So, this is the last chapter! I have an extra planned, but it might take a while because I hadn't written it all yet. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and thank you very much for all the lovely reviews and the continued support!

Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei!

Unexpected

Chapter IV - Reencounter

Five Years Later

Nami sighed as she finally left the clothing store with her shopping bags heavy. That old lady was so unreasonable! The shop was supposed to be a trade place, where you could change used (but new looking) clothes. Nami never really liked buying used clothes, but considering the crazy speed Belle was always losing her clothes, she figured it was useless to spend that kind of money until she was a teenager. Trading in that shop, she could get rid of the old clothes and get others with the right new size pretty much for free.

But the owner never agreed with Nami. They had similar bargaining skills, so what should be a 15 minutes business ended up taking her a full hour, sometimes even more.

"Nami!" the familiar voice took her out of her bad mood.

Nami smiled.

"Hey, Vivi."

The princess of Alabasta ran to meet her friend. Five years ago, Nami was surprised to get to Alabasta in the middle of Vivi's wedding ceremony. She had married, Kohza, a dear childhood friend and one of her father's Ministers. Now they had a two year old son, named Liam, who Belle loved to take care of.

"Giving our shops another monetary defalcation?"

"Haha, very funny. They are the ones always trying to rob me. I work hard for my money, you know."

And it was true, she did. She had been helping Alabasta with her dry season problems since her arrival, and the Weather Department wouldn't know what to do without her anymore.

"You could just live in the palace with us, save the rent's money."

Vivi had tried to convince her to stay with them since Nami's arrival, but the navigator was just too stubborn and refused.

"Nice try, Vivs."

Vivi chuckled.

"Okay, okay. But you can't refuse having tea with me, right?"

"No, I suppose I can't. Plus, it would be really rude to refuse the princess, right?"

"Yes, it certainly would."

They walked together down the market area taking the shortest route to the palace.

"Is Belle already there nagging poor Liam?" Nami asked.

Alabasta was very safe and her house was quite close to the royals' home, so Nami was never worried to let her daughter make the trip alone. It was important that she learned how to handle herself alone, especially if they were to join the Straw Hats sometime in the future. Nami tried to pretend she didn't worry about her crew, but it was a lie. She worried a lot. Since they were in the Shin Sekai, news from them were scarce, and five years later she started to fear they would leave her behind. Reason told her that was bullshit, that they would never do that to her, but her heart clenched just to think about it.

The only piece of information the newspaper told her was that Law was now a Yonkou in the place of Kaidou. She tried not to think too much about him, though, since it didn't matter anyways.

"Oh, yeah. She arrived early to play with him. You know he loves her, right? There is no nagging involved."

"Then, she nags you guys." Nami laughed. "I know she can be a piece of work. She is too much like myself her age."

Vivi smiled. Nami always said that, and indeed, she saw a lot of Nami's personality in little Belle. However, physically, the girl had absolutely nothing in common with her mother. Belle had jet black hair and grey eyes, probably traits she inherited from his father, who Nami never mentioned and Vivi never asked about. Belle also always wore a black and white furry hat, which Vivi was certain must have been a gift from the father, for Nami had arrived in Alabasta wearing it five years ago.

"She is adorable, and you know it."

Nami smiled.

"She is, isn't she?"

Her eyes shone with pride and love, which made Vivi's smile enlarge.

"Of course she is. You are raising her well."

Nami looked fondly to her friend.

"Thank you for taking care of us, Vivi."

"It was a pleasure. I loved that at least one of you managed to come to my wedding. It was an overwhelmingly good surprise."

"I miss them too." she sighed. "I've been waiting so much for that call. I'm ready, but they don't call!"

Vivi saw the frustration on Nami's expression. She never talked much about going back, because she knew it was too soon, but since Belle's last birthday she had been increasingly growing restless.

"Have you tried to call them?"

"Yes, several times, but they don't pick up. As Belle would say, it just goes 'purupurupuru', with no 'kacha'."

Vivi laughed at that.

"They wouldn't leave you behind."

Nami sighed.

"I know that. I swear, I know. It's just… I thought Luffy would call me in two years, you know?"

"But Belle would be yet too small. I'm sure he is thinking of you."

"I know, I know. But I'm getting impatient."

"I know you are."

They were almost reaching the palace when they noticed a commotion among the people in the market. Lots of them were gathering their stuff to leave, while others whispered something to each other.

"Something is going on." Nami said, looking around her.

Vivi had a frown between her eyes as she approached a salesman.

"What's going on?"

"We are very sorry, ohime-sama, but they are saying the ship of a Yonkou was seen in the coast. It won't be long before they can get here."

"A Yonkou?" Vivi asked, surprised. "Nami, do you think it can be Luffy?"

But Nami already had her denden mushi on her hands, trying to reach her friends, but yet again to no avail.

"It can't be them, Vivi. They would have warned me. Plus, we don't even know if he is indeed a Yonkou now."

"Did someone see the ship's flag?" Vivi turned to ask the man, but he was already gone, as was most of the people of the market.

"Never thought such a large street market could be emptied so quickly." Nami mocked.

"They got pretty traumatized after the whole Crocodile thing. No one likes to hear the word 'pirate' any more."

"Tsc. So much for our help."

Vivi tried to smile, but she just couldn't. What was she going to do? If it wasn't Luffy, the Yonkou was there with some purpose, and there was no one strong enough in Alabasta to fight one of the most powerful pirates in the world.

"Go back to the castle, Vivi. Warn your guards. Protect the children."

"And leave you here? No. You're coming with me."

"Don't worry, I won't get in a fight with a Yonkou. If it's Shanks, we can always play the 'you're Luffy's hero' card. I certainly wouldn't mess with Kurohige. Actually, if it's him, we should all evacuate this area immediately. And, then, there is…" but the name caught in her throat.

"Trafalgar Law." Vivi finished for her.

"Yes. Him. He won't be a problem either. He is Luffy's friend."

Vivi was taken aback by that piece of information, and yet, she couldn't help but notice the weirdness in Nami's voice.

"Don't worry about me, Vivi. Just go. I won't do anything reckless. I'll call via denden mushi as soon as I know who it is. It's that okay?"

Vivi nodded.

"If you die, I'll kill you."

Nami laughed.

"Fair enough."

Vivi ran away and Nami stayed, trying to get pieces of information from whoever she could still find in the now emptied market. No one could tell her who it was, or where he was exactly. It frustrated her. How did they know it was a Yonkou, then? Maybe it was just speculation after all, maybe it was a mistake. Nonetheless, she waited. He wanted badly to be Luffy. Maybe he wanted to surprise her and decide to just show up. She couldn't think of any reasons for the invasor to be Shanks or Kurohige. Both men were too busy in the other half of the Grand Line.

Then, there was Law. It couldn't be him, right? What could he want from Alabasta? He didn't know she was there, and even if he did, there was no reason for him to want to find her. And just as she thought all that over, a silhouette appeared in the desert. It grew closer and closer, until she could perceive all the details. The silhouette belonged to a man, a tall and slender one, with messy jet black hair and a sword on the shoulder.

Nami almost panicked. It was, indeed, Law. She immediately called Vivi and warned her. The royal army wasn't necessary, she could deal with him all right. No, she wasn't about to fight a Yonkou. No, she wouldn't do anything stupid. Yes, she was all right.

A smirk spread through Law's face as he finally saw Nami.

"You are a hard woman to find, Nami-ya." he told her as soon as he was in her hearing's reach.

"What are you doing here, Law?"

"That's how you greet me after all my trouble? What a cold woman."

He was being sarcastic, but she managed to see just a hint of hurt in his otherwise indifferent eyes.

"You really came all the way here just to see me? We are in the half of Grand Line's first route. It's damn far from Shin Sekai. Especially now. Don't you have important affairs to attend to as a Yonkou?"

He walked to her, stopping just enough so they didn't touch.

"Imagine my shock when I met with the Straw Hats again and you weren't there. I was eager to see you again, share my bed with you. But you weren't there."

Was she imagining the hurt in his eyes and voice? It couldn't be real, right? The Law she had known never really showed any emotions, he was always nonchalantly distant, as if nothing in the world could really disturb him.

She gulped.

"I had my reasons."

"So tells me everyone in your crew. Tony-ya almost confessed to me what was going on, but Kuro Ashi-ya stopped him."

He softly placed a hand on her face, running his thumb across her cheek.

"Since then, I've been trying to find out where you went."

Nami caught herself leaning in to his hand, appreciating his touch.

"Luffy, away from the rest of the crew, asked me to find you. He couldn't tell me where you were, but he asked me to find you and bring you back to them."

Nami felt tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. That stupid captain! That was why he wasn't answering her anymore. He had asked Law to pick her up, because he had wanted for her to tell Law the truth since the beginning.

"I kept telling myself you leaving couldn't have anything to do with me, but then again, why would you leave the Straw Hat crew?"

Nami rolled her eyes.

"Don't be such an egomaniac. You had nothing to do with my decision."

"I know that. You're not that kind of person, who would run away like this."

"I didn't run away. I took a vacation."

"A five years vacation?"

"Well, you were the one who took five years to find me."

Law smirked.

"I know I pretty much scared all the business around here, but would you grab a bite with me? I would very much like to talk to you."

Nami felt her blood freeze in her veins. She wasn't ready to tell him the truth yet. She didn't know him well enough to anticipate his reaction to the news that he had fathered a baby girl four years and a half ago.

However, fate decided things for her.

"Mom!" the young voice of her daughter called the minute her denden mushi started ringing.

It was Vivi calling. Desperately telling her Belle had ran away from the castle when she heard her mother had stayed behind to deal with a Yonkou.

Nami sighed.

"It's all right, Vivi. She is getting here. Don't worry about us. We are going to be fine."

Law was still as a rock beside her. She knew he was watching Belle carefully as the little girl ran to them, of course, wearing the hat that once belonged to him.

"How many times have I told you to obey your aunt Vivi, Belle?" Nami asked, very seriously. Although she knew she had to deal with Law, her motherly side spoke first.

"But, mom, she said a Yonkou was coming and you were all alone!"

"And what do you think you would have been able to do for me?"

Belle's eyes glittered with tears.

"I didn't want you to be alone."

Nami sighed and took her daughter in her arms, hugging her.

"Promise me you'll never do it again. Hadn't I taught you anything? I could be in danger, and if I had to take care of you as well things would just get messier."

Belle nodded, unable to talk as she tried to hide her tears.

With this solved, Nami turned her attention once again to Law, with Belle still in her arms.

"Law, meet Belle."

It was like she had taken him out of a spell. He analyzed the girl in Nami's arms carefully. She had long straight black hair, and as much as her face resembled her mother's, when she finally stopped rubbing her eyes and looked at him, he saw they were cloudy gray - just like his.

And beside all that, she was wearing his hat.

"Nice too meet you, Belle." he said, a smile beginning to form in his lips. "That's a pretty hat you have."

"Thanks." the girl said, her voice still telling of her tears. "Mommy said it belonged to my father."

Law's smile turned into a grin as he watched Nami at the corner of his eyes.

"Oh, did she? And had she ever told you anything about him?"

Belle shook her head.

"No, not really. But I wouldn't insist if I were you. She got kind of sad the times I asked."

Law was enthralled by that little girl.

"So, Nami-ya, don't you want to say anything?"

Nami looked away, her cheeks blushing slightly.

"No. I'm fine. Didn't you say you were hungry? Let's go."

She put Belle back in the ground and held her hand as they walked down the market street to the center region of the town, where, apparently, no news of the arrival of a Yonkou had spread. They took seats on a table at a ramen shop and placed their orders.

By then, Law had already broken the ice enough with Belle and she was excitedly telling him all about her adventures in the sandy lands of Alabasta's capital. Nami just watched them with a secret smile on her lips.

Law already knew the truth, but his reaction was nothing Nami ever expected it to be. He was trying to get to know Belle, as if he really wanted to be her father.

"Our eyes have the same color." Belle suddenly said, watching Law intently. "Isn't it funny?"

Nami saw he was about to answer that, but thankfully their orders arrived just in time to stop him. She didn't want it to be like that, in the middle of a ramen shop, before she had the chance to talk to her daughter.

They ate in comfortable silence, and when they were finished, Nami turned to Belle.

"Hey, Belle, why don't you stay with Liam for a sleepover?"

The girl turned to Law first.

"Are you still going to be here tomorrow?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

Law smiled to her.

"Yes. We can talk more tomorrow."

She smiled and got up.

"Tell Vivi I asked for you to stay the night with them, okay?"

Belle nodded and Nami gave her a kiss on the cheek before she went running back to the palace.

"Who is Liam?" Law asked.

"Vivi's son. And Vivi is the princess of this kingdom."

Law just nodded absentmindedly.

"Did you plan on leaving me in the dark forever?"

"In fact, yes, I did."

He just looked at her. There was no accusation in his eyes, whatsoever, just a general nothingness.

"Why?"

"Well, Belle is my daughter, she has the name of my mother, I chose to leave my crew for a while so I could raise her. It was all on me, all the choices were mine to make."

"I'm a doctor, you know. I could have been there for you."

"I wasn't about to take you away for your obligations and dreams. Plus, I couldn't know you would react so well."

He shrugged.

"I wouldn't say I dreamed of being a father, but I always thought I would become one eventually." then, he smirked. "Never thought the mother of my child would be the sexy navigator of one of my rivals, though".

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please, you are allies now."

That she would react just to the part in which he talked about Luffy told him much about who she was. Not that he didn't already know.

"You would never consider joining my crew, would you?"

"Of course not. When she is older, and if she wants it, Belle can go spend some time in your ship."

"I can't imagine any of my nakama dealing with a little girl."

"She'll have them all at her little finger in three hours."

"I know that. She reminds me a lot of you."

Nami smiled.

"Indeed. I was a brat just like she is, when I was her age. I even stole books from my village's bookstore every now and then."

"The cat thief since childhood, I should have known."

Nami just laughed.

A silence settled between them as they got up, paid the restaurant's bill and walked side by side in the palace's general direction.

"When do you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow. I've been waiting way too long to get back to them."

"Mugiwara-ya was already dying of nervousness three months after you left, when I met with them again. I think I don't have to say how Kuro Ashi-ya was."

Nami smiled.

"I miss them badly."

"Did you ever miss me?" he asked boldly.

Nami just looked at him for a while.

"Missed you or having sex with you?"

"Missed me." he answered simply.

"I guess I did." she answered honestly. "But then again, we don't know each other very well. Basically, we just had mind blowing sex a handful of times."

Law stopped walking and pulled her by the wrist, making their bodies meet.

"We can change that."

"I'm not joining your crew."

"You don't need to. I have a small town in the outskirts of Dressrosa's capital just for me and my crew. A present of King Riku. We can meet there from time to time."

"Have you given up on your journey?"

He shrugged.

"It's not that I gave up. I pretty much achieved everything I wanted with this pirate life. Now I just need to wait for Luffy to become the King of Pirates to see how the Marine will react. I'm sure that will be my last battle. I can retire after that."

"What is it that you are proposing me, then? You know I'll stick with Luffy as long as our crew lasts."

"I'm proposing us to be together. Just that. Nothing more, nothing less. Belle can stay with me anytime she wants, and so can her mother."

Nami smiled at that. It seemed like a very nice plan. None of them had to give up on anything and they still would be together in the end.

"I like this idea of yours."

He smirked and kissed her.

"So, are you saying yes?"

"Yes, I'm saying yes."

They got to Nami's house and entered. They talked throughout the whole night about any and everything they could think of. When the sun rose they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Nami went to pick up Belle with everything they owned packed up. Her daughter smiled from ear to ear seeing Nami and Law carrying all those bags.

"Are we going to the Thousand Sunny?" she asked, filled with excitement.

"Yes, we are." Nami answered, her lips mimicking her daughter's big smile.

Belle turned to her hosts and hugged Vivi, Kohza and Liam.

"Can I come back to visit?" she asked.

Vivi smiled. Sometimes Belle was just too cute for her to handle it.

"Of course you can, little bear. We will be waiting for you."

"Bear" was the nickname Liam had given Belle when he was a toddler. Because of her always present plushed black and white hat, it was hard to convince him she was a human named Belle and not one of his teddy bears. From time to time, Vivi still liked to call her like that.

Nami also gave them hugs, thanking Vivi and Kohza for everything they had done for her.

"Come back soon and bring everyone with you." Vivi said.

"I will."

They left the palace and Nami asked for Law to go ahead so she could talk to Belle alone for a while. Law obliged and put a good distance between them. He was surprised when he felt nervousness spread through his body. What if Belle didn't like the idea of him being her father? What if she had imagined her father to be a completely different person? What if she was disappointed?

But all those fears vanished when she saw her running in his direction, leaving her mother behind. He could see she was crying, but she was also smiling.

He crouched on the floor and opened her arms to her. She threw herself in his arms and he got up, hugging her as she sobbed lightly onto his shoulder.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to find you two."

"I don't mind." the four year old answered.

She stopped crying and looked at him for a while. Then, she took her hat and placed it on his head. She smiled.

"Mom told me she said she would give it back to you." she explained.

Law had to hold the laugh that threatened to escape his throat.

"I think it looks much better on you. But it's your call."

With a devilish grin, she took it back and put it on.

"See?" Law said. "Much better."

She giggled and he put her back in the ground.

"Are you really a Yonkou?" she asked, curious.

"Yes, I am."

"But my mom's captain will be the King of Pirates."

Law rolled his eyes and looked to Nami, who was catching up to them, wiping the tears that had inevitably escaped her eyes.

"We must talk about how you raised our child."

"Why?" she asked mockingly.

"She thinks Luffy is better than I am."

Nami high-fived Belle.

"Way to go, kiddo."

Belle giggled, but didn't let go of Law's hand during the whole walk to his ship.

"Hey, dad?" she called when they already could see the yellow submarine.

"Yes?" he answered promptly. It was the first time he actually referred to him as "dad". He thought it would have been weird, but it wasn't. He loved her already, he caught himself thinking.

"Is that bear in a jumpsuit a nakama of yours?"

"Yes, he is."

He saw her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Do you want to go greet him?"

"Can I?"

"Go ahead."

Belle let go of his hand and ran to Bepo, leaving her parents behind to laugh as she fiercely tried (and accomplished) to give him a hug.