hot_mes | PSL: fullcowl

[He'll think it over for a moment before speaking up.]

Is that what pirates are like where you're from?

[Then maybe it wouldn't be that bad, especially if they're going to be fighting Wulgrimm anyway. Plus he's pretty sure Law needs somebody around to fish him out of the sea if that's the kind of blanket weakness all the devil fruit users have.]

[he doesn't fall into the water as often as certain Straw Hats but yeeaaaaahhhh he needs at least one crewmate who can swim around]

Don't get me wrong. Pirates are like anyone else - they take all forms. The cruel and the terrible, the tyrants, the petty criminals, the jackasses. And the strong, the brave, the adventurous.

Sometimes you don't have a choice, and survival depends on flying a black flag. But here? It's probably just a word. I don't even know if they would find meaning in it if I ran a black flag up the mast.

[... He might just stay with Law for that one specific reason- fishing his friend out of the ocean before he drowns in it.]

Then... if I'm working with you I wouldn't mind. I don't know how they view pirates around here either- you don't learn a whole lot when you're confined to the dungeons and some soldiers' rooms whenever they ask for you.

[he grimaces for a moment, just imagining this kid in some brute's room, being used for such a shitty purpose. He has to squash down the anger before he does something dumb like slam a fist into the fire on accident.]

I haven't learned much more by fighting on the front lines. There was some talk of a fishing village below the stronghold, so they have some use of the sea, but I don't know about pirates and the like.

[his smirk starts to come back] Maybe it's time they were introduced to a new idea.

[he uses the knife point to poke at a couple of the steaks, checking to see if any are done. One is, so he turns it one more time to be sure and then offers it to Deku first. He's been doing all the hard work, and young, growing bodies need protein.]

[Please don't hurt yourself, he only knows basic first aid and they're lacking in clean bandages.]

Yeah, seems like a good time to make them learn.

[Though he's not one for terrorizing random villagers.

He'll take the meat offered to him-]

Ah, thank you.

Eat up. You need your strength. [like he doesn't?

Law pokes at another one, letting it drip into the flames. The aroma coming off the cooking meat makes his stomach growl angrily. How terrible, his pride makes him blush at the embarrassing noise. Just a minute or so and he can join in, though.]

Once we reach the border, we can at least stop looking over our shoulders and expecting that every living creature or person we meet is out to get us. After that, though...I'll take a fishing boat if that's all they've got.

You should too, you know.

Do you miss it? Being out at sea, I mean?

[he's getting there! Look, see, this one is finally done. He shouldn't have cut them so thick, oh well.]

Yeah. Some. It's only been a couple of months, but it feels like forever. [full-on pout] I miss my hat more.

[and with that he digs in. It's nothing fancy and not even salted but holy shit, it tastes like a feast!]

[It's been a long time since he's eaten anything, and even this unseasoned meat is amazing.]

We'll go back for it. That and your nodachi, right? They're still in Wulgrimm and we've got a lot of unfinished business there.

[only starvation could make Law into a good cook]

Mm. If we go back for the others, we'll definitely find them there.

[he's not in a hurry, though - better to strengthen their assets and prepare before attempting anything like a raid. It would be terribly lame if they couldn't free anyone and only came away with a hat and a sword.

By the time Law finishes his first stick o' meat, the rest are pretty much done, so they can just sit and chow down for a bit, until everything cooked is gone.]

[Izuku could probably manage a decent meal, but he's no cooking hero.]

When we're properly equipped and ready to stage an assault on them. It might take a while before that happens though. We should try to gather as much intelligence on them as we can though...

[He'll eat and pace himself as he tries to think of the logistics of a naval attack on Wulgrimm.]

I have enough information from my time with them to know the layout of the fortress and the ways in. But we'll need more than that, you're right. [impressed look!] You really are schooled in tactics, then.

I'm not a fan of frontal assaults. Unless you're certain of the strength of your resources, they can be nothing but suicide missions. [in other words, he'd never try one here without Luffy himself] Once we have a ship, we have the luxury of living at sea while we gather resources and information.

[more crew would be nice, too, but he's prepared for it to be a crew of two for some time. Until they can trust others, and decide what else they need besides other fighters.]

[He looks up from his mumbling-]

Um... I studied a little bit about tactics, but mostly I've been learning it as things have happened. [He's just a particularly fast study when it comes to battlefield tactics. And a whole lot has happened over his one year at Yuuei.]

A frontal assault is a bad plan unless we were sure that we outnumbered the enemy, and even then it's a risky proposition. We should decide what our objectives are before we go rushing in- if we were to rescue the slaves on our first mission... we would definitely need you at full power...

Outnumbered, or out-powered. You are correct. Whether for a raid, or intelligence-gathering, or rescue, any assault we made ought to prize stealth over strength.

[he gestures a little with his nearly-empty stick] Tactically, as long as others handle basic combat, it allows me to conserve my energy to use my ability. That would be crucial in a raid. [he flicks his tattooed fingers idly, mimicking the gesture to call a Room without doing so] Scan, Mes, Shambles...they would be more important than offensive techniques like Gamma Knife or Takt.

[at this point he doesn't even care if he's saying words that make no sense to Izuku, it isn't important to explain every named move in his repertoire. He's thinking aloud, and maybe just happy to have the energy to think and plan again.]

Mm... I can handle a lot of combat on my own, but I'll eventually run out of energy. We'll need at least a few more fighters, even if we are going for stealth. We can't plan for everything that could happen, but we can at least take some safety measures.

You've already seen what I can do- it's a linear ability but strength, speed and agility above most people is really useful... Still, I'm not sure I'm strong enough to take on an entire army. [He's basically tapping into 8 people worth of power whenever he activates One for All.]

Shambles, that's the one where you can teleport people right? [He saw Mes, and he can guess what Scan does. He can ask later, anyway. This is likely going to be a long journey.] That's probably going to be the most useful when we're getting slaves out of their cells.

Do you know your limits yet, or is it arbitrary? Given time, I might be able to train you enough to extend it, but I wouldn't rely on it alone. [he would never dare treat a crewmate like that, burning through their usefulness and then discarding them] A true raid would require a larger ship, anyway. Some dinky little fishing boat would never carry that many people. A larger ship means a larger crew to man it, so additional fighters will be a given of sorts.

[Good, he's catching on] Right. I can also shift objects, or call them to me. It has its limitations as well, depending on the size of the Room. It would be too easy to Scan and then Shambles every last prisoner to my position - such a move would probably kill me.

Five percent is as much as my body can take. [He'll gesture at his right hand.] This is what happened when I was using a hundred percent, I broke my bones and I kept using it. [He gestures to his upper arm.] That's what happened when I went over 100 percent. If I do that one or two more times my arms will be permanently disabled. If I want to use more of my power, I'll need to keep training myself.

Right, of course. That would be... Maybe if we could manage some way into the castle? Maybe somebody who'd turn traitor? It's not like the Warlord really inspires any loyalty... If we could sneak into battlefields and talk... Or take the soldiers prisoner if they refused to turn...?

[his eyes rake the scars, taking in the possibilities]

There is a significant difference between five and one hundred. Yet, training is a good idea no matter what. I'll see to that. Remember. [he looks directly at Izuku, trying to catch his eyes] I'm a doctor. I know the human body well.

[he tosses the empty stick into the fire to burn away and grabs more meat. He knows that they need to pace themselves, but if they can finish this, they should have enough energy to make it through the rest of the day. He listens to Deku's absent rambling, following his train of thought, letting it inspire his own brainstorming.]

Mes is a technique I don't usually use to kill. It's more useful to me to remove someone's heart and use it to control them.

[just putting that out there...]

[When Law talks to him, he's distracted from him mumbling.

A pirate doctor. Well... you don't run into one of those every day.]

That explains a lot.

[Mes was the one he used to kill the boar though. Normally he'd be against torture, but considering their options they'll need to use anything they can to gain an advantage. He's not blind to that possibility.]

That'll be useful if we can run into soldiers one at a time...

Like a scalpel, it should be used for precision, not large cuts.

[choose the right soldier, take his heart, and get the information or utility out of him. The rest can just be knocked down and left behind.]

When the time comes for such an operation, it will be best to know every possible thing each of us and any allies we pick up can do. It won't be a time for surprises.

[so, by the time they have all the other resources for a raid, Law will make sure he's shown all of his moves, barring any he makes up on the spot.]

Especially since you've said using it is draining.

[A powerful but draining ability. They've just got make whatever they use it on count.]

Right. I'd rather work with fully known quantities than have to work partially blind when it comes to our own allies.

[he really would not like to put himself into the same situation as the fight he was in before being pulled to this hellhole. That definitely shortened his lifespan, he overused it too much.]

It means we'll have to choose allies carefully. If they're from worlds neither of us understand, we have to know we can trust them.

[he tosses his last stick in the fire, watching the green wood curl up slowly. What a lovely metaphor for two people who can't over-use their powers without hurting themselves, fresh living wood that slowly warps in the fire rather than being consumed in a split second.]

It's amazing how a little food will refresh the spirit as much as the body. [he feels so much better now.]

[He'd personally like to not destroy his arms- but if it gets them out of something terrible well...]

I don't know if anybody from my world is even around here. But you're right, I'm just not sure how to make sure our trust isn't misplaced.

[He doesn't think he was ever this suspicious at home, but he didn't have reasons to be. Out here, in the middle of a war, this is the time for caution.]

Yeah. Food's amazing like that.

We'll keep an eye out. If anyone from my world appears, it's more likely than not they're also a Devil Fruit user. Such powers are exactly what the warlord wants in his army.

[meaning, more likely than not it's another pirate, many of whom Law would not be on good terms with, or a Marine, which...ditto. Oops. But that's for a future someday, it's not a concern at the moment.

Law uses the knife-blade to push some of the sticks of their little cooking fire further apart, the preface to stomping it out and making sure it's good and doused before the leave. Also cauterizes the knife nicely.]

We shouldn't sit too long. Walking will help digestion.

[and miles to go before they sleep]

There are a lot of heroes back home... and a lot of aspiring heroes too.

[There's only one of those in particular that Izuku'll have a hard time working with- but still, he can work with them. And in these circumstances he'd probably see the necessity.

He watches Law stamp out the fire before getting up.]

You're right. Just keep heading towards the hill?

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