"How do you know it was them?"

Ginger looked up in surprise not at all expecting Law to intervene. He had leaned away from the wall he'd been perched against and stepped forward upon hearing of the news. His face remained devoid of any emotion that would give a hint to how he was feeling at the moment. She wasn't surprised given the fact that he was always like this.

Aubrey frowned. "I've had my suspicions of Francie from the very moment she joined the crew. I was always wary of her. Not because she was a fishwoman far away from home but because she…always acted differently. It was subtle, but perhaps it was because only I could tell. I tried to warn Greta but she wouldn't have it."

"What did she do that confirmed your suspicions?"

"She framed a member of our crew of having betrayed us by feeding the Marines information on our whereabouts." Aubrey's eyes darkened then. "We didn't know that the girl was a member of the Celestial Dragons or that she had run away from her family and joined our crew."

Ginger's blood ran cold as sweat begin to coat her brow. "You mean…that girl was killed by my mother?"

"You have to understand that Greta viewed betrayal as the ultimate sin. She made it clear that death was the only option from day one."

"But she was innocent, Aubrey! I'm sure she pleaded her innocence!"

"At the time the evidence was clear!" She snapped. "It all pointed back to her. All we saw was a traitor. It was exactly what Francie wanted."

Ginger balled her hand into a fist. All those years of looking for any shred of detail on why Greta killed the girl eluded her. The truth was much harder to swallow now that she knew. All this time she was sure that her mother had been executed for a good reason—knowing that killing a member of the World Nobles was repaid with the perpetrator's death. The idea of the woman begging for her life as her mother ended it painted a grim picture in her head

"It's possible that she's joined their ranks?" Law questioned, paying no mind to her silence.

"I think so. They would surely take advantage of her abilities," Aubrey said spitefully.

Hearing Law show some interest in the subject made Ginger remember of the quest he spoke of. Punk Hazard would be their first destination though this had surely thrown them off course. She still didn't know what she would be doing during that time he would be occupying said island. These last few months they had been collecting nameless pirates with low bounties after which they would never hear of them again. One such incident involved the decimation of an entire crew on Rocky Port.

Whatever Law was up to she knew more or less that going against what he ordered would only serve to increase his distrust.

Ginger stood up from her chair. "Enough of this. We need to find the others and get the hell out of here."

"You don't know where to look." Aubrey turned her attention back to her. "For now you're safe here. The doctor can't look in on you both while you're with me."

"So explain how that works."

Chewing on her bottom lip Aubrey said, "It's complicated, Ginger. It's something that can only happen once."

"I'm not inclined to believe you then."

Aubrey sighed becoming frustrated at the current ordeal. She seemed to be waging an inner battle with herself perhaps unsure of whether or not to say anything. When she focused her stare Ginger knew that she made up her mind. "I used Busoshoku Haki to cut off my mind from her tampering, but it also left me trapped inside of my mind. I'm still affected by her powers, but she can no longer sense me."

"You immobilized yourself." Ginger's head snapped towards Law as confusion set in.

Aubrey nodded at Law's observation. "It was the only way. I refused to be a part of her sick mind games. My life was over the moment they brought me here."

Law's eyes flickered to Ginger. "By using haki she managed to cut off her self-awareness."

Ginger swallowed thickly. "Then if something happened to the doctor, and this illusion were to be over, you would be completely paralyzed."

"Yes," Aubrey responded quietly. "I'd rather be this way than be subjected to whatever she had in store. At least in this state I have control over what I can experience."

"Does that mean that what we're seeing is because of you?"

"Partly. She controls many areas where I'm not at. By bringing you here she has no access to you and your mental state. Therefore, she can't torture you mentally here." Ginger opened her mouth to ask another question but was cut off when Aubrey added, "How rude! I completely forgot to ask for your name!"

Ginger deadpanned as Aubrey began acting spastic, clutching the side of her head with both hands as she spat out excuses. "I wasn't always this forgetful! I'm so sorry! I'm the host here—so to speak—and I didn't even ask your name!"

"It's not a big deal," Law muttered, waving his hand to the side.

"It is to me!" Aubrey paused. Hands still pressed against each side of her head as her eyes slid to Ginger. "You're still a Marine, right?"

"No."

"You're not?"

Ginger waved a hand. "I'm a 'deserter' in technical terms. I joined Law's crew by invitation. That's how we ended up here."

"That's his name I take it?" Aubrey asked as her eyes turned on him.

When Law made no attempt to give his full name Ginger added, "Trafalgar Law. He's…my captain."

"So, you left the Marines and joined a pirate crew? Why?"

Ginger closed her eyes, becoming frustrated at the distraction. "What do you mean 'why'? I wanted to." She never could recall if Aubrey always had been this easily distracted. Her memories of Aubrey were always of the woman taking care of her and being a role model to the young girl. There were times when she treated her the way Greta should have, and yet—

Maybe this is why Greta was always annoyed with her.

"Anyway," Ginger stated through clenched teeth while opening her eyes. "This is Law and he's my captain. Can we please move on and look for the rest of our crewmates?"

Aubrey relaxed with her hands dropping to her sides as she looked away. "It's not quite possible to search for other people. The ones I've come across were by chance."

Ginger looked to Law who in turn met her glance with a suspicious one of his own. They were both thinking the same thing. They had to look for the rest of the crew no matter what even if they happened upon the doctor who had trapped them in this nightmare.

"How does this devil fruit work?" Ginger prompted. The disconcerting feeling of being affected by it was brought back in the form of nausea. Being under the effects of such a thing made her uncomfortable at the thought of never coming out of it.

"Its full effect is brought on by unconsciousness. It's similar to being in a coma. Being trapped in your head except it feels as though you're not." Aubrey crossed her arms as she ran a hand over the desk. Her fingernails grazed the top of it as she slowly shook her head. "I've must've been here for years now. I don't know how long, but judging by how old you look I'm guessing it's been more than ten years."

"I'm 23," Ginger said softly.

She nodded solemnly as the room grew quiet once more. It was only when the door shut closed that both women were suddenly aware that Law had left. Ginger reacted by going for the door and opening it to find that he was scanning the horizon from his place against the railing of the ship.

The bill of his newly customized hat concealed his eyes although she knew he was deep in thought. From the way he stood with his arms folded in front of him she could tell that being here troubled him more than it did her. The two were practically defenseless without their weapons and his powers.

Ginger sighed and decided to walk towards him. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye upon hearing her footsteps drawing near.

"What should we do?" She asked once she reached his side.

"We're going to look for the rest with or without Aubrey's help. I have no intention of staying here and hiding from this doctor."

There was no point in being annoyed with his aggressive reply, knowing that she felt the same way. Hiding was not something pirates did.

"Alright, let's go."

She quickly turned to get off the ship by using the plank they had climbed up from the port. Once they reached the bottom she heard Aubrey calling out to her. Solemnly, Ginger turned and looked up while Law merely stopped without turning back.

"If you leave she'll know where you both are!" Aubrey yelled. "You can stay and figure out a way to get out!"

Ginger shook her head. "That's just it! We won't! We'll be stuck here until it's too late. I'm sorry, Aubrey. We can't waste any more time."

Without waiting for an answer she turned her back as the two began to walk away from the ship.

The distance grew larger between them and the ship as they walked.

They made it a point to stay away from the town least they get caught by the illusions the doctor had created for them. The silence between them grew into something of normalcy for her, being comfortable enough to not have to talk. There were instances where this happened and at first it was awkward for Ginger, feeling as though she was being ignored by her captain. However, little by little over the months she found that he made several attempts to include her in whatever he had planned. The recent plan involving Punk Hazard surprised her considering he had laid out the details for it within her presence even going so far as to ask her whether or not she knew of the history of the island.

"Ginger."

"What?"

"Did you hear me?" Law asked clearly annoyed she hadn't been paying attention. "The sky shifted."

Her eyes followed his as they walked. The white clouds that appeared harmless before suddenly began to turn the color of ash. Her brow creased as she followed the movement not at all aware of their surroundings beginning to change as well.

"Wait!" His hand reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her from moving. Law's eyes narrowed as the place began to darken. He pulled her close to him while his grip tightened with Ginger being unaware of his sudden close proximity.

"Fascinating."

Ginger's breath caught in her throat as her eyes shifted from side to side. She was sure he heard the disembodied voice too.

"They suddenly reappeared…"

Their surroundings completely changed, and before they could react they suddenly ended up in a body of water. Ginger submerged beneath the waves as the air was slowly being pulled from her lungs. She appeared not too long after at the surface and took in a large breath of air.

Her left arm began to force her under water again as she fought to stay on the surface. It wasn't until her hand delved in the water to free herself that she noticed a hand was clamped around it.

"Law!"

Forcefully her head was pulled under and she turned to find that he was had seized all movements. Her hand reached for his shirt and with as much strength as she could muster she managed to pull him up to her. Her free arm encircled underneath his arms as she kept him against her. Once she did he released her left arm, allowing her use of it to swim towards the surface.

I have to swim. He can't breathe.

Ginger broke through the surface again this time with Law taking in a choked gasp. She looked all around them, seeing no land within distance. "Shit."

It was becoming harder to keep them both afloat since he was taller than she was and that his body couldn't move in water. He was quite literally dead weight. Carefully, she maneuvered his arm to fit about her shoulders which would allow her to freely move in the water. Her right arm tightened around him as she used her left to pull them through the water. Law's breathing was beginning to be strenuous the more they wasted time here.

"Okay," she said calmly. "We'll be okay."

Slowly, she swam north pulling him along with her. The waves shifted them forward—each with more force than the last. Her arm continued to move them along despite the fact the water was beginning to become colder the farther she swam. The low rumbling from behind her made her move as fast as her body would allow. The sound could not be mistaken she knew more or less that the doctor decided to conjure a wave in order to hinder them further.

The waves shifted and suddenly began to pull them back. Ginger struggled and pulled along as her shoulders began to stiffen from the strain. Her legs kicked along as water splashed harshly against her face.

"Ginger," Law muttered in between coughs. "Leave me."

"Forget it."

She couldn't see him then but she knew he was looking right at her. The wave behind them continued to gather while pulling them back little by little. Right before her she could see the outline of land beginning to form on the horizon. Hastily, she swam faster ignoring the cramping in her leg and her shoulders. Her right arm tightened instinctively around him as the wave behind them began to rumble with a deafening roar.

The horizon was edging closer towards them the more she pushed forward and ignored their impending demise. She was determined to not end up like Aubrey-trapped inside her mind for years to come. She wouldn't go out this way. She willed herself to keep moving despite the wave inching closer towards them.

The land was becoming clear and in sight the more she pulled her and Law along. She was suddenly forced underwater just as the large tidal wave went over their heads. The air was sucked from her lungs as she took in large gulps of water in return. Her arm around Law stayed as they began to sink to the sea floor. Slowly they drifted down as she waited for herself to become unconscious knowing already that her body had reached its limits.

Bitterly, she knew they were at the mercy of the doctor.

Without any warning she hit the floor with a hard thud causing her to spit up the water she had taken in. Hands had then grasped her by the arms and turned her over so that she would be leaning on her side. Cough after cough was forced from her lips as the water dribbled out from her mouth. A fist collided with her back in a repetitive motion to make her spit up all the water she had inhaled.

Her nose burned from the salt of the sea, her head throbbed from the pain of the landing, and her arms and shoulders felt as though she was bearing the weight of the world. Ginger struggled to clear her throat as she tasted the remnants of the salt water.

"Spit it up!" The voice over her instructed and through her clouded mind she was able to realize that it was Law. "Ginger!"

"I'm…okay."

Law's eyes quickly moved from her face to her body seeming to search for any sign to the contrary. His hands quickly released her as she leaned on her arm, trying to stop her vision from blurring. Ginger licked her lips as she steadied her breathing. She reached up and brushed the bangs from her face as she looked up at found that he was kneeling beside her with one leg propped up.

"I…I thought we were in the ocean."

"We were," he replied. "Now we're here."

"Oh."

Ginger remained quiet as her body shook from pain. Law took notice and calmly stood up as he surveyed their new surroundings. He had landed on his feet first and barely managed to stop Ginger from ending up as a stain on the ground though she still managed to fall roughly to the ground. Judging from the sudden dim-lighting around them they had ended up inside a building made of stone. Walls were on either side all around them save for the clear path that was suspiciously made out in front of them.

"Are you okay to walk?" Law turned and looked down at her as she sat up.

"Yeah." Ginger slowly stood up beside him and placed a hand on her forehead.

Not one to forget what others had done for him Law immediately turned away from her. Calmly, he offered his arm to which she grasped it with noticeable hesitation. It was odd to know that the two had quickly switched positions.

Ginger had never felt so vulnerable as she did a moment ago. Even though she had no devil fruit powers the ocean served to instill a fear that she wouldn't be able to escape a watery grave. She and Law barely did so with their lives, but she knew more or less that the doctor planned it to be that way. Barely escaping death must have been the ultimate plan—just enough for Ginger to have a taste of the fear that she would never make it out.

Her face remained stoic as her eyes were trained on the path made out before them. "I want her dead."

Her mind raced with ideas on what exactly she would do to punish this good doctor. It was obvious to them both that she was aware of his weakness when it came to water. In that moment she had nearly given up to their captor once it was realized that she couldn't out swim the giant wave. She felt that her body had begun to shut down from the sudden strain as the exhaustion took over. In that moment not even adrenaline was enough to propel her forward as her strength vanished then.

Once they were out of this hell she would train herself relentlessly and push her body to its limits.

Ginger promised herself that she would never again become vulnerable.