I'm slowly approaching the end of this fic and I must admit that I hadn't expected it to be this long when I started writing it, according to my calculations, there are about fifteen chapters left. Anyway, I'm taking advantage of the fact that I'm in the mood to write and I will do my best not to disappear for a long time and update regularly.
Chapter 33: Proposal.
"This is how we are going to proceed with our plan." Law finished explaining the plan to the men who were listening silently. He was standing in front of them like a teacher to have their full attention because he did not like wasting his time repeating, that is why, he tried very hard to be very clear, knowing that his allies had much more muscles in the brain instead of neurons.
The war between Kaido and Shanks had escalated and the whole new world was in a mess because of it, the positive point in this whole situation was that Doflamingo was busy with his ally the emperor. It was the moment of inattention that Law had been waiting for a long time; an occasion like this will never happen again, not even in a dream, that's why it was impossible for the surgeon of death to miss it. He had decided to put his plans into action and put an end to the Donquixote Family once and for all. He needed to free himself from the chains that bound him to Doflamingo and crushing him would be a big step towards dominating the new world.
In addition, one of his informants had informed him that Doflamingo had discovered his schemes because of the incident with Crocodile, which meant that now he couldn't keep playing the stooge because the man didn't trust him anymore. There was also Hawkins who was always wandering around in the wild with the intention of harming Law, the man who knows everything was nowhere to be found.
"Finally the time to fight has come." Luffy smiled as he nudged the green haired man sitting next to him, he couldn't hold back his excitement any longer because he had complied with Law's order by remaining silent while he explained his plan to them.
"My swords were starting to rust." Zoro smiled back, his eyes rejoicing at the future action.
"Remember the most important thing is to comply with the plan," Law snapped with a frown, feeling that the trouble had just started before the operation even started. "You don't have to rush headlong."
"Yeah yeah, don't worry Trafalgar, everything will go as planned." Kid pretended to reassure him, which was not believable because of the sadistic expression on the redhead's face.
"The last time the plan was neglected, I almost died and I dare not even say what happened after." Law pointed with an arched eyebrow, feigning anger as he narrowed his eyes.
"It wasn't our fault, the guy was cunning and he hid well." Zoro defended himself as he knew he was somehow responsible for the boat incident, it was his mission to deal with Crocodile's men.
"And this time it's more difficult because the first phase of the plan is based on discretion and I know that's not your strong point," Law groaned when he already knew he was talking in a vacuum. "After that, you can go wild as you want."
"Did it get into your tough head now?" Sanji asked Zoro, looking at him with his visible eye defiantly.
"Think for yourself shitty cook," Zoro spat as a tick appeared on his forehead. "Your place is in the kitchen, not in the battlefields."
"Repeat that you Marimo." Sanji growled at his regular opponent before charging at him with a kick that smashed the chair Zoro was sitting on before dodging the attack, nearly hitting Usopp who was sitting between them.
"You are going to stop bickering now," Law yelled as his patience hit rock bottom, which is why he decided to end the meeting as soon as possible. "Listen to me now, we're going to put the plan into action in a month." He added irritably seeing that the two men had continued their useless fight.
"A month is way too long." Kid commented with a frown.
"We are already ready to attack, I don't see why wait?" Killer remarked with a neutral tone as usual.
"There's something I need to do first," Law replied, making an effort to sound as professional as before because he wasn't going to say he was going to settle a matter of the heart, that would really be a shame. "I have a very important trip that I cannot delay."
"Okay," Luffy nodded seriously, which was a very rare and very weird moment at the same time. "It's important to you, so you have to do it before we go to war." He added with the same tone.
"After you said it like that, it's true we're going to war, which means we might die," Usopp started shaking looking at his boss with fear. "It is better to do like Torao and take advantage of this month which could be the last of our lives."
"We are leaving," Law ordered his two subordinates, waving at them to follow him. "We keep in touch." He addressed his allies before he started to exit Kid's headquarters.
If someone had told him he was going to do such a romantic thing, Law probably would have laughed at the poor stupid person who dared to say that nonsense. Who would have thought that he would become so soft because of a certain woman with red hair, he was narcotized by her and unfortunately Nami had become an obsession for him. Even after more than two months of separation, he did not go a day without thinking of her and without feeling the constant lack of being with her, this is why he decided to visit her before he goes to war where he may lose his life, he did not want to die with regret.
For Law there was no turning back because he was determined to make Nami his for real and even if he wanted to give up, he had already arrived at his destination and he was walking through a tangerine field towards the small house at the end. The flesh-and-blood surgeon of death felt that his heart was going to burst out of his chest because of its rapid beating.
Clutching the box in his pocket as a reminder of the mission he had come to do, Law still couldn't believe he was about to propose to the woman, that's why he avoided thinking about it. Even Corazon had been shocked when he informed him of his intention, the blond haired man's facial muscles tensed as his mouth dropped, it took him several minutes to collect his mind and be able to utter something incomprehensible words in prehistoric language. Law remained anguished until the man who raised him declared his agreement to the marriage with a wide smile, relieving the surgeon of death.
Now there was only the agreement of the main concerned in the story and it was a difficult thing to have because Nami was an unpredictable woman, that's why Law dreaded her answer and he was ready for all the possibilities.
When he arrived at the front door of Nami's house, Law hesitated to knock as he glanced at his watch, he winced when he saw that it was almost nine o'clock at night and he began to think that it would be better to come back the next day because it was not a suitable time to visit. But when the pain of missing Nami awoke in his chest, Law regained his courage and he ended up knocking on the wooden door. The knocks were a bit too loud, prompting a scream from a female voice that didn't belong to Nami from inside before the door slammed open.
"Do you want to break the door or what?" The blue-haired woman shouted before frowning in confusion upon seeing the unfamiliar man in front of her. "I forgive you because you are a handsome," She lowered the tone of her voice as a smirk formed on her lips, her eyes scanning the man from top to bottom. "May I know the reason for your visit, beautiful stranger?" She asked when Law remained silent.
"I came to see Nami-ya." He rushed to reply after he noticed Nojiko flirting with him openly, he internally laughed as he remembered Nami's reaction the day they met, apparently she shared the same mannerisms with her sister.
"It's a shame," Nojiko hissed, feigning disappointment. "My little sister is really lucky." She leaned against the doorframe as she puffed out her cheeks.
"Is she here?" Law asked when he noticed the woman watching him waiting for him to say something.
"Yeah," She nodded before squinting. "But first, are you going to tell me who you are?"
"I forgot to introduce myself," He thought aloud, he felt a bit silly to show up at people's house at a late hour and start chatting with the woman when he was a stranger to her, apparently Nojiko was reckless like her sister because she opened the door to an unknown man at night. "I'm Trafalgar Law, nice to meet you."
"I'm Nojiko, Nami's sister," She introduced herself before stifling her laughter with her hand. "I must admit that I am very delighted to finally meet you, I have heard a lot about you."
"I hope that's some praise you've heard about me." He commented as he felt delighted that Nami told her sister about him.
"A little," Nojiko said, straightening her posture. "We're not going to spend the night chatting on the doorstep, come in."
Law accepted the invitation silently and entered the house without waiting, he found himself directly in a hall which was apparently the living room. With his golden eyes he searched the room for the red-haired woman but was disappointed when he couldn't find her.
"Don't be shy, sit down," Nojiko gestured for him to sit in the spot next to her on the couch. "Nami is sleeping in her room," She stated after he sat down. "She is going through a difficult time because of her addiction."
"Is she on drugs again?!" He exclaimed loudly.
"From time to time, she has reduced the dose but she takes sleeping pills to replace it, which is why she spends her time sleeping," Nojiko explained before heaving a sigh, the expression on her face becoming more and more depressed as she spoke. "When she came back, I thought she had overcome her addiction, but after a few days she finally confessed that she was still taking drugs."
"Damn," He groaned as irritation skyrocketed inside of him. "I thought when she got home she wanted to live normally, so why did she fall back into drugs again?" He was talking a lot more to himself instead of with the woman.
"I believed that too," She whispered sadly. "I'm watching my sister wither before my eyes and I'm unable to do anything to save her," Her voice quivered with every word she said. "She refuses to do a rehab, ah I don't know what to do with her anymore..."
"Can I see her?" Law asked interrupting Nojiko as the concern he felt for Nami could no longer be ignored, it was like a tornado tearing his chest apart as it unleashed.
"Yes of course," She agreed without hesitation as she nodded her head frantically. "I'm sure she'll be very happy to see you because she talks about you all the time," She added before getting up. "She misses you very much."
Law was unable to make a verbal remark about what he had just heard, so he remained silent and followed Nojiko to Nami's room.
"Go ahead." She whispered as she opened the door, winking at him before returning to the living room.
Law entered the darkened room quietly, careful not to make any noise so as not to frighten the sleeping woman by waking her up abruptly. But when he realized he was unable to see anything even after accustoming his eyes to the darkness, the man decided to turn on the light even though it would bother Nami, anyway he was going to wake her up.
Now that he could see his surroundings, Law closed the door and rushed to the bed occupied by the woman he loved. As he was standing next to her, he noticed that Nami was fast asleep because she wasn't even disturbed by the lighted lamp above her.
He couldn't stop his right hand which had gone out of control, caressing Nami's face without further ado. A smile crept onto his face as he felt the soft skin he had longed to touch a thousand times.
Nami moaned when Law's hand moved down to her neck and her eyes tried to open but failed due to the light blinding her, she started scratching at them as she woke up from her sleep.
Law stopped petting her when he noticed she was finally going to wake up and waited for her to notice his presence.
With the back of her hand, the woman rubbed her face to drive away sleep and yawned heavily. When she lowered her hand, her chocolate brown eyes widened as they landed on Law and she continued to stare at him with a look of confusion on her face.
"Are you real or a hallucination?" Nami asked after the moment of eye contact lingered a bit.
"It's up to you to judge." He whispered as he stroked her cheek to prove he was real.
"Law," She gasped as she slowly sat up. "You are here!" She rejoiced with a smile on her face, tears started to well up in her wide eyes.
Without further ado, Nami lunged at the man wrapping her arms around him in a hug, burying her face in his chest. Law hugged her back and he placed a series of soft kisses on the redhead's head, inhaling the scent of her silky hair that he had missed so much.
"Law!" His name once again escaped the woman's lips as she pulled away from the embrace to look at him.
"Nami," He responded by calling her name, brushing the tears from the woman's face with his thumb. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," She whispered before hugging him again. "I thought you forgot me and that I will never see you again." She exploded in a wave of tears.
"How could I forget the woman who haunts me all the time?" He pulled her away from him, grabbing her by the shoulders; he looked at her with a soft smile to reassure her. "You know very well that I love you."
"I love you too." She said as the expression on her face became relieved.
Law leaned towards her and captured her lips with his, kissing her with ardor and passion. They were so focused in their hungry kiss, the two didn't even notice that they changed position and were now lying on the bed one above the other. They regained consciousness when their mouths parted, staring into each other's eyes as their breaths intertwined.
"I have an important thing to ask you," Law said before looking seriously at the woman lying under him when he remembered the discussion he had had with Nojiko. "But before that, I would like to talk about your addiction."
"Please Law, I don't want to talk about this at a time like this," Nami looked away as she frowned. "What do you want to ask me?"
"Nami!" He called her with a mock stern tone. "Why did you fall back into drugs?"
"Because," She began before looking him in the eye. "Because I suffer." She hissed through her teeth.
"You're home and away from crime," Law tried to encourage Nami by reminding her of the bright side. "You are at peace now, that's what you always wanted."
"I know, but unfortunately I can't forget my past and pretend it's a bad dream," Nami exploded talking emotionally. "Plus my brain is torturing me if I don't chemically calm it down, so I have no other choice." She paused to stifle a sob that was in danger of escaping. "But I swear to you that I'm doing everything I can to cure my addiction."
"Alright." He smiled at her before stealing a kiss to soothe her.
"What is the important thing you wanted to ask me?" She raised an eyebrow, looking at him curiously.
"I just wanted to ask you if you want to marry me." He replied normally, as if he was saying something meaningless because he was not the type of man to follow romantic customs, he was never going to get down on his knees to beg a woman.
"What?!" Nami asked in surprise, her eyes becoming like saucers. "Are you serious?"
"Yes I'm serious," He nodded before straightening up to sit down, then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the box that contained the diamond ring he had bought especially for the woman. "Do you believe me now?" He added as he opened the box.
"Oh," She groaned as she sat down in turn, staring at the ring that shone inside the box. "You can't be more emotional and speak with a proper way when you propose to a woman." She screamed with a tick on her forehead.
"Where is the problem in my way of speaking?"
"You dare to ask?!"
"Because I don't understand why you're angry."
"Normally a marriage proposal must be magical!"
"I am not a romantic man."
"But your declaration of love was breathtaking, you threw a poem just to tell me that you love me!"
"It wasn't a poem, I just said what was in my heart without thinking."
"You should have done the same in your marriage proposal," Nami continued the debate crossing her arms. "Because I must say that no woman will accept to marry you if you ask in such a cold way."
"So your answer is no." Law concluded with a disappointed voice.
"You..."
"Why the hell are you fighting?" Nojiko screamed as she suddenly entered the room. "I thought you were going to do what lovers do after a long separation!" She scolded them as if talking to two children, but when her eyes noticed the contents of the box in Law's hand, she couldn't help snatching it from his hand. "Oh my god, a marriage proposal."
"Yes, a very romantic marriage proposal." Nami replied sarcastically, giving Law a sly look.
"What did you answer?" Nojiko asked trembling with excitement, but fear at the same time because she knew what Law's profession was.
"She's not very happy." Law groaned as his head began to ache from the turn of the event, he felt bad despite preparing to be rejected.
"Because you asked me coldly," Nami retorted before sticking her tongue out like a kid. "Besides who told you that I don't want to marry you."
"So?" He looked at her with an arched eyebrow, feeling hope rising within him.
"My answer is yes!" Nami spat forcefully. "I accept to marry you."
"Damn," Nojiko swore as her eyes flashed with emotion, her excited side had gotten the better of her. "Put the ring on her finger." She ordered Law returning the box.
Law quickly executed, grabbing Nami's hand and putting the ring on her finger which now represented that they were engaged.
"Congratulations." Nojiko clapped her hands.
"So," Law began after coughing uncomfortably, feeling embarrassed. "I'll pick you up tomorrow." He added as he stood up.
"Take me where?" Nami asked confused.
"To go get married." He answered quietly, knowing in advance that the redhead wouldn't appreciate what he said, Law knew that women like big wedding parties and all that.
"What?!" Nami and Nojiko cried out in unison.
"I want to get married as soon as possible, which is tomorrow," He explained before leaning towards Nami. "I can't bear to wait any longer." He whispered in her ear, making her blush.
"Do you really want to get married tomorrow?" Nami asked when her embarrassment subsided.
"Yes," He nodded as he sat up. "I am very serious."
"You all planned before you proposed to me," Nami sighed, chewing her lips. "I don't even have a wedding dress to put on in my own wedding." She mumbled, glaring at the man.
"Don't worry about it, Ikkaku-ya and Lamy have all prepared." Law replied with his typical smirk.
"I see I'm the last person to know I'm getting married tomorrow," The redhead commented after bursting out laughing. "I wonder what would have happened if I rejected you."
"Wait a second," Nojiko drew their attention to her. "Are you serious? Are you really getting married tomorrow?"
"Yes." The couple nodded in agreement.
"You are really sick," Nojiko shrugged as she continued to stare at them as if they were weird creatures. "This is not something to be taken lightly."
"I'll let you sleep so you'll be fine tomorrow," Law said ignoring the blue haired woman. "Have a good night dear future wife."
"Good night to you too," Nami replied as she stood up, giving the man a goodbye kiss. "Dear future husband." She added when their lips parted.
Law couldn't resist kissing Nami one more time before leaving. He couldn't believe it wasn't a dream and he was with the woman he loved for real.
