Here it is, chapter 20! I liked writing this chapter, especially the beginning and the end. I dunno why, it was just fun. :)

So I hope you like it and thank you for all your supportive comments and reviews.

Computer –check.

Blanky – check.

Chocolate – check.

Ok, let's get this started!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Miyako.

CHAPTER 20

Miyako was sleeping soundly in her bed. It was the night before the Grand Ball, before that night, and she wasn't so thrilled. Still, there was no going back now and, besides, she would be even more angry if all her training was for naught. Yet a part of her hoped Law would find Shiori before that, though it seemed he was planning something else. He was probably more focused on finding the culprit, which would then lead him to the girl anyway.

Thankfully, Miyako had learnt to be a light sleeper so even after a hard day of Training from Hell (as she liked to call it), her tiredness didn't affect her senses completely. That's why when a shadow crept to her bed, Miyako quickly opened her eyes and rolled off the bed, dodging a spear-like weapon which stabbed the mattress. She fell off the bed and aimed a kick at the person's knee while still on the floor, which made the man jump backwards. The girl took that second to grab her katana which was leaning on the wall beside the bed and unsheathe it.

"Who are you?" Miyako whispered through gritted teeth as she looked at the man in the darkness. He was fairly large and toned. He wore all black to blend in with the darkness and there was a mask covering most of his face, only leaving his small eyes visible. *An assassin?* Miyako thought as it was the first thing that came to her mind and the man surely didn't look like an amateur.

As expected, the man didn't answer and instead rushed towards her. For a man of his size he was pretty light and quick on his feet. He wielded the spear in the air and brought it down in a slashing motion to Miyako's side, but she easily blocked with her sword. She rushed towards him, but he jumped in the air and did a somersault landing behind her and she dodged a stab at her head just in time when she turned around. The man proceeded with the stabbing attacks and Miyako dodged each one, but she couldn't do much more in the small space as she moved backwards with each thrust of his spear. The samurai felt the hard surface behind her and knew she had reached the wall. She waited for his last stab and moved her head to the side. The spear lodged into the wall and Miyako didn't intend to give him time to pull it out. She moved forward again with her katana high in the air, but before she could bring it down on his head; the man pulled the spear out and slashed at her feet. She had to jump high in the air to avoid being slashed, but without waiting, the assassin stabbed at her upwards. She deflected it with her katana, but the edge of the spear sliced at her shoulder a little, bringing a stinging sensation to her flesh.

"Tch," she clicked her tongue in annoyance as she landed on the ground and the man rushed at her once more.

However Miyako wasn't just dodging all this time, but also analyzing and remembering his moves. With that spear he only had three options; slashes at her from left or right, or stab at her. Anything else would be easily blocked or avoided and he would leave himself open. So Miyako formed a plan for each of the scenarios that could occur.

The man decided to stab at her head again, and Miyako quickly dodged to the side. As expected his next move was to slash at her from that position, but Miyako countered with her katana and deflected the spear, before crouching down and twirling around to get more force into her blow. She stood up and with the full force of her body hit him with the katana on the back of the neck, slicing through the tough surface like butter. The blood splattered on the floor and on her nightgown as the head fell down, the body soon following limp and lifeless. It fell to the ground with a thud and red liquid started flowing quickly, staining the wooden floors. The same red liquid dripped from Miyako's katana and she cleaned it on the man's black shirt.

Suddenly her doors flew open and Miyako tightened the grip on her katana with a murderous and cold look, ready for another assassin, but instead she saw Charles. There were more people behind him and Miyako realized it was the Ariyakis. Charles turned the lights on and Miyako had to blink a few times, adjusting her eyes to the brightness.

She heard a loud scream and saw Shaya look at the bloody mess in horror before passing out, but luckily mister Ariyaki caught her on time.

"W-what on earth happened here?" Tosuke Ariyaki asked, shocked, but was able to compose himself somehow.

"The same thing that happened in my room." A new voice made them look behind and saw Law walking towards the group and entered the room. He had an unsheathed nodachi in one hand, which didn't have a drop of blood on it. In the other hand he was dragging a lifeless body on the floor, holding it by the shirt. The body looked deformed, not all limbs where they should be and it was obvious Law had used his powers on the assassin.

He sighed when he saw the headless body in the room. "So yours is dead too, huh? I was hoping to get some information out of them, but the man bit his tongue as soon as he realized he lost," Law explained, looking at his dead man with a rather bored expression.

Miyako shrugged. "I didn't really have an opening to wound him, but keep him alive. It was either his death or mine," she explained. The man was skillful and quick, and the risk of holding back and capturing him alive was too great. She would have probably ended up in his place if she had tried.

Law nodded, but kept silent. His expression didn't wear a usual smirk. Instead he wore a serious face with his lips closed in a tight line. His stormy grey eyes had a darkened look in them. Miyako couldn't tell if he was deeply in thought or truly angry.

The noise attracted the staff and the rest of the Heart Pirates and soon everyone were peering at what was happening.

"What happened?" Bepo asked, trying to peer inside the room through the group of people that were blocking his view. "Captain, are you ok?"

"I'm fine Bepo. It seems the people responsible for Lady Shiori's disappearance found out about Miss Miyako and wanted to get rid of her. They've hired assassins." Law gestured at the two dead men on the floor.

"But how is that possible? We made sure to keep all of this a secret," Charles exclaimed, not comprehending the situation at all.

"Then you obviously have a spy in the mansion among you. Maybe someone in the staff," Miyako concluded.

Charles shook his head in disbelief. "But we check the help very thoroughly. Even their history." He still couldn't believe there was someone working for the culprit and also working for the Ariyaki family. How could he make such a slipup?

"Then I suggest you check again just in case, though the person obviously hid themselves well," Law noted. Meanwhile, some of his crew members searched the bodies, yet didn't find anything except some other weapons hidden on the men's robes and the map of the Ariyaki mansion with a red X sign on Miyako's room.

"W-well I believe we had enough excitement for the night. We should all get some sleep. Charles, please tell the staff to…clean that up." Shaya, who recovered from her shock, pointed at the blood and dead bodies. "And show Suzune-chan to another room." She said with a soft smile looking at Miyako, who felt a bit uncomfortable from the way Shaya addressed her, as if she was a little child.

The captain nodded. "I doubt they'll try anything else tonight, but just in case I'll tell Penguin and Shachi to take turns and guard the room."

Miyako sighed. "I can take care of myself," she muttered, but knew there was no use arguing as Law would just do what he wanted. He ignored her comment as he gave his crew orders before leaving for his room. He stopped for one second and looked back at Miyako, with an unreadable look in his eyes. Almost as if it was worry. However the girl didn't notice as she whined to Penguin and Shachi that she didn't need to be baby-sat.

~….~

"ouch!" Miyako exclaimed as Cody put alcohol on her open wound so as to clean it.

"Well stand still." Cody said, a bit annoyed at the constantly fidgeting girl.

"How will that help?" She asked rather skeptically, but obliged anyway.

"Just shut up and let him take care of it," Josh added.

"Why are you even here Shrimpy? It's just a superficial cut; one medic is more than enough," she replied with a slight glare, but way too tired to actually make it count.

This caused more bickering between them and Cody sighed with annoyance and rolled his eyes. Even the ever-patient and usually cheerful Cody had enough of his two friends fighting all the time. He knew they still cared about each other in the end, even though they would never admit it.

"Would both of you just shut up and let me work!" He yelled in frustration, finally making the two pirates stop and shut up. They were actually surprised by his raised voice.

After a few minutes of complete silence…"Your high voice sounds like a girl's," Josh commented rather bluntly and got hit in the head by a thrown object.

~…..~

Since their arrival at Howl's Island, Miyako had one misfortune after the other. It seemed the poor girl couldn't get any rest, especially with the current situation where she was forced to daily learn how to be more lady-like and had to know the whole Ariyaki history and family tree by heart. For the usually tomboyish Miyako, this was hell on earth as she walked in high-heels, wore uncomfortable dresses and studied royalty manners. And now she also had to be on her guard in case something like last night happens again.

So now, Miyako was hiding in the back garden of the mansion from Charles and the maids and also the Ariyakis who always kept an eye on her to ensure her teachings were going perfectly. Perhaps it was not the most mature thing to do, but at the moment Miyako couldn't care less, as she reached one high-heel shoe, one corset and one dress too many.

Luckily for her, the back garden was vastly large and almost made into a labyrinth with the walls of high hedges around. It looked more unattended than the rest of the mansion which gave it a sort of gothic feel. Miyako was sure it would look uncomfortably spooky here at night.

So here she was, sitting on the dying grass ground, leaning on a hedge, or at least trying while the little branches poked her back sharply. She was wearing her usual outfit, happy to feel she can actually move freely and take breaths with full lungs.

"What are you doing?"

A familiar voice startled her and made her jump in surprise a little. The girl gazed up to see Joshua standing with his arms crossed on his chest, tilting his head in question and staring back at her, though she couldn't see his eyes as they were hidden in the shadows beneath the rim of his hat.

Miyako looked up, having to squint from the bright morning sun shining in her eyes. She shielded them with her hand and tried gazing up again. "I..um….sunbathing?" She said, (though it sounded more like a question) as she tried to think of a good excuse. But what good excuse could you think of for sitting on the ground outside and looking like you're desperately trying to hide from something…or someone in this case.

As expected, Josh didn't buy it at all. He tilted his head some more and smirked evilly, a plan forming in his mind. "Sunbathing huh? Is that so…."

"Are you implying I'm not sunbathing then?" Miyako rose an eyebrow. *If I act naturally enough maybe he'll really believe it.* At least she could hope.

"I'm implying that you're a total liar," he said with a grin. "But then again, it's really nice and sunny today. So why don't I call everyone to sunbathe as well," he suggested innocently and started turning around, still grinning devilishly.

"Wait!" Miyako called, not wanting to end her peace and quiet yet, which would certainly be ruined if Josh alerts everyone where she was. The maids have probably entered her room by now in order to wake her. The girl hid a smirk as she thought how surprised they must've been when they didn't find her sleeping as usual. By now they must've notified everybody and were searching for her like mad. Miyako's smirk changed into a frown as she thought of all the fuss they were making about her these days. They made her feel like some little noble girl who needed watching over 24/7, instead of a samurai and pirate she was. "Aright, Josh, what do you want?" She asked, seeing clearly that Josh wanted something in exchange for his silence.

"5000 Beli." He said simply.

Miyako's eyes narrowed. "2000."

Josh frowned a little, seeing the girl wanted to bargain. "4200."

"2500," Miyako countered.

"3000," Josh continued.

"Deal!" The girl exclaimed before he could change his mind and they shook on it.

The pirate medic sat next to her and took a stalk of grass, bringing it to his mouth and whistling on it.

"You don't have to be here with me, you know." Miyako mumbled.

"Meh. Captain told me to keep an eye on you so you don't do anything stupid."

Miyako's face turned into a slight pout. "Stupid?" She wasn't pleased with his choice of words.

Josh only shrugged. "Ok, so he didn't say it exactly like that. But he saw that this whole ordeal took a toll on your nerves so he didn't want you to do anything too drastic, like leaving. I don't think he would like this either though." Josh grinned and Miyako just scowled. "Besides, if they're after that Shiori, you're lookalike, and they realized you're here, you could be in danger," he added.

"Oh, Joshua, so you do care!" Miyako exclaimed with a grin in a mocking and overly dramatic tone.

"Shut up! It's captain's orders!" He argued, but just a faint glint of blush appeared on his usually pale cheeks.

Miyako chuckled slightly, but stopped when she saw his death glare pointed right at her. Still, she couldn't control the constant smirk on her face.

For a while they just kept quiet. Josh continued playing with his stalk of grass and the girl stared somewhere in the distance, seemingly in thought.

"Besides...," the medic broke the silence. "I think you're not suited for this noble life anyway. This suits you much better," he said, looking at her usual clothing.

Miyako smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"And you're too vulgar for this role anyway," he just had to add.

"Shut up, Shrimp."

~….~

"What are you guys doing here?" Cody suddenly appeared and put his hands on his hips, looking like a mother who was about to scold her children.

"Sunbathing," Miyako and Josh answered at the same time calmly and unfazed by Cody's reprimanding look.

"wha-?" Cody stared with a puzzled expression, but decided it was probably better for his sanity not to ask. So he just shook his head with a sigh. "Miyako, you know you should be inside. Breakfast will be starting soon and everybody's worried and searching for you. We thought Shiori's kidnappers are after you again."

The samurai sighed. "I'm sorry Cody. I know it was childish of me, but-" She didn't have time to finish or explain herself as a deep and cold voice cut her off.

"Yes, it was, Miss Miyako." Law appeared with narrowed eyes, piercing her with his gaze. Bepo was silently walking behind him, holding his nodachi.

*Oh boy, I'm in trouble now.* Miyako gulped and bit her lip, knowing her captain was probably mad.

On her surprise, he just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a while. "Let's go." Miyako blinked at him confused. *He's taking this rather well.* He did however, glare at Josh who stiffened and quickly got up, pulling Miyako by the arm as well and back on her feet.

"Mister Josh, I'll have a word with you later. If I remember correctly, I specifically told you to stop Miss Miyako from doing something like this."

"S-Sorry captain." The medical assistant gulped. Even the usually hotheaded and confident Joshua couldn't do more than bow his head in shame and gulp under his captain's piercing gaze. Law didn't have to use fear to earn the respect of his crew, but they were still well aware how frightening he could be when angered. So the medic quickly walked away along with Cody who elbowed him in the ribs, calling him an "Idiot" silently. However he still managed to whisper to Miyako, "You still owe me 3000 Beli." Miyako rolled her eyes at the comment and started walking with Law next to her.

"I thought you would be angrier." She broke the silence as she remarked rather bluntly. She knew it would perhaps be wiser to stay quiet and obedient, not provoking him, yet she couldn't help but be curious why he wasn't giving her his usual death glare by now.

Instead, the pirate just sighed. "I understand you aren't really happy with the part you have to play here. Especially you…"

Miyako blinked at his last statement, confused at first about what he was talking about, but then she remembered how she told him she was never a kind of person to enjoy such lady-like behavior that was always forced upon her. And this time there was nowhere to run.

"I know you need some peace and quiet as well, in these times, but don't worry m-…everybody so much. " Law corrected himself while talking. The girl was completely taken aback by his understanding speech. However she almost fell on her face when he continued, "But if you do a stunt like this again and disappear without telling me, your captain, you will wake up on my operating table." The tone turned more warning-like and Miyako knew there was no uncertainty about whether he was serious or not.

*Figures,* she though with a sweat-drop and made a displeased expression. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered the nightmare she had not too long ago, about Law experimenting on her. However, this sounded more like the smug and snarky pirate captain she knew.

~….~

And finally the dreaded night arrived. The evening of the Gala night and the Grand Ball. Miyako could already hear the music in the large ballroom where she had her dance lessons. She was however still in her's, or rather Shiori's room, getting ready for the dance with a little help from the two maids.

What infuriated her the most was that Law still didn't want to revel his plan, which was about to occur tonight. He loved to keep these things to himself as if he found pleasure in people's shocked faces once his plan turned successful. He was always so secretive and mysterious…most girls found such traits attractive or even irresistible, but Miyako could only see danger in such character. She was a woman who liked to know what was going on around her, to have the situation always under control and not let anything surprise her. Yet Law was the first and only man she met, who could turn all that upside down and make her as uncertain and flustered as a naïve little maiden she was supposed to be tonight. She hated when she couldn't read what he was thinking or when she didn't know his plans and tonight was one of those nights.

However, the girl did have some idea what was to come tonight. Whoever was responsible for Shiori's disappearance will most probably be here tonight and what a surprise they will get when they see the missing Lady alive and well, here at the ball. There was a risk that they will try to reveal her, of course, but even if they do, it will prove that they were behind it all since only they would know the truth. Miyako smirked at her reflection, not because of the way she looked at the moment, but because of the thought of that person having the surprise of their lifetime.

But the reflection did attract her eyes towards the mirror and herself in it. She stared at her long hair which fell loose on her shoulders and down her back, only a part of it pulled backwards and tied with a black ribbon. The dress was black as well, going perfectly with the curves of her upper body (But thankfully no bone-crushing corset this time) then widening slightly after her waist and falling down just barely above the floor. The back of the dress was a bit longer and fell on the floor, dragging behind her as she walked in her black strapped high-heels. The dress was sleeves and left the upper chest, shoulder and lower back bare as it ended low on her back. All in all, the dress was simple, but that's how she liked it. Shaya and Charles let her pick the dress for the ball and this was the only one that didn't seem too extravagant or hard to move in. Also, the black color expressed the bright golden of her eyes. On her arms she had black silk gloves, reaching high and covering her arms. She took her red ribbon thinking what to do with it and in the end decided to add just a little bit of color to her looks, so she tied it around her neck and made a small bow on the back, as its ends fluttered behind. There was also a blood red color on her lips, the only make-up she accepted to put on. The only slight flaw was the bandage around her left shoulder where she got cut by the assassin, but she already had a story prepared in case anyone asks.

~…~

"Master and Mistress Ariyaki and their lovely daughter Shiori." Charles exclaimed rather loudly, bring the attention of the full ballroom to the three people standing at the doorway. Miyako's gaze darted around the brightly lit, decorated room in search for her crew and saw some of the crew members dressed in suits and pretending to be the staff. Obviously they were there to keep an eye on her in case someone would try to harm her tonight. But there was no sign of Law and his first mate, Bepo.

"Where's the captain?" Miyako whispered to Shaya.

"Oh, he said he'll lay low since he is a rather famous pirate now and it would be hard to explain what he is doing here in our mansion." Shaya shrugged with a wave of her hand. She didn't seem very interested in Law's plans so far and rather greeted everyone with a bright smile.

Miyako was left to socialize with the crowd and dance with the young men as it was the "proper behavior" as the Ariyakis always called it. The couple was doing the same, talking to some businessmen and their wives. But all in all, it was hard for Miyako to notice someone acting strangely or suspiciously. *Still, that person must be here…and the Red Baron.* She didn't forget about the mysterious name in Shiori's letters.

~…..~

Law was leaning against the wall behind a big red curtain that separated the main ballroom from the back room where the staff was. Bepo was by his side, holding his nodachi and looking at the ballroom in awe as the colorful people chatted, danced and twirled all around. He watched his samurai girl play her role perfectly and couldn't stop a small smirk from forming on his face. *Well for someone who was against this so much, you're quite good at it.* He had to admit though, the girl looked quite beautiful in her new attire, though she didn't need a fancy dress to look beautiful to begin with. Law cleared his throat, clearing his mind of such thoughts as well. There was no time for something like this and instead he focused on the crowed of nobles around them, examining every suspect. Though he already knew, by the end of this night, the culprit will be in his hands. His plans never failed after all.

Law grinned. *Let the games begin.*

~…..~

Miyako sighed as she stood at the buffet, bored as hell. She turned on her heel while looking at the crowed and bumped into someone. Quickly turning around to apologize, she noticed it was one of the waiters. "Oh, I'm sorry," she breathed out.

"Oh that's quite alright Lady Shiori-sama." The young man gave her a bright smile, which reminded her of the ones Cody always gave her. So maybe this guy was also a cheerful person like the certain medic pirate she knew. The young man had wild blonde hair that looked as if he tried to comb it into order but failed, and the most bright, warm blue eyes with an equally bright smile to match.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Lady?" He asked with the smile still present.

"Yes, thank you. Everything is perfect." Miyako lied with a smile of her own, though hers was fake even though that couldn't be visible as she hid her boredom behind her act. At least she could relax with this guy since he wasn't one of the royals so he wasn't a suspect. That made her feel a bit more at ease.

"Ah, that reminds me!" He quickly said with a thoughtful look and Miyako looked at him with a questioning gaze.

The young man handed her a small piece of paper, rather secretly she noted, and smiled. "This was given to me by one of the royals, he said it was for you."

Miyako took the paper and opened it. It was a note. "Meet me at the back garden in 5 minutes. Signed: Red Baron." Miyako read silently and her eyes widened at the name in the end, written in the same blood red ink as Shiori's love letters. She snapped her head up with her mouth open, ready to ask the waiter; who gave this to him and what did he look like, but she found herself all alone, the young man nowhere in sight.

*Well this is probably a trap but…I have to go if I want to find out where Shiori is.* She gripped the piece of paper tightly in her gloved hand and headed for the back entrance, which was usually used by the staff. She wanted to notify Law, but he was nowhere in sight and she had no time to waste so she snuck out of the room quickly.

~….~

Law's eyes narrowed a little when he saw the young waiter giving Miyako a small piece of paper after flashing her some flirty, bright smiles that almost made the captain gag. He watched the man carefully when he hurriedly left and went out of the ballroom, but that was Law's mistake. When he returned his gaze to where Miyako was standing just seconds ago, his eyes widened. The girl was nowhere in sight and as he scanned the rest of the big ballroom, she was nowhere to be found.

"Damn." He cursed under his breath, something very out of character for him.

Bepo immediately picked up on the word, seeing his captain's unusual behavior, and came closer. "What's wrong captain?"

"Miyako's gone." Law blankly stated and peeled himself from the wall he was leaning against.

"Wha-?" Bepo begun to say, but couldn't finish the question as Law was already moving and walking over to the rest of his crew, giving them orders to search the mansion and find a certain troublemaker of a samurai.

~…..~

The samurai shivered at the chilly air around her, now that she was outside. It was a moonless night and the dark was giving her trouble seeing as she tried to peer in the black abyss in front of her. She stepped a bit closer and went inside the hedge maze.

"Hello? Red Baron?" She called out, but got no answer. Miyako had a very very bad feeling about all this and she never missed her katana more.

She walked even further and suddenly heard a sound of a twig breaking ahead. Her eyes narrowed a little because of the suspicious sound, but also because she was trying hard to see in the dark as if she was trying to evolve her vision into a cat-like one which can easily see in the darkness. She walked forward, deeper into the garden and then heard another twig breaking as if the sounds were guiding her...but towards what?

She glanced around and suddenly realized how different this part of the Ariyaki estate was. Whilst the mansion was nicely lit and decorated, and the front garden was well taken care of, this place looked almost devoid of human touch. The trees looked barren and instead of roses and flowers, there were only roots and weed. The hedges were the only things in the garden that were cut properly, to make an endless maze through the garden.

Screeeeech. A loud screeching sound made Miyako flinch and she started walking towards it, quickening her step as she went. The sound was constant and almost in a pattern. A cold wind blew and Miyako put her arms around herself, searching for warmth. The music coming from the mansion was getting softer as she walked further away. Suddenly she came to a stop as she saw something that looked like the family crypt. The iron gates were open and slowly moved on the wind, making the rusty piece of iron screech constantly. At least she realized where the noise was coming from. She walked towards it with a careful step and peered inside, but needed a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Even when they did, it didn't help her much in the end. Inside was a stone statue and flowers around it, long dead just like the person that was resting here. A big stone coffin was next to the wall, but Miyako couldn't see any writings on it about who was inside. That's when she noticed a slight breeze coming from the far corner of the room. Squinting her eyes more, she walked towards it and realized there was a passageway leading downwards. There was no light of any kind and it was hard to see, but Miyako took a deep breath and walked inside, moving some cobwebs on the way.

A dramatic ending! Where is Miyako going? What will she find? Stay tuned to find out in the next chapter! (hahah I sound like some cliffhanger ending in a TV show. XD)

Finally another fighting scene! I love writing fighting scenes; I should do it more often. :D Well from this chapter onward, there should be more action as it's nearing the culmination.

Also I'm thinking if I should name some special techniques Miyako uses (like Zoro and everyone else has in One Piece), but then again it would sound kinda silly if she would yell out the name every time she attacks someone like they do in the anime. ^^'

So I hope you enjoyed the chapter and see ya soon. :) I'll probably publish the next one tomorrow though it's still uncertain since I have to finish it first. (And I just started XD)