I don't like you!

by BloodyMarryMe

By pure chance and unluckiness Miyako finds herself at the Sabaody auction house as a slave. And of all the people, the one interested just had to be the most smug, egoistical and sadistic pirate she has ever met. So at least she can give him as much trouble as possible, right? LawXOC

59. Chapter 59

'I don't like you!' by BloodyMarryMe

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters! I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for blood and violence, and some suggestive themes.

Hey guys! First, thank you all for the lovely, happy wishes for holidays. Secondly, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy (soon to be) New Year! All the best for the holidays and I hope you are all enjoying them! :D

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CHAPTER 59

The samurai couldn't help but grumble as she turned another corner, carrying a box of syringes in her hands. "Why do I always get stuck with the manual labor around here…? That Monet is already well enough to help out at least," the girl muttered in annoyance. Ever since the accident more than a month ago, Monet has been getting used to her new limbs, so Miyako did all the work in her stead around the lab. However, the bird woman was already well enough and seemed completely used to her new appendages now. Miyako still remembered the first time she saw Monet's new appearance after hearing she got into the accident in Caesar's laboratory.

Monet was finally out of the bed and the doctor, rather Trafalgar, gave her permission to get out of the infirmary today. She had to undergo a rigorous physical therapy while she was there, to get used to walking around on bird feet, but it appeared to have worked. Even though still a bit unsteady, Monet managed to get on her feet and walk out of the infirmary. She went to sector B, the largest room in the building, where Caesar, Miyako and Law were discussing something.

"Aah, Monet, so you're with us again," Caesar exclaimed upon seeing her, grinning widely. He was glad to have his assistant back, at least.

Miyako turned to look at the new Monet for the first time and had to take some time adjusting to the sight before her. She already saw the half human-half animal prisoners around here so it dampened some of the shock, but what surprised Miyako was how much this new look suited the woman. Still, she doubted Monet would want to hear that. But the woman with her already sharp eyes of a predator, now had birds claws on her feet, and large white wings. If Miyako had to describe the woman in one word it would be; harpy. The woman looked just like one. She could see that Monet was still a bit unsure about her appearance and doubted how useful it could be in the future. It must've been a shock for the woman. Even Miyako, who didn't like the woman, could sympathize with that. "It's…uhh…interesting…" She couldn't find better words to describe Monet at this moment. A meaner part of her wanted to make some snarky comment at the appearance, as vengeance for all the smug taunts she received from Monet over the past month. However, the samurai girl quickly reminded herself that it probably wasn't a best idea to piss off a person who held your heart in their hands. It was probably better not to additionally tick the woman off, which could be followed by Miyako getting her heart stabbed.

It has already been two months since she and Law came to Punk Hazard, and she was already pretty used to the life here. Every day she had some tasks to do, or helped Law in some plans which were only meant to be shared between them. Not for a moment did she forget that they had a mission of their own around here.

Turning another corner, Miyako walked into a large room. The room was barely furnished, but had numerous electronic equipment around. There was one specific piece of equipment that stood at the center of the room. It was a large metal stand with a glass case keeping an object inside. The object was propped carefully in the middle of the container; a single piece of large fruit. Specifically, it was the prototype of the artificial devil fruit, the first one from which Caesar continued his research on making SMILEs. The girl set the box she was carrying on a nearby counter and was about to leave, when a movement in the shadows caught her eye. Her thoughts were immediately cut off as she returned to reality by the suspicious movement.

She turned around and reflexively put one hand on the hilt of her katana. "Who's there?" Miyako called out, watching her surroundings with sharp eyes. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her and turned around quickly. The shadow was just about to slip towards the exit and run away, but the girl swiftly caught the back of their collar, making them stay put. "Got you!"

"Ack!" A surprised yelp came from the small, captured form. "Let me go!" They struggled, but it was no use. They couldn't escape the girl's strong hold on their collar.

Miyako simply sighed as her body relaxed. "So it's you again, huh?" She looked down at the small boy before her. She was currently holding onto the back collar of his yukata, as the dark-haired boy struggled. "How many times do I need to tell you not to sneak around the facility like this. You should stay in the Biscuits Room, Momonosuke!" She scolded the young Wano boy firmly, finally letting go of his yukata.

"How insolent! To think that a mere woman would reprimand me, a future samurai! And a one from Wano no less! You should know your place, woman!" The kid yelled angrily, adjusting his clothes.

Miyako's eyebrow twitched as a dark aura suddenly appeared around her. The tension in the air could clearly be felt as a dark cloud surrounded them both. Her eyes became much colder and harsher as she looked down at the boy. "What was that Momonosuke-kun, I couldn't quite hear you. Mind repeating that?" Even though she clearly heard every word, the girl decided to give him another chance to correct his words. Even so, her hand was slowly clenching into a fist and rising in the air ominously.

The boy gulped loudly, seeing the change in Miyako. "I-I apologize, profoundly!" The boy exclaimed loudly, with sweat on his forehead and a frightened look in his eyes. It seems his earlier pride was completely replaced by fear of the girl before him. His fear was understandable though. The first time Momonosuke and Miyako met, it had been in similar circumstances. Momonosuke tried to sneak out of the Biscuits Room and when Miyako noticed and caught him, he called her a rude witch who didn't know her place. That resulted in Miyako's pissed off mode awakening and she socked him over his head, leaving a nice bump that hurt him for days. Even tears appeared in the corner of the boy's eyes and he had to use all his restraint to fight them. After that incident, whenever Momonosuke saw Miyako's angry, dark side appear he would stay well away from her or apologize immediately.

It seemed the apology alone was enough to calm the girl as she lowered her fist and sighed exasperatedly instead. "Anyway, come on, you can't be in here," she lightly pushed on his back to lead him out of the room.

Just as they were about to come out, two men in yellow suits appeared before them. "Who's here, this is an off-limit zone!" One of them yelled and then saw the two figures inside.

"Ah, Suzune-san, it's you! We just heard voices so we came to check it out. Ack!" Just then he noticed the little Wanokuni boy. "You again! Didn't we warn you not to sneak around the facility! Come with us, this time you'll seriously get punished!"

The other man already stepped forward and grabbed Momonosuke by the hand, trying to drag him away.

"No! Let me go, you insolent-!" The boy tried his best to struggle, but he was already weak and famished to begin with.

"Wait," suddenly Miyako intervened and the two men stopped pulling on the boy.

"But Suzune-san, this brat should be punished!" The ex-prisoner protested in confusion.

Yet Miyako's voice stayed calm as she answered, "That's right. But we don't have to waste our time and energy on this brat. I was just about to do it myself here, anyway." She turned around towards Momonosuke, raising her clenched fist again. She could see the worried gaze in the boy's eyes. "I told you not to go in here, didn't I!?" She threw her fist down, slamming the top of his head with it.

"Ow!" The boy yelped, rubbing the top of his shaved head.

"Heh, that's what you get for crossing us! Come on, we'll take him away to the Biscuits Room." Obviously pleased by the punishment, the men calmed down and went to take Momonosuke back to the children's area.

Momonosuke walked beside the two yellow-suits, ignoring their preaching about how he should listen to adults. He glanced one last time behind him to see the girl standing there and watching them leave. When she saw his stare, she smirked at him knowingly and Momonosuke quickly turned his head away again. He was still thinking about what just happened; the truth was, Miyako saved him just now. His head didn't hurt at all as he actually didn't get hit by her fist. He knew how Miyako hit when she's angry and this was nothing but a light tap, made to look more painful than it actually was. He pretended to be hurt as he soon realized he had to play along, but the girl actually stopped her hand inches from his head and only tapped her fist lightly. She did it to save him from the real punishment he would receive from Caesar's men. They all hated him here because he was always creating trouble for them. He would sneak off and refused to eat his meals. In fact, he barely had anything to eat since he got there. He didn't even want to try those candies they were given by the adults, no matter how much the other kids loved them. That's why he was always treated like a thorn in their side by Caesar's men, whenever nobody was looking. Usually they always pretended to be kind to the children, but Momonosuke knew it was all a ruse. They didn't like the kids at all!

What just happened reminded him of the time shortly after meeting the swordswoman. During that time, he was already scared of her after experiencing her wrath, and would always avoid her by any means necessary. He wouldn't approach her or talk to her, but the woman didn't seem upset by it at all. She would just leave him be as he glared at her from the side, murmuring something about getting revenge.

"Eat it already, you stupid brat!" One of the men in yellow suits finally got fed up by Momonosuke's behavior as he kicked the food tray meant for the kid. The food spilled everywhere around the two as the metallic sound of the tray echoed inside the empty room. "There, if you ain't gonna eat it anyway!" He yelled, stepping onto the food on the floor.

Momonosuke couldn't help but gulp at the painful sight of perfectly good food going to waste. His stomach rumbled loudly in protest. Even so, the boy still refused to eat, staying stubbornly silent.

"What's going on here?" Miyako walked into the room, watching the two figures there.

Suddenly, Momonosuke's whole body tensed as he remembered their previous encounter where he got a painfully sore head. *Oh no, it's that Devil Woman! I'm done for, now!* Even so, the boy stood firm in his spot bravely, and simply glared at the woman as usual. Still, it was hard to look decisive when your whole body is already so worn out. How many weeks has it been since last time he ate something concrete?

"Suzune-san! This bra-I mean kid, won't eat at all! He won't even take his medicine or candy!" The man complained angrily through gritted teeth.

On the other hand, Miyako stayed calm while she watched the scene before here. Momonosuke was sure she was about to beat him to death or at least until he complies, but that didn't happen either. Instead, she nodded to the ex-prisoner. "It's ok, I'll handle it. You can leave."

"Eh, but-?" The man wanted to protest, but after seeing Miyako's gaze, he shut his mouth and nodded. "I understand. Then, I'll leave it to you." Calming down a bit, the man turned and left the room with one final glare in the kid's direction, before leaving Miyako and Momonosuke alone.

Momonosuke was still standing with his fists clenched at his sides, ready for anything. He was on his guard, prepared to fight the woman if necessary. However, Miyako simply sat on the ground before him with her legs crossed. The boy blinked in confusion, as they both stayed silent. He watched the girl pull something out and started to unwrap one of the items in her hand.

"Actually, I was just about to have lunch too," the girl started. She took out two rice balls and started unwrapping one. As she did so, a smile appeared on her face. "Mmm, looks good doesn't it?" She looked up at the boy before her, still smiling in content. She offered it to the boy casually, without a word.

Momonosuke gulped, feeling saliva in his mouth as he stared at the onigiri like it was the most precious thing in the world. His eyes were completely glued to the piece of food, but he stayed motionless. Suddenly with a turn of his head, he spat out, "I'm not hungry!" It was an obvious lie to both of them, but Miyako didn't call him out on it.

Instead, the girl just shrugged and started biting on the rice ball. She hummed in satisfaction from the taste. "It's omelet flavor," she commented, seemingly to no one.

Listening to the sounds of munching and chewing, Momonosuke couldn't help but sneak a glance at Miyako. She was slowly eating the onigiri, savoring each bite, as if purposely torturing him. *What a horrible woman!*

"You know…I'm from Wanokuni too," the girl started.

Momonosuke frowned. "I know…I noticed by your features. Yet, you even carry a sword even though you are a woman from Wano and know our customs! How unsightly," he couldn't help but answer with a snide remark. He thought he would certainly get hit this time again, but it didn't happen. Instead, the girl just kept on eating the rice ball and talking in between bites.

"So I know how important pride is to our people. Especially, to a son of a samurai," she added.

Momonosuke's eyes widened at that comment. How could she tell that he was a son of a samurai? "How did you-?" He started, but Miyako interrupted as she continued.

"However, there can be a thin line between pride and foolishness. A person has to ask themselves; what is it that is worth dying for? Is pride worth it then? Your name is Momonosuke, right? Well then Momonosuke-kun, are you content with starving here in this place for the sake of your pride? Because that sounds like a pretty pathetic death to me…especially for a future samurai," the girl finished, eating the last of her onigiri.

Momonosuke, however, stayed quiet but there was a dilemma in his hazy eyes. He was obviously thinking about her words.

"Well… if you are too prideful to take food from me, then find your own way of surviving in this place…no matter what," she smirked and gave the kid a knowing glance. There was something in her eyes; a silent message meant for him to decipher. As she said that, Miyako stood up. The other onigiri fell from her lap as she did so, but the girl didn't seem to notice as she turned away from Momonosuke and started walking out of the room.

The child noticed the still-wrapped up rice ball and called out to the girl. "Ah, you dropped it! Hey!" He yelled loud and clear enough for her to hear yet Miyako pretended not to hear him. She was ignoring him, still walking out of the room until she disappeared from his sight. Momonosuke looked down at the abandoned rice ball. The woman's words still echoed inside his mind; 'Then find your own way of surviving in this place…no matter what.' He could still remember the look she gave him at that moment. Gritting his teeth, the boy slowly reached for the rice ball and grabbed it in his hand. He fought himself, his body and mind having a large dilemma of what to do next. His pride yelled at him not to succumb to that woman's words, but he's body only answered with pain of starvation at that thought.

"Dammit!" With that one word full of frustration, the boy unwrapped the onigiri and took a large bite at it with tears in his eyes. Even though he hated a part of himself for listening to that woman, he still couldn't stop his mouth from chewing as only one thought crossed his mind; 'It's good.'

Momonosuke lowered his gaze while walking as he remembered that day. *That time, I'm sure she pretended to drop that onigiri on purpose,* he thought. After that Momonosuke still wouldn't eat the food he was given in here by Caesar's men but every now and then, Miyako would come visit him and accidentally 'drop' an onigiri or something similar. It was never enough to fill his stomach since they both knew he would never accept any real meal directly from the woman. So all she could do was to play this game of 'accidentally' leaving some of her lunch behind. Even if it wasn't enough to fill the boy, it was enough to keep him from starving to death. Like so, the time went and he survived almost a whole month in this place. That situation wasn't the only time the girl helped him either. After that, Momonosuke became less frightened and more conscious of the Wano girl so he would watch her sometimes, silently sitting in his corner of the Biscuits Room. One day he even caught her lying to that strange bird-woman Monet; the green haired woman asked Miyako if he had took his candy properly and Miyako nodded in confirmation. However, the Wano girl slipped the candy into her back pocket instead and never gave it to Momonosuke who never wanted to take it anyway. Still, he was sure they would make him eat it even unwillingly if they knew he wasn't taking it. Miyako was covering for him, but her reasons were still unclear to the boy.

As he continued to walk down the hallways, followed by the two yellow suits, a thought appeared in Momonosuke's mind. *Miyako-dono…she's different than the rest of the adults here. They all pretend to be really nice, but are actually mean and only want to fool us. I can tell their true nature! But Miyako-dono is completely opposite. It's like she's porously pretending to be cold and keeps a distance, but she's actually much nicer than she lets on. I wonder why that is…?* The boy's thoughts got interrupted when he realized they were already standing in front of the Biscuits Room.

"Come on kid, get inside." One of the men ordered and opened the large doors in front of the Wano boy.

Momonosuke could see the children happily playing inside, seemingly oblivious of anything. They were all told the same thing; that they were sick and needed to stay here if they wanted to get better. But how much of that was actually true? Momonosuke wasn't supposed to be a part of that group on the ship to begin with so he knew that he wasn't sick. But what about the rest? In all three weeks that he was here, he didn't notice any difference in the children around him. Were they really getting any better? Were they really even sick? The light from inside the room splashed onto his face and illuminated him as he listened to the children's voices inside. With a sigh, Momonosuke walked inside the Biscuits room.

~…~

Miyako suddenly felt exhausted as she walked back to her room. She closed her eyes while still walking and turned the door knob of the room. Without even looking around, the girl fell face first into the soft mattress of the bed before her. She let out a long sigh, thinking she was finally able to rest for a while. However, that thought soon vanished when she felt something amiss in the room, even before she heard the low voice next to her.

"Do you need something?"

Miyako quickly shot up and turned her head towards the origin of the familiar voice. "Law! What are you doing in my room?" She blinked in confusion, staring at the man who was casually sitting in the chair behind his desk, reading a thick book he found in Vegapunk's laboratory.

"This is my room," the captain corrected her in a deadpan voice.

At first Miyako couldn't understand what she just heard from him so she just kept staring at the captain with a puzzled expression. Then, as if a light bulb lit over her head, she gasped and glanced around the room. Indeed, it was similar, but this wasn't her room. It was Trafalgar's! Sheepishly smiling, the girl scratched her head as she rested her other elbow on the bed to prop herself up. "Tehe, I made a mistake…" Even as she said that, the girl kept lying on the bed propped with her elbows as her chin rested on her intertwined hands. For a while, silence fell upon the room.

Finally, the doctor broke it. "You have no intention of moving, do you?" He had to hold back a sweat drop as he watched the girl sprawled on his bed. It was more of a statement than a question anyway.

"But I'm tired~" Miyako all but whined, her head hitting the mattress again as she groaned. "At least let me rest here for a while," she added, her voice muffled by the sheets.

"Are you a child? Law smirked as the girl reverted to her childlike self as she sometimes would, flailing her legs in the air while her face was buried in the mattress. It would often happen when she would get teased by Joshua, and they would always engage in a childish fight that usually ended badly if somebody didn't stop them in time. It's not that he particularly disliked this side of the girl, actually it rather amused him at times, though he could live without the constant bickering between the samurai and his redheaded medic. With those thoughts, Law took the black cup that was on his desk and took a sip of his lukewarm coffee.

One thing Miyako didn't like was to be called a child; she was already 21 and could take down a dragon by herself for goodness sake! Girls much younger than her were already treated as women even eligible for marriage in Wano, and even though Miyako had no interest in such things, she still didn't like to be treated as a mere child. She scowled, looking at the captain as he drank from his cup with an amused expression. She wanted to wipe that smug look from his face. "Law, are you sure you want to call me a child so casually? After all, wouldn't that make you one of those…you know, a pedophile?" She commented bluntly with a completely innocent face, trying to hide her amusement. It was particularly hard to do that when the captain chocked on his coffee in surprise of her words, almost spitting the liquid out, and coughed a few times until he caught his breath again.

Trafalgar tried to keep his cool, but his tanned face looked just a shade paler than usual. His grey eyes were watching Miyako in disbelief, not in the least expecting the girl to say such a thing all of a sudden. "What are you saying?!" He tried to keep his tone level and calm, but it was harder than usual. His voice was still a bit raspy from the previous coughing and chocking on his beverage, though the captain slickly ignored his sudden outburst, pretending it didn't even happen. However, his eyebrow twitched in annoyance when he saw the girl's satisfied smirk as she gazed at him victoriously.

The girl chuckled, still smirking as she said, "Revenge~," in a singing tone, while sitting on the bed. With an overdramatic sigh, she leaned on the backrest of the captain's chair, still sitting on the bed. The room wasn't very big so she had no problem doing so, even with Law sitting in that same chair. Her eyes glazed over as her gaze became distant, while she stared at the ceiling. For a while, the girl stayed quiet, seemingly deep in her own thoughts. "Say…I wonder what those guys are doing right now. They must've reached Zo by now," she started, a bit softer than before.

Law stayed quiet as he examined the girl who appeared to be miles away in her thoughts. So she was thinking about the Heart Pirates; no matter how tough she acted, they were all still her friends and she must be worried about them. The captain smirked, delighted at finding yet another fact with which he could tease her. "Miss Miyako…could it be you actually miss the crew?" He couldn't keep the wide smirk off his face, but then again, he wasn't really trying to either. He wasn't even trying to mask his amusement from that revelation, since he knew it was something Miyako would never willingly admit.

The girl suddenly flinched, realizing what she was saying out loud and how it came off. She really didn't want to admit it, but she was pretty much busted now. She still tried to hide behind her usual façade, looking away with an uninterested gaze, "That's not what I said, did I?..." She paused in her words, but could feel Law's stare on her. By the looks of it, he was obviously unconvinced as he just raised an eyebrow at her, still smirking. Finally she sighed, seeing that she had lost. "Don't ever tell them, ok? They'd never shut up about it," she finally added in a low mutter. In truth she really did worry about them, wondering what they were doing right now. Was everything alright? Were they attacked by a sea king, which often happened in these parts of the seas. Miyako could only believe in their strength and hope for the best. What's more, she missed hanging out with the cheerful crew; Cody's kind words and Munk who she could always rely on. At this moment she missed even Josh and his snarky taunts at her expense…He might be obnoxious at times but he was actually pretty caring and reliable. If he was here right now, Miyako was sure he'd give her a light smack on the head and say she worries too much with a frown on his face. "Believe in us, Bakaonna," she could hear his scolding voice inside her mind.

Law chuckled at her statement. He knew his crewmates well enough to know they would probably never let it go if they knew Miyako's feelings right now. Shachi and Penguin would also have a blast, hearing a confirmation that Miyako cared for them, from her own mouth. No wonder she didn't want to relay her true feelings to them so easily, she'd never hear the end of it later. That's why she would admit it only in rare occasions such as when she returned from that Tenryuubito palace at Mariejois.

The captain could see the girl was still engrossed in her own thoughts, somewhere far away, as she frowned with a worried expression. With a sigh, his expression changed to his usual blank one as he raised his free hand and flicked the girl on her forehead with his index finger. "If you're so worried you should've stayed with the crew," he commented with a slightly agitated voice, since it reminded him of the fact that his orders fell on deaf ears at the time. He wouldn't admit it, but it was hard to get over the fact that Miyako, yet again, disobeyed him. However, that was already in the past and nothing Law says will change the fact that she was here right now.

"Ack!" Miyako shut her eyes as she was brought back to reality by his action. She rubbed her slightly sore forehead with a frown, looking up at the Shichibukai. "It's not like I regret my actions...there would be no point in doing so, anyway. If I had to choose, I would do it all over again. I believe I'm more useful to you here than to them in the submarine," Miyako admitted openly.

Law still had his blank expression, so it was hard to read what he was thinking. "Don't say so bluntly that you are glad you ignored my direct orders," he sighed at her words.

The samurai smirked at his comment, slightly amused by the way he spoke. He was still a bit bothered by her insubordination and this was probably the closest to pouting she'll ever see him do as he subtly complained to her. A part of her really wanted to comment on how he sounded like he was pouting right now, and tease him how adorable that looked, but of course Miyako had no intention of telling him so since she wanted to live to see the next day at least. Her reasonable mind still knew exactly how far she could go with teasing the captain and when it was wise for her to stop before crossing the line. Instead, she leaned back even more on the backrest of his chair and lowered her head to look in front of her. There was nothing there, only a metal wall, but Miyako still kept her eyes trained on that spot as if there was something awfully interesting there.

"You know…," she started, "The truth is I always wanted to explore new worlds like this, even when I was still in Wanokuni. That was partly the reason why I left my hometown and went on a journey as a rounin. However, I never thought I would end up on a pirate ship, even having crewmates. To be honest I felt a bit of excitement when you first asked me to join; I thought of all those adventure stories and worlds I only read about in books as a child up until then. Yet I always planned on setting off on my own, under my own terms…that's why it was hard for me to set aside my pride and give in to you. But you know….I'm glad I did," she finished and looked back up at Law, giving him a small smile. His face was up-side-down in her eyes and he still held that unreadable expression. "It'd be a shame if we had to stop our adventures now…," she added a bit softer, with a thoughtful gaze.

Law held his blank expression, but a glint of interest appeared in his eyes. "Why would you say that?"

"Mmm….No reason. Just thinking out loud," Miyako hummed, but there was obviously something on her mind she didn't want to say.

The captain could tell there was more to her words than what she let on. After all, Miyako wasn't one to waste her breath without a reason. There was a hidden meaning behind those words that almost sounded like a warning to him, but the girl didn't want to go further into the topic. Law wasn't so ignorant either; he knew what the girl was talking about. She was still worried about this whole Doflamingo business…worried about Trafalgar sacrificing his life to bring the older Shichibukai down. He still remembered her desperate expression when they argued in the snowy storm of Punk Hazard before coming to Caesar. "You are willing to sacrifice everything to bring this man down, even if it means your own death!" Those were her words as she yelled them right back at his face. The girl read him all-too-well for his liking.

Usually he would frown at her ambiguous words and make her spit it out openly, but this time even Law didn't want to go any further with the topic. He didn't want to go into that right now because nothing good could come out of it. So instead, the captain changed the subject. "You know now that you mention it, you never did tell me how you became a rounin," he focused on the statement from her story. Miyako never talked much about her past or the dealing in her country. She told him the basics of what kind of country was Wano and about the four samurai in charge. She also told him a bit about her Master who was one of those samurai and who died in battle during a rebellion. The Master who decided to train her in the way of the sword, even though such a thing was forbidden for women. However, she never spoke about her late parents or the way she ended up on the road and out of her home, only about how she ended up at Sabaody Archipelago. Then again, Law never told her anything about his past either, expect for some vague parts of his dealing with Doflamingo.

"Well you never told me how you became a pirate, either," the samurai responded slyly, expertly avoiding his question with her own comment. The captain wasn't sure was the girl simply teasing him or using this as an excuse to get out of answering his question.

The man put a hand on her forehead and pulled her head back even more, drawing her face closer to his as he lowered his head. He stared right into her golden eyes with a devilish smirk. "Miss Miyako…you wouldn't be trying to avoid my question, now would you?" There was a playful warning in his tone showing he wasn't truly angry, but even so his acute eyes examined every change in her expression. He wasn't letting her hide anything from him, and if she tries, he'll know instantly.

Yet Miyako kept her mask of simple playfulness as she smirked, before widening her eyes in pretense shock. "Why mister Trafalgar, I would never…I wouldn't dare," she added with a tone of artificial fear in regard of his words.

Two grey eyes gleamed in excitement as the girl proved to be tougher to break through than he originally thought. That just meant more fun for him and he didn't mind that in the least. What's more, it seems Miyako was getting more used to him getting close or touching her, which he definitely didn't mind either. He wondered if she was acting more collected now since she was obviously hiding behind her mask again, her true feelings covered up by her joking manner towards him. She wasn't all flustered as usual, which probably meant she was trying to keep her cool on purpose. And she only did that when she was hiding something. He decided she really was trying to deter him from asking more about her rounin title, which only made Law more interested as a result. He leaned into her ear and whispered in a low voice, "You should have already learnt that hiding something from me is never a good idea. You know I'll get it out of you…one way or another," he added with a wicked smile, waiting for his words and their meaning to sink into the girl's heart. His one hand trailed down around her neck and he simply kept it there, as if emphasizing his words.

"Is that a threat or a promise?" The girl smirked, seemingly unaffected by his words. Even so, she couldn't hide the slight rise in temperature on her skin.

Law's eyes narrowed. When did she become so good at enticing him? He wasn't even sure if she was doing it on purpose, since this was Miyako after all; she probably didn't even realize what she was doing to him. She was just teasing him as a joke, unaware of what she was doing to his libido with her taunting words. "You-"

Just as he was about to say something more, Law's words were interrupted by a loud alarm coming from outside the room. It was the alarm of the facility, which would warn everyone in the building that something was amiss. The last time they heard it was when the explosion in Caesar's laboratory happened; the explosion Trafalgar personally caused.

Miyako quickly sat up on the bed, before standing up and putting a hand on her katana. "Something is going on, outside." She could hear shouts and running footsteps of Caesar's men in the hallways.

The captain also got up on his feet and was just about to check on the situation when the doors of his room burst open.

"Law-san!" One of the yellow suits came running in, yelling loudly.

"Tch, we're not deaf, you don't need to yell," Miyako muttered in annoyance.

"Ah…Suzune-san is here too," the man blinked in slight surprise at seeing the samurai in Trafalgar's quarters.

Wanting to get to the point as soon as possible, Law turned the man's attention back to himself, "What is it?"

"Right! You need to come with me, there's been a problem! Master is calling you both!" The man explained before rushing out of the room again to lead them both to Caesar Clown.

Miyako and Law gave each other a quick glance. Law's gaze seemed to be warning her to be prepared for anything in case they needed to make their move again Caesar soon. The girl nodded in understanding before following after the henchman. The Shichibukai grabbed his nodachi which was resting against the wall and headed out after them.

Caesar was in sector B, standing in front of the video projectors through the den den mushi along with Monet. Around them were numerous men in yellow suits, discussing something between themselves. Once again, Caesar seemed to be fuming while yelling something through his transponder snail.

"There has to be some news about this? Where did the man go?!" Caesar was yelling into the den den mushi while Monet kept pushing buttons in front of the projectors. Every time, the image would change, showing different parts of Punk Hazard.

"What's going on here?" Law was the first to ask as both him and Miyako walked over to the group.

Caesar ignored them, still talking into the den den mushi, but the bird woman turned back towards them and started explaining, "We have an intruder. He is currently somewhere in the snowy part of Punk Hazard and he already took out some of our watchmen outside. However, we can't seem to get a visual on him on our den den mushi. He's too fast and he must be hiding somewhere now," Monet pointed towards the videos that showed nothing but snowy desert outside of the facility.

"And Caesar?" Miyako nodded towards the angry scientist.

"He's talking to the captain of the team of men who went outside to look for the intruder. But there isn't any progress for now, it seems. We still don't know who this person is nor how did he get here….or what he wants for that matter," the assistant sighed, but her expression looked cool as always. She didn't appear to be particularly worried about the whole situation, almost as if she didn't care.

"Where are the Yeti Cool Brothers? They should be perfect for outside expeditions anyway," Miyako asked, remembering the odd duo she met not long after coming to this island. The two giant assassins by the name of Rock and Scotch were employed as guards of the Punk Hazard and eliminators of everything and anything. As long as they were ordered to by Caesar, they'd kill or destroy anything in their way. Because of their huge stature and resilience to cold weather, they were mainly stationed outside of the research facility, watching the area. That's why Miyako didn't have much contact with the brothers and didn't know much about them, except that they'd do their jobs mercilessly and curtly, no matter what it was. They were as coldblooded as they were deadly, reminding Miyako of poisonous scorpions she'd sometimes stumble upon in her birth town as a kid.

"I already sent them to search for the damned intruder, but even they had no luck yet," finally turning his intention towards the pair, Caesar answered. He still held the den den mushi in his hands with one of his henchmen on the other line. "That's why I want you two to-," the scientist started only to get interrupted by a sudden sound through the den den mushi.

"Huh? What was that?" The voice on the other side sounded as confused as the rest of them in the control room.

"Oy, what's happening there?" The logia spoke in the den den mushi.

"Wha!? How did this happen!? Oy, get a grip!" The voice on the other side continued, yelling in shock.

"Come on! What's going on out there!?" Caesar was slowly losing his patience again. He turned back to Monet. "Quick, find their position on the video transmitters!"

Monet was already on it as she switched from one den den mushi transmitter to another. Still, there was nothing but frozen lands and snow of Punk Hazard. "The visibility is pretty low from the mist and falling snow. The wind picked up too, so it's sending clouds of snow everywhere," the green-haired assistant added with a click of her tongue, but her expression and voice remained collected as usual.

"Gyaaaaahhh!" Suddenly a loud scream erupted from the den den mushi which had a panicked expression on its face.

"What was that!?" Miyako gasped, hearing the loud shriek.

"He's here! Wah! Get him! No, wait!" "Aargh!" "No, wait, wait!" Other voices could also be heard from the den den mushi. They were all from the group of men who were sent out to track the intruder and bring him in. "Gyaah!" The screams were coming from the crying den den mushi for a few seconds, until everything suddenly became quiet.

"Oy, somebody answer me dammit! What's going on!?" Caesar yelled back at the den den mushi, but there was no response. Instead he turned back to Monet and stared at the monitors, "Did you find them?"

"Not yet, there's too much interference, we can't get a clear visual," the harpy-looking woman shook her head as she pushed the buttons with the feathers of her wings.

"Aaargh, I sent two dozen men out there! You can't tell me they were all beaten by one intruder!?" Caesar clenched both his fists, forgetting that he was still holding the den den mushi, which he nearly crushed with his gloved hand.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence as another sound came from the transponder snail in Caesar's hand. "H-he-help meeeee!" The voice was stuttering at first but then screamed in utter despair. Everyone in the control room watched the crying den den mushi in silence while the tension grew in the large room. The voice from the transponder snail continued, "Master, help up! We're….getting killed….The samurai is gonna kill us all! Masteee-Gyaah!" The man's words were interrupted by a swift sound and the man screamed in pain. The man on the other side choked and a gurgle, as if suffocating on his own blood, was heard before everything went silent again.

"They're….all dead?" One of Caesar's men in the control room gulped in disbelief. He was visibly trembling, his legs shaking while he stood.

"W-what do we do now? Master?" All the ex-prisoners stared at Caesar Clown as if he was their savior in this dire time of need.

The logia was still clenching his fists in rage, while gritting his teeth. He turned towards Miyako and Law again, piercing them with his yellow eyes. "You said it'll be bad for you too if someone finds you on this island. In that case, we need to eliminate this threat at once, Law!"

Miyako glanced back at her captain who had his usual bored expression on his face. "Hn, that's true enough. So in other words, you want me to take care of it," he stated, giving the scientist one of his wide smirks.

"You too, Suzune! You're good with a sword right? So go out there and find this guy!" Caesar said in a more commanding tone than when speaking to Trafalgar; he knew he couldn't order Law around, but Miyako was here as a bodyguard so this was a part of her job at the facility. That's why Caesar always treated her as manual labor, even though she wasn't one of his henchmen.

However, the girl gave him no answer as she stared, seemingly through Caesar, with a blank expression. She was still thinking about something she just heard through the den den mushi. They mentioned a samurai. *There's another samurai on Punk Hazard…is he really a samurai? Is it someone from Wanokuni?* She didn't quite know how to feel about it since the information was still fresh in her mind, but she couldn't ignore the fact. It was both interest and anxiety that she was feeling from this revelation.

"Oy, Suzune!" The gas logia yelled angrily since he was being completely ignored by the girl.

Miyako jerked back into realty and blinked a few times until she realized the scientist was talking to her. "Right, I'm on it," she quickly answered, ignoring Law's questioning stare in her direction. He must've also heard the word samurai and connected it to Miyako, but he stayed silent about it. They had more urgent business to deal with right now.

~….~

The wind was raging outside, whistling an eerie tune as it passed through the mountains around the island. It carried the snow in the air and made it swirl around in clouds, creating a mist that clouded the vision.

In this freezing wasteland, a lone woman stood bundled up in her winter coat to try and protect herself from the cold. Even the large hood covering her head didn't help much in the cold wind that bit her cheeks.

"Did you find anything?" Miyako asked in a loud voice, trying to overpower the sounds of the wind. She was turned towards a large dark mountain as she talked, but there didn't seem to be anyone with her.

That's when the dark mountain moved and split apart, showing two giant figures standing in front of the girl. Their bodies were covered in white fur, which made them almost invisible in this snowy terrain despite their large size. Even though it was freezing outside, the only pieces of clothing they wore were a pair of blue shorts and hats that kept their faces hidden. Both giants had a pair of red glasses covering their sharp-shooter eyes and shielding their vision from the incoming wind and snow. They were especially useful considering that both assassins used rifles as their weapons, which were strapped on their backs. The two brothers looked so similar, Miyako had trouble telling them apart.

One of them, Scotch she presumed, knelt down in front of her so they could talk more easily. "We saw him and shot at him, but he moved fast and was able to run away through some mountains. It's not cool at all…," he explained in an easy-going tone.

"We can't follow the footprints because fresh snow keeps falling. They're already covered," Rock, the other brother, added.

The girl sighed in disappointment. *Aren't you supposed to be some fearsome assassins…how did you guys let him escape?* She didn't voice out that thought though, knowing that two brothers were very proud and easily offended. She didn't really want to anger the two giants on their own terrain by questioning their skills. The three of them had a good relationship of indifference between each other going on and she didn't want to mess it up now when they had to work together. The two brothers rarely met with other Caesar's henchmen and usually kept to themselves on Punk Hazard in their private area, so Miyako didn't know much about them. That's why she wanted to just keep things simple between them and get this over with.

The reason why the samurai girl was outside with the two Yeti Cool Brothers in the first place, was because Caesar sent both her and Law to track and eliminate the strange intruder. The Yeti Brothers called them, saying they found the intruder, but he got away from them even though the two assassins should be experts on their own territory. Miyako's mission was to meet up with the two and check on the group that was sent to find the intruder, but the control room in the building completely lost contact with them about half an hour ago. Miyako didn't need to have a big imagination to know what that meant; they were probably already attacked and dead. She doubted the samurai, as they called the man, was still nearby, but it was better to check it out nonetheless. Perhaps there were some survivors among the ex-prisoners who could tell her more about the sudden attacker.

"In any case, I believe we should move on to where the location of the group was last known. They're probably still there…," Miyako didn't finish her statement, though it was quite clear what she meant by it; that the men left there were already dead.

Even if the two brothers understood the meaning behind her words, they didn't seem to care as they kept talking in an indifferent tone, "You go and check the site out. We'll keep looking for the intruder and call you if we find anything," Rock told her.

"Even though it's pretty cold out today…Not cool!" Scotch added and both Yeti brothers shivered as if just remembering the cold.

*If you're cold than don't walk outside without any clothes!* Miyako yelled in her mind and her eyebrow twitched in annoyance, but she managed to keep her opinion to herself.

She watched them easily jump over a high hill of snow and disappear, before she turned to leave for her own mission. She went down the hill, careful not to slip on some ice or fall into a heap of snow. It was hard to move here and she had to watch her every step, which slowed her down even more. It was already dangerous enough with the wind constantly rushing into her face.

After a long while, the girl finally arrived at the sight where Caesar's team should be. She saw the signs of fighting and shuffling of feet in the snow, though the bodies were hardly visible anymore. Most of them were already covered in a fresh layer of snow. Miyako stopped in her tracks and looked down, noticing a splatter of thick, red liquid in the white carpet. She soon realized that the snow around her wasn't plain white anymore, but stained with the color of blood. Miyako was well used to the scent of blood and the scenes of fighting to know exactly what went on around here.

She walked through the field of frozen bodies, but there weren't any signs of life anymore. There were no survivors. She knelt next to one of the bodies and examined the corpse wearing the yellow protection suit. *The person who did this was thorough…there wasn't any hesitation in their moves,* the girl huffed while thinking, turning the body onto its back. There was a single sideways slash across the man's torso, the stained suit there still covered in crusted blood. *There's no doubt about it…this was made by a katana,* Miyako could tell by the slashes from the body. Since she used the same weapon, it wasn't hard to tell by the unique type of cut that only katana swords made.

A voice from one of Caesar's men echoed inside the girl's mind as she remembered the word samurai being involved. Miyako's lips tightened as a troubled expression crossed her face. *First a Wanokuni child comes with the shipment and now a samurai somehow infiltrates Punk Hazard…Can this really be a coincidence?* Miyako's eyes widened at the thought, *What if they really are connected with each other? Did Caesar even realize Momonosuke-kun is from Wanokuni? I doubt anyone knows…I still haven't mentioned it to Law either. If they did know…if they found out about some connection with this person and Momonosuke…what would they do?* The samurai girl gulped at the uncomfortable feeling welling up inside of her. Knowing Caesar and Monet they would try to use Momonosuke…but then again, there is no real confirmation that this guy even has anything to do with the Wano kid. Perhaps Miyako was simply jumping to conclusions. *Perhaps it's better if I don't mention anything before being certain. But even then…do I really want Caesar to know? They'll try to use Momonosuke-kun as bait for sure,* Miyako definitively didn't like that idea, but she didn't forget that her allegiance lied with Law first and foremost. His and her safety was what came first and right now this mysterious swordsman is being a threat to both of them. Miyako's expression darkened in thought as she stood up and thought of her next move, *For now…I just need to find this swordsman. The rest can be revealed later.*

Interrupting her thoughts, the den den mushi from the inside of her coat started ringing. Collecting herself, Miyako came back to reality and took out the transponder snail. She could feel her fingers freezing from the cold even inside her gloves. "Yes?" The girl answered curtly.

"Miyako-kun, is it? Did you find anything?" The voice of Monet came from the other side of the line. Accordingly, the den den mushi made a focused expression as it mimicked Monet's snake-looking eyes.

"Not yet. As expected the group sent after the intruder was completely wiped out…there are no survivors. Scotch and Rock saw him, but he managed to escape from them. We don't know his current whereabouts yet," the girl explained the situation in short.

Monet hummed from the other side, "Did the Brothers get a visual?"

"Only from a distance…they confirmed he is a tall man and has a sword, but that's all. It's hard to see anything in this wind and snow…" Miyako sighed, whishing she could also be sheltered from this weather at the moment.

"How unfortunate…At this rate, this could become rather troublesome," Monet sighed in disappoint. "Guess I'll have to fly out and look for myself, the camera den den mushi still aren't receiving much of a picture due to wind either," Monet commented, though it sounded more like she was talking to herself than Miyako.

Miyako made a bothered expression, forgetting that the den den mushi was transmitting it to Monet. *Then hurry up and go look, and let me return. This is troublesome and there's nothing out here,* she thought in annoyance.

"Fufu...is something the matter?" The harpy's amused voice came from the transponder snail.

*Urk!* Miyako flinched in surprise, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath which made her calm once more. "No, it's nothing," she finally answered.

"Ah!" Suddenly, Monet's exclaim got the girl's attention.

"What is it?" Thinking something was the matter, Miyako spoke hurriedly into the den den mushi.

"Another group was attacked by that man, in the south sector. That's where Law is right now, maybe he'll be able to get a visual on the intruder," the assistant explained.

Miyako's eyes narrowed as her expression darkened again. The word samurai stayed deeply etched into her mind while she thought of possibilities involving the meeting between Law and this man. *Well Law also has his devil fruit powers so he should be able to hold his own in a fight,* Miyako was trotting through the snow, hurrying to the southern sector of Punk Hazard. She brought her den den mushi to her lips again. "I'm going there, too!" With that she hung up and started heading for her destination, while the wind kept pushing her back.

~…..~

"Gyaah!" A man in the yellow suit screamed before he fell on the ground with a bloody gash across his back. In the cold snow, with his slowly darkening vision, he could see the rest of his comrades already lying on the ground, their bodies frozen and dead. The man could feel in his bones it wasn't long before he will follow as well.

Panic struck at his heart as tears welled up in his hazy eyes. He didn't want to die. He finally had new legs, the legs of a leopard, making him experience the joy of freely moving wherever he wanted. He didn't want his newfound freedom to end so quickly. The man started desperately crawling across the snowy carpet, ignoring the freezing temperature on his body. He grabbed a den den mushi which laid there forgotten in the snow. Taking off his mask, the man yelled into the den den mushi with tears falling from his eyes. He prayed that someone picks up the den den mushi from the other side. Monet, Law-san, Suzune-san, Master- anyone! *Master, please save me!*

On his delight, a voice came from the other side as someone yelled in the den den mushi, "Hello? I'm Luffy! I'm the guy who'll become the Pirate King!" "You said too much, idiot!" Arguining voices came from the other side.

The man blinked in confusion, but was too overjoyed that someone picked up to nitpick about the details. With the last of his strength, the man yelled into the transponder snail, "Help meeee! Ah….it's so cold…is that you boss?" He cried, sniffling like an infant and not even caring about it. He just wanted someone to come and save him right this instant. If only he could hear the kind voice of his Master on the other side, reassuring him that everything will be alright.

However, the man wasn't that lucky. "No, this isn't your boss. Is it cold there?" The unfamiliar voice continued with a tone of worry and confusion.

The ex-prisoner didn't care anymore. As long as someone came, he'll be the happiest, still-alive man on Punk Hazard. He couldn't stop his tears as he spoke, "The crew…keeps getting killed one after the other…! They keep getting killed by the samurai!" He choked on his own blood, feeling the pain from the slice on his back.

"Hey, what's your name? Where are you!?"

He could barely hear the voice on the other side now as his vision started to go blurry. He knew the samurai was near…he was coming for him! With one last shout, the man yelled into the den den mushi in panic, "I don't care who comes, just please, someone….help us! We're on Punk Hazard!" Suddenly he stopped talking as he heard shuffling of snow and feet behind him.

He heard footsteps next to him as someone stepped closer in the snow, and the ex-prisoner trembled as he turned his head towards the figure towering in front of him. Looking up, the man followed the sight with his frightened eyes. The feet wearing nothing but wooden sandals despite the cold weather, a colorful yukata covering the tall man, the bloodied sword by the man's side which he held in his hand…Caesar's henchman tried to lift his head and look all way up to see the face of the man who killed his comrades, but he never got the chance to. Right when his gaze was traveling towards the man's bearded chin, a katana went straight through the yellow suit's neck. The man chocked on his own blood, letting out a scream that sounded like he was gurgling water in his throat, "Gryarah! He stabbed me! He-!" The man widened his eyes in shock, never being able to finish his cry through the den den mushi, as his head fell back into the snow and his gaze became completely void of life. The hand clutching the little transponder snail relaxed and the item fell back into the snow from the man's grip.

"Hn, I shall remember your lives as you fought bravely," the tall swordsman said to the corpses in front of his feet, sheathing his katana back into its scabbard.

"I doubt they will be able to appreciate it, though. Since they are already dead and all…" A smug comment came from behind the swordsman, making the man turn around in haste.

"Who are you? State your name, stranger!" The tall man yelled over the wind, one hand already on the hilt of one of his two swords.

The other man casually walked closer to the swordsman. His black boots stepped on the layers of snow as he walked, making crisp sounds. He wore a long black coat with a grinning yellow smiley pattern stretched out near its lower rim. The same yellow smiley rested on the shoulder area of the coat. A tanned face with a small black goatee and two piercing grey eyes were hiding under the rim of a fuzzy, white spotted hat that kept the man's head somewhat sheltered from the falling snow. On his shoulder was resting a large sheathed sword that appeared to be a nodachi.

"I don't need to tell you anything, but I will warn you…I don't like to be ordered around," the Shichibukai pierced the man in front of him with this sharp stormy eyes and gave him a wide provocative smirk. "So, they called you a samurai?…Since you are the one intruding in my home samurai-ya, you should be the one introducing yourself," he added tauntingly.

Law examined the man in front of him. He had two katana swords at his waist sash, and was dressed in a yukata, with wooden sandals on his feet. He definitely didn't look like he came on Punk Hazard prepared for cold weather. The man's face looked rugged, with a black goatee, bigger than Law's. On his head was a topknot of slightly messy black hair. But what the pirate noticed the most were small icicles forming on the man's face and body. He was covered in fresh snow, with some ice creating on his shoulders. There were two small icicles hanging from his chin and one on both his nose and right ear. This man was slowly freezing even as he stood in his light clothing tall and proud in the snow, not even shivering. The other thing that Law noticed was the strange attire of the man; attire that reminded him of another samurai he knew. *This man really does look like a Wanokuni samurai,* he thought.

The swordsman glared at the newcomer. "Indeed, I am a samurai from Wanokuni, of the name Kin'emon! However, I do not have time for you, stranger! I need to find someone!" The man unsheathed his katana, clutching it in both hands. "Do not try to stop me for I will cut you down!"

Trafalgar's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the man's words. *A samurai from Wanokuni looking for someone on Punk Hazard?* The first person that came to mind was the one who had the most in common with the strange man in front of Law; Suzune Miyako. *Could it be he came all the way from Wano for her? But for what reason?* It left a bad feeling in Law's chest, thinking that this man was somehow involved with the certain samurai girl of his crew. He felt both suspicious and bothered by it. Perhaps the man saw her wanted poster and went looking for her, so possibly he tracked her down all the way to Punk Hazard to take her back to their homeland. Trafalgar didn't know if those were simply his speculations and whether they held any truth at all, but the Shichibukai had no intention of going along with this man no matter what the case was. *For now I shall stop him here and question him later,* he concluded, taking the nodachi in his hands and unsheathing it. "Sorry, but we only have one room for a samurai here and the slot's already been filled," he muttered jokingly to annoy Kin'emon further.

Seeing that the other man was acting as if he wasn't even taking Kin'emon seriously, the samurai gritted his teeth in annoyance, feeling his pride was injured. "How dare you insult a samurai!" He leaped towards Law, swinging his sword at him.

Law was surprised at Kin'emon's speed, soon learning that it was bad to underestimate a samurai from Wanokuni. In a blink of an eye, the samurai closed the distance between them and attacked. Even though Law was proficient in both close and ranged combat, he still preferred to keep a distance from his enemies. It was easier to control the fight in his favor when he had his opponents away from him and could use his powers to cut at them from afar. However, the samurai gave him no time for that.

Trafalgar sliced the air with his nodachi when he saw the man rushing towards him, but Kin'emon avoided it by crouching down and leaping forward. The samurai could feel the air pass above his head in a rush, as it was sliced. It made a whizzing sound just above his head, cutting a few strands of hair on his topknot. In response, he unsheathed one of his swords from a battojutsu stance as soon as he was close enough to attack and swung at the Shichibukai.

Law jumped backwards and had to lean back to avoid the tip of the katana that passed right in front of his face. He could see the sharp tip glisten in front of his eye as it zoomed by. "Room!" The pirate called out his powers, creating a large blue orb around them.

"Huh? What could that be?" Ignorant of Law's devil fruit powers, Kin'emon stopped for a second in confusion and stared at the blue sphere surrounding them. "Could it be you can use magic as well?!" The samurai questioned, surprised by the realization.

Law had no idea what the other man was talking about. He landed on his feet again and stayed silent. Instead of answering, the sliced the air a few more times with his long sword. "Just stay in place and let this end quickly," he commented coldly.

"I cannot stop until I found that child! They are on this island, for certain!" The samurai responded and jumped high in the air, evading Law's aerial attacks. Trafalgar had no time to swing his sword through the air when Kin'emon landed with his hard wooden sandals towards him. Law blocked Kin'emon's feet with his sword and realized the man was already swinging his katana towards him, about to pierce down at him.

"Shambles!" In an instant, Law disappeared and reappeared further behind Kin'emon. Instead of him, a boulder was sliced in two by the samurai's sword. "Tact!" Not waiting for the samurai to recover from his confusion by his missing opponent, Trafalgar raised the ground beneath the samurai with his powers. Just as the first one was about to hit Kin'emon, the man leaped with his feet and used the rising pinnacle as a stepping stone to jump higher into the air. From above he could see numerous sharp pinnacles rising from the ground, and his opponent not far from there.

"It is indeed magic that you are using, even controlling our surroundings!" Kin'emon commented with a suspicious stare towards his still-nameless opponent. "It seems I will also have to take this fight seriously!" With that exclaim and still in the air, Kin'emon took out his other katana as well. "I shall fight you with nitoryuu!" With that said, the samurai landed easily on one of the pinnacles on the ground, expertly avoiding the sharp tip, and jumped from one pinnacle to another to get to Law.

*Like I'll let you,* Trafalgar narrowed his eyes and swung with his nodachi again, slicing in half all of the pinnacles, including the one Kin'emon was standing on. However, it was too late since the samurai was already in front of him. The man jumped and twirled his body like a twister to get additional force from the acceleration. The Shichibukai had no choice but to stay in place and block with his nodachi, since it was too late for him to dodge. Luckily, his nodachi was long enough to take both katana at once, blocking both of them. Still, the force of Kin'emon's attack made his feet slide back in the snow, while he tried to stop his opponent. Law gritted his teeth, clutching his nodachi and tried to find a secure foothold to stand. When he felt stable enough, he took a step forward to try and push Kin'emon back with his sword. He managed to get some space between them with that move and swiftly swung at the samurai's side with his sword. However, Kin'emon blocked with one katana and instantly went to pierce Law's head with the other. The Shichibukai clicked his tongue in realization and quickly jumped in the air to dodge, swinging his sword to create more cuts.

Kin'emon dodged the attacks; moving to one side as he felt a slice pass him by before crouching to dodge another, then jumping in the air to avoid a slash and finally blocking the last one with his sword. But he was taken by surprise when numerous stones and boulders that were cut up by Law's previous attack now all came rushing at him to crush his body. In the air, Law had his fist clenched as if commanding the materials to move.

The samurai turned a full circle once, slashing at the incoming projectiles with his two katana, before jumping into the air to avoid the rest that all smashed together where he was just standing. Yet as he did that, he suddenly realized there was no trace of Law in front of him anymore. He turned around, still in the air, only to notice the figure of his opponent standing on the ground not far from him. Just as he recognized him, the pirate quickly swung his sword at the samurai who was falling to the ground. Kin'emon leaned in front with his body to dodge the slice that passed by above him and did a summersault before landing on his feet in the snow. As soon as he did, he leaped towards his enemy with both hands armed. The snow around his feet rose up in the air from the force of his step. Even though the cold wind changed its direction and was now blowing right into the samurai's face as if trying to deter him from his path, the man still moved forward swiftly and cut through the strong wind that tried to push him back.

He crossed both swords in front of his face as if shielding himself from any possible attacks and readying for his own. In an instant, he was once again in front of his opponent who also took a stance by lowering his nodachi at his side.

"Tact!" Law yelled just as the man was about to swing his swords, only half a meter away from his target. The ground rose once again with Law's command, almost piercing the swordsman with the sharp tip of the boulder. However, the experienced samurai moved swiftly in accordance and stepped on the rising ground, jumping above it and over it. However when Kin'emon finally saw the enemy again, the pirate was already slicing the air with his nodachi and everything in front of him along with it. This time Kin'emon had no room nor time to dodge and he felt sudden pain in his abdomen. The samurai's eyes widened when he saw the sword move as if slicing him, even though it was still too far away to reach him. But soon, he realized that it didn't matter; he could feel acute pain in his neck and waist.

"Ugh!" With a grunt the samurai fell on the ground, and clutched at his two katana, sheathing them back into their scabbards. He knew that he lost, but he was still confused by this situation. "W-was I cut?" He looked at his own body, unable to tell since it still looked complete, yet he definitely felt the pain of a sword running through him twice along his body. Kin'emon heard the scraping of snow beneath his opponent's feet as they leisurely walked towards him, taking their time. *What a disgrace, being defeated like this! I want to perform a hara-kiri, but I also have to think of Momonosuke!* The samurai closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in a pained frown.

"Yes, you were cut," with a devilish sneer on his face, Law raised two hands now that his nodachi was back in its scabbard. He moved them and in an instant, Kin'emon's body separated. The neck was separated from the torso, which was also cut off from the lower body.

"W-what is this sorcery!? I was cut, but still alive! How can I live with such a disgrace!?" Kin'emon exclaimed while watching in sheer shock as his cut up body floated in the air, being controlled by Trafalgar.

"That will be the last of your worries," the Shichibukai commented with a smirk as he raised the body parts higher and started moving them around in circles. "Well, I suppose I'll keep the head for questioning," he added in amusement as he kept moving the body parts inside his sphere round and round, faster and faster with each circle they did.

"What are you doing?! I'm getting dizzy! Stop it! Stop it I tell you!" The samurai yelled out as everything moved swiftly around him. Or rather it was his head and the rest of him that moved swiftly.

Law's smirk fell from his face and his amused expression was replaced by a cold one in an instant. "Didn't I tell you already…not to order me around," he finished and suddenly sent the torso and the legs of the samurai flying in different directions. From the acceleration by going in circles, both body parts were propelled and flew far away, disappearing in the mist and from Trafalgar's view.

The head of the samurai watched his flying body parts that ended up who-knows-where with his jaw slack open and shocked wide eyes. "Gyaaaa, what have you done?!" *How did something like this happen! I am so ashamed!* The samurai could barely hide his surprise and pain at the loss he just experienced, and the deep humiliation that came along with it.

"Law!" A sudden new voice entered their area and both the head of the samurai and Law turned towards it. A girl in a checkered coat and a katana around her waist ran up to them with a worried expression.

"What are you doing here?" Trafalgar furrowed his eyebrows in a frown as he saw Miyako run up to them.

"Monet called and told me you were after the intruder, did you meet him?" The girl didn't wait to catch her breath as she answered, slightly panting from running all the while. That's when she noticed the severed head covered in black hair and a topknot on top of it. "Already killed him, huh?" She was interested so she wanted to see if it was really a samurai that came all the way to Punk Hazard. She couldn't really be sure since there was only the head left, but seeing the topknot Miyako suspected the intruder really was a samurai from Wano. In that case, she wanted to know for what purpose had he come all the way out here. *Guess I won't be able to talk to him and find out after all. I wonder if he was really somehow related to Momonosuke-kun or not,* she sighed in thought, staring at the severed head.

"Killed!? That would have been better than the knowledge of being defeated yet left alive in this pitiful state! I want to commit seppuku!" The head suddenly exclaimed in anger, making expressions of discontent.

"Kyaa!" Miyako couldn't help but be surprised by the sudden talking head. Reflexively she kicked it far away in disgust with a loud scream. "What the hell was that!? It's too creepy!" She shouted, staring at the head which bounced off the ground and fell on the thick snow further away. It got stuck there, with the snow muffling its angry complains by the girl's rude actions.

"What are you doing?" Law blinked in slight surprise not expecting Miyako to react like that. It's not like she never saw any of his victims before after he used his devil fruit powers on them. "I simply used the ope ope fruit's powers and sliced him up. Why do you look so surprised all of a sudden?" He sighed as if tired while staring at her questioningly.

Miyako blinked and put a fist in the palm of her other hand with an 'I see' expression. "Ah, that's right," she exclaimed suddenly as if just remembering Law's powers. Then she turned back towards her captain with an accusing stare, "Still, that surprised me. It was just too creepy…a talking head? Why?"

Law sighed again and started walking towards the severed head where it fell. "I wanted to take him in for questioning. This way he won't make any trouble at least," he explained with a devious expression while staring back at the head.

"The one who is surprised is me, however!" The head of the samurai suddenly yelled out, glaring at the girl as it managed to roll out of the snowy heap. "How dare a mere woman kick my head!? It is unacceptable! Such a disgrace, for me to stoop so low even after all the hardships todays, as to get hit by a low woman!"

Miyako's eye twitched in annoyance as she stared down at the angry head. *Well I wanted to find out if the intruder is really a samurai…I guess I got my answer. He definitely must be from Wano when he's acting like that!*

Trafalgar ignored the man's words and lifted the head up by the hair.

"Ouch-ay-ay-a-I-I don't feel any pain at all from that!" The samurai yelled in response, even though his pained expression obviously told a different story.

Law's smirk widened. "Hmm? Is that so? Well, there's still time for you to feel plenty of pain," he answered in a dark tone and a devious smile that would make anyone's blood run cold.

Even Kin'emon flinched at the pirate's words, but stubbornly stayed quiet.

Still, what Law wanted to know now was to confirm his suspicions about Miyako and this man. They've seen each other but they didn't really react like they know each other. *Could it be this man wasn't after Miyako after all? But then why did he come here? He said he's searching for someone…so it's someone else on this island?* Law's eyes narrowed in thought while he walked back towards the facility.

Miyako followed her captain, staring at the angry head that swung from side to side in Law's grip. "What will you do with him?"

"For now I'll put him in one of the empty rooms that we can use as cells. The ones with reinforced doors," the Shichibukai answered absent-mindedly, still in his own thoughts.

~…..~

"Oof!" The head of Kin'emon grunted as it was roughly cast on the ground. He looked around as best as he could, but there was nothing and no one except him, the strange girl and the smug man who took him to this peculiar room. "Where have you taken me, what is this place?"

Miyako crossed her arms on her chest and stared down at the fuming head. "I don't believe you are in any position to ask us questions," she stated coldly.

For a second Kin'emon was so shocked he couldn't even respond, but when he finally collected himself, he yelled back at the girl. "How dare you rude woman talk to me in that manner! Eh? Now that I look closely, you have the facial features of a Wanokuni's person like me," he stared at her with wide sharp eyes, making the girl flinch in nervousness. "Ah! So I'm right, you really are a Wano woman, yet you are acting like this! How insolent! Even carrying a sword at your side, you are a shame to our country! How dare you stand here next to a man and even take the initiative in a conversation!? Urk!" Suddenly the man's words were stopped by a foot on his face.

Miyako stepped right on Kin'emon's face and pressed down on it to shut him up. At the same time, she slowly started unsheathing the katana tied to her waist. Her expression was completely cold as she stared down at him with menacing, deadly eyes. "Aaah, you have quite the nerve for just a talking head, even though you were cut up to pieces so easily. I knew it would be like this if you were really a samurai from Wano, but out of curiosity I went to check it out anyway. I tried my best to keep it cool, yet you keep acting all high and mighty like this. Perhaps you should be the one to learn when to shut up?" She said coldly as if tired from the man's words.

Kin'emon's eyes twitched in sudden worry when he realized he'll really be cut up, or what's left of him at least. "S-such a violent woman! Stop her, you there!" He turned to look at the man who was responsible for his sorry state in the first place.

However, Law appeared to be both surprised and amused by this scene and he only stood there observing. He didn't look like he had any intention of helping the samurai man.

"What's that, are you begging your enemy for help now? Hmmm? How pitiful," Miyako kept on bullying Kin'emon, pressing her foot on his head even more.

"Gh-ggh!" Kin'emon wanted to say something more, but kept his mouth shut since that appeared to be the wisest option right now.

Having enough of the comical scene, Law cleared his throat loudly to get Miyako's attention. "As interesting as this conversation between you two is, we still need him alive. I want to know who he is and how he came to this island in the first place," Trafalgar said with a dark stare towards Kin'emon. The head of the samurai gulped.

Miyako didn't look quite pleased by the interruption, but sheathed back her sword nevertheless. She gazed back at Law with a frown before taking a deep breath to calm herself, "I get it, I get it," she finally said in a bothered tone and stepped back from the head.

"But just to make it clear; you don't know who this man is?" Law gestured at the head on the floor.

Miyako blinked in confusion at his question. "Hm? No, I have no idea. We might be from the same country, but you can't expect me to know every small-fry samurai from Wano," she purposely insulted Kin'emon.

"Small fry!?" The samurai repeated in anger. "How dare you! A woman could never expect to even know how to live by the code of bushido, or know the honor it brings! You are an insult to both samurai and women of Wano, wielding that katana!"

"Tch, I don't care either way. I'm a pirate anyway," she crossed her arms on her chest and stared at him defiantly. She was definitely angry by his words, but she'd rather die than let him see it.

"P-pirate!? I hate pirates! You…You must be the devil incarnate! A Wano woman breaking all the rules of our society, wielding a sword and talking rudely to a man, and even being a pirate on top of it!"

"Like I care if you hate me or not; I'd rather be a pirate than follow your stupid bigoted rules from hundreds of years ago!" Miyako bit back to shut him up, already seething in rage by now. It's not like she didn't foresee this kind of treatment from a man of Wano, but it hit her harder than she expected since she was away from such opinions for so long. Being with the Heart Pirates all this time, she almost forgot about the treatment of women in her homeland. She wasn't used to it anymore, as she previously was.

Their argument was luckily interrupted by Law's den den mushi which started to ring. The Shichibukai thanked the heavens for it since the atmosphere in the room became too heated and uncomfortable because of those two. Both of them, however, shut up when the transponder snail started calling out. "What is it?" Law answered opening the den den mushi with a click.

"It's me. You better have some good news. Was the intruder really caught?" Caesar's voice started taking on the other side.

"Yeah, he won't be a problem anymore," Trafalgar answered in a bored tone. He really didn't need Caesar on his back right now too.

"Well that's fine, but seems like we're having new problems. Maa, what's with this day, it just won't give us a break!" The scientist complained on his side, much to Law's disdain since the pirate really didn't care. "You better come and see this, quick!" The logia ended their conversation along with the call.

Law and Miyako looked at each other in wonder. "I guess the interrogation will have to wait," Law commented and started to leave the room with Miyako by his side.

"I wonder what happened now," the girl added, giving Kin'emon one last glare behind her shoulder.

"Will you just leave me here you nasty pirates?! Even after all the shame you've caused me! I want to die from all this humiliating, even being treated so poorly by a woman!" Kin'emon yelled angrily after them.

Trafalgar's eyes narrowed in annoyance and he suddenly turned around, unsheathing his nodachi in the process. "Wait just a little longer and you will die just as you wish," with that he sliced the air using his devil fruit powers. In the next second, the head of Kin'emon got separated into even smaller pieces, looking like a jigsaw puzzle. The Shichibukai sheathed back his sword, happy to have some quiet from the samurai at least. The pair left the unfurnished room, leaving nothing but a cut-up head behind.

~…..~

"I'm telling you, that guy is taken care of so don't worry," Miyako sighed as she talked to Monet and Caesar, bringing them up to date on everything that happened.

"I made sure he won't go anywhere," Trafalgar added.

"Weeell, it's good that at least one of our problems is taken care of," Caesar said, but still held a dissatisfied expression. "However, Monet tells me that there are new intruders on Punk Hazard. Oy Law, you sure you didn't tell anyone about this place?" The scientist glared at the Shichibukai suspiciously as the four of them all sat down on the sofas in room B.

At that moment, the bird woman hung up the den den mushi in which she was talking to. With a completely blunt tone, the woman added, "The Navy's at the doors."

"Whaat?!" The gas logia shouted in both anger and surprise.

„Maaaster, this is bad!" One of the ex-prisoners ran into the room. "We've just confirmed it, there are really marines on Punk Hazard. It's that no-good G5 with Vice Admiral Smoker leading them!"

"How did they find out about us here?" Miyako couldn't contain her surprise either as she sat up in her seat and stared back at them with wide eyes.

"That's what I want to know too, dammit! Law, did you bring them here after all!? You are the only Shichibukai here, you know!" Caesar exclaimed and took out a gun from his coat.

At that moment, Miyako hastily grabbed the hilt of her katana and was about to stand up and protect her captain, when suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her chest. It was potent enough to make her sit back down on the couch and grab her chest with her hand. It felt like she was having a heart attack, but was that even possible when she didn't even have a heart at the moment? "Gh," with a grunt of pain through gritted teeth, Miyako looked up at Monet who was casually sitting across from her. In her wing, the harpy held a beating heart in a small cube; Miyako's heart. It didn't take long for the samurai girl to collect the pieces and realize what happened; as soon as she was about to go after Caesar, Monet clutched her heart making the pain almost unbearable. Only Miyako's pride and anger right now stopped the girl from crying out. The pain finally lessened and the girl felt like she could breathe freely again.

With cold but menacing eyes of a snake, Monet smirked in amusement at the samurai. "Now, now, don't do anything rash while our bosses are having a conversation," the woman chimed in a warning.

Miyako glared daggers with her burning golden eyes at her, but stayed motionless in her seat.

Meanwhile, Law and Caesar were having a stare down. Finally, the Shichibukai sighed as if already tired of this topic and closed his eyes for a second. "How many times do I need to tell you; if the government realizes I am here, I'll be in trouble too. Even a Shichibukai isn't allowed on Punk Hazard. I don't know why the Navy is here, but I'll gladly get rid of them for you. For both of our sakes," the pirate stared at Caesar sharply.

"Tch," the scientist clicked his tongue and put away his gun, though he still looked a bit unconvinced. He was a suspicious man by nature and he didn't like such coincidences; first a Shichibukai arrives at the island and then marines follow a few months later. "Fine, go find out what they want and get rid of them…Just my luck, of all the marines it just had to be that White Hunter Smoker. He has the instincts of a wild dog," Caesar cursed under his breath in irritation.

Without a word, Law stood up from his seat and took his nodachi with him.

"Then, I will also-" Miyako went to follow, but her captain's gaze stopped her. "No, you stay here in case something else goes wrong and you're needed. I can handle the marines on my own," he nodded to her and gestured for her to stay.

The girl didn't look very pleased by his decision, but she didn't argue either. She sat back down on the sofa with a displeased expression, watching her captain leave.

"Well I doubt you need to worry. As he said, I'm sure he can take care of some marines," Monet commented while putting away Miyako's heart again. It appeared that she always kept it close to her just in case of situations such as what just happened.

"If you're trying to make me feel better, please stop, it's unsettling," the samurai girl answered bluntly in a cold tone.

"Sholololo! You girls really don't get along even after all this time, huh?" Caesar laughed in amusement, watching Monet and Miyako exchange stares. He stood up and hovered over to the control room where the video surveillances were. "Now, about that other thing," he picked up a den den mushi and called someone.

"Other thing?" Miyako furrowed her eyebrows in question as she watched the logia work on something.

"Ah, I was so surprised about the Navy, I completely forgot to tell Law…there seems to be more intruders on the island," the scientist answered.

"You mean other than the weird samurai and the Navy?" Miyako frowned in wonder.

"Indeed, there seems to be a pirate ship anchored on the flaming part of Punk Hazard. We've sent a team there to pick them up and bring them here. It would be bad if someone leaves the island and tells others that there are people here. The Government would probably investigate if they caught wind of this," Monet answered instead of Caesar who was currently taking to someone via den den mushi.

Miyako's gaze turned back to the bird woman who was still sitting across from her on the couch. The girl sighed in thought, *First a Samurai, then the Navy and now even pirates? Seriously, what's wrong with this day?* Her thoughts went back to the cut-up samurai in one of the empty rooms of the facility. *Now that I think about it, I never got the chance to investigate if that samurai really has anything to do with Momonosuke-kun. I got so angry at him I totally forgot to ask anything,* Miyako sighed, thinking of the small Wanokuni kid in the Biscuits Room.

---

Aaand it's done! :) Sorry it took so long, it's just holidays, life and all. I hope you liked it and we're slowly entering the cannon Punk Hazard Arc! (or are we already in it?). I think it'll be for real once the Straw Hats arrive and get involved, which is sooo close. :D

Also thank you everyone for the nice reviews! I hope you continue to read and support this story in the following year as well. I love you all my readers for being so patient and nice to me throughout this story and all these years. Once more, I'm sending you hearts, cookies and all the best wishes wherever you may be! :D

Memarvo: Thank you! Merry Christmas to you and all the best for the following year! About Cody's report: I think it's still useful for them to know how low they are on supplies, especially medication, so they can know what to restock and what they can use while what they have to save for emergency since they're low on it. Law seems to me like a pragmatic guy who would want to keep track of that (unlike Luffy :P). Also, I didn't find your question creepy at all, don't worry. :) They used protection? I kept that whole scene pretty vague, so I'm leaving it all to the reader's imagination. :P

Lucy Jacob: The topknot was the important, symbolic part of hair among men. Indeed, being cut off meant that the man was letting go of his social status. Since Miyako is a woman she doesn't have a symbolism in her hair like that (or at least it's not something socially acceptable for women there), but she does value her hair a lot. When Miyako became a rounin (abandoning her societal role), if she were a man she would have cut off her topknot at the time. So even though I believe it would bother her, I don't think it would devastate her the same way it would a samurai man when cutting off his topknot.

I hope you are doing fine now and that you are well! Please take care of yourself! :) Good luck on your exams, I hope they all went well.

brokenfingers1: I agree with you, sometimes hastiness leads to fall in quality. I will keep that in mind. :) I do try to think of a way to get as close as I can to the cannon chapters yet still keep it interesting (so that it's not only a repetition of the cannon). Hopefully, I'll succeed. ^^'

SurgeonOfLove: In that case, first, welcome to the website! Enjoy your time here. :D I think they'll be interesting in seeing each other's strength, but I don't think they'd fight it out just to see who's stronger. At least, Miyako isn't interested in such fights (unless she's provoked). Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and I hope you will enjoy future chapters as well. :)

MarikSebastianIshtarThe3rd: Thank you very much, I hope you liked this chapter too. :D

Red knight 2004: haha I'm glad! :D

Bioware: Yeah, at this point I'm just thinking; how do I get them a bit closer together so they don't end up killing each other. XD Uf, I know what you mean. I was just staring at the last chapter of Law thinking 'Holy Shit!'

Wicken25: I thought so too at first, but then seeing all the animal-human guys and also, she even writes with her wings (if she can change back, who would rather write with a wing than a hand? o.O). So I thought maybe she really did get her limbs replaced by animal ones. Also, her bird legs are orange, so they don't really seem snowy. Doesn't mean that I'm right though, it's just my outlook on it. :)

ThexWhitexPhoenix: He has arrived! And he has bonding time with Miyako! :D

Shiningheart of ThunderClan: Yep, she only recognized the Wano clothing style but she doesn't actually know Momo. It's not that she's keeping it a secret from Law, it's just there isn't much to tell. "Hey, there's a kid who is also from Wano, like me," that's pretty much all she knows. I doubt Law would care much about that. Maybe just warn her not to get too attached to him.

I also want for Miyako to not leave Punk Hazard before letting Monet have it, for all her mockery over the months. Though she needs to be careful while Monet has her heart.

Ubermarine: 'The chapter system is not to be used as placeholder for non-story content such as author notes. You can add short author notes to the beginning or at the end of stories but never as individual chapters'. This means that you can't post an author's notice, comments etc. in place of a whole chapter, but you can still post it before or after your story.

BatmanSwim2016: I'm starting to worry that I really made it sound like that in the story, since some readers also thought so. ^^' But no, she only recognized that he is a child from Wanokuni. He's full name is Momonosuke. :)

Bizzy: You mean like where the Heart Pirates meet the Kid Pirates? In my opinion, that didn't happen yet. Cause Kid went to the New World instantly while the Heart's stayed behind in Paradise for a long time. I hope they do meet in cannon and if not, I'll make it happen when the time comes. ;)

Hitoshirezu Ryu: Thank very much. I must say though, Miyako only recognized that Momo is from Wano but doesn't know who he actually is. They don't know each other. It seems there is some confusion about that, I'll have to go reread my chapter and see if I made some mistake in writing that part. ^^'

Chocogirl24: Thank you! I can't wait for that part too, especially since Miyako admires Luffy for everything he's been through.

Guest: haha Momo had to come. :P