Yep, I'm back. Sorry to all of you guys who were waiting for such a long time not knowing what happened to me. At first I had to finish my exams, then had trouble with my computer…and at the end of it all I just kinda lost the inspiration to write. I still had so many ideas for the story but somehow I just couldn't make myself even start writing again. I wasn't sure should I even continue writing or leave the fanfic be. However your comments and messages kept coming, still expecting more and I felt really bad for disappointing you and somehow I got my motivation to write again. :)

There's still some problems with my time schedule though. The reason I wanted to upload this soon was because I'm going on a trip in a few days and won't be back for a moth. After that I still have one more exam to take care of so I'll probably have time to finish the next chapter in late September. :/ Therefore at least I wanted to do chapter 41 before all that.

I didn't put any info about all this on my profile because I needed to first decide whether I'm continuing with the story or not, but I've decided to take it up again and start uploading more frequently and regularly again as soon as I can. (As I said, late September).

Well then, I hope you guys will enjoy the newest chapter and once again I apologize for the long wait.

Disclaimer; I do not own One Piece or any of its characters but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for blood and language.

CHAPTER 41

Law held his nodachi close as he sat in the captain's seat, observing the vast ocean in front of them; or rather what was beneath it as they were currently 300ft underwater. His face looked serious and calm as always but there was a certain tension in the control room as it was obvious the captain was tenser than usual. He wasn't the only reason there was tension in the room; the other crewmembers were the same and the reason for it was very simple; they were close. They were getting dangerously close to their destination; Abney Cove; a secret marine base where one of Vegapunk's laboratories was situated. The crew still didn't know why exactly they were here since Law didn't quite explain his goal. Why risk your life to this extent? But the crew didn't need any explanations and neither did they ask for any. They trusted their captain and if Law said to go right into the gates of Hell, they would go without a question. That's what it means to be a part of a pirate's crew. You trusted your captain more than anything and they all new Law to be a smart and calculating guy. He wouldn't do anything without a good reason.

However, Miyako didn't yet have the same mindset as the rest of the crew even if she was a part of the Heart pirates for more than a year already. But going right into the Devil's Den seemed foolish and dangerous to her no matter how you looked at it, no matter how smart and cautious Law was. She just couldn't help but wonder why Law was after Vegapunk's lab so much all of a sudden and numerous questions rose inside her mind.

The girl sighed deep in her own thoughts as she stood near the main window, looking outside. She glances at the captain who was sitting in his usual captain's seat and staring out into the dark of the watery depths. She couldn't even guess what he was thinking. Was whatever he was after in Abney Cove really that important to risk the lives of his crew? And she still didn't have any clue what that whole conversation she overheard in Law's quarters was about. Who was speaking with Trafalgar? She could connect the dots and see the person on the other side of the den den mushi had something to do with the reason they were currently traveling to Abney Cove, or rather why they were here. But no matter how much Miyako thought about it, she couldn't understand why Law would do something against his own will. Wasn't he always saying how he hated to be ordered around? Yet he was doing such a dangerous mission for someone else's goals. It didn't fit no matter how much Miyako thought about it. *That just can't be it…can it? Law is here because he wants something from Vegupunk's lab. But why is he so secretive about it anyway? Why didn't he want to tell me what we are looking for here?*

Miyako's thoughts were interrupted by Bart's deep voice. "We're here. Abney Cove is 500 meters to the North."

"Turn on the cloaking device." Law ordered as he kept staring in front of him and out into the deep sea. The cloaking device was the practical little machinery they got, or rather took as war spoils, from the Silver pirates. Turning it on, it jammed detectors and hid the signals that would go off if the sub would approach too close to the enemy's radars. With this, even the marine base at Abney Cove couldn't detect them, which was a much needed advantage. At least they had the element of surprise. Of course that was only a part of the plan that Law thought of and already went through with the crew a couple of times. They were as ready as they could be to raid a heavily guarded marine base.

Miyako unconsciously put a hand on her katana and gripped the hilt. "Whatever is in that lab…I hope its worth it Law." The girl muttered though nobody seemed to hear her.

Trafalgar suddenly stood up from his seat and walked closer to the main window. "Bring us higher to the surface Mister Bart."

Meanwhile Sai counted the meters as they came closer to Abney Cove. They could already see the rocks and underwater caves of the island. The blueprints of the marine base and the map of the island were on the control panel near Law, with a circled spot where they decided to surface and hide the submarine. They'll approach the base from the North. There was a forest near the rocky beach where they could hide and sneak towards the marine base. It was in the middle of the night, about midnight, the set time they decided to sneak in and they had till' dawn to get what they needed and come out unnoticed and without trouble. However Miyako didn't think it would be so easy. If they get spotted by the marines their escape will be almost impossible from there.

~…..~

The cold wind was blowing right into Law's tanned face as the rain prickled his skin and went into his eyes. The weather reminded Law of the last island they docked to a few weeks ago when they met the Silver pirates. This weather wasn't as harsh as then but it still annoyed Law and he had to shield his eyes from the raindrops. The pirate captain lifted the collar of his long black coat that had a yellow symbol of the Heat Pirates on it and raised his hand as a signal for his men to move out.

The yellow submarine of the Heart Pirates was currently docked on the other side of the island where there wasn't anything but rocks and trees, well hidden and out of sight. However that meant that they had to cross to the other side of the island, through the forest, without being seen and sneak into the marine base. It was a lay-low mission, which meant he couldn't take many people with him or they would risk being seen. Law ordered more than half of his men to stay and guard the submarine and to inform him over the baby den den mushi if something goes wrong. The captain took Sai, whose marksmen skills could come in handy, Cody and Josh both for their fighting but also medical skills, Bepo as his right hand, the two loyal mechanics Shachi and Penguin, and Miyako as the second swordsmen of the group including him. Unfortunately he couldn't take Jean Bart with him even though the navigator's strength and calm head would be a big plus, but he couldn't risk Bart being seen which was very probable due to the man's huge body. When Law signaled them, the crew went after him, hiding behind the trees of the forest as much as they could.

~…..~

It took more than an hour to cross the island with their pace and the lousy weather conditions slowed them down even more, but they finally arrived at their destination. Law gave another signal and the group spread out, hiding behind trees and boulders as they stared at the great metal wall in front of them; the wall that surrounded the marine base. The entrance was lit with two lights that came from the top of the two guard towers near the entrance. But the lights weren't static; instead they moved over the ground and forest in a semi-circle motion, lighting the area. There were at least six marine guards on the wall as far as Law could see.

"So how are we going to go in without being noticed?" Miyako whispered to her captain in a skeptical voice.

Law looked at his surroundings. The Marine base was a few meters away from the forest, on top of a big cliff so they couldn't circle around it and see if there was a back way in that was less guarded. Underneath the tall cliff was only the restless black sea, promising death to anyone who accidentally falls over. However there were enormous rocks and cliffs around the base, some even higher than the wall surrounding the base, protecting it somewhat from the harsh wind. Law noticed one of the rocks. It was bent over the base's wall and just perfect for his plan.

The captain smirked and Miyako blinked a bit in confusion seeing that face. Shachi and Penguin who also saw it only looked at each other knowingly. They already knew what that face meant; Law had a plan.

"On my mark, everybody run towards the wall." Law whispered but loud enough for the whole group to hear. Then he waited for the perfect position of both lights that were lighting up the grounds bellow. When the tall rock was in the darkness he created his Room. Luckily it was the dark of the night so nobody could see it. With a few slash motions of his nodachi, the captain cut up the boulder and released his room, making the rocks fall down onto the wall and the marines bellow. The rock was on the other side of the base than the pirate group which gave them the perfect distraction they needed to sneak near the marine base. As the rocks fell, both lights focused on that area and people's shouts of surprise and panic could be heard in the base. The marines ran to help their wounded comrades and to see what was going on, losing their focus on the surrounding area.

With one quick motion of his hand, Law signaled the rest of the group to follow his lead as they quickly ran through the small clearing and right beneath the stone base wall. However they only had less than a minute to find a way inside.

"How are we going to get inside? The marines will spot us soon if we stay here." Josh was nervously looking around in case there were some marine guards nearby.

"Leave that to me." Law made another room around the group, but this one was much smaller. Some of it was going inside the wall though and everyone looked at the captain with puzzled eyes, holding their breath to see what Law will do next.

"I've studied the blue prints of this base carefully and remembered every room. Behind this wall here is the storage room for weapons and such. There will probably be a guard on the outside of the door so when you come in, be sure to stay quiet and keep your eyes open." Law warned.

"But you still haven't told us the plan of actually going in." Miyako reminded him with a raised eyebrow. She doubted he would forget about such a thing, which only made her wonder more what the captain was up to.

Law ignored her comment and instead turned to Josh and Cody. "I can only teleport two people at the time for now so it will take a while. Cody-ya and Joshua-ya, you two will go first."

"Ok, teleport….Wait what?!" Josh's voice grew higher when his brain actually processed what his captain told them just now. The rest of the group looked equally surprised. Only Law stayed calm and not wide-eyed as he ignored the group's shock.

"It seems we will be disintegrated into millions of tiny particles and then put together in another spot by Captain's Ope Ope powers." Cody explained matter-of-factly as he quickly took a grasp of the situation as always.

However, Josh didn't look any less worried by Cody's explanation. If anything, the other medic looked even more unsettled. "What?! I don't want to be disintegrated or whatever! What if my body doesn't come back together properly? What if I'll have to live with my hand on top of my head for the rest of my life?!"

"If you're worried that you'll look ridiculous, don't worry, you've already got that covered." Miyako commented, earning a harsh glare from Josh which she simply shrugged off.

"oooh we're gonna die…Even if we don't get caught, before that we'll be disinter-something, and die." Bepo whined in his usual manner.

"Shut up Bepo!" Everyone shouted and earned a warning look from their captain for being to loud.

"I'm sorry." The bear answered.

There was a second of silence before Sai decided to continue their conversation on a more serious note.

"More importantly captain, you can't see where you're teleporting. What if you teleport someone inside of the wall. That would be instant death." Until now Sai was watching carefully on guard for any marines that could come this way, together with Shachi and Penguin, but after hearing about Law's teleportation plan he joined the conversation. After all, after hearing teleportation from Law everyone's heads whipped to look at their captain to see if he was really serious. But as always, he was.

Law's face was completely calm even with the situation they were currently in and even with the rest of the group freaking out. "We only have a few seconds before the commotion dies out in the base and those lights start shining all around again with marines patrolling everywhere." Trafalgar pointed at the two high towers where the lights were still pointing at the commotion bellow to help light the area for the marines to help the wounded. "You can either argue here and get caught or be a pirate and listen to your captain." Even without asking, the choice was obvious.

"T-That's right. We trust you Captain!" Penguin said, a bit too loud, so Shachi elbowed him into the ribs and warned him to be quieter.

Josh and Cody looked at each other, then nodded and looked back at Law. "We're ready captain."

With a nod, Law who still had his Room up, lifted his hand and a few seconds later Cody and Josh disappeared.

"Did they make it?" Sai asked looking at the stone wall, though he couldn't see or hear anything on the other side.

"We'll know when we come there ourselves." Law simply said, looking at Penguin and Shachi who were next. Another movement of his hand and the two mechanics disappeared just like their friends before them. "Miss Miyako, Mister Sai, you two will go next."

Miyako shifted her weight on the other foot nervously as she looked at Law skeptically. It's not like she didn't trust him or thought he would do something bad to them but the whole concept of 'teleportation' as Cody described it, frightened her. Of course her pride would never let her admit it so she just kept quiet as Sai moved over to her so they could be teleported together.

"See you on the other side." Sai said while smiling slightly and adjusting the rifle strapped to the back of his shoulder.

Miyako could only smile nervously back to him but her expression showed obvious anxiety even without saying it. She didn't have time to change her mind though, because before she knew it she found herself in a dark room with old, stone walls. The walls seemed isolated with some kind of fabric, preventing humidity and dampness to come and ruin all the gunpowder and guns that were stored here. Miyako looked around the armory and it didn't take long for her to find the rest of the group hiding in the darkness. Only a few seconds later Law and Bepo appeared together next to her.

"Oh, we're alive. I thought we would die for sure." Bepo said, his black eyes gleaming in the dim light.

"Scardy cat." Penguin muttered to the first mate. Miyako however couldn't judge the polar bear since she also let out a sigh when she safely transferred to the other side. She didn't even realize she was holding her breath until she relaxed after seeing everyone together again.

In the meantime, Law gave a questioning look to Josh who had one ear on the doors, trying to hear the guards outside. The redhead turned around and showed two fingers, indicating the number of guards he could hear talking outside in front of the doors. Their captain nodded and walked over to the doors, the rest of the crew following him.

Miyako gave him a questioning look, silently asking 'what now?' but instead of an answer Law just looked at Penguin and nodded. The mechanic grinned and came to the doors, then simply knocked on them. Muttered voiced and movement could be heard on the other side and when Penguin deemed it right, he suddenly opened the doors with as much force as possible. A sudden bang was heard as the doors hit one of the marine guards in the head while he was about to open them, knocking him out instantly. The other marine only had time to stare in shock at his fallen friend, mouth gaping open, before Cody hit him in the back of the neck, sending him into unconsciousness.

"Nicely done." Shachi grinned before helping the two medics to drag the two unconscious marines inside the armory room. A few minutes later, Cody and Josh came out dressed in marine uniforms while the real guards were tied and gaged, hidden behind some crates in the room.

"This actually isn't a bad look for me." Cody smirked as he adjusted the marine hat on his head so it would cover his face better. Josh didn't look as happy though since he had to wear a marine cap instead of his usual one. That fact only served to irritate the bad tempered redhead even more.

"Just let's get this plan done so I can get out of this uniform as soon as possible." Joshua growled as he too adjusted the hat over his eyes.

"You know the plan." Was all Law said before turning around and heading out with the rest of the group, proceeding carefully so they aren't noticed by the marines. But they needed to find their own disguises soon or they'll be seen for sure. This place was big but also full of marines running around.

"Good luck Captain." Cody said as the group was leaving.

"Yeah, and you better not do anything reckless, Crazy Girl." Josh added and smirked when he sat Miyako's back stiffen and her ears going red, though unsure whether it was from anger or embarrassment. However she didn't turn around and just ignored him as the group walked away.

~…~

"He just had to say it, didn't he." Miyako growled through her teeth in a soft voice, trying to keep her voice low.

"Well it's Josh after all, so yeah, he had to." Shachi shrugged as he answered in an equally quiet voice.

Right now the two of them were peeking around the corner, looking at the marine guards in the hallway. After the group left Cody and Josh near the armory to do their part of the plan, they sneaked down the hallways to get to another room where the marines kept additional uniforms for their recruits. Miyako had to admit she was a bit impressed with Law's memory capacity because he managed to remember the blueprints perfectly. He knew exactly where to go and what to do next. After the group each put on their marine disguises, the split up. Just like the two medics, every pair had their own job to do and Miyako's and Shachi's was to get to the control room and cut the den den mushi lines that monitored Vegupunk's lab, the most important room in the whole marine base , which also meant it was the most heavily guarded. Since Bepo and Law were too noticeable with Bepo being a bear and Law being a famous rookie pirate, not to mention the long nodachi he was carrying, instead of disguising, the two pirates hid and waited for Miyako's and Shachi's confirmation on the small den den mushi that each member was carrying.

"You know he can really get on my nerves sometimes. I mean, would it kill him to sometimes be nice to me…or at least keep his big mouth shut. What did I ever do to him anyway?" Miyako whispered as she totally ignored the serious situation they were in and continued to complain about Joshua's behavior. She and Shachi were still hiding, waiting for a group of some marines to finally stop talking to the guards of the control room and move away, so that the two of them could handle the guards and get in. Still it seems the group was talking about something for the last 10 minutes and just wouldn't move away.

"You mean besides hiding a frog inside his room, making him almost go crazy for two days?" Shachi mumbled though he was only half-listening to the girl and instead waiting for the right chance to strike at the marines.

Miyako chuckled a bit; "Yeah, that was funny…" She made an expression as if remembering some nostalgic good times.

Shachi bit his lip in mild frustration as he watched the marines. *Move already! With every minute we wait here, the bigger chance it is Bepo and Captain will be discovered...or the rest of us and then the whole plan fails. If this continues we'll have to deal with all 6 of them…but can we move fast enough to beat them before they call for help? And there's a den den mushi monitoring the entrance of the doors….How do we get in without alarming the control room?*

Miyako looked at Shachi's frustrated face. "You're not listening to me are you…?" She mumbled seeing he was totally focused on the group of marines.

"Sorry Miya-chan, if you want we can tape that redhead to the ceiling again, but right now we really have to focus on our task here." Shachi explained looking at the girl with a distressed expression.

Miyako sighed. "Yeah I suppose you're right." She slowly started to unsheathe her katana so it isn't heard by the marines.

"What are you doing?" Shachi's voice sounded strained and surprised, though he was still whispering.

"We can't waste our time here anymore, we need to move fast or the plan will be in danger." Miyako explained as she pulled her katana out, still in a crouching position and moved closer to the marines. Thankfully they were hiding behind the group's backs which made the task a bit easier. But there was still the whole den den mushi problem they needed to solve. "Besides, it's a wonder nobody came from the hallways and saw us yet but we won't stay that lucky forever. Now, can you do something about the den den mushi on the wall?"

Shachi thought about it for a second but decided Miyako was right. The time to move was now. He looked at the den den mushi. He didn't carry any weapons since he fought kung fu style just like Penguin and Bepo, so it made it harder for him to attack from a distance. *I need something I can throw.*He rummaged through his tool belt that he had around his waist and took out a thin screwdriver. *That will have to do.* He prepared himself and looked at Miyako. "On my signal, we move."

The samurai girl nodded and prepared her katana, still in a crouch, but ready to rush out at the marines.

"Now!" Shachi whispered and as soon as he did, he threw the screwdriver right at the den den mushi. The screwdriver hit it and the den den mushi closed its eyes and sagged, dead. At the same time as Shachi moved, so did Miyako. She leaped from her position and it only took her half a second to get to the marines. They didn't even realize it when the first three were struck. Just as the fourth one was about to open his mouth to say something, the hilt of the katana hit him in the throat, then she moved swiftly to the last two; one got the blunt side of the katana in his stomach, then Miyako quickly moved her hand and hit the marine next to her with the hilt of the katana in the ribs. Both marines fell down before her. The whole thing only lasted three seconds.

"I didn't kill anyone, I didn't want anyone to notice the blood later and suspect something." Miyako explained to Shachi who looked pleased at the way things ended.

"The marines inside are probably wondering why the den den mushi stopped working. You stay here and watch if anyone comes, I'll take care of things inside." Shachi said and heard the click as the doors of the control room started opening. Shachi waited leaning against the wall, then kicked the marine right into the face and into unconsciousness as the man peeked his head outside. Before the doors closed, Shachi barged in. All Miyako could hear were punches and kicks being thrown and a few grunts from the other marine before he fell onto the floor. The mechanic soon came out again and nodded to the girl. Miyako smirked and the two carried the rest of the unconscious marines inside.

Shachi looked the doors of the control room as they came in, but there was still the matter of eight marines to take care of. "Use their belts, shoelaces…anything you can find to tie them up and gag them."

The girl nodded as she did what she was told, while Shachi sat on the chair and looked at the monitors. On one monitor he saw Penguin and Sai moving towards the lower level of the base. The base was built on the cliff, but there were levels even inside the rock all the way down to the sea where there was a big artificial cave the marines made as a harbor. The cave had large metal doors that were currently closed to protect their ships from the big waves and bad weather. Penguin and Sai had their own part of the plan to execute as they headed down towards that lowest part of the big cave. But Shachi couldn't waste his time with monitoring them right now. Instead he talked into his small den den mushi that was strapped to his wrist. "Captain, we're in. I can see the laboratory on the monitor. You don't have to worry about the den den mushis anymore, but there are a number of marine guards on your way there. I will guide you through the safest route."

"Then I will be counting on you." Law's voice could be heard through the little den den mushi.

~…..~

Law and Bepo moved according to Shachi's instructions and luckily they managed to avoid the marine guards. The pirates would hide and wait till the guards patrolling would leave the area, then continue when Shachi said it was clear. However, as they got to the big metal corridor that led to large steel doors at the end, Law and Bepo stopped to work out their plan again. At the end of the corridor they saw two marine guards with rifles on their backs and swords tied to their waists as they guarded the locked doors that had LB-6 written in big black letters on them. By the information Law got from a certain grinning Shichibukai, this were the doors that separated them from Vegapunk's lab. It had one manual lock that needed to be opened by inserting a special card in a slot. Law even got the card from the said Shichibukai though he had no idea how Doflamingo got his hands on something so valuable. It seemed that being a Pirate Warlord really had its benefits. After that one lock, Law had to dial a certain code for the second lock to activate and then finally the hatch that needs to be opened so the doors would move.

"But Captain, how will we get close to the guards without alarming them. They have den den mushis too." Bepo was already showing a nervous expression, washing his paws against each other and shifting his weight from one foot to the other. If he were human there would be beads of cold sweat running down his face and back.

"Don't worry about that Bepo, just be ready to knock them out." The captain on the other hand didn't look worried at all. He had his usual calm, calculating face. However beneath that calm exterior even he couldn't deny he was feeling a little anxious about the whole situation. But who wouldn't be, in his place? He had his crew's lives in his hands and they were definitively not in a flattering position. And for what? Law remembered the sole reason why he was here; Doflamingo. Even if he was also very interested in the things Vegapunk is working on and what he will find behind these steel doors, even his own curiosity wouldn't have brought him here, risking the lives of his men. But Doflamingo's one word was more than enough. Law couldn't disobey him because he still needed the man to believe Law was on his side, working for him. He couldn't bring any suspicions on himself.

*But what is Doflamingo working on? He must have a new project if he needs something like this…what could it be for?* Even though Law knew exactly what he needed to take from Vegapunk's lab, he wasn't given any details why such a thing was needed. *Doflamingo must be very careful when he's not revealing his plans even to his subordinates…* Law thought about that and bit his lip. That was the other reason he was feeling anxious about. What was Doflamingo planning? It couldn't be anything good, coming from that sneering Shichibukai.

Putting his thoughts and suspicions aside for the time being, Law focused back on the marine guards in front of the doors. He moved his hand and gave Bepo a sideways glance, silently warning him to get ready. Bepo's nervous exterior was gone in an instant and instead replaced by a serious look. Law looked at the two guards and quietly said "Room". The thin blue film quickly enveloped both the two pirates and the marines.

"Wha-?" One of the marines blinked and looked at the strange blue space but he didn't have time to react. Before they could do anything, the two marines suddenly appeared in another place, right before two strange men….no, one was actually a bear. Was that a real bear? It was the only thing they had time to think before a numbing pain spread through their bodies. One of the marines looked downwards, just to realize his head was floating away from his body. He opened his mouth to scream in shock but only a muffled sound came out as his lower jaw separated from the rest of the head. The marine was completely in pieces yet still alive and it didn't take him long to process that this was the work of a Devil Fruit's power. And there was only one person who could do such a thing…only one pirate. *Trafalgar Law! He's here!* The man's eyes widened as that thought crossed his mind but unfortunately he couldn't do more than that as he was completely unable to move or make a noise.

Meanwhile the other marine guard didn't end up in a better position. As soon as Law teleported them, he appeared in front of a big white bear who gave him a hard enough punch in the stomach to make him spit saliva and all the air out of him. Before he could get back to his senses, the bear gave him another punch in the face, knocking him out instantly. "Ha-ya!" Bepo yelled as he finished his work in a kung-fu stance, a ferocious expression on his face.

"Bepo, don't be so loud." Law reprimanded his first mate, making the bear instantly move out of his fighting stance and into a bowing position with both hands by his sides.

"I'm sorry captain." The bear quickly responded with his ears down as if he was feeling depressed. But then again Bepo got easily depressed and had low self-esteem so Law wasn't surprised by the sudden change in his friend's demeanor. But as quickly as Bepo went into his depression, he got out of it as he looked back at Law; "Captain, what should we do with them?" He pointed at the two unconscious marines.

Law still had his room on so he just walked towards the doors, making the two bodies float after him. "We'll just lock them in the lab when we're done." He simply explained and instead focused on the big steel doors in front of him. Behind him he heard a low noise of awe coming from Bepo's mouth. Indeed it was awe-worthy; the doors seemed impenetrable. Luckily for Law he didn't have to use force to open them though he wondered briefly would his level of haki be enough to cut this doors down. He pulled out the hand-sizes card he got from Doflamingo in the package and ran it through the small machine near the doors. One of the lights on the doors that was red till now started glowing green suddenly. Next he typed in the code and another light changed color. Before he moved the hatch on the doors Law poke into his den den mushi. "Shachi, what's the situation? Are there any marines nearby?"

"No captain, it's safe to proceed." Shachi answered after a while, probably checking all the monitors connected to the numerous den den mushi around the base.

Law put all his strength to use to turn the hatch, which was usually done by two people, but after a while the hatch started moving and the big doors made a loud clicking sound as if the lock was turning. Bepo helped out and the two pulled the large doors open. Cold air and something akin to mist came out as the doors opened and Law realized the interior was much colder than the usual room temperature in the base.

"I guess they need to keep the temperature low to preserve the experiments inside. I'm glad I have my fur." Bepo said as he stepped inside. To him this temperature was perfect as it reminded him of home.

Law didn't seem to mind the cold either and the black long coat he was wearing helped to protect him as well. He stepped after Bepo and looked at the room. The room was dim, with only a few lights working and some of them blinking which only created an even gloomier atmosphere. Even though the laboratory was still in use it seemed that Vegapunk didn't visit it for a long time. *What a waste.* Law thought as he looked around the large room. There were a lot of items and experiments in glass jars and machines but as much as Law wanted to analyze and look at all of them, he didn't have the time. He needed to find what he was looking for and get out.

"Bepo, try to find where Vegapunk keeps his research papers." Law ordered as he stared into one of the big glass jars that was connected to a machine with big cables. The cables had some blue liquid which they constantly led into the jar. There was something meaty and unidentifiable inside that pulsated like a heart. Was it something alive? Law couldn't tell. He examined a jar but there was only a metal plate that said Ex-55 on it. *No, I can't waste my time on this.*

Just as Law turned and was about to look for the reason he was here, Bepo called behind him. "Captain, look." Law turned to see the first mate standing beside a metal cabinet with a folder in his paws. "The research papers." Bepo explained though it was already pretty obvious.

"Good work Bepo." Law said as he rushed to the cabinet, his sharp eyes already focusing on the numerous folders as he searched the right one. After a few minutes of searching since Vegapunk had full cabinets of folders, the scientist was really working on a lot of things here, Law finally found the one.

"Devil fruits! It's here!" He exclaimed triumphally before opening the folder. It was thick but Law knew how to read fast and extract only the important facts and words out to get the whole picture. The pirate skimmed through the papers. His eyes suddenly widened in shock as he understood what this research was about. "This is…." Law muttered though he was too into it to even finish the sentence.

Seeing such an uncharacteristic look on his Captain's face, Bepo got worried and came closer to Law. "Captain? What's wrong?"

At first Law didn't even seem to hear Bepo's voice, then suddenly the man looked at Bepo with a strange expression as if he was deep in thought. "Captain?" once again the bear called, somewhat unsure, as he tipped his head to the side in wonder. You could almost see the question mark above his head as Bepo looked at Law with a puzzled expression.

Suddenly the alarm went off and red lights started blinking everywhere. Law came out of his trance as he pulled out his small den den mushi. "Shachi! What's going on?!"

"I'm sorry captain, we've been found out!" Shachi yelled on the other side and Law could hear some strange thumping noises on the other side.

"They're trying to get into the control room!" It was Miyako's voice who was only a few steps away, trying to hold and barricade the doors of the control room.

"We don't have control here anymore, they switched to manual control. They're trying to close us in the base by shutting all the doors! Get out of the lab captain!" Shachi yelled before grunting as he tried to hold out the doors.

Law switched to a shared line of the den den mushi so the rest of the group could hear him too. "We've been found out. Everyone proceed as planned! We're leaving, now!" After he heard confirmation voice on his den den mushi, Law turned towards a loud sound. The doors of the lab were closing. "Tch" He made an irritated expression and looked at the folder one last time then looked up to examine the lab's insides.

"Captain, we need to go!" Bepo was already jumping from one leg to the other in nervousness.

"There's still one thing I need to take." Law said with his usual calm look and he walked to the other side of the lab. He knew there was no good in panicking; and Bepo was doing that enough for both of them. He saw a machine with some vials in it and took one of them. It had Ex –Dv – 5 written on it; but there didn't seem to be anything inside. However Law knew better; it was the vial that was related to the Vegapunk's research Doflamingo wanted and inside it was gas. Law quickly took two vials along with the folder and put everything in the inside of his coat.

"Captain!" Bepo yelled. He was already at the lab's doors, trying to hold the doors from shutting. But they were too big for him to completely stop.

Law walked towards the doors taking his nodachi on the way, which was resting against one of the research tables, then rushed out along with Bepo before the doors closed completely. The polar bear sighed in relief as they came out of the lab in time.

"Don't celebrate yet Bepo." Law warned and the said bear looked up to see a dozen of marine soldiers running up to them and surrounding them. They all prepared their rifles aiming at the two pirates.

"Pirate Trafalgar Law, bounty; 360 000 000 Beli! Surrender yourself this instant!" One of the marine who looked like he had a slightly higher rank then the rest of the soldiers of the group used a stern voice as best as he could to yell at Law. However his voice was shaky and his face became even sweatier when Law looked straight at him. The man was obviously afraid of the pirate captain and who wouldn't be after all the stories and rumors going around about the Heart Pirates and their merciless captain.

"Oh captain, your bounty went up again! Congratulations!" Bepo totally ignored the tense atmosphere of the situation as he praised his captain with an impressed voice.

"So it seems. Well we have been destroying a lot of marine ships as of late." Law answered, ignoring the marines and their orders. What were they even thinking, ordering him to surrender? Who in their right mind would actually do that just because their enemies said so? *These guys are always so naive…*

At first the men seemed confused by the lack of response coming from the two pirates but as they realized they were completely ignored, that confusion turned into anger. The one in charge gritted his teeth as he glared at Law. "You bastards…" Then suddenly he raised his hand in the air as a signal. "Shoot them!"

However before they could actually shoot, the marines realized they didn't have anything to shoot with. "huh?" The marine officer blinked as there was only silence and then the sound of murmuring and finally panicking from his men. Only then did they realize they were in some kind of blue field.

"T-The guns! They're gone!" one of the marines shouted.

"And not just our guns! Our den den mushi too!" the other added.

"Look!" someone shouted and pointed at a pile of guns and communication devices right behind Law and Bepo, away from the marines' reach.

Law gave the men that infamous smirk of his and there was a taunting look in his dark eyes. "If you want them, come and get them." He teased and showed at the pile with one hand while clutching his nodachi and pulling it out of its sheath with the other.

"D-don't let him distract you! We still have our swords!" The officer yelled and pulled out his saber, the rest of the group mimicking him. "Let's go men!" With a shout that was even stronger than the alarm sirens of the base, the men charged at the two pirates as if going to battle already prepared for death.

Law only sighed as he slashed the air a couple of times. In a disappointingly quick amount of time, the battle was already over without the marines even being able to come close to the pirate captain. Their swords fell on the ground with clinking noises when the men realized they were missing their lower bodies and other parts as well.

"Shambles." With that one word, the whole world started spinning for the marines and they soon found themselves attached to different body parts, which weren't their own, and definitively in the wrong places. Finally, when Law removed his Room, the suffering marines fell to the floor unable to move. All their could do was shout and curse in fear but it all fell on deaf ears as Law and Bepo calmly proceeded through them and down the hall.

Ok, I'm stopping here. I wanted to write some more but then I have a feeling I'd just keep writing and never finish and I really wanted this to be done and uploaded today. .

As always, you can leave your reviews and comments/questions and I will respond to them at the end of my next chapter. Or you can just message me for an immediate response. Bye bye guys, and have a great summer! :D

Now for some answers to reviews (I'll try to keep it short);

JustChan: Sorry I made you wait so long. To me those three months went by in a rush, I didn't even realize it was that long since I last posted. About the theory; well even though Miyako was a protégée of one of the Wano samurai she isn't a politically important person (nor politically involved) so Wano wouldn't have a reason to negotiate with Akainu over her. But I won't say anything more so to not spoil the upcoming story. :) About Miyako's feeling for Law and the rest of the crew; they keep evolving and increasing but she's not quite there yet. ;)

reddevil47: Wow, that's tall! o.o

TheHeart'sCompass: Thank you very much for your support. ^^ I will try writing even more in the future.

Chococatx33: Thank you. I really like writing fighting scenes so I get into them (maybe sometimes too much :P) Since this story is rated T so I can't put a lemon, the best I can do is write an implication of their first time but nothing I can actually describe. ^/^

Lagadema: Haha Sounds like I got you hooked on Miya-chan. XD Unfortunatelly there's not much of her in this chapter, but instead we have Law acting all cool, which isn't bad either. :P

Hiragizawa: Yay :D Once again thanks for the awesome Miyako drawing~

Christmasloot: haha Yes! I got the idea from Slenderman for Abaddon. I wanted him to be as creepy as possible. :D

Shiningheart of ThunderClan: Yeah, a part of me reeeeally itched to make this into a ghost story but everything 'weird' in One Piece is always explained with Devil Fruit powers so I didn't want to stray too much from that. I guess I'll just have to do a Halloween Special with more freedom and more monsters then. :D Yep, Benny solidified only a part of himself that accessed right into the brain and applied pressure on that spot so they would lose consciousness.

Hitoshirezu Ryu: Thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate it and it's you, the readers, that keep me going, wanting to constantly evolve into a an even better writer and do my best. :)

Well I'll have to stop here even though I would very much like to answer to all of your comments. However I can tell you all how grateful I am to each and every one of you and you're reviews that you post (be it suggestions, criticism or simply support) because you also give me the will and inspiration to continue writing (like you did now even when I was thinking of quitting). I hope I will be able to meet everyone's expectations in the future and make this story even better for all of you. Thank you~