Chapter 12: Prodigy

"So the yellow ones are the trackers and navigators, the blue ones are the transmitters for communications, the green ones are for paralyzing, the violet ones are for mild poisons like the ones I used before and the red ones are the deadly poisons, but I rarely use them."

Law gawked at Yulie. After the little fiasco on the island, they immediately went back to the ship where he had Yulie explain to him exactly what had just happened. Yulie then opened her satchel bag and let out her butterflies with the green, violet, and red ones in jars. The whole crew who was also curious about her powers came to listen in on their conversation.

"And you can manage to communicate with every last one of them?"

"Yup, these yellow and blue ones could also be given normal instructions that can help me with everything"

"They're cute"

Bepo exclaimed before playing with the blue ones who fluttered all around the crew.

"And you bred every last one of these?"

Law asked clearing every single question he has on his mind. He had never heard of a zoan type fruit that could do what Yulie had done with hers. Yulie laughed at Law's disbelieving expression.

"Yes, I fed them with my blood regularly when they were a chrysalis"

Law's eyebrows knit in the middle at the imagination of Yulie harming herself just to feed her butterflies her blood.

"You managed to awaken your devil fruit in just a span of four years"

Law thought of the possibility that Yulie was able to harmonize with her devil fruit since she attained it. After all, no one can possibly just master all of the powers of their devil fruit in a span of four years. Law let out a sigh to which Yulie worryingly stared at.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I just realized that you're strong enough to protect yourself"

Yulie's eyes widened, Law had complimented her but there was a hidden meaning to it. Something that even his crew noticed of.

"Oh Cap'n did you want to look cool and protect Yulie yourself?"

"I didn't know Captain was such a romantic"

"He probably wanted to show off in front of Yulie-san but then she protected them instead"

Yulie saw how Law's face turned red and how defensively he stood up to scold his crew.

"ACKK IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! YOU'RE WRONG"

Yulie was uncomfortable. She bowed her head and fiddled with her fingers. All her life she had been protected by her village, her brothers, her grandfather and her adoptive family. And all her life she hated that feeling. So when she had the chance to grow stronger, she took it. She wanted to be one protecting everyone else now. But when she realized that Law had wanted to protect her, she couldn't help but imagine what it would be like being protected by Law. And that made her feel like a hypocrite.

She hated being protected and yet when the man she loves tells her that he wanted to protect her, she felt stupidly happy, hopeful, and scared.

"Yulie?"

Yulie lifted her head up when she heard Law call her name. She saw how the whole crew was looking at her.

"Sorry I was just thinking of something. Did you guys say something?"

Yulie smiled at the others who continued their conversation about her butterflies but Law remained stoic. He might not have known Yulie for a long time but he knew enough to decipher if she was okay or not.

"Something is wrong"

Law announced the moment he went inside the storage room. He had followed Yulie who had offered to organize some of their newly stocked up food.

"What do you mean?"

"I meant you"

He said before walking over to Yulie after locking the storage room door. Yulie stared at Law and instinctively took a step back when she saw him walking towards her.

"There's nothing wrong with me"

"Then why are you stepping back"

"I… I'm not"

But Yulie had already stepped far back enough for her back to hit the wall. Law reached her just in time before she could sidestep him again. Law firmly placed one of his arms on Yulie's waist to prevent her from running away from him again.

"Yulie Anne"

He called, sending shivers along Yulie's spine. He had never called Yulie with her second name in it. this was a first. Yulie looked up at him and saw that instead of anger, Law was looking at her with worry in his eyes.

Law reached his other hand and caressed Yulie's cheeks before softly asking her.

"What's wrong love?"

Yulie could feel every bit of Law's affection on his fingertips, on the way he placed his hand on her cheeks. She felt her heart getting full just from the way Law was looking at her. She let out a sigh before holding Law's hand which was on her cheeks.

"It really was nothing, I just…"

She stopped and looked at Law who was patiently staring at her, waiting for her to finish her sentence.

"I felt happy, and scared, and stupid when I realized that you wanted to protect me"

Law's eyes widened just enough for Yulie to tell that he was surprised.

"I don't understand"

"Law, all my life I was being protected. Everyone was overly protective of me up til the point that I couldn't understand why. And I'm so sick of it"

Law stared at Yulie's eyes and saw emotions he couldn't dare name.

"I felt suffocated and I hated it that's partly the reason why I ran away. But…"

Yulie stopped and stared at Law before continuing.

"But when I realized that you wanted to protect me, I felt happy. And that made me scared. It made me feel like I was being a hypocrite. I just… I can't understand it either"

And that was when it hit Law hard. He felt as if cold water was being poured all over him. The reality dawned on him that Yulie was still just a child who had just been out in the world for merely months.

Law let out a sigh before placing his forehead on Yulie's.

"Love"

He called out to which Yulie instantly looked at him. He smiled softly at her before placing both of his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"My want to protect you would never hinder you from what you're capable of. Earlier, didn't you do it because you want to protect me?"

Yulie nodded putting a smile on Law's lips. He cupped Yulie's cheeks before putting a soft kiss on her lips.

"That's how I feel. It's as simple as that, you don't need to think too deeply about it. You protect yourself and me if you want to and I'll protect the both of us because I want to. I may never have known your family's reason on being overprotective about you but believe me when I say. If I say I want to protect you that meant I got your back as I know you got mine"

Partners. Yulie thought. Not the kind where she was the only one being protected but the kind where they are equal and that they have each other's backs.

"Now is that clear for you?"

Law asked her with enough softness evident in his voice. Yulie only nodded before smiling at Law.

"I guess I'm really transparent when it comes to you huh?"

Law smiled back at her before planting a kiss on her lips. His lips softly brushing against hers.

"No, love. You're all of the colors molded into one and I'm just trying to learn each one of those colors. One at a time."

Law said before pulling Yulie closer to him, his hands snaking around to cup her behind making her yelp in surprise.

"Ahh wait Law!?"

"Now, let me see one of those colors again. That color that tints your cheeks whenever you scream my name"