This chapter was incredibly difficult to write, I knew what I wanted to have happen, and how it would go, but the content was something I've never written, so I was pretty far out of my comfort zone on this one. I'll warn everyone now- this is the darkest chapter of the entire fic, there is torture, and an implied attempted sexual assault. I was not graphic in the assault, but it's certainly very much implied, so if anyone is uncomfortable with this subject (something I can completely understand) then I'll have an extra warning before the section containing it (there will be an initial warning at the section containing initial torture, too). I will also mark the end of it, so for those who skip it, you can read the end of the chapter.

On a happy note- I'm sure you all will like the end of the chapter. XD

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Oda Eiichiro.

He waited as the sun set on the empty island, the bright rays turning the sky crimson as they skipped across the atmosphere. He was rather surprised that the pirate captain had held his Haki barrier as long as he had, the grey dome covering his prey for just nearly eight hours at that point, but he knew it couldn't last much longer. Every power and ability had limits to their use, training only pushing the limits further, not eliminating them completely. Even now he mused that Law must have gone far past his normal limits, the other man obviously intent on protecting his female ward.

Reflexively pushing back his long purple bangs, the mad hunter let his wide Cheshire grin cross his face, his eyes intently watching the dome for any signs of falling. He was ready to give them a taste of what he had planned for them, just a small prelude to the main event. Tonight he would begin the process of tearing their minds apart, reveling in the carnage of their very psyches with his relentless torment.

Yes, it was only a matter of time, and his fun would begin.

Law watched the sun setting outside the balcony doors, an unsettling feeling overcoming him as he felt his energy draining away. He had certainly held out his defenses far longer than he had thought possible, but he was definitely beginning to feel the effects of using his devil fruit powers and Haki for so long on very little sleep. The navigator he had been charged to protect had somehow nodded off after hours of playing chess, laying her head on the coffee table as she kept her seat on the floor. The doctor had moved to sit on the couch, his eyes taking in her peaceful face for some time before they moved to watch the changing colors in the sky.

As the reds melted into pinks and violets, his eyelids began to grow heavy, shutting for a moment until the sound of Nami's restless moan broke into his thoughts. Once more he was alert, reinforcing his defenses that he had felt waver in that second, his eyes on the orange-haired beauty as she once more relaxed. Blinking away his foggy vision, Law forced himself up from the couch again, moving around the coffee table to collect the young woman and carry her to bed, his exhausted state weakening him to the foreign feelings he couldn't be rid of.

With far more gentleness he had ever thought possible for himself, he laid the woman down, taking a seat on the bed next to her as he idly ran a tattooed hand through her long hair. As he continued to stare at her, drowsy and weak, he couldn't help but snort at his odd behavior, vaguely wondering when he had softened so much to her. When she burrowed against his side, a content smile on her face as her hand twisted into his shirt, he realized it didn't really matter. He was hooked on her, and he couldn't care less what that was doing to him. He would protect her as if she were truly his; his to care for, his to keep.

As his eyes grew heavy once more, falling shut for the last time, his thoughts were filled with bright sun-kissed locks, and large amber eyes.

~Warning 1~

Nami awoke to the feeling of cold metal running along her flesh, her eyes snapping open in shock to come face to face with a Cheshire grin. Her breath caught as she held back her scream, the dark sadistic look on his face bringing flashes of memory back to her, rekindling the fear and hopelessness she had worked so hard to rid herself of.

She could see the large, grime stained windows surrounding the upper level of a broken down warehouse. The sounds of chains rattling from the ceiling above her sent a chill down her spine. It was dark, only slivers of dim light streaking here and there, making the scene even bleaker than it already was.

He was hovering over her, straddling her body as it was restrained on a cold metal table, her arms chained above her head, and legs tied down at the other end. On instinct she tried to struggle, to buck him off of her before he could do anything more, but the sharp bite of a blade in her side froze her in place, drawing her eyes down to see a row of large razors fused to the table at her waist. They were positioned perfectly to keep her from fighting back, unless she didn't care about tearing up her flesh with her own movements.

A deep chuckle had her eyes back on her captor, the man leaning his face down to whisper in her ear, his harsh breath just as painful as the plain dagger he ran across her cheek.

"Nami, Nami, Nami," he spoke, "Why won't you scream for me?"

When he pulled back slightly to get her answer, she dug down for every ounce of courage she had, and spit in his face. Her face set in a glare as he smiled down at her, lazily moving to wipe away the offense as if it were nothing, before he had the knife to her throat in a quick movement, not missing a beat as he let it slice through her soft skin, drawing a few beads of blood to the surface as he went.

"Breaking you again is going to be so much fun, Nami," he laughed, leaning down once again to run his tongue along her wound, chuckling to himself when she tensed up, a growl released from her throat as she tried to push away.

All it took was a flick of his wrist, and the dagger in his hands was slammed deep into her shoulder, cutting off her vain attempts at escape as she finally screamed in pain. His maniacal laughter erupted then, his hand twisting the blade slowly so her scream broke into a strangled sob, tears running down her cheeks as she shut her eyes tight to block out the sight of his twisted smile.

"Why… Why are you doing this to me?" Nami forced out in a strained whisper, her eyes peeking open to look up at the madman holding her captive.

"Simple; because I can," he answered, "because you're a filthy pirate, and a filthy pirate who knows very well the cruelty you bring to this world. Don't you, Nami?"

She clenched her jaw and refused to answer, it didn't matter anyway, he already knew, she could see it in the glint of amusement in his eye.

"You may think you're different, but you're not" he continued, his hand going to cup her chin and slowly turn her head to the side, his mouth once more at her ear as he whispered, "in the end you'll all die just like the rest, and I'll see to it you get the punishment you deserve."

Nami's eyes were wide with shock then, not because of what he said, but because of what he had turned her to see. Piled unceremoniously against the wall was her crew, her best friends, her family. She could barely identify them, their bodies seemingly carved up with a sickening care. Their faces were twisted into various expressions of pain and fear at their death. The one face, though, that stood out, the one that had her sobs renewed, was that of her captain, the innocent, childish man laying atop everyone, his arms spread over them as if he were embracing them, protecting them.

"I made sure to save you two for last," the madman continued, chuckling as he twisted her head the other way, letting her see Law bound to a chair next to her, the other captain unconscious, his own crew laying torn apart behind him. As her eyes swept over the sleeping man's face, Nami remembered where they had been, where they must be, and she knew she couldn't be weak. She knew she had to have the resolve to fight back, if not for herself, then for the man who was sacrificing so much to protect her when he had no reason to.

"No, this is just a fantasy," she whispered to herself, her eyes shutting tight once more as she tried to will away what she knew was his influence, "this is just one of your illusions, I won't believe any of this."

Again the man above her chuckled, wrenching the blade free of her shoulder as he did, pulling another pained cry from the navigator.

"It may only be an illusion now, but it's still so very painful," he taunted before slamming his dagger into her side, his mad laughter echoing as she coughed up blood, holding back her scream so as not to give him the pleasure of hearing it. "Soon, Nami, soon your reality will be far bleaker than this cruel fantasy I'm giving you. So please enjoy it while it lasts."

With another twist of his blade her screams broke free.

~Warning 2~

He awoke to the worst sound possible, the high pitched screaming cutting deeper than anything in that moment, clearing out all the fog from his sleep as his head snapped up to see Nami tied to a table in front of him. Law's eyes were wide in shock, his arms struggling to get free of the sea stone chains wrapping around him, desperate to rip the sick bastard away from the girl before she was torn apart beyond recognition. He could see at least two gaping wounds on her, one in her shoulder, the other in her side, just below her rib cage, other than those she was slowly being covered with small cuts as the madman appeared to be slicing into her skin with care, the movements slow as if he were simply caressing the woman lovingly.

"Ahhh, someone's awake," he heard the man say, smirking as he glanced to the pirate captain in the chair. "I hope you slept well, I need you to stay awake for the rest of this."

Law growled aloud as he watched their captor run his blade over Nami's skin, this time pressing a little harder as he sliced down the middle of her sternum, stopping the blade between her breasts as he stared down at the woman with a far more dangerous light in his eyes.

"Tell me, how much do you know of the pain she's faced in her life?" The violet haired man asked suddenly, his eyes never leaving the girl beneath him as he watched the pain flashing across her face. "She hasn't told you everything about her past. It's so beautiful, so similar to my own, and yet, here she is, living as what she claimed to hate most, a disgusting pirate wench, the scum of this world. So sick to think she'd fall into that pit, rather than rise up and fight back like I did."

While the pirate captain knew a few details about the woman's past, it wasn't a lot, only that she had been with the Arlong Pirates before Luffy came along to save her. He knew Arlong had taken her into his ranks because of her skilled cartography. He could assume that her history wasn't the best, the scar on her arm telling him the disdain Nami held for her former captain. But that was all he knew, that was all he could guess from the few scant hints she had given him during the few weeks she had been in his care.

"Should I show him?" The madman asked Nami, the knife digging into her chest further preventing her from giving any cohesive answer.

Even without her answer, Law found himself assaulted with mental images, what he could only guess were Nami's memories. He knew the man had an ability that allowed him within a person's mind, allowing him to twist it and mold it however he saw fit, but he never imagined he'd be able to see within it so keenly. The first thing he was shown was a small orange-haired girl smiling brightly at an older woman, showing off her first map to who he figured was her mother.

"Wasn't she a cute kid?" Their captor's sadistic voice broke into the imagery, along with a sob from the woman restrained beneath him as he cut her again on her cheek, bringing Law back to the present to watch as the madman leaned down to trail his tongue over the wound. The sight was enough in have the captain pulling at his restraints again, the sea stone only serving to leave him weak, his body falling limp as another image overtook his mind.

He saw Arlong landing in a peaceful village, wreaking havoc and demanding that the citizens of the island pay for their very lives. Immediately after the flash of Nami's memory he was brought back again, just in time to watch as the captor sliced down the woman's stomach, stopping at the top of her shorts to send him a lascivious smile. Law's stomach wrenched, his anger incited; he knew what was on this man's mind now.

Then another flash of memory took him away, his mind showing Arlong, standing before Nami's broken and bleeding mother, the young girl sobbing as she stood frozen with fear, unable to do anything against the fishmen. With one shot the older woman was dead, falling before Nami's eyes, her life sacrificed to save the girl and her sister.

Brought back to the present once more, he found himself watching as the navigator's shorts were sliced open, the sadistic hunter laughing as his blade cut into her hip mercilessly. Nami was sobbing now, no doubt terrified by what the man seemed inclined to do, while Law growled and fought again, his mind telling him that it was only an illusion. He had to force his eyes shut to her screams as the violet haired man moved to dig his dagger into her leg, the captain trying desperately to focus his mind so he could escape the nightmare he was in.

Just as he felt the chains around him slipping, his mind flashed to Nami being dragged away, a man sliced all over as he fought to get her back. Another scream, and then back to her memories; the girl tossed into a plain room, her prison for the next eight years. A strangled sob, then an image of the small child's head slammed to her desk, the powerful fishmen pirate looming above her as he punished her for a fake map. Nami's pleas rang in his head, before he saw Nami stabbing herself in the arm, over and over again, tears running down her face as she cursed the man who had betrayed her, her hand stopped by his fellow captain, Luffy coming in as her savior, her liberator.

His eyes ripped open as he felt Nami's fearful gaze on him, her tears falling freely as she tried to push the man away from her again, ignoring the bite of razorblades digging into her sides. The doctor focused once more, struggling against the illusory chains around him as their captor moved off of the woman, the man busy smiling darkly at the woman as he pulled himself free of his blood stained pants, preparing to torture her in a way he had never done before.

This time Luffy wasn't there for his navigator, he wasn't there to save her from a torment far worse than anything she had faced at Arlong's hands. This time her only hope rested on a man who had a few weeks before held no vested interest in her survival, the man who was now pulling against his restraints with every ounce of energy he had in him, pushing his willpower against the walls forming in his mind. His prison. Her hell.

And then there was only the sound of chains hitting the ground.

~Safe~

Her screams echoed in his ears as he bolted upright in bed, back in their borrowed room in their borrowed house, free of their tormentor. Or at least he was.

Quickly turning to Nami as she thrashed and screamed next to him, Law acted quickly, pushing out his Haki clad Room, encasing them in the barrier and cutting off the pursuer's access to her mind. Even still she screamed, stuck in a nightmare, desperately clawing herself out now that the influence of it was removed. The captain pulled her against him, sitting her up as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight to his chest as he yelled her name, helping her pull free and come back to him.

"Nami! Nami! Wake up!" The doctor called out to her, shaking her lightly as he pulled her away, his hand smoothing over her unblemished face, checking to make sure the cuts he saw before weren't there. As he continued to call to her, he let his hand run to her hair, combing through the long, sweat drenched looks before going to the back to her face once more. His eyes swept over her, checking to see that everything was physically in place, all evidence of what she went through in the nightmare gone, non-existent as it happened in both their minds. With one final shake of her shoulders, he yelled to her again, "Nami!"

With a strangled gasp she broke out, her eyes wide for a second before squeezing shut, her tears flowing freely again as she moved to cling on to the man in front of her. Her hands snaked around to his back, clawing into his shirt as she buried her face into his shoulder, muffling her sobs as her mind was flooded with memories of the illusion she just suffered. Law just held her, realizing his own panic and fear as the adrenaline wore off now that they were relatively safe.

"I'm sorry," he suddenly said, his voice muffled as he buried his own face against her neck, breathing in the scent of her skin in the hopes it'd erase the illusory smell of her blood that lingered in his mind.

His apology brought another sob, her shoulders shaking as she wept, even as her arms tightened around him more. He couldn't blame her for having this reaction; in all his years, decades as a pirate, he had never seen something so appalling. Yes, he had certainly heard stories, seen the aftermath of a disturbed man's rampage, but never had he bore witness to such cruelty, especially to someone he felt so hopelessly attached to.

"You were there," Nami's voice mumbled out, her sobs making her sound weak and almost empty, his heart constricting painfully at the sound of such a broken spirit.

"I was," he answered, even though it wasn't a question, merely confirming what she already knew, "I'm sorry."

He felt her head shake from side to side with his repeated apology, the young woman pulling away slightly to look at him with puffy, red, bloodshot eyes. With their gazes locked together, she once more shook her head, his hand moving up to wipe away a stray tear as she seemed to be composing herself long enough to say more.

"You were there," she repeated, the determination to speak in her eyes keeping him from responding before she could continue; "you saved me."

His hand stayed frozen on her cheek, resting there as he stared at her with wide eyes, trying to comprehend what it was she was saying.

He had saved her.

He had saved her.

That statement repeated in his mind until it finally clicked into place. He had pushed the madman's influence away before he could succeed in forcing himself upon her. He had kept her from facing a terrifying fate, even if it was only in mind. That sort of cruel torment created far deeper scars than any other, whether it should happen to her physically or mentally.

As his shock gave way to a sense of pure relief, he let himself pull her in again, his face buried against her neck as his hand tangled in her hair. Nami seemed to sink into his hold, her stress, worry, and pain melting away in his arms as she returned his embrace, even more relieved than he was to be where they were then.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear, the faint tickling of her breath against his neck forcing him to suppress the shivers threatening to run down his spine.

"You're welcome, Nami-ya," he responded after taking a deep breath. Out of instinct he pressed his lips to the side of her neck, giving her a short kiss meant to be in comfort, a gesture that came from him without any thought.

When he felt her lips pressing against his shoulder, the young woman apparently returning the simple gesture, he couldn't fight the strange sensation it sent coursing through his body. Pulling away he turned to meet her gaze once more as he pushed his forehead against hers, his face a stoic mask as he looked at her curious and slightly confused expression.

She didn't pull away as his face slowly tilted to the side, his nose brushing against her cheek as he leaned in closer. Her hands tightened against his shirt, her lips slightly parted in anticipation of what he was about to do. The hand in her hair was resting loosely at her neck, his thumb brushing over her jaw as he closed what little space was between them, capturing her lips with his in a soft, gentle kiss.

While the situation may have been grim, the timing strange, for them it was a welcome bliss that pushed out the last tendrils of darkness clinging to their minds. As the kiss deepened, Nami's mouth opening to Law's tongue as he pushed forward to taste her better, the pair let go of their fears and worries. As the captain slowly pushed the young woman back on the bed, they both sought to erase every false defilement, every imaginary scar, every dark memory they bore.

That night, they wouldn't fight the forces that had been pulling them together, both desperate to find something good and beautiful in the ugliness they had just faced.

See, I gave you a happy ending to the chapter. XD Also, a note, I'm closing my lemon poll on my profile, you'll find out my decision in the next chapter, along with a lot more on the mystery man (who's obviously a very very very disturbed man). I'm estimating about 3 to 4 more chapters left, so almost done with this. :(

Anyway, please review- I'm especially curious to know what you all thought of this chapter since it really was difficult to write that kind of subject material, even if I didn't go into as much detail as other writers might.