Early afternoon was a bit better than late morning, considering that Law was able to get lunch that he would actually eat. Law had just finished off a few rice balls that had finally been made, and thought that he would go somewhere to relax for a little while. Law decided that the quietest room was likely to be the area with the aquarium. Staring at fish swimming back and forth aimlessly should put his mind at ease while he thought about what to do. With that in mind, Law avoided bumping into Luffy as he headed through the ship. Law shouldered the door open and dropped down onto a chair, letting out a low sigh. Just as he was about to think about his plans for the fast approaching night, Law became aware of something flailing out of the corner of his eye.

Law turned his head, and jolted out of the chair, raising his hand and creating a room without thought. What the hell was Straw Hat doing inside the aquarium with the fish? Other than drowning, that is. Law figured that because he had been foiled earlier in getting a meal, that Luffy had merely overbalanced into the aquarium. The Heart Pirate, however, felt that wasn't the case. Law twisted his hand, and Luffy collapsed onto the floor nearby, a pillow floating in the aquarium in his place. The fish nudged the pillow, obviously more interested in it than the drowning captain that had just been there. Law wondered if Straw Hat fell in it on accident, before he dropped the room and crouched down next to Luffy.

Luffy opened his eyes as he stretched, and offered a weary grin to Law, "I was hungry."

Seeing that Straw Hat was none the worse for the wear, Law sat back down on the chair. He watched as Luffy shook out his wet clothing, before venturing to speak, "You could have told Black-leg-ya."

Luffy left off trying to dry his clothes as he flopped onto his back with a sigh, "I tried but he just hit me over the head with a ladle. Said I had to wait for lunch to be done."

Law rested his weapon against his shoulder, "I just ate."

Luffy lurched to his feet in a blur of motion, alarmed, "Ehh!? Sanji already made lunch?!" Without waiting for a response, Luffy launched himself toward the exit, yelling as he went, "Sanji! You better still have meat!"

Law tried to relax, but being all alone and seeing the pillow floating in the aquarium, he couldn't. Law rose to his feet, and, taking his weapon with him, went to go find another quiet area of the ship. He had an uneasy feeling that Doflamingo was responsible for Straw Hat's dip into the tank.

The remainder of the afternoon went downhill from there, and Law became more disgruntled than anxious when Doflamingo showed up somewhere on the deck of the Thousand Sunny. The lack of concern was because Law knew that Doflamingo was merely toying with him. The Heart Pirate wasn't as worried with him stealing Caesar away because of that. Law did, however, have to be apprehensive about Luffy's well-being, because Doflamingo was obviously entertained by the notion of offing Straw Hat on his own ship.

-x

Several hours later, Law was exhausted and mentally drained. He couldn't believe that Doflamingo had showed up a few more times, and none of the Straw Hat Pirates noticed. Whenever Doflamingo had made an appearance, it had been to either manipulate him with string to attack Luffy, or to make Straw Hat end up in unfortunate, almost accident. Law had lost count by now, but after the incident with the knives in the kitchen and the rope in one of the cabins, Law had taken to secluding himself in one of the storage areas of the ship. Law thought that if he could stay away from Luffy for a few hours, everything would be all right. Doflamingo seemed to be keen on the idea of him harming Luffy, so the solution was to lay low and not allow Doflamingo another opportunity.

Law leaned against a crate in the area that held weapons and ship building supplies, exhaling slowly. He had been lucky that none of the other Straw Hats seemed to have noticed that their captain had been placed in several dangerous positions throughout the day. Law hoped, after the last appearance, that Doflamingo had gone back to the island to wait for him to go there with Caesar. Law closed his eyes. He was being driven into a corner, and he hated it. It was frustrating. Law let his thoughts drift, until he became aware of another person's presence. Law's eyes flew open at a sly chuckle. The Heart Pirate's back pressed up against the crate at the sight of Doflamingo crouching in front of him, wearing an amused smirk.

Law recoiled, thinking about throwing himself to the side, when one of Doflamingo's hands slammed into the crate, blocking his way. Law flicked his gaze to Doflamingo's, not bothering to try to go the other way. He didn't like the idea of actually being boxed between the man's two arms. As soon as Law realized that he was already resigning himself to being bullied by Doflamingo, he found it unacceptable. Law was tired and frustrated and this was not at all how he had wanted to spend his day.

Law twitched both of his hands, relieved to find that he could bend his left hand very faintly. Doflamingo wouldn't expect an attack at such a close range. While Law had been able to bring forth a room as soon as he'd seen the blond, his weapon was not within reach. Doflamingo had kicked it carelessly away, and Law didn't dare try and get it, as the older man was probably expecting him to. Law doubted he'd be able to draw it at the moment anyway with Doflamingo in such close proximity.

Doflamingo was unaware of the Heart Pirate's plan, and was instead eying him silently. There was something about the gleam in Law's eyes that he didn't like. It had changed from a moment before. When he had blocked the brat's escape route, Law seemed to have given in. But now, the look had changed into one of determination. Doflamingo laughed lowly, not wanting to draw attention to himself by alerting Straw Hat Luffy's crew, "Fufufufu. Hiding, Law? I thought I told you to take care of Straw Hat before coming back to that island tonight, didn't I?" Doflamingo received nothing but a narrowing of eyes, and a slight curl to the Heart Pirate's lips.

Doflamingo smiled in return, wondering what the hell Law found so damn funny when he obviously had the upper hand. Law's weapon was lying several yards away, and he had to have known that if he tried to escape, he could easily catch him with his Devil Fruit powers. Doflamingo's grin stretched, wondering what Law thought he could possibly do that would make him feel that he wasn't as cornered as he was. When the Heart Pirate acted, Doflamingo hadn't been at all prepared for his move.

Law figured it was now or never. The attack hadn't worked on Vergo, so he doubted it would work on Doflamingo, but if nothing else it would be a nasty little shock. The surprise would give him time to put some distance between himself and the blond. Keeping his eyes locked on Doflamingo's tinted glasses, Law curled his hands so that only his thumbs stuck out, and spoke levelly as he prepared to deliver the attack, "You keep interfering, so that is why nothing has happened." Aware of Doflamingo's hand right next to his head twitch, Law brought his curled hands forth as quickly as he could. He shoved his thumbs against Doflamingo's lower chest, as he couldn't reach any further up with the angle he was in. Law acted before Doflamingo could, "Counter shock."

As incredibly satisfying as it was to shock Doflamingo, Law didn't stop to look at the result. As soon as he dropped the room, Law ducked beneath Doflamingo's twitching arm. Law lurched to his feet, stooping as he went to hide behind various supplies. Law moved along, weaving between other crates, thinking to get to the upper decks as quickly as he could. He loathed leaving his weapon behind, but if it allowed him to get away for the time being, he would do so. What Law didn't realize was that his little stunt had set Doflamingo off, and he should have been paying better attention to where he was going.

The Heart Pirate's first indication that he had possibly made a bad move was a slashing sound, accompanied by crashes. Law chanced a glance over his shoulder, and the sight of a livid, singed Doflamingo urged him to get a move on.

"Bullet String."

Law hissed in pain as the string grazed his shoulder. Apparently Doflamingo was foregoing silence, and seemed to be intent on cornering him. Law cursed as several supply crates crashed onto the ground in front of him, blocking his path. Law eluded another attack as he created a room automatically; taking him several paces forward, out of immediate sight. Law spotted the stairs leading to the upper deck, and rushed toward it. The Heart Pirate hadn't realized that Doflamingo was done playing around. Law paused for one instant, sure he had heard voices, when a heavy weight hit him and knocked him to the ground.

Doflamingo held Law down with one hand, panting a little from the exertion of sending so many attacks one after another. He hadn't expected the little bastard to shock him with his hands. Doflamingo looked up sharply as he heard the voices as well. He sneered. It figured that some of the Straw Hats would come and check out what was causing all of the noise. While it would have been convenient to deal with them, he would wait until later, for now.

Doflamingo's fingers fisted the back of Law's shirt firmly, and with one motion, lifted Law clear of the floor as he slammed him up against a nearby crate. Doflamingo flicked a finger at the partially stunned Heart Pirate, and invisible sting pinned the brat against the crate, preventing him from fleeing.

Law didn't even bother testing the invisible string pinioning his limbs. He was focused on the stairs, and the fact that Luffy and Usopp had come to investigate. The back of Heart Pirate's head was smarting from its untimely meeting with the crate, but he had enough sense left in him that he tried to garner their attention. A large hand muffled his voice, however, and Law threw an irritated glare at Doflamingo for silencing him like a child. Law shifted irritably when he realized that Doflamingo wasn't even looking at him, and was instead watching Straw Hat and his crewmate as they conversed with one another.

"Did you hear all that crashing?" The sharpshooter sounded wary.

"Does Sanji keep any of the meat down here?" Straw Hat sounded hopeful.

"This is storage for weapons and supplies to fix the ship!" Usopp sounded exasperated, obviously distracted from investigating the noises.

Law closed his eyes at the stupidity. Couldn't they sense that there were other people down here?

Doflamingo clamped his hand over Law's mouth a little more heavily, not wanting him to give them away. As the two Straw Hats looked around, the blond's smile widened a little as Straw Hat spoke.

"Hey, look! It's Tra-guy's sword!"

"Does that mean he was the one to cause the damage?" Usopp asked, as he watched Luffy pick up the weapon. Had he half turned he would have seen the eerily grinning Doflamingo, and the decidedly unhappy Law.

"C'mon, let's go give it back to him." Luffy toted the sword back up the stairs, as Usopp trailed after him.

"Should we really give that back to him if he is wrecking things?" Usopp wondered aloud, as he reached the top of the stairs.

"He's probably just hungry."

Usopp glanced over his shoulder at the destroyed crates of weapons and ship building supplies, "I don't think that's the problem." Usopp frowned, thinking that he saw movement. Upon closer inspection, it was just a coil of rope. Shrugging, Usopp continued after Luffy, who had cheerfully decided to go and locate the Heart Pirate.

Law watched the Straw Hat Pirates moved out of sight. It just figured that Straw Hat had found his weapon and run off with it. Not that he would have fought with Doflamingo. The room they were in was far too small for a battle between them. Law grumbled something, not caring that Doflamingo sent him a sharp look of warning. It didn't matter if he spoke now or not, because Luffy and Usopp were already out of hearing range overhead. The Heart Pirate thought it was the worst examination possible. They hadn't even looked all the way around the lower deck, or even underneath the stairs. No matter how much Doflamingo wanted to stay hidden, there was no hiding the brightly colored feathery coat he was wearing. Law was almost disappointed that the others hadn't noticed them, but was unsurprised.

Satisfied that Straw Hat and the sharpshooter had taken their leave, Doflamingo removed his hand and spoke in a quiet tone, so that his voice didn't carry, "If you ever do that again, I'll make you regret it."

Law couldn't help but offer a faint smirk. Doflamingo obviously meant the counter shock attack. It didn't seem to have done much damage, but it had certainly ruffled the other man's feathers. So to speak. Law smiled a little more obviously at the thought.

Doflamingo glared at the Heat Pirate, before he broke into a cool smile that stretched across his face. If nothing else, Doflamingo supposed he admired Law for daring to smile at him after what was clearly a reprimand, underlayed with a threat. So, instead of dealing with that at the moment, Doflamingo smoothly changed topics, "I'm rather surprised you went through all the trouble to help Straw Hat Luffy today."

Law was too fatigued and irritable to play games with Doflamingo. His mood wasn't the best, especially with the wound on his shoulder that he now had to take care of, "Straw Hat-ya and I made an alliance. Why would I want to cause harm to him?"

Doflamingo tilted his head, his smile slipping a little, "And what about our little deal from back on the island? How long were you planning to delay taking care of Straw Hat Luffy?" Doflamingo reached out and grasped Law's bandaged left hand, "Or were you trying to figure out how to get them to leave?" Getting no response from the Heart Pirate, Doflamingo lost his smile. He hated to think that Law thought he could do as he pleased, especially after zapping him. It hadn't actually caused him any lasting harm, but it was irritating all the same. Apparently he'd have to deal with that now.

Without a moment's thought, Doflamingo pressed down on the back of Law's hand with his thumb. That got a flinch, and a very nasty glare, even if it contained a hint of pain. "You'll take care of him before coming back to the island with Caesar, won't you?" Doflamingo dug one long forefinger into the palm of the hand, drawing forth a more noticeable pained writhe. Doflamingo smirked. He was definitely going to teach this brat a lesson later.

Law bit his lip as Doflamingo pressed down harder with his thumb and forefinger on his wounded hand. Law bit his lip, and since he wanted Doflamingo to stop, Law didn't care that he caved in so quickly. He just nodded in response to the other's words. Doflamingo could take that however he wanted. Law wasn't about to say anything one way or another, especially since he wasn't sure if it would just come out as a painful groan.

Doflamingo stood up in a crouch, obviously finding Law's lack of sharp retort disappointing. The blond decided that a nod would have to do for an answer. With a final twist of his fingers that drew forth a breathless, choking gasp, Doflamingo released Law's hand. He'd find out soon enough whether Law was stalling for time or not. It didn't matter to him one way or another. With all the clouds around, getting back to the Thousand Sunny would be no problem, especially if Law decided to pull another trick. With a casual wave of his hand, Doflamingo freed Law from the invisible string, "Make sure that you do. I'll be waiting at that cave." With an unnerving chuckle, Doflamingo left.

Law waited for a few minutes before he sat up and nursed his aching hand. Doflamingo better not have made the stitches come loose, but he could already see blood starting to seep through the bandages. Law gritted his teeth. Going after his wounded hand like that, the sadistic son of a bitch. Law rested his head back against the crate. He knew that he was in for a world of hurt when he showed up at that cavern alone tonight. It would be worth it, however, if the Straw Hat Pirates were successful in following through on the plans he had laid out.

An hour before sunset…

Law ghosted along the edges of the Thousand Sunny, carefully noting where each of the Straw Hat Pirates were, as well as the others who were aboard the ship. He needed to know exactly where they all were, before he even tried to locate Luffy and attempt talk to him. Due to the…incidents…throughout most of the day, Law needed to make sure that none of them had realized that Doflamingo had been twistedly attempting to 'aide' Law in taking Straw Hat out. The Heart Pirate was merely glad that Doflamingo had taken his leave without attempting to whisk Caesar away.

Law was also oddly grateful that the tall blond hadn't left the ship laughing his ass off and alerting everyone on board to his presence. Law grimaced a little. Though the creepy chuckle Doflamingo had emitted as he slipped out of the lower decks had been more unsettling than his usual laughter. Law frowned deeply as he ran a hand over his left hand. He had been unable to do anything, again, and had to endure more abuse from the sadistic asshole. Law checked the bandages, displeased that he had had he to go to the infirmary to fix the stitches that had been pulled loose due to Doflamingo's rough treatment of the limb.

Law paused briefly in his survey of those on board the Thousand Sunny. Silently, Law peered over a railing to stare down at the slumbering green haired swordsman. The Heart Pirate studied Zoro silently as he watched the rise and fall of the other's chest. Law relaxed minutely, because that meant the man was asleep, and he wouldn't have to worry about the swordsman. Law continued on his way, carefully taking note of where the others were.

Nico Robin was in the kitchen area with the samurai Kinemon and his son, Momonosuke, while Sanji worked on preparations for dinner. Franky was pouring over the deck piecing it back together, while Brook reeled off a shanty on the violin. Nami was tending to her tangerine trees, and Usopp was checking up on his green pop seeds. Kidd was still staring out to sea, oblivious to anything else for the time being. Chopper was still in the infirmary when Law cracked the door open to check. Law then went and peered into the aquarium room, and spotted Caesar sitting glumly in a corner, sulking. Good, that meant the man hadn't moved since he had dragged him over to stay in the room an hour ago.

Law left, in no mood to get into a conversation with the scientist. Law headed for the sleeping quarters of the ship, now that he knew where everyone was but Luffy. Law assumed that, since he hadn't seen Straw Hat, that perhaps the other had gone off to take a nap or something. Surely having several near-death experiences would have tired out even Luffy.

-x

Law entered the men's sleeping quarters, and moved along noiselessly, until he found who he was looking for. The Heart Pirate stared down at the slumbering Luffy. Apparently Straw Hat had thought that it was a fine time to take a nap, and Law didn't blame him with what had happened that day. Law shifted his blade over to his left shoulder, carefully cradling it with his left hand. He had endured a good-natured scolding about destroying supplies from Nami and Usopp, before Luffy had handed him his weapon two hours previously.

With a careful look crossing his face, Law reached out his right hand and rested it lightly on Luffy's chest. Straw Hat made no response other than to mumble something, and move slightly, mouth open as he stared to snore. Law's hand twitched against Luffy's scarred chest as his mind raced. It would be ridiculously easy to deal with Straw Hat while he was asleep. With everyone else occupied in one way or another, no one would notice that anything was amiss right away. After all, Luffy was prone to doing whatever he wanted, at odd hours of the day.

Straw Hat snuffled and flung an arm over his face, muttering something about tasty meat. The slumbering captain was oblivious to the potential danger of Law popping his heart from his chest. Law almost smiled at Luffy's one track mind, even while asleep. Even if the Heart Pirate did take Luffy's heart from his body, the other was more than likely to find it fascinating that he could function without it in his chest.

The Heart Pirate drew his hand away from the other pirate captain, instead curling his hand around his blade's sheathe. Law ran a contemplative finger along the weapon, before he closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. He was being foolish, especially seeking Luffy out without letting anyone know. If any of Straw Hat's friends walked in on him now it was liable to look bad, especially if any of them had spotted him earlier in the day attempting to make Luffy have an 'accident'. That would be very bad. It would be hard to explain that it wasn't his intention to hurt Luffy. It would also be hard to explain that he had not been in control of his body for a few of the incidents when Doflamingo decided to play puppet master. Law saw no other way around it if he wanted to keep mum about the blond lurking around the island.

Law clenched his fingers more tightly around the hilt of the sword. Law was fairly positive that Doflamingo wouldn't actually keep any promises, even if he did do as the other had asked. Law had been merely acting on auto pilot on the off chance that Doflamingo had been watching him after his most recent run-in with the blond. Law glanced around the room warily. He couldn't believe that he had basically looked as though he'd been hoping that no one would spot him. Even he thought it looked suspicious. Law glanced down at the snoring captain, and frowned. He didn't feel the need to cause any harm to Straw Hat, especially since the other had agreed to help him out. Even if the two of them had different ideas of what an alliance meant, Law hoped that Luffy wouldn't take it personal what had happened today. Hell, Luffy probably thought he had saved his life instead of trying to end it. Damn Doflamingo and his Devil Fruit abilities.

Law was perfectly fine with Luffy thinking that he'd merely helped him because of their alliance. As long as none of Straw Hat's friends had seen anything, he would pretend late morning until now had never happened. Law flicked his gaze to Luffy again, pensive. Maybe sometime in the future the two of them would fight, but not right now, and certainly not because Doflamingo had demanded it of him. Law would never stoop so low as to kill someone in their sleep anyway, as it would be very cowardly. Still, for Straw Hat to be so defenseless when not everyone trusted him, or Kidd, for that matter, to keep their hands to themselves...it was foolish and dangerous. Weren't any of the Straw Hats concerned about their captain's well-being? Law had been sure that there would have been someone around. Had he really not aroused any of their suspicion throughout the day?

The answer came to Law in the form of cold steel against the side of his throat. Law held perfectly still. The Heart Pirate had been so focused on his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed that someone else had entered the room.

"You sure do disappear quickly. I almost lost track of you a few times." A dangerous tone slipped into the unseen swordsman's voice, the blade pressing against the Heart Pirate's throat warningly, "You better not have harmed my idiot captain while I was taking a nap."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Obviously Doflamingo is going to receive an ass kicking later on.

And protective Zoro is protective, while being injured is making Law not think things through beforehand.