The crew worked to grab you for over an hour, and once things neared the two-hour mark people started to tap out. Jean, Penguin, Bepo and Law had been the last four standing when a slip from you had toppled Jean onto Penguin and effectively took the two of them out. You'd been offering advice and instruction the entire time, but even your breath was coming out heavy at this point.

It'd been a long time since you'd been so well tested.

The attack came from both of them, a last gambit given how exhausted you all were. Bepo was a step above his captain in hand-to-hand combat. It's what the mink specialized in. Law would've had you on several occasions, but his strength was tied into his devil fruit and such had not been allowed.

You could see him leaning back on lessons he must've learned before he got the fruit.

You moved Bepo aside using Law, hand around his wrist, palm on his shoulder, foot behind his as you shifted behind him in an easy motion. You'd reverted back to your grace in the last few minutes, there was less need for speed, and you had less energy to spare for it at this point anyway.

Bepo spun with Law, albeit a little awkwardly, and the two came back around toward you. You stepped away from Bepo and into Law, taking the majority of his forward motion into your shoulder. Leaning in to lift him up and over in a new way – if you threw him the same way too many times he started to react enough to try and counter it – but this position was a miscalculation on your part.

He was too close. Too warm. Your gaze shifted and you caught him looking at you with dangerously focused eyes.

Your mind betrayed you as you finished the movement. For a split second you weren't looking ahead with your haki, you were imagining those eyes focused on you in a completely different setting. Desire disrupted your train of thought as a fluffy pair of hands rested on your shoulders.

Bepo let out a quiet little yay, before falling backward and letting himself splat onto the deck of the ship.

"You... alright?" Law huffs, pushing himself back up onto his feet.

You compose yourself quickly, offering a smile as you turn toward him. "Yes, of course. Momentarily distracted, but I think the lesson went well regardless."

Several crew members groaned, and you were pretty sure someone swore.

Law smiles, looking over his crew. "Yeah, I'd say it did." He agrees, before his expression returns to its more default state. "Alright, drag yourselves up and get cleaned up. There's lunch to be made and provisions to buy while we still know the town's safe." He commands, already stepping forward and helping to pull some of the crew members to their feet.

You follow suit, having the energy to do so, and aid a few people to their feet.

"(Y/N)..." Penguin says, hands on his knees, eyes on the deck. "I mean this, as nicely as possible." He begins.

"Please never wear that bell again." Shachi pipes up as Law helps him to his feet. "It's terrifying. I don't like it."

"It's going to ring in my nightmares." Penguin whimpers, looking up at you with a pout on his face.

You smile. "No one is an island, entire of itself. Each is a piece of the world wide chain – a single part of the main." Shachi and Penguin are looking at you oddly as you continue to recite the poem. "If a clod be washed away by the sea, the crew is the less. As well as if promontory were. As well as if a manor of thine own, or of thine friend's were."

A somber look covers your face a moment. "Each man's death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know, for whom the bell tolls," you grin widely, making the bell around your neck jingle. "It tolls for thee."

Penguin looks to be on the verge of tears. You can't see Law's face, he's moved away to help Bepo get Jean back on his feet. Shachi's jaw is slack for a moment before he looks almost incensed.

"Did you just make that up?"

You shake your head. "It's paraphrased a bit, the kingdom it originally refers to doesn't exist anymore so I substituted the concept of the crew in its place. It works, thematically."

Shachi's shoulders drop. "Thematically." The word falls disdainfully out of his mouth. "What's it all mean? We work together and we can steal that bell eventually? Then it ain't gonna toll for anyone."

You laugh a little, but Law answers for you. "It means the bell stays." He says flatly and you smile and nod.

The crew cleaned up, the boys first, you and Ikkaku second. When you left the showers you were pleased to smell the scent of food traveling through the decks. Food was always better when you'd worked up a proper appetite for it.

You were glad the overall mood of the crew seemed to be good. You'd worried after the session wrapped up that maybe you had been too hard on everyone, and that there would be a sour cloud hanging over everything.

Instead, the mess hall was full of happy sounds, and there seemed to be a minor celebration for Bepo for having put two whole paws on you.

Bepo looked nervous comparatively. "It was only a fluke." He insisted, looking over at you as you came inside the mess hall. "Right?"

Most of the crew turned toward you, and you put on a good warm smile. "Fluke or not, you still did it Bepo, celebrate a little."

"If it was a fluke, what happened?" Ikkaku questions as the two of you sit down.

"Just a momentary distraction." You say, repeating your earlier words.

"Head, heart or gut." She prompts.

"Huh?" You tilt your head a little.

"Your distraction." She clarifies. "Thoughts, emotions, or stomach pain?"

"I'm... not in need of aid because of it." You offer as vaguely as you can.

"Checking out Bepo's butt, I bet." Shachi says from behind you.

You smile. "It's a very respectable butt."

"Yeah, it stayed off the deck more than the captain's." Clione laughs. "How many times did he get tossed?"

"Thirty-six." Law answers sourly, coming into the mess hall.

"I'm surprised you kept count during all that." Uni admits.

"I didn't."

"I did." You answer a little sheepishly. "The Captain is still practicing, it seems." You say looking over at him. You'd just been getting ready to answer the question when Law beat you to it. "Please take care not to overexert your reserves, captain."

"Captain's stamina is monstrous." Hakugan states nonchalantly. "His devil fruit takes a lot, so he's the hardest one out of all of us to exhaust."

"You all have exceptional levels of capacity." You say evenly, taking a sip of tea. "You all improved today as well, whether you've noticed it yet or not. I will have to try harder next time."

Penguin and Shachi exchange glances. "You don't have to do that on our account." Shachi offers nervously.

"Wait, can you?" Penguin asks in disbelief.

"Can I what?" You prompt, giving him a soft smile.

"... go harder." He manages after a second, and you hear someone snicker a little. "Move faster, or more -." He wiggles his arm in the air. "Wobbly."

"Perhaps."

Ikkaku and Uni laugh. "Bell, you're going to scare that poor boy." Ikkaku admonishes you.

"Anyone's who legs aren't going to buckle needs to head to town after you're done eating." Law says, sitting down with a tray of the only food you think he eats, onigiri. "(Y/N) stays," He says, looking over at you. "Rest up for tonight."

Shachi chokes, and you can feel heat rushing up into your face. Ikkaku and Hakugan are laughing themselves silly, and Law has his face in his hand already.

"Terrible word choice, captain." Penguin manages to say it almost flatly.

"Yeah I-." Law begins

"And after you told me about hand jobs," you say, false admonishment in your voice.

"(Y/N)..." Law is nearly growling your name, not that you can easily hear it over the chaos from the rest of the crew.

You sip your tea, pointedly not looking at him as the crew does the work for you. It's a little payback for the captain deciding to effectively force you ashore that night. Even if it was for your own good.

You did catch his gaze after things calmed down, giving him an even smile as you left to go rest in your room. You'd become a part of the crew, but Law didn't have you move from the private room you'd been provided when you first came aboard the Tang. It felt a bit like special treatment, but you were also grateful for the continued opportunity to have some space.

You'd adjusted to the crew almost entirely, but your life had been wide open and large. You knew your station had given you a great many luxuries, and you'd appreciated those luxuries when you'd spent time on the run. The small, enclosed feeling of the submarine was comforting in a strange way, but you were still used to having more room to stretch.

Laying down in bed, you looked out the small porthole in your room. It was rare for it to be above the sea-line, but the sun was on the other side of the ship, so it was only reflections from the ocean's surface that lit up your room.

Eyes opened or closed; it didn't matter. All you could see was the look on Law's face during the practical part of the lesson. He looked so alive, so thrilled to be challenged. It was like he had a new puzzle in front of him, and this one wasn't going to take hours of research, it wasn't going to take weeks of planning. It didn't require the stress of wondering if his crew would be alright.

You would do anything to see that light again. You'd do even more to see that light directed at you.

"Oh, bah!" You grumble, turning away from the porthole and closing your eyes, trying to actually let some form of rest overtake you before it was time for dinner. Before it was time to try and set foot on dry land.

Before you would be alone with Law.

Your eyes stayed open despite your desires, and you glowered at no point in particular in the room. How dare your heart feel, how dare your emotions swell. It wasn't as though you had never had a crush before, or never found someone attractive.

But you weren't a noble. There was no voice in the back of your mind reminding you of family connections, of lineage, or of the simple fact that choosing for yourself wasn't your privilege.

There was nothing to stop your silly little crush. Nothing to stop you from saying something. Communication was important, it would be cruel to not inform the captain – your captain now, by all rights, of your foolish emotions. He was sensible. Logical. He would be able to help.

Rejection wasn't to be feared. It would be an answer. Not the one you wanted, but one you'd understand. One you could accept. Emotions had their place, but they certainly complicated things.

Of that you were acutely aware.

For Whom the Bell Tolls
by
John Donne

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

This poem is in the public domain.