"This is your great hunting skills? What a letdown." Cole exclaimed. He, Penguin, and Shachi decided to tag along out of curiosity to watch the great huntress at work. Cole, more so, to see just how damn efficient the huntress can be. He was still sore what happened at Fishman Island. He hoped it would be more entertaining than what he witnessed so far though. He eyed the still ever-present bandages. He was not worried. "Oh, wait, now I see the difference: a sane person wouldn't even bother asking such an insane question and expect a coherent response."

"If all you're going to do is mock the way I do things then you can get lost." Charlotte retorted, annoyed. "What are you guys doing here anyway? I thought you were certain my heart was on a stupid winter island." What was the point of that dramatic departure if they were just going to come along?

Law eyed her condition, relying on his sight seeing as how she threatened to destroy all the medical equipment aboard if they tied her back to the ECG. Her skin was a healthy color and breathing even. She looked fine. But he knew that her condition could change at any moment. And it worried him. It wasn't safe for her to be alone. "I thought we were racing. With how certain you are about your heart being here, how could I possible forgo that." He said instead. Not that he was going to admit his worries to the hunter.

She rolled her eyes at the comment. "Can't you guys like scatter or something if you're going to be around? You're drawing too much attention!"

"Does it really matter if all you're going to do is straight up and ask someone: 'hey, I'm looking for a heart. Where can I get one?' As if anyone's going to have an answer for that." Cole threw his arms behind his head as he rambled on, ignoring the growing annoyance of a certain violet-haired female.

Just as Charlotte was about to strangle the man, a small girl with ink-black hair and scarlet-red eyes tugged on Cole's pant's leg. "Are you looking for a heart, Mister?"

"Um... excuse me?"

"If you're looking for a heart, I know where you can get one." She beamed.

The pirates exchange glances. Did they just hear her right? She did say heart, right? Like a live beating human heart. Like it was a normal everyday conversational topic and not some kind of morbid experimental surgery gone wrong that no one wanted to talk about, no matter how hard Law wanted to bring the topic up. This little girl wouldn't happen to be like a miniature female Law, would she? The Hearts wondered simultaneously.

"Y-you're talking about a beating, working heart... right? Not one of those hearts that people draw—" The little girl nodded, smile still on her face.

She was!

"He's not looking for one, but I am." Charlotte interjected, giving Cole a quick see-what-did-I-tell-you look. "Do you really know where I can find a heart? Can you show me where?"

The girl nodded quickly, shaking her head up and down furiously and quickly grabbed Charlotte's hand, leading her away.

"Are you sure it's safe for the small girl to be walking off with Charlotte, a known bounty hunter?"

"Don't you mean, is it safe for medically-inept Charlotte to be walking off with a six years-old who talks about displaced body organs like it is the weather?"

The group's antics stopped short when Law stepped forward, silently following Charlotte and the unnamed child. "C-Captain, are you sure it's safe to go?" Law didn't respond. He didn't have to for them to get the message: are you really scared of six years old? "Ah, Captain! Wait for us!"

Grebbon's Heartery? Charlotte mused as she read the skinny white letters hanging off the front of the antique-style smithery the little girl brought them to. The little store was cramped, almost every inch of space was covered by some heart-shaped décor or metal casing of some sort. Equipment and the likes stood on the far side, divided by some sort of reinforced glass.

"Out of the way, Witch!" Cole barely waited before shoving the female out of the way. Shachi and Penguin followed immediately at the opening. Their eyes sparkling as the fine machinery and craftmanship. "Is this... heaven?" The three mechanics looked as if they would happily pass over if this was their last moments.

"Nerds," Charlotte muttered under her breath. Law held the door for her, and she quirked a brow at the kind gesture as she stepped inside. "You're not going to rush in?"

"Oh, guests!" A voice greeted from the back. He laughed when the three technicians jumped at his sudden appearance. He pulled off his thick leather gloves and wiped his hands on his apron before ruffling Kora's hair in a greeting. "My name's Grebbon. Owner of this little rundown workshop." He introduced as he pulled his long hair back into a low ponytail. At the mention, the three quickly snapped their heads towards the guy, eyes shining as if they were looking at a God.

He gave them a nervous chuckle before turning towards the huntress, stared, and then nodded. "I'll take your case." He beamed and gave her a thumbs up despite her having said nothing yet. He returned to his station with Kora sitting cheerfully on the counter next to him. "Pretty lady hunter here is missing a heart. What about the rest of you?"

"... how did you know that?" Law asked and Charlotte pressed a hand over her left breast. The fabric covering the hole in her chest was still there. It wasn't visible and no one had said anything yet. "How did you know?" Charlotte repeated. The lot of them no longer casual and admiring the workmanship in the store, despite the many directions their gazes laid.

"Woah there!" Grebbon exclaimed, hands raised. "No need to get all worked up. I don't mean you any harm. I just guessed. There aren't many reasons for why people visit a heart smith."

The explanation seemed to work by everyone but Law. He had specifically pointed out that Charlotte was the one in need while it could have been any one of them or all of them looking for a heart smith. "A what?"

"Heart smith. They make hearts for people whose hearts don't fit them."

The Heart Pirates stared at the male blankly. Mind unable to process the explanation just given to them. Unable to get through the mountain of too many questions that immediately popped into mind. Like what does he mean by don't fit?

"Yeah, you know." No. They didn't know. "When your heart gets too big for you or if your heart's too small and you need an External Heart. Heart smiths, like me, are the ones who make them."

Are those even real? Charlotte thought, while Law felt disappointed in himself for believing, even for a bit, that it was possible to recreate a working, beating human heart.

"Yep. They're real, alright." He answered easily, without missing a beat. He beamed, smiling widely at their confused and cautious glares. They hadn't asked any questions yet. He watched the only two dressed different from the rest of Heart Pirate with excitement.

Charlotte frowned. She was certain she thought that just now. Law doing the same as well.

"Wow, they really don't trust you, Grebbon." Kora laughed and the blacksmith pouted. "At least the rest of them seemed to love you." She pointed towards the three mechanics who were too busy marveling at Grebbon and his works to notice that something was still awry.

Grebbon didn't bother to look over towards the three, already well-aware of their opinions and thoughts from the way they were peering at him as if he was a God. It was a tad bit intimidating if he was to be honest. He scratched the back of his head as he watched the two more sensible customers in his store.

"We can't read minds." He started and the two looked unconvinced. The timing of his statement to their thoughts too uncanny to be coincidental. He sighed, the two were similar whether they knew it or not. "What we can read is your heart. Anything from the heart's desire to emotions and intentions. Anyone on the island here with red eyes, pasty skin, and black hair can." He explained, patting the child with said features next to him. "It's an innate ability of our tribe."

Giving them a moment to process, Grebbon continued. "Everyone has a different level of sensitivity and proficiency with it. Children especially are good at picking things up since they're so sensitive. Take Kora for example, she's grown a liking to you. She only does that to people who have a good heart."

"Are you sure about that?" Cole muttered. Clearly the girl wasn't a very good judge of character if she thought Charlotte had a good heart.

Grebbon ignored the comment, letting his hands slide along the curve of Kora's head until he was covering her ears. His smile dropped slightly, and his gaze softened. "But that means they're also the most vulnerable. Have you ever heard of the term bleeding hearts?" At their head shakes, he continued. "It a term used to describe people who are dangerously over sympathetic towards other's misfortune. It's a great way to also describe us as Empaths can be overwhelmed by strong emotions and lose ourselves in them." He stared at Charlotte pointedly. "You have a lot weighing in your mind and heart."

Charlotte flinched and blatantly ignored the looks the Hearts sent her way. She didn't like this. Why was everything trying to expose her so recently?

"It's best if you stray from the children." Charlotte nodded in understanding.

"Wouldn't that ability garner a lot of attention?" Law asked, crossing his arms. Such an ability would have been widely known if that was true, yet this was the first time he'd heard of it. There could be a lot of uses with such an ability and the user far too dangerous and powerful if left unchecked.

Grebbon's face darkened and Kora glanced up at him, curiously. A look flashed across his face that he quickly schooled away, smiling softly at the child. Young, innocent, and far too keen. "It would indeed. Maybe that's why our people are scattered." The smile on his face dimmed then disappeared. The air filled with something stale—unruly, a bitterness rooted deep.

"A buster call years back almost wiped us out."

The Heart Pirates stopped, and Kora pressed her small hand against Grebbon's larger one. The touch doing its job to draw him back from the dark memories.

"They didn't get everyone, clearly as you can see. Some of us were able to escape, curtesy of being able to predict that it was coming. I guess." Grebbon continued. He gave them a weak smile. "I would appreciate it if you could keep this ability amongst yourselves."

They stared at the two Empaths in silence. The child, still so young and innocent, while the young adult looked suddenly far too experience for someone his age. They promised to keep quiet.

Law and Charlotte sat alongside Grebbon further discussing her case for a heart, while Shachi, Penguin and Cole toured the rest of Grebbon's smithery. Grebbon frowned and pushed himself back from the table stretching. He shook his head. "No. Sorry, I can't help you." He exhaled. "I can make External Hearts, even Replacement Hearts. But none of them can overcome the real thing. Even with a Replacement Heart, you'll still die if your real, human heart is damaged." He explained, ruffling his hair with a groan.

He opened one eye to peek at the heartless huntress. How am I still able to read her so easily if her heart wasn't with her? Just how explosive are her emotions? "I can confirm one thing for you though. Your heart is here on this island." It had to be close by. That was the only explanation that made sense. Still the radius of her expression was massive. "I don't know if you still be interested in a Replacement Heart as a result though."

Charlotte had proposed the idea upon hearing the different types. If she can live off a Replacement Heart then she didn't necessarily have to get her old one back. Much to the chagrin of the doctor next to her. But she still needed her real heart to live in the end.

The Mecha Trio perked up at the comment. Their ears suddenly keen and bodies tilted towards their conversation. At the first sounds of a 'no' escaping the huntress' mouth, the one technician and two mechanics suddenly appeared beside her. Cole slapped a hand over her mouth and Shachi threw his arms around her to keep her arms pinned and from ripping Cole's hands off, while Penguin stood between them, blocking Charlotte from view, with a salesman's smile on his face. "Of course, she's still interested! Either heart sounds great or even better both! We all know how Charlotte has a lot of excess emotions, right? It probably doesn't fit into her actual heart anyway! Ahaha!" He answered on her behalf.

Grebbon watched the three versus the struggling huntress in the background and laughed at their enthusiasm. The three's intentions clear to the Empath. Which was exactly why he glanced around the oldest of the group and turned towards the struggling huntress who had just managed to free her mouth by biting Cole's hand. "What do you think? It's your heart." He offered and the trio stilled their movements. They had been caught.

They swiveled around. "Please Charlotte! The work here is really detailed and intricate! We want to see what this Grebbon guy can do. It could really improve the sub's defenses and efficiency!" Shachi pleaded hands clasped together. They might be able to combine some of Cole's more eccentric weapons and inventions with the sub after studying Grebbon's work. "PLEASEEEEEEEEEE!" Shachi was about to use his puppy eyes tactics when Penguin spoke first.

"Cole will do ALL your chores for you for a week!" Charlotte's eyes sparkled. She doesn't have to do work and she gets to annoy her arch nemesis on the ship? This was perfect.

"PENGUIN! What do you think... do you know just how many chores she has?" Cole shouted, shaking the mechanic harshly. He paused when he spotted the huntress readily talking away with the other mechanic. "Wait... what are they doing...?"

"Make it a month!" Charlotte negotiated, her tone all business formal, but there was no hiding the happiness hiding underneath her mask. She was practically glowing.

"Deal!" Shachi finished before Cole could do anything. The poor technician only paled.

"Captain!" He tried. A last-ditch effort of the desperate.

Law only placed his hand on Cole's shoulder, seemingly comforting and Cole's face brightened. "You have a lot of work to do." Was all he said. A not-so-subtle smirk on his face. He didn't care too much about who did it as long as everything that needed to be done was done properly and on time. A little more work on Cole's part might actually be good for the man. Law did often catch him slacking off and not doing what he was assigned to do. Also, it would be good if Polar Tang got an upgrade.

The image of a blue and unconscious Charlotte hanging limp in a panicked Cole's arms at the foot of his room replayed in his mind. The fact that Charlotte shouldn't be working on so many chores with her weakened-missing-heart state wasn't a factor. It was most definitely not.

Finalizing their deal with a handshake, Charlotte snapped her head towards Grebbon instantly. "I'll take a heart!" She announced as if he hadn't just witnessed the whole thing. "Oh, I'm not footing the bill. Please charge them." She added and even that didn't dent the happiness glowing from their faces. "What do you need from me to make one?" She asked and despite her best at being professional, she couldn't stop the happy glow on her face from watching the others cheering.

"You're a cute one." He laughed, feeding off the warmth in the room. He ignored the confused and surprised look from the four at his comment along with Cole's rant on how Grebbon had too much metal fumes if he found Charlotte cute. Cole got a fist to the face by the said 'uncute' woman almost instantly afterwards. Grebbon laughed again at the scene, choosing very specifically to continue to watch the four before him versus the chilling stare creeping over his shoulders and biting into him ever since his comment. "Dr. Trafalgar, is there a question I can answer for you?" Or so he tried to.

"No..." Law darted his gaze away with a frown. The Empath's reading abilities proved to be rather inconvenient. It read private matters and thoughts too. Thoughts that he didn't particularly want to admit to himself either. Thoughts like how he didn't like that comment Grebbon made just now. Nor the idea of Charlotte leaving them for someone else. That he didn't like even more. Charlotte was already a hassle enough given her tendencies to wander off and do her own thing despite orders. He should really put a tracker on her one of these days. Else she may really just wander off with her tunnel vision and not realize that she didn't have a means back until it was too late. She did jump onto a boat and darted off to a different island this time around.

Grebbon watched the tall doctor silently. His gaze drifting from the man captured in his own thoughts and then to the huntress before his attention was stolen by a tug on his pants leg. Kora smiled at him. "You sense it too, right?" She asked and her tiny fingers quietly shifting between Charlotte and Law.

Grebbon grinned back at the young reader. He wondered if he was this sensitive before as child. It was funny how stubborn and blind adults can be sometimes. He brought a finger to his lips and nodded to the child. Though it seems like this was something new and still brewing.

"I'll go grab some papers to get us started. We'll need to do an x-ray scan of your chest cavity, then I'll need to take some measurements. I'll also need a sample of your blood and a lock of your hair." Grebbon listed as he made it to the back of his counter. His gaze landed on the thicker vivre papers he's been playing with in hopes of extending his services. He paused, fingers grazing over the material lightly. A tracer... "And I'll also need your fingernail."