Law and Nami came up with a priority list for those they needed to check on. They first went to the control room where Jean Bart was just waking up and looking around. He still looked a bit panicked, but upon seeing his captain's calm demeanor, he relaxed a bit. "The enemy is gone?" he asked, rubbing his head. Being possessed to the point of unconsciousness gave a wicked headache.

"He's being detained in the detainment room," the captain confirmed. "We need to get to Sansetta. Our men are injured."

"Right away," he saluted, grabbing his detached arm off the ground and reattaching it. He then flicked some switches and pushed a lever, grinning at the familiar buzz of the machines coming to life. They propelled forward at an increasing speed, estimating they'd reach land in around five minutes.

"We should go check on how they're doing with the prisoner," Law said, gesturing for the woman to follow him. He led her to a door she'd never opened, revealing a staircase to a lower level. Nami got a strange chill down her spine as they descended, coming into a large prison area with separated chambers with steel bars. At the other side was a thick red door with Shachi waiting in front of it, and a blue door on the opposite side where the training area was revealed to be.

The man's expression lit up when he saw the approaching couple. "This place was just starting to get creepy without company," he shuddered. "Bepo's just finishing up inside."

They opened the door and the two non-powered humans entered. In the middle slouched Hiretsuna, shackled by chains coming out from different corners and attaching to each limb. He was clearly weakened, and the woman could almost feel the energy being sucked out of her even though she wasn't weak to the ocean.

Bepo was tightening the shackles, making sure each one was double-locked. The detained man looked like he wanted to thrash and yell in retaliation, but the amount of stone he was in contact with seemed to almost drain his life. He tried to knee the bear, but it came as a pathetic and slow movement, allowing plenty of time for Bepo to get out of the way.

"You're pathetic," Nami growled at him.

"Said by the woman who can only be protected," he shot back, slumping again.

"Pretty sure I'm the one who took you out."

His face twisted with disgust. "You got lucky."

"Shut up," Law hissed from the doorway. "You're a child trafficker and murderer. You injured a lot of my crew and tried to kill my unborn son and his mother. Even Hikari won't deal with you harshly enough."

"Hi… Hikari?" Hiretsuna shook, his eyes widening with fear. "She's the one who put you to this?"

"I won't do too much to you during your stay here, but I'll enjoy knowing that she can do things a thousand times worse than I could ever imagine," he grinned maliciously. "Even if she doesn't, it still is pleasing to know that your own twin sister thinks you're a monster and will deal with you accordingly."

He turned and motioned for the three to follow. They locked the prison door and went back up to the main level. By then, they'd reached the island.

Stepping out of the submarine, Nami felt it was almost bittersweet. She finally made it to land but it was to save her friends, and she probably wasn't able to stay long.

Law was first to step on the island and turned to give her a hand down. She looked around at the town – it was small and shabby with houses looking like they were almost falling apart. They immediately grabbed a passing man's attention. "Have you seen a bunch of men who were fighting Hiretsuna?" the captain inquired.

"You… You aren't here to finish them off, are you?" the citizen asked, almost shaking.

"I'm their doctor. Can you take us to them?"

"What happened to the boogeyman?" the man gasped.

"The boogeyman?" Nami repeated, cocking her head to the side. "That's pretty fitting, actually…"

"We defeated him," Law was starting to lose his patience. "Where. Is. My. Crew?"

The man cowered a bit before pointing behind him. "They just finished taking them all to the medical clinic. It's just on the main road, but I can take you there if you want."

"Yes please," the woman answered cheerfully, not wanting Law to intimidate him further.

They were led through the small town, noticing that all the houses and buildings looked run-down. The people they saw looked decently content, but Nami couldn't help but feel a bit bad on their behalf.

She'd been there.

It wasn't long until they were brought to the tiny medical clinic, and she had to wonder how all seventeen guys were shoved into it.

"Penguin, are you awake?" the captain asked once he opened the door. The man with them slipped in and walked straight to the back. They saw that crew members were all laid out across the floor, so close together they were almost overlapping. The squad leader sat up upon hearing his name.

"Captain?"

"We're here to save the day," Nami winked, making the man smile a bit.

His grin soon turned to a worried frown. "You shouldn't be here… That man is on the loose!"

"He's being taken care of in the sea chamber," Law assured him.

"Amazing…" he moved to his knees and bowed his head. "I'm sorry I failed the mission! I let him get away and put your lives in danger!"

"It's fine," the captain forgave him. "Even we had some trouble with him. It's my fault for letting us underestimate his tenacity."

Penguin looked back up. "He somehow took over half of the crew's minds and made them attack us. We had no choice but to fight each other. He came when we were tired and personally dealt the finishing blows."

"He sure is a piece of garbage," Nami hissed at the thought, placing her hand on her stomach.

"Is Junior okay?!" the pirate stood with difficulty, somehow making his way over to her.

"He's fine, I think," she replied. "Hiretsuna didn't even touch me."

"Good," he breathed in relief.

The man who'd let them there came out from the back with another man dressed in a signature doctor jacket. "Hello… Who exactly are you?"

"This is my captain, who happens to also be our doctor," Penguin pointed to Law. "And this is his… Our…" He looked at Nami. "What exactly are you two at this point?"

The two looked at each other, hesitant on speaking. Clearly the status between them had changed, but they weren't about to awkwardly discuss it in front of his injured crew and a stranger.

Sensing the uncertainty, the squad leader looked back at the civilian doctor. "Let's just call her his significant other for now."

"Right…" the man looked at the woman. "Anyways, my name is Kiho Shibune. What brings you here?"

"We're here to take my crew back," Law announced. "Are there release forms?"

"Actually, they haven't been examined yet. They all just got here," he replied. "Since you're a doctor too, do you mind if we work together? I wanted to start with the more serious injuries but it looks like everyone has a few deep gashes."

"I was hoping to take them all into my medical bay and treat them myself," the captain looked closer at his crew's wounds. "I suppose it would be a lot better to keep them here until they're awake and stabilized."

"How much will this cost?" Nami asked habitually, preparing to haggle on behalf of her 'caretakers'.

"I've been told that you've taken care if Hiretsuna, so I'll do this for free."

They went to work with the woman and the barely conscious Heart pirate helping as much as they could. Between the four of them, it wasn't too long before the more serious wounds were stitched up. They were soon stabilized and ready to go whenever they woke up.

"Can we explore the town while we wait?" the woman asked hopefully, clasping her hands and giving puppy dog eyes.

Law couldn't resist her begging, giving her a light nod. "Sure, why not?"

"I think I'll just rest up here," Penguin gestured. "You two have fun."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

After a brisk walk through the town and dipping her feet in the ocean, Nami was already bored. She knew from a conversation a few days before that it wasn't safe to eat anything here, and there were no major clothing shops to even browse through. Even so, she enjoyed the downtime spent with Law, who was now a little more willing to begrudgingly let her drag him around.

They soon got an alert that the doctor's office was getting lively, and it wasn't long until they were all boarding the ship. The injured men were being helped by the grateful civilians of Sansetta, and they were sent off as heroes.

"Well, that was quite something," Nami giggled, waving goodbye until the people were out of sight.

"Sure was," Law watched her carefully, now more determined than ever to make sure she was safe at all times.

"Sadly, this isn't over yet," Ikkaku walked over to them. "We still have Hiretsuna on board."

"True… I can't exactly rest easy until he's gone," the redhead shuddered.

"We're heading straight to Komeru Island to deliver him to Hikari," the captain pointed straight where they were going. "We should arrive by tomorrow evening."

"Why couldn't she get him herself if it's so close?" asked Nami.

Law gave her a reserved look. "You should ask her yourself once we get there."

She rolled her eyes. "You guys and your secrets."

Ikkaku stepped even closer to them, turning to her captain. "Is it alright if I talk to Nami in private?"

He nodded and walked to the other side of the deck, leaning on the rail and staring into the ocean. "I'll just be over here," he called loudly.

The raven looked intently at Nami. "I kind of overheard the outburst between you and Law earlier, and I can't help but feel it's partly my fault. I can't help but think that you might have gotten the wrong idea about me."

"Okay…" the navigator felt her face flush in embarrassment and slight annoyance that she'd heard the incident.

"I don't want you to be worried about anything between me and my captain, and I can assure you nothing has happened or ever will. Despite him being a clearly attractive man, I'm actually incapable of even thinking about him that way," she assured.

"Why's that?"

"I'm a lesbian."

"Oh." Nami instantly felt stupid for having moments of being so worried and jealous.

"I actually have a girlfriend," she grinned, looking past Nami at an image in her mind. "Her name is Rochelle."

"Is she a pirate too?" the redhead inquired.

Ikkaku's face fell. "She used to be part of the Heart Pirates, but she was stolen by a bad crew. Literally. She's super beautiful, so they sold her in a human auction. I was there, but I didn't have as much money as those assholes and I ran after her without the rest of the guys…" she clenched her teeth and fists at the memory.

Nami couldn't help but remember when her friend Camie was being sold, and they almost lost her. "She wasn't bought by a Celestial Dragon, was she?"

"No, but sadly that's the only good part. The people who bought her showed up out of nowhere and left without a trace – no one knows who they are or where they came from. When I tried to follow them by myself, I got seriously injured. Hikari got really upset with Law for losing her and letting me get that hurt, and he made a deal with her to keep me as part of the crew. We're always on the lookout for information on her whereabouts…" she started to tear up. "It's been four years. I don't even know if she's even alive."

The pregnant woman pulled her into a hug. "You'll definitely find her. We can ask Robin about it too, since she knows basically everything."

"Thank you," Ikkaku sniffled. "I… I just don't want you to not trust me around Law… Even if I wasn't gay, he only has eyes for you, you know."

"I know," she rubbed her back. "I'm sorry I got a little jealous about you. I swear it's just my stupid pregnancy hormones being defensive."

"It's okay. I just want us to be good friends, even when this is all over. It must be hard to go through this on a ship you wouldn't necessarily call home," she empathised.

"Yeah… I really do like talking to you," Nami smiled, pulling away. "You're one of the only reasons I'm still sane here."

They ended up chatting happily for quite a while. Law watched them from the other side of the deck, glad that any misunderstandings were cleared up. Hopefully there would be no more unnecessary jealousy in general, but he was a little worried about when they would arrive at their next destination. He knew Nami was a very confident woman, but her hormones were slowly taking charge and there was no knowing what would set her off.

He snapped out of his thoughts at hearing her laughter, a soft smile falling on his face as he watched her. At this moment, his concerns didn't matter. The second she'd told him she loved him, the walls between them had fallen. For once, he was prepared to be honest despite his guarded nature.

He shook his head, trying to shake off his train of thought. He was Trafalgar fricken Law, the surgeon of death and one of the worst generation. When did he become so soft?

Glancing again at the women, he knew. Only she could make him think and feel all these things. The Straw Hat group really were miracle workers – one of them had somehow managed to melt his icy heart and make him want her to be his forever.

That thought made his heart almost stop. Who would rush into that mere hours after confessing their love? Idiots. That's who. And that was not who they were.

Or so he tried to convince himself.

Ikkaku glanced over his way and saw him eagerly wanting to talk to the navigator. She decided she had taken enough of her time during the romantic sunset, and made an excuse to go inside, planning to tell the crew to stay away from the deck for now.

Law silently thanked her and moved to take her spot next to Nami. "So, I guess she finally told you," he stopped beside her and leaned back against the rail.

"Why didn't you tell me she's a lesbian?" the redhead crossed her arms. "That would've saved a lot of trouble."

Law frowned. "It's not exactly my place. Besides, I already told you nothing had happened with her and we had no interest in each other. You're the one who was jealous."

She puffed up her cheeks in a pout. "I wasn't jealous until you put the thought in my head."

"Nami. I'm a doctor. Lesbian or not, she needed a pelvic exam at a point or two. I'm not going to deny my crew any medical procedures because of gender. All my practices are necessary and professional," he lectured.

She looked down, slightly ashamed of herself. He was being a great doctor to his crew, and she had to make it out to be more than it was. "I'm sorry…"

He stood from the railing and moved in front of her, taking both her hands in his and staring into her big brown eyes. "I understand how you might've thought it, though. But I promise that I'm not interested or even attracted to anyone other than you. I love you."

The sincerity in his eyes and words convinced her completely, moving her enough for her eyes to fill with tears. "I love you too."

"I'm glad." His golden eyes shimmered with a rare happiness, making it hard to tell at a glance that he was one of the most dangerous pirates on the planet. He reached out to caress her face, brushing a few strands of hair away that the wind had blown, and leaned down to kiss her.

'Maybe this is my reward for surviving such a messed up life,' he thought blissfully. Right now, nothing else mattered. It was just the two of them on the deck of a half-submerged submarine with the sounds of waves behind them. When they parted, the woman smiled at him before looking down, suddenly disheartened.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried he'd done something to mess this up.

"I… I really don't know what to do once he's born," she placed her free hand on her stomach, looking out at the ocean.

Law glanced at the bump, deciding to say what had been on his mind. "I don't think I want him to be raised on a pirate ship."

"Me neither," she agreed, feeling a bit like she was betraying her crew by saying this out loud. "I don't want him to get wrapped up in this dangerous world, at least until he knows what he's doing."

They were silent again, watching the ocean go by as the sun set across it, scattering fiery colours along the water as far as they could see. The salty wind whipped through their hair, and the spray of the ocean moistened their skin as they stood in the serene moment.

"I'll be there with you," the man broke the silence.

She turned to him, shock filling her features. "You… You can't! This is one of the reasons I didn't want to tell you the baby's yours! The Heart Pirates and the one piece are your biggest priorities. I don't want to get in the way of that. What would happen to your crew?"

He shook his head. "They already know my decision without me having to tell them. They know that no matter what happens, I will be with you. Even if that means I'm not here anymore."

Her eyes filled with tears, both at the sentiment and with frustration at herself. "I wish I could make my mind up that easily. I don't know how I could bring myself to leave my crew…"

"The Straw Hats love you, and they'll respect whatever decision you make. Especially if it's the choice to keep your child from danger," he gently rubbed her back. "If they don't support you, are they really your friends?"

"Of course they're my friends…" she trailed off, knowing that meant they would be supportive, even if it meant she would leave them for a while. Robin had even made that clear before they'd parted. Robin. "Law," she looked back up at him, hesitating with her next words. "What are your current feelings towards Dressrosa?"

"What do you mean?" he cocked his head.

"Did Doflamingo being there affect your outlook on it as a country?"

"Depends on what angle you're looking at."

"Well… I heard the marines were basically driven out a year ago since the kingdom didn't want them there, and we would be seen as heroes, especially you," she hinted. "It would be a safe and welcoming place to live, but if all you'd think about is Doflamingo, the rest doesn't matter."

"That's true…" he trailed off, knowing where she was going with this. "Let me think about it."

"No rush. We still have another five months or so," she gently patted her stomach with a giggle.

They peacefully watched the sun drift below the ocean. Neither of them wanted to go inside, but Nami's shivering with the night breeze made the doctor usher her into the warmed ship.

There were no crew members to interrupt their walk, as the majority was sleeping either in their beds or in the medical bay based on their captain's orders. The few that were alright were busy doing their jobs or their own activities.

The couple stopped in the kitchen first, finding food left out for them from Shachi. Oddly enough, he was the secondary cook of the crew if Hitode was incapacitated. He wasn't half bad, Nami had decided, but no one was near Sanji's expertise. Still, she enjoyed the delicious flavors of the fried rice that had been left for them.

After eating, they made their way to their room, deciding easily that it was time to rest. The woman felt uneasy sleeping with an enemy on board, but after Law had assured her that there was always at least one powerful fighter being stationed outside the sea stone prison, she relaxed.

Especially when she heard the current guards were Bepo and Uni. She had faith in the mink's fighting skills, having seen them a few times and especially at Zou. The whole mink tribe was naturally gifted. That adventure seemed so long ago, even though it had only been a few years.

They went straight to getting ready, falling asleep in an embrace almost as soon as they hit the bed. Finally, things seemed to be going well.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Surprise! Early chapter!

I am back in the writing/editing mood so I will still post another chapter on the 8th :) Just figured the world needed a little more joy even if it is from a short chapter.

So, Ikkaku is the one with the kidnapped girlfriend from the summary! I almost forgot to write about it in this section of author's notes. Originally, this was chapter 4 or 5 and Ikkaku had been the mysterious subject of jealousy and this was where she and Nami would officially become friends... But I love her too much to not write about her in my added chapters. She's absolutely one of my favourites on the crew and isn't shown nearly enough. Two or three times briefly is not enough! But I can project a good portion of who I would want to be on her. Brave, wild and entertaining.

Also I will not take any hate about the fact she's gay. This is a fanfic site - did anyone really expect to not come across it at some point? To those who it actually matters that much then please unfollow me and this story as I, the writer, am pan myself lol.

On a separate note, here's a "fun" fact: I started writing this plus a few more of these chapters in a notebook over the course of three months about a year ago. I can't believe I've been working on this story for so long! After all this time, I'm finally getting more of a complete picture and determined a few months ago how it will end, although there is still a long ways away.

Because it's a long ways away, I will try to push more on producing more chapters, otherwise it might be another year or two before it's complete.

Also, to those of you who are good at noticing things, I am phasing out the honorifics and will be going back and editing the previous chapters. It's become kind of a hassle to keep track of as I am Canadian and we just refer to each other as friend, pal, buddy, etc. I only did it because I find Law's '-ya' thing very cute but that's literally the only reason and the main characters are familiar enough with each other that I'm sure he'd drop it.

Please stay safe everyone! Thank you for your ongoing support!