"Captain," Bepo opened the bedroom door the next morning, honestly mildly surprised that he was in the bed and not sprawled out on the floor in pain.

The man groggily sat up, careful not to wake the woman next to him. "What is it?"

"We'll be arriving at Sansetta soon," the mink informed.

"How soon?"

"Two hours."

"Okay, I'll be out shortly then," Law dismissed him. Once the door was closed, he turned on his end table lamp, looking over at the still-sleeping Nami. Somehow, she let him sleep with her in the bed. His heart was still out of his body, now beating on her end table, but somehow it seemed to make the situation better. She knew she had a bit of leverage on him, and that made her feel somewhat at ease again, knowing he wouldn't dare do anything without there being intense consequences.

He wondered if touching her face would make her mad. The temptation rose when he saw a small bunch of her hair fall along her cheek, stopped by her nose. He just couldn't resist reaching over and tucking it behind her ear, cupping her face when the task was done. "Nami," he whispered, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "It's time to wake up."

Her eyes opened softly and she supressed a gasp, her first sight of the day being the handsome man staring down at her, and if she didn't know better, she would describe it as a loving gaze. She noticed his hand on her cheek instantly, but chose to let it slide. She felt she had punished him enough with the punch to the heart yesterday.

Honestly, she had almost completely forgiven him, but she wanted to see how far he would go to earn her full forgiveness and trust.

She wasn't being stubborn and hard-headed either – they were pirates. She knew that some were used to being in charge and getting what they wanted. Unfortunately for Law, she was not going to let him off so easily to teach him a lesson.

She looked at his arm and then back at him, silently asking for him to move it so she could get up. Thankfully, he managed to get her telepathic message, letting her slowly sit up and stretch. "It's been a while since I was out on the deck."

"You're not going today, either," Law replied sternly. "There's a very dangerous person there and I don't need you putting yourself even closer to harm's way."

"Ugh, won't you tell me already what the big secret about this guy is? I mean, we're pretty much there already," Nami yawned. She felt it was too early to get in an argument, but she was persistent.

The man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I said I'll tell you once he's captured."

"I can't stand being the only one who doesn't know," she groaned. She would've growled if she'd been more awake.

"It's to protect you! The stress of knowing would be worse than not."

"If you're next to me, what do I have to be worried about?" she softly glared at him, hands on her hips. She barely registered her words before a blush crept along her cheeks, negating her glare. "I mean, we could hide on the island somewhere?"

He shook his head. "We have to stay underwater for extra security." Giving her an intense look, he decided to let her know one thing. "You're his exact type of target. We shouldn't even be here with you, but I owe someone very powerful a favour."

She was quiet, looking down at her hands. "I see."

Law hesitantly placed his hand over hers. "I will be next to you every second until they come back, just in case. I have a room on the lower level made of sea stone that we'll be storing him in, and we will be dropping him off at an island only a day away."

Nami nodded, deciding to finally let this one go. She wasn't quite sure why she would be a target, but if that was the main reason the man was worried, she was willing to let the details go for now. She got up and stretched again before walking over to her dresser and picking out some clothes to change into in the bathroom.

It wasn't long until she emerged wearing a plain yellow crop top and a long blue skirt that started above her naval. It was a thin enough skirt to see the bump, and he frowned inwardly a bit. He was happy to see his unborn child, but the situation made it dangerous.

He swore to himself he would not leave her side, especially if the dangerous target somehow made his way into the ship.

XxxxxxxxX

Breakfast was tense. The men going on the island's surface did their best to talk about their plan without revealing what made the man forbidden to talk about. They were planning on using only sea stone weapons, previously provided by the mysterious person who requested his capture.

Nami studied the faces of all the heart pirates, growing nervous. She was starting to understand the seriousness of the situation, and why she had been kept away. Stress and anxiety were never good for the body and mind, especially not when the body was carrying a baby.

She had been used to a lot of stressful situations, especially since she started travelling with her beloved Straw Hats as Luffy was the definition of a trouble magnet. She hadn't realised that even though some of her personal situations were stressful, she rarely felt this kind of pure anxiety of potentially facing an enemy. She hadn't even remembered how that felt somehow, even after experiencing it for years before.

Watching the pirates, she cradled her stomach protectively. She sincerely hoped that they would be able to catch the guy with no issues.

Penguin caught her eye and gave her a smile and a thumbs up, silently assuring her that as the mission leader, he would do his best to take care of it.

"Oooooh, Pengu's trying to flirt with captain's girl," Shachi called, lightening the mood.

"Am not!" the man blushed, turning to argue with his friend.

"Looked like flirting to me," Ikkaku joined in with a smirk.

"If you try anything, Captain will take you apart," Bepo added, a little more serious than the others.

Jean Bart slammed his drink on the table. "He wouldn't just take you apart. He would disembowel you and leave you alive, scattering all your parts on separate corners of the world to let you feel pain in every environment."

The table got quiet and tense again at the morbid description, before Nami burst out laughing. "He wouldn't do anything to you. Don't worry. Mostly because I am not 'his girl'."

Penguin looked away bashfully, scratching his head. "If I was actually flirting, he would…"

"Hey." Law decided to clear this up once and for all. "I don't care about flirting. You're all hopeless compared to me. It's not like I can lose," he smirked, looking around at the crew that was now playfully giving him dirty looks.

The pregnant woman continued to giggle, feeling at ease again. "You guys are so funny."

The captain looked over at her with a smile and a wink, making the others sigh in defeat. "Yup, no one can beat him."

XxxxxX

It was time for them to surface. The crew was running around, most of them getting ready for the mission. Sea stone weapons, handcuffs and nets were passed around. Luckily, no one other than the captain was a devil fruit eater.

"Why hasn't the navy taken care of this guy?" Nami asked, turning to the captain.

"Sansetta is a poor country, and a lot of pirates come from here. The thing this guy is doing helps the navy more than anything, so they choose to ignore him," Law replied with a scowl. "It's despicable."

She chose to stay quiet, just staring at his upset face. It was rare that he got so aggravated over other people, but marines were such a sore spot. Besides, there was nothing she could say to that, having been through it herself.

Penguin ran up to them, stopping with a salute. "We're ready to go, Captain!"

"Alright. Take the spare boats," the man ordered. "I expect you back within the day."

"Understood!" He turned and left with the crowd, heading to the exit, waiting for the last few meters of water to go beneath the deck level. Once they were all clear, they opened the door and headed straight for a secret compartment where they had three small rowboats stored.

It wasn't long before the managed to get two ready and on the sea. Nami could see the island in the distance – it seemed like they were ten kilometres away from the shore. 'Talk about staying on the safe side,' she thought.

She watched them start to row, making good time. She turned back, trying to keep from being jealous; she missed the land, but Law had already made it perfectly clear she wasn't even really allowed outside on the deck.

"So, what should we do in the meantime?" she ended up asking him.

He looked down at her. "If you're alright with it, I was hoping you and Bepo could exchange map information. Particularly for our next island."

Nami's eyes sparkled. "You don't mind me charting down your explorations?"

"Not at all. It would be beneficial for us to be as informed as we can be as well. Of course, our map won't be nearly as detailed as yours," he complimented, making her excitement rise.

"Where's Bepo? We gotta start right away!" She nearly ran into their room to gather her maps, running past Law in the doorway again to go straight to the navigation room.

"Bepo!" she called, slamming the door open so hard it seemed to nearly fall off its steel hinges.

The mink jumped and turned in a fighting stance, relaxing when he saw it was just the redhead. "You startled me! Is something wrong?"

She ran forward and slammed her hands on the desk. "Let's exchange our detailed map information!"

"Uh…" the mink was unsure of how to respond. "I'm not against it, but are we allowed?"

"I already gave her the go ahead," Law spoke from the doorway, having finally caught up to the energetic woman.

Bepo turned to his fellow navigator. "Let's get started, then!" He pulled out an extra chair to the desk and they immediately went to work. The captain took a seat next to the window, looking out to the island. It was basically a speck from this distance.

He'd given Jean Bart instructions to submerge them again ten minutes after the men left for the mission, and that time was almost up. He wanted to enjoy the sight of blue skies as much as he could. It seemed the woman was starting to rub off on him – he never felt claustrophobic and restricted except when they first got the sub, but he was at least starting to feel a longing for the wind on his face. Perhaps he'd been spending too much time on the surface on partner missions with the Straw Hats.

It wasn't long before the horizon started to rise with the water level. It drifted over the window, lapping at the panes before fully covering it. The light blue of the top of the water soon turned deeper as they dropped further into the ocean.

Looking over, he saw that Nami was too focused on the maps to notice their descent. He found himself watching her again, trying to memorize the sparkle in her eyes, the curve of her smile and how her cheeks were dusted with a light rose with excitement.

He found himself smiling along with her. Her moods were very contagious, be it positive or not. He wondered how he got to this point – letting his emotions get dragged around with someone. It really wasn't like him to let himself fall continuously for someone, but she seemed to be his only exception.

He listened to the navigators' excited chatter, comparing islands and adventures. Not surprisingly, Luffy rarely seemed to listen to her exploration advice, as was clear for the Punk Hazard incident, causing them to be put in a lot of danger. It was a miracle they were all still there. That kid was reckless, but it seemed to make them all stronger both mentally and physically.

It took almost three hours before even the most basic pinpointing and labelling was completed. Ikkaku soon entered the room to offer them tea and coffee, as well as to chat with Law about the plan once the man was captured. Jean Bart had apparently been asking about the course they would take to the drop-off point, making Bepo leave the desk and join the discussion as it was his planned route.

A few minutes passed of them planning, and Law noticed the redhead's arms crossing and her lips turning into a pout, annoyed that she had been almost instantly shoved aside.

Leaving the conversation up to Bepo, he walked over to her with a light grin. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes," she replied curtly, looking away.

"What would you like to eat?"

"…Onigiri."

The man nodded. "Surprisingly normal. I like the sound of that." Seeing his crew members still talking, he gestured to Nami for them to leave the room. "Let's go make some ourselves. Hitode went on the mission."

"Okay," she agreed with a light smile replacing the pout. As they walked down the hall, she decided to fill the silence. "I can't believe you went to so many places that we didn't even know about."

"There are a lot of places that are easier to find from underwater," he explained. "Some countries and communities prefer pirates to not invade their shores every two days."

"Must be a shock to them when you guys show up," Nami giggled, thinking about it.

"Yah, there aren't a whole lot of pirates with submarines out there. We were nice enough to not wreck anything, though," he smirked almost wickedly, sending questions that she was too scared to ask through her mind. She didn't even want to think about what trouble he could possibly stir up, although the words 'black market' kept ringing through her head.

She shook the concern away, refocusing on her current task. Once they reached the kitchen, Law set to work on cooking the rice while she gathered some ingredients for fillings. They ended up making some tea and trying to relax in silence while waiting for the rice to cook. It was hard to erase the tension with the mission in progress, but they thankfully didn't have to dwell on it for too long.

The woman watched him press ingredients into the steamed rice before forming the rice balls like a pro. 'This is his favourite food… It makes sense to know how to make them perfectly,' she thought, admiring his skill.

He handed the first formed one to her. She hadn't seen what filling it was, but she bit down anyways, scrunching her nose when she came across something crunchy and sour that she didn't remember cutting. "Did you put pickles in this?"

"I figured a pregnant woman's cravings always fit pickles in," he replied with a smug smirk.

She glared at him but continued eating. "You're not wrong…"

They stood in the kitchen, eating the food right when they made it. Her mood was lifted, and she nearly forgot about their current problems, instead focusing on their personal ones. "So how many more checkups do I need to go through?" she wondered. "Like, mandatory ones."

"I would like to do them at least once a month for now with the exception of stressful circumstances, which I will always want to check over for," he replied with his cheek full of rice. "I'll be checking every few weeks in the last two months of your pregnancy. Hopefully by then, we will have figured out some safer island path to prevent any issues."

"A safe path in the grand line?" she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I doubt there's such a thing."

"Would you prefer to be underwater for two or more months straight?"

"No!" she almost jumped from her chair feeling claustrophobic at just the thought. "No. I'll work with Bepo to figure it out."

"Good. I'll also be asking our current employer if she knows anything."

Nami cocked her head to the side. "She?"

"Yes."

She could feel her emotions stirring. Her logical mind took a backseat to the sudden flare of jealousy. "So you're going through all this trouble for a woman. She must be pretty special."

"In a way," he shrugged, too occupied with his favourite food to notice her implications.

"Is she paying a lot?"

"Not as much as it's worth," he sighed. "His bounty is really high, but I was asked as a personal favour to do this with less of a reward."

"Personal favour, huh?" She could feel her face twisting into a deep scowl. Who was this person and why was she getting such special treatment? The most Law had done for her was let her on his ship at his ally's request and watch over her as a doctor. He treated her a little better when he'd found out the baby was his, but she knew he probably wouldn't put more effort into their relationship than he already had.

"I don't know why people keep asking me personal favours," he admitted. "Unfortunately, I couldn't decline this one."

"And why not?!" Nami slammed her hands on the table and stood, making him look up and realise how distraught she looked. "If this guy is so dangerous, why are you risking the lives of most of your crew to fulfill some request from some woman?!"

"Because I owe her, and Ikkaku would castrate me if I declined," he answered, thinking over the consequences if he told her the full truth. "If you must know, our client is a princess and I owe her this for something involving Ikkaku. I don't have any right to talk about it, but you can ask her directly if you want."

"Fine," she sat back down and felt her boiling blood cool off. She gave him one more suspicious glance. "You didn't sleep with her, did you?"

"Which one?"

"Either!"

He chuckled a bit at her jealousy. "No. I may have done some standard exams on both, being a famous doctor and all, but that's it."

"Hm." She crossed her arms and let the jealousy melt away. "Surprisingly honourable."

"Not at all," the mood changed again as he leaned in with a smirk. "You see, I have this rule for myself, and it's worked out great so far. The only person I've broken that rule for is you." He stood straight again, now with a frown. "I don't sleep with people I'll see again. I make girls swoon, break their hearts and leave them behind. What's so honourable about that?"

"Well, at least it's better than seducing people for money or persuasion," she argued, trying to keep a blush from rising on her cheeks from his proximity. "We're pirates, Law. We do bad things. There's a reason we have bounties. You seem to at least have some sort of code that keeps you from going crazy, and I think it's a good thing you can restrict yourself to see women once and then leave them with good thoughts – with the exception of me."

"You are quite the temptress to somehow make me break the code, though," he replied, pulling back with a light smirk.

"Maybe a part of you wanted this situation." She placed a hand on her stomach. "Something could've been calling us together. I may be a tease but I'm no hoe. I don't sleep with people unless necessary or if I really like them, and most of the time it ends badly. Unlike you, lucky bastard."

"Do you believe in destiny then, Nami?" he slanted his head to the side a bit, giving her a teasing grin.

"Not really. I believe more in science."

"What's science telling you?"

"Something was able to break your strong will and was able to make me act recklessly. I believe our physical and emotional attributes make us a compatible and formidable duo," she explained crossing her arms. "Our genes want us to make very strong children."

The man chuckled, shaking his head. "Science sure likes to take the fun and mystery out of things."

"Hey, you're a doctor," she puffed up her cheeks. "You should know this part of science anyways."

"I also know every single chemical that makes up the experience of falling in love, but it doesn't make it any less wild for me to experience with you." His eyes widened as he realised what he'd just admitted, shocked at himself for coming to that conclusion, and even more so at his willingness to reveal it. Despite being naturally gifted with quick thinking, he was frozen. There was no way to brush off what he said.

Nami's jaw nearly dropped. The notorious Trafalgar D. Water Law, the surgeon of death, just let it slip that he was in love with her. She was at a loss for what to say – of course, she loved him, but was it the right time to tell him? "I…"

"Captain!" Shachi burst into the room, continuing to be the master of bad timing. Or, from Law's perspective, better timing than ever before. "We have a problem!"

Law took a swig of tea and cleared his throat, switching to leader mode. "What's wrong?"

"We just got a call through the transponder snail…"

"And?"

The man looked terrified as he met the captain's eyes. "They've been beaten pretty badly. Penguin is the only conscious one left. He said the target sunk one of their boats and stole the other one… He's on his way here!"

Nami gasped, shrinking into her seat. "You said before that he can't get to us underwater, right?"

"I did, but Penguin told me he has some ability that can bypass that… I don't know exactly what that is because the snail got cut off." As Shachi said that, they felt the ship jerk suddenly and looked towards the windows. The deep blue water was turning lighter again.

The captain stood and took her hand. "Stay close to me. We're going to the control room."

"Wait!" Shachi called after them, but he was too late. Law had activated his room and teleported with Nami, not wanting to waste time.

Once they got there, he stepped protectively in front of the woman. "Jean Bart! I did not give an order to resurface!" he shouted.

"Cap… Tain…" the large man shakily turned his head around to them. They gasped in horror – his eyes were completely white and his face seemed to be rippling. "Help…"

They could see him trying to win over what was mysteriously possessing him, but the being seemed more powerful, having caught the crew member off guard. His left arm was trying to peel the right one off the lever that controlled their escalation.

"This kind of looks like Doflamingo's parasite strings," Law hissed, activating his room once again. He sliced the man's right arm off temporarily, but it was no use. The sub had already reached the surface.

"Someone's out there!" Nami pointed to the window. Someone was on one of their boats, and he was getting closer. Chills ran down her spine as the figure became clearer. It was a man with long hair that looked like blood with menacing clear white eyes and a wicked smile.

Law grabbed her wrist, startling her enough to make her yelp. He apologised, not taking an eye off the figure.

And then he was gone.

"Room!" he prepared his bubble, waiting for something to happen. "Be on alert, Nami."

Jean Bart was now slumped against the back of the chair, seemingly knocked out from the inner struggle. The captain felt helpless, wanting to help him right away, but there were more pressing issues at the moment.

This creature rarely wasted the energy killing men.

"Bepo!" they heard a shriek from the hallway, recognising Ikkaku's voice.

"I can't control myself! I'm sorry!" the mink yelled before they heard a loud thud and a cry. Law dragged her to the hall to see what was going on.

Their eyes widened in horror as they saw Ikkaku lying unconscious on the floor, blood seeping from her lips. The polar bear mink was crouched over her, crying. He looked up as his captain approached. "I swear I didn't want to!" he sobbed, silently begging for his friend's belief. He seemed in control of his actions currently, but they knew he would never intentionally hurt a crewmate.

"Take her to the medical room," Law instructed. "We have an intruder. Be on mental alert and guard her."

Bepo nodded firmly, picking the wounded woman up and running to the medical bay.

"Guys! Stop me!" Shachi's voice came from behind them. They turned to see him running at them with his katana ready to strike. His eyes had also been turned white, and he was struggling to stop himself.

Once he entered the activated blue aura, the captain sliced off his arms and teleported them into an undisclosed room. "It seems the intruder can take over a part of people's bodies one at a time," he observed with a scowl. "Sorry, you're going to have no arms until this is over."

"Fine by me," the man crumbled to the ground, shaken by what he was almost forced to do. "I could hear him in my head… He's on the ship, and he's after Nami."

"By name, gender or situation?"

"All of the above," a firm, cold growl sounded from further down the hall. The man they'd seen on their rowboat turned a corner and walked to them with the creepy grin still plastered on his face. "I was hoping to leave more injuries while I could take over your unguarded minds. Too bad," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"What do you want with me," the woman spat, hiding slightly behind her protector.

"Nami, Nami, the beautiful golden egg of the Straw Hats," he looked her up and down licking his lips. His gaze rested on her stomach. "I see the rumours are true about you. Goodie for me."

"What rumours?"

The man cackled. "A pregnancy among one of the most powerful pirate groups is hard to keep secret, especially when caused by another highly known name."

"Wait… Who else knows?" Law questioned, dread pooling in his stomach.

"Probably everyone by now. Like I said… Rumours…" the man continued walking slowly towards them, stopping just outside of the blue aura. His gaze turned deadly. "You know why I'm here."

The captain growled, preparing a fighting stance. "You don't stand a chance with me here."

"Good thing I can make you disappear," he almost sang, raising his hand in their direction. "Cold claw!"

A dark shadow seeped out, quickly moving through the sphere and hitting Law straight in the chest before he could properly react. The man fell to his knee, hissing in pain before making himself stand again. He unsheathed his sword, holding it out. He narrowed his eyes, trying to make a plan on the spot. He'd been foolish to think that his men would successfully capture this monster without any issues.

He laced his blade with haki and grew his aura to surround the half of the sub they were in, preparing to strike. He launched himself forward, aiming for the head. This man was wanted alive, but he was sure under the circumstances the princess would forgive him.

A look of horror grew on his face as the man simply grinned and seemed to disappear, reappearing behind him and running at Nami.

"No you don't!" he shouted, pointing his fingers. "Shambles!" he swapped places with the woman, preparing to strike again. "Hiretsuna, your sick crimes end here!"

He disappeared again, though a bit slower as he was caught off guard. Law was able to track him, noticing that he was diving into the shadows. He reappeared again in front of the woman, not expecting her to take out a baton and whip it towards him.

"I'm not completely helpless, you know!" she yelled. "Thunder egg!" Smoke and eggs came out of the end, and the evil entity was caught unexpected as they hatched and hit him with lighting.

He jumped back with a light limp and a serious frown. "I underestimated you," he admitted. "Not anymore, though. Shadow strike!" He raised his hand and quickly slammed it towards the ground, a shadow being launched from the gesture.

"Shambles!" Law switched places with her again. The shadows launched out of the ground and formed solid spikes, but he easily deflected them with his sword.

"Clearly there is no way around you," Hiretsuna growled. "I suppose I should end this quickly."

He moved out of the aura before the surgeon of death could do anything and continuously launched shadows from his hands. Law blocked each of them with declining ease, shocked when some of the layer of haki started to chip away on the sword where he was deflecting the strikes. "What are you exactly?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm a shadow person. I ate a strange devil fruit, and now I can possess weak-minded people, walk through walls and control shadows," he bragged. "I make money by using this ability to steal children and sell them. If they're too young or fussy, I use them as food for sea kings."

"That's horrible," Nami whispered.

He turned to look at her, an evil grin reappearing on his face. "I won't sell your child, my dear. I will just kill it right here, right now."

She dropped to the ground, her hand over her mouth and one wrapped around her stomach protectively. After a moment to process, she looked up defiantly at him. "Just you try. You will never be able to harm him."

"Hn. We'll see," he jeered. His face twisted into pain as he looked down to see the haki blade through his side.

"Scalpel."

He watched in shock as his heart was removed from his chest, falling into his opponent's hand.

"Better pay attention to your real opponent," Law smirked, giving the heart a squeeze. The man fell on the ground gasping and clutching at the hole.

"You're a sick bastard," Nami spat, standing up. She was even braver now with the heart in Law's hands. She balled her fists, looking down when there was a weird sensation. Her hand was covered in black, and she gasped. 'Haki?' Unsure, she marched forward and punched him over the head, almost sending him flying into the wall. Her assault was definitely more powerful than her past ones.

"Grab the sea stone cuffs," Law called to her, unaware of the new power she'd gained. He just assumed all her punches were that strong; they always seemed to send Luffy flying, after all.

She nodded, heading into the nearby room where she knew they would be. She grabbed them off the wall, freezing when she heard a loud yell. She ran back to see Law on the floor, gritting his teeth in pain. It seemed Hiretsuna had a small weapon on him as a dagger was sticking out of the captain's stomach.

Her haki gathered in her foot and she kicked the enemy, sending him flying. She stepped on his heart, which was now just sitting next to Law, making him squirm and yell in pain again. "How dare you?" she hissed, picking up the heart and squeezing it hard. "You come here by yourself to attack a pregnant woman, a sweet mink navigator, two ship hands and the one man that can protect them? You pathetic creepy coward! What is wrong with you?!"

She loomed over him, dropping the cuffs on his squirming body, making him instantly go weak. She then leaned down and snapped his arms in them before standing again, holding the organ over him. "You are never going to see this again. If you ever feel the pain, think of me and my prospering child. If you somehow continue to live when he grows up, I'll pass this along to him and tell him of the time a nobody tried to crush the Heart pirates and one of the Straw Hat originals."

Walking away with attitude, she tossed the heart down the hall where she saw Shachi still slumping. He was looking at her, horrified but impressed. Sure, she only got confident once his heart was out, but she definitely won the battle.

She ran to Law, who was still collapsed on the ground with the dagger sticking out. "This might be a stupid question, but are you okay?!"

"It's nowhere critical," he whispered before coughing painfully. "Hurts like a bitch, though. Is he cuffed?"

"Yes…"

"Give Shachi his arms back and call for Bepo."

She did as told, and soon the three were towering over the unwanted passenger. "I'll take him to the captivity room," the mink volunteered.

"Wait, let me inspect him first," Shachi crouched down and felt along his pockets and pant legs – the man was only wearing a pair of old jeans and a ripped tank top. The concealed dagger was the only thing he was able to hide. After he was cleared, Bepo slung him over his shoulder. The redheaded man followed him, leaving the heart once again with Nami. "Take care of Captain."

She only nodded, focusing her attention on the injured man. "Law…"

"I was waiting for them to leave," he groaned before holding out his arm again. "Room." A few seconds later, the knife was removed and the wound was being held together. "I need actual stitches, but I can do them myself. Help me to the medical room."

"Okay…" she helped him up and they hobbled along in silence. "Seems kind of anticlimactic," she mumbled.

"It's not over yet. We still have a bunch of injured men to bring back," he replied with a sigh.

"How did they get beaten so easily?"

"There were a lot of them. He probably hid in all of their shadows and got them one by one, or controlled them to pick each other off," he grimaced in pain when she almost tripped, making him drop slightly.

"Sorry," she apologised.

They made it to the bay where Ikkaku seemed to just be awakening. She had blood all over her mouth and the front of her clothes, and she was holding her stomach in pain. Law hobbled over to his desk, bringing out a thin needle and some medical string. He lifted his shirt and went to work, gritting his teeth.

Nami couldn't bring herself to watch, instead moving to help the waking woman. "Hey, you alright?"

"Sore," she replied quietly. "Ice please."

The redhead walked over to where she knew the ice packs were, handing one to the raven. She put it on her stomach and winced at the cold, but her face soon turned to relief. Nami handed her a wet cloth to wipe the blood off. "What injury do you have?" she asked.

"I got drop kicked by a mink," she mumbled. "What happened out there?"

"That guy you were all after snuck on the ship and possessed some people. Law got his heart, Hiretsuna stabbed him, I beat him down, and he is now in the sea stone room," she caught her up.

"Impressive. Sorry I couldn't be much help." She laid in silence before gasping and looking at Nami. "Did he do anything to you or your son?!"

"He sure tried," she replied. "I apparently gained haki, though. It was pretty helpful."

"You have haki now?" Law joined the conversation.

She balled her hand into a fist and concentrated, letting it get covered in black. "It takes so much energy," she gritted her teeth, trying to hold it there.

"Then let it go," he replied gently, putting his hand on hers. "It's definitely haki, but you should only use it in emergencies considering your condition."

"How does Luffy use this all the time," she was in awe. "He never has a fight without it nowadays."

"Doctor Captain, sorry to interrupt," Ikkaku unzipped her boiler suit, making Nami's jaw drop in bewilderment. She wasn't wearing anything underneath but didn't hesitate to display her top half to the both of them. Mild jealousy started to bubble up again, but she tried her best to keep it down. "Is my stomach bruised? Bepo kicked me pretty hard," the injured woman distracted her from her emotional struggle.

Law went into doctor mode, showing his professionalism off to the pregnant woman. He gently touched her stomach and ribs. "Tell me if they hurt when I press down." He moved to different spots, getting a few winces from tenderness, but a certain spot on her left made her yelp out in pain.

"It seems like you have a cracked rib," he observed. "I'll do an x-ray to confirm. Nami, can you please leave the room? The radiation won't be good for you."

She nodded, surprised that her wild emotions were accepting of the two being in the room together. It wasn't like she meant to be jealous – Ikkaku was such a nice woman and treated her like a good friend. She was surprised she'd even lashed out and asked Law if they'd slept together before!

Shaking her head, she knew that wouldn't happen. Before Hiretsuna appeared, the man had just accidentally confessed that he was in love with her! She was determined to let him know how she felt.

Nervousness overpowered the jealousy and she found she couldn't stand still. She walked back and forth in front of the doors, waiting to be called in again. It was a short wait until the woman exited the room, now with a bandaged torso. "Good luck," she smiled, seemingly knowing what was about to happen.

Nami went in, twiddling her fingers. The man was at his desk, jotting down notes on a clipboard with Ikkaku's information on it. "Law…"

"Hm?" he looked up and met her eyes, making her feel antsy again.

"Can you follow me please?"

"Sure."

She moved at a slow pace, happy that the man could now walk again without wincing. 'He must've given himself a shot of morphine,' she thought. She led him to their room, closing the door behind them.

"Law."

"That's me," he gave her a questioning look. She rarely seemed nervous, but her unnecessary repetitiveness was making him worry.

"I… I wanna reply to what you said earlier. In the kitchen."

He stood straighter, feeling panic start to set in again. "I didn't me-"

"I love you too," she said earnestly, looking into his golden eyes. "I have for a while, but that whole issue a few days ago threw me off… I also wanna tell you I forgive you, and I do trust you. I know you're such a caring person deep down, even if it's just for our son."

He moved forward, putting his arms around her and letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I don't just love our son. I love you, Nami." And he could feel that was the earnest truth.

She smiled, content to be in his arms. She looked up, her eyes blurring with tears. He leaned down, hesitantly pressing his lips against hers. She welcomed him whole-heartedly, pressing back. It wasn't as heated as she knew their first kiss was. This was gentle, sweet and a bit uncertain.

It felt fragile. Law was finally putting his emotions on the surface, and she gladly accepted them, trying to make sure he knew that she wouldn't use them against him. This powerful, terrifying, deadly man was so vulnerable in this kiss, and her tears finally spilled over. She pulled away just lightly, putting her hand against his face. "I love you, Law," she whispered against his lips before pushing forward again.

They forgot about their surroundings. They forgot about his crewmates and the now-captive man. They forgot about their situation as competing pirate groups. Right now, it was just them. Nami and Law. He put his hand on her hip, pulling her closer and brushing the bump on her stomach with his thumb. Their son was the evidence of a destiny he'd never believed in before, he decided, as he knew there would be no happiness in his life without this woman right here.

They finally pulled apart, Nami resting her head on his chest. "I hate to end this, but we need to rescue your crew," she reminded him.

"You're right. Let's go," he kissed the top of her head before heading out with her following close behind.


Hello!

Okay, so I know this might've come off a little cheesy. I'm aware. But I also think Law wouldn't really know the technical name of these feelings unless they smacked him in the face like stepping on the wrong end of a shovel. But hey, that's my own interpretation.

Hiretsuna! My favourite bad guy has finally appeared. And by favourite, I mean satisfying to hate. We clearly haven't seen the last of him, and I'm super excited for the next few chapters. Secrets will be revealed! Slight backstories! History! I basically have the next chapter all ready to go, but I don't know if I should publish it sooner or later since I am very slowly creeping up on what I'd already written.

I am also pretty excited about Nami's haki. I think if she actually developed it, that would be the coolest thing. Imagine all the enemies she could straight up destroy with a few angry punches.

Anyways, happy March! Watch out for Friday the 13th. Stay safe and healthy, and please remember that an entire pack of toilet paper shouldn't last only a week or two therefore you shouldn't need like 5 packs a household. Damn, people are really annoying me with all this stuff. Please do not comment against it, though. Just ranting a bit like I'm entitled to since I just posted a huge chapter (whoop whoop).

Thank you all for reading, commenting, favouriting and following. The support really keeps me going :)