Disclaimer: The awesome characters of One Piece belong to Eichiro Oda.

From the author of "Stories of a Captain and a Thief" comes this new AU fanfic. Why? Because I am deeply obsessed with this couple.

Well, I put a lot of effort in this fic actually, it's going to take time for each chapter to be published, as the chapters are longer of what I am used to write.

I deeply encourage you to write reviews, if they are good, you'll make me happy, if they have suggestions, they'll be more than welcome, for my stories can always be improved C:

I hope you like it.

Chapter 1

As Nami walked inside the bar, the sound of the rain mixed with the warm smell of old wood and liquor. Empty as it was, the room allowed the girl to observe the dark wooden tables and stools at ease. The light fell from the windows over the dusty bottles, throwing shining blue and green reflections over the counter. As she freed her long red locks from the soaking hood, she recognized the etiquettes of the liquors in the shelves as the same that Luffy used back at the Going Merry Pub. She smiled confidently, that would make things easier.

"May I help you?"

The girl looked up to the top of the staircase that started from the middle of the room, leading to a poorly illuminated second floor which was probably very popular, as people who frequented those places loved intimacy. At the end of the steps, she saw the tall, slim figure of a man leaning towards the wall. She smiled her most innocent expression.

"I came for the job sign"

There was a moment of silence in which she had to force herself to keep still. Women are not that common at bar counters. She told to herself, if she only could get to show him her skills, she would surely get the job. Nami kept looking straight at him, still smiling, absolutely aware that confidence was the only thing he had to see in her.

"What's your name?"

She observed the young figure walk down the stairs "Nojiko" She lied. Nami was a common name but it was better not to tempt her luck. The arrogant stance and his polite grin, backed by two cold gray eyes didn't take her back, even though she expected a more flexible bar manager. As he approached her, he took the drinks card from one of the tables and handed it carelessly to her.

"Well, Nojiko-ya, I'll have whatever you feel more comfortable with"

The card was long and varied, as expected from a bar in the middle of a city full of merchants. She chose the most difficult drink among the popular ones as moved her body confidently behind the counter.

"Are there any more applicants I'm competing with?" She asked innocently, knowing the cold eyes were following her closely.

"A couple, I think"

"You think?" She grinned delighted; they hadn't left such a big impression then "Where do you have ice?"

The man pointed a door with a tattooed finger. DEATH, she read. Scary.

"Both of them are big enough to help me deal with difficult customers" She noticed the teasing note in his voice, pointing out the obvious flaws she had.

Placing the last tangerine slices in the drink, the girl shrugged her shoulders and looked at him straight in the eye when she handed it "There are many ways to deal with difficult customers"

"Being really honest, Nojiko-ya, I don't see you throwing old men through that door"

Leaning her head over her fist, her weight resting over the counter, the red haired girl waited until his fake customer took the first sip, guessing by his flashy frown that he had liked her creation.

"The fun thing with drunken men is that they are more eager to please a young woman than they think" She pointed out with a flirtatious grin.

This time the man didn't hide the smile "I guess a pair of days as a test won't hurt"

Nami raised her whole body in joy as she observed him climb the stairs up again "Really?"

Out of nowhere a ragged piece of clothing fell in front of her "Start cleaning the tables, we open in a couple of hours". Restraining her rush of anger at his lack of common courtesy, she crossed her arms over the table and sighed in relief.

At least, after so much hiding, she would have somewhere to breathe again.

Slowly, she started polishing the counter and wondered how many years since she had last been polishing anything at all. Back at the Thousand Pub, it was usually Chopper the one in charge of the cleaning, and the whole place looked so different. As her tired eyes observed the dark wood under her hands, she could remember the scratches at her old bar's counter; its wood was a natural light brown, the same as the walls, giving it the rustic air of a little town pub, and yet it was so lively and warm. The Heart's Bar was darker and more elegant, and somehow, even though she liked it, she could feel the luxury of its cushioned chairs and glass lamps sending danger signals up her back. It smells like the casino.

It had passed an hour since she had started, and twenty minutes since she had finished cleaning anything that could be cleaned. Bored, she sat down in one of the tall cushioned sits and stretched "I finished!" She screamed upstairs and waited, but no answer came to her "I know you are there!"

And waited.

"Could you at least tell me what your name is?!" Nami tried to control her voice but she was almost sure he could smell the exasperation in it. Damn you.

She was just considering moving her too tired legs upstairs when the front door slammed wide open.

"Boss! We brought…"

Nami raised her head, taken aback by the sudden interruption of two big men and one huge one. Their reaction was not so different, the three of them staring almost in shock to her, the one with the 'Penguin' hat coughed, holding a black bag in his hand which smelt like fish.

"You are late" The black haired man interrupted coming down the second floor "by the way, this is Nojiko-ya, she is working with us tonight" he said taking the bag from his grasp, walking past Nami into the kitchen.

"A pleasure" she smiled back, wondering how long since they had seen a woman, judging by the look in their faces. Maybe they recognized me. She thought for a moment, and she could feel her back going tense and her legs going slowly down the chair, preparing to escape, even the "boss" had gone, maybe…

"It's our pleasure" The first, red haired man answered "I'm Shachi, this is Penguin and the mountain behind me is Jean Bart"

"Just call me Bart, miss" he replied as Penguin nodded as a salute.

She relaxed. At least they are nicer than their boss.

"Bart works at the kitchen, Penguin and I take the orders, so if you have any problems just tell us" he said with a kind smile.

"I will" The girl replied, and as the conversation continued, she learned that the three of them had been together for a long time and that the pub was relatively new in town. As usual, customers were mainly workers of near government offices and merchants running away from the mafia and the war, quiet people who disliked fights. Unable to hold her instincts back, she realized that the three of them tried to hide their muscles and scars behind their casual outfits. They used to fight. she realized, and if she was right, then they and their annoying boss had a past as dark as hers.

As they spoke, Jean Bart went to the kitchen and came back with a tray full of sandwiches.

"Aren't you hungry?" the three men looked at her as they ate "Eat, it's going to be a long night, you know" Shachi came even closer to her and added in a whisper "Law is going to be tough as hell to you the first nights, he doesn't like weaklings"

As a reply he received a light hearted laugh "Don't worry, I'll be fine. But I guess I'll grab one of those anyway"

She tried to eat little bites as her stomach wasn't being very nice to her since… well, since she had left the casino. But it was no good thinking about it now, not when she had to worry about making money first. It didn't pass much time when Law came down stairs and put the 'open' sign in the door. As he gave a disgusted glance at the tray, he beat the counter with his hand and looked at Nami in the eyes.

"I forgot to mention that the room behind the kitchen can only be used by Bart Jean and me. If I see you near it, you are fired"

It was suspicious enough to raise almost a mad curiosity in her, but she managed to give her best surprised look "uh, ok, I guess" She turned to Shachi then, the question glowing in her face, but both men excused awkwardly and dispersed.

Nami's mind had to slowly move from her theories about Law's secret room to the little groups of people which were appearing, and she found out that her boss-to-be was making her things much easier by ignoring her completely. She was feeling almost at ease, for he was quick enough to avoid bumping against her each time they met in the narrow space behind the counter. It seemed as he didn't even care what she was doing, even though she knew he had been keeping an eye on her all night long.

As for the customers, she was surprised their drinks were much lighter than the ones people asked back at the Going Merry Pub. Here in Zao, people lived calmly; war was something that they had successfully kept on the other side of their walls, whereas in Dressrosa, well, everything outside the casino was cruel and chaotic, inside they were only cruel.

Here, younger men ordered more from her, trying to surprise her with their alcohol resistance (which she would have beaten easily), while the older complimented her until they were tired. Too busy trying to learn where everything was, the night flew by, and when the last customer left, she threw herself over the counter in exhaustion.

"Damn! I'm tired" she didn't raise her head, but she knew it was Penguin speaking. Shachi had started mopping the floor and the noises in the kitchen told her than Jean was doing the same. On the other extreme of the counter, wordless, Law was counting the money on the cash register.

Reminding herself that the day was not over, she forced herself to move her aching limbs and grab the remaining glasses on the counter.

Penguin looked at her "Law…"

Still saying nothing, as if considering it carefully, the black haired man turned to her and kept silence for some seconds. A chill ran through her back in panic. He knows who I am. But as her stomach sunk in nervousness, he just released half a smirk and closed the register.

"You did much better than I expected. You can leave earlier today. Come tomorrow at five"

She blanked for a second . I did it. A strong palm struck her back, Jean Bart smiling widely at her, Shachi and Penguin walked to her to congratulate her, and later, as she slept, she dreamed that she was back at the Going Merry Pub, bright and happy. The next day, when she woke up, the sky was gray and heavy with clouds. She remained in bed most morning, far from the windows, silently wondering how her friends were doing. Only two months, she thought, two month and it will be safe enough to call them.

The second working day was as exhausting as the first. She had imagined that due to the location, the bar would be pretty popular, but never imagined how much, which was better. Maybe she would gather the money to travel again in less time than expected.

By the third day she had already learnt by heart the position of all the supplies and the glassware, even in the kitchen, and by the fifth day, she already had clients asking for her and her workmates talked to her as if she had been there for weeks.

The only one who was distant to her was her obnoxious boss. Busy as she was the first days, she didn't mind him ignoring her so much, but as things settled down and she started to have some free time, his apathy started getting on her nerves. Truth was, he wasn't like that with his clients, even less with his subordinates, but with her. When Nami made the drinks and observed at the joyful crowd in the counter, she would often see him smiling while pouring something on a cup. It wasn't a wide smile; she had to admit, but a subtle grin. Much better than the calculated smirk he would usually give to his wasted customers and to the flirting ladies (which overflowed his side of the counter as much as men preferred Nami's side). However, they were still perfect strangers.

Nothing very interesting happened until the second Monday. As she polished the beautiful black counter, she stretched her arms over the table as usual, resting her aching back and neck. Maybe, just maybe, she was getting tired more quickly than usual, but she wasn't sure.

"The counter will not clean itself, Nojiko-ya"

Absent mindedly, for she knew he was not looking at her, she observed him. Now that she paid attention, she had to admit the dark eyed guy was handsome. Not that she cared much, but she had to ponder for a moment why she hadn't noticed it before.

He looks dangerous. Something inside her told her. Had she met him in Dressrosa, she wouldn't had even spoken to him, but everything was different here, she thought.

"Doesn't your tattoo scare the clients away?" The girl wasn't really expecting an answer, so she hid her head under her arms, letting a cascade of recently freed red locks scatter over the table.

It was the sharp sound of a glass hitting the wood what took her back to reality.

"I would say it attracts more" he replied with a sly smile, holding a glass with whisky, just as the one he had left next to her. "I'm glad you didn't leave. Clients like you"

"Why would I leave" She feigned innocence as she took the glass.

He gave her one of his obnoxious smirks "It was just an impression"

She drunk a sip, struggling not to let her impatience show "And … how did you get that tattoo?"

His sharpening grin indicated her that that was not the right question "I wish to speak of it as much as you do of yours"

Nami had to stop her glass half way up, and smiled sadly. If he could identify her tattoo, the one she had gotten when she smuggled drugs for Arlong, no wonder why he was so suspicious around her "I'll assume that you got yours as long ago as I got mine"

Law had been nicer to her in those five minutes than in the whole first week, but the last thing he told to her remained in her head for the rest of the night. Before taking the last sip of his glass, he added forbiddingly "Time doesn't count for the ones like us, Nojiko-ya"

The way back home wasn't as pleasant as the previous ones that night. Stupid Law, if he fires me for this I swear I'll burn his little bar to ashes.

By Wednesday evening, the bar was as crowded as usual, and her stupid boss, as she had taken to call him, at least bothered to say 'evening' to her when she arrived, which was nice. The drunkards were annoying as usual, but around ten, this new pair of unshaved men walked in and sat in front of her, blatantly staring at her cleavage. She was more or less used to that kind of situations though, even if she didn't like them, so when one of them tried to grab her waist with his stinking hands, she shove him away with a violent flip of the bottles she was using.

The warm touch of a hand took her by surprise "a daikiri and a margarita" Law commanded her as if nothing had happened, taking the bottles from her hands. It took her some time to realize what he meant, until he turned back to serve the pair of perverts the drinks they had asked.

"Thanks" she replied, walking to the other side of the counter, where a pair of disillusioned customers looked at their favorite bartender work for others. Even far away from them, Nami could still hear them calling at her, but she didn't pay them any mind. She was used to it.

The music and the muttering was so strong that she soon forgot the couple of drunkards and started serving the ladies on that side of the counter.

"It must be annoying" she heard from one of them, a pretty girl with light blue hair. It amused Nami that her drink was blue too, she shrugged her shoulders back "I've been a long time doing this, you get used"

"Still, it's very nice to see that Law cares about you"

Nami laughed "I don't think he cares about me, he probably doesn't want trouble"

"Really? Oh, I could have sworn he looked annoyed, Nojiko… Can I call you Nojiko, right?"

The red haired nodded as she poured some tequila in two margarita glasses "You come often around here, what's your name?"

"Vivi"

"Do you work near?"

Shachi appeared out from nowhere "At the governor's house. I need four beers and two brandies"

Filling the four mugs, Nami laughed again "You have an admirer"

"Don't embarrass me, Nojiko-ya" said Shachi walking away,

Vivi chuckled "I didn't know he knew that-"

The red haired girl saw it with the corner of her eye, the mug of beer coming to her through the air. She acted on instinct, throwing herself to the shelves on time. The glass exploded against the corner of the counter and fell to her feet.

"Enough"

The whole bar fell silent at Law's voice. Everyone's eyes fixed on the drunkards that had been harassing her earlier. It took a fraction of a second for the tattooed man to jump over the counter, enough for his three waiters to surround the troublemakers.

"Get out of here"

Nami felt Goosebumps all over her arms, wondering how long since she had heard someone sound so threatening. He is like Luffy when he is angry. She thought, a part of her feeling safe, the other one in danger. The man with the murderous eyes was the same who knew just by observing her that she had no honest past.

The two perverts stepped back, frightened. "It's ok. We-we are leaving"

The tension dispersed soon after they left, as quickly as Penguin and the others resumed their work. Law seemed more relaxed as he walked back to the counter, making a brief, blank eye contact with her. The chorus of his female fans gossiping about him brought her back to reality.

"I told you" Vivi said, smirking at Nami's confusion "He cares".

Nami managed a weak smile to her, but said nothing. Suddenly she had felt terribly weak, so scared, as before meeting her friends. There was no Zoro watching her back now, no Sanji to overprotect her to the point of annoyance.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm a bit cold, that's all"