I don't like you! by BloodyMarryMe

Yay, I uploaded sooner than I thought. I thought I'd need more time but I decided I want to put it up today. (ok well technically it's the next day since it's 2.30am but never mind the details. ^^')

So it's the last chapter in the Howl's Island arc and I hope you'll like it. Though I'm sure most of you already realized what the explanation will be of the whole thing but perhaps there are still a few surprises in it. :D

Well without further ado, let's go! :)

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

This story is and is rated T for blood and language (mostly blood).

CHAPTER 23

"Your husband?" Miyako couldn't help sounding surprised as her voice rose a few tones.

Shiori only nodded, fiddling with her wedding dress.

"Could you explain that a little Miss Shiori?" Law asked, as surprised as Miyako, but not one to show it so clearly.

"W-Well..it all started about a month ago." Shiori begun, taking a deep breath but more to calm down than prepare for her speech. "At first it was just the latters. Oh, but they were wonderful; full of both poetry and prose. So full of emotions and promises." Her tone rose a little in excitement as she was obviously remembering the content of those letters that moved her greatly.

Now, Miyako too read the same letters but she really didn't see it the way Shiori did. To her it looked too forced and extravagant, too mushy. So as Shiori talked, she made a little gaging move with a finger in her mouth, indicating what she thought of those "wonderful" latters. However, Law instantly gave her a warning look and she became serious in an instant. It was obvious he was still agitated, especially with that blond guy right next to him and it was not wise to anger Law further. Even Miyako knew that.

Meanwhile, Shiori continued. "The letters never revealed the person's true name; it was always signed as 'Red Baron'. But father didn't like it…he was suspicious of this secret admirer and tried to throw the letters away. I begged him not to, if I could only keep that little memento for myself...and he agreed. I thought I would never hear from the Red Baron again, but then one day I found a letter on my windowsill, which was weird since I lived on the third floor of the mansion. The letter was from the same person and said to meet in the back garden, at 2am when everyone will be asleep. And so I did. Oh and when I finally saw him…I fell in love instantly."

Miyako couldn't contain the urge to roll her eyes so she did.

Shiori continued, not seeing Miyako's actions nor anyone else's. By now she was only focused on the blonde in front of them, whose glare darkened by the second. "We started meeting every night at the same time in the back garden and little by little we fell in love. But Kuro-san said he wasn't from a wealthy family, he said he was a noble only in name, and because of that my father would never approve of me marrying him. But I knew Kuro-san wasn't here for my money, he told me such beautiful things it had to be true love. The way he behaved...it wasn't just an act. Or at least that's what I thought." She added the last statement sadly with a heartbroken look. "After a few weeks, he proposed we elope together, to live happily away from all this. If I hadn't, eventually I would have to marry some nobleman out of interest and not love…the thought of that and leaving Kuro was enough to want to run as far away as possible. And so I took my mother's wedding dress and some gold and waited at our usual spot. And when he finally came, I was so happy. He started leading me deeper into the garden and I couldn't understand why. He told me it was a surprise and I trusted him. He led me to the old crypt, then inside and into a passageway. He had said he arranged for a priest and ceremony to be held there. I didn't even know there was such a place beneath our mansion, so I just followed him blindly."

Shiori took a deep breath to calm herself once again, and a few sobs escaped with it. Miyako and Law didn't rush her, though Kuro, or rather Jonny leaned against the wall with his shoulder, looking bored. There was not even an ounce of emotion or regret written on his face.

The Lady started talking once again. "He had a minister prepared for a ceremony. And even a witness...he said it was one of his staff from the house who supported us. But I suppose it was just one of his henchmen. I was so happy when we said our vows and got married. But then, after the ceremony….everything became black." Fresh tears started running down her face. "When I woke up I was in this coffin, and Kuro would only come to give me food and water." She turned towards her husband again, now losing all control and yelling with tears falling down her face "Why, Kuro-san? I don't understand. Why?"

Before Kuro could answer, Law interrupted. "Because of the money. Because, now as your husband if something happens to you, he inherits it all. The only reason you're still alive is because he kept you as insurance, if anything goes wrong, so he can have you as his hostage."

Shiori gulped at the pirate's explanation, never taking her eyes off the blonde.

The said blonde rolled his eyes, obviously sick and tired with the whole scene. "This is sooo boring, people. And Shiori, you really never knew when to shut up…you just had to tell them my whole plan, hm? It's your own fault anyway, for being so naïve. You should've listened to your daddy instead." He grinned viciously.

Miyako crossed her arms on her chest and stared at Jonny with a raised eyebrow. "Who are you anyway?"

He just smirked, obviously not wanting to tell them anything. He wasn't one of those villains who had the urge to spill their guts and all their plans to the enemy in some dramatic speech. Unfortunately, he didn't have to since Shiori decided to do that for him. This thought made Jonny's smirk fall into a frown. Oh, how he couldn't stand the girl and all that sappy romance he was forced to perform. He wanted to gag as those mushy words came out of his mouth. But it was her plan. And he had to admit…it worked. Well, until these meddling people came into town.

Then Law smirked for the first time since they arrived in this room. "Oh I know who you are," he said simply. The smirk never leaving him, happy to see the blonde's surprised expression. "It's not like my crew and I did nothing while on this island. My crew is very good when it comes to gathering information".

He then pulled out a piece of paper and opened it, showing it was an article taken from the newspaper. The article read, "Mafia causes another uproar in town; Jonny Costa, released because of lack of evidence."

Law's smirk got wider when he saw Jonny's surprised and slightly paler face, his blue eyes wide behind his yellow-tinted sunglasses that looked more for show than actual purpose.

"You were careless." Law smirked. "Kuro was just a fake name he used while playing the Red Baron, a poor noble. The truth is, he is the son of an underground Mafia boss that is quite feared in these parts. Since the Ariyaki family owns a lot of stocks and businesses here in Maple town, it would be perfect if his plan had worked and Jonny got all of the inheritance. Then the Mafia would practically have the whole town in their hands." Law explained further.

The blonde managed to compose himself and huffed in annoyance, moving some of his hair from his face. "What do you mean if it had worked? Nothing's over yet and it will work! I'll make my father proud, you'll see."

"There's still something I don't understand…how did he manage to do all this? He had to have inside help. How did the letter come onto Shiori's windowsill? Surely it would have to be put there by someone coming from the inside. And how did he know about me and how the mansion looked from the inside when he gave those assassins instructions to our rooms? He was never inside the mansion; if he were, it would be too great of a risk if somebody recognized him. And how did he pass the checking for all staff when he worked as a waiter tonight? Charles said he would check each staff member, especially the ones working tonight at the Grand ball." Miyako asked question after question, still with crossed arms. "There is only one explanation…"

Before she could continue, Law ended her thought: "He had help from the inside. Somebody in the mansion is involved."

"No, but our staff would never-" Shiori tried to protest, but was cut off by Law.

"No. It had to be someone of a higher position in the mansion if they managed to get Jonny in the ballroom and working as a waiter. I now he didn't sneak in because both the mansion guards and my crew guarded every doorway and window where he could sneak in. They would notice anything strange."

But that only leaves three people; Charles, Lady Shaya and Father." Shiori concluded. Both Miyako and Law looked at her strangely as to how she addressed her mother, but they didn't have time to ask about that. Because Jonny had enough. They were obviously too close to the truth for his liking and he had to put a stop to this.

"That's enough! You lot already know too much! Now you die!" He yelled and snapped his fingers, signaling his men to jump down from seemingly nowhere. There were 20 of them.

"Miss Shiori, step back." Law instantly pulled out his nodachi as he lightly pushed the young girl behind him. Miyako stepped forward next to Law, in a battojutsu stance. The enemy wasted no time as they attacked the two pirates.

Law made his blue sphere with one hand and slashed with his nodachi with the other. The assassins, however, knew about his powers this time and instantly jumped upwards, dodging the attack. Some weren't that lucky though, so he still managed to slice five of them in half.

Miyako rushed ahead, dodging a sword to turn around and stab the first assassin in the side. Then turned around again to block a spear, pushing it to the side, leaving the man wide open for a slash in the chest. She never stopped going forward as she continued to cut through the men. She noticed that these men were weaker than the ones from before, luckily for her and her injured shoulder.

Meanwhile, one of the assassins managed to get close to Law and attacked with an axe from behind. However, the pirate blocked the attack easily and pushed the attacker away before slicing at him and cutting his throat. It was obvious Law was good even without his Fruit powers, though that was the first time Miyako saw her captain bloodied his sword.

She didn't have much time to dwell on Law's strength as she had a fight of her own to finish. She ducked, a sword passing right above her head, and stabbed the man in the throat before pulling it out to block another sword coming at her right.

As the battle continued, in Law's and Miyako's favor, Jonny's face became more and more agitated. He didn't like where this was going. While the couple was busy fighting, the blonde slowly unsheathed his sword with a menacing glare.

~….~

"Shambles." Law was playing with his freshly cut bodies before him. Their body parts flew around as he moved his hands, placing one arm in place of another man's head while a weapon, which was lying on the floor, now replaced an assassin's leg. Law smirked as he continued playing with the screaming men as if they were ragged dolls. An arm instead of a leg, a head instead of an arm, a foot instead of a head…and so it went on.

However, his fun was rudely interrupted as a spike rose from the ground and almost went through his head, but luckily Law saw it coming and moved in time. He heard the blonde laugh and glanced in his direction with narrowed eyes.

Jonny had his big sword stabbed deep into the ground and Law saw that the ground was raised slightly in a line from Jonny to the pirate captain. Law's annoyed looked turned into a questioning one.

The mafioso grinned and pulled his sword out just to stab it again in the ground. In that instant, the ground started moving towards Law in another line until it turned into another stone spike aimed right at Law. However this time, as he dodged, the line continued going after Law as stone floor kept turning into spikes trying to pierce him. The captain jumped a few times back, avoiding each spike, then jumped high in the air, flipping forwards and dodging another spike that went high in the air after the pirate. Law landed on the ground at a safe distance from the spikes.

"Captain!" Miyako called and tried to get to Law's side to help him, but in an instant she was surrounded by dozen assassins. She made an annoyed face at the sudden hindrance. *Damn. These guys just keep on coming!* She glanced where Law was standing. He had a serious look on his face, but it was hard to say was he worried or not. *Well he's strong, I'll give him that, so he'll be fine…he better be.* Yet she couldn't deny there was slight worry deep inside of her. She bit her lip and the slight pain forced her to focus on her own matters; 10 assassins walking towards her.

The pirate dared a glance towards Miyako as she called out to him, but didn't answer her. She seemed busy as well, but he didn't worry. He had tested the strength of these men and knew they were no match for her; they weren't the same as the others they had met before. A nuisance? Yes. A waste of time? Certainly. But not a threat. So instead, he turned his attention back to his opponent, the blond fiend before him.

Jonny just smirked, stopping his attacks for a while and leaned on the hilt of his big sword. "Surprised?" He said, but got irritated when he neither got a response from Law nor a shocked expression.

After a while the pirate spoke up; "A Devil fruit power?" he simply asked.

The blonde's grin widened. "It's the kata kata no mi! (1) I can shape any solid material into whatever size or form I want to. I can control almost any material."

"I see…so you are a paramecia type as well." Law noted.

Jonny's snake grin got even wider. "Not quite." He swung his sword a few times. "Have you heard of Dr. Vegapunk? It seems he managed to find a way for weapons to absorb devil fruits." He stared at his sword. "My father paid quite the money to a certain marine general in order to get his hands on this sword. He gave it to me as a present for my birthday."

The captain smirked. "How touching." But he did find interest in this sword, more than Jonny's meaningless gloating. Yes, he had heard of Dr. Vegapunk's new way of using devil fruits and fusing them with weapons, but this was the first time he saw it in reality.

The mafioso didn't like the comment so he once again stabbed the ground, and spikes started heading towards Law quickly. The pirate jumped backwards to avoid them, but then he heard a sound upwards. As he lifted his head, he saw a spike coming down on him from the stone ceiling. His eyes widened in surprise.

Miyako had just sliced sideways at another assassin when she looked up and saw the incoming spike ready to pierce Law at any second. Beneath him were already the previously made spikes, so if he dodges, but falls down on them, he'll just meet the same fate. Her eyes widened in surprise and worry as the thought of Law dying crossed her mind. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought and she took a deep breath and held it, concentrating on Law's next move without even realizing how she was reacting.

Law moved a little in the air, leaning to the side as he swung his nodachi at the same time. By leaning his body, the spike missed his upper part of the body, but would still hit his leg if he didn't act quick. So the captain swung with the nodachi, cutting through the stony spike, slicing off the menacing tip in time before it could pierce him. He glanced down as he kept falling towards the deadly terrain below him. He narrowed his eyes in thought of his new plan, but before he could do anything, a strong slash of haki mowed down the spikes, allowing him a safe landing on one of the blunt tips. Law rose an eyebrow and looked at the direction where the haki had come from, seeing the samurai in her battojutsu stance and with her katana unsheathed. Obviously she was the one who made the slash. She had finished off her opponents and smirked at him, returning her katana into the sheath. However, she only nodded and made no attempt to help him fight Jonny, and Law nodded back in response. They understood each other; Jonny was his fight and he will be the only one to finish him off. He wanted this fight to stay one on one. Besides, it would be a stain on his pride and reputation if he had help defeating this weakling. The scoundrel wasn't worth it.

Law smirked again and looked back at the other man, jumping down from the spike. Jonny didn't seem too happy with the way things were going. He was about to swing his sword again, but the cptain didn't let him act this time.

"Room." The blue sphere appeared around them.

"Hah! I already know you can't use your powers while moving! Your little trick is useless around me," the gangster said and this time he swung his sword and hit the ground as if he will cut it. The ground started moving and a loud rumble could be heard as the floor split open and the crack started traveling towards Law, opening the ground as it went.

Law moved his two fingers quickly and disappeared, switching his place with one of the spikes Jonny created earlier, getting closer to the man.

"huh?" The blonde blinked as the pirate seemingly disappeared. When he finally realized where Law was, it was too late.

Law slashed at the blonde, cutting the arm that held the sword. Then he did a few more slashes, dismembering him. Law gave the blonde his most sadistic grin as he sheathed back his nodachi. The gangster stared at the pirate captain in horror when he realized what just happened.

"W-what did you do to me? Put me together, now!" His arms and legs were all cut off, but he felt no pain nor was he bleeding. Only a numbing feeling in places where he was cut.

"Shambles." Law ignored the mobster and started combining the parts of the body, yet differently. His arms were now where his legs had been and vice versa. Law walked closer, crushing Jonny's fancy sunglasses on the way with his boot.

"S-Stay away from me!" The blond man yelled, but was once again ignored. Law had a grin on his face…an unreadable grin, which only made it appear scarier. One thing was sure; it promised pain and suffering, and Law will enjoy every minute of it.

However he didn't have time to act on his unspoken promise as a loud scream was heard somewhere at the back of the room. Both Law and Miyako turned to see what has happened, only to see an unexpected scene.

Shiori, the one who screamed, was being held hostage, a sharp blade of a large knife at her neck. But the real surprise was the one behind Shiori, the one holding her hostage.

Miyako recognized the tall lean figure immediately, in her revealing dress she wore at the ball and the flowing red hair. And those piercing golden eyes that held no gentleness as they had before.

"Mistress Shaya?" Miyako exclaimed, surprised. At first there was confusion in her eyes, but then they narrowed as her brain put the pieces of the puzzle together, realizing what was happening. "I suppose now we know who was his inside helper…but I would never have thought-"

Shaya didn't let her finish as she laughed, her strong voice echoing in the stony room. "It's true what they say; If you want something done, you got to do it yourself. It wasn't hard to sneak out of the mansion with all the searching and the ruckus going on up there."

"To be honest, my first suspect was Mister Charles. What do you get from all of this?" Law asked, putting one hand in his pocket while the other gripped his nodachi. He seemed awfully relaxed considering the situation, Miyako noted.

"Well the money of course." She smirked, narrowing her golden eyes.

"But why would you need it? You're already rich," Miyako exclaimed, confused.

"Are you kidding? When this little brat turns 21, she gets everything. The whole inheritance. And I, as her step-mother, get nothing. I would be forced to live for the rest of my life on her good side, just to get some crumbs from her fortune. Well no! I worked too long and too hard to get into this family to be at this brat's mercy for the rest of my life."

"Step mother?" Miyako tilted her head in confusion. "I thought-"

Shiori gulped and shook her head, trying to avoid the cold steel placed on her neck. "My mother died when I was a child..that crypt in the garden, my mother is in that stone coffin. Shaya-sama worked as the head maid for years in our mansion…then two years after my mother died, father married her. "

"Yes..and do you have any idea how long it took me to plan everything to get your father to marry me. First I needed to get her mother out the way…botulin took care of that."

"Ah, a deadly toxin that causes botulism. It is a tasteless and odorless poison, produced by bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Usually it is found on contaminated food, especially home-canned goods. So even if they found out the cause of death, they would simply think it was food-poisoning," Law explained.

Shiori's eyes widened as she tried to turn her head in order to look at her step-mother's face. "Y-You…You killed my mother?" Her voice was merely a whisper, too much in shock for anything more. Fresh tears stained her ghostly pale face once again.

The redhead just smirked at her, but gave no answer since it was painfully obvious what the response was already. Instead, she continued her story. "Then I had to seduce that grieving old man and make sure he forgets all about his little wife…I played such a loving mother and wife perfectly...And then one day I read Tosuke's will and I couldn't believe it. My first plan was to poison him as well and inherit everything, but the will said he left me nothing. Nothing! After everything I've done for him! He left everything to this little brat!" Shaya's eyes were blazing with rage now, her loud voice spilling venom with every word.

"So I needed a new plan to take care of the girl. I knew if she married, her assets would be split with her and her husband…and if something happened to her..." Shaya grinned, not having to finish the sentence. "So I conjured up a plan. My eyes fell on a not-so-known mafia bosses' son and I knew he would do perfectly. I just needed to teach him a few things, help him out a little, and voilà! The girl threw herself in his arms. Ah, such naivety. Of course after they married and Shiori gets kidnapped, we would wait until they declare her dead when they can't find her. Then Jonny…I mean, Kuro, would come and show them evidence that he was now entitled to everything. And of course we would split the money."

The woman took a deep breath after her long explanation. "See…everything was working out so perfectly. And then you came along!" Shaya glared daggers at Miyako, who returned her glare with an equal one as she wasn't intimidated one bit.

"Who would have guessed that there was someone who looked just like Shiori? It makes no sense! I tried to get rid of you, oh God knows I tried! But you little pests just won't die!" Shaya finished with an annoyed yell. "And just look what you did to poor little Jonny!" She snarled, not really caring about the mobster, but she just wanted to prove her point. The blonde was whimpering as that numbing pain became greater and greater, and little drops of blood started trickling from where his limbs were so wrongly attached.

The mistress sighed. "I see there is nothing to be done here anymore…I'll just have to take the girl as hostage and ask for ransom, you leave me no other choice. So be good little pirates and stay put if you don't want this girl's blood all over the floor." Shaya started walking backwards, never taking her knife from the girl's neck.

Law rose an eyebrow and stepped forward. "And why should I care what happens to the girl. I'll get my reward money for bringing the culprits even if the girl is dead. True, it won't be the whole amount, but I'm not that greedy." He smirked and took another step forward.

Shaya had a nervous look in her eyes now as she took another step backwards. "O-oy, don't be stupid!" She put some pressure on the throat and the sharp edge cut through the skin a little. A few droplets of blood trickled down the frightened girl's neck.

"C-Captain!" Miyako exclaimed, surprised at his words as much as Shaya was. *He can't be serious! He'll let the girl die after everything we've been through! No! He can't!* Her wide eyes looked at her captain with shock.

Law ignored her, not even sparing her a look, as he took another step forward. Shaya took another step back.

"I-I'm telling you, I'll kill her! Do you think this is a joke!? Hell with the money, my life is more important to me!" She continued to yell, hoping he would listen.

"You're forgetting something, Miss Shaya. We are pirates. Pirates aren't heroes; we don't save maidens in distress and we don't bargain." Law answered with narrowed eyes and a serious look as that smirk disappeared from his face.

The redheaded woman took a few more steps backwards, an obvious nervousness in her expression now. But that's when Miyako noticed something. Her brows furrowed in confusion. Currently they were between Shaya and the doors while she was over at the coffin and moving backwards into the shadows. *Why is she moving away from the doors?* Then the girl noticed something moved in the shadows behind Shaya. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look, but it was hard to see anything. Meanwhile Law took a few more steps forward and Shaya a few more steps back, now almost in the shadows.

*Is he deliberately leading her into the shadows? What is that there?* Miyako thought feverishly, trying to understand what Law was planning. She just didn't want to believe he would let the girl die so easily. But then again…he was right; he was just a pirate, not some hero. And he had no connection to this girl, so what does he care if she lives or dies. The thought made Miyako shake her head quickly, trying to get the thoughts out of her head. She didn't want to think about letting the girl die. And if she sees even the slightest sign that it will happen and that Law will allow it, she will act no matter the consequences with her captain.

But before she could act, a hand came from the shadows, giving a kung-fu chop to Shaya's neck and the red-haired woman fell unconscious, letting go of the knife and Shiori. Miyako blinked in surprise and Law just smirked as Cody came out of the shadows and caught the girl before she fell on the ground. Shiori instantly fell unconscious due to shock and stress of everything that transpired.

"Cody?" Miyako exclaimed, running towards the grinning medic. She couldn't help but give him a bright smile, never happier to see him as she was now. "How did you get here!?"

The medic's grin widened and he pointed at a little passageway and a staircase leading up, around the corner and hidden behind a wall. "We searched for you everywhere and finally found this secret passage in the cellar," he explained.

The girl looked up at the staircase and then her expression turned into a disappointed one with a sweat-drop. "You mean we went through all that traps and dark mazes and there was a passageway leading to Shiori right from the mansion?" She had a strong urge to face-palm herself.

Cody looked at her strangely, not knowing what she was talking about, but in the end he just dismissed it and smiled at his friend, instead. "I'm just glad you're ok, we were all worried. I found this passageway and came down here, and then saw Lady Shaya taking Shiori hostage. I tried to act, but captain gave me a signal to wait. So I stayed hidden in the shadows, waiting for the right moment, and captain led her to me." Cody finished his explanation with a grin.

Miyako turned to Law in surprise. "So that's why you wouldn't cooperate...you knew this whole time Cody was there."

Law just smirked. "If she really killed the girl here, she was even more foolish than I thought. That would leave her empty handed and no hostage to hide behind. As soon as Shiori was dead, I would have killed Shaya and she knew it," he explained calmly.

The samurai raised an eyebrow before furrowing both of them. "But if you saw Shaya was really about to kill Shiori…you would stop advancing and cooperate, right?" There was obvious skepticism in her voice.

Law ignored her and turned to Cody instead. "Mister Cody, how is Miss Shiori doing?"

"She's just unconscious sir, but seems alright." Cody lifted the girl in his arms bridal style.

"Hey! Answer me!" Miyako put her hands on her hips as she scowled at Law.

"Well let's get out of here. Mister Cody, send someone to take care of that man over there and tell them to bring his sword as well...I'm rather interested in it." Law wanted to study the sword in hopes to find how Dr. Vegapunk managed to make such a way for a weapon to absorb a devil fruit.

"Yes captain!" Cody quickly responded and took out a den-den mushi to call for the others.

Meanwhile, Law started walking towards the staircase while still ignoring the yelling girl behind him who called after him. There was a slight smirk on his face from amusement that he hid as he lowered his head and turned his back to her while walking away. She will never know.

~…..~

"I still can't believe it" Charles sighed while he was sitting on the couch in the living room. Usually he wouldn't allow himself such freedom and he would stand in the presence of guests, but he just had to sit down after all the information he received.

Tosuke Ariyaki wasn't far, sitting on a sofa, his eyes still wide with shock even though it had been an hour since he heard the news.

Tosuke, Charles and some of the Heart Pirates were currently in the large living room. Law was leaning against the wall with his hands in the pockets of his spotted trousers. Lady Shiori was sleeping soundly in her room, guarded by two mansion guards just in case. Law and Miyako told Tosuke everything that happened and the two culprits were arrested and taken away by the local authorities. The Heart Pirates stayed well out of their view, just in case.

"I can't believe it, Shaya even killed Emiko." The man gritted his teeth and gripped the fabric of his pants tightly.

Miyako couldn't but not feel sorry for the poor man. At least he had his daughter back.

"Well you should be relieved, in the end it all ended pretty well…considering how it could've ended." Penguin pointed out and some of the other pirates nodded their heads.

"Yes, you've got lady Shiori back!" Shachi added.

"You're right….and we are so very grateful for what you've done for us, Trafalgar Law." Tosuke looked at the captain and Charles nodded in concord.

The pirate captain had a serious expression as if he didn't like the overwhelmed gratitude he was receiving. He didn't like to be treated as a hero. He was a pirate, nothing more and nothing less. "There is no reason to thank me, it's not like I did it for a noble cause. I did it for the reward you promised, that is all. Besides, I'm not the only one you should be grateful to. The whole crew helped, and especially Miss Miyako here." He looked over at the samurai girl, but was surprised to see she had fallen asleep on the couch. The girl was so exhausted it didn't take long for her to doze off after she huddled herself on the big sofa, hugging her knees. Law couldn't help but smirk at the girl's sleeping form. She looked so small and fragile, resting like that. So peaceful and…quiet, for a change. He had to admit he liked her a bit better like this, than when she was awake.

*Maybe I should start putting sleeping pills in her food…?* He thought absentmindedly.

~…..~

Ok, guys! Come one, hurry up with those supplies! We gotta move out!" Bepo yelled at the working Heart Pirates who carried the stuff in the submarine under the bright morning sun.

"Why don't you be useful instead and help too, Bepo!" Penguin yelled, annoyed that the bear was giving him orders and rushing him.

"Sorry" Bepo bowed his head in shame for no apparent reason.

"I said 'help' not 'apologize'!" Penguin shouted once more.

"I'm so very sorry," The bear apologized again.

Shachi laughed seeing Penguin was losing his temper. However the first mate got out of his depressing state and started helping the others, getting crates and boxes into the submarine.

"Well captain, that's the last of the supplies. We can head out as soon as you say the word. The log pose is set." One of the Heart pirates, Garry, said to Law before returning back to the submarine.

Law and Miyako were currently standing in front of Charles, Shiori and Mister Tosuke, ready to say good bye.

"Thank you for everything you've done. We will never forget it." Shiori said with a smile and bowed deeply to the pirate couple. Her father put a comforting hand on her shoulder and the girl looked at him and smiled.

Miyako smiled as well, bowing respectfully. She was glad everything ended up happily. And she could see her captain was glad as well since he got every last Beli that was promised to him. He had a satisfied smirk on his face, probably happy to be able to set off to sea again. He was a pirate after all, a man of the sea, and he already spent too many days on land as it is. Miyako thought about that one more time… *Naah, those romantic thoughts doesn't sound like him at all. He's just happy he got all that money.* She chuckled at the thought and Law gave her an inquiring look, which she pretended not to notice.

"We should be going." The captain finally stated, seeing his submarine and the crew were all ready and waiting.

Tosuke nodded. "Thank you again, for everything. And good luck on your journey."

Charles smiled. "I suppose you aren't so bad, considering you're pirates."

Law smirked at the old butler. "Perhaps…but don't get on my bad side, just in case," he grinned. There was a blonde still on this island who could vouch for that statement. Law wandered with amusement how Jonny is coping with a messed up body and the pain, by now it should be hell for him. The pirate was glad he left him alive so he could suffer instead of ending his misery too quickly.

~…..~

"Bye!" Miyako waved to the group in the harbor and they waved back, wishing the Heart pirates the best of luck as the ship left the docks.

In the end, Josh and Cody took her under each arm and all but carried her into the submarine. "Ok, Come on now, we gotta submerge! Unless you want to be left on the deck when we do. I wouldn't mind." Josh grinned as he carried her off.

The girl scoffed and made a slight pouting face. "Ok, Ok, I'm going. Sheesh! You two..."

She didn't have the time to finish as she was dragged inide. Law, who was leaning against the wall in his usual place with his arms folded on his chest, looked after the three pirates with a smirk. He was especially amused by the one being dragged in the middle. In the end, he walked inside as well and closed the heavy metal doors behind him, with a slight chuckle and a shake of his head.

Whoot! Chapter 23 here and much sooner than I expected it to be. I'm happy I uploaded today.

I hope you found in interesting and that you're happy with the ending. I think it went pretty good. ^^

So thank you everyone for lovely reviews, and best wishes. Also I'm happy to say that I'm feeling better. And as always reviews, criticism and your opinions are always welcome so feel free to leave them.

Well I guess that's all and be patient for the next chapter please. I think it'll take a few days till' I upload again. :/ But I think chapter 663 of OP should be out on Wednesday so we have something to look forward to. :D

(1) 'Kata Kata no mi' or in english: Shape Shape fruit - a devil fruit which allows the person to shape any solid material in any form or size. (Obviously I made it up. But Kata does mean shape on japanese.)