A/N: Hi again! Here to provide more Law and Nami love! I was too eager to share, so I apologize for bad grammar!
Again, constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome!
Disclaimer: Oda declined to hand all rights over Law to me. Even when I asked nicely. T^T
Poker Night With The Straw Hats
It was a pitiful position he was in and yet, he smirked unabashedly.
His ego wouldn't let him concede defeat.
"Up for another round?"
Her question was taunting. Her companions and his first mate made a pitiful attempt to contain their laughter. Her captain didn't even bother doing that and chose to burst into obnoxious giggles at his state.
It didn't help that the cool air in the dining area wasn't agreeing with his exposed condition.
"I want to play!" the Straw Hat choked out, before collapsing into another hysterical fit, completely oblivious to the tension in the room. Well, the supposed tension between Law and the money grubbing navigator.
The green haired swordsman, a long nosed individual and Ms. Robin concurred, and his adversary adjusted his hat on her tangerine tresses. She spared him a glance and leered at him when he nodded to indicate an affirmative. She then proceeded to shuffle the deck expertly and distribute the cards.
She didn't look half bad in his headgear, he decided.
He picked up his cards, his face not betraying any emotion at the pathetic hand he had been dealt. Nobody else made any moves… except Mr. Straw Hat. It became plainly obvious just how bad his cards were, for he pouted with much abandon.
The rubber boy wasn't a threat. He hadn't won a single round and Law wasn't keen on claiming the hunks of meat he kept betting with, ignoring the provided chips. He kept trying to swallow a bright pink ten thousand Beli gambling token, but was always thwarted when the blond cook would kick it out of his hands.
"It's a chip," he reasoned stupidly with the cook and Law raised an eyebrow, "It's supposed to be eaten."
He returned his attention back to his cards. No plan came to mind. There wasn't much he could do with a pair of queens. Well, there was always the bluff but he hadn't much left to bet. He hadn't won any rounds himself, with the exception of the first. From there on, it had been a downward spiral, with most of his money lost.
A pointed look at Bepo and the large bear excused himself from Dr. Chopper's company. The two anthropomorphic animals got along smashingly well.
He stood at his shoulder and dug around in the voluminous pockets of his jumpsuit.
"My leftover chips from the game, Captain."
The bear deposited a decent pile near him. His first mate had dropped out early, after the first couple of rounds, preferring to retreat to the couch with the reindeer and laughing at his misery instead of playing poker. He smiled at Bepo appreciatively anyway – his 'donation' would get him through one more hand.
He couldn't hold out for any rounds following the current one, not under the present circumstances.
He was very suspicious of the game, though. He suspected it to be rigged in some manner, though he had no proof. It was a gut feeling and gut feelings don't really hold as evidence.
She had had incredible luck in this game, Ms. Nami. Out of the nine rounds played she had won five, with the swordsman, Long Nose and Ms. Robin taking one session each. What really made him wary was not the improbable hands she seemed to get every time, but the fact that she insisted that, as a loser, he hand over a piece of his clothing.
She was undeterred, even when he appealed to her logic and reminded her this wasn't strip poker.
In the second round, she had taken the pot and his hat. Ms. Robin won the third round and calmly asked for his jacket as collateral. Mr. Marimo and Long Nose won the subsequent rounds, choosing the pile of cash over his garments. Then, the navigator had made him part with his left shoe, his right shoe, his t-shirt and, finally, his pants.
That had resulted in him, stripped of all his clothes but his boxers.
His underwear, it seemed, was a sight too amusing to behold. Sure they were black and embossed with the Heart Pirates' yellow smiley face insignia, but that didn't mean that the Straw Hat crew had to break out in fresh peals of laughter every time they looked at him!
They were probably jealous that they didn't have official crew undergarments.
The blue haired cyborg had flashed him an enthusiastic thumbs up at his state of undress, congratulating Law on becoming a fellow pervert. Then he had returned to consoling the flashy, boa feather scarf adorned skeleton. The skeleton, defying all odds, was crying profusely with tears and loudly protesting the turn of events.
"I'd much rather see some panties!" he exclaimed, burying his face in his knobbly, folded up knees, bemoaning his fate at having been violated.
Trafalgar Law, with as much dignity as possible, ignored both of these reactions.
Bets started from Mr. Straw hat, who sat on Law's right, and went anticlockwise.
"One seaking steak." The man proudly pushed an enormous plate to the centre of the table, where all the bets, the pot, was collected.
Like the previous nine rounds, everyone humoured him.
Ms. Robin, next in line, established a minimum of five thousand Beli.
"Call and raise." The navigator addressed him smugly from the seat opposite him, "Seven thousand Beli."
The Long Nose and the swordsman both called her bet, seeming somewhat reluctant. He felt slightly confident then – their respective hands were probably not that impressive.
"Raise." He threw a couple of chips into the pile, bluffing effortlessly, "Ten thousand Beli."
He grinned back at the woman, a barely concealed challenge within his teeth. She reciprocated by tipping his hat at him in a patronizing gesture.
Mr. Straw Hat, with his amusingly short attention span, threw his cards in the air, probably bored.
"I'm hungry." He pronounced childishly. The cook pointed out that he had eaten just ten minutes ago, but the man's cries fell to deaf ears. His captain extended a rubber limb and repossessed his bet. He then got back to observing the game, munching the large slab of meat happily.
"Call." Ms. Robin added her wager into the small mound.
Ms. Nami took a little longer this time. She consulted her cards for half a minute before exchanging silent glances with her crewmates occupying the table. She took another moment to bat away the enthusiastic cook, who had taken to singing praises of her and Ms. Robin in a bid for attention.
"I call your bet," she said, her eyes locking with him again, "And I raise you to fifteen thousand Beli."
He couldn't hold in a comment.
"Confident with your hand, I take?" he drawled, a sinister smile over taking his features, "Not trying to buy your way out now, are you, Ms. Nami?"
She rested an elbow on the table, propping her face on a palm.
"I could say the same for you." She retorted smoothly, "But I'm not the one in my underpants."
The Long Nose and the swordsman looked unnerved at the sum of money they would have to put out now. The curly haired sniper dropped out first. Mr. Marimo seconded that decision by smacking his cards on the table with a loud declaration of "Screw this." He then brusquely put his boots up on the table, nursing a bottle of sake and following the proceedings of the game he had just abandoned.
Law was happy at their reactions – they had bought into his con. He analyzed the situation at hand. The lesser threats had been dispatched easily, a little too easily. Normally his misgivings would've arisen at this point… but he was distracted. He may have been from the North Blue, the cold didn't deter him much, but he couldn't handle unclothed situations in front of acquainted company easily.
The barely suppressed chuckles from Bepo and Dr. Chopper weren't helping his confidence either.
Ms. Robin looked at him apprehensively as she awaited his decision, and he smiled despite himself.
"Twenty thousand Beli."
The tangerine haired woman twirled a lock between her fingers, seeming unimpressed. Ms. Robin, on the other hand, delicately placed the cards on the table, signifying defeat.
"Fold." She confirmed her intentions.
He didn't miss the meaningful glance which passed between the two ladies.
He didn't even want to analyze what the look entailed.
Ms. Nami directed a triumphant, derisive smile at him and a premonitory feeling overtook him. He imagined his prey probably felt like this when he rewarded them with his signature condescending look.
"All in."
She enunciated each word carefully, as if she wanted him to process and remember their significance for his entire life. He watched her push her sizeable pile of money into the total pot. Mr. Straw Hat let out a low whistle, impressed.
He mirrored her action, pushing his own meagre tower of chips into the momentous mound of bets.
"Show your cards." His voice was cocky, cool and confident, despite his impending loss. He could never let that façade slip and expose any weakness.
She laid her hand out carefully and slowly, savouring her obvious victory. He looked at the cards – an ace, a king, a queen, a joker and a ten; all from the suit of diamonds.
"Royal flush."
She cackled when he threw his pair of queens to counter her incredible combination. Bepo and Dr. Chopper succumbed to another bout of laughter, unable to control themselves. Long Nose pursed his lips to contain his own outburst, Mr. Marimo bestowed him with a look of pity and Ms. Robin directed a good natured smile at him.
Mr. Straw Hat stated the obvious.
"Law, looks like you lost." He spoke, casually tossing the last bit of his meal into his cavernous mouth.
He didn't react apart from a dangerous glare at the rubber boy. The rubber boy in question seemed unperturbed, very involved in licking the plate which had previously held his meat.
The room emptied then, all of a sudden. The Straw Hat crew dispersed slowly, each giving him a knowing smile. The cyborg patted his shoulder with an oversized metallic hand. Bepo was led outside the dining area, his furry face betraying his curiosity. Only the cook didn't leave of his own accord, sobbing angrily about life being unfair. He was dragged out by Mr. Straw Hat and his green haired first mate.
He watched the remaining crew member lock the door securely and shut any windows.
"The money wasn't enough, Ms. Nami?"
He was curious now, though his slightly irritated tone didn't show it.
She walked towards him with a wicked grin.
"Look what I found in your pocket!" she happily brandished something in his face momentarily.
She began tying him to his seat with rope, binding his hands to the arms of the chair.
"A grudge against me, I presume?" he asked, an amused inflection in his tone.
"More like payback." She replied, "You know, for winning that first round."
She tightened his bonds and then straddled him. He was surprised that he wasn't surprised at this sudden turn of events. He smirked then – his charm was obviously intoxicating, contagious and unrelenting. He couldn't explain her bizarre actions otherwise.
"No one beats me at poker." She said, before capturing his lips with her own.
He then decided that being dominated once in a while wasn't all bad.
She drew back for air momentarily, her hands entangling themselves in his short dark hair. He remarked then, having pieced together the events in his head.
"Would it be big headed of me to accuse you of planning this before hand?"
She smirked again before tilting his chin upwards, stroking it absently.
"It would be." She admitted and leaned in again, "I really should cheat in cards more often, don't you think?"
A/N: I wrote this on a whim and proofread it hurriedly… I hope it wasn't too bad. I am no poker player so I apologize if there are any errors. I referred the basic game here, with five cards being dealt to each player.
I'd love your thoughts on this. Thanks for reading! ^-^