Thanks to all of you who read chapter one!
I hope you enjoy this one. This is a rather slow chapter, but there will be more action in the next one :D

Chapter 2

It had already been three weeks, and three weeks were more than enough to collapse her slightly curious patience. She had to add, it was sick and inhuman to forbid her the knowledge of what was behind that door. She hadn't stolen anything from them, she hadn't even asked what was on the other side, wishing that her obedience would earn her a little bit of trust. All in vain. That stupid Law, if he thinks I'm leaving this place without knowing what's in it, he is so wrong. Sitting on a chair with her back against the staircase rails made her boredom even more prominent, and the more bored she got, the more curious.

She tapped the glass in her hands. Is he a dealer?. Internally, she enjoyed the idea of having a little something to extortion him. His inaccessible attitude was starting to get on her nerves. He seemed to have way too much dignity to be a normal dealer, maybe he trafficked stolen art or something like that. Such things left a lot of money, but were quite difficult to sell.

Nami bit her straw, too anxious to contain it (her workmates made fun of her for using one of those, but it kind of reminded her of the drinks Sanji used to make for her). All the guys were outside, even Law, and she was an expert at leaving no traces of her presence at all. In fact, she had spent all her life doing exactly that. No one will notice.

But, what if they did? What if he did? She was supposed to be a smuggler, not a thief. That could raise too many suspicions around her. Opening doors and such things were typical of burglars, and so she risked losing cover in front of Law. The whole idea made her unsettled, that man was too mysterious for her taste. So, as long as she didn't know what to expect from him, it was better not to take risks.

By five, it was taking them longer than usual to come back, which was almost cruel. She dangerously approached to the kitchen but distracted herself wiping the tables, then mopping the floor, and then going to the second floor to make sure for the third time that the chairs were aligned. After that, resigned, she sat on the middle of the stairs and sighted. Over her right shoulder, she had a pretty good view of the kitchen and its mysterious door. It was wide and black, pretty used and kind of filthy. Its lock looked cheap, but she knew it was not. Actually it was a rather complicated device specially designed to go unnoticed. She had learnt how to open them at the age of 11.

She thanked internally when the front door opened, letting her workmates and their stupid boss into the room. It was way easier to stop being the Cat Burglar when she was not bored.

"Nojiko-ya! Sorry we are so late" Shachi took off his scarf, walking to the end of the stairs. Penguin and Jean Bart nodded to her and went straight to the kitchen. Law stood on the door for a few seconds, staring at her with his typical derisive smile, and then he simply took off his coat while he moved to the counter. He didn't even bother to say hi.

Why is he always so mean?!. "It's ok. I had nothing to do anyways" she smiled brightly to Sachi as she innocently made her way to the counter too. "What happened?"

"Uh, we got entertained at a store" Nami smiled at his answer, it was way too false.

"All of you?" she leaned over the counter, observing how the red haired guy turned to the tables to hide the fact that he was obviously making something up. Were you selling expensive sculptures to fat suspicious millionaires? It still didn't seem as a suitable theory, and even worse, it enhanced her feeling that she would figure it out only when she knew what was behind that stupid door.

The warm whisper behind her neck took her by surprise "Don't even think about it"

Ignoring her goose bumps, she answered in the same tone "I don't know what you are talking about". But her inner self raged impatiently, and she had to cover her furious face while Law crossed the very door he was telling her not to open, quite sure it was on purpose.

"Well, not all of us" continued Shachi "Law forced us to come in time"

"What a boring friend you have" She didn't need him to be around to be mean; always with the hope he would hear her.

Speaking with Shachi always made the waiting or the new turn a lot funnier. They would speak about food, music and travels, but food mostly, until Jean Bart came from the kitchen as usual, with a tray full of food in his hands. This time they were having onigiris instead of bread, which foretold the tragedy that was for her the company of their beloved boss for dinner.

Being honest, it wasn't like he talked much; in fact, he spent most of the time quietly observing out the windows with dull eyes. But, yet, Nami felt as if he was always watching each single one of her movements. A part of her understood why. She was fully aware that she was not one of them, and she didn't intend to become one. That aside, there was something about him that made her deeply confused. At work, she had to admit that there was something in him that comforted her. There was something in the way he moved, that kept the world on the other side of the counter, keeping her and his men safe, but when they were not working, and he talked to her, there was something threatening in his voice, as if he was constantly reminding her to be careful with what she did and said. Yet, it was not that feeling of loneliness what worried her, but those moments in which he left aside his forbidding glances and observed her as if…

...as if he knew more of me than myself. The idea made her shiver in uneasiness. The Cat-burglar had never been good at fights, silences and lies were her best allies, but it was as if her mask was ineffective on him. Only one month and a half, she told herself in irritation, biting her oniguiri with no hunger at all, a little more and you will be away from here.

That night was Vivi's bar night. As usual, she arrived early. Nami knew it was to accompany her, for they had become quite close friends. It felt good, for the orange haired girl wasn't sure when the last time she had felt so at ease was. Probably since the last time I saw Robin. She pondered bitterly.

"What do you work in?" Nami had been tempted to ask that for some time now, for Vivi always seemed to arrive with the most recent pieces of news. Truth be told, that could even result useful, but the last thing Nami would have liked was taking advantage of her.

"At the communication department"

She nodded while dusting a glass "That explains a lot"

Vivi laughed. "It's kind of boring really, too much paperwork for my taste, but at least you get to hear lots of gossips"

Nami served two whisky glasses and left them on the counter for Penguin. "Anything interesting?"

Her friend moved her own glass in circles, trying to remember "Something about a ship being stolen at Zao's bay, and that the governor's son was discovered in a brothel again. Besides that, only bureaucratic stuff"

"A ship?" Nami feigned surprise, but she herself had done it many times. The sea was a magnificent medium to travel without being tracked, if you knew how to navigate.

"oh… there was also something about the Donquixote family changing their head doctor, I think"

Nami had to make an effort not to drop the bottles she was using, too focused on controlling her sudden tension to notice that the man on the counter had also stopped his work to hear better. "Well…that's… did you hear who they named instead?

"Uhm, let me think. Ca...Ce…?"

"Caesar?"

"Yes, that's it!" It was only then when Vivi realized of her friend's reaction "how do you know about it? People here don't know much about the southern situation"

The war. Nami thought bitterly. Our war. This city, Dressdrosa was a wealthy city which the official government had kept out from the southern chaotic reality, but many suspected that it was due to illegal connections with the most powerful mafia families. That was difficult to prove though, but at least there were a bunch of innocent people living a relatively safe life, which was nice.

"I grew up in an Orphanage near Syrup Village" She lied "The Don Quixote family is kind of popular there. Their previous head surgeon was a skillful criminal known as The Surgeon of Death, I can't imagine why he would leave"

"I still don't understand why a surgeon is so important"

Nami shrugged "I supposed he is dead already. It's the Donquixote family we are talking about"

Or he is alive, just as I am. She had learnt in her spying mission that the Don Quixote family had been working in a new type of drug, which they were planning to use in hundreds of innocent children. It was for sure a lucrative plan, from which The Surgeon of Death would probably receive more money than he could have ever received before. I doubt it was a money dispute. But she doubted too that it had been his consciousness. She had heard too many stories about him to believe that he was dead already. Absent mindedly, Nami told Vivi how he was famous for being a dangerously terrifying and intelligent criminal. "It is said that The Donquixote family had sent one hundred men in his pursuit to force him to cooperate with them, but instead of him, they received two big containers with ninety nine beating human hearts, delivered by the only survivor, who died ten minutes after delivering the shipload. In his hands, he had a letter with the Surgeon's conditions to work for them. The Donquixote family accepted gladly, of course"

Vivi's terrified expression brought her back to reality. "Should I change the subject?"

"Yes, please. I was planning to sleep tonight"

Nami laughed, and all she could hear by that time was the soft chuckle coming from his workmate across the counter. For a moment, their eyes met, and his amused glance sent a chill down her spine before she looked away.

The night ended too fast for her worrying mind to notice. Did they send him to find me? He was one of the most wanted criminals in the whole world, and Don Flamingo's plan, one of the most ambitious. Maybe she was worthy such a bother.

"Is there something wrong, Nojiko-ya?" Law's impassive voice interrupted her thoughts.

"...what's behind the kitchen door?" She cursed internally, but it was the very first thing that came to her mind instead of the truth.

He looked at her as if expecting something else, then smirked. "Honestly, I thought you were able of holding your curiosity longer than this"

Trying to ignore her offended self, she shrugged and walked to the front door, ready to leave. "Is it drugs, or illegal paintings?"

"Do I look like a trafficker?"

Nami replied a long "no" in her best 'yes' tone, and walked out into the chilling dark night "anyways" she added, waiting for him to lock the door "who do you sell them to?"

Slowly, the man put the keys into his coat and turned around to face her. "You mean the drugs or the art?" he started walking to the right. "You live this way, don't you?"

It wasn't a real question, so Nami had to follow him down the road, rather surprised at the fact that he was actually accepting to have a more or less civilized conversation with her. Otherwise, why is he walking me home? and yet she was not quite sure she wanted anyone to know where she lived. Curiosity taking the better of her, she decided not to complain and try to get some information from her skeptical boss.

"Both. I mean, the black market here is quite large"

He chuckled again, catching her full attention for a moment. It was a warm chuckle, she liked it. Why can't he be like this all the time?

"Currently, I have no clients" he hid his hands on his pockets "But even if I had I wouldn't tell you"

He is playing safe. And she didn't blame him for it, she would have done the same. She was sure that the man next to her wouldn't start a conversation out of nowhere, so she hid her frozen nose into her scarf and waited. They walked past two buildings before he continued.

"So, what did your friend told you about the Donquixote Family?"

There it was. She left the question linger for some seconds, trying to overcome her weariness.

"That they had a new head surgeon"

Nami saw him frown, his previous mood darkening "Who is the new one?"

"Caesar Clown" There was no point in hiding her knowledge of it, at least the basic one. Every person related to the under life used to be familiar with the events of the mafia families.

He nodded. "Predictable"

Nami agreed "he is known for experimenting with human beings"

Nami throat closed a little when she thought about it. Things were likely to get worse for anyone if that was truth. Maybe I should hurry up. Maybe I should leave sooner. They turned and approached her building. A huge, gray piece of concrete. "I guess you have to be that kind of a person to get there" she added weakly. It was when she touched the stained door of the building that she realized he had stopped walking. She turned around to meet a pair of indecipherable gray cold eyes set on her.

"You are quite familiar with all this, aren't you?"

She turned to him, startled, realizing too late she had been speaking as Nami instead of mouth moved in a vain, trying to excuse herself, but he moved closer, interrupting her, whispering a question that was not really a question, but a promise.

"Wouldn't you like to see The Donquixote Family fall?"

She could have sworn that his gray eyes, barely away from her, shone with a wild ambition for a second, narrowing in expectation. She knew she had to lie, but there was an odd warmth in his voice, an intense security that reminded her of Luffy. Against any common sense, she replied, half a smile finding its way through her wet lips, locks of orange hair floating free in the winter air.

"I would love to"