By the time Law had reached the age of twenty-four, and Roma twenty-three, the crew they had amassed from ragtag survivors had come to be known as the Heart Pirates and made a name for themselves. They had only been named as pirates for a year at that point, but they were at the center of a major attack against the Marines. It had been enough to land their captain with a bounty of two hundred million beri and earn him the epithet "Surgeon of Death". Roma, in the same respect, had been slapped with a bounty of eighty-five million beri. The epithet "Bleeding Heart" was what the Marines had taken to calling her, though she detested it. Roma could frequently be heard complaining at the unoriginality of her title. Eventually, the time came for them to head towards the New World on the opposite side of the Red Line. This led the Heart Pirates to the Sabaody Archipelago, where they came upon other rookie pirates with bounties of over one hundred million beri. It hadn't taken much exploring among the groves for Law and Roma to find themselves intrigued by the brawling of two of the so-called Supernovas. They recognized the two fighters as Urouge, captain of the Monks of Destruction Pirates, and Killer, a member of the Kid Pirates.
"I'd put money on Killer," Roma commented offhandedly as she leaned with one arm against her brother's shoulder as he sat atop a wooden crate. Shachi, Penguin, Bepo and a few other members of their crew stood around them, watching on wordlessly. The fun was put to an end when another Supernova, Captain X Drake of the Drake Pirates, forced the other two apart.
"If you want to do this, wait until you are in the New World!" he ordered the both of them.
"That was a pretty good show," Law stated, speaking for the first time since he'd sat down to watch the fight. "But Drake, how many men have you killed?" The captain of the Drake Pirates scowled and turned away without a word. Roma chuckled as she watched him go.
"Looks like you got under his skin, Captain-kun."
After the exchange with the other Supernovas, Law and Roma had ordered the majority of their crew to return to the ship, bringing only those with the strongest will with them. Shachi, Penguin and Bepo had proven time and again in the past that their willpower was beyond that of the average human, making them the best fit to accompany their captain and vice-captain through the Archipelago. The last thing they wanted was to encounter someone who had the ability to use that rare brand of haki that left those with a weak constitution unconscious. Their wandering eventually brought them to the Human Auction House, and the thought of it made Roma want to throw up. She could see the way Penguin tensed as they neared the building, but he remained silent. She knew it must have brought back horrific memories from before he'd joined them. At Penguin's mild hesitation upon entering the building, Roma rested a hand on his shoulder. The gesture seemed to calm him, because Penguin let out a slow breath and gave his vice-captain faint smile.
"This is owned by Joker, isn't it?" Roma asked her brother as they crossed the threshold. Law nodded and gestured towards a few seats in the rear of the large auditorium. The auction house consisted of a single stage far in front of them, and the rest of the building was designed to seat as many bidders as possible. Roma sat beside her brother in one of the benches, while Shachi, Penguin and Bepo seated themselves behind the siblings.
"This place gives me the creeps," Shachi commented lowly, leaning forward so he wouldn't be overheard by too many people.
"Perhaps we can buy the freedom of another crewmember." Roma's tone was flippant, but the look she gave Penguin spoke volumes. She knew he was uncomfortable here, but was determined to assure him that there would be nothing to take him away from their crew. Shortly before the auction was set to take place, Roma overheard a voice from somewhere behind them.
"There's a familiar face." She glanced over her shoulder to see Eustass Kid, captain of the Kid Pirates, with three members of his crew. One was Killer, whom Roma recognized from the earlier fight. The other two weren't particularly well known like their captain or Killer, but were easily recognizable. One resembled a voodoo doll in many ways, given the tattoos that made him look stitched together, particularly at the lips. The other man was the tallest of the present Kid Pirates, standing nearly a meter taller than their captain and wearing an attire that Roma would not have expected, considering he had fishnet stockings on his legs. "North Blue's two hundred million bounty. Trafalgar Law… I've heard some pretty bad rumors about you." Law paid him no mind. "Your manners are lacking too." To this, Roma rolled her eyes while her brother flipped Kid off with little regard.
"We don't need to pick a fight here, Law-kun," Roma muttered.
The auction soon came to a start, and Roma suddenly wished they hadn't come in the first place. The leading man, Disco, paraded each person across the stage and worked to get the highest bid possible. It disgusted her to watch it, even more so when she saw the people who were making wagers. They were members of the Tenryuubito, the proverbial gods on land. She remembered Corazon telling her and Law about them when they were young, and how those with the Will of D were considered to be enemies of God. She sincerely hoped he had been correct and that she would be given the opportunity to destroy the pedestals the Tenryuubito placed themselves upon. Disco brought out another young beauty, a dancer by the name of Pashia, and prattled on about her merits as entertainment. Roma felt the bile rise in her throat at the man's words, and she was brought back to the time Doflamingo had told her and Law about how he dealt in the black market. His name was all over this, and she wondered what would have become of her if they hadn't managed to escape from his grasp. Doflamingo had said he would have killed Roma for her treachery, but somehow she thought being sold as a slave to be a worse fate, and exactly the sort of punishment he would use on her. The mere thought of Doflamingo sent her mind flying into the past, even before they had joined the Donquixote Pirates and the horrors they had born witness to as children. Her hands grew cold and her breathing shallow while her arms hugged her own torso.
"Roma," Law murmured sternly, draping an arm over her shoulders and pulling her near. The sound of his voice and his familiar scent acted as her anchor as she brought herself back to the here and now. Roma took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled slowly.
"I'm sorry, Law-kun," she whispered. "I was lost in thought for a moment."
"Stay focused. None of that will happen here." Roma knew her brother didn't even need to ask where her mind had wandered. They'd experienced the same things, and he had learned to understand her without words. "Don't fall silent again." Roma did her best to give a carefree smirk.
"You'll never get me to shut up, Captain-kun."
During the course of the auction, Roma's attention was caught by a Tenryuubito man who entered late. He seemed to be the son of the noble family that had come to attend the auction. Roma thought he was a disgusting man, with the way he stood with snot dripping from his nose and how he picked at it through the bubble-like helmet that all of the Tenryuubito wore to separate themselves from the air 'commoners' breathed. She clenched her jaw as he kicked the slave he'd ridden in on and demanded the person be sold away arbitrarily. Law's expression had set into one of disdain as well, though neither of them would act. Now was not the time, much as they would have liked to. A former pirate captain by the name of Rakyuba was taken to the stage in chains, just like all the other people for sale, and Disco prattled aimlessly on his uses. Roma could see the way Rakyuba swayed on his feet and saw the blood trickling from his lips before anybody else took notice. He'd bitten his own tongue and collapsed in mere moments. Roma took what little solace she could in the knowledge that he'd still been able to die a pirate, rather than a slave. Disco lied his way through the removal of the body, stating that Rakyuba had suffered from an intense nosebleed, while a large object covered in a white sheet was wheeled forward.
"I thought they only sold people here," Roma whispered. "Who are they hiding under that sheet?" A light shone brightly through the sheet, giving off the silhouette of a mermaid and Roma's jaw dropped. Disco finally removed the tarp to reveal that there was, indeed, a young female mermaid chained inside a large bowl filled with water.
"All the way from Fishman Island, Camie the mermaid!" he exclaimed, earning thunderous cheering from the crowd. Before anybody could make a single move, the World Noble who had arrived late stood up.
"I'll pay five hundred million beri!" he shouted and the room fell silent as everyone realized they could never outbid or defy a member of the Tenryuubito. As the bidding came to an official close, the sudden sound of someone yelling from outside could be heard. Suddenly, the main doors to the auction house were blown in, and were followed very quickly by the captain of the Strawhat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy. Law and Roma had read in the papers how wild he was, but they soon realized that they really didn't have a clue how unpredictable the young pirate was. With him was the other Supernova from his crew, Roronoa Zoro, and a man who was unrecognizable. Law assumed he was not a pirate, or at least not one of any merit.
Strawhat Luffy ran forward to save the mermaid, presumably a friend of his, and a fishman who resembled an octopus made an attempt to stop him. Luffy, of course, broke free and continued his sprinting down the staircase while everyone watched on in either fear or curiosity. Workers in the action house tried to stop him, but they didn't make much headway until the sound of gunfire could be heard. Roma's gaze turned away from the wild young pirate and back to the fishman who was now on the ground, bleeding from his chest. Standing over him with a smoking gun was the World Noble Charloss who had wanted to buy Camie. Catburglar Nami of the Strawhat Pirates cried out for the octopus-like man, Hachi, while Camie cried below and banged her fists against the glass of her prison. Not a sound could be heard beyond the giant fish bowl.
"Father, look!" Charloss exclaimed. "I caught him so he's free, right? Take him away! I got a fishman slave for free!" Roma gritted her teeth at the man's words and the way he leapt happily around Hachi on the stairs. She noticed Luffy walking forward, his hands balled into fists and her eyes widened. Surely he wouldn't make an attempt to fight against Charloss, she thought. Everyone was too afraid to go against the Tenryuubito, and those who weren't simply didn't want to deal with having the Marines hunt them down at every turn. Hachi reached up and grabbed Luffy by the wrist.
"Wait, Strawhat," he insisted, though his breath was wheezing. He would need medical attention soon, Roma knew. She could only assume the bullet had pierced his lung. "You can't. Don't get mad. It was my fault. You promised that even if someone were shot before your eyes, you wouldn't go against the Tenryuubito. I'm a pirate anyway. I've done bad things. This is my punishment." More haggard breathing came from the fishman on the floor. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." He continued with his apologies for any and all of the things he had done in the past.
"You damn fish! I shot you but you're still talking! You piss me off!" At this point, Luffy's attention turned back to the World Noble and he began ascending the stairs again. Another of his friends screamed for him to stop, but he paid them no heed.
"He's actually going to do it?" Penguin whispered from behind them. It had been the first time he'd spoken since they'd arrived at the auction house, and he sounded more than a little hopeful. Roma couldn't help but smile.
"You piss me off too!" Luffy yelled as he punched Charloss square in the jaw, sending the World Noble flying backwards. In his path, he destroyed a number of the empty benches in the back of the auditorium. The vast majority of the crowd stared on in shock, but all Roma could do was beam brightly. She'd longed to see one of those bastards get what was coming to them, and only wished she'd been the one to do it first.
"I'll assume we can't join in on this yet," she said to her brother, who couldn't hide the amusement from his face at the sight of a Tenryuubito getting what he deserved.
"Not yet. It's too early for us to let the world know our Will," her brother answered. "Let Strawhat-ya take the limelight for now."
"Sorry guys," Luffy said as he adjusted his signature hat. "I heard if they hit that guy, they'd call in a Marine Admiral."
"Thanks to you sending him flying, I couldn't cut him myself," Zoro answered, his hand on the hilt of one of his swords. Roma couldn't help the laughter that, and didn't care who stared at her. She was absolutely certain that the Strawhat Pirates were every bit as crazy as the newspapers had suggested, if not more, and she loved it. They simply did not care what the world had defined as standard action and clearly did whatever they pleased. Theirs was truly the pirate way. While the rest of the Strawhats worked on following through with rescuing their mermaid friend, the father of Charloss stood atop the benches and started firing his pistol wildly.
"How dare you commoners touch my son?!" he demanded. "We are the descendants of the creator of this world! Do you know what will happen because you attacked us?!" Before he could fire another shot, Blackleg Sanji had managed to get in close enough to kick the pistol from his hands. While he created a distraction, a few other members of the Strawhat crew ran to try and free Camie. A fight broke out between the pirates and the guards in the room, while all of the other patrons of the auction house fled the building. More Strawhat Pirates fell through the ceiling, one landing on top of Charloss' father and knocking him unconscious. Luffy called for his nakama to hurry and free Camie because the Marines would be coming now that they'd attacked the Tenryuubito and Roma barked out another laugh.
"The Marines are already here, Strawhat-ya," Law told him from where he and the rest of his crewmembers were still seated.
"Who are you? And what's with the bear?" Luffy asked when he turned to see them.
"The Marines have been here since the auction started. They've surrounded the auction house. After all, they have a headquarters right here on this archipelago. I don't know who they wanted to catch, but I'm sure they never dreamed that someone would actually attack a Tenryuubito."
"Though I can't say I'm disappointed that you did," Roma added with a lopsided grin.
"You're Trafalgar Law," Nico Robin, another Strawhat, stated as she recognized the captain. "And his first mate, Roma. Luffy, those two are pirates." Law chuckled in response.
"You've shown me something interesting, Strawhats," he said.
In all the commotion, a loud scream was heard and Roma turned her attention back to the stage where Princess Shalulia, the last Tenryuubito in the auction house, was pointing her pistol at the mermaid Camie. At some point, the top of the mermaid's glass prison must have been sliced open so her voice could carry. Each of the Strawhats was immediately poised to strike, but none had the chance as the female noble. collapsed to the ground while and old man walked onto the stage. A giant appeared behind him, ripping the banner at the back of the stage as he came into view. The guards quickly began barking orders to lock the both of them up again. The old man, seeming to know Hachi, quickly gathered what had taken place and glanced around the auction house. In the next instant, Roma felt a wave wash over her that she knew was a powerful haki. It was Haoshoku Haki, based upon the way nearly everybody in the auction house fell unconscious and collapsed to the ground while foaming at the mouth. Roma glanced behind her to ensure that the other three members of her crew were still awake, and was pleased to see them all standing at this point.
"I've been waiting to meet you, Monkey D. Luffy," the old man said. Roma took a closer look at him and her eyes widened as she realized who he was. His name was Silvers Rayleigh, and he had once been the vice-captain to the infamous Gold Roger.
"Th-That was close," Shachi mumbled from where he was. "I blacked out for a minute there."
"If you withstood that so easily, then you guys aren't lightweights either."
"I never thought I'd meet someone like you in a place like this," Law answered the old man. That much was absolutely true. Nobody would have thought to see Silvers Rayleigh standing in an auction house, about to be sold as one of the slaves. He was a man who was far too strong for that, and he'd already admitted to only wishing to steal money for his gambling habit. Roma had smirked at that. Once a pirate, always a pirate.
"The Lord of the Underworld, Silvers Rayleigh," Eustass Kid started. "There's no mistaking it. Why is a legendary man like you here?"
"On this island, I just own a coating shop," Rayleigh answered. "And here, I'm called Ray. Don't just go around calling me by that name. I'm an old man now, and would like to live a peaceful life." From outside, they could suddenly hear the loudspeakers from the Marines calling out to them.
"Attention criminals! Release the Roswald family at once! Soon, an admiral will arrive! I suggest you surrender now! Otherwise, who knows what will happen to you, you rookies!"
"Looks like we're involved now," Law stated. "They totally think we're accomplices."
"I got to see just how crazy Strawhat Luffy is. No complaints here," Kid answered. "But I'll pass on taking on an admiral."
"Ah, I won't be using that power any more, so I'll leave this to you guys," Rayleigh said, his voice echoing in the emptied auction house. "It'll just make my life harder if the Marines figure out who I really am."
"The longer we wait, the more soldiers there are. I'll be leaving first. We'll even lend you guys a hand. We'll clean up out front so you guys can rest easy." Kid waved as he and his crew walked out, though he knew the kind of challenge his words would bring. Both Law and Luffy scowled darkly at the taunt as Kid retreated towards the exit of the auction house.
"You stay here. Roma, treat the fishman for his wounds. I'll take care of this," Law ordered as he rose to his feet and followed after Kid. Luffy was right alongside by the time the three of them left.
"They're like children sometimes, I swear," Roma said with a giggle before leaping over the benches and running towards the fishman who was still lying on the stairs. The Strawhat Pirates around him didn't look quite so pleased for her to be approaching. "I'm a doctor. I'll tend to his wounds."
"How do we know you won't harm him?" Catburglar Nami demanded.
"I'm as much against the World Government as you are. Your captain just punched out a Tenryuubito and I was grinning like a fool, if you didn't see. I'd say we have similar goals, at least in this matter. Shachi-kun, I know you're carrying some medical supplies. Bring them here, would you?"
"Yes, Roma-chan!" he answered and ran towards her, pulling out a small container of supplies that he'd been storing in his boiler suit that had become the standard uniform for the Heart Pirates, with the exception of Law and Roma.
"We need to get Hachi out of here and back to my workshop in Grove Three," Rayleigh insisted. "We don't have time."
"He may not make it that far. I've been studying fishman anatomy, and I know that his wound needs treatment sooner rather than later. At least allow me to patch him up before you take him."
"Only if you make it quick." While Roma set to work, the other would-be slaves took the opportunity to escape out a back route from the auction house. It made her glad to know that they would be able to remain free men and women. Roma hurriedly dressed the wound in Hachi's chest as the sound of mortars exploded from outside.
"Those won't work on Captain," Bepo murmured from where he was still standing with Penguin.
"You're right, Bepo-kun. They won't," Roma answered with a chuckle. Even as she spoke, she finished wrapping Hachi well enough for transportation. "I'll leave him to you, Old Man Silvers."
"Old man?" Rayleigh repeated, but Roma ignored him completely as she turned back to her crew.
"Let's go see how Captain-kun is doing. I want to get in on the action too!" Roma turned towards the main entrance of the auction house and made her way outside with the three members of her crew. Three members of the Strawhat crew joined them and they came upon the other three members of the Kid pirates as they neared the doorway. What they saw when they made it outside caused Shachi to let out a deep sigh.
"You went a little overboard, Captain."