Hello everyone! I finally have the new chapter, sorry for the delay! C: I hope you like it. This chapter has a lot more of imagination than the previous ones I think. I hope it works, tell me what you think, reviews are always welcome!

Franky's realization

Out of all the different emotions he was feeling at that very moment, probably that one telling him to throw her off the cliff was the strongest. Especially since she was paying no attention whatsoever to him after deliberately pushing him into the sea. And instead of at least be apologizing to him, as she definitely should be doing now, she was releasing some wind eggs out the cave.

-Why did you do that for?- His voice more icy than usual. Killing her here would spoil the alliance. Just think of the alliance.

-Because we had to get out of there- She was still smiling. She spoke almost laughing, not even looking at him as she replied. Law felt his throat go dry in anger. Maybe if he continued inquiring he would find a good reason to murder her.

-What do you mean by that?-

She looked at him as if he had asked a stupid question – You lost the room, didn't you? Do you feel alright?-She said that turning her head back to her work. The surgeon closed his eyes containing an outrage and answered slowly –You throw me into the sea, so yeah I feel splendid, thank you- Maybe I could blame the marines.

The long-haired girl moved her head in frustration – Before we fell!-

-Before you pushed us, you mean?-

-just answer-

Law thought about it for a second. Indeed he had lost the room, no idea why.

When his eyes went back to the girl, she was looking at him mockingly- You didn't notice, did you?- Before the man could reply she moved her staff in to crack the eggs. –Don't breathe it –

Before he could ask what he was supposed not to breath, a strong current of air came into the rock passage, barely giving him the time to hold his breath, yet he felt dizzy after it. A delicate, almost imperceptible white cloud remained floating in the narrow corridor. Observing it against the light, he suddenly realized.

-Is this…?-

She answered with absolute fascination at him –Seastone dust? yes-

-… -

-It's seastone dust!, when the canon you sent flying fell over those containers you smashed something made out of sea stone I think, as I was releasing a window eggs we spread it, so the cloud it rose was not common dust, it was seastone. That's why your room stopped working-

Think of the alliance

He glanced at her absolutely sure that if it weren't for the alliance there would be pieces of her floating in the cave instead of sea stone- You threw me to the sea and then bathed me with sea stone? Are you mad or plainly stupid?-

All he received was a charming burst of laughter-forget it, I'm not fighting with you, just imagine what Usopp will do with this!-

The soaked man stretched and clenched his fists trying to focus on ways of getting out of there instead of a manner to cover himself from her imminent murder.

Leaning his back against the hard and uncomfortable rock, he tried to recreate the path that Nami had made him take. The only possible exit he knew was beneath the cave, crossing the sea, which was not an option right now. He stretched his hand trying to call his room, yet it did not respond. No surprise, since we was soaked in sea water AND sea stone, thanks to her.

By know his men were surely looking for them, the same for the straw hats. He couldn't help but imagine how desperate that Cook would be by now. How would he react finding only one of her hands?

His thoughts were interrupted by the soft touch of some warm against his soaked cold skin, he saw the body of the red haired woman leaning over his legs, trying to aim at some invisible point into a passage that opened above them. –What are you doing, Nami-ya?-

-Finding a way out-

-And how do you plan to do that?- he couldn't avoid the sarcasm in his voice. Absolutely upset by the idea of how easy this could be with his powers enabled.

-Well, walking I think, pretty much like normal people do-

The man looked at the little opening by which the Straw hat had released her wind eggs. Pretty much trying to focus on the light coming thought it than in the soft skin of the girl in front of him. He would have thanked a wider passage.

-I think that passage will takes us out- She announced, going back to her original spot, as far from him as possible in a dark corner.-I even think that there is more room up there. I can dry us if I am right. If I do that here I might give out our position-

He nodded, the sooner he was out of there, the better.

It was her who guided their way up. Most of it consisted on climbing rocks, which in fact surprised him as he did not expected her to be that agile. As for him, it was unexpected that it would take him so much effort to do so, yet he imagined that being soaked in sea water, in a water cave, with seastone presumably sprinkled over all his clothing somehow affected him. The darkness of the passage chosen added to the fact that that was definitely not a human made exit, it resulted extremely difficult and hostile, so when she finally step aside to a larger, flatter rock he threw his body against the wall, feeling his muscles burn in complain.

-Give me your clothes-

-I'm sorry?-

Her voice grew impatiently –I want to dry them-

Oh-As he took off his shirt and coat, the Straw hat released at some distance a heat egg and then a wind one, wrapping them both in a warm, comforting wind. From above, some weak light rays filtered into the passage they were in, falling over the red locks floating around her. He didn't fail to notice her heavy breathing as well as the little bruises on her skin, fresh and salty. If they didn't hurt now, they would do soon.

-Why didn't you do this before?- He had to admit that most of his anger had vanished, fatigue taking over his body.

- Those marine are probably looking for us, judging by the narrowness of the place we were in, and the height of it, it would have given our position rather quickly-

She replied mechanically, as reciting an explanation by heart. He judged her being exhausted as well. Opening his hands again he tried to form his room, but nothing happened. Now that his body was drying, he felt the heaviness of the dust in him –You seem to know quite a lot about caves, Nami-ya-

A quick smile appear and left her lips as he said that.-We are done- She replied starting to walk again. –We should be leaving soon, before nightfall for –

She stopped as the a yellow shirt fell over her head-Put that on- Law ordered-I don't want to hear Cook-ya complaining about your bruises-

Nami didn't have to hear him twice. She pushed her thoughts about how annoying he usually was just to cover the scratches that were burning in her arms and back, not to mention that she was starting to freeze already.

The passage was big enough for both of them to walk each next to the other, which she thanked, because her back ached already and she was sure that the black haired captain was feeling as tired a she.

Not exactly by the same reasons though.

She felt rather guilty anyway. Even though she was sure she noticed the problem of the sea stones before anyone else, all she wanted was the marines not noticing what had happened. After all, it didn't matter how many things Usopp could do with it, if it was used against them it would pose rather a huge problem. And that was all she had actually thought of before pushing Law down to the sea with her. Her last wind egg making sure all the dusty evidence was scattered all over the city.

Yet pushing the fruit user into the sea had not been her best idea. She wouldn't admit it to him though.

-You seem well acquainted with caves, Nami-ya- The woman smiled, for she knew he had been meaning to ask that for some time now. She shrugged her shoulders.

-I used to spend a lot of time in caves like this as a child-

It never ceased to surprise her how far the memories seemed to her know.

-Strange hobby for a child-

-I used to hide in these caves. Villagers can get really mad when you steal from them- That was all she managed to remember properly, yet she felt deep inside her chest how the touch of the rough stones awaked that buried fear of desperate loneliness. The fear she used to have as she managed to escape alive from those caves, hoping to find Kokoyashi as she had left it at her return.

But what she feared the most, as they reached their exit, a long vertical passage to an open starry sky, was the vain hope that someone would go for her. She had found a way to survive and to cross the sea all by herself.

She was only a child.

What Nami didn't realize were they eyes fixed on her through the humid gloom of the cave.

-I'm pretty sure your crew is waiting for you out there-

She turned her head to him, surprised, not only by the accuracy of his statement, as if he had read her mind, but more by the complete certainty of his words.

-Yes, they are- She repeated almost to herself.

-Take care of this and hold tight-

Nami didn't have time to react as the surgeon handed her his sword and took her arm in a single movement placing her over his shoulder. When she realized, they were already off the ground.

Embraced to him as she was, Nami couldn't believe he still had the strength to climb that fast. He wasn't one of the more infamous pirates for no reason, she thought, and yet even after all the fights she recalled having with him, there was something kind about that man that made her difficult to think of him as the cruel pirate who sent a hundred beating hearts to the marines. Well, very very deep inside of him I guess. Somehow, the warmness and the rhythmic movements of the body under her made her dizzy – I'm sorry, about the sea and all that-

She wasn't sure that he had listened as for it had come out almost as a whisper, but she felt the slight nod he gave her. Smiling safely, the thief leaned her head at one side of his neck and closed her eyes as he ascended.

When the fresh night air struck them both and she saw Franky and Luffy on the Mini Merry waiting for them at the shore. The navigator couldn't help but to release a joyful chuckling, feeling almost as cheerful as when she made it alive to her village as a child.

But now her nakamas were there, waiting for her.

-Hey, I'm not taking you there- He quietly shook her off his shoulder as he recognized the sheep shaped boat on the water.

As he observed her run off the rocks in a childish rush of enthusiasm, it struck him the sudden realization that he was no longer angry at her. Not in the slightest, in fact. He heard Bepo's voice calling him from the other side of the shore, ready to take him back to his submarine. He frowned as an unsettling feeling filled him, observing her wave a charming goodbye at him.

Maybe it was better just not giving it more thought. He waved back and left.

As the boat sailed back to the Thousand, Franky was not sure about asking Nami how exactly she had made The Surgeon of Death carry her out the cave on his shoulders. And even stranger for him, was the fact that he had actually watched her to get safely into the boat.

He hurried to the Thousand, eager to comment his observations with Robin. After all she always knew everything that happened.