Alright, so a mild warning for this chapter- you get to see more of how incredibly sick and twisted the bad guy is (who yes, will have a name in the end, and a back story), and it's not pretty. I actually had a hard time writing part of this because I didn't want to be too detailed, especially since it's just a peek at the guy's madness and how much he enjoys torturing his victims... it will get worse from here, but this should give you a hint as to why I rated this 'M' (with or without the lemon- which the poll is still up in my profile, so if you haven't had a chance to vote, you still have some time). I do try to balance this part out with some shameless fluff, and bit of humor... but I think the fluff is the best, lol.
And at one point I really wanted to take advantage of Nami calling Law "Tora-o" (or Traffy depending on translation) in the last chapter, but I couldn't get it to feel right, especially since I prefer Tora-o over Traffy, but I used Traffy earlier with how Luffy referred to him. Oh well. :/
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.
A lone boat sat at a figurative crossroad in the middle of the Grand Line's open ocean, a figure standing on its small deck staring out at the vast seas, violet hair blowing in the wind concealing his scarred face and dark eyes.
"So that's the way you want to play it, Shichibukai," he mumbled before chuckling darkly to himself, "well then I mustn't disappoint."
Turning on his heel he moved to change course, steering his ship to a deserted island he knew very well, an island that had been his greatest nightmare, an island that he used to bring horrid visions to so many others. He would take great joy in torturing the beautiful Straw-Hat navigator once more, this time even better with a seemingly smitten pirate captain around to prod at.
He could sense the Heart Pirate submarine making its way through the ocean in search of their allies, his Haki's range strengthened by his devil fruit abilities; giving him a keener sense of awareness of what was happening with his chosen targets. Even if the ocean restricted him, he could still use his powers to bolster his Observation Haki, though he certainly wished he could do more. He could see inside the minds of his victims, see their fears, their desires, and lay waste to them all without batting an eye most of the time, but that natural barrier the ocean provided prevented him from doing so in this case.
"This is going to be so much fun!" his maniacal voice suddenly called out to the clear skies, his head tilting backward as he let out his wild laughter, the maddening sound echoing all around him.
The early morning sun shining into the room drew Law from his restless sleep, his head turning to glare out the balcony door at the offending light that woke him. The entire night he had laid awake, staring at the ceiling as a mess of thoughts ran through his mind, most centering around the peacefully sleeping navigator only a few feet away.
Rubbing at his eyes to clear the drowsiness from them, the pirate captain pushed himself up from the couch, resigning himself to a day with no sleep. Stealing a glance at the mess of long orange hair concealing the woman's face as she slept on, he knew that as long as he could keep her safe everything would turn out fine; at least that was what he was telling himself.
Law stood and moved to the balcony, stretching his stiff limbs as he walked out into the sun, using his Haki to sense if their pursuer was nearby. After a few minutes of searching, he found nothing, giving him slight relief since he had wished to explore the town a bit, get a feel for the area so there wouldn't be any surprises while they were there. With that in mind, he realized there wasn't any better time than the present. Moving to grab his nodachi, he looked over at Nami again. He didn't want to wake her, at least not yet, plus he felt he needed some time away from her, hoping to lessen the temptation she was unknowingly giving him.
And so, he left, walking out the door and out into the empty town. With once last glance over his shoulder at the open balcony door, he forced out all unwanted thoughts, turning back to the dusty streets with a clear and focused mind.
Nami frowned at the empty room before her, her eyes boring into the couch her supposed bodyguard had claimed for himself the previous night. She was sitting up in bed, leaning over her crossed legs as she examined her surroundings. The couch, the balcony, the bathroom; all were unoccupied by a man who had promised to keep her safe. As she growled under her breath, she climbed out of bed and headed for the open balcony doors, hoping to catch a glimpse of him roaming the streets.
With him and his weapon gone, she quickly figured out that he had gone to survey the territory they were in, and while she certainly liked the thought he had, she was still unhappy with being left behind. She knew he hadn't completely abandoned her there, at least she hoped not, but she still felt anxious about being alone when a sick man was after her. As her gaze swept over the abandoned town, she scrutinized every alleyway, every building, every nook and cranny she could see from her position. In the end she couldn't find him, and so she was left to wait for him to return.
"Bastard," she cursed under her breath before stomping back into the room, grabbing her Climatact on the way to the bathroom. Slamming the door behind her, she figured she'd take the opportunity to cool down with a shower provided by her staff; she'd deal with Law when he got back.
Near midday Law had finished searching through the town, not finding anything noteworthy in the immediate area. The only thing he could gather from the island was where Nami had been kept while their pursuer tortured her, finding a rundown warehouse a few blocks from where he had found her, a trail of her dried blood leading the way.
The place had looked ordinary from the outside, but as soon as he stepped in he found it hard to believe Nami could have survived the ordeal, blood practically coating the floor and walls around a caged in area. As he delved further into the main room he found numerous crude instruments the man must have found or made that would inflict the maximum amount of pain possible, but without killing his victims. With a careful eye he examined everything, piecing together what he could before he couldn't take the gruesome sight any longer, forcing him to leave before he lost his senses.
One thing seemed painfully clear to him, the man they were facing was far more sadistic than he ever imagined, and literally got off on what he did to those he hunted. It was enough to make even him want to throw up, more disgusted by the man than he had ever been in his life. The only thing that gave him a small sense of relief was the fact that he knew Nami hadn't been violated during her torture, her body having shown no signs of it when he examined her before surgery.
Law came to a halt outside of his temporary home, staring up at the balcony deep in thought over the navigator again. After everything he had just seen, he could only imagine the fear and anxiety coursing through her, brought back to an island where she had faced a great deal of physical and psychological pain from this man. He hoped she hadn't woken while he was gone, he knew his absence would most likely stress her fragile state of mind, increasing her anxiety beyond what he imagined she could handle.
Taking a deep breath to prepare himself for the worst, the dark doctor jumped up to the balcony railing, ready to face the terrified navigator.
"Law!" Nami's voice screamed out at him before the shocked man found a heavy book colliding with his face; sending him back to the ground below.
He could only stare up at the balcony in shock, his wide eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to figure out what happened, watching intently as the very angry woman came stomping out to lean over the railing and shout at him.
"Where the hell did you go!? I've been worried sick, you idiot! Don't just leave like that without giving me some warning, at the least leave me a note! Or better yet, take me with you!" She hollered down at him, moving away from the edge as she crossed her arms and walked back into the room with a huff, apparently done with her irate lecture for the moment.
Law sighed, oddly relieved that she had reacted the way she did; he could handle her when she was just angry, that was at least normal for her. He didn't know what to do if she were wallowing in her anxiety and despair.
As he jumped back up onto the balcony, he found the young woman pacing the room, obviously still irritated with him, but he suspected some of that was fed by her fear. The doctor slowly entered the bedroom, taking his time setting down his sword before moving to block Nami's relentless movement, holding her in place by her arms as he sent her a hard stare.
"He's not here yet," he began with, the simple statement relaxing her a bit as she let out a relieved breath, "I didn't want to wake you when I left, and didn't feel a need to, anyway."
Nami nodded in understanding, though she was still obviously annoyed with him, but for the time being she'd drop it since nothing happened. The pirate captain then moved away from her, collapsing onto the couch as the midday heat seemed to exacerbate his sleep deprived state. As he let his head fall back, his eyes caught the girl's worried stare, her frown deepening as she assessed his condition.
"Did you sleep at all last night?"
"Maybe an hour or two," he answered with a shrug, his eyes sliding shut for a moment, though his senses were completely tuned onto her as he listened to her sit next to him. He didn't know what she was thinking in that moment, but she wasn't moving, at least not yet.
Law peeked open an eye to catch her steady, contemplative gaze again, her face surprisingly close to his as she leaned against the back of the couch, her head propped up by her arm. He could tell she had just taken a shower, her hair still slightly damp, and her rich mikan scent more prominent, the fruity smell oddly calming right then. His eye closing again as he let himself relax more, feeling far more comfortable on that couch than he had the night before.
After another minute of silence, he was surprised by the feel of a soft hand running through the hair on the back of his head, nails lightly scratching into his scalp. He let out a groan at the feeling, he wasn't entirely sure if it was from pleasure or annoyance, a part of him wanting her to stop before he did something they'd both regret.
"He's still not here?" Nami's voice suddenly broke into his haze, quiet as she practically whispered into his ear.
"No, you're still safe," he grunted in reply, his blue eyes opening slightly as he turned his head to face her.
Her head was leaning against her shoulder now, even closer than she was before, while her arm had reached around the back of the couch so her hand could play in his hair.
"You should take this chance to rest then," she told him, her hand working up under his hat until she took it off completely, tossing it away before going back to her relaxing ministrations, "I'll wake you if anything happens."
"Why are you doing this?" Law randomly asked, his head leaning into her hand to emphasize that he was taking about her behavior and concern.
"The last thing I need is for that man to get to me because you're too exhausted to fight properly. Plus you're still injured, so you need the rest even more so you can heal."
The doctor chuckled slightly at her reasoning; he could tell that wasn't it, though, by the blush on her cheeks, her eyes turning away in the hope of hiding her real thoughts.
"Alright then," he answered instead, his eyes shutting one last time as her caresses soothed him.
He smirked slightly when he felt Nami lean her head against his shoulder, her forehead pressed against his jaw as she seemed to take advantage of the position they were in. He didn't try to push her away; he couldn't find the energy at that point to do so, even if he wanted to. He just let the scent of mikans and the feel of her hand in his hair lull him into a light sleep, which unfortunately didn't last long enough.
Maniacal laughter rang through his mind, his eyes snapping open in a second as he sat up, his mind fully alert once more. As he stared out the balcony doors, eyes narrowed in concentration, he felt Nami sit up drowsily next to him, her eyes looking to him in confusion. He didn't turn to look at her, even as she leaned her body against his, her face just barely coming into his peripheral vision as she continued to watch him. By the feel of her hand slipping into his, though, Law could tell that she was already prepared for what he was about to say.
"He's here."
And so the fun begins!