Chapter Text
"How good are you with heights, Birdie?", you had asked.
"They don't pose a threat to me, but did I get you right? We'll have that thing topple over so it impales him?"
Birdie had crossed her arms over her bosom and had given you a sceptical look from the side.
"Basically yes. Sounds pretty easy I know, but speaking like that would presume that our slimy friend won't try to escape, which he obviously will, once he notices the danger. That's why we need the crews to keep him busy, while you and Kid take care of the tower crane. I will make sure to immobilize him with my powers, while Law uses his "Room" to secure my back."
You had tried your best to sound one-hundred percent sure, but a little tinge of sorrow still had lingered among your explanation. Mostly because your captains still had had to agree with your plan.
"I won't lie to you. I'm not sure any of them is going to like it, but we don't really have another option with this creeper regrowing his bloody tentacles all the time."
These remnants of your conversation still filled your mind, when you made your way towards the water, covered by a more than worried Bepo, who had been sent along by your captain in order to protect you until you'd reach a good point to dive in. You would never forget how his grey eyes had darkened at your bold suggestion and how he had first straight up rejected the idea of you getting into the water and therefore close to the monster Don Dandolo had become.
"Out of the question, mermaid-ya. You're not going in there. We'll find his weakness and take him out.", he had said.
"We don't really have any other options left, Law. If we keep it up like that, the men will grow tired and then we're all fish food. Believe me, I would have suggested something else, but there is no other way.", you had replied, trying hard to make him see your point, before you added: "You've trusted me before and it worked out. Why not do it again now?"
Your eyes hadn't left his even for the slightest moment and in the end, he had given in with a growl.
"Fine. But Bepo will cover you until you've reached the sea."
You nodded like it was expected from a loyal nakama, readying yourself to follow Bepo, when Law took one more promise from you.
"And [y/n]? Promise me, you'll be careful."
Your face lit up as you saluted him with a broad grin: "Aye, captain."
"Bepo! Take her along before I change my mind!"
Eventough only a few minutes had passed since this conversation with your captain it had embedded itself into your mind and was now keeping you going. As it seemed your plan was working out properly. While the Heart and the Kid Pirates did their best to keep the mutated baron busy, the white bear safely escorted you to that part of the harbours part, where you assumed the monsters back was located. Hopefully it would be distracted enough to not notice you diving into the depths.
"Bepo! Can you see Birdie and Kid?", you asked as the two of you ran through the fighting crowd.
Your mink nakama took a quick look at your surroundings and then pointed his left pointer finger to the roof closest to the tower crane. Up there you saw Birdie, running along and towards the giant construct, a rifle strapped to her back. Of course Eustass Kid had tried to bend the tower to his will before, but much to his chargrin Don Dandolo had been smart enough to give it an alloy made of seastone. Never would you forget the redheads colourful curses at this clever trick.
Averting your eyes from the swift sharpshooter, you thanked Bepo and felt glad that Birdie was doing fine for now. You put your whole trust in her, knowing that she would give her all to fulfill their part of the job, as would you.
Reaching your destination you came to a halt, both you and your nakama slightly out of breath. When you readied yourself to glide into the blue, you heard a worried whimper from the bear. You looked at him and reassuringly patted his arm.
"Don't worry. As I promised Law, I'll be careful, Bepo.", you told him with a smile.
That caused him to quickly nod his head.
"You better do. The captain and everyone of us would come drag you back to us, mermaid-chan. You're our nakama and the captains special person. At least he smells happy when you're around. ", he said, a broad grin forming on his face.
The last thing he saw from you was your flushed face, when you spun away from him and jumped headfirst into the sea.
For the first time in your life you felt the tiniest bit grateful for your transformation shocking your body for a few seconds. Bepos words once again had managed to throw you off your track.
"The captains special person."
You couldn't keep your heart from fluttering at these words, but your reason called you back to order. There would be time enough to linger on your conflicted feelings towards your captain once the fighting had ended with your crews' victory. That in mind you took a proper look around yourself.
The area behind you was clear and open to the sea, so this would be the point from where you would attack, cutting off the only escape route for the mutated Dandolo.
Your sides were free from danger as well, but when you looked in front of you, you had to fight the heartfelt urge to puke right then and there. The transformation your former captor had gone through was truely horrid.
What was left of his upper body had been molded back first into the vuluptous back of his monstrous form. His legs as well as his left arm had disappeared into the fleshy mass. It looked like he had given birth to his new self through his back, the mutation causing his reformed insides to burst from their bodily cage and make way for this ghastly abomination which you now saw before you.
"Poor bastard.", you thought. "I don't want to know what horrible stuff Caesar Clown had given you in that syringe. I can really be thankful that I didn't end up getting it in my system."
You slowly approached the creature with gentle whips of your fishtail, well aware that wrong move could foil your plan entirely. Yet you had to find a proper position to get your powers working to full extent. On the one hand you had to repress the water around the monster so it wouldn't allow it to turn away from the pirates above the surface. Secondly you had to make sure the creature would no longer have any control of its body, so it could no longer regrow the tentacles which your nakama and the Kid pirates would cut down in the meantime. A difficult task which would need lots of strenght and focus, but you were dead set against giving up before trying.
"Okay, [y/n]. Deep breaths, you can do it. Everyone up there is counting on you.", you told yourself, about to raise your hands to summon the water, when a mocking cackle stopped you in your tracks.
With horror in your widening eyes, you saw how the remnants of Don Dandolos body came to life, his bloodshot eyes zeroing in on you immediately, obvious disdain in them.
"Trying to pull dirty tricks I see, huh little hybrid-bitch?", he croaked, his lungs obviously no longer concerned with being underwater and cut off from fresh air.
When you remained silent with disgust and shock, he cackled again.
"Though I should thank you. You and your pathetic little friends helped me reach this form, which is far beyond everything I could ever have become, if things had stayed like they were. You fools! You made me a god!"
Your brows furrowed at his openly displayed megalomania.
"You're no god. You're still the same sorry wanker you were before. Just plus the makeover gone wrong.", you replied, voice thick with anger and disgust.
"Bold words from a little fish, who's about to be crushed beyond my heel."
Dandolo bared his now yellow teeth at you, grinning like a maniac. He was beyond any reason and you were not willing to lose any more time bantering.
You braced yourself, about to raise a hand in order to command the waves, when, with a quick flick of his still existing hand, two new tentacles broke from the back of the mountain of flesh around him, aiming straight at you.
Throwing yourself from their line of movement, you dodged sucessfully, thanks to the speed your own mutation had gifted you with.
Calling out to the waves around you, you threw one at him like a spear. The wave cut through the water and pierced one tentacle straightaway. Black, ink-like blood shot from the wound, while Dandolo let out a shriek of pain, which transformed into a howl from the maw above. Now your companions knew that the fight had also started on a second front.
"You'll pay for this, you whor*.", the Kraken-mutant bellowed, making two more tentacles burst from the injured one.
"Do your worst.", you hissed through gritted teeth and readied another spear, all while feverishly trying to figure out how you could keep your original plan in motion.
A fight with the monstrous Don had not belonged to it after all.
***
Above your head the fighting kept raging on as well. While the Heart and the Kid pirates as well as their captains threw themselves at every new tentacle coming from the sea, Birdie had reached the tower cranes control center. There she had been told to wait for a fountain you'd sent to the sky once you had put the sea as well as the creature under your control. But Birdie wouldn't have been the brave and crafty woman she was, if she would have taken a rest now, instead she had used her currently invulnerable positon to shoot at the tentacles from above, saving unguarded pirates here and there. She also kept a close eye on Eustass Kid and Trafalgar Law, who were positioned at the heart of the battle. Both were faring well for now, despite all the time the fighting had already consumed. Yet they wouldn't be able to hold out forever.
"Angelfish, what in the hell are you doing down there?", she thought, just when a terrible scream came from the monster and a splosh of black blood darkened the blue sea.
A cold shiver ran down her spine at the sight.
Something must have happened and her gut told her that it wasn't something good.
The others had noticed the bloodied water as well, but the tentacles didn't give them the time to take a closer look at the reason behind it. Instead they attacked even more viciously, causing the first casualties among their opponents.
"TRAFALGAR! WHAT THE f*ck IS YOUR WOMAN DOING? SHE'S SUPPOSED TO RESTRICT THE BLOODY MONSTER NOT TO PISS IT OFF EVEN MORE!", Eustass Kid yelled, while slicing three tentacles at once to keep them from grabbing him.
"I don't know either! Something must have gone wrong, but neither you nor I can help her down there.", Law hissed through gritted teeth, cutting two tentacles down as well and shooting an angry glare at the monster, who was obviously causing you trouble.
He hated not being able to help you, but neither could he join you underwater nor would his powers have any effect there.
Only of one thing he was sure.
If something would happen to you, he would never forgive himself.
***
"If this goes wrong, I'll never forgive myself.", you though, sarcastically adding that you probably wouldn't be able to do anything anymore.
If you lost this fight, you'd die.
You needed a bloody solution for your misery and you needed it now.
But eventough you desperately tried to clear one out, all you could do was dodging Dandolos attack and counter them as good as possible.
Of course he tried the same tactics with you as he did with the others: he wanted to tire you out and then kill you.
And he would soon succeed, if he kept you on your toes like that.
Then, just when you thought you had escaped another of his quick attacks, you felt several thin but slimey tentacles wrap around the lower part of your tail and then the rest of your body, pulling you towards the beast with rapid speed.
With triumphant laughter Dandolo had outstretched his remaining arm, commanding these new but nonetheless dangerous extensions to burst from his fingers. Like a fish caught on his fishing rod you were pulled to him, rendered helpless at the tight grip he had on you.
"Gotcha, little fish.", he jeered.
You tried to wiggle your way out, but he only tightened his hold on you, until your faces were only centimetres away from each other. His foul breath made you cough as he spoke.
"Now you'll die, hybrid-whor*. First, I kill you, then I kill your friends up there and then I'll start conquering the world. You lost, [y/n]. You all lost and there's nothing you can change about it."
He cackled, causing renewed anger to flood your veins, making your attempts to free yourself even more desperate. Seeing you so helpless and vulnerable brought the mutant great amusem*nt, as he kept rejoicing at the sight of your captivity in his arms.
"Yes, keep fighting little one, but you know there's no escape for you! Gods, how I'll cherish the moment, when I show your worthless carcass to those losers above.That bitch of an ex-marine, her pathetic excuse of a lover and of course, your special friend, that traitor Trafalgar Law. When I'm done with him, I will have him begging for his life and then, then I'll tear him to shre-"
Something deep inside you exploded with white rage.
Later you wouldn't be able to describe exactly what had triggered you more at this very moment, but you let out a scream straight into Dandolos face, which stunned him enough to loosen his grip on you a little. You freed your hands, grabbed onto the edges of his head and commanded the waves around you to flood straight into his ears, increasing the pressure behind his forehead more and more. The bloodshot eyes in front of you widened, gobbling up in their holes and with a shrill, inhuman voice the former mob-boss started to scream.
"STOP IT! STOP! MY HEAD! MY HEAAAARGHH!"
He didn't finish the word, when you used his lack of control over himself as well as his grip on you and pushed yourself away from his, just seconds before his head exploded from the pressure caused by the water flooding his human head.
Closing your eyes at the gruesome sight, you raised your hand and used your power to send the long awaited fountain into the sky.
"Your turn, guys!", you thought, wanting nothing more than for this horrible day to end.
***
The fountain shooting into the sky was accompanied by the attacking tentacles losing all control over themselves. Instead of battling the two pirate crews, they started to go after each other, completely ignoring their former opponents.
With great surprise the men watched this weird spectacle only to look up when the giant tower crane started to creak and to move forward, clearly about to come crashing down.
Righ on top the Kid pirates noticed their captains beloved, who jumped from the ladder leading to the control center and onto the roof she had used before. Just as planned she had taken apart the cranes steering console, causing the construct to topple over with an uproar of screeching metal and steel. Making their escape out of the cranes radius, the pirates cheered loudly when its sharp and pointed end piereced right through the monster, which still suffered from the seizures that had started the moment the jet of water had come up.
Whatever you had done down there, it had worked.
The loud crashing noises covered the mutants screams when it's remaining parts were crushed by tons of metal.
Then, as if nothing had happened, the water went still again.
For one moment the whole area went quiet, but then the pirates bursted into wild cheers.
They had won.
The fight was over.
Don Dandolo was no more.
It was only then, that the Kid Pirates noticed the concerned faces of the Heart Pirates, especially the one of Trafalgar Law, who kept looking around for a trace of you, ordering his men to check their surroundings thoroughly.
"Oh sh*t. Where's [y/n]?"
Booka looked at his crewmates with worry, only to turn his head, when he heard Birdie yell at Kid, who was keeping her from jumping into the water in order to check on your whereabouts.
"There's just a dead mutant and tons of metal, Birdie. If she's been down there-", he didn't finish his sentence.
"No! She said, she'd use her powers to get to safety! We talked it through.", Birdie insisted, voice filled with frightened disbelief.
"What if she's been fatally wounded? We can't say for sure she was entirely fine.", Killer wondered, his voice hinting that he too was worried for the mermaid his captains lover had taken such a liking to.
More and more men started to call out your name, hoping for an answer from you.
When the first non-devil-fruit users among the men offered to go for a dive despite their injuries, it was Trafalgar Law, who ordered his crew to return to the Polar Tang in order to get their wounds treated. He himself would stay behind to keep looking for you. Only Bepo would stay with him.
"If you stay, then I stay too.", Birdie stated with her arms crossed, clearly showing that she would not leave until you were found.
"Fine, we'll find her.", Kid gave in, knowing that there was no way his woman would change her opinion. Turning to the Massacre Soldier he gave further orders."Killer, get the men back to the Victoria Punk. If someone comes to make trouble over their dead Don, make sure they'll regret it."
The blonde vice-captain nodded, then led his comrades from the battlefield.
With only the four left to look for you, Law looked at Eustass, Birdie and Bepo.
"We'll seperate. That heightens the chances to find her. If she truely is injured, time might be precious.", he said, about to turn away, when Kid spoke again.
"What if she didn't-"
"SHE'S NOT DEAD!", Law bellowed, his grey eyes narrowed and shooting bolts at the redhead, who grinned.
"You lo- argh!"
Kid stopped dead in his tracks, when Birdie jumped onto his right boot.
"What the f*ck, doll?!", he hissed.
"There was a tiny rest of a tentacle on your boot. Hell it even moved. Let's start looking!"
The petite woman didn't even bat an eyelash at her obvious lie, then tugged her partner along.
"Gods, woman. You're lucky I like you so much. You'll pay me back for that.", Kid growled as they started their search in one corner of the battlefield.
As they went, Trafalgar turned his back on them and let out a huff, before motioning for Bepo to start searching with him as well.
"[y/n]? Mermaid-chan? WHERE ARE YOU?", the mink called out again and again, while Law used his "Scan" to check their current positon for even the slightest trace of you.
But to no avail.
His grey eyes wandered to the sea, calmly lying in front of him and a sharp tug made his heart clench at the thought, which he tried to keep away from his mind so hard.
As he heard Bepo call out for you again, he opened his mouth as well to give it at least a try, when -
"Ugh, could you please tell Bepo to stop screaming? My head feels like a bloody drum."
Right from below him, he heard a splash followed by your voice.
With two steps he was by the waters edge, where he saw you struggling to leave the water, but being to weak to pull yourself out.
Looking up at him, still in your mermaid-form, you shot him a wry smile.
"Seems like I shot myself a bit to far out of the way. I swam back as soon as I came back to consciousness.", you said, only to stop in your ramblings, when you saw the disbelief in his eyes. "Please don't tell me everyone thought I was dead. Oh god, I'm so sorry, Law."
As if to underline how sorry you felt, your fishtail whipped through the water anxiously.
"I have to apologize to everyone. Sorry for shocking you all.", you kept rambling, still trying to get out, when you were suddenly pulled out and up into two strong arms, their owner not giving a care in the world if his hoodie got wet in the process.
Out of reflex you wrapped your arms around Laws neck, too afraid to fall unto your fishtailed bum, when you lost balance or hold.
"Law?", you asked carefully, since you hadn't gotten a real answer yet.
His greyes met yours, when he finally looked at you, a small but relieved smile on his lips.
"Good to have you back, [y/n]."
You blinked.
"You're not mad at me?"
He shook his head.
"No. You're alive, that's all that counts. Now let's get you back to the submarine, before you start transforming back."
And with that he called for Bepo, who bursted into joyful tears, as well as Kid and Birdie, who had already watched the little scene from afar.
As they followed the three of you, the sharpshooter shook her head.
"God if they don't get their sh*t together soon, I'll lock them in a storage room together and keep watch there until they've sorted EVERYTHING out.", she said, only to glare at her paramour, who bursted into laughter at her words. "They'll end up together, you'll see. If they don't you can tattoo your name on my breasts, for all I care."
"That's a bet I take.", Eustass said with a grin, shaking Birdies right hand which she had thrown in the air to underline her words.
The sharpshooters curses followed him all the way back to their ships.
