, 'Pity, I hoped you guys would give me even a little bit of entertainment. Now,' she said looking up at the mortified audience. 'Where shall I begin?'

'How was she able to beat them…?' Law heard someone say. 'Why didn't the collar go off…?' Law looked down at the platform obviously amused and impressed. The girl had managed to beat all of the guards almost instantly.

Mariko picked up a fallen guard's sword then began to slowly advance on the terrified host. 'Go to Hell you bastard…' She said smirking.

'MARIKO!!! Don't move!' A voice yelled. The blade stopped inches away from the host's face. A woman with short black hair walked onto the platform. 'Put the sword down and get your ass over here.' Dropping the sword Mariko, obeyed. The crowd let out a sigh of relief. But the question remained, who was that woman?

The woman whispered something to Mariko who responded only by a nod and left the platform. 'Now,' the woman said after Mariko had left, 'I'm afraid I'll be withdrawing my slave from the auction. Is that all right?' The host nodded stiffly, no doubt shaken by his brush with death. The woman smiled. 'Good.'

'Come on.' Law said suddenly standing up. 'Captain, where are you going?' Law looked at Bepo and smiled. Bepo's eyes widened. 'You're not thinking of going after them are you?!' he asked, mortified. Law's smile widened, 'That's exactly what I plan to do.'

-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-

Surprisingly, it didn't take the Heart Pirates very long to find them. Once they told people who they were looking for. It wasn't everyday people saw a short-haired woman trailed by an angry girl who looked likely to bite someone's head off. Even Shabondy Archipelago had its limits.

'Are you sure this is the place?' Jean Bart asked. 'They said the house on the edge of Grove 13. This is the only thing that resembles one so this must be it.' Law said glancing at it.

It wasn't much of a house. It looked more like a box with a roof. It was a small single story building with no windows and only one set of doors with a knocker that resembled a star with a crescent moon hanging under it. Taking hold of the moon Law knocked.

No one answered. So they waited. After about 30 minutes of waiting Law was getting impatient. 'Jean Bart…' Law said through gritted teeth. 'Understood,' Jean Bart replied walking up to the door. Lifting his giant arm he punched the door…that immediately swung open…causing him to tumble into the house.

'What the hell!' Jean Bart yelled. 'What happen-' he began, before coming face-to-face with a pair of large, angry purple eyes. 'Why the Hell'd you do that you dumbass?!' Mariko demanded.

'You were there?! The whole time! Why didn't you open the damn door?!' Jean Bart yelled back. Mariko glared, 'I would have opened the door eventually.' She sneered. 'Really? And when would that have been exactly Miss Mariko?' Law asked politely, much to the annoyance to his crew. 'Why,' she replied looking innocently up at Law, '5 minutes after you'd have left.' She smirked arrogantly.

'I see~ may I speak with…?' Law hesitated realizing he didn't know the woman's name. 'You mean Yukio?' she asked glaring at the pirates as if daring them to say something. 'I believe so.' Law said giving her a kind smile, which only caused her glare to intensify.

'Life is a precious thing.' she said suddenly. 'Pardon?' Law asked, caught off guard at the statement. She looked up at him blankly. 'If you enjoy it, you would leave immediately or suffer.' 'Was that a threat?' he asked leaning in closer, 'Because if you're trying to scare me off…' he smirked, 'you'll have to do better than that.' He said staring deep into her strangely alluring eyes. 'I only wanted you to know that anyone who's foolish enough to disturb Yukio has a death wish…But since you're already here and you don't seem to want to leave then I have no choice now do I?' she asked obviously pissed off. Sighing she walked into the house. 'Suit yourself.' She said coolly, leading the pirates into the house.

-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-

The house seemed (if it were possible) smaller on the inside. There was only one other room besides the one they'd walked into where they saw a small bare room with only a mattress throw carelessly on the floor. No one was there.

Instead of walking to the bedroom, as Law had expected, she casually stopped in front of a broken fireplace. She muttering something under her breath she stepped to the side. 'Well get in!' she barked. 'Get in where? There's nothing there!' Bepo asked looking at Mariko, 'Are you sane?!' Mariko's eyes narrowed. 'Just get into the passage way and shut the Hell up!' 'What passage way?!' Mariko palm slapped her forehead. 'There is a ladder inside the fireplace. Go down it and wait for me…' she said giving them an if-you-don't-get-down-there-willingly-I'm-swear-I'm-gonna-push-you-down-and-I-don't-give-a-shit-if-you-die look. The group looked at each other and, as if in silent agreement, they bolted to the fireplace. 'You know,' Bepo whispered as they climbed down the ladder, 'She never denied that she was insane…'

-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-

'She's in there. When she kills you could you please keep your blood off the walls? I just washed them off from the last time.' She said coldly. 'Thanks for the advice. We'll keep that in mind.' Law replied sarcastically. 'Anytime,' she whispered, ushering them into the room.

Once they had gotten down the ladder they discovered that the house upstairs were only a cover. The real house was a maze deep underground. 'So we aren't interrupted.' Mariko had told them with a secret smile. None of the pirates were sure if they wanted to know what the two women didn't want to be "interrupted".

The room was an elaborate sitting room with a few comfy looking armchairs and tables. Sitting in one of the armchairs was Yukio drinking some tea. When Mariko closed the door, she gestured to the chairs inviting them to sit. Awkwardly, the crew sat down.

'Now what would famous pirates come to my home?' she asked casually. 'Forgive the intrusion, but I have a business proposition.' Law said sinking deeper into the armchair. 'Hmm~ a proposition you say?' she said sipped her tea, 'Young man you are either a complete idiot or the bravest man I've met in a while. So continue. Entertain me.' She looked up at him and smiled. Law shivered. There was something about those silver eyes that sent mental chills down his spine. Her eyes were as cold as ice.

'I'm interested in purchasing Mariko.' He said, hoping his voice didn't sound shaken. 'Mariko? Ah~ so you were at the auction were you? Hmm~ I have to say this comes to a surprise to me, I didn't think anyone would be interested after her little stunt.' She smiled as if she was savoring every word. 'Tell me young man. You've seen how dangerous and unpredictable she is, so why would you want her? Unless,' she said looking into his eyes, 'you want her for…personal reasons.' She laughed in delight as Law's calm face turned pink.

'I'll tell you now. I know what she's worth.' She said, her cold eyes still laughed. 'The going price for her was 480,000 Beri. I'll give you 520,000 Beri for her.' Law said trying to recover from his embarrassment. Yukio shook her head. 'I won't accept anything less than 550,000 Beri.' Law stood up a walked towards Yukio. 'Deal.' He said shaking her hand, sealing the deal.

-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-

'I'll bring her to your ship later tonight. I just need to make some arrangements.' She had told them that before they left. At 10 minutes to midnight she had arrived carrying what seemed to be a suitcase and a backpack. Mariko seemed to be sleepwalking, her eyes were glazed and she swayed back and forth as she walked. She had been drugged. That wasn't the only thing wrong with her…

'Why isn't she wearing a collar?' Law asked watching her trip on some invisible object. Yukio smirked. 'I think you'll find that she doesn't need one.' She replied looking directly at the money Law held. 'Will she listen to me without one?' 'Oh yes. In fact, she'll do more than "just listen". She will obey your every word.' 'Don't you mean command?' 'No I meant word.' She answered airily.

'Now there is one more thing you have to do before this business is concluded.' She said taking Mariko's hand and leading her on deck. 'What?' Law asked curiously, this woman was becoming more and more unpredictable. 'It's simple really, the only thing you need to do is place your hands on her forehead and heart. Then I can take your money and you can have your slave.' She replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Law wasn't sure what twisted thing she was planning but he couldn't see any harm in it. Awkwardly, he did what Yukio had told him to.

A strange tingling feeling coursed through him. It spread from his toes to his fingertips and all the way down his spine. Sudden and unexpected warmth spread inside him. It disappeared as quickly as it came. 'Weird.' He thought.

'Well then, everything seems to be in order.' Yukio said with a satisfied expression. Law noticed the money in her hand. When had he given it to her? He looked over to Mariko, she had stopped swaying but her face looked paler than usual and her eyes were drooping. He had only seen someone like that when they were about to… Law lunged forward and caught her just as she collapsed. Yukio clapped, 'Very good.' She purred. Law avoided eye contact.

'I really must be going. Don't worry. She should come to by sunrise.' She said turning to leave. 'Oh! By the way, these,' she said dropping the suitcase and backpack on the floor, 'are her things. Feel free to loot them, but do it before she wakes up.' She smiled darkly. 'She's very protective of her possessions. May the gods, grant you luck.' And with that being said she left.

'Jean Bart, could you put her things in my room?' he asked picking Mariko up. 'She'll be staying in my room.' He smiled down at the girl. 'Things are about to get lively around here.'

-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-

Mariko slowly regained consciousness. 'What happened?' she thought. Her head felt like nails were digging into it. The last thing she remembered was the pirates leaving and then going down to the kitchen for supper and then…? She couldn't remember. Was that…sea water she smelled? She opened her eyes. She was lying on a queen-sized bed. Her eyes darted around the cabin. Somehow in the past 10 hours she'd managed to get on a ship. Her mind whirled with panic. One thing was for sure, she had to get back to Yukio. 'So you're finally awake.' A voice said suddenly.

She looked around to see a young man coming through the door. Some part of her knew who he was but her panic had made her mind twitchy and unfocused. Animal instincts took over. She bolted through the door.

She neither felt, nor cared, when she slammed into him as she rushed through the door. She focused on one thing, escape. She heard voices all around her, blended into a strange garbled language. She continued to randomly navigate her way through the ship. Her heartbeat felt like thunder in her ears but she refused to stop. She was scared and confused. It felt like hours of blind running before she made it on deck. She could see Shabondy Archipelago in the distance. If she could swim she might make it. Just as she was about to jump into the ocean a voice yelled out. 'DON'T MOVE!'

-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-

Mariko froze as Law screamed the command at her. 'Idiot!' he thought to himself. It was only natural that the girl panicked, she was on a strange ship and most likely (based on whatever godforsaken drugs Yukio had given her) she didn't remember last night. 'Sit down and calm yourself.' He commanded looking into her eyes. Stiffly, she sat down. Law watched as she closed her eyes. Her breath slowed down and when she looked up her face was full of fury.

'What am I doing here, and where is she, Trafalgar Law?' she asked her eyes burning with anger. 'If you're referring to the Ice Queen, she sold you to me last night.' He responded.

He looked into her eyes. What was she feeling right now? Hate? Betrayal? Rage? He looked deeper into those mysterious dark eyes. Then he saw it…pure terror. His mind went numb. Had he caused that? He continued to stare and realized he wanted, no, he longed to see those eyes sparkle with joy. To see her smile, to hear her laugh. It was an absurd thought but the more he thought about it, the more he was sure of it. He couldn't explain why he just, wanted.

He gave himself a mental shake. Such thoughts could wait. 'So I'm YOUR slave?' she asked, her eyes narrowing. Law gave her, what he hoped, was a kind smile. Mariko opened her mouth as if to say something but thought better of it. 'Why didn't you jump overboard?' Bepo asked quickly, hoping to ease the steadily rising tension. Obviously it was the wrong thing to say. 'BECAUSE YUKIO BONDED ME TO THAT BASTARD YOU CALL A CAPTAIN!!!!' she screamed at Bepo. 'Bonded? What do you mean by that?' one of the crewmen asked. Mariko turned slowly and gave him an I-can't-believe-you-said-that-are-you-a-dumbass look. She gave a deep sigh.

'Did Yukio ask you to put your hands on my forehead and heart?' she asked Law coolly. Law nodded. 'Then you've "bonded" with me. Now my mind,' she said placing her hand on her forehead, 'and my soul,' she placed her other hand on her heart, 'belong to you and will obey your every word.' She finished looking grim. Law shivered when he heard Yukio's words echo in his mind, 'Oh yes. In fact, she'll do more than "just listen". She will obey your every word.'

'How is that possible?' gasped Jean Bart, his eyes growing wider. Mariko sighed again. 'Magic works in strange and terrible way.' She said shrugging. 'Magic…?' Law repeated. Mariko rolled her eyes. Apparently, the concept of magic didn't seem difficult to understand.

Mariko looked straight into Law's eyes with her dark ones. 'Understand this Trafalgar Law. If you ever do anything terrible to me, anything that goes against what I believe in or get in my way. I swear by the gods I won't rest until you are dead at my feet.' She said darkly. 'That I can promise you.' Law's mouth twitched into a smirk. 'I thought I told you'll have to do better than threats to scare me off?' he asked arrogantly. 'And wouldn't it have affected me more if you were standing up looking me in the eye instead of sitting on the floor?' He just barely dodged the knife she threw at his face.

'I CAN'T FREAKING STAND UP BECAUSE YOU MADE ME SIT YOU ASS!!!' she screamed. Law laughed, this was going to be more fun then he imagined. 'Alright,' he said laughing, 'get up and go to my room and wait for me, I'll come with something for you to eat!' Mariko jerked up suddenly and stiffly began to walk. 'So that's why she's been moving like that.' He thought amused. 'She's been trying to fight the curse this whole time.'

'And by the way!' he shouted after her. 'You're not to kill me in any way or method!' An extreme killing aura surrounded her as she continued on her way.

And so it began.