Growing Heart

Ch 16 - A Low Profile

"Oy, stop pushing!"

"Ow! Then don't push me back!"

"Stop it!

"You stop!"

Law resisted the urge to discipline his two mechanics and kept his eyes forward at the crowd.

They hadn't been at the fortress for more than two minutes and Shachi and Penguin were already fighting their way towards the front of the crew to get a good look at the ball. Although, for Law, calling this event a ball was very generous. Even though the chandeliers glittering overhead and the golden framed paintings lining the walls were imposing, the attendees were far from formal and lacked the regality their surroundings were decorated for.

Sure, the women wore gowns and the men had on freshly pressed pants, several even sporting bow ties, but it was clear that their eagerness to impress had the opposite outcome they were hoping for. The air was nauseatingly thick with the stench of mixed perfumes and colognes. The makeup on some people, men and women, bordered on something befitting a circus act.

It was very distasteful to Law. Not because everyone was trying hard to make a good impression but because Law knew that if the host, who stood right at the top of the stairwell and watched over everything, had only called it anything else than a ball, all this frettering and gussying up could've been avoided.

If the king truly wanted to open his doors to his people, he should've done it without any expectations. However, Law had the sneaking suspicion that the man presiding over them was not the king. For starters, he lacked a crown on his head but he more than made up for it with an air of self-entitlement that only a person with a significant amount of power could have. Secondly, the look on his face was of an utter contempt for the people here. If he was truly the king, he seemed to dislike his own citizens and sniffed down his long, pointy nose at them while leering at them through a monocle.

It was all a curious but unpleasant situation for Law but he wouldn't pass up this opportunity.

Their ship was well stocked and repairs would soon be underway. However, what the Captain of the Heart Pirate truly wanted out of their time here was information. As soon as he learned about the footing the World Economic Journal had on this country, Law was determined to meet, or at least see, the person in charge.

Law was no fool. The world's leading newspaper had close ties to not just the World Government but the underbelly of the world too. They got the inside scoop and were invited to private affairs that most people would not be privy to. They would most definitely know valuable intel that would be worth more than any treasure that Law would ever find, especially if that information pertained to a certain Warlord.

The Heart Pirates had found a corner of the fortress where they could watch without being too much in the spotlight. Sure, he heard a few whisperings here and there from people who recognized who he was but he knew that he was still a pirate rookie that no one would really take notice. Their underestimation to his capabilities was just another tool he could use in the future.

He made it perfectly clear to his crew that they were only there to watch and not to make a spectacle of themselves, which was why he had them get out of their usual uniforms and into their best suits and to have Bepo stay back to watch the ship, taking over watch from Ikkaku, who wore a modest beige dress. Even Law was wearing a white button down but that was the most effort he was willing to give. He had the sleeves rolled up to this elbows and kept his spotted jeans on.

Once he had a good idea of who was in charge, then the captain would make his move. What that move would be was still up in the air, thus the need to quietly observe for now.